Welcome Baby!

I can not believe that my last post was in July! I have a very good reason as to why I have been absent and such a happy one too. My daughter was born last month! Her name is Claire Elizabeth Sarah. I haven't stopped smiling since the day she was born. She is such a joy and I am treasuring every second of being with her. She is 7 weeks old now and has started smiling. Her whole face lights up when she smiles.

Tiny hand

During my pregnancy I made Claire a few things. 

I made Maggie Rabbit from Alicia Paulson's pattern

A little cardigan that I knitted

A crochet cot sized blanket

A knitted lace blanket that I still need to finish!

The nursery was the last room we decorated and so much fun to do. The walls were covered with wood chip wallpaper which proved a nightmare to scrape off. Underneath the woodchip we found two more layers of wallpaper. 

The wallpaper we discovered in the nursery

The walls were too bad to paint straight on to so we decided to go for wallpaper. I chose a lovely polka dot one from Homebase to create a feature wall. For the other walls I just chose a simple paint-able wallpaper which was quite thick to hide the lumps an bumps. As you can see from the photo above, the carpet that was already down when we moved in needed replacing and skirting board and window sill needed glossing. It took two days for us to decorate her bedroom once we finally got rid of the woodchip!

I had great fun choosing furniture. As it is a small room we opted for a cot bed, nursing chair, baby changing station, chest of drawers, a book case and bedside table. Claire has my night light that I had when I was a little girl. 

My night light from when I was a little girl

The blanket my great aunt made for me when I was a baby

I love being a mum to Claire. I feel so lucky to have her in my life. 

How to style a Room on a Budget

It is amazing how you can transform a room in your home regardless of your budget. My friends and family will tell you that I love a bargain and I'm always keeping my eye open for sales and offers. I like to change my home décor with the seasons as I think this keeps my home looking fresh and appealing.

For example, during those long winter months when the nights draw in early I like my home to feel all snug and cosy. In the summer however I like my home to feel bright and airy. So where do I begin to achieve this?

Spring/Summer Display

In the Winter

Let's start with cushions. I simply love decorating the sofa with cushions much to the amusement of my husband. I think he thought I was slightly crazy when I asked him to store my autumn/winter cushions in the attic! Last Autumn I bought two lovely cushions from Wilkinsons for £6 each. They had a picture on of a stag and I fell in love with them instantly. For £6 I had the cushion cover and pad but you can buy just the cushion covers if you wanted to. Sometimes though I do find the cushion covers to be the same price as a filled one! It's best to shop around. I saw cushions very similar to the ones I had bought for double the price elsewhere!

My Winter Cushion Covers ( I have since got rid of the throw as I was not happy with it!)

I didn't like my cushions on the sofa as these were old, tatty and faded so I got rid of these. I went through a stage a couple of years ago where I wanted to display every piece of decor I owned! My dresser was so cluttered and took forever to dust! I now like displaying only a few pieces as its not only easier to keep clean but it looks tidy too. I knew I wanted new cushions for the Spring/Summer season so I shopped around until I saw exactly what I wanted. This year I've introduced soft mauve colours into my home. I keep the walls neutral so I can change the colour of my decor to suit my mood. At the moment I love the softness of pastel shades. I found a gorgeous floral pattern at Next and treated myself to one cushion. I only wanted one as I didn't want the sofa to look too busy. Instead I bought 4 more cushions in a shade that would compliment my pretty one. I got these from Next and Sainsburys.

Cushions for Spring/Summer

As I looked around my lounge I noticed I had lots of candles on display that were all different colours. I had cream, pink, blue and even green. I rounded up every one and then selected a few cream coloured candles to keep out. The rest went in a cupboard to be used in the winter. I didn't actually have any mauve coloured candles or holders so I made it my mission to find some. Sainsburys came up on top for selling exactly what I wanted. I could have got carried away and bought loads of candles and holders but the last thing I wanted to do was clutter up my dresser and sideboard again! So I carefully selected a few pieces.

Pretty Candle Holders

My curtains in the lounge are cream and go with everything so these stay up all year round. I have a few neutral coloured jugs and glass vases that I like to display flowers in. During the Spring/Summer months I like to display cream/white flowers such as roses and stock. Aldi sell lovely flowers at such great prices. I always pop a bunch in my trolley as part of my weekly shop. Supermarkets tend to reduce flowers to silly prices in an evening too. I once had 4 bunches of flowers that should have cost £19 and I paid just 75p! They last for 10 days too!

Flowers Make a Pretty Display

I also have a few ornaments that I like to change with the seasons. Just before Christmas last year Sainsburys had a sale on and I bought these lovely wooden deer ornaments. I knew I wouldn't want to display these after the winter so they are boxed up in the attic, along with a canvas picture of a stag in the snow. I found a lovely canvas picture to replace my winter one with in Home Bargains!

The Family of Deer

Spring/Summer Décor

It is so tempting to display everything! I have found though that I have more compliments about my home if it's less cluttered so I guess less really is more! 

I hope you have found these tips useful. I would love to hear about any tips you have for styling a room on a budget.