Happy 'hot-cross bun' Easter

My first ever job was working in a market bakery on a Saturday. Lugging food-laden trays onto shelves, cleaning out store fridges, meeting and greeting the eclectic mix of market-goers. It was hard work but lots of fun. One of the perks was sampling the products. The delicious fresh-out-of-the-oven hot-cross buns were by far one of my favourites to devour on my break. They were delicious! 

Even though the bakery has long gone, I'll still make sure that we have a stock of hot-cross buns over the Easter period. Happy Easter!

Do you have any fond Easter memories? Or tales from your first job? 

Claire x

Five Years in Our First Home

We recently celebrated our fifth year in our house. Goodness me, how those years have flown by and so much has happened! We got married; went on the honeymoon of a lifetime; expanded our family with the additions of our cat Bella and our puppy Luna; changed jobs; decorated *almost* every room in the house; attempted to tackle the garden; had parties, BBQs and duvet days; had our share of DIY disasters and successes, the list goes on. Our home is far from perfect but it's just that, our home, and I love it.

Number 21 - our red brick Victorian terrace house

We were fortunate enough to be able to buy our first home at a fairly young age. I was 22, fresh out of university and eager to set down roots after living in three different cities in as many years. We found our perfect first-time-buyers home pretty quickly and fell in love with the location and the feel of the house. I can still remember viewing it for the first time and how we were both unable to hide the massive grins on our faces. We knew straight away that this was where we wanted to be. 

When you take on a house for the first time you don't quite realise what you're letting yourself in for. As much as you can prepare for all the 'what-ifs' you will never be ready for every eventuality. With that in mind I thought I'd share my top five tips for first-time buyers:

1. Live and learn - if possible you should try and live with the house as it is before making decisions about decorating. This way you gain insight into how you use the space and what you want and need from it. 
2. You can't do everything at once - plan, prioritise and save.
3. Take the rough with the smooth - things will inevitably and unfortunately break and go wrong. Keep calm and put the kettle on before panicking. 
4. Call on as many favours as possible - plumbing or plastering friend? It's time to give them a call.
5. Leave the hallway to last - this is advice that we will heed in every future house that we own. The hallway takes the brunt of the knocks and scrapes as you decorate the rest of the house. Don't put your time and energy into decorating an area which will get damaged.

What are your top tips for first-time-buyers? 

Claire x

Onwards and Upwards

Hello and happy Monday to you! 

Gosh, I've not written a blog post for about three weeks. There's no real reason. As much as I would love to have a fixed schedule and post several times a week, it's not always a viable option. So I do apologise for it being a bit quiet on these pages recently. I'm unsure how the majority of you 'follow' my blog but just to let you know that you can use Bloglovin' to keep up with my sporadic posts ;)

The biggest change around here is that I've started a new job. Last week was my first week and it went really well. I'd been at my previous job for four and a half years, so it really is quite a big change for me. I'm feeling very positive about it and hope that this feeling continues. 

I was very touched by the lovely cards and gifts that I received - how gorgeous are those roses?!

How did you feel when you started a new job? Do you have any tips on how to make the transition into a new office?

Claire x

Mother's Day Gift Guide

Bowls from House Envy // Copper frame from Cox and Cox //
Blue tit cushions from Live Like the Boy // Keyring from What I Always Wanted

Quick, it's not too late to order something lovely for Mother's Day. I've gathered together a few pieces that have the potential of bringing a smile to your Mum's face this coming Sunday. 

Beautiful bowls for her to enjoy her breakfast. A super cool yet delicate landscape frame for her to display captured memories. A cute cushion for her to get comfy in her favourite chair when doing her weekly crossword. A garden shed keyring because you know that's where she'll be most of the spring and summer.

What Mother's Day gifts have you opted for?

Claire x

Loving Eucalyptus

Eucalyptus has been taking the home interiors world by storm for a while now. It's stunningly delicate green/silver leaves and warming fragrance has made it a strong favourite for many interiors-obsessed folk. I recently picked up a few stems at a local florist. Here's how I styled them in my bedroom:

Eucalyptus in the home

Eucalyptus branches add interest and height to any area

I've been thinking how much easier it would be if I could pop out to my garden, instead of the florist, each time I wanted to bring some of the eucalyptus trend inside my home. Imagine having your own eucalyptus plant just outside your back door. I want in! My initial research on the Royal Horticultural Society website seems promising if a little challenging but I'm willing to give it a try. 

There are lots of different varieties so I'm going to speak to my local garden centre to make sure that I select the right one. Once the garden has had it's makeover and the eucalyptus plant is in-situ, I'll be sure to share the outcome with you. 

Claire x

Small Suburban Garden Inspiration

As thoughts of Spring creep into my head I cannot help but ponder how I want to update our garden. We live in a Victorian terrace and we have a small front yard, a back yard and a small garden. It's quite a lot of garden considering the bijou size of our house. A couple of years ago we added a decked area to the back garden which you can see here but our old wooden planters are now looking very sorry for themselves. The non-decked area desperately needs attention. It's a task that needs doing but we don't have much budget for it, so we really need to think about what changes we want to make and how we can do them rather cheaply. 

I want some sturdier planters and am considering faux grass (living grass would not survive for very long as the area we're updating does not get enough sun and we have a puppy who loves digging up grass - not a good combo.)

I've collected a selection of inspiration shots, all of which include flower beds made from a variety of materials. Let's take a look...

As much as I love the look of railway sleepers, I'm not sure our budget will stretch to them

Rendered walls look good, but I think white would be a bad idea, on account of the amount of rain Manchester sees on an annual basis

Brick walls would look classic and in keeping with our house but we would probably need to hire someone to make them

I'd like to create a bench area around some of the planters to create extra seating space

Which is your favourite look? Have you designed your own garden, or have you hired help?

Claire x

Sources:
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March Is Here

Yesterday we said a big 'Hello!' to March. I welcomed the start of the new month with pancakes for brunch and an hour or so tidying up the garden. It's so pleasing to see the little daffodil bulbs poking their way through the soil and discarded leaves. Spring is just around the corner and I cannot wait. 

I've collected several of my favourite blog posts from the past month. If you're in need of an inspiration boost then why not have a peruse:

Maps for ART on Chapter Friday
Comfort FOOD with Cupcakes and Cashmere 
A DIY pom pom wall hanging with A Beautiful Mess
Inspiration to ESCAPE the daily grid for Småland from Yvestown 

Claire x