home and interiors
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Christmas day dinner dilemmas
With Christmas just around the corner, the final preparations are all in hand. If you are having a family Christmas, there is every possibility that your home may be busier than usual, with friends and family dropping by for a visit, or even coming for Christmas Dinner. With all this in mind, you may need to think about the practical – have you got enough plates, wine glasses, enough chairs etc for all the people who are going to be turning up at exactly the same time? Here are a few of my essential tips garnered from playing Christmas hostess. Have a good microwave oven We tend to host a…
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The most wonderful time of the year…for burglars
It is the most wonderful time of the year. We are all getting excited as we countdown to Christmas, and our homes look their prettiest as we deck the halls, dress the tree, and generally make everything sparkling and pretty. But there is another side to Christmas that is less seasonal and rather more unsavoury. For Christmas is also the most wonderful time of the year for burglars. Late November to early January are the worst time of the year in terms of house burglaries. Presents are left on display under Christmas tress, fully lit by twinkling lights. People are out and about, whether they are shopping, enjoying school plays,…
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Getting festive with Ocean
We have a bit of a tradition in our house. Every year we buy some new decorations and baubles for the tree, something to add to the (already) large collection that will ensure that the house doesn’t look exactly the same year after year. I get the decorations from some of my favourite stores (Paperchase, Debenhams, John Lewis) and then, on the last weekend in November, we decorate the house as a family. It is always a lovely time, Christmas music on , a glass of sherry in hand, and, by the end of the weekend the house looks all festive and pretty and the Christmas mood is fully in…
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Choosing children’s wallpaper to create a perfect bedroom
For some parents, getting their children to sleep in their own bed for even a few hours, yet alone a full night, can be a difficult and frustrating task. From my own experience, it is very easy to put a child to bed each night, but keeping them there is quite another thing. Therefore, creating a warm and welcoming bedroom environment where a child feels safe and secure is of paramount importance. One of the ways you can achieve this is with your choice of wallpaper or wall covering. Your choice can be something that is calm and tranquil, and therefore conducive to sleep, or it could be related to…
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Loving IKEA’s new kitchen rules, as decided by kids
When it comes to funny ad campaigns, IKEA always seem to come up trumps. Last year it was the frankly hilarious hypnotist who had people believing they were living in an IKEA world based in their store (you can check this out here.) and this year they have kids taking over in the kitchen – quite literally. From designing kitchen spaces to making up their own rules for cooking and spending time in the kitchen, I have to say that in this case, to quote The Who, the kids are alright. I’m guessing that part of the reason I love this is that, as a really bad cook who frankly…
