Hygge Nook

91 Magazine

Issue 3 of 91 magazine is out. I haven't looked all the way through it yet - work got in the way - but it looks pretty and interesting with plenty to keep home decor fans happy. It's free, too.

Check it out (click here to be taken to 91's site).

Summer lovin'... sorry... cleaning

Don't you just love this weather? It's fabulous. Of course, when it turns this lovely and warm, my thoughts turn to spring summer cleaning. Along with a mountain of recycling to get rid of, and basically the entire house to clean, I've put together a few tips for getting your home ship shape for the summer.

1. Start with one room at a time.

The idea behind this is simple. If you flit from room to room, you'll probably never finish. Stick to one room at a time and you'll have one great space to flake out in between tackling all the others.

2. Recycle within 24 hours.

Often when I arrange piles of books, clothing, and odds'n'ends for recycling, it gets stacked in a big pile that stays in the home for a g e s. Don't do this! take it to the recycling depot or charity shop within 24 hours. For one, you'll feel terribly productive. Two, you won't be tempted to reuse items you were sure you didn't want 20 minutes ago.

3. Don't clear out the kids' toys when they're at home.

We're coming up for the big summer holidays and every parent knows what chaos that is! Clean out and toys that are broken/ missing parts/ unloved and recycle/ giveaway/ freecycle/ charity shop, but be warned, the moment your child sees you cleaning out the toy they never use, it will immediately become their favourite!

4. ...but do get the kids involved in cleaning.

No reason why you should do it alone! Give the kids simple and explicit instructions for small jobs and have them help out with tidying their toys and books, putting things away and even a little light vacuuming. Small amounts of pocket money or a small reward (an ice cream, a trip to the park) gives them something to work towards.

5. If you don't use it, you don't need it.

The best to get an uncluttered home is to... wait for it... unclutter! Just as not wearing an item of clothing for six months is an indication you won't wear it again, the same goes for household goods. Just why do you I have those balti dishes? Or those hideous plastic cups?

Have you been summer cleaning? What's your top tip for getting your home in order?

 

 

Chevron cushions

I know, I know, I'm a terrible blogger, but I did just buy two of these gorgeous yellow (ochre? mustard?) and white chevron cushions for my living room. I hope they provide some lightness and balance to the teal curtains and cushions and the black sofas that otherwise dominate the room.

I love Madeline Weinrib but her designs are just too expensive to buy in the UK so I thought I'd never get my hands on pattern like this, plus the UK is far behind when it comes to affordable geometric prints. Last night I had a tiny brainwave and remembered Etsy - the source of just about everything. This morning, two of these babies were purchased for $13 each. Bargain!

 

So about that book I wrote...

I mentioned that I was on hiatus partly down to writing books. While I've had a few non-fiction books lately, what I'm really proud of is my debut novel Illicit Magic. The first in an adult paranormal series, Illicit Magic is the story of Stella, a lonely twenty-four-year-old woman who is targeted by a sinister group known as the Brotherhood due to her burgeoning, uncontrollable magic, before being whisked away by her saviour to a remote safe house. There she has to come to terms with the new path her life is on, learn to control her magic and unravel a mystery. There's magic, romance, a devilish plot and I hope you'll love it.

You can get it for your Kindle via Amazon US ($1.12) and Amazon UK (68p) and for other ereaders via Smashwords (99c). I'd love it if you would leave me a review on any of these sites - or on the book's Goodreads page - and look out for the sequel which should go on sale end of July.

And thus ends this brief self-promote :-)

This lamp stalking lark is getting serious

Do you remember the kitschy dog Ben de Lisi lamp I wanted that went out of stock? I got it. I got it. I got it. Happy dance. When I first saw it I intended for it to go in the children's room but a lack of sockets means there's no where to plug it in unless it's just put there for show. Here it is...

And to make the postage worth it, I 'accidentally' purchased this cushion for my office chair.

I'll save you from squinting, the type says 'Live what you love'. And you know what, folks, I am. Though it's always good to have a cushion to remind me, especially one which ties in to my profession: writing.

Both were on sale - the lamp was £32 (it comes in black too) and the cushion £14. And you know what else? Oops. I bought this London skyline oven glove (£14) because I needed a new oven glove. Honest. Then I checked out and postage was free. Yay. At that point I returned my debit card to my wallet and stepped away. To do another happy dance, natch.

LaVoliere pendant

I'm not overly keen on keeping birds in cages, but I am keen on having this in my house. (If I had pendant fittings and if I had a big chunk o' change.)

LaVoliere pendant from The Conran Shop. *Only* £369.

Still on a hiatus...

Doesn't life fly by when you have a zillion things to do and a mere twenty-four hours in the day? I'm still on blogging hiatus (there's a book to finish, and another to start, and a bunch of other projects) so until life gets back to normal, here's a page of some of my favourite links and projects for you to look at:

Offices that came out of the closet

The crazy cool teatime lamp I stalked and bought

A gorgeous green and white living room

Inspirational children's shared rooms

The crocheted floor pillow I made using a recycled Ikea mattress

How to update an Ikea Bekvam stool

Thanks again for your patience. Mwah!

Quick Fix Tuesday: vintage teacups

 
When we did Secret Santa at my new office at Christmas, I said I'd love a mug. My Secret Santa gifted me a fab vintage mug with wicked little phrase. It's too impolite to print here but it tickles me pink everytime I'm getting a tea or coffee in the office. I was thinking about that mug when I spotted these vintage teacups. Sure, they're a little girly but office mugs are usually so staid, boring, mismatched and, often, 'builder mug' like in shape. Wouldn't it be nice to have something so delicate and pretty like these for a civilised cuppa instead? They're £21.99 for a set of four, including cups, saucers and stand, at Gifted Penguin.

Child's cardboard book storage box

 
I'm pretty excited about my latest find. I've been searching for an affordable and good-sized book storage container/ display unit for a long, long time. Some searching on ebay today brought me to Big Book Little Book Cardboard Box, one of those so-simple-why-didn't-I-think-of-that-already ideas. The book holds up to 40 books, claims to be super tough (and reviews reflect that), it's cheap at £9 plus free P&P, plus it's made from 80% recycled materials and 100% biodegradeable. Gotta love the green stuff. Okay, I have to admit the brown shell isn't the most appealing but the designer has made it that way to keep those crucial eco-credentials and I think it could be jazzed up quite nicely. Fabric, perhaps? Some 3D letters?

High gloss tray

 
I'm having a day off work today and so far it's been perfectly lovely. I'm crocheting up a storm, watching some TV, playing with the little humans of mine and, um, indulged in a little online shopping. I've just purchased two of these high gloss white melamine trays by Zak Designs at Gifted Penguin. They were marked down to £11.99 so not too pricey. My idea is that I'll use them to define the space on our bedside tables which sit below our new white wall lights. Hmmm. Okay, all that white on white might be a bit too bland so I'll have to think how I'll colour them up a touch. A little vase, maybe some fresh flowers? A picture frame?