How to Love Spending Time In Your Garden

It’s the house itself that accounts for the bulk of the property’s value, but the outdoor areas aren’t nothing. In fact, in the UK, studies have shown that usable outdoor space can account for up to 20% of the property’s value, and it’s even higher in areas where spacious gardens are hard to come by(we’re looking at you, London).

So yes, if the garden is valuable, the question is: why do so few people spend time in theirs? It might have something to do with the UK’s weather (OK, forget that, the climate is definitely a factor), but still. Done correctly, a good garden will essentially become an additional living area, one that elevates your lifestyle at home.

In this post, we’ll run through a few strategies that can take your garden from ‘forgotten space’ to ‘star of the show’ in a matter of months.


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A Dreamy Weekend Escape to Holt, North Norfolk

Sometimes you just need to press pause on being "mum and dad" and remember what it's like to be you. That's exactly what my husband Jamie and I did last weekend when we escaped to the beautiful town of Holt in North Norfolk and honestly, it was absolute bliss.

Garden Upgrades To Get Done During Low-Use Season

In most homes, the garden isn’t in use throughout the whole year. When the summer sun dips down and it gets cold and rainy outside, we tend to leave the garden until the spring rolls back round.

But it’s in this period that we can get the most work done. After all, no one wants to spend quality time out there when there’s no weather for it, which makes fixing any issues in the yard or lawn a lot cheaper! 

As such, here are a few of the best garden upgrades to get done during the low-use season.

4 Practical Tips to Make a Rental House Feel Like Home

It’s natural to end up renting a house or an apartment for years on-end before you’re able to buy one of your own. But, that doesn’t mean you’ll want to wait that long to feel like you have something of your own. You’ll want to make a rental house feel like home. 

Image Credit: Tierra Mallorca from Unsplash.

Countless people feel that way and want to do something about it, but they often don’t know where to start. Thankfully, it doesn’t need to be too hard.

The Small Home Upgrade That Makes Mornings Less Chaotic

Every parent will be well in tune with the morning chaos that comes from having a family. Shoes magically disappear, costs pile up on the floor, and school bags somehow get left behind. The result usually means stress, raised voices, and often being late. 

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The truth is, it’s not usually the big things that cause this; it's all the small things adding together. Every day, clutter gets in the way of the front door when you are trying to get everyone out. There's one easy upgrade you can do to help get you out of this mess. And that turning your porch into a space that gets you organised and really helps you leave your home with ease. 

Coping with Grief when You've Lost a Loved One

If you have lost someone, then you will know how devastating this can be. At the same time, you have to remember that part of what makes losing someone so hard to deal with is the fact that you are experiencing an intense level of fear, stress and sadness. It’s very common, and although you may never recover from losing someone, there are steps you can take to try and improve your mental health.

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How to Sprinkle in Your Personality When You're Planning Your Funeral

It’s incredibly eerie, right? Like, thinking about your own funeral isn’t exactly anyone’s idea of a fun afternoon. But at the same time, you know for a fact that doing this is going to help your loved ones, so they hopefully won’t be as stressed out. So, most people would rather chat about holidays or dinner plans than talk about caskets and ceremonies. Which, of course, is super understandable; no one knows what happens after death, and so planning for the end might be inevitable, but it’s still so terrifying.

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But honestly, planning ahead gives you a chance to actually make your final send-off reflect who you are. Nowadays, anyone over 50 can usually plan and even pre-pay for their funeral. It’s becoming more common for people who like to stay organised, those who want to take the stress off their family, or anyone who fancies going out in style. Basically, it’s not about being morbid. It’s about turning something inevitable into a celebration of a life lived, and adding those personal touches that make people say, “That was so them.”

Just Pick a Theme that Feels Like You

Seriously, just forget the one-size-fits-all approach. Honestly, if you’re lucky enough to plan your own funeral, why even settle for that? Like, if you adore the beach, why not ask for sand and seashells incorporated into the décor? If you were the life of the party, your funeral doesn’t have to be all hushed tones and tissues. Sure, people will still cry their eyes out, but it’s a better send-off than those templates for every funeral, right?

Like, think about playlists that reflect your taste (instead of Amazing Grace), food you actually loved, or even a dress code that tells people to ditch black in favour of something brighter. Seriously, funerals don’t have to feel like everyone is following an outdated script. They can feel personal, because they should.

Think About the Entrance and Exit

This is the moment people will always remember, so it should feel fitting. For some, it’s about keeping it traditional. And yeah, that’s fine, because you can choose your own pallbearers (since the dead usually don’t get to have a say in that).

For others, it might mean adding a twist, like choosing a unique funeral car is one way to make that moment unforgettable. For example, something motorcycle themed, or a classic-like car, can be an option rather than just the standard funeral car that the funeral home has. Besides, it sets the tone instantly. It’s the sort of detail that makes guests smile and think, “Of course they chose that.”

Write Your Own Playlist

Needless to say, music is powerful. It‘s what tells a story, creates emotion, and leaves an impression long after the service is over. Instead of leaving the decision to someone else, curate your own playlist. Sometimes, you can just make one on YouTube or Spotify, and just have the link to it in your funeral plans (or write down the list of sounds too.

For example, you don’t have to settle with Amazing Grace, and instead can request to have Spirit in the Sky play instead (which is a more upbeat goodbye song if you think about it. But overall, just pick songs that you want people to hear that they will be tied to moments with you, not just the ceremony.

K Elizabeth xoxox

*Collaborative Post

Don’t Love Your Home? 4 Strategies to Turn Things Around

Given how much time you spend there and how much they cost, it’s reasonable to expect that you should love your property. That, alas, isn’t always the case. Some homeowners have a more complicated relationship with their properties. If you’re in that boat, then fear not, because there are plenty of tried and tested strategies to make things better.


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