Yearly Archives: 2017

Deck The Halls: The Art Of Christmas Decorations*

05th October 2017

Ok, it’s October and WAY too early for me to be thinking about decorations really, but for any earlybirds out there- or at least those who like to plan way in advance, this one is for you!

Christmas decorations are an essential part of getting in to the festive spirit. If you’re looking to decorate this year with a sense of style, here are a few tips and tricks that are sure to impress guests and bring a sense of magic to your home.

Don’t be afraid of artificial trees

Many people love to have a real tree, but they can be costly and messy. An artificial tree will get more use – you can pull it out year on year. You can also style it more easily to your home- for example, you don’t have to go green – there are white artificial trees that can be great for making brightly coloured tinsel and baubles really stand out and there aren’t any messy pine needles to clear up or stop the cat from eating!

Create festive focal points

Create Christmas zones that draw attention, the tree is an obvious focal point but why not try having other focal points in other rooms? The dining room table can be a great focal point and even coffee tables can be dressed up for the occasion as these tips on decorating your coffee table for Christmas show. Other focal points could be a specially designated Christmas shelf in which all items are swapped out for Christmas items or a decorated door.

Keep practical zones free of Christmas clutter

Don’t let your Christmas decorations serve as obstacles. For example, it’s best to keep Christmas decorations to a minimum in the kitchen- you don’t want to be finding bits of tinsel in your turkey!

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Make your own DIY decorations

A great trick for those on a budget is DIY decorations. Consider paper chains and origami snowflake cut-outs- building these can be a great activity to do with little folk in the run up to the big day! Look up guides online on how to make your own Christmas decorations – you’ll be surprised what you can build with materials you may already have.

Don’t just hang baubles on the tree

If you’ve got an excess of baubles don’t try and weigh down the tree with them. Consider hanging them on light fittings and in the corner of rooms as an extra embellishment around the home.

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Use greenery

There are lots of plants that are commonly associated with Christmas such as mistletoe, ivy and holly. These can help to bring a natural feel to your home that may offset the heavy use of plastic ornaments and baubles. The likes of ivy can be hung over picture frames and door frames just like tinsel. You could also have wreaths all around the home – they needn’t just be reserved for your front door.

Incorporate Christmas scents and tastes

Fill the home with Christmas scents such as cinnamon to help get you in the mood. Scented cinnamon candles can make a nice touch. You can also make use of edible decorations such as hanging chocolates or baskets of mince pies. Just make sure that these edibles don’t all get eaten straight away (you may even want to introduce an after-Christmas rule, if you dare!)

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Transitional Style: Your AW17 Wardrobe Essentials*

05th October 2017
October has arrived. While some of us are mourning the loss of the summer, many are celebrating the shopping opportunities that the new season brings!
Autumn winter 2017 calls for a wardrobe refresh, but what new season essentials should we invest in? Here I have an overview of the key pieces that will see you through the cold season whatever, the weather throws at you!

(Photo by Jakob Owens on Unsplash)

Umbrella
We all know how unpredictable the British weather can be, so don’t leave home without an umbrella. It’s always worth spending a little more on an umbrella you can depend on — you don’t want to be caught out mid-downpour with a broken brolly!
Fulton’s golf umbrellas are ideal when the wind is against you too, the Cyclone umbrella, for example has been wind tunnel tested to 78mph. For the fashion forward, the new collection includes all of the latest trends- from dark florals to rich checks. Who said an umbrella can’t be a fashion accessory?
Scarf
During autumn temperatures remain quite mild, so you don’t want to be reaching for your thick woolly scarf just yet. Instead, choose a lightweight check scarf in an autumnal shade — think red, navy and green. Perfect for men and women- you can wear the scarf loosely around your neck with an open coat or jacket for effortless early season style.
Coat
For men and women there’s only one coat that will help them transition from summer to autumn: the classic trench coat. They’re thin enough to keep you cool in milder weather but still offer enough protection from those pesky showers.
The trench coat is super versatile; perfect when worn over your suit or smart dress for work, or with a relaxed check shirt and jeans for those off-duty days.
When winter finally arrives it’s time to swap the trench coat for a super-cosy down jacket. These padded jackets are well-insulated providing exceptional warmth in even the coldest conditions.
Knitwear
We ditched it in the summer, but knitwear comes back with a vengeance in autumn winter. Choose finer knits for early autumn before digging out those chunky winter cable-knits in time for the colder weather.
Don’t shy away from patterns, especially near to Christmas time. Fair Isle jumpers are cute and cosy, helping you to get into the festive spirit without the need for novelty slogans and flashing lights (unless that’s your cup of tea!)

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Essential Autumn Car Maintenance*

05th October 2017

Obviously keeping on top of car maintenance is a year round essential, but as the colder weather approaches it pays even more so to run some vital checks. Bob and I found this out for ourselves just a couple of days before we were due to set off on our (almost) 1500 mile round trip to Scotland- he was doing some essential pre-journey checks when he discovered a hole in the engine (where there most definitely shouldn’t be a hole!) Had he not have done these checks we wouldn’t have found out until it was too late- probably stranded somewhere between Inverness and the back and beyond! Thankfully he was able to get the part and get things fixed- and both the car, and ourselves survived many an hour on the road.

Here are a few checks that are especially important at this time of year:

(Photo by Tim Mossholder on Unsplash)

Windscreen and Wipers:
Although in the UK it rains all year round, the rain and storms that come with the Autumn and Winter can be especially heavy. Check that your windscreen wipers aren’t dragging or leaving streaks- if they are then it’s time to replace the blades and make sure you have de-icer and an ice scraper at your disposal. If you have any chips in your screen then take the time to get them repaired, what starts out as one small ding can soon turn in to a rather large, and expensive crack.

Brakes:
Now is definitely the time to make sure your brakes are functioning at full capacity. With wet and perhaps icy roads on their way it really isn’t worth running the risk of not being able to stop when you need to, quickly and efficiently. Check your brake fluid and the brake discs- you can top up the fluid yourself if you need it, and if your discs are worn you can get them replaced easily, or even do it yourself if you know how.

Tyres:
Linked to brakes, safe and roadworthy tyres are another essential, 2mm tyre tread is recommended for winter driving (and the legal requirement is at least 1.6mm). Check for damage on the walls of the tyres too- any bulging or gashed tyres need to be replaced.

Lights:
As the dark evenings draw in make sure you’ve checked that your head, brake and indicator lights are all fully functioning. Bulbs are relatively cheap and easy to replace (and you can’t put a price on road safety anyway!) Having any lights not properly working puts both yourself, other road users and pedestrians at risk.

On the whole this is the perfect time of year to give your entire car a once over, you can book in for routine checks of all parts- brands like Ossett Tyre House offer free car exhuasts inspection in West Yorkshire and you’ll find similar services all across the UK.

Do you have any car horror stories to share? What are your top tips for safe winter driving?

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For the Frill of It with MissPap

03rd October 2017
It feels like an absolute age since I last did an outfit post- looking back it would appear that it was way back at the start of September which is probably some kind of record for me! I’ve not been feeling all that inspired by my wardrobe lately, I’ve been on a pretty tight budget and haven’t shopped much, I’m also living in work clothes (of which I own very few and are therefore highly dull) and I’ve been crazily busy. Still, I managed to take enough time out to grab some snaps of some new arrivals from MissPap, a brand I’ve seen a lot of recently on social media and on blogs- they sell some fantastic on trend pieces at highly reasonable prices and I was really excited to be given the chance to collaborate with them.

Frill hem skinny jeans c/o MissPap | Embroidered jumper: New Look (last year) | Studded ankle boots c/o MissPap

I can’t say a pair of frilled hem skinny jeans were top of my list when I was browsing the website for items- it’s a trend I’ve admired on other people but wasn’t convinced of for myself. Still, in a fit of recklessness I decided to order a pair (word of advice, they come up on the smaller side) and I’m sold on the concept from here on out. The fact I’m in skinny jeans at all right now is nothing short of a miracle, but that’s a story for another day. A more typical pick from me were the stud detail ankle boots, which cost a very reasonable £30 and are hands down a pair of the comfiest boots I’ve owned. I’m all about the ankle boots, as any long term readers will know and given that I so rarely wear anything with a heel these days having a pair of boots with some eye-catching detail is a great way to inject some life in to my style.
How do you feel about the frill hem trouser trend? I’d consider myself a semi-convert by this point, the frill on these jeans is subtle enough not to draw too much attention. I admire any one who dares go any bigger- whilst they might suit many people, as for me, I fear I’d resemble a clown escaped from the local circus.

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Posted in brands I love, fashion, outfits, personal style, shopping

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The September 2017 Degustabox

01st October 2017
Another month and another delivery from foodie subscription service Degustabox*. Unless you are brand new to my blog (in which case, Hi!) you’ll know this is a regular feature. As with last month I’ve done my absolute best to try everything in the box, but time constraints and wanting to get a post up in a fairly prompt manner means that there are a couple of things I’m yet to sample. I’ll pop up some mini reviews of these on social media when I do try them for anyone who is as curious as I currently am to know what they were like, I’m getting really quite adventurous with my food trying lately so with each month the arrival of this box brings a whole new level of excitement!
Once again kicking off with the drinks selection, this month Degustabox presented me with a bottle of San Miguel Gluten Free (£2 per bottle, or £9 for a six pack). I’m not a beer drinker so haven’t tried this, but it’s essentially a gluten free variety of the ever popular San Miguel. Available for purchase from Tesco for anyone who’s been missing out on a cheeky evening beer.
I’ve become a bit dependent on energy drinks of late, and as much as I love my Red Bull I was pleased to have a healthier variety to try out. Virtue energy water (£1.35 each) costs about the same per can as my current crutch but contains zero calories, no sweeteners and the same amount of caffeine as your average cup of coffee. Once I got over how tart these are I really enjoyed them. The berry flavour was my overall favourite, but if I saw these in my local shop I’d pick these up over a can filled with artificial everything. As an added bonus, for every can sold Virtue will donate 500l clean drinking water.
I’m a serial cereal eater so discovering anything new is always a joy. Cheerios are one of my all time favourites so I was excited by Cheerios Oat Crisp (£2.49) which has whole grain oats mixed in with my favourite loops. It was developed to help lower cholesterol as well as being high in fibre, low in saturated fat and contains beta-glucan from the oat fibre which helps to keep your heart healthy. They don’t have quite the same appeal as a massive bowl of the original, but for a healthy breakfast and for anyone looking to lower their cholesterol through diet rather than medication then I do recommend giving these a go.

I’m not a huge fan of dairy milks on my breakfast and was hugely intrigued to see Dream Ancient Grains (£1.60) included in this month’s box. Ancient grains is made with buckwheat, oat, spelt and linseed. I haven’t tried this yet but I have it ear-marked for porridge and will report back in due course.

Cooking is a re-discovered passion of mine but when pushed for time it’s great to have some short-cuts to creating a quick and easy meal. Latin America Kitchen by Santa Maria is a new line inspired by the many varied flavours of this part of the world.
I haven’t had a chance to cook with these yet but the Caribbean sticky pineapple and chilli sauce (£1.85) is earmarked for a chicken dish ASAP- of course combined with the Aroz Amarillo yellow rice- I don’t yet know what’s special about it, but it certainly sounds fancy! Rice pouches also cost £1.85.
More savoury inclusions in the box, and more that I haven’t yet had a chance to try. Knorr concentrated stock (£2.20) is gluten free and made with real beef extract. This versatile sounding pot can be used to add flavour to meaty dishes such as bolognese or to make a rich stock for soups and stews.
A random but welcome inclusion to the box was Wild Planet Albacore Wild Tuna- I love tuna and this tin contains 100% pole and line caught steaks. There’s no need to drain making it perfect for a packed lunch addition to a salad- hopefully this tastes amazing enough to justify the £3.49 price tag.
Possibly the most exciting inclusion in the box (and one I don’t have the information for) is the Ramen Noodle kit from Miso Tasty. I love noodle dishes and Bob and I are planning to create something awesome this weekend- watch this space!
Mentos are one of my favourite sweets and this mixed up bag of mints has long been devoured. A resealable pouch (£1.19) perfect for keeping on your desk at work, or for sharing (maybe!)- as the slogan says, who says no to mentos?
A more grown up sweet option next in the form of Green & Black’s velvet edition- this is 70% dark chocolate combined with sweet Madagascan Vanilla, this is rich and smooth and entirely delicious. I had intended to share but it just didn’t happen. £1.99 and entirely worth every penny!
Last but not least a blast from the past- Green’s Egg Custard mix (69p) is the perfect way to create a comfort food classic. Egg custard tarts are a secret pleasure of mine, although it’s been far too long since I last had one. I must add pastry cases to my shopping list for a quick and easy fix!
For those who don’t yet know, Degustabox* is a monthly food subscription box that gives you the chance to try new and exciting products on the market whilst providing amazing value for money.

On a month by month basis the box costs £12.99 (with a discount for longer subscriptions) but the contents are generally worth far more than this as you can see if you do the maths.
If you’re persuaded to give Degustabox a go (and really, you should) you can claim a brilliant £7.00 off of your first box (making it just £5.99!) by entering the code 6HZJ8 at the checkout. It’s been a pleasure to work with the brand regularly over the last couple of years and it’s without a doubt something that I will continue to purchase long after our partnership ends. I love the monthly surprise and excitement as well as the chance to discover products I’d otherwise pass up on the supermarket shelves.
Let me know if you’ve tried any of these products and what you thought of them.

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Posted in food, lifestyle, review

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