10 signs your lovely toddler may be entering the "twatty twos"

Toddlers! They're great aren't they?! All wobbly and cute, still baby-cuddly but finally developing a personality that means you can actually start enjoying them as little people in their own right. You get a couple of months of this loveliness, and then, out of nowhere, you're hit with a tsunami of rage and whinging so terrible it is remembered with fear by parents everywhere.

Oh yes, the terrible twos, or more appropriately in my case, the twatty twos. 

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10 things I've learned in my first year of blogging

By some miracle I started this blog more than a year ago, and instead of my usual "think it's the best thing ever for a month and then drop it like a hot snot" approach to hobbies*, this one has stuck. If anything my interest has only grown, and the more I get to know about the ins and outs of running a blog the more into it I get. 

*"Hobby" really feels like the wrong word, but I can't think what else to call it. Sideline? Venture? What I want to do when I'm a grown-up? That thing I neglect my family for? Answers on a postcard please.

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the kids are alright

Happy "you made a human out of food" day! I'm not usually one for marking these weird "force people to buy an awkward present" kind of occasions, but seeing as being a mother is pretty much my sole occupation at the moment this one got me thinking, about how maybe it shouldn't be just about other people acknowledging what you do for your kids, but about you acknowledging it too.

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amazing free download-able art!

Amazing free printable alert! My husband called me over to "show me something cool" this morning, and that usually means he's found either a picture of an animal so weird it should not exist or an epic Ron Swanson meme, but today what he had to show me was really worth the trip across the kitchen....Click here to read the rest of this post »

becoming gainfully unemployed (or how I'm giving up my job to stay at home wiping bums and getting punched in the crotch)

Today I gave up my job.

~pause for major anxious reaction

O.k. It's o.k.....I think. What the hell do I do now?!! 

The same thing I've been doing every day for the past year I guess.

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pimp my dishwasher

I stuck gold foil tape on my dishwasher!.........

Wow, that really didn't take long enough to explain to warrant a full post :/

Oh well, on to the pretty pictures!!!!

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shameless touting for votes!!!!

By some miracle I have been shortlisted for the Blog Awards Ireland! 
To say I'm delighted is a serious understatement, this little bog has only been going for a couple of months and get this kind of a pat on the back is hugely uplifting. 
Sometimes it can be really tough when you compare yourself to other blogs that seem to be doing so fantastically. It can often feel like no-one but my family are actually reading my posts, so I'm taking this a sign that I'm doing something right. And I'll try and remember that the next time I'm lamenting the fact that no-one is commenting :)
This round of judging is 30% down to a public vote, so if you have enjoyed reading about any of my little adventures in home improvement (or if you just like being forced to look at photos of other people's children and that's why you keep coming back) I would be ever so grateful if you could take a moment to click the link and vote for me. 

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/PZ88979

It's quick and painless, I promise!
p.s: you can vote from anywhere in the world ;)

washi tape frames

This is hardly a wildly innovative idea or anything, but I had a problem and I solved it with this neat little idea that cost very little and took about five minutes, so I thought it was worth sharing!

Winnie the pooh quote free printable

The problem was the gallery wall I had put up in Max's room. 

I always planned on having some sort of gallery in there and had gathered a couple of things, like the cards from Tiger (2 for €1) and the feathers, but when I had my mad burst of energy and got the feature wall done and the other decor up I was on a roll and decided I wanted the whole thing finished! (there are no "finished rooms in this house, I got impatient!)

So I took myself on over to pinterest to find some free printable's to bulk it out and found this lovely set of baby woodland animals  from "We lived happily ever after" (amazing blog, loads of great ideas and free printable's). 

I printed them off on white card and set about arranging my wall, just sticking the paper up with blu-tac and then adding a couple of frames I'd gathered with the intention of using them in here at some point. This setup was fine for a while, and I was going to leave it like that, but the edges of the pictures were wonky cos I just cut them willy-nilly with a scissors, and they didn't stand out as much as I'd like, especially next to the framed pictures.

So I looked around for some cheap frames, but couldn't find anything I liked in the right size, and to be honest I didn't really want to buy six small frames just because something that was really fine wasn't exactly how I wanted it. I already have a large frame collection, and whereas bigger, chunkier frames would always be re-used, smaller ones aren't so versatile.







And then, when I was browsing in Tiger I came across their packs of washi tape and realised that was the answer! Washi tape is cheap, comes in loads of colours and patterns, and wouldn't damage the walls. I'd just outline the art in patterned tape! 

So here's the finished product....

Oh, to be able to afford a proper camera!

It makes the pictures stand out and improves the whole display. Also, these pictures didn't need nails in the wall or expensive command strips cos they're just pieces of paper, win!

Washi tape comes in all colours and patterns, and it has about a million uses. I love it, I'm amassing quite a collection! I've bought some online when I wanted something specific, but stationary/craft shops usually have a decent selection, and it generally costs around €1/€2 per 10 meter roll. I can definitely see myself using it for more gallery-style displays, these inspiration pics are so simple and pretty.....

Fox and Star

Design Sponge

What do you think? Washi tape ever come to the rescue for you?! I've seen some amazing ideas for using it, feature walls, furniture upcycling...you name it, washi tape can be used to jazz it up! In fact there's a wall in my living room I may need to introduce it to....

Lindaxx

Awesome apothecary jars....and what to do with them.

Apothecary jars.

Is there another name for these that isn't quite so pompous? Anyway, you know what I mean, the big glass jars with lids that have been doing the rounds on pinterest for the last few years now.

I'd wanted some for a long time, and then I found one for €18 in a second hand shop, and i was delighted, cos the only other place I'd seen them had been on Amazon, for €30-€40 each.

But I didn't want just one, I wanted a display, and that meant three. Don't ask me why, that's just what my brain told me.

So I kept an eye out, and then, on a rare trip to TK Maxx, lo and behold, there they were! A whole display of them, in different shapes and sizes, all for under €10 each! So I snapped these two beauties up and swiftly left the shop, cackling to myself.

So now I have three, and they've been in several positions around the house already. Currently they hold fruit, and I love how that looks, but there are so many different things you could display in them that would look fantastic, and I will definitely be trying a few of these ideas in the future.....

Sweets

Probably the most obvious choice but very effective, and you can get them in every color known to man so you could definitely get the look you wanted with them. A good tip I saw was to stick a tube of cardboard in the middle of the jar and then just fill around the outside of that so you don't have to buy about a bajillion sweets.

Flowers

Another fairly obvious choice, but still a good one, and again, you'll find flowers to suit whatever look you're going for.

Everything Fabulous

If you want flowers, but still want a bit of variety, how about a water lily?

Etsy

Or a succulent?

Sand and Sisal

Bath Products

How about using them to store bathroom products like sponges, bath bombs and salts? Give your bathroom that luxurious spa feel!

Pottery Barn

Anything Goes

This is one of my favorite ideas, displaying your interesting objects or collections. Just make sure you get enough height by creating a stacked effect if the object isn't big enough to fill a large portion of the jar by itself.

Miss Mustard Seed

Add caption

Christmas!

I love Christmas, and I love Christmas decorating, so I can't wait to try out some of these ideas. I especially love the white lights in the fake snow, I have sets of L.E.D's that will be perfect for this.

Pink Pistachio

The 36th Avenue

And lastly......

Nothing

Ever heard the saying "don't over-gild the lily"? Well, apothecary jars are pretty fantastic looking by themselves, so I reckon they look pretty great as is. Just remember the basic rule that you should group them in odd numbers, and vary their heights, and they'll look great!

               





What would you display in these bad boys? Let me know in the comments! Also, I've just found a load of tutorials on pinterest about how to make your own (yes, I know, how would you do that? But apparently it can be done, it's a thing!) so I'm pretty sure I'll be trying that out as soon as I gather the materials. I'll let you know how it goes ;)

Linda xx

I Blame Pinterest.....

So, my husband caught me taking photos of some of my craft projects recently and remarked that "this is starting to look suspiciously like you're starting a blog". A month, 4 projects and way too many hours spent reading other peoples blogs later and here I am!

Up until about 2 months ago I had never been on pinterest, neither was I aware that there was such a thing as a craft/DIY blog or that I was soon to become hopelessly addicted to them, but I'm so glad that my eyes have been opened and now, good idea or not I'm going to start documenting some of my own attempts at home-beautification!

So, here goes.......