The first one of these I laid our eyes on made me loose my hearts. It simple involved a spare corner of a room with the rest being allocated for an entirely different purpose. The owner called it something other than the mom zone, they chose the mom cave but just like the space, the term is meant to be adapted to fit the individual’s ideal.

This is a space that required little in the way of furniture, but there are some necessary, for this is not a workout area, and a yoga mat is NOT going to cut it. Although, piping in some soothing tunes would be a nice touch. It’s not a transitional space either, so carrying in a chair to sit on is not going to make the cut either. This is a permanent set up, and it should have mom written all over it.

If you want some imagery think of the little nook finer hotels tend to create in their rooms. Usually they consist of a refined chair large enough to get cosy on, or a chaise lounger…..even better. Line up the decorative pillows (and yes you can include one for your kitty or doggy too) and other elements that bring you joy, such as a super soft beautiful throw blanket.

In addition, you should include a side table to hold whatever your beverage or snackies of choice are when you sink into your zone. Also, obtain either a floor lamp, or one to sit on the table next to you, making it easy for you to sink into a good read, or shut the world out by clicking off the lights altogether.

Whatever you truly love, whatever brings a smile to your face use to decorate the remainder of the space. Consider purchasing a piece of art to hang on the wall that no one else give their input on. Or, maybe like me you are a lover of wonderful quotes, which look so dreamy when hand written in calligraphy and framed. Not much to gather, like I said, no huge expense here. In fact, not even a great imposition of space being taken up. Just your claim t a little piece of the family home.

One opportunity would be property investment. Such an investment would involve purchase, sale and rental of real estate properties like houses, apartments, townhouses, buildings, and land. Investment in real estate would encompass not only knowledge of property prices with the legalities involved, but core knowledge of industry trends in the next five to ten years. Income can be generated normally, by buying low, and selling high. Another option would be to buy a new property and lease it until there is an option to sell it at a lucrative price. For those with enough risk capital, they can opt to buy properties when prices are low and wait it out until property values making a large profit.

In the United Kingdom, with multifarious investment alternatives, people have come to realise that investments in real estate tend to be more reliable in the long-run. Compared to other investment options, appreciation in property values have increased ten-fold in the last 20 years making it desirable for investors not only in the United Kingdom but other countries like – Taiwan, China, India and the United States among others.

The UK property market is starting to improve and over the last couple of years and the number of house sales this year has grown by 17% compared to the previous year. This was due primarily due to an increase in first-time house buyers who enjoyed the termination of the stamp duty on homes under the £250,000 threshold. House prices are contracting though, but at controllable levels which is less than any price drop in the last 18 months. Despite this, the market outlook still runs optimistic for the next several years.

To further boost the real estate market, the government adopted a two-fold scheme:

1) New buy scheme which offers £100,000 mortgage on newly built or brand new homes to help  the financial burden for first time buyers. Although an affordable mortgage is available in UK, this is still out of reach for many buyers. The government therefore, used this as a marketing tool to help propel the building industry and boosting sales. The required deposit is also pegged at just 5% of the real property value, thus easing further the financial cost to would- be buyers.

2) The right to buy scheme has also been again implemented. This scheme gives the right to tenants, 2 million in number, to buy their council homes at a minimal price and at a discount of around £75,000. This scheme is far better than any housing scheme adopted by the government in the last couple of years.

Due to these schemes, the market outlook for the United Kingdom is really positive.

Thus when you go to decorate the space in which you entertain, you should do so with this intention behind each purchase. If you are eco-conscious, and love to be out amongst nature then show it with a trail of colours and prints found in nature. For example, lay out a rug with a leaf design, a lacquered chartreuse coffee table, and framed illustrations of plants.

If you are living life with gusto then replicate that in the furnishings, bold vibrant colours such as orange and yellow will tell your story. Not only should you choose store bought articles that reflect your vibe, Display those edible orange and lemons that you are growing right outside.

Not everything in life has to be cut and dry, and this is definitely true of your décor. You need not be pigeonholed into red and black for modern, or other typecasting. This is your stage, choose a set that will provide the accurate scene for you.

To get started select at least two latex paint colors (one of two gallons, and the other of a quart). Should you want to bring in more color, chose one or more additional paints in the amount of a quarter gallon too. Also grab a drop cloth, paint rollers and painter’s tape.

Lay the drop cloth down, and place the rug over it. Paint the whole rug in your predominant base color, after this has dried, use the tape to map out stripes. Then paint in the additional colors of choice. Then, presto change, you have an improved, attractive rug.

It will not take much time, or money to bring it back to life. It is also a pretty good project to get children over the age of five involved in, as long as they no longer have the urge to try and eat paint.

If you think that all of these stickers are a bit childlike, then you may be surprised with all of the subject matter that is covered. One wall art shop alone may offer inspirational words, floral patterns, music, animals, countries, tribal, clocks sports, and geometric shapes. Or you can always easily find simple repetitive ornamental pieces like fleur de lis, hearts, or shells.

Much like the craze in the 80’s of the wall border, these spruce up a vacant space in a jiffy. These actually seem easier than the borders of the past, as these you do not have to get exactly straight. Should you apply them a little catawampus, or tilted, it will probably just ad to the quirky appeal. The greatest thing with these is that there truly is something for everyone. If it a tattoo like image, an art deco façade, or just a retro pattern you can have it. Now there truly is no excuse for bare walls.

The steps are 1. Select a premade wreath of dried grapevine, pinecones or whatever catches your eye 2. Pick out your embellishments of ornaments, berries, garlands or ribbons 3. Attach those goodies to the basic wreath, then step back and assess if more needs to be added.

One last thing, I always like to make a couple smaller versions of the large personalised wreath to place in and around the house. It brings continuity to the space, and is easy and cost effective since you already have all of the supplies.

When they unexpectedly stop by to leave their package, they seemingly also find their way inside for a visit. Simply offering them a coffee and a store bought cookie seems weak, so how about providing something more inventive, and impressive.

To do this, do a search for “last minute” appetisers and you will be greeted with numerous recipes that can be whipped up in under ten minutes. The fact that they involve so little effort, and time dedication makes me feel a bit cheeky even referring to them as recipes. Some of my standby items are dips with cut fresh vegetables. Honestly, that actually takes the same amount of time as making a cup of coffee, or tea. Not to mention it is probably one of the healthiest items they will be offered all season.

And if you hand over that emergency gift to them and them pop off to the kitchen you will gain a few extra moments to whip up your snack, and you avoid the response the individual makes to the present. Win, Win.

While I am kidding about shaving your dog or cat, I am also a pet lover and know the on going battle of the shedding all too well. The options I have come across are to a. use a lint roller or brush. The Roller, with the sticky disposable sheets can become pricey if you have a lot to pick up, often. The brush works well on curtains, but I have had difficulty with it on horizontal items, but it might just be the one I have, and not all. Then there is the use of a regular sponge when both wet and dry, or a sponge picked up at the pet store that is marketed specifically for this purpose. The sponge has done the best job for me overall, but then I have large dogs whom I have to clean up after daily.

The prints are all handmade using those old blocks and the overall effect is one that is more than just eye catching. They have actually elevated sports memorabilia to an artistic form that could grace the walls of any home or office. The prints use catchy phrasing, and muted colours, but are outstanding in everyway. I for one surprised that I am such a fan, considering I have no interest in team sports whatsoever. But nonetheless, I am routing this lovely couple, and their home grown business on from the sideliners.

1.  Put a cover on your mattress
Protect both your mattress and pillows with washable covers. This will fend off stains and, as they are easily washable, you know they will be nice and clean if you do your part.

2.  Air your mattress
Now, this is one I was not familiar with. While it can be tempting to make your double bed the moment you get out of it you should actually pull back the covers for 20 minutes each morning. This allows your body moisture to evaporate and airs things out.

3.  Turn your mattress regularly
Yes they mean it when they tell you upon purchase that you should turn your mattress regularly. This will allow the upholstery and fillings to settle evenly. So you should turn your mattress over every three to four months. I have also been told that when your mattress is new you should do this more regularly, as in you should do this every week for the first three months. Seems a little too labor intensive to me, but at least I passed the message on.

4.  Unwrap your mattress
When you buy a new mattress, don’t leave it in its plastic wrapper for too long, even if you are not going to use it right away. Do however, remove the polythene as soon as possible as otherwise there could be a build up of condensation which can cause dampness, mildew and other unsightly and unpleasant things.

5.  Vacuum your mattress
You should vacuum your mattress and bed base each time you do a clean of your home (which is hopefully every week, or just about) to get rid of dust and fluff. However, this should be done with caution so no damage to the mattress is done.

6.  Don’t put a mattress on the wrong base
Check to see that your mattress will match up your bed base and box spring. Otherwise, the bed might feel great, but will probably look a tad bit odd.