Whoop! Here it is - first Christmas post! Expect many more over the next few weeks - I've got posts on making door wreaths to tree decorations alongside DIY table setting ideas. First up are my top 5 crafty ideas for making your Christmas gifts look A+. They are also super easy and cheap to do. Wrap your presents early and put them under the tree to enjoy in your home until you have to give them away!
Read MoreWith seasonal decor I always like it to be made with natural elements, rather than being too plastic-fantastic. Halloween you can go a little bit craaayy-zeee, but I still want the decor to look stylish.This year for Halloween I decided that I'd make the most of the steps leading up to my front door and experiment with painting pumpkins and using flowers in the design, rather than traditional carving.
Read MoreI'm sure i've probably mentioned this before, but I'm a sucker for a door wreath. They are such a brilliant decoration to celebrate an occasion/season, and they really add serious kerb appeal to your home. Everyone loves to walk past and look at a home with a beautiful door wreath don't they? Autumn provides the easiest and the cheapest opportunity for a door wreath, as you can pick the supplies up scattered all around outside in the street! Conkers, acorns, dried leaves in a multitude of reds, yellows and browns are all great to use on a home-made Autumn wreath, so it's a great craft to do with kids as you can get them to run around sourcing all the bits!
Read MoreIf there is one thing to make me add a restaurant to my 'never to return' list (apart from no-reservation policies - what is all that about???), it's serving me a glass of wine in the kind of tumbler you used to get your water in with your school dinner. Being a grown up, and probably paying way over a fiver for a glass of wine, I'm pretty partial to having it in a decent glass. As you can imagine, when LSA International (the official sponsor of the Amara Interior Blog Awards 2016) wanted to gift me some of their glass pieces for making the Best DIY & Craft Award shortlist, I was delighted! LSA International are celebrating 50 years of production this year, and you can see why their products are still regular features on wedding gift lists with their beautiful collections of handblown glass, porcelain, leather, wood and enamelled steel.
Read MoreMy front door is very visible from my street, so on holidays and occasions I like to DIY a wreath to hang out the front. It gives the house a lot more kerb appeal and they are always fun to make. Of course, you can buy seasonal wreaths in the shops, but they start from around £18 upwards for something 'decent', when you can purchase all the basic materials to put together an Easter wreath from haberdashery and craft shops for under a fiver...
Read More