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Day 12 – Lets go Build a Light

Feb1

Remember the lovely little IKEA hanging pendant lamp?

Exhibit A on the left is how the light is supposed to look. Exhibit B is how it looks when you open the box. Today I felt was the perfect day to build the Death Star Lamp. Armed with a Malibu and Coke and 3 trusted friends (1 human, 2 animal) we decided to build the light.

I was expecting the worst. Assembling things is not my forte but this little light actually surprised me. Everything clicked nicely together and within 5 minutes a star was born.

Turns out however that at the flat there was nothing to hook the light to on the ceiling and the old light was literally just hanging there. If I hung this light through that hole in the ceiling and pulled the cord to open or shut the light there was a high chance of the whole thing falling on my head. No worries though because I have a Dad who’s pretty good and this whole DIY stuff and he managed to go up into the loft, and install something more sturdy for me to hang my Death Star from.

Look it works!! It also makes some really pretty patterns on the walls the the ceilings. Definitely a new take on adjustable lighting, no dimmer switches needed here!

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Do excuse the naked stairs!  I am away with work now until Friday so sadly no more house related work until Friday/Saturday 😦 But hopefully by next update there will be carpet on those stairs! Fingers crossed!

Days 9&10 – Lights!

Jan30

So much to do before Friday! I think once we get the carpet in the whole flat will suddenly come together and start to feel homely. Maybe then I can finally move in without walking dust around constantly.

My lovely little spider lights from B&Q have been put up and I think they look pretty good. Managed to get the one in the living room to be dimmable even if I did make the mistake of buying awful light bulbs from the Range. Can be replaced later though so won’t worry too much now.

I googled the Karli lights just out of curiosity to see if they did any other similar lights or accessories. Out of some stroke of luck I stumbled across these lovely little bedside lamps! I was going to go for purple lamps but when I saw these it just had to be done. I think this has pleased my parents as I was going to take the lamps from my old room at their house as they were the perfect lamps and exactly what I had in mind. However they now get to keep those and I will not be branded a lamp thief!

The room is so much lighter now than it was when I moved in. This could have something to do with the fact I now have 22 light bulbs in the room instead of just 2! Could you call that a little bit excessive? At least no one can say my room is too dark and I don’t need to use all 22 at the same time I suppose! Very thankful for my IKEA bulbs! On the subject of IKEA I went to put up my light for the hallway today.

I was very naively expecting to unpack a nice spherical light out of that box but looking at the size of the box in relation to the size of the light I really should have known better. IKEA hanging pendant light is currently in about 8493625 different pieces. I decided that the light could go back into the box and be tackled another day. When that day will be I am not too sure.

Today was mainly about odd jobs. I helped build the furniture for the downstairs bedroom. We got this furniture online as a lot consisting of 2 bedside tables, a dressing table, chest of drawers and a wardrobe and its really good stuff! Sadly couldn’t get any pics of the rest as most of the furniture for the flat has been moved into this room ready for the carpet to be laid and I can barely move in there at the moment but the dressing table is stunning! I just need to get a chair for the dressing table and we are all done in here. Such a contrast from the kids room it was just over a week ago.

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The shelves also got put up today and now the living room is starting to really come together. I’m looking at a few coffee tables at the moment but am leaning towards a nest of tables instead for space saving purposes. I have a coffee table in my rented flat at the moment which made me think that I needed one, but my parents have a nest of tables which gets used a hell of a lot more than the coffee table does and they are pretty cute! I dragged the dining room table to the flat tonight just to try and figure out where everything will go and I think I have a plan in my head now so hurry up carpet so I can have a functional living room!

As we are getting the internet and TV installed tomorrow I had to decide really quickly where everything was going as I don’t want to be moving cables around once they are installed at one end of the room. Fingers crossed it was the right choice! I have accidentally managed to order myself two lots of internet and TV though so I really hope they only turn up with one! Most importantly only charge me for one!

Day 7 – Reconstructing the Kitchen

Jan28

Day 7 is being posted on Day 8 due to a very important charity event which required an early night last night! Post on this to follow!

After previously being banned from the flat I was finally allowed back in as all the glossing and painting is done. The only room which does not require much more work doing to it is the kitchen. As I do not have much time left off work I decided to use this day to clean my kitchen and move everything into it. I had no idea quite how therapeutic and actually quite enjoyable this would be.

Here is what the kitchen looked like before.

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I wanted to keep the kitchen itself very neutral and put colour into it by accessorising. I am aware that I have bought a lot of little things that I like but I am not actually sure how it is all going to look like together. It took me about 2 hours to deep clean the kitchen but it was so worth it to be able to move my stuff in

Not much of an update today but I’m glad I managed to move some stuff in as it is starting to feel more like home already. Turns out I have a lot of storage! It is nice not to have to be cramming things into cupboards to store them and to have everything neatly put where I want it to be. Everyone told me I had maybe bought too many glasses, however considering how lovely they fit in the cupboard I disagree! I was one of those naive glass people when I went glass shopping, I did not even know that there were different glasses for red wine and white, but now I do! I got all my glasses from Morrisons and I love them :). I always said that when I moved I would get square plates and bowls and I was lucky enough to get this lovely little set from Santa this year! I still need to get a cover for the end of the worktop but apart from that things are looking pretty good in the kitchen.

In other exciting news I got my first “New Home” card today from my Nan along with this lovely little wine holder (and the bottle in it!) which has pride of place by the kitchen window. The only quandary I have now is which wine glass to use!

Today’s Trip to IKEA

Jan26

Over the past couple of months I have collected 99% of the furniture I need so my trip to IKEA today was mainly to get a couple of lights and a few little bits to make the flat more personal and homely. This was only the second time I have ever been to IKEA and I found myself spending 3 and a half hours there. I originally had one of those yellow shopping bags as I was not expecting to get that much but once I had got to the kitchen section I had to swap this for a trolley. I loved looking round all of the rooms for ideas and inspiration. It demonstrates so well that you do not need a big space in order to make it look amazing.

hallway-lamp

I got this hanging pendant light for the hallway. You can pull the string to open or close the light in order to brighten or dim the room. Not my normal style but I do love it. I got the one pictured which is white with silver inside but there is also a gold one. There are others which are not metal and these are either green or orange inside.

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Also got this lovely little Boja table lamp for the living room. It looks so beautiful when lit up and each one is slightly different due to the bamboo. The best thing about buying a light from IKEA is how they have them all displayed so you can see what they look like when switched on. They also have the recommended bulbs (All LED, great for the environment and your electric bill!) next to the lamps so you can buy both together and make sure you have the correct bulb for that light.

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Day 4 – More Paint & A Carpet

Jan24

I made a decision! Finally I am an indecisive human no more! I took my samples of carpet round the flat today and put them with the paint to get a better idea of how the carpet would look in the finished room. Once we put the carpet with the wall it was obvious that a grey tone was definitely the right way to go. I had already decided I was going to with a Victoria Carpets Freedom carpet as it is bleach cleanable, fade resistant and most importantly looks and feels lovely! I found myself stuck between two very similar shades of grey. I checked the names of the two grey carpets and found that one of them was called Dawn Mist and that made my decision for me as my walls are painted in White Mist. I do love it when fate takes the decisions out of my hands by making them so blindingly obvious for me!

Ta-Dah!

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Dawn Mist and Grape which is going to go up the stairs. I fell for the lure of a different carpet to go up the stairs. Nice little bit of purple in there and the grey from the Dawn Mist too, definitely not a wasted trip. Hopefully the carpet will be laid next week so I now have a very tight schedule to get everything in and ready.

And here’s my second purchase of the day from B&Q, Karli 8 Spiral Chrome Ceiling Light. The flat at the moment is a little bit dark so hopefully this will light up the living room. I bought three of these as I found it quite difficult to find a unique and nice looking light for my bedroom as the ceilings are quite low. A lot of them I would find myself smacking my head on but these are perfect! Only down side is that I have now realised that I have to buy 24 light bulbs! Also got my eye on a lovely little hanging star light for the hallway but it seems to always be out of stock 😦

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So here are the pics of Day 4! The bedrooms are now painted which is fabulous as I am not changing the flooring in these so should be able to start moving stuff into these soon while the living room and hallway are finished. There is no sign at all of the kids wallpaper that covered the second bedroom when I moved in, I think Chris and Victor have done a really good job here. Should all be done by Thursday they tell me, which means they have filled, rubbed down, painted and glossed an entire flat in 6 days which is pretty good going!

Emergency Little Kettle

Jan21

Being English we are a stereotypical family of tea drinkers. Love the stuff. Yorkshire Tea especially along with Twinings Fruit Infusions, Chamomile and Earl Grey.

We are currently at the new flat. There’s lots of work being done by my dad and the decorator who is called Chris. Dad warned Chris not to let me near a paint pot or any filler so I have been relegated to the very important role of “Tea Maker”. I do make a good cup of tea! Before my first visit to the flat yesterday I bought tea, coffee, hot chocolate and milk. I offered my dad a cup of tea before realising I hadn’t moved any mugs in yet! So there was no tea for dad that night.

However this morning I was prepared for my job as Tea Maker. To avoid going through all of my stuff to find some mugs I borrowed some from the parents and took them to the flat. I offered Dad and Chris a cup of coffee and went to the kitchen to make it. I got the mugs out and went to boil the kettle. It then dawned on me that there was no kettle. Having failed at my job for the second time in two days I snuck over to the petrol station across the road and got two lattes. A small thing like a lack of kettle will not stop me from fulfilling my job as Tea Maker. However as I was not actually making tea I should probably rename my job to “Beverage Maker”. Actually I did not make the coffee either due to lack of kettle so I think in fact it should be “Beverage Provider”.

Anyway, I knew in order to fulfill my job I needed to acquire a kettle. I have a lovely little purple kettle waiting to be moved in but this is all packed and I am rather reluctant to unpack anything due to the amount of dust that is currently being generated by the knocking down of a piece of wall and lots of filling of the walls. So I went on a little trip to the shops to locate a cheap kettle. I went into Argos, filtered their Kettles by price and this little beauty popped up:

“Simple value cordless white kettle” which cost me the pricey sum of £5.49. I was a little bit concerned that there was no plug on the kettle so resorted to unpacking it in the middle of the town centre just to check. Turns out that when they say “cordless” they mean the actual kettle, not the electric bit it sits on and there is infact a plug! Who knew?! 

It looks and feels exactly like what you would find in a budget hotel room and is absolutely perfect for an emergency little kettle. Tea making can commence!! As long as you don’t mind waiting 10 mins for the little kettle to boil I’ll make you a lovely cuppa in exchange for you dragging all the laminate flooring we’ve turfed up down the stairs!

Nearly forgot, look at the instruction manual!


Made that very clear didn’t they! Good old Argos…. 

Today’s top 10 Quirky Stocking Fillers under £10

Dec8

I am slacking in terms of Christmas Shopping this year. Normally I am the sort who has done all my shopping before November hits and then by December it’s all wrapped with ribbons and bows waiting to be shipped to the North Pole for Santa to deliver. This year however the only present I have purchased is for the Hamster and even that is still sat in my Amazon basket awaiting check out. I am currently travelling 2 hours for work so definitely going to utilise this time to do some shopping! So here are the 10 Christmas Stocking Fillers (in no particular order as I am too indecisive) located from the middle of the M25.

1) – Batman Egg Cup and Toast Cutter 


Na-Na-Na-Na-Na Batman Breakfast! 

This little set is only £6.99 from the lovely little shopping haven that is iwantoneofthose.com. I don’t even eat egg, or toast, but just looking at this cheers me up. How could anyone’s morning not be brightened with this Batman themed breakfast? Batman’s removable mask will keep the egg warm until you’re ready to quack it open and with the cutters you can have perfect batman symbol toast shapes to dip. Also currently on a 3 for £20 mix and match promo! 

2) – Charity Candy Canes


These will cost you £3.99 from findmeagift.co.uk. A candy cane is a traditional little touch to a Christmas stocking and by choosing these ones you are also helping Happy Days Children’s Charity. Every box sold means £1 for the charity and considering they are only £3.99 to begin with it is nice to know that we are giving something to help others who need it as well as giving gifts to family and friends. 

3) – Slush Cuppy

The Slushy Cuppy turns any drink into a Slush Puppy! Reminds me of school holidays when Nan used to take me and the Brother for a Slush Puppy and we’d compete to see who’s tongue would turn the bluest. £9.99 from firebox.com so maybe pushing the limit for a stocking filler or Secret Santa but looks like a really good product with good reviews.


4) – Whisky Rockers

These clever little glasses can be rocked and spun and still won’t spill a drop! Currently only £6.99 from IWOOT and also part of the 3 for £20 offer. I am a Whisky lover… hint hint.


5) – Chocolate Sprouts 

There are two types of people at Christmas, Sprout Lovers and Sprout haters. Either way these little chocolate sprouts make a cute little stocking filler. They are available in either milk chocolate or dark chocolate and mint and are £6 for a small bag or £9.95 for the box shown below ft rom notonthehighstreet.com. 


6) – Allergy to Idiots Mints

Findmeagift.co.uk for only £1.99 makes a good secret Santa present for colleagues or friends. Also available in Anti-Snoring Mints, Allergy to Housework and Allergy to Mondays. Success rate is currently unknown. 

7) – Half a Wine Glass or a Bottle? 

How this wine glass stands up I’m not too sure but it is great for those times when you ask for “just half a glass” and some bugger fills it all the way up. Now that is impossible due to this half a glass. £5.99 from Menkind. Good quirky little present for a wine lover. 

For when those times when half a glass is not needed, on the opposite end of the spectrum is this glass for £9.99 which can hold over a bottle. Sounds like my kind of glass.


8) – Choc-o-lait Hot Chocolate on a Stick

These make a lovely little stocking filler for just about anyone! They are availabile in so many different flavours ranging from Milk Chocolate, Mint and White Chocolate to Caramel, Coconut and Cointrau. You can buy them at Choco-o-lait.co.uk for £15.75 for 24 sticks (79p a stick!!) or you can buy them individually from other retailers (google is your friend, prices vary so shop around!)


9) – Animal Toothbrush Holders

One for the kids. This stocking filler is both quirky, useful and hygienic! Avliable in 4 different animals from totally-funky.co.uk for £7.99. Choose from Bella Bird, Diego Dinosaur, Grace Giraffe and Sid Snake. More aimed at kids I agree but I thought they were pretty cool!


Check out Larry the Lizard Also! 

These can stick on the wall! 
10) – The Procrastinator Timewaster

I love this and I’m a frequent procrastinator. It is a doodle pad with 100’s of activities for an avid procrastinator and can be easily hidden in the case so no one will ever be aware of your procrastination! Sneaky Much. This is £9.95 from Prezzybox.com

I am that good of a procrastinator that I have successfully wasted most of my journey round the M25. However I have still done no shopping for the lovely people in my life, fear not I’m sure Santa will surprise you Christmas morning, if you’ve been good that is! 

Black Friday Bargains

Nov25

Black Friday is not something which I have ever taken part in as I normally work every Friday. I ventured out to the Black Friday Sales in search of a microwave I saw advertised in the Daily Mail Online this morning. I don’t have much furniture yet for the flat, but as things seem to be moving along rather quickly it seemed like a good idea to go grab this microwave. 

The microwave in question is a De’Longhi 800 Watt Stainless Steel Microwave, looks very shiny!!


A sneaky trip into Robert Dyas resulted in the sneaky purchase of a 12 piece kitchen utensil set. 

So thank you Black Friday for nearly completing the furnishing of the kitchen! First experience of bargain shopping went quite well I think. It nice to know that when I get a moving date I won’t be searching around franticly for anything to furnish the flat.
I’ve seen a lot of people complaining about Black Friday today but is it really doing any harm? So what if it has come from America or caused more traffic on the roads today? Some people really will complain about anything and everything. For people like me who have just bought their first home it was a much welcomed saving on something I needed anyway. A lot of things I have bought second hand, but when it comes to electrics I want these to be new so I know they are covered by warrenty and I won’t be encountering any hidden surprises which might blow my flat up!

 I didn’t find myself wrestling bargain microwaves out of the clutches of other shoppers so what is the drama? If you don’t like it don’t partake, no ones forcing you! 

The Annual Chocolate Debate

Nov20

Obviously being at my parents house sick and feeling sorry for myself means that those chocolate cravings are bound to crawl out at some point. Chocolate is the ultimate comfort food. 

Unfortunately for me all there was in the house in the way of chocolate was a tub of Cadbury’s Roses which had been stashed away for Christmas. Initially I thought I’d hit the jackpot, but apparently Roses are not what I remember! Definitely got smaller and do not compete with the Heros and Celebrations or even the Quality Streets! 

However if I could take the Hazlenut Whirl out of the Roses and put it with the Malteaser and Galaxy from the Celebrations. Add the Twirl, Dairy Milk, Wispa and Creme Egg Twisted from the Heros and the Purple One and Green One from the Quality Street I think that would make a really decent box of chocolates. Also if they’d bring back the Truffle and Topic in the celebrations my childhood Christmas would really be complete.

How do people make that annual difficult decision which box to go with? Does anyone ever just get them all to eradicate the need to make that decision? Little box of each then put them all together? 


Now that has given me an idea. Instead of everyone going to the supermarket and purchasing their yearly tub of chocolates for Christmas there should be a Christmas Chocolate Tub/Tin Shop. A bit like M&M world, each of these sweets should be available in giant tubes and you can fill your Christmas Tub of Chocolates however you please. Of course this would involve all three confectionary companies getting on and collaborating in this but surly it’s worth it to prevent all those poor lonely unwanted chocolates (*cough* Toffees *cough*) lurking away in the bottom of the tin well into the next year as no one likes those ones?
Now please excuse me while I go fill my tub up with the malteasers. 

Thoughts and Opinions on the yearly struggle between the Roses, Celebrations, Quality Streets and Heros? 

– Chocolate Fiend

Not My Shoes

Nov19

After the doom and gloom of the previous post I felt it was also fair to share one of the better parts of the day.

My favourite pair of boots are my Black Bailey Bow Ugg Boots. We were in our car on the way to Children In Need and I went to pull my boots up. Suddenly I was very confused as there were no bows on my shoes but then I realised that I wasn’t wearing my shoes! I had shoes on but they were not Bailey Bows and they definitely were not mine!

“These are not my shoes?!” 


At this point my friend is trying to drive while dissolving into hysterical laughter 

I’m now panicking about who’s shoes I am wearing. I normally leave my boots out in the hallway as I hate wearing shoes indoors. My neighbours opposite also do the same so all of a sudden I am convinced I have stolen my neighbours shoes and am currently halfway round the M25 with them on my feet. 

I decide to ring my flatmate because by some coincidence she could have also left a pair of black boots outside the door? Surly it’s a million times better to be wearing my flatmate’s shoes than my neighbour’s? I would hate to have a reputation as a shoe thief! 

Luckily she answers and I franticly explain the predicament and am met with more hysterical laughter. Luckily for me she does own a pair of black Ugg-Style Boots without Bows which have somehow found themselves on my feet and I am no longer a shoe thief, just a shoe borrower!