My ‘quick tidy up’ outbuilding makeover on a budget

May 26, 2020.Reading time 6 minutes.

We have a brick outbuilding that has seen better days so I wanted to spruce up the exterior a little to make it look a little nicer in our garden. Here are some photos of my quick DIY makeover…

How to DIY rustic garden benches using upcycled scaffold boards

July 6, 2019.Reading time 10 minutes.

We’ve had a busy week of garden-based DIYing here, which all began when we got hold of some low-cost scaffold boards from the local timber yard. My mind went into overdrive about all the things I could build with the 13ft-long boards but we decided to start small with some rustic garden benches. Here’s how to make them…

How to create an outdoor kitchen/diner in your garden

June 15, 2019.Reading time 11 minutes.

I’ve been working on landscaping my garden this year and the steep slope needed to be terraced, which left me with a design that created ‘rooms’ within the garden. And since finishing the deck over the weekend, it’s got me thinking about the ways that I want to use the terrace that’s closest to the house…

How to style your garden like the Love Island villa

July 11, 2018.Reading time 10 minutes.

Do you dream of having a fresh, bright and colourful home just like the Love Island villa? Today I’m taking garden design inspiration from the Love Island complex and finding ways to recreate this Mediterranean paradise in your own garden here in the UK – starting with lots and lots of fairy lights..!

How to maximise daylight to beat the winter blues

January 19, 2018.Reading time 5 minutes.

We all know the importance of daylight, don’t we? It’s key to our mental wellbeing at this time of year and many people suffer with Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), caused by lack of daylight. It can be easy to wake up in the dark, work indoors all day and then return home at dusk. In […]

Making progress in the garden & a new place to relax

September 13, 2017.Reading time 7 minutes.

Remember I said that we’ve put our house DIYing efforts on hold during August (apart from decorating our guest room, of course) so that we could enjoy the summer? Well, it turns out that the extra time we had gained by not filling, sanding or painting allowed us to do a little work on the […]

Pieday Friday – How to dine al fresco this summer

June 30, 2017.Reading time 5 minutes.

Finally, summer is here and the evenings are warm enough to enjoy your meals outside in the fresh air. Whether you’re a BBQ queen, or prefer to simply take your dinner plate out from the kitchen, there’s nothing like sitting down with family and friends outside, and enjoying your food together (aside from the insects, […]

Learn to love your garden again

June 3, 2017.Reading time 5 minutes.

Out of all the places in our home, the garden is probably the most easily forgotten area, especially during the colder months. Sure, we might hire a gardener or we might drag ourselves out there in order to get some work done, but it’s easy to forget about the garden and, sooner or later, it’ll […]

Get your garden summer-ready with these quick tips

June 1, 2017.Reading time 5 minutes.

The winter is now a distant memory, and I can’t wait to spend more time outside. I know that many of us don’t work in our gardens during the colder months so you might have to create a plan and do some work before your outdoor space looks summer-ready. Still, the suggestions in today’s blog post […]

Is that garden furniture really a bargain? Things to consider before you buy outdoor items

May 23, 2017.Reading time 8 minutes.

Summer is on its way and us Brits love to get outside as much as possible as soon as we see the sun coming out from behind the clouds. This very weekend I went for a walk along the promenade as soon as the drizzle stopped. I’m really excited about the upcoming bank holiday too and hope […]

4 Low-cost + fun days out for the school holidays

May 30, 2016.Reading time 6 minutes.

We’re mid-way through the summer term and that means one thing – a sunny half term break with nothing to do! This is one of my favourite holidays of the school year, because it’s warm enough to get outside and enjoy last days of Spring, yet it’s not the over-priced days of the summer holidays […]

Looking forward to Easter – Mini-eggs, toys and outdoor fun

March 10, 2016.Reading time 5 minutes.

With the big Easter holiday looming at the end of the month (and a bit of time off, phew!) I’ve been busy making plans for Easter fun with the family. We all love to get together at some point over the four-day holiday and enjoy a meal together, as well as organising an Easter egg hunt around the […]