Your Home Improvement Guide for the Holidays

The holidays are just about here and if you happen to be the host this year, you’ve got a lot of preparing to do. Most people, when they think about preparing for the holidays they consider things like changing out the décor, choosing a menu, buying drinks, and selecting gifts for their guests. Although they are all key components to having a successful holiday gathering there are some things you’ll want to do beforehand. Check out this holiday home improvement list below: 1. Prepare the Exterior Though putting up lights and other holiday decorations may be what you’re most excited about there are some things you want to do beforehand to prep the exterior of your home for your guests. This includes making sure there is enough space for parking, removing any snow, ice, or debris from walkways as well as anything hanging from the roof that could potentially fall, and installing security lighting for latecomers so they can get to the house safely. You can also get your garden i......

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A door to make your home

They say first impressions always count and when I walk past a pretty front door I am always drawn to it. I wonder about the person or people who live behind that door and what beautiful interior they may have. A front door can say a lot about a person, some are colourful others classic or imposing and at the end of the day, home decor should be fun. Nothing is more satisfying than putting the finishing touches to an interior room or exterior space to complete the transformation. That said, there are a few boring tasks that also need to be done and either you need a plumber, electrician or a cleaner. Easefix provides Professional Workers for your daily routine at affordable rates. For example, buying new doors is not something that everyone looks forward to doing (I love it though), but regardless of how you feel this is an important task. After all, the first thing your visitors will notice when entering a room is one of the larger and more highly noticeable features ......

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Spring Spritz and Kilner Giveaway

The past few days there has certainly still been that wintery chill in the air but with the sun out buds are starting to show, crocuses have grown, the daffodils have opened up and the days are getting that little bit longer each day. You can sense the change and the feeling of spring is slowly starting to filter into my soul. I really want to get out of the gloominess of winter and burst into colour and thought a nice little Spring Sprtiz would be perfect for that so I had some fun in the kitchen today and came up with this refreshing little number. Green Spring Spritz 1 Apple 1/3 of a Cucumber 1/4 lime Mint leaves Lemon slice Ice cubes Sparkling water. Place an apple (I used a Gala), 1/3 of a cucumber, quarter lime and a few mint leaves into a juicer. Pour into a glass with some ice and top up with sparkling water, add some slices of lemon and there you go - simple as anything. This drink is wonderfully refreshing, full of goodness and is great for those in nee......

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10 Outdoor Decor Ideas for Summer

It’s August and unless you’re living in Australia, South Africa, or anywhere else in the southern hemisphere, summer is in its full swing. That means now is the best possible time to start decorating your backyard, porch or balcony and enjoy the next 30 to 60 days of incredibly nice weather. With these ten simple but effective ideas, you don’t have to go abroad or visit the seaside to take full advantage of the hot and steamy weather. Add a couple of these to your balcony or porch and you can be sure you will enjoy the warm summer nights. 1. Outdoor Pillows : Add a couple of brightly colored pillows to the sofa or a swing on your porch or in your back yard. If anything screams “summer”, then it’s a couple of brightly colored, striped pillows on a swing. 2. Tiki-Torches : Tiki-torches are one of those elements that really remind me of summer. They are fairly cheap (you can get four for $20 on Ebay) and very effective. They might not be a part of an Italian home ......

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Garden delights

It finally feels like winter has truly moved on and we are almost touching on summer and to be completely honest our garden is looking a little sorry for itself and really needs an injection of design, so I thought it was time to put together a little mood board and wish list... 1. Garden white ceramic stool  2. Potting shed garden in a Pail - Lavender 3. Garden trading beach chair   4. Lene Bjerre Affair Hammock 5. Gardman Copper & Cream watering can  I especially love the watering can - never thought a watering can could be so chic. This time of the year is always exciting as we start to get back into gardening and making it a special place we want to spend time in. Do you have any plans to change or update your outside space? ...

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Bringing nature into the heart and home

Vintage woven basket £18 As the weather has slowly started to warm up with blue skies scattered between cloudy ones we have started to spend more time outdoors on countryside walks as well as in our own garden which has been taken over by weeds and is in need of some TLC, something Mr A and I love to do together although this year we are running behind on our vegetable patch but hopefully a few more sunny days and we will be well on our way. Vintage Galvanised watering can £21 I really love bring nature into the home, especially when it's flowers and produce that has been grown on our own garden. It's made me think about a few bits and bobs I want to pick up, perhaps a flower press, some new gardening tools, a beautiful woven basket to collect flowers in or a vitnage watering can to display them in. Either way I love all the inspiration that the outdoors can give you and I am really looking forward to pottering round in the garden this summer and hop......

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Small garden styles - Turf Vs. Seeding

I love the mix of real and turf in this magical vertical style garden ( image) Anyone who’s prepared a garden, especially a small garden such as  courtyard  or roof terrace has come across the age-old debate of whether it is more effective to turf or seed grass. There are benefits to both – but the cost, time, presentation and ongoing maintenance benefits vary. Not too sure where to start? Consider the following when you’re choosing between turf or seed. Cost Without a doubt, there is a cost differential between turfing and seeding. With turfing, someone else has done all the hard work. With seeding, the money you save usually means a lot more work for you, but if you enjoy gardening like we do then this will not be seen as an issue but if your busy and want something stylish and low maintenance than turf maybe the nest option. You’ll find the costs of preparation and ongoing maintenance, however, are similar. You need to ask yourself – is the investment in ......

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5 Easy ways to keep your Garden looking great this Winter

So after a few on-and-off wet weeks and the temperature dropping plus the general busyness of this time of the year, it has meant until a few days ago our garden was looking rather sorry for itself. With a few last remaining courgettes to be picked, the dried remains of our tomato plants and various other veggies, untamed grass and weeds popping up everywhere we knew we needed a maintenance day. We put on our wellies, braved the slugs and de-weeded most of our garden, plus tidied up the raised flower beds, packed away various garden toys, sorted out the shed and basically started to get the garden ready for winter. The whole process was very therapeutic and already the garden looks more inviting despite the colder weather. It's made me think about what can be done to keep your outdoor space from looking like a long-lost world during the winter months and how to keep it a place you still want to spend time in. 1. Maintenance - don't leave it to become overgrown for the whol......

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Backyard Style Tips for Beginners

Is the onslaught of DIY renovation TV shows making you feel insecure about your backyard? Don't think your yard measures up? The good news is, with some simple styling tips, you'll be on your way to a dream backyard. Read on to get started. Make a List Before designing your backyard, make a concise list of your needs and wants. To create this list, ask yourself what purpose you want and need your backyard to serve. For instance: Do the kids need some space to play? Do you want to grow fruit and vegetables? Would you like to use the space to entertain friends? Once you have defined your objectives, draw some very rough sketches of your outdoor space, in regard to where you would like to place things. Both making lists and sketching the area are great organisation principles in landscape design for beginners. I love this cute DIY planting project - start small ( image ) Start Small Although reality TV renovation shows like to claim anyone can transform an enti......

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Garden Inspiration and Candle Craft

I love window boxes and country chic ( image ) To me outdoor spaces is nearly as important as indoor space. Mr A and I love nothing more than pottering around in the garden and this year we have been growing a lot of our own veg, we started doing it last year but this time round we have been far more successful. One of the reasons we bought our current house was because of the outdoor space and even though we know we are not going to be here forever we have really enjoyed making it our own. Mr A enjoying eating lunch outside We first started with salvaging this outdoor class top table, it was rusty and in need of some TLC so we sanded it down and painted it, giving it a new lease of life. We than procceded to make a raised vegetable patch which we have planted tomatoes, corn and courgettes in. Very happy with how our corn is looking so far We love sitting outside on warm evenings and have a small seating area at the bottom of the garden with a little canopy over ......

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Outdoor living inspiration

Beautiful garden pot plants ( image ) Every time we get a few days of sun we go into overdrive with the garden, today I am very happy to say I finally finished the mini raised vegetable patch as well as painting an old table which was left here when we bought the house and has given it a whole new lease of life. I could spend all day dreaming about lovely things for the garden and here is just a little bit of inspiration for you 1. Madelaine Lavender Organic Cotton Table Cloth & Napkins 2. Large Swirl Embossed Jug and Wine Glass in Pink 3. Hamilton 8 Seat Rattan Garden Dining Set 4. ' The Lawn Ranger ' Green Watering Can, so cute and only £13.99 5. Belle Rattan - Beaumont 2 Seat Bistro Set 6. Chastleton Bench 7. Mix & Match Bunting 8. Traditional Wooden Rounder’s Game from Ellie Ellie I love to take inspiration from the British countryside as well as more ethnical and worldly inspiration from places such as Morocco and India ......

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Decadent Mothers Day Pudding with M&S

So the wonderful people at Marks and Spencer set me the challenge of creating a decadent slant on a traditional treat - Bread and Butter Pudding, which is a world away from my normal wholewheat low sugar (and usual vegan) creations but I though I would throw caution to the wind and create something really indulgent - I mean Mothers day only happens once a year. The first point of call was using a more indulgent base - so instead of just normal white bread I went for Brioche - a lovely slightly sweet french style loaf paired with some lovely Turkish Sultanas and deep dark chocolate. Now for this recipe I just couldn't help but lower the amount of milk and double cream - by adding water as a third ingredient and it worked really well, leaving a still very creamy pudding but slightly less heavy. So here is what you need 6-8 Brioche Bread Rolls sliced into 3 length ways Around 3 tbsp Good Quality Orange Marmalade 75g Sultanas 100g Good Quality chopped Dark Chocol......

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