tropical paradise

With Spring just around the corner and the sun starting to shine a little more every day, filling the house with bright, fresh and fun accessories creates a vibrant and radiant atmosphere. We have spotted quite a few tropical and Caribbean inspired pieces in the shops and we are loving these vibes! Vibrant and bold colours combined with colourful and bright prints are inspiring and add vibrancy to the home! Tropical animals, plants and nature adorn homeware items and add a quirky and interesting feature to any room!  

Cushions and soft furnishings are an instant and easy way to inject some 'on trend'  paradise touches. It's time to put away the cinnamon and winter scents and add some fresh and fruity scented candles for that crisp and clean feeling! If bold colours are a little daunting then introduce some natural textures and materials to create contrast, with some baskets (these also offer additional storage as well) Try mixing and combining different materials for an interesting feel and look. 

We love this trend and think adding a couple of pieces will create a 'truly tropical retreat' as we anxiously await the Summer months! 

Parrot cushion Asda £5 / Coconut and Pineapple scented candle Matalan £4 / 
Orange clock Red candy £25 / Pineapple lamp Oliver bonas £80 / 
Ombre baskets Matalan £35 / Pineapple print Not on the highstreet £7.95 / 
Leaf print cushion Matalan £8 / Bamboo bowl Oliver bonas £14 / Giraffe Habitat £20 

Sarah and Holly

      

fake it

When it comes to plants and flowers, there are those of us who manage to keep them alive and there are those of us who forget to water them, overwater them and well just kill them off. Fresh flowers in the home are always a lovely idea but can often be expensive and the pounds soon add up when bought weekly. Plus if you can't keep plants alive then this becomes an extra cost and also such a waste to keep replacing them! We think fake or artificial flowers and plants are an easy option to place around the home to help add some greenery and we say this loosely a 'natural' element to any room. Although we do think this topic is probably like marmite, you will either love the idea of the fake ones or you will hate it and prefer the real, living options. 

If you are willing to try artificial then are lots of fake options available to choose from. These can be easily added to any room without any mess, no need to water or maintain, they are perfect for anyone with allergies and are also pet friendly (although we have seen with our own eyes that cats will try to eat fake plants though!) We would also advise to be quite careful when selecting artificial pieces, as some can often look a little too green or a little too shiny. Try to find some really good quality ones that look as realistic and convincing as a 'fake' plant can look! Most often already come in pots and include gravel and stones for extra decoration. Why not opt for something quirky, like succulents arranged inside a vintage book or a cute hanging glass terrarium. 

So why not try adding some greenery or some brightly coloured flowers to match your room decor, around the house but without the hassle of the real deal!

Peach flowers Not on the highstreet £9.95 / Terrarium globe Fred Aldous £3.96 / 

Succulent mix Blooming artificial £38.39 / Cactus with gravel in glass pot John Lewis £8 / 

Succulents in book Not on the highstreet £29.50 / Succulent in grey pot Farthing £21.50 / 

Grass Ikea £20 

Sarah and Holly

      

let's get organised... the office

A tidy desk and work area helps to keep us focused and motivated and this is easily achieved with the addition of a few simple accessories, which can really make such a difference towards working. Desk decorating doesn't have to be dull and corporate either. Bright colours, mixing materials and textures, as well as quirky more unusual designs can create a fun and motivational work environment. Work isn't always fun or interesting and at times the thought of those mundane tasks can be less than inspiring. Creating a happy and stress free desk might just make work feel like less of a chore. 

Keep your desk top clean and fresh so try to wipe the surface regularly with disinfectant wipes. A pen pot ensures you always have a pen or pencil handy when you need to jot down something important! A box of tissues is also useful on the desk but you could add some whimsical fun and charm, with a novelty tissue box cover. A bright and bold desk lamp instantly adds colour as well as that much needed additional light if working late is necessary (not a fun thought we know!). Stackable trays for letters and paperwork help keep the desk empty with plenty of free space to work. A desk calendar, a novelty stapler, gadgets and other personal or fun accessories can create a positive working space! 

Shop around and find pieces that are personal to you and will create an environment you know you will love to work in! 

Desk calendar Not on the highstreet £21 / Lamp Wilkos £30 / Grass desk tidy Tiger £4 /  

Wooden letter tray Ryman £12.99 / House tissue box cover Red candy £5 / 

Chicken stapler Paperchase £4.50 / Cookie USB cup warmer Prezzybox £10 

Sarah and Holly

      

a hint of mint

We have to admit that mint has never been a colour we have been attracted to before (and maybe these cold, long winter days at the moment are making us dream of spring) but mint is a really refreshing colour and combined with cooler grey tones and shades creates a great contrast for a bathroom. Mint green for us also reminds us of those vintage bathroom suites you see in old houses (and also ice cream!) These may be out of fashion now but mint isn't and used with other colours and textures can create a more modern look and feel! Most bathrooms or downstairs toilets tend to be on the smaller size (well for us they do!) so 'a hint of mint' might help to create a bright and fresh environment without dominating the whole room with too much colour! Try white and mint for a truly crisp, contemporary and bright look! 

We posted a photograph on Instagram of some lovely mint and grey bathroom accessories, which we spotted in Asda and this inspired us to expand on this theme and search for some other bathroom pieces and items to accompany these! So if you fancy adding a touch of pastel green to your bathroom to add some freshness over the winter months and to take you into the spring, then check out the items we selected below!

Soap dispenser Matalan £4 / Storage basket Cloudberryliving £29 / 
Tiles Etsy $19.95 / Waste bin Red candy £20 / Shower curtain Homebase £14.99 / 
Bath mat set BHS £18 / Wire storage basket This modern life £52 / 
Hand towel Asda £4 

Sarah and Holly

      

let's get organised... in the kitchen

We hope you are enjoying the 'let's get organised' series and today we have some more ideas and hacks for the kitchen! The kitchen is often referred to as the heart of the home and with this in mind we believe the kitchen is an important room, which should be well organised, clean and tidy. Here are a few ideas to help create an organised space. Clever over the door storage creates more cupboard space and attaching pieces to the wall frees up valuable worktop space, if a kitchen is on the smaller size. Why not try freestanding shelf units or trolleys with wheels, which can be moved around the kitchen and are a great versatile item. If baked goods (home made or shop bought) are consumed and created frequently in your home then opt for a dome cake stand or cake tins, which can display and store tasty treats and once again frees up cupboard space. 

Organised drawers ensure it is easy to find utensils and tools. No one wants to open up a messy drawer with knives and forks mixed up together. There are expandable options to fit different drawer sizes as well as wooden, metal or plastic options. Planing the weeks meals always seems such a chore but a meal planner or a chalkboard hung in the kitchen helps to plan the week ahead and let's everyone know the weeks menu (without the need to ask you!) We have picked out some items we think will help with an organised kitchen and a more organised life as well as a quote to help inspire you! 

"A place for everything, and everything in its place" - Mrs Beeton (The book of household management) 

 Cake tins Lakeland £36.99 / Trolley Ikea £49 / Steel container Ikea £15 / 

Cutlery tray Habitat £10 / Utensil pot Lakeland £15 / Storage jar Habitat £15 / 

Steel rail Ikea £3.50 / Wall basket storage Ikea £22.50 / Chalkboard Ikea £17

Sarah and Holly

      

let's get organised... storage solutions

Today's lets get organised post is about storage solutions. We all start January off with the idea that we want to get the house back into an organised and tidy state. Those cupboards and drawers that have been stuffed to capacity and barely closing for the last year are in desperate need of our attention! There's nothing worse than tipping the whole house upside down in an attempt to find something that we have plonked in the most unlikely of places months ago. So the beginning of the new year is a perfect time to get our homes back on track.

There are lots of ideas for every room, cupboard or drawer. There are practical and simplistic solutions for those items that we just want to be hidden from sight. Or stylish and beautiful ideas that make a nice addition to a room or decor, whilst also serving some functionality at the same time. We usually favour talking about the prettier items for homes, but sometimes we have to accept that looking after our home's is not just about pretty accessories, trends and colours but keeping on top of the basic and everyday tasks.

We have already started to have a January sort out in our own homes. Here are a few ideas that we have picked out that may help. Don't forget to follow our blog (just click the follow button on the right side just scroll down you can't miss it!) so you can keep up to date with all the exciting posts we have planned for this year!

Wall Organiser Dunelm £59.99 / Set of 2 Wire baskets Habitat £45 / Chest Ikea £65 / Set of 3 Wire House Shelves Next £14 / Flower Scarf Organiser Homebase £1.99 / Storage basket Wilkos £1.99 / 4 Drawer Stripe Unit George £18.00

Sarah and Holly

      

let's get organised... thanks for the memories

Today's lets get organised post is about documenting and recording moments and memories. A year might only be 12 months (and maybe it's just us) but when we look back at 2015 we struggle to remember what we did or where we went! Scrapbooks and photo albums are a perfect way to store and keep those fun adventures and events to look back on in years to come. At the end of each month gather together any items that have been saved or print out some of your favourite photographs you have taken. Sit down, put on a film and start arranging a few pages to reflect the month just gone. Washi tape, stickers, instant photos, patterned papers and alphabet stamps work well combined together to create fun and exciting pages. Pinterest and Instagram are perfect places to look for inspiration to get you started! It's a chance to get creative and if you do this month by month you won't forget what you did! 

There are lots of types and styles of scrapbooks out there as well as a brand called project life, which is a simple and easy way to document your life. There are kits and packs available containing postcards and insert cards to help and aid you to easily add text and images to pages. These are great as they add colour, design and fun to page layouts and can be easily incorporated alongside your own photos and keep sakes. Why not give it a go and see how your scrapbook looks at the end of the year. And if a scrapbook doesn't seem like your idea of fun, then why not try out some magnetic photo frames for the fridge and switch the photographs each month. Whatever you decide to do make sure you have something to look back on fondly in the future to remind you of the fun times had and the adventures taken over the years!

Project life pack Hobbycraft £25 / Planets scrapbook Paperchase £16 / 

Camera scrapbook Paperchase £12 / Washi tape Papermash £2.50 / 

Letter stamps Hobbycraft £12 / Polaroid instant camera Argos £119.99 / 

Holographic alphabet stickers Ohh deer £5.50 / Awesome tape Ohh deer £3.50 / 

Magnetic photo frames Red candy £11.50 

Sarah and Holly