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Simple Tips For Making Your Bathroom Look More Expensive

April 24, 2017 by Bel

After the kitchen, the bathroom is probably the most expensive room in the home to fix up. A quick look online will show you exactly how much some people pay for their bathrooms, Are you in a budget and is looking to have small bathroom renovations? Then you must find a bathroom remodeling services company that can help you with lots of bathroom ideas such has lighting, color, height, reflectivity and many more.

But the honest truth is that you don’t need to splash out on a rain shower to make your bathroom look the part, with a frameless shower door or any of those high quality shower doors you will notice the difference. Look for some shell stone tile or marble flooring to have an stylish bathroom floor. If your renovation would affect the bathroom’s plumbing system, make sure to hire a plumbing services company to help make the necessary adjustments.

Take our bathroom, as the perfect example – it looked awful when we moved in, but I think we managed to do a pretty good job in the end. We also consider using an odor eliminator like toilet drops that has a clean, refreshing scents. With creative bathroom remodeling ideas– and a lot of hard work – you can turn the tiniest of dingy bathrooms into a beautiful place to relax.

Here’s a few tips that helped us improve our bathroom’s look by a significant amount.

Storage and Containers

You never see a plush, expensive bathroom full of clutter. So the first step is to ensure you have plenty of containers and cupboard space to put everything away when it isn’t in use. You could even go down the traditional route of keeping things in large glass jars or ceramic jugs rather than plastics – just keep them well out of the way of the kids!

A beautiful bathmat

You don’t have to spend a lot on bathmats – when they are brand new, they always look great. But let’s face it, in a busy household they tend to get pretty unkempt very quickly – and it has a serious impact on your bathroom. So, lose the Terry cloths and look for something a little more long-lasting. Persian or turkish rugs are a great substitute, and you don’t have to go too wild on size, and you will still benefit from a more sophisticated look.

Swap out your taps

I think a lot of people would love to splurge on something like a freestanding bath. But the reality for most households is that they are far too expensive to justify, and most bathrooms don’t have the room anyway. But you can make the most of your current tub by switching out the bath taps – and you can do the same for your sink, too. It makes such a difference to the style of the bathroom and is such a cheap way of getting an instant improvement.

Go big on mirrors and artwork

There are some spectacular and beautifully framed mirrors out there which you should invest in – they will give your bathroom and instant lift, no matter how dull or boring your tiles are. Look for best quality hollywood mirrors, HD Mirrors sell the best hollywood and illuminated led mirrors available on the market. You can also hang artwork or pictures – just make sure they are framed nice and tightly, so they don’t suffer from moisture leaking in. It adds a little personalisation to the bathroom, too, which, ultimately, is what separates a great bathroom from a standard one.

Improve the lighting

One final and easy fix for you is to include new lighting in your bath remodel. Try using spotlights in the bathroom, and you can even pick up chandeliers these days for a reasonable price – or create one yourself.

Set up some dimmer switches so that you can dim the lights for a nice, relaxing bath and you will enjoy your bathroom even more or simply add a yellow light fixture. Any thoughts to add? Let me know in the comments section!

If you are in Australia and is looking for bathroom renovators in Brisbane then Shane Rolfe Plumbing is one company you need to check out. With over 20 years of experience in bathroom, kitchen and laundry renovation you can’t go wrong with them.

Filed Under: promo Tagged With: artwork, bathmat, bathroom, decor, decorating, home improvements, house, interior design, lighting, mirrors, taps

Look at my house – First Floor

May 17, 2016 by Bel

It occurred to me yesterday that I never finished posting about the updates to our house! My last post, about the attic, was several weeks ago and I still have the first floor and ground floor to recap on! So let’s start with the girls room.

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When we first moved in, the girls room was the spare room where all Chris’ friends crashed when they stayed. However for a few months it had also been my brother’s bedroom. On us moving in and completing the attic, my brother moved to the attic and the girls took the spare room. Of course we needed to make it feel homely for them and before we even moved them in, Chris and I decorated their room pink!

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This was almost 3 years ago and obviously in our house make-over, we were trying to make the house more sellable. Because of this we painted the girls room, cream, though honestly with how much pink accessories there are in there, you probably can’t tell much difference!

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To be honest, if we were planning to stay here longer, the girls could do with getting some different furniture and Megan could do with an office work desk as she will be getting a lot of homework from September. I was tempted to buy one of those bunk beds that has a double on the bottom and a single on the top too, but since the girls would like separate rooms when we move, I don’t want to make any big purchases yet.

Next up is our room. This has been a really gradual process…

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When I first moved in with Chris, he had a futon bed and his large wardrobe on one side of the room. We ditched the bed and swapped the wardrobe to the opposite wall, but otherwise didn’t do much. I’ve tried to improve the room in little ways, with nice bedding and even a superhero wall mural at one point. However the biggest and best improvement was when we decided to redecorate and paint the walls magnolia.

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I realised that I don’t have a great picture of the room now, only one that was taken at night. Instead of dreadful pink curtains, we now have nice black ones. We bought a headboard and of course some nice new bedding too. We even moved the room around a little, but up some shelves and now my cuddlies have room!

Filed Under: about me, promo Tagged With: attic, bedroom, bunk bed, decor, decorating, diy, girls room, house improvements, interior design, look at my house, office desk, painting

Look at my house – The Attic

April 21, 2016 by Bel

As promised, I wanted to share with you the changes in my house since moving in a few years ago, right up till today, Majority of the work took place either immediately when we moved in, or last month when we had a major DIY project.

The attic room was the first we tackled and I just realised that I don’t really have any picture of it finished. However tackling that room was a nightmare – from stripping the walls, to learning how to wallpaper and of course the slanted ceiling making everything that bit more fun!

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I actually don’t remember what the room looked like when we first started. I do remember it was wallpapered but a lot of the paper was ripped and messy. We decided to remove the paper and paint the walls. However the paper was an absolute brute to get off and underneath were black walls. Sadly, the condition of the wall underneath was no longer good due to cracks, so we decided to have drywall repair done first and use wallpaper again rather than paint. Neither of us had wallpapered before and I think if we have the choice, neither of us will choose to do so again. Once the wall was papered, we decided it was just TOO white, so we painted it sky blue.

Painting the room sky blue was a game-changer. The color instantly brought a sense of calm and openness to the space, making it feel larger and more inviting. However, our adventure with house painting didn’t stop there. We soon realized that painting, although labor-intensive, allowed for a level of customization and creativity that wallpaper just couldn’t match.

Inspired by the transformation in the living room, we decided to tackle the rest of the house. Each room had its own unique challenges and required careful consideration of color and technique. For the bedroom, we chose a soft lavender to create a tranquil retreat. The kitchen received a cheerful, sunny yellow, which made it feel warm and welcoming. The hallway was painted a neutral beige to tie all the rooms together seamlessly.

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This picture is the only one I can really find that shows the decorated room and it’s actually from when Chris and I decorated our own room and had to sleep upstairs! Of course as well as sorting out the walls, placing decorations like Scotland flags, we also glossed, bought new curtains and a matching duvet colour and Chris also moved his computer up there (it was originally in the dining room).

Recently, during our big DIY spree, we sorted out the stairs from the attic room. Instead of changing the carpeting we decided to hire experts like carpet cleaning chattanooga to leave it as new, and we also painted the stair walls on the way down, the same blue as the room.

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This was our attic done! See the next post, for the next floor down!

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Filed Under: about me Tagged With: attic, decor, decorating, diy, house, interior design, look at my house, moving, painting

Week 25 – Monday Round-up

June 22, 2015 by Bel

Last week I was late with this particular post and this week is no different either! Where Monday and Tuesday of last week were spent catching up on the decorating from over the weekend, this week has been spent catching up on catching up!

Monday I spent pretty much the whole day with Nat, after dropping the kids off at school. It was her youngest son Harry’s 2nd birthday and my gift to him was a mattress (a bed, a stairgate and a bedside…). Strange gift I know but basically Nat was wanting to move him into a big bed so I headed over there with a divan bed for Josh (her oldest son), which after we took the cot apart and put in the loft (oh I took a ladder too but that wasn’t for them to keep!) we moved Josh’s bed to Harry’s room, put the new mattress on it and then put the divan in Josh’s room. We put new bedding on Harry’s bed, added the bedside and also put up a stairgate. Afterwards Nat and I went to the tip and then Asda Living for a fitted sheet, all before I headed back to get the kids from school. The evening was spent trying to relax, even though there was still decorating to do. We did watch the Game of Thrones finale however *sob sob*.

On Tuesday Chris was off work so we made an effort to get our bedroom a bit straighter. We hoovered and tidied, moved furniture and most importantly put up a curtain rail so we could hang curtains and sleep back in there that night. We also wandered into town for a few hours to buy shelves and new curtains. We spent the afternoon finishing everything off and finally moving back into our room. It isn’t finished sadly (even now as I write this a week on) but it’s getting there slowly. I have had a lot to do since last Tuesday though so I haven’t done anything further on it.

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In the evening we moved the wardrobe forward (which is so heavy we had to empty it all out first) so I could paint the last wall. Since it was so heavy and all the stuff out of it made such a mess (and I didn’t want to put it back in, only to take it out again), I spent the whole evening giving the wall five coats of paint, one every half an hour. Chris and I then moved the wardrobe back, had a sort through our clothes and then crawled into bed!

On Wednesday I had a catch up blog day. I was so behind on posts I was supposed to write that it took me all day to catch up and I still wasn’t done. However I did manage to write about five for my own blog and two for TTM. Thursday started off with a breakfast from Morrisons as I offered to give Chris a lift to work and he treated me. When I got back home though I properly cracked on with a murder mystery I’ve been writing – a sort of gift for my friend’s birthday at the end of this current week. I made some progress but it all seemed very slow. I also accidentally loaded $100 into my Fiverr account which was a slap on the forehead moment. I worked all day and into the evening on the Murder Mystery but didn’t get all that far.

Friday was another day working on the Murder Mystery but it ended up more of a blog/internet day. I still felt so behind on everything I needed to do so I spent most of my time getting organised, but the evening spent on the murder mystery again. After that, my whole weekend was swallowed by the murder mystery and I’m not even kidding. I spent all day Saturday and all day Sunday, breaking only briefly to make tea, feed the kids, put some washing on etc. It genuinely felt like I was getting somewhere the whole time but in the same token it seemed like I had loads left to do.

In the end I could feel myself getting annoyed and snappy so I took Sunday evening off. I watched some TV and then decided to turn that off even and read a book. I read two short stories and then started on the second book in a series I’ve been reading and enjoying. I will write a review shortly of the first book – Sanctum (Guards of the Shadowlands, #1).

Other than that, I won’t get into my Monday and Tuesday so far but needless to say they’ve been busy again. Right now I have emails to go through and some housey bits to get done, but I’m hoping to actually see my sewing machine this evening – fingers crossed!

Filed Under: Monday Round-up Tagged With: bedding, books, british, creative writing, curtains, decor, decorating, diy, Furniture, game of thrones, GoT, interior design, painting, politics, reading, Sanctum, Sarah Fine, shelves

Rogers of York – Dream House Challenge

May 18, 2015 by Bel

Recently I was challenged by Rogers of York to give one or more of my rooms a dream makeover! Those who read my blog often will know about my ongoing battle with our house – a DIY disaster, waiting to happen. This time last year (it came up on my TimeHop today) Chris and I were having a DIY bank holiday weekend, sorting out the hallway and doing up the garden. And of course, who can forget all the work we did before even moving in?

Anyway, when I was challenged to make over my house, the lounge was obviously my first pick. While we did change the walls from red to cream before moving in, and we did remove all the black furniture, the lounge is still so far from being my favourite room in the house.

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The biggest issue in my lounge, are the sofas. They are super comfy but they are just gross. I’m unsure if they are cream or green – I keep saying I’ll steam clean them but it just hasn’t happened so far. They belonged to my partner Chris before I moved in and unfortunately we just can’t afford new ones at the moment. However if I could, then some of the sofas pictured above would be my choice. Rogers of York have a really nice sofa collection. As much as I like the look of leather, I’d always pick a fabric sofa as I feel they’re warmer and more welcoming. I’d like something with a fairly modern link, but the essential part is that it must be comfy.

Not only do Rogers of York sell sofas though, they also have soft furnishings. I’d love to treat myself to some new cushions and curtains, preferably in a matching fabric – but sticking with the warm red colour that we have now to keep that warmth feeling. Finally, as much as I like laminate flooring, I can’t help but notice how dusty and hairy it gets (there are three girls in this house, all molting hairs!). I’d happily swap for some carpeting, but it would have to be a dark colour and preferably stain resistant. I found VidaSpace floorings and have been very impressed with their products. It would be so nice to walk barefoot through the house and not feel cold laminate under my feet all the time. Rogers of York have a range of all sorts of floor coverings so there is something for whatever you’d like.

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In my lounge, I only have 3 pictures on the wall. This is definitely something I would like to change. After a new sofa, some new furnishings and a new carpet, more wall art would definitely be must!

What would your dream room makeover consist of?

Filed Under: promo Tagged With: carpet, decor, decorating, diy, dream house, Floor Coverings, Furniture, house work, Room, room makeover, sofa, Sofa Collection, soft furnishings

A Minted Wishlist

November 30, 2014 by Bel

Just recently I stumbled across a website called Minted and I have to say I’m totally hooked by some of the unique and beautiful gifts there! Although the site is based in the US, they do ship to the UK, which means it’s now become my latest place for randomly searching! I’ve come across all sorts of interesting items and I wanted to share a few of my top picks with you. So these are my top five finds.

I’ve always been very patriotic about being British and I’m sure that’s one of the reasons I love this British Isles gold foil-stamped picture. Though the picture doesn’t really do it justice here, the print is real foil (and shines) and comes both framed or un-framed, depending on which you’d prefer. Prices start at $32 and I think its simply beautiful. There are loads of other great map options too, including Love Locations which are basically town/city or country maps, filled with personal pictures.

With Christmas coming up, I love the idea of these personalised wrapping papers. There are LOADS of different designs, most of which you can personalise with names, photos and unique messages. They cost $15 for 5 sheets so if you’re looking for that personal touch, these are just great. It has long been a family tradition – in both my current house and my household when growing up – that gift tags are a waste of time. Instead of wasting effort writing the same thing “To Megan/Lily, from Mummy xxx” on about ten different presents, we always just had individual wrapping paper. One person would be red, another green, another gold etc. This wrapping paper would be pretty awesome for my girls – knowing I could personalise it to each of them.

I have always been a huge fan of notebooks and journals. As a blogger I find they interest me even more; one kept in my handbag for quick notes, another beside my computer for blog post planning, another next to my bed for those ideas that just come to me randomly and that’s why notebooks and pens are important to me and I go online to find unique pens specially for this! Minted has a beautiful selection of notebooks, journals, day planners and address books. This particular one caught my eye as it seems quite apt for my blog. It sells for $16 but comes with extra customisable options, all for a small additional price (i.e. address book is plus $4).

Personalisable Photo Backdrops are seriously one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen. Since we hold so many murder mysteries and parties every year, these would be amazing. There are several Christmas ones (that would suit our next Murder Mystery party) but also so many have potential to be customised for random party themes. I particularly like the City Scape backdrop too, but with prices starting at $230, perhaps these backdrops would be a bit of an overkill for our small ten person parties!

Finally these Apothecary Jars are just amazing. We’ve had three Fairytale themed parties now and these would have come in so handy. Not only that but they could be so easily adapted to a more Halloween or Witch/Wizard theme too. Whether its slimy eyeballs, or pastel coloured sweets, these beautiful glass jars would definitely find a permanent place in my house. At $52 I actually consider them to be incredibly reasonable and there are several different shapes and sizes too.

There are honestly loads of unique and interesting products on Minted and I urge you to go and have a look. International postage is incredibly reasonable so no matter where you’re based, the postage won’t be something that puts you off! Feel free to drop me a comment and let me know what your favourites are – I’m always on the look out for awesome products that I might have missed myself!

Filed Under: wish list Tagged With: decor, gifts, jars, journals, maps, Minted, notebook, party decorations, personalised, prints, wrapping paper

Hi, my name is Bel!


I’m a forty something, mother of two, self-confessed geek!

Here on my blog you’ll find;
books I’ve read, clothes I’ve made, movies I’ve watched, cakes I’ve baked, products I’ve tried, places I’ve been, pictures I’ve taken… plus lots and lots of DISNEY!!

I’m a lifestyle blogger – covering a little of everything I love <3

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