Category: Views & Ramblings

1. 10 Fun Christmas Ideas for Under 5's

   Posted on 10:00am Friday 30th Nov 2018

   Ever since they start walking and talking, kids love to help their parents and ask to participate in all happenings around home. Even small kids, like toddlers and preschoolers enjoy crafting and baking with mommy as we approach holiday season. Same goes for Christmas! Invite your toddlers and preschoolers to help you with Christmas crafts and decorations. And they can even make Christmas gifts for family members and friends!

   

    

   1. It’s fun when your Christmas tree is twirling and whirling on the wind! Invite your kids to create Christmas tree twirler from paper plate and decorate it as they wish. Then attach it on your ceiling and let them spin!

   2. We always keep a stash of paper rolls in our recycle bin for crafts. This inexpensive crafting medium is so versatile and we love reusing them to recreate different items. Like this lovely toilet paper roll reindeer! Adorable, isn’t he, with his red nose!?

   3. Little ones enjoy sensory play and while you’re busy preparing for Christmas holidays, prepare for them Christmas themed sensory bin to occupy them and let them explore different textures and senses.

   4. Is your child looking forward to white Christmas? As years go by, we are lucky if snow really falls on Christmas. But you can still let them have a sense of white Christmas if you make with them homemade snow recipe.

   5. Do you have buttons laying around your home? We always have some spares for crafts and one of crafts we made with them are lovely button snowflakes. If you are looking for more easy Christmas decorations, you can take a look at collection in Handmade Ornaments book.

   6. Gingerbread man is one of my children’s favorite Christmas themes. We made many gingerbread man crafts over years and we still have gingerbread man cards we made years ago as keepsake!

   7. Thinking to put together a Christmas party or you need a larger scale Christmas decoration for your classroom? We love how kids get to collaborate to make handprint Christmas tree. Looks wonderful displayed on bulletin board!

   8. Crafts that can be completed in super short amount of time, when you need something to quickly distract and occupy little ones are sometimes hard to find. Let them create their own personalised easy solstice lanterns as last minute project before Christmas.

   9. Christmas crafting comes as good practice for your toddlers and preschoolers fine motor skills. One of the crafts where they can use their little fingers and practice waving are yarn Christmas trees. Love how each and every one of them is different and unique!

   10. Every child is looking forward to Santa coming on Christmas eve! As they wait, invite them to make their own paper plate Santa! Easy craft to make after reading your child’s favorite Christmas story!

   

   Christmas is one of those holidays every child loves. We also love to spend time over Christmas holidays crafting and baking together. Perfect opportunity to spend time bonding as family and create memories for years to come! You can start new Christmas tradition this year with your kids too!

   Tweet

2. 5 Things to Decorate Other Than A Gingerbread House

   Posted on 12:00pm Tuesday 27th Nov 2018

   It’s beginning to look at lot like Christmas! And now, with Halloween and Bonfire Night done and dusted, the weather has turned colder and we’re officially allowed to crank up both the central heating systems and our plans to go full Crimbo! Eeeek!

   I don’t care what anyone says. No matter how much you dread spending hundreds on stuff you don’t need, and food, and all that jazz, we definitely do it because Christmas is simply magical. It captures us from October onwards and gives some sparkle to our cold and dreary winter days.

   You’re tired. But it’s OK, it’s Christmas. You’re skint. But it’s OK, it’s Christmas. You’re having a glass of wine straight after the school run. It’s OK. It’s Christmas.

   Such a special time of the years deserves to be celebrated with crafting and all things creative. We’ve got Elf season coming up, and I’m even excited for that. Don’t judge me. Our Insta is going to be merry and bright!

   That being said, there’s one thing that I’m absolutely not feeling.

   Decorating the dreaded gingerbread house.

   

    

   OH MY GOSH. Tell me I’m not alone on this one? I can’t be the only mum who finds it darn near impossible to piece together gingerbread with watery or clumpy royal icing (there’s no inbetween) and make a delightfully festive and equally delicious gingerbread abode.

   My attempts always look like the Hansel and Gretel witch’s dwelling, after she’s been burnt alive and the house is left in ashes.

   Gingerbread houses cum war zones aside, there has to be some other stuff we can decorate with the children in the run up to the 25^th December. Here are five of my favourite, and totally doable, Pinterest-worthy ideas.

   

   1.    Christmas Bauble

   The beauty in a bauble is that it can literally be any craft whatsoever… on a string. Just make some fabby Christmas creation with your youngster and thread a hanger through it. Job done. Literally.

   2.    Christmas Cake

   You might have to nip to M&S to make sure you have a reserve in play, you know, just in case, but Christmas cake decorating is the perfect way to spend an afternoon with your sprogs. Rank up the degree of difficulty depending on your baking skills. Mums and dads who are a dab hand in the kitchen can make fruit cake and chocolate yule logs from scratch. Parents who aren’t, well, no one will no. Nip to Asda. Stockpile all your decorating bits and bobs and let your children create their own snow scene. A chocolate log complete with perched robin is a traditional and easy-to-do festive favourite.

   3.    Christmas Cards

   Three options. Visit Santa with the children, go to the photo shop and reprint your snaps. Create photo cards. Turn a fantastic morning out into a crafty and productive afternoon at home. Alternatively, finger prints make for some unusual abstract reindeers and snowmen cards, or so I’ve seen online. Or, you could just nip to ELC or Tesco and buy a card kit. Like the rest of us.

   4.    Christmas Wreath

   If you want to make a wreathe with anything other than tissue paper, I suggest you attend a class before introducing eucalyptus leaves and holly to your children. You’re a better person than I am. For those of us that wish to stay sane, scrunching shades of green tissue paper onto an O-shaped piece of cardboard looks surprisingly brilliant. Adorn with pinned pinecones, dried orange rings, holly berry tissue paper balls, and any other Christmas decoration your DD/S fancies.

   5.    Mini Christmas Tree

   Mini Christmas trees can be picked up almost everywhere on the highstreet, in supermarkets, and in gardening centres for next to no cost. Pick one up and let your little one decorate their own tree for their bedroom. Mini baubles from Paperchase are slightly expensive, but fun and young, and definitely worth it if you reuse each year.

    

   So with the cold weather on the way, stay in the warm and get crafting! You never know it might warm your soul too! 

    

   Tweet

    

3. 20 Great Tips to Home Stage Your Property for a Fast Sale

   Posted on 12:00pm Tuesday 20th Nov 2018

   As the nights get darker we all want the luxury of a warm cozy home and with the new year looming many of us start thinking about moving home. We’re all aware that a nicely presented, clean property with extra desirable features won’t stay on the market long.

   But, if you need to sell your property fast, you probably won’t have the time to re-decorate or invest in major building works.
   
   Don’t worry; this doesn’t mean you’ll scupper your chances of securing a buyer for a price you want. There are lots of tricks of the trade you can use to make your home look fantastic and appeal to potential buyers.
   
   Home staging doesn’t have to take up too much time, and the best bit is you can do it yourself. Don’t worry if you’re DIY shy or feel like you don’t have an eye for interiors—you just need to follow these simple tips.
   
   #1 Make a good first impression
   Make sure your home looks picture ready from the minute the listings photographer arrives. Getting the best pictures is essential to securing viewings.

   #2 Clean
   Before you do anything, give your property a deep clean. Areas to focus on include removing mould from bathrooms, grease from kitchens and any signs of dirt or staining.

   

   
   
   #3 Declutter
   A golden rule in property selling is get rid of all your clutter. This includes everything from unwanted junk, bulky furniture, pictures, ornaments, kitchenware and clothes. A good rule of thumb is to remove at least thirty per cent of your stuff.
   
   #4 Depersonalise
   Prospective buyers want to imagine themselves living in your property. This means personal objects all need to go. This includes family photos, holiday trinkets, pictures on the walls and kids’ toys.
   
   #5 Room Purpose
   If you’ve turned your living room into a gym or the bedroom into an office, prospective buyers won’t like this. Return each room to its original purpose.
   
   #6 Furniture placement
   Remove extra chairs, tables or couches that take up too much space. Shift furniture away from the walls and put in locations that will better show off the space and any period features such as fireplaces and wooden floors.
   
   #7 Enhance the lighting
   Create as much extra light as possible. Dark properties are a major put-off. For instance, removing curtains and clean windows inside and out. Also, leave ceiling lights on during viewings, even in the day.
   
   #8 Put up mirrors
   Mirrors are great as they can make any space feel both bigger and brighter. So, they’re perfect in corridors, darker rooms and even the garden.
   
   #9 Paint tired walls
   If you haven’t got time to redecorate an entire room, focus on areas in greatest need only. For instance, paint over walls with stains, or brighten up a drab room with a colourful feature wall.
   
   #10 Visit other homes
   Get inspired. Visit other properties for sale in your area and look at what they have done.

   
   
   #11 Mow the lawn
   Gardens are a massive selling point. So, if you have one, make the most of it. Make sure the lawn is mowed before viewings, flower beds tidied up and any eye-sore clutter is removed.
   
   #12 Accessorize small spaces
   Add lights, neutral decorations or candles to freshen up small spaces.

   
   #13 Add character
   It’s a fine line between neutral and boring. Avoid the latter by adding a splash of colour e.g. a coloured rug in the kitchen or a tasteful picture on the wall.
   
   #14 Highlight storage options
   Everyone wants more space. If you have storage, clear it out and make sure prospective buyers can easily access it during viewings.
   
   #15 Go green
   Don’t attempt to turn your home into Kew Gardens, but a few extra plants will make it look more attractive and feel fresh and clean.

   

   
   #16 Final touches
   It’s not just how your home looks—it’s how it feels. Add soft furnishings like cushions, rugs and blankets.
   
   #17 Dress up the entrance
   Don’t focus so much time on the inside that you forget about the outside. After all, the first thing every buyer will see is the front of your property. Make sure it looks immaculate—no rubbish bags in sight and there's a tidy driveway.
   
   #18 Be inviting
   Leave doors open to each room so prospective buyers feel welcome to look around your property comfortably and freely.

   #19 Make it smell nice
   Bad smells will leave your property languishing on the market. Pet smells, smoke, mould or drains—get rid of it before any buyers visit. Add potpourri to each room and buy essential oil diffusers.

    

   #20 Final touches on the day
   To really impress on viewing days buy fresh flowers, bake bread and put a fresh brew of coffee on the stove. Your prospective buyers will really appreciate the effort.  

   
   By investing a little time into home staging your property, you can secure more viewings. And, this will help sell your home fast by finding you the best buyer.

   Tweet

4. 5 reasons why a festive break is the best Christmas present

   Posted on 12:00pm Thursday 8th Nov 2018

   Halloween is out of the way and we are into November, which means that we can mention the C word without fear of too much reproach. Seeing your children’s eyes light up at Christmas keeps the magic of the season alive — but away from the tinsel and crackers, it can be a testing time.

   So some of us are opting to spend our Crimbo cash on a sun-kissed break rather than presents and party food — according to a British Airways survey, 45 per cent of Brits would rather head for the horizon than spend big on gifts.

   If you’re tempted to get away from it all, here are five reasons why a festive break is the best Christmas present.

   1.       Expense

   Christmas figures from stats gurus Statista show that the average spend per British household was £821 in 2017.

   And since many of us spend considerably more, perhaps this hard-earned cash would be better invested in a flight to take us on a revitalising winter break?

   With bargains available in a range of destinations in Europe and beyond, no wonder we’re rejigging our festive priorities.

   2.       Choice complexity

   Choosing an appropriate gift for friends and loved ones feels tougher as we get older and research from US clothing brand Trunk Club suggests that this struggle is real.

   Apparently, someone aged 55 or over is twice as likely as someone in their 20s or 30s to consider themselves poor at giving gifts and 26 per cent of all age groups find festive shopping frustrating.

   So perhaps it’s worth abandoning those trips to source socks and soap-on-a-rope in order to stay calm and composed?

   3.       Cheap holidays

   Destinations like Tenerife and Lanzarote are perpetually popular with Brits looking for an affordable winter break to top up their tans and sink some sangria.

   But according to info from travel experts Lonely Planet, Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia is the cheapest place to fly to this year for a Christmas adventure.

   With a week-long break coming in at just £923, it’s not much more than the average household Christmas bill, and a reasonably small price to pay for experiencing an exciting culture.

   4.       Disposable gifts

   If you’re worried about waste and the environment at Christmas, cover your eyes — a study by retaildive.com last year revealed that a staggering 5 billion pounds of unwanted Christmas presents end up rotting away in landfill sites.

   

   So if you want to save the planet and avoid wasting your cash, it might be appropriate to cut back or consider a charity donation as an alternative.

   5.       Stress

   Christmas is officially stressful — a survey from discount app Zeek reveals that 15 per cent of us find it worse than moving house and ten per cent report that it’s more nerve-wracking than a child’s first day at school.

   So you’ve got to ask yourself if your time’s not better spent booking airport parking from comparison specialists Looking4.com and stashing your car at the terminal before sashaying to check-in for a chilled-out winter break.

   

   There’s no reason this season should be nerve-shredding — perhaps a change of scenery’s all you need.

   That’s our list! Are you flying abroad this Christmas? Share your thoughts in the comments section.

   Tweet