Oaken-Mist

Looking for some inspiration for welcoming in the new year??

Here's my top 5 ideas for having a great New Years celebration.

1. Having guests over? Here's a great tablescape idea that's simple and sophisticated.

2. Have a party, you could go for something simple like a cocktail party but why not make it fun like a masquerade ball or just fancy dress, it's a great excuse to whip out your old Halloween costumes. If its not just you adults the kids will enjoy it too.

3. Celebrate other countries!!
Well it's always midnight somewhere right? Why not have a drinking game and toast the new year across the world. It can be alcoholic or non alcoholic the choice is yours.

4.Fancy going out for the evening? A lot of bars and clubs will be packed as it is one of the busiest times of the year so why not try something different, some places run specials on ice skating or roller skating like a disco night.

5.Make it about the kids, they may not be able to see in the new year at midnight for being tucked up in bed but their day can be just as special visit a circus or a firework display and a fun fair in fact you can do these things even if you don't have children it's still as much fun!

But what's most important is just have fun, even if you just feel like sitting on the sofa and watching specials on the box.

So everyone have a Happy New Year!!!!!

Images sources-Link and some unknown so If you know where there from please let me know. :)

Merry Christmas everyone!!!!!!!

May your days be merry and bright!

And may all your christmasses be White.

Hope you all have a wonderful holiday!!!!

I love the idea of built in beds/wardrobes/TVs you name it if its built in its better. It saves a ton of space plus knowing you have the option of hiding things away probably appeals to the very reserved side of myself. I mean don't get me wrong a too packed away house just looks empty you know like those wall bed things where your bed disappears into the wall and leaves a very empty space behind where you cant put anything, that would drive me nuts. So i ask if you had the option would you build it in or fill the space? i think if you don't overdo it and you make it elegant/traditional and not too modern then your on to a winner.

Check out these perfect examples....





Which is your favourite?

p.s i have had these on my computer a while so if you know where they are from please contact me and i will be sure to put up a link.

Hi everyone as promised Part 2.....

Here is the most recent pictures, i have not decided on what to put in the frames above my bed yet so you will have to excuse them, if you have any ideas let me know. I thought either letters spelling love or home or some four letter word or movie posters or black and white photos, I'm really not sure so let me know what you think.

Here is the head wall.

It doesn't really do it justice i must see it looks better in person but the cushions and comforter were made by me and only cost me About £10 for the lot as i had the duvet and inserts so it was just the fabric that cost me . I'm not sure if you can see it but it is a beautiful paisley with mixed colours.


With this you can see how the walls and ceiling have been stripped completely and the door which was flush is now paneled .


The floor is one of the biggest transformations , it was a horrible pink carpet and when taken up revealed less than perfect floorboards which had cracks and paint over them, this is one of the best pictures of the floor i took a before picture of, it doesn't really reveal how bad they were but trust me they were a nightmare.
But it only cost around £16 for hardwood floors so i cant complain.



This picture of this wall was taken half way through because you couldn't see it for furniture but i hope you can still see a big transformation.

There are one or two things i still need like a large rug but in total including sheets,duvets,duvet cover,new pillows,double bed with memory foam sprung mattress and storage, headboard, paint, frames and an ottoman which is yet to been transformed it cost me at total of Drumroll please.......... £375

Ok I know it's been a while but I've been super busy in my new room and have almost finished . The room is complete it's just personal finishing touches I have to do like making my comforter and cushions and finding a rug and then further down the line finishing my ottoman that I got really cheap but is not too nice to look at .
To summarise what we have done this last week
Finished the floors, sanded, made a stain out of paint to stain them touched up areas that were damaged with some paint, it was pink and green I think it must of been kriptonite or something cause that bad boy did not cone off even sanding it down to bare wood which I could not for the life of me understand. And finished with a couple of coats of varnish.
Painted my old desk which was looking it's age and the silvers shelves I had to tie in with the room both of which look like brand new pieces, it's amazing what a lick of paint can do.
Adding personal things like pictures and books has really added a bit of colour and life into this room as I didnt want it to be cold and uninviting.
I will be updating with pictures in part 2 so stay tuned for some great before and afters :)

Have a great weekend guys!
Xoxo

Happy Halloween Everyone!!!!!!

Are you looking for some inspiration this halloween?
Here are some of my favourite Halloween treats.


1.Spicy Pumpkin Soup
This is one of the best recipes I have found online, the only thing I avoid is onion but that's just personal preference.


2.Sweet Halloween Treats
Looking for some treats for the kids that add a little spooky creativity to the mix?
Well this website will have everything youre looking for ...
Click Here


3.Movie Madness
One of my favourite thongs to do at Halloween is bring out the classic horror movies and have a long movie marathon.
In my opinion you cannot have a Halloween movie fest without Halloween it's a classic.Here are some of my other favourites
A nightmare on elm street
The Texas chainsaw massacre
The rocky horror picture show
Psycho
This year i think I may add some new ones to the mix what do you think? Any suggestions?

But if you have kids and are thinking you can't have a scary movie fest, think again.
Here are some great child friendly scary flicks for Halloween.


A nightmare before Christmas
Corpse bride
Hocus pocus( my all-time favourite as a kid)
Casper
Wallace and gromit; the curse of the were-rabbit

So whatever you're doing this Halloween have a spooky old time mwahhahaha ;)

Hi everyone today i'm writing about my personal top ten favorite homemade cleaning products. Not only are they cheaper but they can also be more eco-friendly .

1. Fabric freshener

I love the smell of fresh washing and sometimes I wish I could just throw my sofa into the wash but unfortunately they havent made a machine big enough YET! I had always used fabreeze fabric fresh but not only was it a bit of a pinch on the wallet it also made me cough terribly , im not sure why but it got to much to bear so i decided i would make my own . So i came up with a simple formula

What you will need....

Vodka
Fabric softener
Water

Simply mix a capful of fabric softener(approx 10-15ml) a top full of vodka (about 5ml ) and fill up with water(adjust for bottle size) i usually make a 750ml bottle with this amount, it's quite strong and last ages.You could also add a little baking soda to deodorize.

2.Room Perfume

If you don't want the fresh linen smell there is an alternative I like to use, room spray. We have all seen and know it can be expensive at times but here is my cheap alternative.

What you will need....

Vodka about 5ml
Water fill up last to the top
Fragrance oil or essential oil just a few drops (adjust for preference)

you can mix different oils together for a unique scent but this time of year is perfect for a little cinnamon spice for that winter warmth. But my all time favorite has to be musk and jasmine with a hint of geranium. alternatively you can use it as a perfume if you use a little amount of alcohol and natural oils.

3. Lemon Fresh Multi Purpose Cleaner

What you will need...

Lemon essence and/or juice about 15-20ml altogether
White vinegar about 15ml
Baking soda 1 tablespoon full
alcohol about 5ml
Top up with Water

should fill a 500ml or even a litre bottle, if you like it stronger just adjust the lemon scent till satisfied.

4.Carpet Fresh

Everyone's hear of things like shake n vac where you sprinkle on your carpet wait 10 to 15 minutes and hoover off and you left with a nice scented room. but here's a homeade cheap option...

What you will need...
Wash powder (it has to be powder)
Baking soda

mix equal parts into a cup and sprinkle lightly over you carpet, the baking soda will remove odors while the wash powder leaves behind a wonderful scent plus while you're vacumming all the powder goes into you hoover and gives off a nice smell for a couple of times after.

5.Glass cleaner

What you will need
White vinegar about 50ml
Lemon juice (20ml)
Perfume (optional) just a drop
water (fill last to the top)
Alcohol (5ml just to preserve everything)

mix the white vinegar, water, alcohol and lemon juice together and add perfume for a sweeter smell, even without the perfume the lemon smells fresh and clean.

If you would like some tips on cleaning i found this site to be quite useful...
http://www.channel4.com/4homes/how-to/cleaning

Also a great site to get you organised....
http://www.flylady.net/

Check them out!

Part 2 to follow stay tuned......

p.s picture from http://www.housecleaning-tips.com/ another great site for cleaning tips and techniques!

We have been really busy the past few days though unfortunately due to a problem with the floorboards were now kinda at a stand still.In short were waiting on a couple of metres of floor to be replaced so we cant move the furniture in or finish off the floor yet. To date we have removed all the wallpaper down to plaster, painted the cupboards and window removed the door panel, painted the door, taken up the carpet ,painted the ceiling and filled any holes or cracks for the perfect finish. Now we have the bed and mattress plus the headboard and bedding waiting to go in the room, also i still have to make the comforter out of the paisley fabric i bought which is very pottery barn Esq for a miniscule amount of the cost which is what im kind of going for with this room. I mean i love pottery barn and stores like pier 21 , west elm and crate and barrel, and although i would love to go on a big shopping spree at all these stores and more i just don't have the cash for that so i have to improvise by making a few things myself or refurbishing things.My desk needs painting and selves and an nice ottoman i got, so there is still plenty to keep us busy but no room to keep us busy in as the whole house looks like a war zone.
Here are some pictures of a few days ago before we got the carpet up and the head wall finished, sorry the pics are a bit blurry ,focus has stopped working on my camera :(

This is it , i am moving in to this room , isnt it nice?(cue sarcasm here). so i plan on giving the room a complete makeover, from stripping the walls to refurbishing furniture, my budget is as small as it gets and anything i can make myself will go in this room and anything i can do to it i will.I figured its best to put it in stages, so here we are at the start of it all, stage one! here is my list for the stages of work to do.
To start remove all furniture and belongings as none of it belongs to me and then as follows in no particular order......

1.strip walls, clean window(black mold eeek)
2.fill any holes in walls,
3.paint walls
4.take off door and reverse(imo it opens the wrong way)
5.gloss door, windows etc
6.take up carpet
7.add new door handles to wardrobes
8.add new light switch

then on to stage two

1.mend, strip and sand floorboards
2.stain and varnish floorboards
3.buy a bed(kind of important hehe)
4.add pictures artwork etc
5.add curtains and window treatment
6.add a lightshade

then stage three

1.move furniture in ,which is a desk and an old tv cabinet both which need makeovers!
2.add furnishings, rug ornaments and so on
3.organise closet space
4.create different lighting zones

The biggest stage is stage one which is going to take the longest but its going to be done as quick and efficiant as possible.

The biggest budget breaker is going to be the bed or more so the mattress which is going to take a huge chunk, then maybe the computer chair but if second hand is possible other than a mattress then thats what we will get.

We are just two women a mother and daughter team working on one of the biggest projects to date while trying to juggle our everyday lives and we want to update you guys as we go.

So if your interested tune in for future posts and watch the transformation progress :D