Modern life is rubbish

All the stuff that make today’s lifestyles so convenient can easily be distracting, especially in the bedroom. The very first stage of making your beautiful boudoir is to get rid of any traces of technology and practicality. Ban the TV and relocate the hair-straighteners since there’s no glamour in gizmos and gadgets. Hide as much of the clutter as possible with bedroom storage that will go in drawers or cupboards but display your most prized perfumes and place your rings and necklaces on show with a jewellery tree.

The essence of boudoir

This style evokes an opulent, sensual and rich lifestyle so colours such as purple, pink, gold and black give the perfect look. Your room can be as flamboyant as you desire, but wall coverings will give the most striking change so use pink and purple wallpaper with a strong pattern. Using bold floral prints and stunning damask will give your room a feeling of femininity and extravagance.

Materials play an significant role in the boudoir bedroom. Diverse textures and finishes produce an intimate feel so incorporate plenty of colourful cushions with mixed fabrics created from rich and heavy materials. For an air of sensuality, floaty materials like silks and organza can be draped throughout the room.

If you like the Moulin Rouge style of boudoir, opt for bohemian elegance by including vintage furniture pieces and elegant swagging around the windows. Dress your bed in silk and satin and place candles round the room to spark the romance. Colours to go for include scarlet, gold and black. For a 60s style boudoir, synthetic animal skins with deep pile carpets and fun cartoon’ish furnishings will establish a naughty, fantasy themed room. Choose a blend of black, white and red colours throughout the room.

Lighting the passion

Light plays an important role in creating a sultry ambiance. The boudoir look embraces extravagance and so should your lighting fixtures. Vintage crystal-drop chandeliers are perfect for the dramatic centre piece while antique brass and crystal wall lights controlled by dimmer switch will create the right mood.

Beanbags

Still consider beanbags as overblown floor cushions that are manufactured from cheap material and difficult to get out of? Obviously you have not been introduced to the Fatboy range.

Beanbags aren’t just additional seating options for the living room, they can be used as a sofa replacement in student digs, a chill-out chair for a teenager’s bedroom or even a spare bed if you want to put up your mate overnight. Have one or two of these cool seating options convenient for impromptu events or any time you’ve got more visitors than your permanent seating can cope with.

Hammocks

The simple mention of the word conjures up images of hazy summer days, swinging between two trees beneath the shade of branches while enjoying a long, cool drink. Yet isn’t a hammock just for the warmer months? In fact, it’s not. And before you ask, no you won’t need two trees to tie it to either – at least not with modern hammock technology because a steel-frame manages things.

A hammock can easily be placed in the house as out and should you be short of furniture in your conservatory it’s ideal. When you do need to take it easy in the great outdoors, or when you need something a bit more comfortable than the standard bistro chair and table set in your garden, then a hammock is a good substitute.

Gaming seat

Okay, this one may appear like it’s simply for the gamers and geeks but as a substitute seating choice it’s as adaptable as they come. Should you be of the Playstation or Xbox generation then you may be all too familiar with sitting forward on the sofa, straining to get nearer to the action. Instead of attempting to drag your sofa a couple of inches closer to the box, pull up a gaming seat.

Not only will a gaming chair take care of your comfort while challenging the latest level of Halo, it’s versatile enough to turn into a footstool or an occasional seat for social events if you require further places for friends to park their bums.

Aga maintenance

The maintenance required for an Aga is not as difficult as you may think and a bit of common sense will keep it operating with few problems. One of the main causes of damage can come from small spillages while cooking. Some Aga models work as heat storage units which means they are always on. This provides a great way to slow cook food and keep the flavours in but any spillages that haven’t been wiped away immediately dry and stain the surfaces very quickly.

Always clean up any mess before this can happen and ensure you use Aga approved cleaning products or you could damage the appearance of your oven. Be careful when cleaning the hotplates though as you could scold yourself. Any substance that spills onto the hotplate will eventually carbonise so you can simply brush it away.

As with the home, an Aga range cooker can get a bit grimy over time with grease, fat and other substances accumulating in the nooks and crannies. Make sure you give your Aga a bit of spring clean every so often but don’t tackle it all at once as it will soon become tiresome and you won’t do the best job possible. Take on a specific area each day until you’ve got it gleaming again.

Aga servicing

When it comes to servicing, think of your Aga as you would your car and have a regular service booked in. Most people choose to service their Aga cooker every couple of years but a yearly service is prudent. An Aga stove that burns oil definitely needs regular servicing due to the way pipes feed oil into the burners. Small carbon deposits can build up inside causing a drop in performance and efficiency and the potential for total malfunction.

A gas burning Aga should have a yearly service while a solid fuel burner converted oven will need a good sweep down every six months with the main chimney swept out annually. Whatever type of energy source you use to power your Aga, a regular service will keep your oven and stove running smoothly and reduce the likelihood of an expensive repair bill should something go wrong.

An Aga is for life…

With these simple maintenance tips, proper cleaning plus regular servicing you’ll be able to keep your Aga running smoothing and enjoy worry-free cooking for life. Speak to an Aga dealer to ensure you get the right products and servicing plan.

There are many people that knit to make money and then there are those that knit for their family members and to give as gifts to either family or friends. The most wonderful kind of knitting comes from the heart, and each year, thousands of enthusiasts knit babies booties, shawls and gorgeous cardigans that they then donate to raffles, maternity wards in hospitals and for local charities.

If knitting has been your hobby for a long time, chances are you are familiar and confident with all types of knitting patterns, knitting accessories, knitting kits, and have worked with various types of wool knitting yarn.

Over the years you will have developed your own personal taste when it comes to choosing the type of wool knitting yarn that you find the most enjoyable to work with. This could also be true in regards to the knitting patterns that you use, as once you are really happy with one particular brand of pattern, chances are you will look for future patterns by shopping with this brand in mind.

For beginners that can’t wait to get their hands on a pair of needles to enjoy this wonderful hobby and start creating, you might find it worthwhile to start searching for your knitting patterns, wools and accessories online. A lot of information is currently available on the web, so you will not only be able to gather your supplies for the best price, you will also have access to tips and tricks as well.

These suggestions can often be invaluable to a beginner, as they are the result of many years of trial and error. Instead of making those mistakes as you go, you will have been pre-warned! You will of course still make mistakes, such as dropping a stitch or misreading the pattern, but hopefully this will only be occasionally and dwindle to rarely, as you become more experienced.

When selecting your wool knitting yarn, it is important to have a look around at some of the latest trends in knitting, even though you may already have a favourite. Choosing something different such as alpaca wool yarn, could really add a whole other dimension to your future projects. The possibilities of Alpaca knitwear is really only limited to your own creativity! Beginners could start with an alpaca scarf, or a pair of alpaca socks. For the more advanced knitters, there are some really new and fresh patterns around, and very soon you could be looking extremely snug and cosy in your hand knitted alpaca coat!

Searching online will provide you with the greatest range of top quality alpaca wool yarn, or any yarn for that matter, and it will also ensure you see the widest range of colours and ply’s available. The worlds oldest hobby just keeps on getting better and better as the years go by.

Whether it’s to theme a nursery, update a child’s room or enhance a living space, you can have any style or design, tailored to suit your specific taste and budget.

The Design

As an experienced muralist, all of my murals are drawn free hand with no stencilling or projections involved. This allows me to transfer your ideas directly onto the wall with no scale or design restriction. I can work to all scales and budgets, producing either simple colourful wall murals to enhance a style of room – or completely theme a room in intricate detail. No project is too large or too small, and every project is treated with the same personal care and attention. When producing an interior scheme I can either translate your specific ideas directly or if you would prefer I can produce imaginative design creations for you. You may already have a room decorated and decide you want to take details from a border, curtains or duvet cover and create a mural to finish the room off.

The Price

There are a number of factors to consider that will determine the price of any given mural. The size of the mural, the detail, the wall texture and whether or not there is a ceiling involved – all have an impact on the costs. Prices start from as little as £65.00, so please use my contact page or phone me directly to arrange for a free consultation or guide price over the phone.

I am a fully qualified designer specialising in hand painted murals for interiors. I have always been creative and started painting murals when I was 14 in my own bedroom and then I found all of my friends wanted one. I went on to University and qualified with a Ba Hons in Design – Surface Pattern.

I worked as a designer for commercial companies but when I had my first child I decided that the nursery just had to have a Winnie The Pooh themed mural. As friends started to see my son’s room – my mural business began and it is the most rewarding and satisfying of jobs I have ever done.

As well as painting murals in people homes I have also been commissioned to produce murals for the National Health Service and other commercial properties, which have been featured in the local press.

Following our initial contact by phone, I would arrange to come and meet with you to view the room you intend to have the mural painted in. We would talk through your ideas, and at this stage if you needed inspiration I would also bring along ideas, pictures, and books to look at. For children’s rooms, every child has a favourite cartoon character, theme, TV character or book so this would be our starting point. If your child is old enough I always like to ask what they would like to see in their room so we make sure the mural makes everyone happy.

Once you have decided on the size and design of the mural that’s when I can provide you with an exact cost. My price is always inclusive of all materials and time – so no matter how long it takes me to complete the mural – the price will remain exactly as quoted (prices start from as little as £65).

When I come to paint the mural – the whole design is sketched out on the wall, ceiling or cupboard etc. in pencil first, and it is at this stage that I always make sure the client is completely happy with how the design looks before any painting begins – as once the design is painted changes are hard to make!

Your custom hand painted mural can usually be finished within a few days depending on size and detail level. The paints I use are waterproof and non-toxic and are therefore ideal to be used around children and babies.

However, buying a leather jacket is something that people still tend to think about at a particular time of year. The start of the Autumn/Winter season traditionally sees a surge in sales of leather jackets and coats as they are often thought of as being only suitable for wearing during the colder months despite the fact that many modern leather jackets are actually ideally suited to wearing on a summer evening out.

The more astute shopper though will plan ahead and buy their mens leather jacket or ladies leather jacket earlier in the year as during the summer months there are some great bargains to be had on various styles of jackets and coats.

Many styles of leather jacket are timeless classics that, unlike many other types of clothing, never go out of style. This makes buying a leather jacket during the summer sales period an entirely sensible choice. You will basically be buying the same jacket as you would be during the autumn or winter, but you could be saving pounds on the price.

For over 30 years, Blue Moon has been designing leather coats and jackets for both men and women. They offer a wide choice of classic styles at great prices coupled with excellent customer service. They have leather jackets suitable for all occasions and their range includes styles that are smart and casual and suited to all tastes. They also offer some great deals on jackets bought during the summer so now is the perfect time to visit their website and save money on your perfect leather jacket.

Geopathic stress is natural radiation from the Earth that comes to the surface, but is altered along the way by electromagnetic fields caused by underground water, collections of certain minerals or fault lines. This radiation can be responsible for conditions ranging from infertility, cancer, migraines, joint pain, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and insomnia. The World Health Organisation also recognises Sick Building Syndrome is a result of geopathic stress.

Practitioners are available that can rid buildings of this radiation, or alter the building or its contents in such a way that the radiation is longer an issue. One such method is ‘dowsing’. In dowsing, a dowser uses tools and intuition to seek something (for example a water source, in ‘water dowsing’) – in this instance, the unconscious mind seeks the radiation that is infiltrating a building or room. Once the streams of radiation are found, methods are used to rid the radiation or move it, or alter the room or building so that the geopathic stress is no longer an issue. For example, if someone is suffering from insomnia, a dowser locates any geopathic stress and may find that the bed is lying on a geopathic stress line. By simply moving the bed, the sufferer will find they not only sleep better, but they have increased energy levels and become headache free. Another method that can be used in healing sick buildings utilises channelled energy to eliminate the negative energy (this can also be used on a person). This is known as ‘vortex healing’.

Another healing method is the ‘Alexander Technique‘. This is used to treat people, usually suffering from physical pain and/or stress caused by poor posture. By gaining awareness of how we stand, walk, sit and move in general, we can prevent issues that may arise as a result of poor habits, such as slouching. With this technique, the patient is taught to ‘treat themselves’ by monitoring their posture with a view to curing and preventing problems caused by it. It has been said that after learning how to use this method, patients not only find their pains have decreased (or disappeared), their overall posture is improved and they find more energy and suppleness. This then extrapolates to all areas of their lives.

These healing properties – the Alexander Technique, dowsing and vortex healing – can all work together to help heal sick minds, bodies and buildings. In the fast-paced world we live in today, we need all the help we can get!

Get a bike stand to store as many bicycles as you have in your household. Perhaps your son and daughter have their own bicycles and it would be great to have a designated place for them to store it. You might even have your own bicycle. Why not keep all the bicycles in one place so that it is easier to get it when you need it?

You can even get a bicycle lift and hoist if you want to save space. Perhaps you have minimal garage storage and you want to use all the space efficiently. Consider a wall bicycle hook as an alternative for storing your bicycles. The hook is quite inexpensive, so everyone can afford to have better storage for their bicycles.

If you have gardening tools such as a rake, a shovel and a broom, you can get a wall mounted garden tool rack to keep all your tools in one place. This saves time as you can grab the tool you need within seconds rather than having to search for them for hours, not knowing the last place where you left it could be.

Old clothes, cloths, tiny nuts and bolts or a hose might be kept in garage storage as well. You can get a hose hanger for the hose and a rack for old clothes or cloths. Storage units with drawers are excellent for all sorts of items, ranging from clothing material to hardware tools. You can even get a rolling storage bin for your recyclables. It is easy to move around, especially when you need to get rid of the contents at the recycling centre.

With so many new ideas to sort out your garage storage, you should be able to organise your garage into a better storage facility so that you can get the items you need without having to waste time searching for them. Being organised is the key to having tidy garage storage.

Many of the products we use are not environmentally friendly at all. A drinks can left on the street or in a gutter will stay there indefinitely. It is not biodegradable so once it is created, it will forever be. Companies have long ago found ways to reuse these products so that they are not polluting our beautiful Earth. The problem happens when people don’t take the items to be recycled and instead just toss them out or throw them in the garbage to sit in the landfill forever and ever.

Recycling is a major contributor to the solution of global garbage. It works, but only if you participate. You can lead a horse to water and so forth. The responsibility belongs to all of us, as citizens of the world, but it begins with you and your family.

The number of items in the store made from recycled materials is growing. Our shelves could be filled with more of these things if everyone does their part to help. Most towns and cities provide recycling containers for residents to use. It could be a small bin or a large trash can.

If you don’t have such as service in your area, buy your own trash can or other supplies to gather your recyclables together. You can schedule a pickup or take them to the appropriate recycling plant for processing once a week or month; whatever time frame fits your schedule. The point is to do it! You can even make a little money collecting aluminium cans or returning glass soda bottles for deposits.

Begin with city sanitation. Whoever picks up your recycled products should have literature on how to package your recyclables. Cardboard is typically broken down and tied together. Old newspapers are tied together in bundles much like they are delivered to newsstands. Bottles are grouped together based on the number on the bottom or the label.

Have separate recycling bins for the waste in the house. Mark them clearly so no one gets confused. If kids want to make money, let them collect cans from neighbours.

Get in the habit of breaking down boxes after you use them. This includes cereal boxes, tooth paste boxes, gift boxes, and the like, not just heavy duty cardboard. All of these paper products can be used for recycling.

Envelopes and old bills can be recycled, too. To protect your information, shred them first and then bag the shreds for recycling pickup. Most of us just toss out these envelopes in the regular rubbish but recycled envelopes can be put to better use.

Recycling saves on pollution and landfill space. If we can continue to reuse some items, why not do it? I personally can’t think of a reason not to. Can you?

By supporting Sarah Smith Textiles, you are supporting a good cause. Besides, all the products are made in Britain using 100% Fairtrade materials. So, now you can purchase the Fairtrade cotton apron or re-usable bags you’ve been eyeing, and use them in peace knowing that there is not even a single soul being exploited in the process. The shopping bag comes in very handy if you are constantly going on shopping sprees, or simply just nicking down to the local shops to collect a few last minute groceries. As for the cotton, you get to choose different vibrant colours, such as red and pink.

Grab the Fairtrade re-usable shopping bag and use it every time you go shopping to promote this cause. There are also Fairtrade cotton tea towels and Fairtrade cotton oven mitts available for all your kitchen needs. They are all made from Fairtrade materials, 100% certified, come in many vibrant and cheerful colours and are washing machine friendly. This is why you can use the tea towel and oven mitt again and again as they last for a long time, just like the re-usable bags. Each and every one of the products available from Sarah Smith Textiles is truly unique with its own statement and cause. Buying the items will help the people behind the scene gain sustainable income for their families. And what a great talking point when you have guests – show them your oven mitts and tea towels and spread the word.

You can obtain all the products from aprons to towels in different colours and at reasonable prices. However, the one thing that is really useful in every household is the Made in Britain Ultra cleaning cloths that comes in 3 cloths per pack. They are durable and absorbent so you don’t have to waste money buying more cleaning cloths, when you can have just one pack of these and use them for a long time. Apart from looking nice, they perform well in the kitchen too, giving you more reasons to use products made from Fairtrade materials.

So, if you are thinking about getting good quality products that are made from materials approved by the Fairtrade, remember to check Sarah Smith Textiles for their range of products that come in different colours, sizes and at reasonable prices. What’s more you can shop happy in the knowledge that everyone benefits from the production of these products, and they are indeed the biggest gift in life as they can help many lives.