Step-by-step marbled leather mouse mat project
This fun project will help you to customise your home office accessories in 5 easy steps… PLUS you can win a copy of Make Yourself At Home in my giveaway – enter here…
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5 Reasons you should take up a new craft in the new year
Today’s blog post is all about getting stuck in to a new craft this year and the five reasons why you should try a hands-on project in 2018…
Read MoreI’m a judge in the “Tiling for a Good Cause” competition – and you can vote for your favourite!
Tile Trader’s “Tiling for a Good Cause” campaign aims to give one deserving facility a tiling transformation worth up to £500, and they’ve asked me to be an expert judge! Nominations have been received from community groups across the UK including London, Glasgow and Coleraine and now I’d like to urge everyone to cast their […]
Read MoreHow to make a DIY snowball letters decoration
I know it might feel a little early to be putting up the decorations but I wanted to share this project with you asap, as I’m not just showing you how to make snowy letters – I’m giving my own project away to one lucky reader! The giveaway is running for the next couple of […]
Read More10 ways to make your home instantly ‘Copenhagen’
Today I’ve got some tips from ScandiKitchen’s Brontë Aurell on how to make your home instantly feel much more Scandinavian, along with some gorgeous photos of the look. This feature is taken from Brontë’s newly released coffee table book ‘North’. The book answers questions such as ‘why are Norwegians the happiest people in the world?’, ‘what is […]
Read MoreHow to stay organised in 2018
Once you’ve tackled most rooms in your home, purchased new storage solutions, and discarded things you no longer use, how do you continue to stay organised? One of the most important parts of any organising system is sustainability. It’s when you maintain an organising rhythm that you’ll really begin to notice the positive effects. Today’s […]
Read MoreA peek inside Kirstie Allsopp’s garden
Today’s blog post is a glimpse inside Kirstie Allsopp’s garden. I’ve been lucky enough to get some behind-the-hedge photos from Victoria Summerley, the author of The Secret Gardeners. If you missed my earlier blog posts, I’ve also shared a peek inside Prue Leith’s plot and Cath Kidston’s garden. Plus I’ve got two copies of the book to […]
Read MoreA peek inside Cath Kidston’s garden
Britain’s creatives reveal their private garden sanctuaries in newly released book The Secret Gardeners. This beautifully presented book is packed full of stunning photographs, and gives us an insight into how famous folk live. I’ve already blogged about GBBO judge Prue Leith’s garden last week, and today I’m giving you a peek into designer Cath […]
Read MoreVote for my blog & you could win £100 gift voucher!
Fantastic news! I’ve been shortlisted in the DotComGiftShop Blog Awards 2017! Please could you spare a minute to vote for me in the “Best Interior Design Blog” category?? The voting page is here and when you submit your vote, you’ll automatically be entered to win a £100 voucher to spend on anything you like at […]
Read MoreA peek inside Prue Leith’s garden
Ever wanted to nose around the gardens of the stars? Have you wondered what Sting’s back garden looked like? Or wished you could peep into Richard Branson’s Or poke around in Hugh Fearnly-Whittingstall’s veggie patch? Well, the good news is that ‘The Secret Gardeners’ by Victoria Summerley does just that. And more good news – […]
Read MoreRoom tour – My Art Nouveau style guest room makeover
So here’s the latest photos of my guest room makeover. We’ve made a little more progress since my last guest room makeover post (where you can see all the ‘before’ and decorating photos) and finally have all our furniture back in the room. We’ve added some bedding that we already owned, some cushions I made […]
Read MoreThe Secret Gardens of East Anglia
Today I wanted to bring you some impressive photos of little-known East Anglian gardens. As a novice gardener (an someone who has no idea what to do with their empty plot) I’ve been flicking through lots of gardening books recently. I was thoroughly inspired by the newly released ‘Secret Gardens of East Anglia’ book so […]
Read MoreMy home office makeover – getting inspiration from STUDIO
I’ve got two copies of the newly released book STUDIO by Sally Coulthard to be won – read on to enter the giveaway!When I first viewed my house, I was specifically on the look-out for an office space to call my own. In previous homes I’d had a desk in the corner of the living […]
Read MoreIt’s National Experience Week – what would you do? + giveaway
Ever fancied driving around the Grand Prix track at Silverstone? Have you thought about learning a new skill? Or do you just like the idea of trying out a new restaurant for dinner? Just what would you choose if you could try out ANY new experience? It’s #NationalExperienceWeek and this has got me thinking about my own dream […]
Read MoreBook review: Urban Flowers + win a copy!
This week I’ve got my hands on the newly released gardening book ‘Urban Flowers’ by Carolyn Dunster. A very thrifty DIY-focussed book, it contains hundreds of ideas for making the most of your outdoor space, no matter how little garden you have. And the good news is that you can win a copy in my […]
Read MoreMore than chocolate eggs – Easter gifts ideas
With Easter fast approaching, my thoughts have turned to chocolate eggs and rabbit-shaped iced biscuits. I love making marshmallow ‘nests’ with my niece and nephew, and an Easter cheesecake is a must in our household. But this year, I thought I’d consider some Easter gifts that are more than just edible treats. I’d love to […]
Read MoreTuesday Shoes – Springtime pumps with a sporty sole
My spring essentials are pumps. I’ve lived in my tan brogue boots and my hiking trainers all winter but now that the weather is warming up and the clocks have gone forward I’m confident that it’s time to switch over to springtime shoes. So that’s what I’m talking about in today’s Tuesday Shoesday blog post, plus […]
Read MoreBook review: The Thoughtful Gardener by Jinny Blom + Win a copy!
I’ve been reading about gardening this month, and it’s all down to the newly released book The Thoughtful Gardener. If you too have an empty garden (or an overgrown one, for that matter) this book is the perfect starting point to get you into the garden this spring. It’s packed full of inspirational ideas and plenty of photos of […]
Read MoreTop 3 dress trends for spring/summer 2017 and how to wear them
The sun is out – hip hip hooray! For me this means the start of the spring/summer season and that means a slight shift in my wardrobe. It’s no longer the weather for woolly jumpers and thick jeans – which can only mean one thing; dresses are back! Today I’m sharing my picks of the […]
Read MoreAMAZING news – my blog won the award for Best Homes & Interiors Blog 2017
I’m SO excited to tell you the wonderful news that my thrifty little lifestyle blog has just been announced as the winner of the Best Homes and Interiors Blogger Award 2017!! I still can’t really believe it and I’m grinning like the cheshire cat right now!The news has just been shared by the award sponsor […]
Read MoreTuesday Shoesday – 100 years of Converse All-Stars
Did you know that 2017 marks the 100th anniversary of the famous Converse All-Star high-top trainers? I didn’t either until I started Googling “Converse” when I was looking for a gift for my husband. A quick search not only brought up a whole host of classic designs to choose from but also a whole lot […]
Read MoreHow to create 2 (very different!) flower arrangements using gerberas
Today’s rather cheerful blog post comes to you courtesy of fabulous florist Paula Pryke OBE. I’ve asked this inspirational designer to share her tips for creating displays using colourful gerberas. I’ve found it difficult to work with gerberas in the past because their stems sometimes go floppy but today Paula is sharing two easy step-by-step guides […]
Read MoreMap Geek – Make it personal with romantic maps
If you’ve been following my blog for a while, you’ll already know what a geek I am when it comes to maps. Old, new and anything inbetween – maps are intriguing, enticing and informative. I’m the kind of person who wanders over to information maps on footpaths or in city centres and looks like a total tourist, […]
Read MoreUK Blog Awards 2016 Most Innovative Blog – And the winner is…
For the first time in almost 10 years of blogging I don’t know what to write. I finally understand what people mean when they say they are speechless – but I am wordless. I’ve never sat in front of a blank page and not known what to write. But today is different. Today I should […]
Read MoreHelp motivate your fellow #WomanKind
How have you been getting on with your #WomanKind journey so far this year? I want to chat through my own progress with you today, and please read on to enter my amazing hamper giveaway including £100 John Lewis vouchers (and there are TWO of these amazing prizes up for grabs)! You may remember that I started […]
Read MoreShare your ‘impossible experiences’ with Into The Blue
What would you do if money, time, and even the laws of physics weren’t a problem? Would you jet off for a picnic on the moon like Wallace and Gromit? How about learning to walk on your hands? Would you rock the stage at Glastonbury? If you could do absolutely anything at all, what would […]
Read MoreDIY Valentine’s gift – A box of memories + polaroid photos
What do you give to your special someone for Valentine’s Day when you’re both trying to save money and clear the clutter? Something very thrifty and useful, that’s what. I know you wouldn’t expect anything less from me so I’m happy to oblige! I’ve upcycled a gift box that I received for Christmas, used a […]
Read MoreMy new London Retro specs
I’m quite picky about the brands that I feature on this blog – I only ever talk about my favourites – and as a thrifty retail kinda gal, the products I share need to be the best bargains around. So when the lovely team at MyOptique got in touch with me last week offering all […]
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