We all know that I spent the majority of last year working on our home after our plans of moving house ended. At the time I did wonder whether I would be able to fall back in love with out house, after all we’d grown use to living surrounded by cardboard boxes and then we had to unpack it all and try and rediscover the joys of our home.

Fast forward a year and the house is 90% finished (I’m starting to wonder if anyone actually ever makes it to 100%) and whilst the walls, ceilings and electrics are all fresh the majority of our furniture as stayed the same. Both mine and Boo’s bedrooms are exactly how I want them – both are calm and softly feminine without being too girly and I smile every time I walk into my bedroom at night; it really is my sanctuary.

That leaves our living room: whilst there is nothing wrong with how it is now, the old furniture doesn’t really do justice to the hard work that has gone into transforming the walls and ceilings – not to mention the chandelier which I absolutely love.

The Oak Furniture Company is a new brand to me but one not to be overlooked, as well as offering the traditional rustic solid oak furniture we’ve come to expect from oak they also have great ranges that combine white/grey and pine to help tie in with the contemporary home interior trends. The Etienne Oak Living room range is one of my favourites; the soft grey would compliment perfect my Farrow and Ball feature wall in Plumet.

Our living room also is where we eat (hello London living) and I think it’s really important that as a family we have a dining table – in fact looking back I even had a dining table when I was a student, that’s how integral they are to me. I like the fact that the Etienne range is also available for dining table and chairs, any by playing round with the colour way of the chairs you can create a look that really reflects your family home character.

Now that the dust has settled – both literally and figuratively – from our house renovations, I’ve got the opportunity to really think about what new pieces we want to bring into our home, although with so much choice one thing’s for sure: it’s not going to be easy.

With baby showers pretty much the norm, it can be tricky to see past the commercialism and enjoy it for what it should be – a celebration for the mother-to-be and a bit of a ‘calm before the storm’ aka sleepless nights.

For those of you out there that want to give a gift that is thoughtful and can be used long after the baby shower is over, there are some options for making something that is truly unique and a welcome change from the mountains of too-small babygrows – if you learn one thing it’s that size newborn is an absolute waste – and cuddly toys that everyone else will have spent far too much money on. If you’ve got some spare time and want to make something special (particularly if it’s a close friend or family member), give these ideas a try!

DIY Baby Box
Baby boxes were originally given to new mothers in Finland to prevent SIDS but now they’re a bit of a trend, with several UK companies selling fresh, decorative versions. I love the Finnish idea that every child has an equal start and wish they’d been around when Boo was born.
Why not make your own? Find a beautiful cardboard box (a white one is probably best), get creative with paints or prints and decorate it how you like. If the parents have already decided on a name, you could personalise the box, but if not, try out some other ideas like creating a jungle scene or a brightly coloured shape pattern. Once it’s complete, fill with useful items and blankets for a perfect and practical gift for the parents-to-be.

Scrapbook
Make your own baby book – instead of forking out for one in the shops, why not create your own for the new parents to fill with your own choice of paper and a unique front cover design. You can fill the first couple of pages with pictures of the couple before the baby is born, and mark a page for them to stick the scan photo. Then either leave the rest of it totally blank for the parents to fill in, or mark pages with suggestions like ‘first haircut’ or ‘favourite toy’ to prompt them to keep filling it in.

Get sewing!
If you’ve got the skills or are keen to learn, you could try your hand at crochet, quilting or cross stitching. Lots of shops like Hobbycraft have complete sets providing everything you need, and you could make something really beautiful that can be used for years to come, like a child’s height chart for their nursery or a baby blanket.

Upcycle child’s furniture
Why not try buying a small second hand children’s chair and personalise it yourself? Take a look on ebay or other second hand websites for a small chair or stool and upcycle it yourself by sanding it down and painting it with your own design. If you’re struggling to find one locally, try a more far flung seller and use Shiply to have it delivered.

Food
All baby showers need food – if you’re a clever clogs in the kitchen or a pizzazz at cake-making, you could attempt to make a cake for the occasion – if in doubt I always bake. Think pastel colours and animals – the artistry behind will make it taste better too! You could even be super-ambitious and offer to tackle providing the food for the day with homemade sandwiches, snacks and mocktails – taking this on will take a load off the mind for the organiser and you know your ‘gift’ will definitely get used! I did this for one of best friends a few years back, I hosted the baby shower and it really was the best gift I could have given her.

Have you made your own gift for a baby shower? Let me know in the comments below.

Disclosure: A fee was received for this post.

Like an ocean liner we’re at the point of no return in the summer holidays – we’re slap bang in the middle and knee deep in the joys of trying to fill our children’s days. Enter the main offender… the park; hands up who hates the park – because I do.

The park is supposedly where it’s at, it’s where we as parents should flock with our children for fresh air, fun and frolics, the reality is it’s a mediocre hell and I’m pretty sure I’m not the only one who feels lie this. We have too local parks, one across the road and one in the village – brilliant you’d think how bad can it be to have choices but whilst different they’re both equally hell.

Firstly just because it’s gated it’s anything but safe, the constant “Mummy the slide is too shiny”, “Mummy the rope is a bit rough” and then there’s the dreaded sand pit – who ever though a massive litter tray for the local wild life would be a good idea so I spend the first ten minutes of every trip to the park reminding Boo that I’m one of those horrible mummies who won’t let her play in the sand; always great for Mummy and Boo relations.

Time and time again I think the park will help with being a WAHM so I dutifully pack my laptop to get some writing done or catch up with e-mails on my phone but then comes to the judgemental glances from parents for being the mama who’s looking at her phone. One of the biggest reminders that the melting pot that is the park serves is that motherhood would be a heck of a lot easier if we all just gave each other a break and cut the judgement.

As an only child the park can be a bit of a let down for Boo, no matter how hard I try I just don’t cut it in the play stakes like a fellow child. So for us the only way trips to the park get better are if we do them with friends; Boo gets playmates and I get some much welcome adult company. winner!

And the worst part? Despite me hating the park it’s universally accepted that I will continue to partake in this parent torture for years to come; so until an antidote is discovered you’ll find me hugging a Costa. But smiling knowing that it’s ok to hate the park…

Creating a focal point in your kitchen could be the perfect opportunity for your household. Whether you plan for it to act as the main attraction, go with the look and feel of a freestanding piece of furniture, or function as an efficient workstation to hold appliances, an island is hugely versatile.
Size, of course, isn’t everything and islands can vary considerably depending on the shape and capacity of the room. Take care not to make your island too big. It might seem like a good idea to have a huge centerpiece that’s packed with appliances, but if you can’t reach the centre of it without stretching, or can’t open doors or manoeuvre around it because it’s too close to other furniture, it won’t be right. You should also guard against making it too small, particularly in open-plan, high-ceilinged spaces as it could feel completely out of place.

Bear in mind too that a kitchen island allows you to create a multi-functional area that can make for the perfect place for the chef of the house. A shaped island will also help to direct the traffic flow away from busy areas of the kitchens.

When planning your kitchen island, aim to add a unique part to your kitchen that will have an impact on your entire cooking area. Also look to create a standout and eye-catching focus point that gives you the freedom to be more flourishing with colours and texture in the entire room. It will often act as a divider in a space as well, so it’s also worth considering its looks from every angle to ensure it appears warm and welcoming within an entertaining or dining area for instance.

If your island is to be a hardworking as well as attractive centerpiece, it’s wise to think carefully about what you do and don’t want to fit in and where. An island is a great place for prepping and cooking so a hob is often on the wish-list, as is a dishwasher and sink. However, this will need plenty of pre-planning to ensure you have power and plumbing supplies on the island before you start and factoring in those additional costs if they’re already there.

Consider how your island fits into the traditional working triangle too by ensuring that the sink, hob and fridge are all within easy reach of each other, without making them so close that the working space becomes crowded. Think about the flip-side, too, particularly where the island faces out onto a living or dining space. While a seating area may seem the simplest option, a row of bar stools could end up creating too much of a barrier, and may leave the island area feeling cluttered, particularly if it is adjacent to a dining table with lots of chairs. In this situation, an overhang to one side, with cupboards to hold crockery, glasses or even space for a wine fridge, all of which face out into the living area, are all good choices.

With an island, you have the ability to create a seating area of any size. Even the smallest of islands can accommodate a work surface overhang with a couple of stools below. The current trend for long, narrow professional kitchen islands, which have the appearance of a restaurant ‘pass’, allows for plenty of seating space. On squarer islands, an integrated table and seating area at one end, set slightly lower, adds somewhere to work away from the food preparation. This is also where you can be a little more playful with the shape, by introducing curves and several levels which are particularly useful if you want the island to perform a variety of functions. Add in plug points and niches specifically for tablets, computers and phones and you’ll soon have all the family gathering round as they work or while their various appliances recharge and it will make the perfect kitchen design that everyone will envy.

Disclosure: A fee was received for this post.