With my boyfriend moving in recently I thought that storage options might be quite a good idea, not a very ‘sexy’ option but quite practical. I always thought women had a lot of knick knacks but it turns out guys have just as many if not more! The only trouble with that is I have limited shelf and top space in my room so it is looking rather cluttered at the moment. I’m not so unromantic that I’ll just get him storage boxes so I’m trying to find some twist upon the concept and find a romantic gesture to it. I think I might have found a couple of options and a few sideways thoughts that have distracted me slightly. My favourite ‘distraction’ was a photo tree, it is a simple concept where you have bendy wires with clips on the end to pop pictures in, a great idea to fill it with photos of us but does rather add to the knick knack collection!

So I’ve come across a great storage solution that includes the photo idea with the storage solution, you can get wooden boxes that have spaces in the lid to place photos in. These boxes come in all sizes and shapes with compartments and without. These are perfect for the gist, I can add in any pictures I want to help brighten up the room and add his touch to it while providing a great storage solution for his bits and bobs.

After Christmas it can be hard to know exactly what to do with the cards you have received and any leftover wrapping paper. Sometimes you can receive some really nice looking cards that you just don’t want to throw them away but at the same time it seems a real shame to keep them in a box somewhere in the back of a cupboard. The same can be said about wrapping paper, you can get some really pretty ones that it does seem a shame to use them as wrapping paper only to be ripped off the presents and chucked away not to see the light of day again.

However if you think outside the box then it is quite easy to find some uses for both cards and wrapping paper. My favourite use for cards is as wall decorations; you can either put them in picture frames and dot them around the house or why not make a collage out of them. Buy a big frame and arrange the cards in it, this way you can easily group the cards.

With wrapping paper I find the best way to display it is to place it on a frame or even a box lid, simply wrap the frame with the wrapping paper and there you have it. An individual wall decoration that you can place anywhere in your home to help brighten up a plain wall or add a bit of contrast or texture to a room.

This principal can also be used with birthday cards or a variety of everyday items. I’ve seen it done with samples of carpets, very similar to wall hangings, or even with pressed flowers for a bouquet that has sentimental value. The only limit to what you can make to brighten up your walls is your imagination.

We’ve all been there, you think you know who it is your buying for each year and suddenly someone turns up on your doorstep with a present that you didn’t expect. If you have all your presents under the tree it can be a bit awkward to quickly tell them you haven’t wrapped theirs yet and will pop it around later, less so if they can see you haven’t many presents under there! So over the years I’ve developed a strategy for dealing with these unexpected Christmas visitors.

Now these may sound a bit boring but they are great generic presents. Throughout the year I tend to collect mugs, often I’ll find myself in a little village shop somewhere and they will have some mugs that I really like. Now my mug collection is very full because of this fascination and this is how my Christmas gift idea started. I had one on the side and someone turned up, in a panic I shoved some of the sweets I had made in to the mug and quickly wrapped it. Surprisingly they loved it and a tradition was born.

Now I keep about 4 or 5 mugs to one side filled with the sweets I have made for christmas just waiting for name tags to be popped on. These are great not only for my friends, but also kids friends or family friends, in fact anyone that has slipped your mind! But it is worth keeping a note of those who have bought you the present just so you don’t forget them the next year as they might get a bit suspicious if you give them a mug 5 years in a row!

Another downside to country living is that many of the available work and leisure options are based in the city, making it more difficult to maintain working and social life from the country. Country life is unlikely to suit people who enjoy the pace and excitement of life in an urban environment, but represents a preferable option for those who find these qualities associated with city life, stressful. The kinds of homes most commonly available in city locations, such as flats and semi-detached houses, require us to be able to live in close proximity to others for long periods of time – which some find oppressive.

Essentially whether you consider country living to be a better or worse option than city life will depend on whether you prefer a quiet, slower pace of life, or whether your preference is for excitement and proximity to other people.

During the winter we tend to have piles of cushions in deep, rich colours, plenty of textures and plush fabrics adorning our sofas and beds. Once the sun comes out, we like to swap all this for lighter fabrics, lighter colours and less clutter to create a sunnier atmosphere. If you have to be indoors when it gets warmer then it will make your rooms seem less stuffy and humid.

Swap dark and moody winter bed linen for whites and creams and replace cushions with lighter versions and brighter colours. Add a splash of colour here and there with flowers and keep candles for decoration only rather than for setting the mood in darker months.

Revamp red, brown and darker colour schemes for neutral colours such as sand and magnolia and enhance them with turquoise, coral and pale pink, the colour of 2011.

Swap dark woods for whites and light woods and if this all sounds a but much, simple rearrange what you do have. Use mirrors to create light in darker areas and move furniture around to give the impression of a whole new room.

You will be amazed by what a little reorganisation can do for a room. When the warmer months come, it is time to sweep away the cobwebs of the winter and bring the warmth of the sunshine into each and every room in the house.

Colourful decorations can be made by picking stems from such plants as dogwood and birch, bound together with gardening wire or florists sub wire. Or why not thread colourful berries together to create a natural tinsel or bead string, all this needs is a bit of patience and you have a natural colourful ornament. The perfect berries for this, in my opinion, are rowan or cotoneaster but any ones you like the look of can go on, one of my friends even includes chillies and cherries!

Instead of babbles why not cluster together small larch cones, nuts or even conkers, glued together these make a striking alternative and add a little something different to your tree.

Of course if you’re not familiar with these plants it can be difficult to find them in your local wood or garden so simply pop along to your local garden centre – as I did Saturday afternoon having spent hours wandering lost around the wood Saturday morning. Not only will they be able to give you some guidance on which plants are which they also have some great suggestions.

Making your bedroom beautiful can be done by investing in a few attractive pieces of furniture and, unless you want to create a retro style, matching pieces always tend to look better. You can however customise your room to your style by adding various finishing touches.

Place a load of your favourite pictures in different frames and scatter them around the room to make it feel more homely. Add a few cushions or a canvas in order to add a splash of colour to an otherwise neutral space. Mirrors and ornaments are also another great way to accessorise and, if placed in the correct position, sometimes have the tendency to make a smaller room appear larger in size.

Choosing simple colours will both soothe and comfort the ambience of the room and making your bedroom space a de-cluttered one is also a good way to creating a calming atmosphere. The last thing you want after a day at a hectic office is to return to a cluttered and untidy room that screams more stress!

If you wish to keep your room tidy, invest in blanket boxes, built in wardrobes and baskets. Baskets are a great way to keep your things organised and also a great way to hide clutter. You can choose them in a variety of different woods and styles; some come with handles and others come complete with lids. Labelling each basket is also a great way to keep your things organised and in order.

The fist stage is to prepare the surfaces of the furniture that you wish to paint. This involves taking off metalwork, handles, hinges and anything else, which will interfere with the painting process. Next you need to strip the existing paint or varnish – depending on what the current surface covering of the furniture is. Different people will use different materials for this task, but a couple of popular options are either a liquid remover like Nitromors, or alternatively, sandpaper. They will probably work equally well, but on furniture with more detail on the surface, a liquid remover will be better. Be careful when using a removing solution such as Nitromors however, as it is just as effective at removing skin as paint or varnish.

Once you have sanded the surface and washed it down with warm water to get rid of dust, the next stage is to begin painting. Sometimes you will need to put on a coat of primer, but this will depend on the condition of the furniture. If the wood is in good condition you can just put two coats of white paint on it, with a grey paint over that. One effective option in terms of shades of paint is Matchstick White for the undercoat, with Pavilion Grey as a topcoat. Make sure the paint is applied in line with the grain and do not apply too thickly.

First of all you have the crackers, a must have for any Christmas meal and they instantly make any table look festive, if you are looking to make the table look festive while leaving room for the vast quantity of food you are preparing it is best to go for larger crackers in sliver or red. Not only will these add to the festive look but they will help to create the look of a full table. Tinsel is another great option for the Christmas table, this will not only help you create a Christmas theme but also help to create a Christmassy feel to your dining table.

A sledge may seem a step too far for some people, but this is a great option for the Christmas dining table. Not only does it create that Christmassy feel but it is the perfect place to store the many accompaniments that are required with the Christmas meal and keeps them stored in one safe place rather than being lost between the masses of food.

If you have the time and inclination you can create felt stockings as an alternative to crackers. Crackers whilst being quintessentially Christmassy can leave a lot of mess so why not give your guests a better gift within a stocking, you can still pop in there the paper hat and corny joke but this is a far more eco-friendly option.

It’s important to remember leather is a natural product which needs to breathe and is individual making each sofa unique; this also makes leather durable and highly resistant.

The best thing you can do for your leather sofas is to keep them out of direct sunlight; this will reduce the time it takes for the sofa to discolour.

The best way to clean your leather sofas is to give them a quick vacuum to remove any dust and wipe it with a slightly damp cloth. If there’s any indication of grease it is recommended you use mild soap and buff it afterwards with a soft dry cloth. It’s important not to use excessive water or rubbing when cleaning leather sofas.

Some leathers need more care than others, Suede, Nubuck and Aniline leather sofas lack the protection that other leather sofas have, there are specific products for these and you shouldn’t use anything else on them.

Spillages often can’t be avoided, but if they occur on leather sofas it’s best to raise them as quickly as possible. Simply dab with absorbent paper towels and dab the area lightly with clean dry towels.
For new leather sofas it is best to use leather protection cream to help protect it from daily wear and tear, this protection should be updated 2 to 4 times a year to keep your leather sofas looking their best. Before putting on the cream its best to use soft leather cleaner, this can be used as required as often as your leather sofas need.