LIFESTYLE: MAKING YOUR RENOVATIONS A STRAIGHTFORWARD PROCESS

Renovating a house can be a slightly daunting task. It’s not just about the time required to complete the project but the costs you’ll face too. You might have put off home improvements for some time because it just seemed like too much hassle. However, the longer you put it off, the further your house will fall into disrepair. If you want to spruce up your humble abode and get it back on track then you need to make a plan of action. It doesn’t have to be too time-consuming or cost-consuming. Here’s how to make your renovation project a straightforward process.


Make a budget.
One of the best ways to make your renovation a straightforward process, both in a time-effective and cost-effective sense, is to take on board as many of the project responsibilities as possible. You might still need to hire the help of professionals, but you’re probably capable of more than you realise. In order to figure out the requirements of this project, you need to make a budget. Figure out the things you want to do, with the help of this article. Once you’ve done that, you can work out whether certain projects are DIY tasks or not. Obviously, if you will need professional help with certain technical jobs then you’ll need to research the cost of such assistance. You might want to look into options for bad credit secured loans online if you’re worried that you don’t have the necessary funding to afford your renovation. There are plenty of options in terms of financial support for homeowners. You don’t have to cut back on the things you want to achieve.


Focus on your property’s outer appearance.
Of course, if you really want to spruce up your home in a simple way then you should focus on its outer appearance. In many cases, exterior design is easier and cheaper to improve than interior design (unless you’re knocking down the house and starting from scratch). The small details can have a huge impact when it comes to making a first impression. You could do up your front door with a fresh coat of paint, for example. That single easy project could massively transform the outer appearance of your property because it’ll draw the attention of anyone approaching your home. Focal points are important when it comes to household design.

You should also focus on your back garden. This space could be more than a patch of grass that you occasionally notice from the kitchen window. It might be cold right now, but you should try to turn your garden into a place that you’ll actually want to use over summer. Planting a few new flowers or even some new trees could help with this. You might want to throw in some creature comforts for those colder days and nights. Cushioned seating on a patio decking with an awning to shelter you from the elements might make your garden feel a little more homely. Cosy additions to your outdoor space will make it more appealing.

LIFESTYLE: AND BABY MAKES FOUR


Your family means everything to you and you’ve decided now is the time to go up one and introduce a new sibling into the mix. Whether you’re pregnant, planning to be or looking at adoption, one of the biggest challenges you’ll face is explaining to your first child how they’re no longer going to be the centre of your world and that they’re going to have to share you both.
Transitions in any form can be tough and often children don’t respond favourably to change, whether that’s a new school, water bottle or when it’s time to put a toy down and get ready to leave the house.
Explaining this major change can be a real challenge, so we take you through some ideas to help your younger child get used to the idea of becoming a big brother or sister.
Image from Pixabay
Read together
Start the process earlier rather than later and consider introducing the idea with a book that talks through the changes you’re child will witness throughout pregnancy, as well as their role when the baby arrives. Read the book regularly with your child and ask them some fact checking questions to make sure they understand the concept before you explain that they too will be have their own story to tell when their mummy and daddy have a baby.
Be prepared to answer questions endlessly, giving lots of reassurance and cuddles. Explain that while they have to share your attention it doesn’t mean they’ll be loved any less.
Assign jobs
If your little person loves a little responsibility, then they might thrive on being your chief nappy fetcher or being in charge of picking out baby’s clothes for the day. Older children might enjoy helping baby with a bottle or helping with a nappy change.
Explain changes
Set out exactly what’s going to happen once the baby is born, reassure them that things will remain broadly the same. They will still go to nursery or school and continue to spend time with their friends and family members, you’ll just have baby with you sometimes.
If you work, you’ll need to explain that you’ll be taking some time off as you’ll be looking after baby and will be at home a little more than perhaps they’re used to.
Let’s face it, change can be difficult. Whether you’re moving home with the help of 2 Men And A Truck, facing a breakdown in your marriage or preparing for a new arrival, the success of making the transition easier on your child depends on being prepared and keeping the channels of communication wide open. You’ll no doubt be tired, no doubt feel your patience tested and have a million different things on our mind but if you can allow time for those questions to be answered and spend some quality time reassuring and being with your little person, you’ll be glad you made that investment of your time.

Change isn’t easy for anyone but with a little preparation it can be your best decision yet.



*Collaborative post 

LIFESTYLE: DREAM WINTER DESTINATIONS



I'm back to work on Monday so obviously i'm thinking out holidays and getting away. I really want to book a holiday this year, maybe even two! I've been thinking about getting away to somewhere abit colder maybe just Clint and myself for a few days and trying something different. I'd love to go on a ski holiday and visit some sites such as the Northern Lights in Reykjavik or Pulpit Rock in Norway. We've only ever been on sun holidays but i'm sure we would both love to travel to some colder destinations.



I would love to travel to Iceland to visit Reykjavik and see the Northern Lights, visit the Glaciers, do some Whale watching or visit some ice caves. There's so much to do in Iceland, I would actually love to live there. I can picture it, a house near to the water whether it's the sea or a lake, near the mountains with a hot tub outside so I can sit and relax and listen to the silence. I would want big windows and doors so inside is really bright and open! Inside would be super warm and cosy with lots of comfy cushions and throws like these from Julian Charles



I love all of the exposed wood and brickwork in these Icelandic Cabins, they look incredible. They are so cosy with big real log fires! If I had my own cabin in Iceland I would decorate it with loads of big rugs so the floor is warm and comfortable, I love the big, fluffy rugs, alot of the cabins have wooden flooring so rugs are a good way to make a cabin cosy. I would add a pop of colour to the cabin using cushions and throws but keep the decor quite clean and white to brighten up the room.

I'm hoping we get to take a couple of lovely holidays this year?  Have you been to Iceland? Where would you go on your dream winter holiday?












*collaborative post







LIFESTYLE: NEW YEAR, NEW ME!

DRESS: FEMME LUXE FINERY // BAG: ACCESSORIZE // BRACELET : DAISY LONDON // BOOTS: NEW LOOK 

How gorgeous is this dress from Femme Luxe Finery I have it in 3 colours and i've worn it so much over the festive season as it's so easy to wear and it's super warm and toasty because it's so thick and cosy. 

Today I'm starting my diet and want to try and loose some weight. I'm doing it for the health benefits and for a better mindset. I'm going to be following a slimming world/ healthy eating plan. 

This year i'm also going to concentrate on my mental health as I feel like this has taken abit of a back seat. I'm going to spend more time on myself like taking a bath, reading a book just some time for me. I feel like I burnt myself just before Christmas. 

I also want to concentrate abit more on my relationship with Clint as I feel like we haven't really had much time to ourselves recently. We are planning a few days out and just want to spend some time just the two of us. 

Happy New Year 













LIFESTYLE: A DAY OUT IN BIRMINGHAM


The spending money was gifted by Hotels.com, but all views are my own

We went into Birmingham today for a day out! It was lovely, we had a little 'date day' just the two of us! We love visiting Birmingham and are lucky enough to live in this fab city. We have stayed in Birmingham city centre a few times and there's loads of lovely hotels if you fancy a stay. Head over to Hotels.com to check out the best hotels in Birmingham.

We started by heading into the Bullring and had a little look in the shops, I love Birmingham as they have a really good selection of shops, there's Selfridges inside the Bullring aswell as John Lewis in Grand Central. I had a look in the Next for some clothes for Amelia.

We then headed for food, there's so much choice for food in Birmingham. There's the usual chains inside the shopping centers, Pizza Express, Pizza Hut, Ed's, Nandos. You get abit more choice just off the high street, we had a look at the menus and decided to go to Bodega, they are a contemporary cantina bringing fresh, homemade South American. I had Quesadillas and Clint had Tacos and we shared some Nachos. The food was so good really tasty, and really affordable, they have a lunchtime menu during the week so you get a main and drink for £7 which is really good! Some of the other places I would recommend this area is The Botanist, they do some really good Cocktails, Head of The Steam have a great drinks selection! The Ivy, this is just at the end of the road and is a little more fancy, they offer afternoon tea, so if your heading into Birmingham for an occasion i'd check them out.




We wanted something sweet but didn't really fancy anything off the Bodega menu, we stumbled upon a desert place within the bullring called my cookie dough which did these amazing cookie dough deserts so we got a couple of these and found a spot to sit outside the bullring overlooking the Cathedral.






Then we headed towards Digbeth to the Custard Factory as we booked a game of mini golf at Ghetto Golf. It's an 18 hole mini-golf experience, with a cocktail bar. It's like an abandoned warehouse which is covered in graffiti and the mini-gold is really unusual, It's such an experience. It's only £10 per person which I think is quite reasonable.



We had such a lovely day, I love exploring Birmingham and as I mentioned before we are so lucky that it's right on our doorstep. Where are your favourite places to visit in Birmingham. What hotels would you recommend?


LIFESTYLE: PLANNING A TRIP TO LIVERPOOL

Image result for liverpool one

This year I want to do some exploring, I want to visit lots of cities and explore some sites. There's so much to do in the UK. We are planning on taking a trip to Liverpool, I have been there before but that was years ago! I've been having a look online at what Liverpool has to offer and thought i'd put a post together on a few things that caught my eye!

To get there we would jump on the train as you can usually get super cheap tickets about £9 each way from Birmingham. This way we can both have a drink and a good natter on the way there. I love getting the train and think it's such a good way to travel as sometimes especially on busy days you can get stuck in traffic on the motorway. There are a few train stations in Liverpool and the James Street Station is only 5 minutes away from the main shopping center so it's really easy to get to. 

I love shopping so the first thing I would do in Liverpool is head to the shops! I've been there before and remember the shopping center being amazing! Liverpool ONE is the main shopping center. It's in a great central location, not far from the train stations so is a great place to spend your day out in Liverpool. They have a huge selection of shops, bars and restaurants as well as a 18 screen IMAX cinema. It's also only a short distance to the Albert Dock and The Beatles Experience which are some of Liverpool's main attractions. If you are planning a trip to Liverpool ONE be sure to head over to their website as they have an offers page where you get some great offers on things like eating in the centre, they also have a really handy visiting Liverpool section where you can get loads of great ideas for a day out!

Image result for albert dock

I also want to head to the Royal Albert Dock, there's some independent shops on the dock, this is also where you'll find the Tate Liverpool Gallery, they have a really good exhibitions on this year. It's free entry so really affordable but such a great place to visit. Liverpool is also home to the Walker Art Gallery. 

The Beatles Story is also located on the Royal Albert Dock, it's the largest permanent exhibition devoted to the life and times of The Beatles. Inside is also a discovery zone which is great for kids to learn all about The Beatles and they have a GIANT piano for the kids (and adults) to play on.

There's also an Escape Hunt in Liverpool, we have visited the one in Birmingham and it would be cool to visit another one. They give to 60 minutes to try and escape from a room! They are so good!



There's soo much to do in Liverpool, what are your favourite things to do? Have you been to Liverpool before? 









* collaborative post 

CHRISTMAS GIFT GUIDE: GIFTS FOR HER



My Christmas Gift Guide for her is finally finished! I have been putting it together for a few weeks! There's loads of products to help you pick out the perfect gifts for the ladies in your life!

First up are these butter London nail lacquers, they come in loads of different colours! The packing is gorgeous and it's a lovely gift for anyone who loves freshly painted nails!

Sticking with nails, the Sensationail Gel Starter Kit is such a great gift idea! It's super easy to use so great for beginners! I love how quick and easy it is to get amazing gel nails.

This little travel set from Missguided is such a cute stocking filler.  I love little bottles of perfume like this to pop in my handbag.  It smells really fruity, fresh and floral. I love the Rose Gold packaging.

The Relax Body & Mind Aromatic collection is such a wonderful gift. It comes in a gorgeous gift box and has some really amazing products inside. Theres a foaming bath product, body butter, candle and remedies to roll. This would be perfect for someone who struggles to switch off and needs abit of me time!

How beautiful is this packaging! I noticed this in my local boots recently. It's the Violet Voss 3 piece collection. Inside is an eyeshadow palette, and highlighting palette and lipgloss! It's exclusive to Boots so head over to their website to check it out! I actually picked it up in the Black Friday sales for £30!!

I love abit of Lush, their Christmas Gift Sets are so good! The Sleepy gift is lovely, inside you get the Body lotion and shower gel! It's just £13.50 so really affordable, this would be a great secret santa gift or gift for a friend! The Snowglobe gift is full of really lovely products, you get a really good mixture of bath products, a soap and a knot wrap! They smell so good!

How gorgeous and soft does this Joules dressing gown look, It's so thick and great quality. It's a deep Navy colour with pretty pink flowers. It's a really good length and has a hood! It's on offer over on Amara.com right now for £32

I love this Cactus mug by Bloomingville, you can get it from Amara.com, it's a really nice gift for a friend or a cactus lover! It's only £4.80 as it's in the sale!

This gift set by Temple Spa is so luxurious, filled with gorgeous products.  It's perfect for someone struggling to sleep.  Order now for free standard delivery. It includes loads of products including, 
DO NOT DISTURB pillow, QUIETUDE calming mist for me & my space, DRIFT AWAY bathing & massage oil, DUVET comforting body cream, BECALM soothing face mask and REPOSE aromatherapy resting cream. 

Fragrance, I always buy my mom perfume. This Marc Jacobs scent is soo gorgeous, it's really unusual but I love it! Some of my moms faves are Lancome le vie la belle, YSL black opium and Jean Paul Gaultier.

This Bracelet from Daisy London is lovely you can get it from Browns Family Jewellers, they have loads of different designs to choose from. They also do Necklaces, Earrings and more. They have so many designs and lots of different colours so there's something for everyone.
Stila have lots of gorgeous gift sets, perfect for the lady in your life! If your not sure what to buy why not buy an E-Voucher so they can pick themselves. I love the Liquid Eyeshadows! They are really creamy and easy to wear. The Eyeshadow Duo  is a lovely gift idea. They come in some gorgeous shades and are so versatile and easy to use.

I love these Gin Baubles from drinksbythedram.com! They are such a lovely gift idea. The quality is so good!  The Green packaging is just beautiful. You can get a Whisky option too! Drinks by the Dram also do advent calendars and tasting kits!

This Neal and Wolf gift contains a shampoo and conditioner from the Ritual Collection. The Ritual Collection is my favourite, they smell sooo good! This gift set comes in this really nice little bag!

Shavata have a selection of Christmas gift sets which start at £30 Inside is a selection of Shavata products and gift vouchers against Shavata services. These are the products that's inside the Gold Christmas gift, it includes the Brow Enhancer pencil and a mascara, aswell as £55 worth of vouchers. It's a lovely gift idea as you are gifting some amazing products aswell as the treatments.


Have you seen my recent Christmas gift guide? It features loads of really lovely personalisable gift ideas! Head over and check it out. I hope this post has given you some gift inspo!




















*this post contains pr samples