Showing posts with label house. Show all posts
Showing posts with label house. Show all posts
I have recently become obsessed with watching Josie - Fashion Mumblr's - moving vlogs which document her and her partners move from London to my dream living location - The Cotswolds!
It that wasn't enough to grab my attention, they have bought the most beautiful old house in what seems like a secluded area with a giant garden. Need I say more?
This inspired me to update my very popular post where I collected photos of my favourite Old Fashioned Cottage Kitchens, to date this has been one of my most popular posts so I guess, everyone has the same taste in cottage kitchens as me. Good taste!
Before i take you through my favourite kitchens currently on pinterest, i thought i would introduce you to another youtuber who i have recently become obsessed with. Jessica Rose Williams is another youtuber who lives in the Peak District in the cutest little cottage house. Take a look at her Minimalist Cottage Home Tour video on youtube, the house is G O A L S.
Moving onto the actual photos which will feed your old fashioned interior shaped hole, as you will be able to see I tend to steer towards more green kitchen cupboards with loads of wood features. Some of my other favourite features to lust over are farm style sinks, open shelving, wooden beams, aga and old fashioned industrial cookers.
It that wasn't enough to grab my attention, they have bought the most beautiful old house in what seems like a secluded area with a giant garden. Need I say more?
This inspired me to update my very popular post where I collected photos of my favourite Old Fashioned Cottage Kitchens, to date this has been one of my most popular posts so I guess, everyone has the same taste in cottage kitchens as me. Good taste!
Before i take you through my favourite kitchens currently on pinterest, i thought i would introduce you to another youtuber who i have recently become obsessed with. Jessica Rose Williams is another youtuber who lives in the Peak District in the cutest little cottage house. Take a look at her Minimalist Cottage Home Tour video on youtube, the house is G O A L S.
Moving onto the actual photos which will feed your old fashioned interior shaped hole, as you will be able to see I tend to steer towards more green kitchen cupboards with loads of wood features. Some of my other favourite features to lust over are farm style sinks, open shelving, wooden beams, aga and old fashioned industrial cookers.
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My favourite cleaning product to date has to be the disinfectant Zoflora. I know the product is huge within the family and home community which I have become a big fan of recently (watching speed cleaning and house tour videos is my new favourite thing) and I couldn't ignore the hype around the product. If this isn't your thing I completely understand, take a look at my other beauty and skincare posts at the top!
To date I have 6 bottles underneath my sink and once that stash starts to decrease I am totally picking up some new scents! I used up 3 scents this week so I definitely make the most of them!
There are so many uses for this disinfectant I have seen over the months and here are 9 of my favourite.
1. Down the sink
I like to pour some of the disinfectant down my sink plugs at the end or beginning of the day. Afterwards the kitchen smells beautiful and every time water goes down the plug the scent will come back and please your nostrils.
2. In a spray bottle mixed with water
This disinfectant you will come mix with water to make your own disinfectant spray which smells amazing. Depending on the size of the bottle your using I tend to normally mix 1 to 2 cap fulls with water to make the spray.
3. Sprayed on fake flowers
This is such a genius idea the person who thought this up needs a medal! Zoflora make a ton of flower related scents so you can spray the disinfectant on to fake flowers to make them smell like real flowers and to keep them bacteria free.
4. In your clothing wash
This tip is based on the Fresh Linen scent of Zoflora which smells like clean clothes and fresh bedding. Pour 1 cap full of the disinfectant in with your detergent and your bedding and towels will be totally clean and smell amazing. I find my clean clothes can sometimes not smell like anything but when I use this I can really smell it through the material. Plus while it is out to dry it fills your rooms with the scent.
5. Wiped over your warm radiators
This is a great one for the cold months! All you need to do is wipe a cloth soaked in the disinfectant over your warm radiators, every time the radiators are on the smell will fill the room. This is perfect in the winter when all the winter scents are available.
6. In a sink full of boiling water
This is a great thing to do before you go to bed so during the night the scent fills the room ready for the morning. The hot water makes the scent more powerful and when you empty the water in the morning it leaves the scent in the drain.
7. In your car
I don't look after my car at all, I'm sorry car for never washing you or emptying you of rubbish but I am getting better! I now have a small spray bottle in my car to spray along my dash board to 1. clean my car of horrible germs and 2. to leave it smelling fresh and inviting. I find my dash board gets very dusty very easily so this is really handy to have.
8. In your washing machine
I have started doing an hot empty wash with a cap full of disinfectant in to clean out the drum and the draw after I have done a few spins. Washing machines can be full of bacteria with all the dirty warm water running through it so running disinfectant through then can be really useful.
9. Wiped over your door handles and entrances
This is a great tip especially if you have a busy house with people coming and going. Door handles are full of bacteria with the amount of times people touch them so wiping them over with scented disinfectant is a must. Also wiping Zoflora over the handles and door frames means every time someone walking into a room they catch a whiff of the amazing smell and it lingers with them.
You arent an adult until you become excited about cleaning products! What is your favourite scent?
Sticking to a budget can be hard and when your a home owner and have bills to pay for you don't really get a choice. I've been living in my own home now for just over a two years now and I have found some ways that help me to stick to my budget and not go into my overdraft every month.
- Meal Plan
This can be a life safer if you are someone who ends up buying a bunch of food that you don't need. Cal and I like to sit down and plan what we are going to eat for dinner that week for many reasons, one is so we can get what we need on our weekly shop ahead of time and because it gives us something to look forward to.
- Stick to your list
I think it should be a known rule never to go food shopping while you are hungry otherwise I come back with 2 cinnamon swirls, 3 different biscuits and a box of microwave chips so stick to the items on your list. You made a list for a reason so only get the food that you need.
- Choose food with multiple uses
It's easy to buy food because you like it but it worked for one meal and then its done. I like to make meals which I can freeze for another night or pop in the fridge for my lunch tomorrow. It helps me save money and stops me using everything in my freezer in one go.
- Shop Around
Before I moved out I was a self confessed Tesco addict and if I needed anything whether it was food or random bits I would go to Tesco. When we moved out we didn't know how we would find balancing our mortgage, food shopping, petrol and such so we ended up trying the Aldi store which is 10 minutes down the street from our house. We've found we can get a full weekly shop with meat and chicken and the everyday bits for between £20-£30 which is really good considering how much we bring home so we are official Aldi converts now. I love the chicken and meat from Aldi so if you don't already shop there then you should try it once. I know down the line when we start to have a family it will really help with saving our money. Its easy to stick to a shop that you are familiar with but when you can save all this money you have to give it a go.
- Check your online banking daily
It sounds very silly but I am terrible for not checking my online banking for days and it has become Cals job to remind me to pay the bills. By checking it daily you know exactly what bills has already come out and what you still need to pay for, that way if you see something you want for the house you know what money you have left for the month.
- Reduce, Reuse and Recycle
Anyone else remember this saying up on every wall in your school?
It does still apply now in every day life so I have implemented it back into my life. When we first moved in we were still learning a rhythm and we ended up not using fresh food which meant it went off and we had to throw it away, which is such a waste. So when we plan our meals for the week now we also check what we still have in the fridge and freezer and what dates they go off. Then we make sure we use the food before the due date so that we don't waste the food anymore.
This doesn't just apply to food as well, we had lots of random house decorative bits which didn't have a home for a while and rather then getting rid of them we have rotated them round the house until we found a room where we liked them. Its so easy to chuck something away because it doesn't suit your theme only to need one a few months later and end up buying it again.
- Never impulse buy for the house
I love buying items for my house like most people and going into Home Sense or Dunelm can be really hurtful for my bank balance, I like to go home shopping with Cal because he does stop me going crazy for stuff that we don't need and don't have room for. Home stuff can be really expensive so I try and really think about what I want for the house and stop myself impulse buying. If I find something that I really like but it is super expensive, I like to sleep on the idea of spending that much money on one item. You can get into the hype of 'I need to buy this now, it won't be here tomorrow if I change my mind' but I have come to believe that if I return to the shop and the item is still there then I was meant to purchase it.
- Treat Yourself
This one may sound strange in this list but when you have been really good for a long period of time you deserve a treat. Me and Cal have the occasional take away when we have cooked dinner for the whole week because it gives me a night off from cooking and its something a bit different. If we don't have a take away we sometimes go out for date night instead and again its just a little treat for our hard work. Just watch they become too much of regular thing!
I recently brought back to life a old set of garden chairs and a garden table which my parents have had for quite a few years. It was unloved and a faded light brown colour which didn't look any good. Annoyingly I didn't take any photos of the table before I started work on it but alas I am not god...
I really wanted a garden table set for my royal wedding party as I knew it was going to be a lovely day and my parents had given us this set all the way back in summer last year so it was about time we got it looking up to scratch.
The set had been sitting in our garden since last summer so you can imagine how horrible it looked and felt so the first step was washing the chairs and getting rid of all the spiders and cobwebs. Not the most glamorous job but I had to make the wood ready for painting.
The second step was painting the set to make it look brand new and Cal and I decided to choose a dark brown colour which would wear well on the wood over time and cover up the light faded colour. The dark colour makes the set look brand new and the paint I used was the Dulux Woodsheen Stain and Vanish in Golden Teak. Because we used a stain and vanish the colour on the table should withstand any weather but we will be smart and house the set in the garage during the winter and when we aren't using it.
To complete the garden set I wanted to buy some bright seat cushions to make the set really stand out in the garden and I was originally looking for bright green cushions and then one day my mum found this crank handle parasol and cushions separately in our local B&M and rang me to tell me she had a surprise.
So herself and my dad came round one Friday with this parasol and cushions and set it all up for me ready for my party the following day and I think it looks banging all together.
This DIY job was incredibly cheap (for me hehe) since the vanish only cost £15.99 from B&M but I have found it cheaper on eBay and a parasol and cushions aren't a necessity for this garden set so the total for this DIY can be £15.99.
For reference the garden parasol was £29.99 and the cushions were £6.99 for a set of two. Trying to find anything you have bought from b&m on their website is a struggle so I have found some similar alternatives.
The total for this DIY project including the gifts from my parents totals at £59.96 which is still cheaper from most good garden tables right now so still a bargain of a DIY, especially when it means you have recycled something that would have just gone in the bin.
I love inviting people round to my house and hosting people whether its for a hour or for the night. I don't know where I have got this from but since having my own house I have developed a lot of house pride which I think everyone gets once they own their own place. I use any excuse to make people come round my house now so that I can play host so I thought Id take you through what I like to do before someone comes to stay.
One thing I love doing when someone is coming over to stay is make the bed with a fresh bed sheet, obviously tidy the spare room and then close the curtains and turn on the fairy lights. Whether it is sunny or in the middle of winter I think a dark room with fairy lights look so much more appealing. I want to make the bed look really appealing for the person because I know it isn't always nice to spend a night in someone else's bed.
I have got into the habit of leaving fresh towels folded on the end of the bed in the spare room because even though the people who stay over are mainly family members and properly wouldn't care about using the same towels, it is nice to have a fresh one. I also don't want my guests to have to ask for a towel. I am planning on replacing all of our towels soon so that they all match and match the bedding so it looks more pretty all together, sad I know.
On the night stand beside the spare bed I like to leave everything my guest could possibly need, a tooth brush in case they have forgot theirs, a empty glass and a new bottle of water in case they get thirsty in the night and don't want to go roaming round my house, a pair of fluffy socks which are very important during the winter (we are lucky our whole house is covered in carpet so we don't feel the cold too much (but some people don't like showing their feet which is where the socks come in) and a few hair bands because I know what it is like forgetting a hair band and sweating during the night with your hair stuck to you.
Because I love bath and shower products I have a huge collections that I spread across both bathrooms so when people stay over I like to leave out my mini shower gels and scrubs so that if they have a bath or shower they have something to use. Can you call it a shower if you haven't used a shower gel?! I also like to leave cotton pads out for our female friends to remind them to take their makeup off because I know how much they will regret it in the morning if they forget.
Whenever people are staying over at my house I like to stock up the fridge and cupboards, half of the time I cook a proper meal for my family and friends and the other half we get take away depending on whether I have been to work or not but I find the snacks and drinks are the most important. I know what it is like to get the munchies during the night so I like to have little snacks that people can take up with them to bed in case they do get peckish (we've all been there) and a mixture of drinks so people have a choice. I know alcohol isn't everyone's cup of tea and I am not a big drinker myself but whenever we have friends or family round we always get something to put in the fridge whether it is a bottle of wine or a crate of beer. Even if we don't drink it ourselves it is there in case our friends/family want it. We also have mason jars with little chalk boards on so we can write our guests names on the jars which goes down a treat.
Now I'm not saying I am the most amazing host in the whole entire world and that I do all of this every time someone comes over because I'm human and I work a lot but when I do these things, you can tell people really appreciate it and it gives them a rest from doing it themselves at home.
I know now that it takes a long while to get your home exactly how you want it and since having my own home, I have found that you can have a quite plain boring room but by adding one thing, you can change it into an inviting space that looks like you have spent a lot of time making it feel like a home rather than a house.
One thing that I have recently found to really make a difference is photo frames, they are amazing at making a room feel more homely. We didn't have any photos up for a long time because we have never been big photo people, it was only when someone gave us a photo frame a few weeks ago that we had an excuse to gets some photos developed. I took this opportunity to go crazy with the photos to give us a lot of choice when it came to picking which photo we used and now the photo frames look like they have been their the whole time.
Another item that makes any room but especially bedrooms and living rooms look more cosy are pillows and throws. I love anything that reminds me of a bed so I love throws on the sofas because I can wrap up in them and pretend that I have my sh*t together. I find they really tie a room together and you can either match the theme of the room or completely go against it and make a statement with a bold pattern or colour. My favourite thing to do is changing the colour of pillows and throw during the different seasons because you can get some quality throws and pillow covers in Primark for not that much and then you never have to settle on one theme.
Something I have always been into is candles and my old bedroom at my parents house used to be covered in large candles and now I have my own home they are spread out evenly in the rooms. I find candles make dull shelves and tables look so much more appealing and especially when they are being used they make the space so much more cosy. Even Callum loves a good candle so there is one out there for everyone.
Another thing I have become obsessed with since having my own house is house plants. I can't say I am the best at keeping them alive but I love having them around especially in the bathroom and kitchen. Another thing connected to house plants is flowers which I think makes a room so much more homely and inviting, I wish I had an abundance of flowers in ever room but sadly again they never last long with me but I love them while they are alive.
Something that I know the girls will definitely agree with and the boys may object to is having fairy lights around the house. I love fairy lights and keep a set up all year round wrapped around our spare bed because who doesn't want some fairy lights in the background. At Christmas time as well I am allowed to wrap fairy lights around the banister, tv unit and lamp in the living room and the room is so cosy and lovely I never want to take them down. I know they aren't to everyone cup of tv but they can really complete a room.
Something I like to leave on the living room coffee table is a bowl full of treats whether that is chocolate or sweets whatever we have. I guess you could call me a feeder... I don't like people to go hungry so I always make sure there is something for someone so having a bowl of treats on the table encourages people to relax and take a handful while they kick back. They are also great when you get peckish watching tv and can't be bothered to move!
The last tip I have for this blog post is have big ass mirrors and canvases everywhere possible. I love big wall mirrors that take up the whole space. You don't have to worry about choosing a photo or painting to go on the blank wall and they are great at making the space feel bigger. I love mirrors in hall walls or on the top of stairs because they look great and most important, are great for outfit photos! Canvas are also great if you have one photo you and your partner really like which would look great blown up on a big wall, its choosing the photo that is hard!
One thing that I have recently found to really make a difference is photo frames, they are amazing at making a room feel more homely. We didn't have any photos up for a long time because we have never been big photo people, it was only when someone gave us a photo frame a few weeks ago that we had an excuse to gets some photos developed. I took this opportunity to go crazy with the photos to give us a lot of choice when it came to picking which photo we used and now the photo frames look like they have been their the whole time.
Another item that makes any room but especially bedrooms and living rooms look more cosy are pillows and throws. I love anything that reminds me of a bed so I love throws on the sofas because I can wrap up in them and pretend that I have my sh*t together. I find they really tie a room together and you can either match the theme of the room or completely go against it and make a statement with a bold pattern or colour. My favourite thing to do is changing the colour of pillows and throw during the different seasons because you can get some quality throws and pillow covers in Primark for not that much and then you never have to settle on one theme.
Something I have always been into is candles and my old bedroom at my parents house used to be covered in large candles and now I have my own home they are spread out evenly in the rooms. I find candles make dull shelves and tables look so much more appealing and especially when they are being used they make the space so much more cosy. Even Callum loves a good candle so there is one out there for everyone.
Another thing I have become obsessed with since having my own house is house plants. I can't say I am the best at keeping them alive but I love having them around especially in the bathroom and kitchen. Another thing connected to house plants is flowers which I think makes a room so much more homely and inviting, I wish I had an abundance of flowers in ever room but sadly again they never last long with me but I love them while they are alive.
Something that I know the girls will definitely agree with and the boys may object to is having fairy lights around the house. I love fairy lights and keep a set up all year round wrapped around our spare bed because who doesn't want some fairy lights in the background. At Christmas time as well I am allowed to wrap fairy lights around the banister, tv unit and lamp in the living room and the room is so cosy and lovely I never want to take them down. I know they aren't to everyone cup of tv but they can really complete a room.
Something I like to leave on the living room coffee table is a bowl full of treats whether that is chocolate or sweets whatever we have. I guess you could call me a feeder... I don't like people to go hungry so I always make sure there is something for someone so having a bowl of treats on the table encourages people to relax and take a handful while they kick back. They are also great when you get peckish watching tv and can't be bothered to move!
The last tip I have for this blog post is have big ass mirrors and canvases everywhere possible. I love big wall mirrors that take up the whole space. You don't have to worry about choosing a photo or painting to go on the blank wall and they are great at making the space feel bigger. I love mirrors in hall walls or on the top of stairs because they look great and most important, are great for outfit photos! Canvas are also great if you have one photo you and your partner really like which would look great blown up on a big wall, its choosing the photo that is hard!
What do you have around your house to make it feel more like home? :)
I have been super excited to show you all my bathrooms in my new home because I am so in love with them and they finally feel ready to be shown to the world! Call me sad but I love being nosey in peoples bathrooms, more than any other room is the house. I think it is because I spend a lot of time in there either have a overly long bath, getting ready for bed or the day ahead so I spend a lot of time in there.
I have three bathrooms in my house; the downstairs toilet, the main bathroom and the ensuite on the top floor (yes cleaning them all is a long job ...) so we had a lot of space to fill and a lot of products to spread out. We plan to use the ensuite more often when we have our mirror which Cal has recently made screwed into the wall but at the moment we only have a small mirror to use so we tend to mostly get ready in the main bathroom on the second floor.
F i r s t B a t h r o o m
Starting with the downstairs bathroom, we didn't want to over crowd it too much so we currently just have a small wood basket which a friend of mine got us as a moving in gift (it had a hand wash and candle and all cute bits in) to hold our toilet paper which I think looks super cute! We also have a white marble toilet brush holder from Dunelm which we really like against the black flooring. We also have a bottle of Baylis and Harding Pink Processco and Cassis Fragranced hand wash which smells divine! Nationwide sent us a huge hamper for choosing to get our mortgage with them and this was one of the items included which we loved. Cal has made a mirror for every bathroom in the house and the mirror that will be going in this bathroom is a big diamond which will tie the whole room together I think. 
M a i n B a t h r o o m
Since this is our biggest bathroom out of the three and the one we would probably use the most we wanted it to make it feel really cosy and relaxing. On the top shelf we firstly have our tooth brushes and tooth paste in a little candle holder with a C on from my sister many moons ago. I never intended to keep the candle holder as a tooth brush holder but now it would feel wrong having anything else! Next to that we have our Ikea mirror which is bloody brilliant! It doesn't matter which room you put it in or whereabouts in the room you always get brilliant light through it so doing your makeup in it is amazing! Again Cal is planning on making us a mirror that runs the length and width of the wall above the shelf but until they we are using this mirror to get ready in the mornings. Then just next to the mirror we have my Zoella My Eden candle as I love to have candle lit baths and this candle matches the bath really nicely.Down on the floor we have our black marble bin, toilet brush holder and toilet paper holder all from Dunelm again (seriously their home stuff is amazing and their sales are so good, some of the items I mention are full price but most were either on sale or just a really good price anyway!) We also have a white three tier shelving unit which we picked up from The Range in Milton Keynes which is amazing for home buys! This rack was only £15 and it has come in so handy and looks really nice in our simple bathroom. This rack holds all of Cal's products and then I have one on the top floor which holds all mine.
E n s u i t e
I never thought i'd ever say this but I have an ensuite! It is quite strange having one because it is lovely to only have to walk a few steps to go toilet but I don't find myself using it in the night because I am too scared to wake Cal up so I don't actually use it for its purpose. Anyway again this is only a small room so we didn't want to over crowd it so we just have my white three tier shelving unit which this time we found in Dunelm (we really like Dunelm...) which is a perfect match for our unit down stairs. We do have a plan to get a small white draw unit to have in the main bathroom and then to use our white shelves as his and her racks either side of the ensuite sink, cuties I know. We have a cute little rotating mirror from B&M sitting on the sink for now to use to get ready (Cal has made a circle pot hole mirror for this bathroom) and lastly we have our stripe toilet brush holder, tooth brush holder and soap dish all from yes you guessed it Dunelm which I absolutely love. I like that each bathroom has different accessories. Lastly in this room we just have a boring black pedal bin from Dunelm (shut up really?!) I love the skylight in this bathroom it makes the room so light no matter what time of day. I think this sky light compensates for not having a window in our min bathroom. I realise this is quite a long post and not everyone is interested in peoples bathrooms so if you have made it to the end well done! I will leave links to all the items I have talked about in case you want to copy me and have matching bathrooms, let me know if you do! Also please tell me you like looking at peoples bathrooms as much as me so I don't feel so lame! I plan to fill all three bathrooms with big green plants for the corners because I love how colorful but understated green plants look in white bathrooms.
L I N K S
White marble toilet brush holder (similar)Baylis and Harding Processco hand wash
Ikea Mirror
Zoella My Eden candle
Black marble bin
Black marble toilet brush holder
Black marble toilet paper holder
White shelving unit (The Range)
B&M mirror
Stripe toilet brush holder (similar)
Stripe toothbrush holder (similar)
Pedal bin
Since I moved out with my fiance in May I have learned a lot of things about myself, us and the whole process in general. Although I sometimes feel like I am talking about my house non stop on my blog... I'm bringing you another post!
Since this is my first time living away from home I had a lot to learn!
1. I can actually cook, who knew it!
I have never been an fantastic cook at home because I never needed to be, i'll be honest I was a pampered princess and loved it. So since moving out and having to cook for Cal and I, I am actually a pretty good cook! Our favourite is Toad in the hole which isn't very technical but super tasty! I've also recently been making butter and herb new potatoes which taste amazing!!
2. House pride is an actual thing
I used to make fun of my sister who would spend all her spare time cleaning and tidying her house even though no one was coming round. I have got the disease now, especially with my kitchen! It might be because it were we eat and prepare our food, it might also be because my kitchen is at the front of the house so when people walk past they can see through the window. I don't know but the kitchen has to be perfect.
3. You have to compromise when you live with someone
Cal and I are quite lucky that we have the same taste with most things so choosing decor for the house isn't too much of a challenge but I have learned you can't always get what you want. Which is fine because i'm a grown up and I don't have to have my own way... all the time!
4. It is super fun to play house
I don't know about you but I used to play house when I was younger and pretend my barbies were families with a big house and a car and babies and now I don't have to pretend! Apart from the babies I have everything I pretended my barbies had and it is so fun. Inviting our friends round and doing dinner and drinks makes us feel really grown up and cool! And then we have to tidy and clean up and the fun stops!
5. I do actually miss home
I have never been a real home sick person before I loved staying over at new places but since leaving my childhood home permanently I've realised how comfortable I felt there which is something I haven't felt yet here. Whenever I go home and visit my parents I instantly feel relaxed and comfortable as soon as I enter the house and could fall asleep at any moment because i'm so comfy. Hopefully soon my house will feel like that!
I don't consider myself a pro at moving house as I have only moved house once in my life but I thought a lot of people who read my blog will probably be around the same age as me so will probably be in the same situation too (first time buyer) and would appreciate this post. I know for a lot of people moving house is really hard, especially if you already have a house so you have a house full of items to move with you. Being a first time buyer made moving much quicker and easier then for other people as most of the big items we bought once we moved in. I have so much admiration for people who moved from one large house to an even larger house with children!
So here are a few things that I think help making moving house so much easier.
1. Preparation
I am quite an organised person anyway but when we started the process of putting in an offer for our house in January 2017, I started sorting through my wardrobes and draws straight away and I moved in in May! Some might call that eager but it helped out a lot. Knowing that I had sorted and thrown away all the old stuff I didn't need to bring with me beforehand made me feel much better when it was time to move. A week before we moved I boxed up all my bedroom and just kept a few things out that I would have needed over the week and it meant I didn't have to worry about anything. I know some people are very last minute and would pack their belongings the day they moved but I can't do that, it probably would have given me a heart attack when the day came! Preparation is everything!
2. Friends are life savers
Now its your first big house and you want to do everything yourself because your a big girl now... but you need help. Our friends were life savers when we moved because they helped up bring round our sofas in a van we borrowed, they helped build lots of Ikea furniture and they spent quite a few trips driving boxes between our old houses and our new house. If it wasn't for them we wouldn't have moved in as quick and it would have cost us money to pay for vans or removal services. They also make moving house even more fun because they lighten your mood when your stressing about your kitchen floor and after everything is in you can all sit in the sun in the garden and have a nice cold beer/cocktail.
3. Plan your work
I am quite lucky in the fact I told my work straight away in January that I would need a week off around these dates to move house and they were very good about that. I know some companies aren't this laid back and wouldn't give people time off work but you might as well ask and shout and scream until they agree! If both Cal and I didn't have the week off after we got the keys the house wouldn't have actually been a home for weeks. Still now nearly a month in the house and we still are adding bits to the house to make it feel more homely.
4. Getting friendly with neighbours
This point is more for new build buyers who have neighbours who will be moving in around the same time as you. We were very lucky in the fact the site that runs our development stagger moving in dates for the buyers so in our little cul-de-sac we were the first to move in on the Friday, then the following Friday another house moved in and so on and so forth. This made moving in so much easier because we had everyone's packing space to pack our cars full of stuff and when everyone came round to see the house they all had somewhere to park their cars. Now I know some places don't do this and everyone moves in on the same day (I can't even imagine...) so if you get the chance I would get friendly with the neighbours so you can find out what time they were planning on bring their vans/cars so you can try to work around each other. The worst thing would be you can't get to your house because three vans from next door are taking up the parking and the road. If our moving in dates weren't staggered I think Cal and I would have moved in the following day to everyone else since we had to the week off just to make life easier to everyone especially us.
5. It won't all come together straight away
When I imagined my moving in day I imagined every room to be perfect and filled with furniture and for it already to look like a home. This didn't happen obviously. We only had two sofas and a TV in the living room, one bed in the second bedroom and every other room was storage. It is impossible for your house to be ready straight away unless you have literally moved everything already from your old house into your new. We spent the first 3 weeks without a TV unit, kitchen table, microwave, coffee table and chest of draws. We still don't have a washing machine, blinds or curtains and wardrobes but new houses are homes in progress. I find its better to wait to buy something then rush our and buy the first thing you see because you spend more than you should on the item and it isn't exactly the one that you wanted.
I will give you a house tour soon once I feel like it is ready and we have all we need. If you have moved house yourself and have any other tips leave a comment below with them. I'd love to know how yours went!
I have some very exciting news... We have a date for our new house! The house is going to be released to us on Friday the 16th of May which means in two weeks we will officially own our first house! Last week we visited the house to see the progress and so I have some photos to show you guys because I know you love to be as nosey as I do. I don't have photos of every room as some of them are simply a room with white walls and a door. Also the flooring in each room wasn't laid until the day after we visited so I don't have any photos for you.
The Kitchen
Firstly in the kitchen all our cupboards and doors are in place as well as our cooker which I couldn't take a proper photo of because I wasn't allowed to walk on the floor. We were a bit scared to see the kitchen cupboards at first because we didn't know if our dark colour schemes would work but we both love how they have turned out. We love the big window on the front of the house because it lets in so much light into the room.
The Living Room
The Downstairs Toilet
I think out downstairs toilet is super cute and simple which is what we want. We are thinking of putting a huge mirror along to wall just to give the space something. In the show house the little toilet had a small window which let in light but because we are in between two house that isn't possible which is slightly annoying.
The Main Bathroom
The one thing I don't like about the house so far are the taps that have been installed because they remind me of school taps and I find you can't scoop up water properly because the taps are too close to the basin, I also don't like have a separate hot and cold tap as I either burn myself with boiling hot water or freezing cold water. Apart from that disappointment I love the rest of the bathroom especially the shelf which is behind the sink and toilet which we will put another long mirror on the wall and I can store everyday products on the shelf. 
The On Suite
I love our on suite bathroom I think it is the perfect size and it has a sky light in the roof which is going to make the room so light. We have different tiles for the main bathroom and the on suite which I really like now they are in and makes the rooms not look identical. We also love that we have a bath and a shower as I am a big fan of both, I have always had a shower/bath so having a proper shower is a wish come true.
The Garden
Our grass hadn't been laid by the time we took this photo so hopefully when we move in in two week most of the grass will have come through. Also at the end is a photo of our garden (the left one) which has space for two cars to park in front which is real bonus for a couple with two cars.
At the start of 2016 Cal and myself decided to start saving money so we could move into our own place, we always knew we wanted to buy a place instead of renting so we saved pretty damn hard all of last year. We never intended to buy anything until maybe 2018 when we thought we had enough money and time to look but then something caught our eye over Christmas last year. We found out about some houses for sell in the village next to us and fast forward to two months later, we have just exchanged contracts with the sellers and are waiting to move in! It is so crazy to think that two months ago we weren't even thinking about buying for another year and now we have everything in place to move in this May/June!
The house we are buying is a three storey new build in a little village right next to where we live now, it has three bedrooms (plenty of room for kids hint hint Cal) and should be ready for us to move in between May and June. I never thought I would have ever been able to buy a three bedroom house at the age of 22 and we are able to do it because the housing development that we are buying it from run a help to buy scheme for first time buyers which means we are able to buy a house we never would have been able to buy otherwise. The scheme so far has been fantastic and there hasn't been any scary small print catches that we have found so I would seriously recommend this scheme if you are looking to buy your first home.
Because we have chosen a new build as well we got to chose everything that went in so from built in appliances to carpets and flooring. Obviously we have to pay for any extra that they fit ourselves but because we picked the 'house of the week' we actually got money off some of our options for the house so we have picked all our carpet throughout the house (cream for the first and second floor and then light grey for the master bedroom) and a fridge freezer and cooker. So luckily we don't have to worry about picking a design and shape to fit our kitchen after we have moved in.
We have also picked our kitchen units and floor colour which is really exciting. We picked a grey marble kitchen top, with like grey cupboards with a even lighter grey flooring which has very subtle sparkles in it which you can't see on the photo sadly. For the bathrooms we picked this dark grey/black flooring which has sparkles too which luckly you can see in the photo.
Ever since we found this place we have been buying as well as our families little bits here and there so that when we do move in we have the essentials. We don't plan on buying anything big like sofas or new beds until we have moved in and decided what colour we plan to do each room as but we have a big pile of little bits and bobs all ready to go. I will try and link everything for you so you can have a nose yourself!
K I T C H E N
The kitchen is the one room in the house which I think is nearly complete as we actually have so much stuff already for it. Cal and I both liked the idea of square plates and bowls rather than circle and we found these individual plates in Tescos in January for around £3 so we picked up 4 plates. We also picked up 4 of these cute mason style glasses from Tesco too which I absolutely love. After we purchased these we did find sets of each at B&M so ended up buying a 16 piece square dinner set and a set of 4 mason jar glasses which I can't find on the website but they were only about £3 again so well worth a look round B&M for.
From B&M again we bought a Russell Hobbs 3 Piece Pan Set for only £19.99 which I think is a great deal. They were reduced from £50 to £20 so we had to yet them when we saw them. My mum swears by Russell Hobbs so hopefully I like these as much as she does. We also have loads of bog standard kit for the kitchen like drainer, pizza cuter, peeler, wooden and metal spoons, Tupperware, frying pans, mixing bowl and measuring jugs. We got all of these from either B&M, Wilkinson, Tesco and Home Bargains. One of the kitchen utensils which I think is definitely worn checking out is the Rose Gold kitchen utensils in Wilkinson. We picked up this rose gold Colander which is so cool.
Lastly for the kitchen we recently picked up at Tescos the Hinari Genie 8 In 1 Blender which was reduced so obviously we picked on up. My mum has one of these and whenever I make toad in the hole or pancakes or shakes I use hers so I really wanted one for myself when I moved out. On most websites this set is in the £30-40 range but at Tescos it is only £24.50 so definitely worth a look.
L I V I N G R O O M
We are super lucky to be given two practically new sofas of some family friends which we are very thankful for but to make them our own we have bought two super fluffy grey throws from Next which feel so beautiful I want to wear them all day every day.
Now this last Living room object is something Cal wanted for his birthday so Myself and my family all chipped in to get Cal this old fashioned suitcase Record Player from HMV. At first I didn't really get the appeal of this if I am completely honest but now that I have used it, I think it is a great piece to have in the house - one because it super cool and unique and two because it will be perfect when in the summer you want to listen to music in the garden.
R A N D O M
Me and Cal both love a bit of Ikea so of course we stocked up on a few bits in the last few weeks. We found this brown 'Welcome' mat for just £4 in store and this was exactly we wanted for the front door as having a cream carpet is hard work. We also got this green fake grass mat to put outside the back door. Lastly from Ikea we bought two bath mats for the main bathroom and the ensuite on the top floor, we picked this grey super soft design in large for the main bathroom and small for the ensuite shower.
Cal and I both are quite minimalist people so don't expect us to have quotes and sayings dotted around the house but we did find two cute little wall hanging in B&M this month which we thought would work great in the house. The first is this grey chalkboard week planner which we want to plan our meals for the week on, I plan on becoming a cooking goddess when I move out so having this will keep me from forgetting to prepare dinner and relying on take out food, this was only £2.99. We also got this super cute grey key and post holder to hang be the front door, can you tell we have a grey theme running through the house yet?! This was around £3.
The house currently has a roof, stairs and flooring but no walls so hopefully by the next of next week (the 4th of March) the walls should be fully plastered and they can start fitting in our appliances and flooring! I am so excited for this big change and if any of your are interested I will keep you posted on the progress with lots and lots photos! If you have any questions on Help To Buy loans leave them below and I will answer them for you.
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