In today’s busy society, professional child day care is becoming more of an everyday necessity. From nursery care workers to personal nannies, there is an array of options to choose from to suit the needs of the carer, the guardian and, of course, the child. The number of dual-income households is on the rise, with increasing numbers of parents needing to work to sustain their lifestyles. This has brought about a shift in childcare, with...

Don’t let a tight budget keep you from redecorating your house. Even if you don’t have a lot of money, there are lots of tricks you can use to brighten up your living space. Use small collectables that you already have to spice up an otherwise empty wall. Secure a number of wooden shelves, one above the other, to the wall and showcase your china plates or similar pieces. You can also display books, which would otherwise be stored in...

In the bustle and excitement of buying a new home, it is easy for practicalities to get swept under the carpet. It’s important to stay focused at this time and make sure you are getting the best deals to minimise unnecessary expenditure. Here are five of the top mistakes to watch out for: 1. Not comparing energy prices – Staying with existing providers for utilities saves the paperwork and potential penalties involved in changing. However...

Look to any decent sized city and you will find homes, hotels, and restaurants decorated in the style of a foreign locale. There is something that captivates those of us who are not French about the French furniture styles or those of us who are not Spanish with the Spanish styles. For the individual the choice to decorate a space in such a manner might be driven by a wonderful holiday we once had in Paris and for the business it could be that...

Aren’t we all ready to ring in Spring? One way to do that is by bringing in some bright colours into your daily wardrobe. Nothing will take you out of that winter funk faster than replacing a brown wool scarf with a pumpkin orange silk one. And, if you are on the slow road to transition from the cold season to warm one that will suffice. Just stick to perking things up with simple accessories. However, if you want to run at warp speed into...

I have come across a very impressive retrofit on a Grade II listed structure and am now motivated to do the same to our home. The house just won second place in the Retrofit Project Awards. Not only did they maintain the overall integrity of the building but made changes that will save them money long term. This has prompted me to create a plan of my own that will enable me to cut back on energy and carbon yet still keep my beloved linen sofa...

I am inspired to travel to different locales quite often by unexpected influences in my daily life. Recently, I attended a performance of Madame Butterfly, and the desire to visit Nagasaki, the setting for the opera took over me. Of all of the places that I have travelled, I have yet to have the good fortune to step foot on the soil of Japan. Certainly, it will be years before I follow through on this yearning to make it there. However, I will...

Sometimes we can get stuck on what to give someone as a gift. We rack our brains and are only able to remember one thing of interest to them. Such as the fact that uncle Harold is a wine know it all, cousin Reese is a huge fan of rugby, or that grandma loves her garden more than her own relatives. Which would be just fine if these were not the same thing everyone else recalls about these people, so that area will already be covered. Don’t...

Baby gifts can be tough to pick out, if the giver wants something that will stand apart from the rest of the bunches that will be offered. In this instance I always go with the obvious, but with a twist. The baby blanket is one thing that is on that fall back list of baby shower gifts, but that will be irrelevant if you outshine everyone else with the end all be all blankie all the way from France. The company, Doudou et Compagnie of Paris makes...

For quite some time now, the open floor plan has been the thing to have. The ideal being to be able to communicate with friends or visitors who sit in the living room space while you prepare nibbles, or an entire meal. But I never took to this way of living, personally I do not care to have a view of the messy kitchen when my family or guests sit down at the dinning table. Nor do I care to be an unwilling observer of game day televised sporting...