A pipe leaking is up there with the most dreaded of homeowner nightmares. But one homeowner turned it around and made the most of replacing the floor after a leak sprang up in the utility room.
Nicola Hill from Stoke on Trent, decided to embrace the silver lining and transform her utility room floor completely. And wow she did an amazing job, and best of all using a homemade DIY stencil (yes, really!) and two shades of paint the whole job cost less than £50.
After discovering a leak in the room Nicola was left with no choice than to take up the laminate. What she discovered underneath were 1960s tiles which were in great condition, albeit splashed with old paint.
Seeing that the floor was inn a workable condition Nicola decided to save on the budget and do some savvy DIY. She first set about cleaning them. However after using an acidic tile cleaner, the tiles were left with a white powdery coating that wouldn’t budge. Not good enough to leave bare, so she had an idea.
Nicola then decided to totally transform the tiles by creating an amazing geometric floor pattern using stencils and Frenchic paint – and she spent just £40 to £50 on the entire project.
‘I came up with the floor idea from seeing other people’s outdoor patio areas on Facebook’ she told Latest Deals.
To make this makeover all the more impressive, Nicola’s partner actually made the stencil by hand after she made an error with measurements.
She explains, ‘My partner is a maths teacher so the maths side of it was worked out by him, although I ordered the wrong size stencil as I didn’t listen to him! He therefore made me one from a cardboard box which allowed the repeat pattern to work on the 9” tile.’
‘The stencil was made out of dense cardboard – a Ted Baker dress box actually!’ – see, we knew it was a fashionable design!
Image credit: Nicola Hill
She started the stencilling from the middle, working outwards. Detailing, ‘I used masking tape and used a limited amount of paint on the stencil brush to do the first coat and dried it with a hairdryer, then applied a second coat by dabbing the stencil brush.’
Nicola shares details of the colours in the stencil, they are After Midnight and Blackjack. Both also Frenchic Paint.
‘I did every other tile first so as not to smudge it, then my partner made the edging stencil to fit the border and I did this as I got to the wall.’
After: Nicola’s stencilled utility room floor
Image credit: Nicola Hill
Just goes to show if you have the time and the patience it really pays to get creative. Nicole described the process of stencilling as, ‘painstaking but worth it.’ We’ll say, the new floor looks incredible!
If you are struggling with hayfever this summer of just looking to give your home a breath of fresh air, don’t miss out on the Aldi air purifier.on sale today.
The soaring temperatures this month have made leaving our windows closed out of the question. This can be a nightmare if you suffer from hayfever or live in a city when opening your windows can be a gateway to a sea of pollen and pollution.
Air purifiers are the perfect way to help clean the air in your home, removing pollen, dirt and smoke particles. However, air purifiers do not come cheap. Some models can set you back upwards of £100.
That is where Aldi’s latest special buy comes in. The bargain supermarket is selling a compact home air purifier for just £59.99. Trying to find an air purifier at a better price than that is tough. You can trust us because we tried.
The Easy Home air purifier promises to effectively remove approximately 99.9 per cent of pollen, dirt and smoke particles from the surrounding air. It has a built-in timer so that you can set it to run for 1,2,4 or 8 hours before it automatically shuts off.
An LED air quality indicator will light up to let you know that the air purifier is working. The sensor will even change colour to show the air quality, so you know you are breathing fresh air.
The EPA filter will last for 2000 hours of use before needing to be changed. That should hopefully see you through the summer.
However, the best part about this handy gadget is its classic good looks. The purifier is compact with a sleek design. It is available in two colours white and anthracite – which is just a fancy way of saying black.
The purifier is just 21 x 21 x 31.5 cm so will sit comfortably in a kitchen or bedroom without taking up too much space. It is suitable for use in rooms between 20 to 40 metres squared.
Property viewings are, for the most part, a joy. Snooping around other people’s houses, and of course potentially find a new home of dreams. But sometimes it’s not such a pleasant experience, if said houses are not ‘viewing ready’ or presentable.
As it turns out that is so often the case more than you’d think – as almost half of Brits have described a property viewing as ‘disgusting’. Citing filthy carpets, dirty dishes in the sink and the smell of cats as some of the most prominent reasons.
The recent study of 2,000 adults also found clutter and general mess are also among the most off-putting things, when viewing potential new homes.
Image credit: James Gardiner
The research also reveals the plight of not putting together a strong selection of photos for online viewing to entice renters and buyers is causing issues. With three quarters of those polled saying how important it is to have visuals of the property before they even consider going to see it in real life.
Worryingly, 56 per cent admitted they had been put off a property before even viewing, purely because of the pictures taken of the inside.
So could it be bad photos that are preventing you from selling or renting your home?
Tips to improve house viewings
Image credit: Holly Jolliffe
To help avoid making a bad impression there are some savvy tricks of the trade landlords employ. Those include baking bread, brewing fresh coffee and hiding all evidence of pets – all to catch the eye of the potential renters and buyers.
Research found the average adult spends an average of 70 minutes cleaning and tidying a home before a viewing.
Most likely because the most popular ways to present a home in the most attractive light are said to be vacuuming everything, ensuring the house is tidy and looking free from clutter.
Over four bitesize episodes, interior designer Mo Vernon offers further tips on how to stage your home and shoot the perfect showcase video to attract renters.
Have you been put off buying a house for any of these ‘disgusting’ reasons?
Acquiring good everyday jewelry has become a beloved hobby of mine. A gal can never have too much in my opinion and it should come as no surprise that EHD is no stranger to a delicate necklace or tiny gold hoop. With the exception of an occasional statement earring (usually inspired by the one and only Veronica Crawford), we frequently don delicate gold pairings because some cute yet subtle gold jewelry always levels up an outfit — even if it’s a t-shirt and jeans. A few delicate pieces can effortlessly make an outfit look more pulled together and that is peak efficiency. So since we are all quite passionate about these gems on our bodies, today we are FINALLY sharing our everyday favorites along with the ones we have our eyes on right now.
Emily’s Favorites
Gorjana Bali Antique Locket Necklace: I bought this for a fashion shoot and am so surprised by how much I love it. Also, Birdie says every day “but mama, when are you going to put a picture of me and Charlie in there?” SOON. It’s just pretty (and $65 is pretty affordable for special sentimental jewelry).
A while back Brain bought me a customizable necklace that says ‘Bird and Bear’ on it (for Birdie and Charlie Bear) and it’s just so sweet and dainty and special to me. I think we all know this, that personalized gifts are kinda the best, so thank you, Brian.
Love Knot Ring: This was an anniversary gift from Brain a few years ago and it’s another piece that is so special to me. I love it and still wear it every day.
Sara’s Favorites:
Chain Necklace: Gold paperclip chains are very trendy right now, and I’m not immune to their charms. So in an attempt to see how I could manage three necklaces at a time (I usually wear a nameplate necklace, and my “M” initial necklace), I ordered this sweet little chain. So far all three are playing very nicely together.
Initial Necklace: This was an anniversary gift from Mac 4 years ago, and I still wear every. Single. Day. I asked for it (demand probably isn’t too strong a word), because I wanted something I could wear every day and think of him. I truly enjoy and cherish it 24/7, and it hasn’t rusted, faded, bent, or broken in all that time. I never take it off, including the pool, ocean, and shower.
Initial Earrings: I love an initial piece. I wear the “M” initial necklace from Maya Brenner every day (“M” for Macauley). But I felt like I needed something that represented me – so I searched “initial earring” and this is the one that called to me. Now I’ve got a little “S” always on my left ear.
Hoop Earrings: These were an investigative purchase, to see if huggie hoops were the right hoop for me (I’ve traditionally worn endless hoops, which I love, but are much more difficult to take off and sometimes I just want to sleep without my hoops). Guess what, they are! I love the ease of being able to pop them on and off, and I like the chunky-ness they have. So now I feel ready to invest in a 14k gold pair from here.
Double-Sided Earring: Targeted ads are a thing, and they work very well on me! If I’m remembering correctly, this little friend was a “sponsored” recommendation, and I instantly fell in love. My one concern was how secure it would be without a backing, but I’ve been wearing it 24/7 on my right ear for the past two months now and it hasn’t budged.
Solar Ring: I was getting Mac a ring for his birthday, and spied this daintier version and caved. It’s simple and understated, but still somehow manages to elevate an outfit.
Jess’s Favorites:
The Sun Necklace: This was a piece I bought in Barcelona last year and I fell for it as soon as I saw it. It’s both simple and unique which gives a little oomph to whatever I’m wearing. It has tarnished a little because I literally don’t take it off (the shower is the real problem). But anytime I look in the mirror and see it, I smile (something that’s actually priceless).
Initial Charm: My newest edition! I plan to eventually get it its own chain but I love the modern vintage look it adds to my collection. It feels unique to me (the fact it has my initial might have something to do with that). It’s perfectly delicate and a little fancy which really helps me feel more put together when leggings and t-shirts are my current uniform.
Ryann’s Favorites:
Gold Hoop Earrings: A classic gold hoop is essential and these ones are the perfect size in my opinion. They are my everyday hoop earring but I like to wear these chunky ones for a fancier look.
Zodiac Necklace: This has been my favorite necklace for years. Even when I lose it or accidentally break it (which has regrettably happened twice) I buy a new one. It says Gemini in Old English font and it layers really well with any other gold necklace.
Initial Necklace: Apparently everyone needs an initial necklace. This one is very subtle and it’s also very cute to layer with.
Not pictured: This bracelet that my boyfriend gave me for my birthday that I also wear daily. I love the bolo-tie clasp and it’s simple enough to wear all the time so I rarely take it off.
Earrings: I’ve been working on moving my “delicate gold earrings” towards “kinda delicate but more interesting than just regular gold hoop” earrings. Does that even make sense? Hopefully. But anyway, these are fun bc they’ve got FRINGE.
Rings: I lose my rings constantly and it’s definitely a problem, but these are the ones that made it out. I love an opal so here’s a link to a similar opal ring to the one I wear every day and the other stackable rings are really old Madewell so here are some more similar ones!
Necklace: I LOVE a layered necklace but if you read my jewelry storage post, you would know that they always get tangled and I still need to order my storage solution.
Thanks, gals! Like I said, you can never have too much gold jewelry so here are some more we have our eyes on:
Now you know our favorites and because we can’t get enough of dainty gold jewelry we would love to hear yours. Drop your favorite jewelry pieces/brands below and let’s chat. xx
Yesterday was hotter than Ibiza and the Caribbean with highs of 35c. The rest of the weekend is due to be a little cooler, but the temperature is still on track to stay above 20c. It’s safe to say a fan is about to become your new best friend.
However, whether you are running your fan for 10-minute bursts or blasting it all night, do you know how much it costs to run a fan?
While an electrical fan might be offering you some relief at the moment, and helping you sleep in the heat. The last thing you want is to be hit with a nasty surprise when your electricity bill comes through.
How much does it cost to run a fan?
Image credit: Nick Pope
The good news is that fans are surprisingly energy-efficient, especially when compared to an electric air-conditioning unit. Research by energy-saving assistant Loop revealed that a 40W fan running for 8 hours cost just 6p. While a 1003W Air conditioning unit running for the same time cost £1.44.
If you want to work out exactly how much your fan of choice costs to run you’ll first need to work out how much electricity it is using. You can do this by checking the wattage. This should be shown on the fan or the instructions leaflet.
Once you know the wattage of your fan, convert this into kilowatt-hours. It might sound complicated, but all you need to do is divide the wattage by 1,000.
Image credit: A_teen / Getty
Then you just multiply the number by the number of hours you are using the fan for. This will give you the amount of electricity you are using per day.
For example, if you have a 50-watt fan, you would divide 50 by 1,000 to get 0.05. If you are using it for ten hours a day, you’ll then multiply 0.05 by 10 giving you 0.5kW. This is how much energy the fan uses in a day.
To work out the cost, you will need to know how much you pay for one unit of energy (1kw). This should be listed on your energy bill.
Image credit: Ti-Media
Multiply the cost of a unit of energy by the kW output of your fan and that will be how much it is costing to run your fan each day.
So if you’re paying 16p for energy, multiply this by 0.5kW and you’ll get 8p as the cost for running a 50watt fan for 10 hours.
If all that multiplying has left you a bit baffled. The experts at ThisisMoney worked out that if a normal household fan (between 25 and 75 watts) was left on every night for a week, it would add no more than £1 to your electricity bill.
Hey hey, party people welcome to FRIYAY! I have been assigned to tackle (yet another) post about alcohol (the last was my easy cocktail making formula for beginners, don’t forget to read it if you haven’t already). Today’s post, however, isn’t about mixing drinks, it’s about creating and styling out the station that houses all the goods to do so. That’s right, we’re talking about…anyone? Anyone? Bueller? THE BAR CART. I know that suspense was killing you, so I won’t make you wait a second more. Let’s get down and dirty on the rocks.
I purchased a bar cart beauty from the one and only Sara so I’m excited to say that it’s being passed down from EHD generation to generation. It’s kind of like your Grandma’s family heirlooms getting passed down except for your Grandma has impeccable style and is only 29. Anyway, Sara was selling this beauty and I pounced on the deal very quickly. Here’s my new bar cart in action (from Sara’s perfectly styled house reveal):
Ain’t she cute?? Now here she is in my empty pile o bricks apartment:
A lil different without the cute styling, professional photography and good lighting…but I’d say this bar cart is still a looker. I saw its potential very early on (well at Sara’s shoot to be exact) and since then I wanted to make it look as good as possible, BUT HOW? I needed some inspiration, so I dug into the EHD archives and pulled some cute styled bar carts from back when Ginny and Brady did their MOTOs. Let’s take a peek:
There’s no denying these bar carts are swoon-worthy…so let’s dissect what makes them SO GREAT. I studied and I fought and I killed for a bar cart formula we now get to build…(is Hamilton suck in your heads too since it came out on Disney plus???). Also, I had some expert help from Julie too:) Anyway here’s the magical EHD no-fail bar cart styling formula:
OUR FOOL-PROOF BAR CART STYLING FORMULA
TOP SHELF:
On one Side: Something tall and sculptural (a vase with greenery is a great option)
In the Middle: Bar tools to actually make your drink (shaker, mixing glass, cocktail spoon, jigger, muddler, etc), everyday glasses and citrus bowl
On the Other Side (because we want to create levels): Most used liquor bottles (either decanted or not, YOU CHOOSE)
BOTTOM SHELF:
On one Side: Tall extra/specialty liquor bottles
In the Middle: Tray (the rug of the bar cart) with extra glassware on top with something small like a candle
On the Other Side: A fun, tall sculptural decor piece (again levels are your design eye’s friend)
So that’s how it’s done. But clearly, I’ve talked the talk but now it’s time to walk the walk… so here it is you guys. My bar cart styling formula in action (with photography by me so please don’t judge):
I told you my photography skills are not quite professional, but look how cute this lil cart looks! Compared to that first photo where it’s empty, I’d say I’m pretty proud of how she turned out. Also, yes I put a decent helping of Casamigos on it bc it’s my favorite and no this is #notsponsored. If you guys want to see me build it I made an IGTV so watch that bad boy here if you want to see how it came together.
Now let’s be real. It wouldn’t be a bar cart post if I didn’t round up a bunch of awesome bar cart accessories (P.S. these might look similar if you shopped my how to make a cocktail for beginners post). If you didn’t read that post and still haven’t clicked on it even though I linked it twice then these will look very fresh cute and new to you (but still read the cocktail post and enjoy the best at-home drinks of your life). Please enjoy these goodies!
Aah, moving into a new-build home can be so satisfying. Everything is brand new and clean. The walls are freshly plastered and painted. Everything works as it should and it’s a perfect blank canvas for you to put your stamp on.
That said, decorating a new build also throws up challenges. For example, a lack of traditional features, such as a fireplace or ornate plasterwork. Or a challenging open-plan layout where it’s hard to know what goes where.
Fortunately for all of us, Queen of Decorating Kelly Hoppen was on our screens on Thursday, with lots of tips on how to decorate a new build.
Kelly’s first caller is Anna, who doesn’t know what to do with her new-build in Lincolnshire ‘The walls are white, and we’ve not really done much in the lounge,’ Anna explains.
‘All your furniture is placed very close to the walls, like you’re almost a bit scared to bring it out,’ says Kelly. ‘To make the room feel much cosier, what you need to do is move your longer sofa away from the wall, and put a console or a shelf behind it and bring the sofa in.’
‘Bring your other sofa in as well, so you are creating seating area.’ Kelly also suggests putting art above the new console table.
2. Don’t put your coffee table too close to the TV
Kelly spots that two of her callers have their coffee tables closer to their TVs than their sofas. Of course, it’s much more helpful to have the table close to your sofa, so you can rest drinks, magazines, books and your remotes on the top.
3. Add a feature wall behind the TV
Image credit: Colin Poole
It can be tempting to stick with your perfectly painted white walls, which will make your room feel fresh and bright. But Kelly believes that’s playing it too safe.
‘Paint the wall behind where the television is, or put some wallpaper up,’ she advises both Kelly and her next caller, Martin.
We can see her logic – so many of us have rather TVs these days, and a dramatic feature wall is going to lessen the impact of the screen on your decor. Like this example made of wood pallets, above.
‘Do something quite dramatic – there are so many amazing wallpapers that you can get, or just paint it a really nice anthracite grey, even,’ Kelly goes on. The latter is a great option if you’re not really into bold colour statements, like Martin.
‘We’re not big fans of colour,’ he replies. ‘I’m a man after your own heart Kelly – I know you like monochrome and so do I.’
If you are creating a feature wall, Kelly also advises keeping it clear of shelves or pictures, for a smarter finish.
4. Use mirrors strategically
New builds often get a bad reputation for having rooms that are smaller than older properties. So Kelly is an advocate of using large mirrors to make a room look bigger. In Anna’s home, she suggests placing the mirror on the wall opposite the French doors that lead onto the garden.
This reflects the garden – and more light – into the space.
5. Keep the curtains simple
image credit: Simon Whitmore
This tip could to apply to any home, new-build or otherwise. Kelly recommends ‘removing any tie-backs from curtains and just having them straight. This is a more modern look,’ she explains.
Other top tips Kelly imparts during the short segment are to make sure you have enough storage to keep clutter levels down, and to paint the interior side of your front door. This can be especially effective where your door opens straight into a living room, offering a stylish and fun pop of colour.
