Search Results

Wallpaper used to be a bit of a fiddly task that created a lot of mess but with new methods and products, it can now be a fast, effective and easy way to update a room or even zone an area. Read on to learn more and follow the simple instructions to create a high impact space with minimum effort. Consider the space and if you want to draw attention to a focal point Select “paste the wall” wallpaper for ease Start left to right, unless it’s a mural that needs to be central Leave a gap a few cm less than the width of the wallpaper Use a plum line, chalk line or laser to get a straight line This helps in case the wall to the side isn’t straight Smooth the paper and trim the edges Complete the blank section Select a paint colour for the rest of the walls that matches a colour in the wallpaper This was the first time that I had ever used wallpaper. I chose wallpaper designed for pasting the wall rather than pasting the wallpaper first, which made everything so much easier than I expected. So I will definitely select this method and use “paste the wall” products in future. This is probably the easiest diy project I have done so I would recommend it if you’re unsure of where to start. It’s super quick too! Just make sure that you do your prep work too, so fill in any cracks and clean the walls first. I used as a feature wall in this bedroom, which had a lovely impact and created a focal point. The best thing to do is to compliment the paint colour for the rest of the walls by selecting a tone/colour that exists in the wallpaper so that it ties back nicely together.

Ad Disclaimer: This SNOO was gifted to me in the hope that I would post a review after using it for a few months. I have not been paid to leave a review. I do not feel it is right to accept such expensive items and not leave feedback, especially if I have found it a positive experience. Please note that if I did not feel that this was the right product to share in my posts, then I would have returned the item. As it happens, we have had a positive experience though we would not have spent the money on it ourselves. If we had a baby who wouldn't settle, we may have felt differently. All Babies Are Different As we know, all babies and parents are different. Some babies settle naturally into a sleeping routine whilst others don’t know the difference between night and day. Some babies only cry when they need to communicate whilst others cry for a multitude of reasons, perhaps even pain from colic or trapped wind. (Please note that I recognise that colic isn't a medical condition, rather a term used to describe a baby who cries for long periods without apparent cause) If you have a baby who sleeps relatively well, by which I mean can sleep for a 5 hour stretch during the night followed by a brief interlude to change their nappy and feed before going straight back to sleep again, then you might not feel the need to invest in this bassinet. If, however, like many parents, you are sleep deprived with a baby who can't settle to sleep easily or only sleeps in short bursts then you might want to consider the SNOO. Can you really put a price on a good night’s sleep when you’re sleep deprived and needing to care for a baby? Common Misconceptions About The SNOO The SNOO is a relatively new product and as such there is not a huge amount of data regarding its safety. That being said, running through each of the features, it does appear (through my research) to follow all of the safe sleep guidelines (links to trusted resources are listed at the bottom of this blog). What's more, it appears that the SNOO is used in neonatal departments in America, and has not been linked to any reported cases of injuries. When I shared this to my Instagram, however, I was told repeatedly that the SNOO is unsafe. Yet no one could explain to me why or share any information to suggest that the SNOO might be dangerous. From my research, it appears as though the SNOO is generally accepted as an amazing piece of equipment in the US. Here in the UK, where it is less widely used, there is a lot of scepticism. Rightly so when it is a new product that promises great things. The main issue that people highlighted was the straps. The SNOO has elasticated straps to keep your baby on their back. As per guidelines for sleeping, babies must be put down on their backs. I can understand why this would make people feel nervous. From my perspective, it meant that I did not have to worry about my baby rolling over onto her face and suffocating as she has not yet learned to roll onto her back. This is the purpose of the straps as keeps them on their backs as per guidelines. I also had a few 'sleep training experts' tell me off for using and recommending the SNOO though they could not explain why without simply saying that 'babies are meant to wake frequently'. Yes of course, especially newborns. Everyone has a routine for sending a baby to sleep in the first place, whether you cradle a baby in your arms for 30 mins or use the SNOO, you can still help settle them to sleep and use it to help settle them back to sleep after a night feed. That is the purpose, not to keep a baby sleeping for 10 hours straight. A baby surely wouldn't sleep for that long anyway unless they needed to. I've been very lucky to have a baby who gradually slept longer and longer during the night, sleeping for 9 hour stretches during the night from 5 months, and then 10-12 hours from 7 months, whilst other parents may take it in turns to cradle their baby throughout the night as the baby won't let them put them down. Perhaps a device like the SNOO would help in this situation so that sleep deprived parents could manage to get some sleep. My Experience As for us, we didn’t feel the need to use it at night time. I did wonder if we should use it at night when our baby was about 3 months and she started to have a go at rolling. By 4 months, she could roll over and lift her head up. Great news! The not so great news, however, was that she would get stuck face down and so I would always have to roll her over again, although, in hindsight, I didn't need to as this is perfectly normal. At the time, this left me worrying about what would happen during the night if I wasn’t watching her. With the SNOO, I wouldn't have had to worry about that. But seeing as we didn't need to use the SNOO to send her off to sleep at night, we just kept an eye on her during the night. I did make the most of all the features, ie the white noise and rocking motion, for daytime naps (I never leave her alone) as my little one used to really struggle with daytime naps. The rocking and white noise settled her to sleep and if she became a bit cranky the rocking switches to the next level and would quickly settle her again; unless of course she really was ready to get up, in which case, no amount of rocking would get a baby back to sleep. It was also reassuring knowing that we had the bassinet ready for the sleep regression that can happen at around 4 months. We were lucky that didn't happen but we were ready in case it did. At 5 months, I realised that we were going to need to transition her to her own room and so I started placing her in her crib in her room for her daytime naps, and I stayed in the room to keep an eye on her. She was very fussy to begin with but gradually she became more used to her large crib in her room. She would also roll on to her front, which made me nervous but as she got better at crawling, I realised that she was fine to roll around and she could confidently push herself up when needed. By 6 months, she was too large for the SNOO and we completely transferred her to her own crib in her own room for the whole night, not just the day time naps. She transitioned amazingly well and she was sleeping for around 9 hour stretches overnight from around 5 months. In short, the bassinet was not made for us simply because our baby slept well overall but we used it when we had trouble with day time naps. Other than that, it wasn't needed but I can fully understand the benefits to babies who struggle to settle. Keep in mind, this bassinet will not send a baby to sleep if the baby doesn't want to sleep. Nothing can do that. But for those babies who can't settle, then the SNOO may be really helpful. What's more, parents who are able to get their baby to sleep for a few hours at a time will be more alert and able to care for their child compared to a baby who only sleeps for an hour at a time. Overview Whether you want to invest in this bassinet is entirely dependent on your baby for many different reasons. One thing that may be useful to know is that there is an option to rent rather than buy. If you’re planning on having more than one child, then you might feel like it’s worth purchasing. Overall, do what you feel is right for you and your baby and ensure that you follow all guidelines and instructions when using any baby product. Additional research can be found on: Lullaby Trust NHS Tommy's

I'll get straight to it... DOUBLE TAP ON IMAGES 1 Year and under DOUBLE TAP ON IMAGES 3 Years and under DOUBLE TAP ON IMAGES 5 Years and under DOUBLE TAP ON IMAGES 8 Years and under

No blurb, just recommendations! Double tap on the images for more information and similar products. Stocking Fillers & Secret Santa £15 and under DOUBLE TAP ON IMAGES Thoughtful £30 and under DOUBLE TAP ON IMAGES Generous £80 and under DOUBLE TAP ON IMAGES Splurge £80+ DOUBLE TAP ON IMAGES

I'll keep the blurb short and sweet as I know that you just want to see the recommendations for Christmas gifts 😉 I've grouped together by price and also by product type so there's something for everyone. Double tap on the images to go straight to the product for more information and similar products. Thoughtful £30 and under DOUBLE TAP IMAGES Generous £80 and under DOUBLE TAP IMAGES Splurge £80 + DOUBLE TAP IMAGES Jewellery DOUBLE TAP IMAGES Beauty DOUBLE TAP IMAGES Makeup DOUBLE TAP IMAGES Lifestyle DOUBLE TAP IMAGES Home DOUBLE TAP IMAGES Technology DOUBLE TAP IMAGES

It’s never too late to make the most of your garden, especially when this summer is shaping up to be perfect BBQ weather. Here are some of my favourite pieces to create your perfect outdoor space Disclaimer: this is not a paid for post but does contain ad-affiliate links at no extra cost to yourself. All images from ufurnish.com Al fresco dining with a bistro set I always feel like I'm on holiday when I sit in my garden at my little sage green bistro set with a drink and a book... or a glass of wine in the evenings after my husband and I have finished work. Bistro sets do not take up a lot of space and so are perfect for even the smallest of outdoor spaces. A modern take on the classic bistro set. Picking a colourful bistro set can add a bit more interest in a small space, such as this sage green metal set, which also comes in an array of brighter colours too if you're feeling brave! The classic foldable bistro set offers a practical yet stylish option. Relax in a hammock Hammocks are making a comeback! I personally haven't had a hammock in my garden since I was a teenager and unfortunately I don't think that I will be able to fit one into my current garden given how awkward my garden is with it's steep slopes... but if you have a flat garden (I'm jealous) then you might be able to work one into the space, with or without a separate frame support. Make a statement with an Egg Chair I love a statement piece in the garden. It instantly elevates a garden from normal and basic to elevated. Just make sure not to overwhelm your garden with anything too big or out of place. Try and select one that complements the other furniture that you’ve got in your garden. It should be an addition to a lovely garden with a seating area for barbecues and alfresco dining. A square plot with nothing but an egg chair might look a bit incomplete and sparse. Eco-friendly ways to light your path Not only is it difficult to set up electricity in a garden but it is definitely much more practical to make the most of solar power. Whether that’s by introducing decorative hanging festoon lights or by lighting a footpath with stake lights, there are lots of ways to introduce eco-friendly, easy, and stylish lights to create a perfect ambience for the summer evenings. Stylish loungers This is the part that I still need to sort out in my own garden. As my garden is so awkward with lots of different levels for my very steep sloped garden, I have had to create lots of different areas and I am still not finished. One area is to add some loungers that I don’t have to always fold up and put away and get out again every time I want to use them. Just like with a nice dining set or seating area, sun lounge areas can create a great destination in your garden that looks inviting.

Trying to find the perfect item to invest in for your home is not only time consuming but can also create a lot of hassle and frustration. Enter ufurnish.com the easy-to-navigate website helping you to compare your favourite pieces from over 110 retailers. Disclaimer: this is not a paid for post but does contain ad - affiliate links (at no extra cost to you) Fancy that, a website that not only allows you to shop and compare products from your favourite retailers but also gives you time back to spend actually enjoying the home that you are creating. Decorating and styling a home takes a lot of effort and also money! I for one have always wanted to make sure that I am spending my money on the right item and therefore have spent weeks, sometimes months, (not constantly of course!) pouring over multiple websites trying to work out which rug or which sofa is the best one for my home. Ultimately, this culminates in me having hundreds of web browser tabs open on my computer as well as my tablet and mobile phone. Needless to say, this has ended up with a lot of confusing comparisons as well as frustrations when I have accidentally closed out of the tabs and lost the products that I was considering. Sound familiar? "This is now a thing of the past with ufurnish.com" With over 110 of your favourite retailers including John Lewis and Cox & Cox as well as some of the lesser known brands (which I happen to love), such as Graham & Green and Norfolk Bay Company, it is easy to find and compare your favourite pieces all on one website. How does it work? It's simple! Either use the menu to select the item you are after or use the search bar and the results will come back with a collection across all of the retailers signed up to the website. I then like to use the filters to reduce the options down and then simply go through and favourite the items that I want to compare! Once you've worked out which item you want to go for, you're then directed straight to the retailer website to purchase. That's it! With everything all in one place for you to review! Perfect!

Here is my guide to some of the best brands, the ones to avoid and the things to look out for... Blog Contains ad, aff links Overview I used to think that being thrifty with your maternity outfits was a very clever thing to do in order to save money and not waste it on maternity clothes that you will only wear for a few months. After going through pregnancy, I now understand that it was wrong to limit my spending on maternity clothes. It’s just best to embrace your new body shape, that is constantly changing, with clothes that can adapt with you as you go through pregnancy and beyond - let's face it, you're likely to want comfy/larger clothes after the birth even if you are lucky enough to slim back down to your previous shape. Plus, investing in clothes that actually fit will make you feel so much more comfortable and more like yourself at a time when you might not even recognise yourself! I'm not saying that you should spend loads of money on clothes, just don't be scared to spend what you would usually spend on clothes anyway! I realised that each summer I usually buy a new summer dress or two (or three!), so I did! I just made sure that they were maternity dresses that could also be useful as nursing dresses, hence why they all have buttons down the front! Now, let's get on to the brands... ASOS "Let’s get started with the one to avoid." To be fair, I usually struggle with ASOS anyway because I find that the website has too much visual noise (a retailer term meaning there are so many products that you don't know where to look). There’s just too much stuff on there for my liking. With maternity clothes, however, I thought that I could re-enter the world ASOS and make the most of maternity clothes that were not going to break the bank. I bought 11 items and returned them all. Nothing looked like it did on the website. I think that they must pin things in place on the models to make it look flattering for your bump. When in reality, all they do is give you tent sized pieces of clothing that swamp you in fabric. Nothing I bought complimented the bump. Nothing was designed with a pregnancy bump in mind. There were no ruched sides or belly bands. It was purely just extra large clothing. Not remotely flattering and nothing to make you feel special during your pregnancy. "Nothing was designed with a pregnancy bump in mind." In addition to that, the fabric was poor quality. I must admit that I did expect to have some issue with the quality given the low cost of the items, you do after all get what you pay for. I had envisaged, however, that at the very least the styling would be decent. For the price, I thought that it would be good styling but poor quality fabric. Not bad styling and poor quality fabric. There just simply wasn’t any reason to buy/keep these items. I shared my thoughts on my social media and the response was staggering. Huge numbers of people responded to say that they found the same thing when they had tried to find maternity clothes. One person even informed me that ASOS maternity clothes aren’t technically maternity clothes, as they only cover you up to about 12 weeks. I don’t know if it’s true. It certainly would be very misleading if all of the models on the website have their bumps on show when you don't actually have a bump until you’ve reached beyond 12 weeks. Perhaps though, this would be why none of the items had any ruched sides for the bellies or fitted you like it needs to go round a baby bump. Perhaps they are getting around it by advertising something as maternity when it is really just extra large. All in all I was very disappointed especially given that I really wanted to find some beautiful clothes to make me feel good during my pregnancy without breaking the bank. H&M MAMA Let’s move onto some happier brands that do what they say, look good, feel good, and don’t break the bank. H&M Maternity is by far my favourite. I’m already a member of H&M, which means that I get free delivery and the odd member rewards such as money off vouchers and the occasional members discount weekend. It is certainly an affordable choice with decent quality fabric; obviously when you have such low prices you do expect the quality to be pretty low as well but I never found the quality to be poor, perhaps just in line with the prices. I have always been very happy with that. "I bought all of my basics from H&M and trust me, you will wear these items A LOT!" Shop the Basics Leggings have served me well throughout the entire pregnancy, I bought a lot of these! Click Here for Leggings For a bit of difference, I also bought some taupe leggings, which when they arrived, looked like they would never fit me even if I was at my super skinniest but actually the fabric stretches really well and I reckon I will still wear all of my leggings beyond my pregnancy as they are all so comfortable and the belly bands stretch so nicely. Pretty good for exercise leggings I reckon! Click here for Taupe Leggings I also bought a few basic T-shirts to go over my bump. These will see me all the way through pregnancy - I am writing this at 35 / 36 weeks and they are still my go to with plenty of space to grow. I think that they might also be in my hospital bag to wear home afterwards. Click Here for T-Shirts In terms of the trousers, I would recommend a bit of caution. It became clear quite early on in my pregnancy that the trousers do not necessarily cater for the entire pregnancy. There were various points when I had to stop wearing certain trousers. For instance, my skinny jeans that I bought from the H&M Maternity range, I had to stop wearing about halfway through my pregnancy as the bellyband began to get too tight. These were still a great purchase though, I wore them loads in my first half of pregnancy and they made me feel normal as my body was going through the early pregnancy changes. Just be aware that these might not be a longevity piece. Having said that, these might be pretty hand after the birth when I want to feel more normal again but still can't fit into my pre-pregnancy jeans! Click Here for Skinny Jeans Then my second pair of jeans, my baggy mom jeans, were comfortable up until about the 28 week mark. They became too uncomfortable sitting because of the thick denim seam with no give and were really pinching me. Before that however, they were the perfect jeans and I love them. They took me right up into the hot summer weather when my summer dresses could take over so I didn't mind. Click Here for Mom Jeans Finally, my joggers have been so comfortable throughout the entire pregnancy and I can imagine I will wear them beyond as well. Who needs to know that I’ve got a big belly band and my clothes?! Even when I’m not actually pregnant?! Another great option for leaving the hospital, perhaps to paid with my basic maternity t-shirts that I mentioned earlier. Click Here for Joggers H&M MAMA Summer dresses I also treated myself to a few summery dresses. Being due in July meant that I needed a few items to get me through the warmer months. With the British summer being what it is, I only bought a few items. I ended up pretty much living in my summer dresses any time it was sunny and warm. I loved them. They fitted really well and made me feel a little bit more special, even the casual ones. I find that it’s really important when you’re pregnant not to feel too frumpy/ mum like. The dresses I picked also happened to be pretty good for nursing dresses as they had buttons. This meant that I was perfectly happy buying quite a few dresses like this because I knew that I was going to get the most out of them. Click on images to shop products Tip: Keep in mind that you might not be able to fit in your maternity items all the way through your pregnancy depending on how big your bump is measuring... I am currently at my 35 week mark of my pregnancy, and I have started to notice that these dresses are starting to get a little bit tight in places. I only notice when I’m sitting down, so they’re fine when I am walking about but when I sit down some of the buttons start to get a little bit taught around my belly. Keep in mind that my belly bump is bang on average every time I am measured by the midwife. I will probably have to stop wearing some of these dresses in a couple of weeks, so very nearly to the end of my pregnancy. They have served me well throughout most of my pregnancy at least! If you have a slightly smaller than average bump then you should easily reach the end of your pregnancy in these dresses. A larger than average bump, and you would probably only reach the beginning of your third trimester. Seraphine This is probably one of my favourite maternity brands; very practical, good quality, looks good, and designed with your pregnancy bump and your larger boobs in mind. With so many positives, it only makes sense to be slightly more expensive. For what you’re buying though, I think that the prices are pretty bang on and worth it. This is probably more of a mid range maternity retailer. My only wish is that they had the odd voucher code for free delivery because I would often forget that I’d have to pay about £6 for every delivery. I started to bulk buy my items rather than spread out the cost, but that can be quite tricky when you’re trying to manage your spending. "Everything I’ve bought from them has been worth it. I’ve kept it quite selective on purpose." Parka Coat The very first thing I bought from them was a parka coat with an additional panel for zipping around your baby bump but also around the baby. I don’t believe it looks like a maternity coat; it just has the option of adding an additional panel. I will definitely still wear it as a parka coat even when I’m not pregnant. It also just so happens to be the price of a normal parka from any of the retailer that’s on a similar level of quality. So all in all, a really good purchase. Click Here for Parka Coat Special Occasions I had a couple of special events to go to during my pregnancy: birthdays and my afternoon tea /mini baby shower – I decided not to have a big baby shower for many reasons so instead I just met up with some friends for an afternoon tea. It was so nice to be able to dress up in a couple of dresses. Again I tried to choose dresses that would be suitable for nursing going forward or just simply dresses that I could probably get away with wearing after the birth as well . It’s made me feel better about spending money. Click Here for Blue Wrap Dress Click Here for Blue & White Stripe Dress Lightweight Tops I also realised that I needed a couple of basic lightweight tops for the evenings or cooler summer days – we all know that there are plenty of those days! These are two that I got a purely because they fit around your bump but also they have poppers down the side to make it easy for nursing. The only thing that I would say is that the longer one did make me feel a little bit frumpy whilst pregnant. Click Here for Stripe Top Click Here for Long Top Hospital Bag In addition, to the above, Seraphine really have thought of everything. There is a hospital bag kit that I would highly recommend. It has a lightweight dressing gown, nursing/maternity top, joggers, and a birthing gown/night dress. The material is super soft and very comfortable. I made the most of it during my pregnancy wearing the joggers and top as pyjamas, until it became time to pack my hospital bag that is! Click Here for Hospital Kit The Final Word As much as I haven’t sampled loads of different brands, I feel like once you find a brand that works for you, just stick to it. These brands worked for me. H&M works as a low-budget option that’s also happened to be pretty good quality and suit me for various stages of my pregnancy. Seraphine worked out very well for me because it was slightly more expensive in what I would describe as a mid range maternity wear retailer, I was not prepared to spend more money than that and address for instance. I was very happy spending the money on these dresses when I was aware that I needed something a little bit more special for some special occasions and have the reliability of something that would give me well and make me feel good when I was at my largest!

Who knew that there were so many different types of wallpaper? No? Me neither! For a complete novice like myself, easy to use wallpaper is a must! The paste to wall technique is, by the sounds of it, much easier than the traditional technique of pasting the wallpaper first. Read on to find out why. #wallpaper #decorating #homemakeover I must admit, I was very nervous about wallpapering. Not only have I never done it before, but I was being paid to film a before and after video for Instagram and Tiktok so the pressure was on to get it right! Not that I would have admitted that to the brand paying me! I wouldn’t want them to think I couldn’t do it, although I wasn’t 100% sure myself! For clarity, this blog post is my own views and content; I have not been paid to write a blog post but decided to do so as DIY and decorating is what I’m about. "I was very nervous about wallpapering. Not only have I never done it before, but I was being paid to film a before and after video..." Mix it up So first up was mixing the paste. I was so surprised to find that there aren’t many YouTube videos or quite frankly, any useful instructions relating to this part. Yes it doesn’t take long to mix, but surely the measurements need to be relatively correct? First things first, work out what type of wallpaper you have. As I used paste the wall type of wallpaper, the thickness of the paste may need to be different to when pasting the wallpaper directly. I will continue this narrative with the paste the wall method in mind. "Embossed or heavily embossed, however, will require a thicker paste." Once you know what type of wallpaper you have, then you need to know what subcategory it is. Flat wallpaper is the lightest and therefore will not need such a thick paste. Embossed or heavily embossed, however, will require a thicker paste. In all honesty, I found the measurement instructions on the back of my paste packet a little bit confusing purely because it was the first time I’ve ever done a project like this. Now I know what it was getting at, it makes perfect sense. Find your starting point No one wants to end up with wonky wallpaper. To avoid this you need to begin wallpapering away from the side wall to ensure that your first drop of wallpaper is straight. If you have ever decorated a room before, whether that’s wallpaper, panelling or even buying furniture for a particular space, then you won’t be surprised to know that walls aren’t always straight. To find your starting place, measure the width of your roll of wallpaper and deduct 3cm. This measurement is how far you need to be from the wall at the side. The reason being that this will be your starting point and the final drop will be in this gap. You know that the final drop will fit as it is smaller than the width of paper and all you will need to do is trim the edges. "The reason being that this will be your starting point and the final drop will be in this gap" It’s coming up plums A bad subtitle I know, but I couldn’t think of anything to make a plum line sound exciting! Let me know if you have any better ideas! I must say that this was something that flummoxed me when I was looking at instructions for wallpapering. I had never heard of a plum line before doing this project. Essentially it is a weight tied to the end of a string so that you can draw a straight line down the wall for lining up your wallpaper. Alternatively, you can use a spirit level. "I had never heard of a plum line before doing this project" Get stuck in! The instructions I followed said to use a roller to make applying the paste to the wall easier. In all honesty, I don’t think it made the process any easier or faster, all it did was give me more things to wash up at the end. So I personally would stick to a brush and the bucket that you have mixed the wallpaper paste in. It’s not like painting where you have to get the perfect finish, you just need to make sure that it covers the surface. Remember, when you put the wallpaper on, you then smooth it out with the smoothing brush, which will inevitably move around some of that paste anyway. It’s more important to make sure that the paste brush gets into the edges of the wall, to reach the coving and the skirting board. So save yourself some washing up. "I personally would stick to a brush and the bucket that you have mixed the wallpaper paste in" Apply enough paste to the wall to allow for not only the width of the wallpaper but also a little bit wider than your wallpaper, just to ensure that your edges stick down and then you don’t have to worry about getting too close with the paste for the next drop of wallpaper. The fun bit Every DIY or decorating project has a fun bit, and it is almost always the last bit. In this case it is the part where you actually get to stick up the wallpaper. It was strangely satisfying having all of the wallpaper line up perfectly and it was so reassuring to know that if anything did go wrong it was easy enough to pull the wallpaper away from the wall and start again if necessary. Best practice is to make sure that you have at least a few centimetres of wallpaper to spare at the top and the bottom. For ease I allowed the roll of wallpaper to sit on the floor whilst I pulled the wallpaper up to the top to stick down. "have at least a few centimetres of wallpaper to spare at the top and the bottom" Following the plum line (to make sure that the wallpaper is straight) I gradually made my way down the wallpaper, brushing in a downward motion to ensure that there were no air bubbles underneath. I brushed top down in small sections and from the centre out to the sides of each drop the wallpaper. Trimming was surprisingly fun given that I had a very handy little tool called an easy trimmer which not only trimmed the wallpaper at the exact angle that I needed it to for the coving and also the skirting board, but it also kept the section of wallpaper flat to the wall as I cut. And that was it, nothing strenuous or too difficult at all. One feature wall done in an hour and a half. I daresay that it’s not only easier but far quicker than painting two or potentially three coats of paint. This may very well be my new favourite method of decorating.

Wait... hold on... is this real? Why yes it is! Our long awaited bathroom renovation is finally completed and it was well worth the wait. Talk about building suspense! #homerenovation #bathroomupdate Step 1 - Measure We began the process after the first UK lockdown was over, so it was about July 2020 when we called and they came to measure up and talk to us about what options we had for what we wanted to accomplish. Step 2 - Layout They sent us through some layout designs for the bathroom explaining that they tried their best to incorporate everything that we wanted but in some cases we had to compromise. For instance, I had initially explained how I would love a separate walk in shower if at all possible. When designing the bathroom, however, they realised that there wouldn’t be enough space without making the bathroom feel cramped. Fair enough, they can only work with the space that we give them right? So instead they suggested a wider than usual bathtub to help us feel like the shower was a bit more luxurious... awesome suggestion! Massive tick from us. Step 3 - Select the items We went into their showroom for this bit, in September 2020. This bit was so interesting. I apparently have expensive taste, who knew?! I suppose after so many budget DIY projects, if I’m paying the professionals to do the work, well then, it best be done to last. What I loved the most about the design process was the way that they brought their experience into the discussion. They wanted to know how long we planned to live in our house, so that we didn’t go overboard on the budget. This demonstrated to me that they genuinely wanted us to have the bathroom that suited us the best, rather than the bathroom that would make them the most money (not sure if you would get the same customer service at a big corporate company). It makes sense doesn’t it, if you’re getting a new bathroom but you’re only planning on living there a few years then there’s no need to pay out for a really expensive renovation... the new owners would probably do that in a few years time anyway! “It was so interesting to discover that some of the gorgeous designs that you see on Instagram and Pinterest are not actually going to last well with children” They also asked us if we were planning on having kids... not in the annoying way that anyone you meet seems to think you should have 3 kids by the time you’re 30, but in a useful way: “if you’re planning on having kids then let’s make it a bit more child friendly.” I never particularly realised that a bathroom could be child friendly or not particularly child friendly until this conversation. It was so interesting to discover that some of the gorgeous designs that you see on Instagram and Pinterest are not actually going to last well with children. “Basin on top of a cabinet... there’s no overflow, so there’s an increased risk in your bathroom potentially flooding” Here are a couple of examples: The basin on top of a cabinet As stylish as these are, and as much as I wanted one myself, there’s no overflow, so there’s an increased risk in your bathroom potentially flooding if your child decides to leave the tap running and the plug in for those 2 mins you happened turned your back. Also, I’ve always wondered how it works with the wooden cabinets with a basin sitting on top... surely the water damages the wood, even if you do treat it? Or maybe I just splash water about more than the average person?! If you have this set up, let me know how you keep it looking good in the comments. Tiny adorable tiles These may look gorgeous and be one of the key fads right now (I say fad as I don’t think that they’ve been around long enough to be called a trend). The smaller the tile, the more tiles you need to fill a space and therefore the more grout you need. “Mo’ grouting mo’ cleaning” Sorry I couldn’t resist. In short, as if that wasn’t short enough, the more grout you have then the more dirty it’s going to get. Not that grout attracts dirt or anything (I don’t think it does anyway!) but you know how annoying it is cleaning the grout in your shower, don’t you? Therefore, we opted for large floor tiles as we figured that the floor is going to be a high traffic area and I don’t fancy scrubbing the floor clean all the time. So hopefully this will help reduce the amount of effort needed to keep the bathroom floor clean. “the more grout you have then the more dirty it’s going to get” I must admit, I did decide on popular subway tiles for the shower but paired with grey grout so hopefully this will help too! So maybe that’s one trend that will be here to stay. Step 4 - Installation The magic was completed earlier this month in August 2021. As much as we would have loved to have had the work completed earlier, well, not only has there been a pandemic but the Suez Canal blockage messed up a lot of shipments, even after the blockage was cleared due to the backlog it caused and the high traffic going through the ports. It can’t be helped. We are just so happy with the result, it’s transformed the house and given that it’s a room that we both use multiple times every day (especially now that we both work from home), it was well worth the wait. Let me know your thoughts in the comments

How to save that eye watering #deposit to get you on the #propertyladder and all the other things that you will need to know... I wrote this in 2021 and the core themes are still relevant but since writing this, the economic landscape has changed dramatically. The Deposit Believe it or not, this is the final piece of the puzzle when it comes to buying a house (see my previous blog post "How to get on the property ladder") but it takes years, even decades to build up a decent enough deposit depending on your income and outgoings so it's best to get started as early as possible. My savings technique was to try and save £200 every month since I was 23. So nearly £2.5k/year right there. Sounds easy but I know it isn't always possible. Some months I couldn't save anything whilst others I could save a bit more. I kept track of every penny I spent, which was easy as it was all on my credit card statement. Back in those days the banks didn't have the fancy pie charts on your online banking monitoring where you spent your money each month. So I did this myself in excel but I'd definitely recommend seeing what budgeting tools your bank has to offer as it will be far more advanced than what I used at the time! I could see straight away if I had been a bit frivolous on a night out or had a bit of a shopping spree. It kept me in check and on track. I also made a promise to myself that any bonuses would be paid straight into my ISA. I've only ever had 3 bonus payments in my life, 2 of which were £500 so it didn't make a huge difference but it certainly helped, especially when there have been months when I couldn't hit my £200 savings target. “... it takes years, even decades to build up a decent enough deposit depending on your income and outgoings so it's best to get started as early as possible.” Of course, as I got older my salary increased (ever so slightly). My salary has always been below the average in the UK but I found a cheap place to rent in Clapham for £375 a month including bills... I don't know how I did that in all honesty. It was luck more than anything as I was on £18k a year at the time and couldn't afford to live in London where I worked... until my sister's friend's sister (sorry for the tenuous link!) needed a flatmate for a room which was £375. The flat was a bit of a dive, I tried to make it pretty with throws and cushions so it was liveable but when chicken bits come up the drainage hole in your bathtub on a regular basis it's a sharp reminder that you live in a bit of a dive. The chicken bits were nothing to do with us by the way. The children in the flat above had a habit of flooding their bathroom so that water gushed through our ceiling once every few months so I've always assumed that they also stuffed food down the drains and those grim bits gradually made their way down to our flat. Anyway I digress! I just wanted to give you a little flavour of the sort of financial situation I was in whilst I was saving money for my deposit. I didn't have things handed to me; I had to work hard and budget hard, which doesn't by any means mean that I didn't do anything fun. I still went out to clubs (what are those again?!) and dinner with my friends. I was just very careful about how often I did these things and monitored how much I spent to keep track. It takes two baby I literally sang those words as I typed them... "it takes two bab-eh-eh-eh, it takes two bab-eh-eh-eh, me and you!" Sorry, enough of that... So you have a deposit but what next? Saving £200 a month between the ages of 23-29 equates to £16,800. Luckily for me (or not so lucky depending on what element I'm thinking about at the time, those chicken bits still make me squirm thinking about them) I continued to rent that cheap room for £375 for quite a few years and slowly moved into slightly nicer rooms in the same flat for slightly more money... but my salary had increased so I was able to save more than £200 each month. Then I met my husband-to-be, and we rented a flat together for more money than I had spent on rent before but my salary was also higher; so I could still save more than I was before. What was even better, was that he was saving too. “...buying with siblings... make sure that you're both clear on the percentages.” Unfortunately, that's the crux of the matter. Nowadays, depending on where and what sort of property you want to buy, it's likely that you'll need help. Some people buy with siblings, I think this would have been a great option for me had both my brother and sister not been quite so many years older than me and already settled. They both managed to buy on their own (again, they're a bit older so got on the property ladder at really good times) so they didn't need me. That would be the danger of buying with siblings, there will always be an older sibling who is more likely to be in a stronger financial position, so things aren't really 50/50. If you do go down this route, just make sure that you're both clear on the percentages. If one is footing 70% of the deposit, then they should cover 70% of the mortgage payments and that should match the deed. Otherwise you could open yourself up to some arguments in the future when it comes to selling and splitting the money, which will ALWAYS happen with siblings. As soon as one sibling finds their future spouse or life-partner, well then it's inevitable that they will want to build their lives together and will need the money from the property to buy one themselves. Being smart from the offset means that you should be able to keep the division of assets pretty amicable. No one wants to fall out with family over money. It's becoming more and more frequent for #firsttimebuyer to buy together. It makes sense, 2 small deposits make one big one! Not only that, 2 salaries means that you can borrow more from the lender. Some would argue that buying a house together is a bigger commitment than getting married, so just make sure that you're both on the same page, wanting the same things and more importantly, have a really good feeling about buying your first house together before you commit. If you don't even question it then you're off to a great start! It takes another two baby I didn't sing this time, too many syllables! Parents... the next big thing in property buying. We were incredibly lucky that our parents didn't need to chip in to help with the deposit. Having said that, we had miscalculated some of our stamp duty, surveyor and lawyer fees (we were newbies after all!) so ended up needing a little help to fill the gap here. The amount was small so it didn't worry the mortgage provider but this is something to be aware of as I have heard of sales not going through or at least being delayed because gifted money had not been declared properly. “As part of the mortgage process, you need to show ALL bank statements and prove how you got your deposit.” If you find yourselves needing a little help from mum & dad then you must declare it. Not doing so puts the whole process at risk of falling through. As part of the mortgage process, you need to show ALL bank statements and prove how you got your deposit. It makes sense when you think about it. They want to make sure that they're not lending to money launderers among other things. Simple. So don't give them a reason to be concerned by seeing a large some of money suddenly appear in your bank account without an explanation. Sorry to end this blog post on such a serious note! That wasn't my intention. Buying a house is such an exciting time but there are plenty of rules to follow. As long as you're relatively clued up (no one is completely clued up don't worry!) then you will be fine. If you're interested in more, this is in fact the follow on from my previous blog post "How to get on the property ladder" Lucy's Hillside House | Content Creator & Blogger

From Credit Scores to Money Saving Tips and Mortgage Brokers. It can be a very daunting process. Not only is buying a property one of the most stressful things that you can do (sorry I won't sugar coat it!) but it's also something that you have to work towards for years before you even realise that's what you're doing! Never fear, though. There are things you can do that will make it feel like you're effortlessly making your way onto that property ladder. Read on to find out what I mean. Forward Planning “... it's something you have to work towards for years before you even realise that's what you're doing!” I bought my house, the first and only one so far, with my husband at the age of 29. I had been preparing for that moment since I was 22; not the husband bit, I was a bit of a man-hater at 22! Luckily for me, I happened to have an older brother and sister, 6 and 8 years my senior, who had bought their first properties. Watching them go through the process taught me what I needed to do in order to get onto the property ladder #firsttimebuyer It's never too late to get started on building your credit score Let's start things off with something simple. Credit cards. This is the easiest way to build up your credit score without any real effort. Even store cards are a great way to show lenders that you can pay off your bills every month. After all, that's the point. Mortgage providers want to see that you can manage your money and pay your bills before they lend you 100s of thousands of pounds (I'm in the UK for any international readers). Makes sense doesn't it? Now that you understand the why, let's move on to the how... “Credit Cards. This is the easiest way to build up your credit score...” It's not just simply having a credit card or store card; you have to use them. I know that it can be scary and I've met so many people in my life who have told me that they don't have credit cards because they don't trust themselves. Well then, neither will the banks. An easy solution is to use your credit card for something mundane and regular. Petrol or train tickets for example. If you're filling your car up every week then pay using your credit card and just transfer the money over at the end of each week. Or use your credit card for the weekly shop. Simple. You'll be building up that trust with the banks in no time. I also happen to love store cards as not only do they work in the same way but there are often perks like earning points with them when you use their card, which can be exchanged for vouchers. I love the John Lewis Partnership card, it's basically a credit card but they send me vouchers every now and again! The only thing to be aware about is to not let the payments go late as otherwise not only could you go into arrears and get yourself a late fee charge but it could potentially impact on your credit score. So that's why if you find something that you'll be regularly spending your money on anyway, use your credit card and pay it off each week. Once it's a habit you won't even think about it. You could even set up a direct debit if you're worried about missing the payment. Council Tax & Electoral Vote I stand corrected, THIS is the easiest way to get a good credit score. Just by telling the government where you live and registering to vote (both things you should do anyway!) you're helping mortgage providers work out if they have anything to worry about. If you've been good at paying your council tax and utility bills for your whole adult life (I can't remember how many years they go back but from my last Experian check they asked for every address I had lived in since I was 18) then you will get a strong score. On the other hand, if you were regularly late at paying any of your bills or have anything that's still outstanding on a previous address... well then you will have a very poor credit score. “Experian... tell you if you have any unpaid bills at your previous addresses.” That leads on to my next point... if you have any concerns about your credit score then there are many companies that offer services. Experian for instance, is one that I've used in the past and they calculate your credit score based on everything I've spoken about above... and they tell you if you have any unpaid bills at your previous addresses. This gives you a chance to fix the problem before it becomes a surprise when you apply for your mortgage in principle. ISA I will do a whole other post on deposits but first, if you're serious about saving for a deposit then you will find keeping the money all in one place so much easier. Especially if you can find a place that will earn you interest and (hopefully) put you off from dipping into the honey pot every now and again to fulfil your shopping spree urge! I am personally not eligible for some of the schemes out there so I can't offer advice on those but your bank will be a great place to start. See what they have on offer in terms of ISAs or help-to-buy schemes and start from there. Mortgage Broker We were incredibly lucky that my husband's cousin is a mortgage broker. So we didn't have to search for a good one we could trust; we already had one! If you are completely new to the process I couldn't recommend this enough. I didn't know where to start with buying a house. I was great at all the prep-work I've already mentioned. The actual process and what I needed to do and when, however, that was a whole other kettle of fish! (excuse my English slang for those of your who aren't used to the quite frankly bizarre English sayings we have!) A Mortgage Broker will be on top of all the current deals and will be able to recommend the best rates and mortgage providers that are the most suitable to you and your purchase. Not only that, but they organise everything for you, so all we had to do was select from his recommended list, send over all our bank statements, read the documents and sign. The whole process gave us peace of mind. Invaluable. If you're interested in learning a little more then I have another blog post called "Saving a deposit" Lucy's Hillside House | Content Creator & Blogger