Wicker Baskets
Jan 22It’s almost that time, spring cleaning is practically upon us. This can be quite a stressful time if you aren’t prepared for it. It may seem like an antiquated notion to have a yearly clear out but it can be quite a therapeutic event, out with the old and in with all the new stuff. I often find it is best to do this slightly early to help clear up after the Christmas period. We all seem to collect a lot of stuff over this period and it is good to have a clear out once this is over, giving you a fresh start for the new year in a clear and tidy house.
When it comes to spring cleaning it is best to do it in a systematic fashion, attack one room at time armed with a whole army of cleaning products and new storage boxes. Spring cleaning is no time to be sentimental, you need to be ruthless otherwise you’ll hold on to a load of items you won’t look at for a year that take up space you need for items you actually need.
This year I’ve chosen wicker baskets as my storage system of choice, I find it is best to buy these in advance so you have an idea of where everything can go once you’ve tidied. I’ve picked wicker this year as it will be suitable to be used throughout the house and not just as storage boxes, you can buy wicker furniture to help co-ordinate a room, a wicker chair for example is a great addition to a room and despite expectations is actually quite comfy. Wicker boxes come in all different sizes, you can get small ones to fit in corners and larger chest sized ones for storing clothes or bedding. You can even get wicker laundry baskets to fit in with the theme.
Tablecloths
Jan 08The Christmas season is well and truly upon us. The tree is up and decorated with lovely seasonal berries and cones, though I must admit I did give in and put a few bits of ‘real’ tinsel on it. The presents are wrapped, slightly haphazardly as the cats kept getting involved, but the overall effect is definitely festive and has got me in the mood for Christmas.
Instead of putting my feet up and congratulating myself on a job well done I’ve turned my attention to the christmas table. As I have family descending on me this year I’m having to do more than turn up clutching presents and a few bottles and I’m determined to make a success of it. The food will have to wait until a bit closer to the actual day, giving me time to build up to facing the shops and the masses within them, but I did think I could do something with the table before then. Now I’m not a fan of those plastic tablecloths you see on most tables for family events, don’t get me wrong they are an asset at keeping the amount of clearing up you have to do to a minimum something I am a big fan of! But they seem to be rather bland and samey, that is why I’ve been working on crocheting a tablecloth. Before you throw your hands up in horror at the thought of cleaning christmas dinner off wool don’t worry I have got a plastic sheet to go over it. The pattern I’m using is classed as pineapple and I have to say I’m quite enjoying doing it, so much so if I get this done in time I might make some placemats out of chunkier wool which can be thrown away if they won’t wash out.
This pattern I find great if you are looking to do big areas quickly, it grows so rapidly that you can easily get a big tablecloth in just a few weeks, perfect if you tend to leave these things to the last minute like I do!
The top 3 online resources for buying a home overseas
Dec 16
The kind of online resource sites that enable people to browse available properties and arrange buying, selling and renting over the internet, have become increasingly popular over the last few years. This is partly because they alleviate much of the stress involved in this process as well as providing useful advice for prospective purchasers. Buying a home overseas can be even more difficult and stressful than purchasing within the UK, making online resources that can improve this situation, even more important. These are three of the top online resources for those thinking of purchasing a home overseas.
Global Property Guide
This site, which is located at the website address www.globalpropertyguide.com is one of the biggest property portals in Europe and offers not only information about available properties across the world, but also a host of other useful information which anyone looking to buy overseas needs to know about – including information concerning taxation and legal issues for each country.
Find a Property
This online property portal – found at the web address www.findaproperty.com/ is another of the most popular online resources for people looking to buy or rent – either in this country or overseas. Again, in addition to providing information about available properties everywhere from Europe to Africa, the site also contains information about savings that can be made through currency exchange, and the French Leaseback scheme.
World Properties
As the name of the site indicates, this offers information and listings of available properties across the world. Like Find a Property all of the properties listed on the site are represented by agencies subject to regulation according to a Code of Ethics – which helps to protect those buying from the more unscrupulous end of the property market – something which can be a particular concern when you are looking to buy a home overseas.
A Sweet Stocking
Dec 11
For some reason this year I’ve decided to do friends and family stockings on top of their usual presents. Call me crazy but once the idea came over me I couldn’t shake it. That was all well and good in October when Christmas was far away on the horizon, now we are in December and the enormity of the task, as well as the cost has come over me. But I think I have it sorted, well maybe. By doing generic male and female stockings and a bit of creative baking I think I might just pull this off.
I’ve decided that all anyone really wants from stockings are the sweets, with standard sized ones you can’t really get that many good presents in there, well unless you go for computer games and sorry everyone I’m not that rich. So with a bit of creative wrapping I think I can fill these up quite easily.
For part of my generic male / female divide I’ve gone back to childhood, boys are getting toy soldiers or paper planes which I think will go down well as my brother who is 22 spent a good afternoon playing with a polystyrene plane a few weeks ago. Girls it has to be my little pony or something pink, no two ways about it.
For the sweets, well there are too many to choose from, you have your traditional oranges and nuts. A bit boring so I’m going for chocolate covered nuts and orange brownies. Candy canes can be a bit tricky but they do look great poking over the top of stockings so I’ll be attempting those. In my mind fudge and peppermint creams just make a Christmas stocking, there is an eternal link in my mind between tearing the wrapping paper off presents and eating as many peppermint creams as you can before you get them taken off you so those are a must for me.
With just a few weeks to go and a big list I best get cracking and of course finding the best recipes out there, such a lot of tasting to do!
Homeware
Dec 05Look around any modern kitchen and you’ll find bits and bobs for every possible occasion “ and then some. We have gadgets and gizmos for everything in our modern lives and the kitchen utensils and cutlery to go with it. But when we think about it do we really need all of these things? After all, early man coped with just a stick and some rocks, but, then again, early man didn’t have to worry about getting his crème brulee just right, did he?The question we ask ourselves as we look around our overflowing kitchen drawers is; do we really need all these pieces? Or are there bits of homeware in our kitchens we can do without? Well, let’s be honest about this; most of us buy distant friends and relatives homeware items for the kitchen as presents, as we never really know what to get them, and these bits of homeware can be easily stored if not used, or passed on to others.
We also buy close friends items of kitchen homeware as we know they will love them; a cake stand or teapot always goes down well in any household. And, of course, homeware items for the kitchen are some of the most traditional wedding presents around, and are given out in their thousands; even though most modern couples live together before marriage and so have all the homeware items for the kitchen they will ever need.
But do we ever use more than 5 or 6 items out of the hundreds we have floating around? As with everything in life, we hoard kitchen items away and as such have drawers full of homeware just waiting to be used. Of course, as soon as you throw away that fish slice or that random object that you think is for slicing eggs, but you aren’t quite sure and can never get it to work anyway, you will need them and have to start a hunt for the item. After that, it will sit in the drawer for years on end, until you throw it away again as you can’t remember why you bought it.
