For the love of Finnish Interior Design

As some of you may already know we have recently got back from an amazing week living as a local in Helsinki . I am still editing the hundreds of photos and film and will be talking a lot more about everything we got up too but the one thing that has certainly stuck in my mind is how much I was inspired by the interiors and architecture. Everything was so well designed, practical, simple, decluttered and chic - basically everything I want in my own home and life and I felt immediately at one with the surroundings in this northern Scandinavian capital city, as you can see the photo above is make-up free after a long day of travelling with two kids but I'm happy after arriving in the Helsinki Secret Residency which happens to have a view of the Finlandia Hall, a building designed by Alvar Aalto and an architectural treasure.  The secret residency apartment was perfect, so well laid out, spacious and open planned with lots of natural light from the huge windo......

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Helpful DIY tips

There aren't many things more satisfying than completing a DIY project around the house. You save some money on repair or upkeep costs, you gain a sense of accomplishment, and you often even pick up some new skills along the way. But as most experienced home DIY'ers know, it's not always as easy as it looks to complete a project like this. You'll likely need to research who to do a given job, plan it out carefully, and practice on-the-go. But perhaps above all else, you'll need the right tools and equipment to get the job done. This is something all too many of us have realised when reaching for an old, forgotten toolkit only to find it sadly lacking or depleted! With that in mind, here are some general supply tips that can benefit anyone who regularly takes a DIY approach to home projects. Stock Up On Protective Gear When considering supplies for home improvement projects and similar efforts, it's easy to think only of utilities. There's alway......

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Building the house of your dreams

How beautiful is this outdoor space and pool ( image ) I have always been attracted to unusual properties and I find it hard to deal with living in what I would call an "ordinary home" and even though I have pretty much given up on trying to persuade John to live in a houseboat or a double decker bus I do think that the possibility of building and designing our own home is not completely out of the window especially since the recent Tiny House revolution has swept across the US and is now hitting UK shores. As you can imagine I love watching Grand designs and I am a true believer in that everyone has the right to pursue happiness, I am not talking about fame, fortune and an excess of material things but rather being able to create a space that you are happy with and want to enjoy your time in and a place you can call home. I love the Tiny home revolution happening at the moment  ( image ) To me there are a variety of options when it comes to my dream ho......

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Tips on creating a good bathroom design within your budget

Source When you are planning a bathroom remodel, your first step should be planning the design and décor. A bathroom can work out, per square meter, to be the most expensive room in the home, as they tend to be small and packed full of storage options, bathroom products and pricy but necessary features such as the tub, the basin and the toilet. THINK IT OVER Chic Bathroom ( Source ) Take a lot of time over the planning stage. A good idea is to draw up a scale diagram of the bathroom, with doors, pipes and fittings all carefully measured and marked. Next, work out where everything should go in the bathroom and perhaps even create some little paper cut-outs that represent the bathroom suite that you most like the look of, so that you can practice moving the set into the best possible positions. Be sure to allow for storage units, either Freestanding Vanity Units or wall-mounted and make sure that everything you like will fit into your bathroom and be able to w......

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Outdoor fun down the Bay

For some reason of late I have forgotten how much there is to do down the bay. We spent many an afternoon walking across the barrage during the summer months and than after out car packed in the distance made it harder to venture too but since having acquired some new wheels we are back to exploring further afield. There is nothing better than an day spent by the sea and best of all it's a great frugal and free option as we enjoyed a walk around the Bay, running after pigeons, watching boats coming and in and out, visiting the possibly soon to be gone lighthouse ship and watching JCD's and excavators across the water develop the new BBC village. Near the Norwegian church there is a walkway with various sea life engraved into stone, the little man loved this and with every step was asking what each engraving was from Jelly Fish to Kelp. Even though it was a little bit overcast it turned out to be a lovely day with some dramatic scenes across the water, a very ......

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Play dough, cake and building dens

Images:   Kim Love Hands up who experimentally nibbled on play dough when they were a kid? Come on, 'fess up. You probably had some of thisstuff : Play-Doh , the most famous incarnation of this squishy, attractive-smelling splat of moulding material. Your parents probably let you run riot with it - and they were right to, because it's completely harmless when eaten. Play dough is nothing but salt and flour held together with water and a squirt of funky food colouring. That's pretty much it. And just as you were safely left alone with it, so you can leave your kids alone with it. And as you can probably remember, it also tastes pretty awful, so even if your young'uns take an experimental bite, they're unlikely to take a second one.  So, with ingredients as simple and natural as those, what's to stop you making your own at home? Absolutely nothing, of course. But it must be tricky to make, right? Nada . It's super-easy. Ready to find out just how......

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