Mirrors
Feb 19
This week I’ve been thinking about mirrors, I was wandering around the house as I had something in my eye but could I find one! It was quite a painful experience but I eventually located one on the bathroom. This got me thinking that maybe I should invest in some more mirrors for the house.
Taking a wander around Ikea I was quite surprised to find out just how many different mirrors you can actually get. Not only can you get the traditional square or rectangle mirrors that look great in the living room or hall way you can also have circular ones that look great in hall ways. There are a great variety of mirrors that are available for the bathroom, for something a bit different why not look at mirror tiles to create a mirrored wall.
The bedroom is a great place for mirrors, not only can you have a full length mirror or mirrored wardrobes. You can also get some amazing shapes of mirrors such as tear drops and flowers.
The frames you can get for mirrors are as fantastic as the mirrors themselves. Everything from extravagant bejewelled mirrors to simplistic under rated silver frames, there are some intricately carved wooden frames that are available.
The humble mirror is more than just a talking point in a room, correctly placed it can bring extra light in to any room making it feel more spacious and airy than it actually is. They do this by reflecting the natural light that comes through windows and bouncing it back creating the illusion of a spacious and light room. Mirrors are best placed in small room that maybe don’t get as much light as they need in order to make them habitable. Plus they have the advantage of letting you see if you have anything in your eye!
Clever Storage Solutions
Feb 05So with the snow coming down heavily my winter spring clean is well under way but I’ve come across the main problem all cleaners have. Lack of space to put everything. But there are so amazing storage solutions out there, everything ranging from photo boxes with storage for makeup to futons with storage spaces for throws, cushions and magazines. There are certain rooms that storage solutions are easy to find for, the kitchen is the perfect place for old fashioned storage jars and boxes, the living room has its futons and storage chairs, the bathroom has its cute wicker boxes and mirrored cupboards.
But what about the bedroom? Yes you can get large storage chests and wicker baskets for washing if you are lucky enough to have a big enough room if not there are some amazing beds out there with storage solutions. You can get beds with drawers in the bases and those with mattresses that lift up. you can also get some amazing storage systems for wardrobes, but what do you do with all those clothes that you’ve worn once so don’t want to put back in the wardrobe but also aren’t worn enough to wash? That is my main storage problem with the bedroom, I did contemplate a chair but with two cats in the house you can imagine just where they will end up sleeping! But I have come across an amazing solution and it is so simple and cheap I can’t believe it’s not all over the market.
What is this wonder item? Well it is quite straight forward; it is a coat hanger with hoops linked under it. Simple isn’t it! Sounds quite simple and unimaginative but it is a life saver, not only does it keep my clothes away from the cat fluff but they are also kept crease free! Either hook your tops, scarves or leggings through the hoops or hang up trousers and dresses on coat hangers and pop on the hoops or the links in between. Such a simple solution but it is a fantastic way to store clothes.
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!
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!
