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This day I love.......

As a busy mum and freelancer, I don't get as much time to work on our home as I would like. I think that your house has to feel like it belongs to you, even if you're not lucky enough to own it. When you've got kids, they need to be able to form an attachment to your home too. I like our home to be homely, but I also like to try and keep it modern. I have a few ideas I try to follow to keep the house looking fresh.

Replace Your Appliances

Major household appliances are expensive, so they're not something that we replace often but I think it's important not to hold onto an old appliance for too long.  They do tend to last for at least a few years, you should try to buy something more modern. If you select an oven, washing machine or even toaster that looks cutting edge now, it will still look good in years to come. Stainless steel looks the most modern for most things, in my opinion. Too much colour can make things look out of date quickly. Stainless steel looks shiny, clean and new for as long as you take care of it.

Get New Doors

Sometimes the strangest things can make your home look more modern. Changing your interior decor will help it to look up to date, which you can do fairly often. You can also make some bigger changes, apart from repainting or putting in new carpets. Getting new doors or windows can make your home look more modern from both the inside and the outside. If you view modern front doors, as well as interior doors, you can change the exterior of your home too. 

Use the Latest Technology

There are lots of technological innovations you can use in your home. I've seen expensive things in luxury homes, but you don't need to be rich to use smart technology. Even just switching to LED lights can make your home look more modern, as well as saving you money. You can even install lights that you can control from your smartphone or tablet if you want to take things to the next level. You can also stay up to date with the latest electronics, with a new television or sound system.

Be Bold with Colour

Playing with colour is one of the best ways to make your home look more modern. You can paint your walls in bright colours, but I think it's more effective if you use accents. It makes it easier to change things and keep the look fresh, and it keeps things from being too overwhelming. Try to make each space look clean and neat for a more up to date image.

I wish I had more time to work on the house because I would always be updating every room. Maybe one day I'll have the chance to give our home a makeover.
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I have been looking for a while now for that extra special item to finish my daughters bedroom.  She has a blue and lilac theme with birds and blossom.  I knew what I wanted but just never managed to find it until now.  oskar&ellen provided the solution with their beautiful bird house.

I was surprised to learn that oskar&ellen hand make every item.  The attention to detail is beyond outstanding and the quality is like nothing I have ever seen before.  The birdhouse is soft to touch and makes a wonderful addition not only to my daughters room but also for imaginative play.


The front of the bird house opens up and with plenty of Velcro it is easy to fasten it back together again.  


Whilst the item does come with a reusable mesh bag, I plan to hang the birdhouse in my daughters room to finish off the decorations.  However the mesh bag would be great for storage if I needed it.

oskar&ellen seem to have covered every type of imaginative play item you can think of, along with Christmas decorations, stockings and bunting.  If you are looking for a high quality gift that will last than I would seriously look at oskar&ellen, I know our bird house is going to withstand the test of my youngest!

We were provided with a oskar&ellen bird house for purpose of review, all words are my own opinion. 


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There’s nothing more satisfying than decorating your little one’s bedroom and then seeing their face at the end. Your child’s room should be a space that they love being in. A space where they can explore, play and learn. Decorating your kid’s bedroom is no easy feat, however, especially if you’re stuck for ideas. Here are some creative ideas, to start you off.

Murals
If you don’t have a lot of money to completely redo the bedroom, just stick to the walls instead. Creating a mural is a lot of fun and will transform the room in no time. You don’t have to be an artist in order to create something incredible. You can use stencils if you’re worried about what it might turn out like. You can also use wall stickers or wallpaper if you’re looking for an easier alternative. If you've got a bit more budget to use then there are companies who will make custom-made murals for you. Just pick something your child loves and transform their walls.

Themed Rooms
If you want to take that mural one step further, consider a themed bedroom instead. There are so many different things you can do with this idea - it would need a whole new blog post in itself! However, here are some of my favourites:

Pirate ship - Turn the bed into a ship and the rest of the room into the choppy waters. You can use wood and rope from reclamation yards, to keep the costs down.

Spaceship - Is your child more of a sci-fi lover? If so, a spaceship room could be their dream come true. You can use tin foil to wrap furniture and give it a space age look.

Princess castle - Pink walls, draped beds, and lots of glitter. These are the basic ingredients for the perfect princess castle.

Forest - You can create a mural of trees to get this idea started. Have stuffed animals hanging from the branches. You could even turn the bed into a tree house if you’re feeling adventurous!

The Furniture
The most important part of any child’s room is going to be the furniture. Seeing as that’s what is going to take up the most space! You could have plain walls and floors, yet create something amazing with the right accessories. There are some pretty amazing single beds for kids on this website that will get your creative juices flowing. Some of them may even tie in with the themed rooms above. A chest of drawers and/or a wardrobe is also a must-have. If there’s enough space, put in a little desk or reading corner. This will encourage your child to learn and read more. Which is never a bad thing.

Storage
Let’s face it, most of our children have a lot of toys. You’re going to want some clever storage solutions to keep them all out of the way. You can find plenty of little boxes and shelves that should match your new furniture or theme. Use Pinterest for inspiration, if you want to make your own storage.

Hopefully I have given you some food for thought. Even if you don’t have a lot of money to spend, you can make some pretty amazing changes in your child’s bedroom. Whether it’s a mini mural or a revamped themed room, your little one will be over the moon. 

girls bedroom

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We have received two beautiful deliveries recently and it is now beginning to feel a lot like Christmas. With only 7 weeks to go, I am starting to get organised and plan decorating and presents. With me thinking about the decorations one of the items I am very keen on is lights.

I love to have soft lights on in the house, I think it makes the winter seem warmer and welcoming. Last year we were sent some lights from the LED hut and I am looking forward to getting them out again. The LED hut have sent us some beautiful twig branch lights.

The beautiful clear flowers on the branch look so great even when the light is switched off


When switched on they give a beautiful warm glow, and the flowers are clearly illuminated.


The twigs can be stood in a vase or on there own, to create a lovely display. As they are battery operated there are no wires and this means they can go any where in the house. I like that they are battery operated as there are no wires for the girls to trip over. The battery compartment is also not too bulky so it can be hidden in the bottom of a vase.


Our other special delivery was from the Christmas boutique. I opened the box and was suddenly felt very Christmassy. There were tree decorations, gift bags, and ornaments. Almost everything we needed for Christmas, the Christmas boutique have a wide range and something to suit everyone's taste. We had both modern items and more traditional items





Meaning that every home can find something to suit how they wish to decorate.

With me starting to be organised too I have also arranged letters from Santa to the girls. There were 4 letters to choose from, 3 suitable for any age and 1 for babies. I picked a different letter for each girl and also opted for an activity pack.

The activity pack contains:

Colouring in Santa stop here
Elf yourself activity sheet
Colouring in Christmas card
Door hanger
Colour and keep tree decoration

I am really looking forward to the girls doing these activities in December. I haven't yet given them the letters from Santa, I am waiting for a bit closer to the time but I know they will enjoy the activity pack. My daughters also have in their letter a certificate to say they are on the nice list. This will bring a huge smile to their faces as they are really into certificates at the moment.

The letter has been personalised to each girl. The process was really easy to do. I selected the present they both have asked for and included their friends names. This will make it extra special for each girl. I cannot wait to see their faces when they open their letters from Santa.


Next day delivery is available on the letters if ordered before 2pm and all letters will start leaving the Lapland mailing room from the 1st December.

I am really looking forward to bringing the magic of Christmas to the girls this year.

I am pleased to be able to offer one lucky reader a personalised letter from Santa including activity pack.  Follow the instructions on the Rafflecopter below.  Giveaway is open to UK residents aged 18 and over and closes GMT midnight on 25th November

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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My eldest daughter loves Frozen.  I think she is no different to most children up and down the country with her love for Frozen.  As I mentioned in her 4th Birthday party post she wanted a Frozen Party.  I thought it would be quite nice if we could make a few items for her birthday that had a Frozen theme but also could be used again later.

I decided to first turn to my trusty glue gun and see what I could create.  The glue gun I have is light weight and easy to use and because it has a stand built in, it means I can simply put it down [although not on its side] when I do not need it.  Glue guns are a great craft tool and I have even created a Pinterest board of ideas to provide some inspiration.

I have discovered that if you place glue from the glue gun onto Baking paper, when the glue has dried you can peel it off to create a flexible shape.  I still had a tiny bit of clear glue left, but added a coloured glue stick in next.  I began to write the word 'Frozen' onto my baking paper and was rather pleased with the result.


My next task was to make some snowflakes.  Following the same idea I drew a simple snowflake shape on to the baking paper with the glue gun


Whilst it was still wet I sprinkled with glitter


Then once it had dried I shook away the glitter before peeling off the snowflake.


I could have used a glitter glue stick, which would have created the glitter glue, but I already had clear in the glue gun so decided to do it this way.

What is great is these shapes can be played with by the girls to create their own Frozen scenes, or even used as Christmas decorations.

I then thought it would be a great idea to make some snow globes.  My eldest dressed as Rapunzel helped.

To make snow globes you need:

- Figure for the inside or stickers for the outside
-Glycerin
- water
-glitter
-glue gun
- jar

We have a few spare Kinder egg /Cake topper Princess figures and my eldest picked one of these to be her figure inside the snow globe.  [There are several available on eBay].  We glued the figure to the inside of our jar lid using our glue gun and left to dry.


Whilst she was drying we put water into the jar and stirred in a teaspoon of Glycerin.  The glycerin allows the glitter to swirl in the water and float down slowly, the more you add the slower the swirl.  Without it the glitter tends to clump and not swirl as well.  We then add a generous amount of glitter before screwing the lid back on the jar.  

With Belle securely inside I placed glue from the glue gun around the jar lid to seal the jar and also added some decoration.


My eldest also wanted a Frozen snow globe.  So we attempted to make a snowman from Sugru [we used Sugru as it can with stand water and varying temperatures].


We followed the same process as before, and my daughter loved stirring the glitter and glycerin into the snow globe.


Overall I think she was pretty pleased with what we created



I really love how we could create some unique Frozen themed things for her party using a glue gun and a few other items.  I have already come up with some ideas for Halloween decorations using the glue gun and hopefully will blog about those too.

If you don't have a glue gun, but like doing crafts then I would recommend getting one.

I was provided with a glue gun and glue for the purpose of review.  All words and opinions are my own.
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About me

About Me

Welcome to This Day I love.

My name is Leyla, also known as Mum to my 3 humans and dog Mum to J. I have a passion for the outdoors and love to run. I can often be found off road exploring the trails and fells and covering distances all the way up to 50 miles. As a family we love travelling and discovering new adventures, as I try and run around the world!

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