The British Homemaker - One day at a time

Last July, I took the plunge and set up a simple blog to share the short stories that I'd written over the years. It wasn't until I was having a clear-out on my pc that I came across them. I have tended to write them, stick them in the folder and then forget them. So, over time, there has been quite a lot built up. Through July and August, I shared summer and generic themed stories, but with September already upon us, I have themed back-to-school and autumn stories to keep in line with the moment. As you may see a pattern setting here, I will also be adding Halloween, winter and Christmas stories through the rest of the seasons too. All the short stories I share on A Writer's Journey are free to read. They are also included in compilation books that are currently being added to Kindle Unlimited and Amazon. The books have extra stories, as well as there being longer stories. The current average word count for the regular free stories is around 5000 words, so it makes for a g...

 If you saw my post a couple of weeks ago (which I've since deleted), I apologise that I didn't upload. I have been wrapped up with a trilogy book I am writing and every spare minute I get, I spend on it. My deadline is fast approaching and the panic is slowly setting in.  However, amidst the craziness of my life, somewhere between college runs, food shopping and homemaking, I have managed to do draft a post that I've scheduled for this coming weekend. It's a collection of autumn slow cooker meals, batch cooking and some homemade granola balls.  For now, I'd like the thank Frankie and Mary for sharing this blog, once I get it set up as part of my routine (I have set work hours because I work from home) there will be some fun and useful stuff that I'll share.  If you aren't following my Facebook page, what are you waiting for? Hop on over and give it a cheeky like! All my blog posts will be shared over there and I plan to share lots of other things that may n...

Working on some new projects for my business I was rather surprised how often I’m asked if I sell individually cut fabric letters. Eventually I got the message, so now I’m adding a new range to both Design my Room Uk and Design my Party Uk (website still being re-built).   So till 30th June I am offering free Uk postage, basic rate for Eu and everywhere else. These are available in sizes from 1” up to 12” in a wide range of colours and patterns and ideal for any kind of personalising, cushions, buntings, clothing, blankets and more. This offer is only available if this blog post is quoted! Hop over to the blog linked above for more information. Debs

Having taken almost a month off of the computer (except must-do's) I've come to miss this little spot so while I've been off on my jollies I've been working on some homemaking posts that will be pre-posted 3 or 4 times per week. At the moment I'm on an organising mission, I want each room in my home to be simple, organised and workable. I've shared some simple storage ideas in the last post (scroll down) and I have more to come. I've also been using some systems created by some awesome bloggers, they too will be shared b/c after using them myself I feel sure in endorsing them from here. However, there's no time like the present to share something, right? :) Measuring Flower  has become my new source for all things to get organised. Compiling a home file has made it easy for me to keep all the important stuff in one place. Think emergency, grab and go, everything you'll need is there. Job done! Measuring Flower is owned by an awesome lady wh...

I love being organised, I love colours so put the two together and I probably go a little overboard! I've put together a few of the simple things I've invested in that saves me heaps of space as well as time looking for things. Of course, there's the added bonus that the kids will put things where they belong, ok there's hope! ;) Cutlery drawer. Upon the insistence of my daughter, I was happy with my pretty tins on the window but I must admit, this does kinda look better :) Having just 4 drawers in my kitchen I am hell bent on limiting what goes in them, I admit I do feel the need for a junk draw but it's not this one, nope, its one full of manuals, menus and other paper products 'just in case' and I'm ok with that! This draw sorts the most used things and a teeny tiny little pot for small junk ;) I was so fed up of washing powder leaking over the worktop so I had a brainwave. This 3 drawer unit is perfect. Each drawer holds approx...

I haven't done any kind of tutorial for such a long time so when I saw something on Pinterest that I fell in love with I knew it was time. Fabric from Nortex Mill Any ideas yet? Ok, here's a clue! I'll be showing a full tutorial when I've made it. Debs

Hands up if Ikea makes your palms go sweaty, heart racing and brings you to your knees with sheer excitement? Yep, me too :) So a few weeks ago I decided to see if their reputation for fitted units was really true, or if I'd have to get the saw out and do some additional alterations for a shelving system in  my kitchen. I was not disappointed, in fact, the measurements were totally spot on for the space I wanted to fill! The Expedit range - ideal for almost anywhere in the home/office. You see, my kitchen is a multi-function room. Not only do we cook/eat there but I do my crafting/work there too and now it's where Charley does his school work. Storage shouldn't have been a problem in this house, it's quite big for a 3 bed but somehow I needed all the storage in the same room. It was by accident that I came across this range so I took the plunge. My too much growing amount of craft stuff (even though I have decluttered and rehomed much of it) meant that if I...

I'm always grateful that my kids will help around the house, not only their usual 3 tasks per day but anything I need doing, within reason. Since my arthritis diagnosis I've been less able to maintain the home to the standard I like so we've become more of a team than ever before. With Charley being 9 now he's not past the visual glory of reward charts and chores lists so when I saw this project yesterday I loved it. I knew Charley and Kirsten would too for a couple of reasons. I wonder if other parents make the same mistake I do... Taken from Discount Queens I am constantly being told off for giving the kids too many jobs in one go! I keep a file that has the entire household management system in place {which I'll talk about on another post}This door hanger is perfect as the kids can do it themselves, you chop and change what chores need doing in the room and the kids just swap the place where they pegs are. And you can get as creative as you like with makin...

Day 2:  Tell us all about your favourite craft gadget and why it’s just the bees knees OR Craft something that has a summer theme This one is a tough one to decided between, in short my favourite craft gadget is my sewing machine, Kitty. She is easy, fast, modern and just never lets me down! Once Kitty and I get started we are lost in our own lushness for hours on end :) I decided to hike with the summer theme though, simply because I don't have photos of Kitty but I do of the one corner of my garden right now... Just in case you missed it, I love colour! Having such a long winter meant I had to enjoy the British weather as much as I could while I could...so out came the spray paint! Nothing was spared left out :) The old wrought iron parasol stand got the green... bright green! A metre of lush fabric from Nortex Mill and the table looks happy! Since I took these photos the rotary washing line is now a bright purple and I've decided to paint the p...

I can't even say the title without laughing out loud! There was a time I was avid at blogging, always looking for something fun, tip worthy and/or humourous to share but for a while now I have been focusing on the business. With setbacks attributed to the arthritis and other life events I have focused more on the real life of creating party collections than I have online, in fact, I sit here, at the computer for the first time in two weeks. Seriously! However, when it was suggested in one of my groups about getting daily blog ideas for the whole month of June my brain done somersaults! I knew I had to take Kairen up on this and I got all hot and dancy! ;) So from today....come join us....that link up there on the right.... see it? Hop on over to join the fun...oh and link up too, we'll all join you on your blog as well :) Last but not least, I have added a page {up top} to list anyone who is joining in....so link me your blog in the comments and when I've commented...

Do you like white Christmas trees? I have to be honest I have never, ever liked or appreciated them, that is until I saw my moms last year and I kinda sorta maybe almost liked it, a teeny, tiny bit! Being in temporary accommodation when Christmas came last year we had zero tree/decorations so I set out building my own, or at least I planned to when my mom offered me to use her green one. The kids jumped at it and who was I to say no? I mean, they'd had so much to deal with for the previous 8 months that I was going to do anything to put some magic back in their lives if only for a couple of weeks. I think I should learn to stop digressing! ;) This week I went into town to get a couple of things I'd 'added' to my list, one being a 6' white Christmas tree. Now for those of you that know me in real life will know that my Christmas tree is the pride of the season seconded only to the Saviour himself. I usually have a huge one, 8' high by 5' wide at the...

I raise this post from a couple of years ago as this is what I a working on this week. I wanted some quick and easy but effective blinds for the two front bedroom windows for my daughters room in our former home, after a few ideas I came across this style on one of my favourite blogs which hit me perfectly upside the head! I knew they were perfect. As I a considering how I want to dress the two windows in my room this style keeps jumping around in my head, only in red and white {they are my room colours} I would just swap the black for the red but the style would be exactly the same. The best thing about this style is you simply sew the two fabrics together once cut to size, add three tabs to the bottom to fold over and hook onto three stitched on buttons {I used black buttons with red flowers hot glued on top of those} Because the fabric is polycotton it is lightweight so you don't need a drill or nails double sided velcro is perfect for hanging. I would suggest, for hea...

Christmas is a little late in our house this year. 11 days too late to be precise. First we decided we’d get a fresh tree so we moved round the living room, re-homed the piano to the dining room, swapped the display unit in the hall and voila, one room ready for a super tall, super wide tree. Just not on the 1st December! Severe weather conditions meant that many of the tree’s weren’t able to be delivered here so we were on ‘hold’. Through this last week whilst waiting to get internet connection by the new supplier (see The British Homemaker Diary for more info) I worked through my to-do list like it was a marathon. The temptation was almost overwhelming to just give in and go buy an artificial one. Today I’m glad we didn’t! This baby has made himself totally at home in the living room, so much so we had to cut his diet branches back an inch or two! Next challenge comes from the erm, lack or ornaments! Last  year I gave a lot away and dumped the rest. The few I kept ar...

Whilst going through my costume jewellery I noticed how some of my nicest pieces were getting rather squashed in the box so I had a bit of an idea. Downstairs I was in the midst of ripping apart a cd holder unit, the slots that hold the cd’s came out in whole pieces, turn them sideways and look what you get: When I get to it I shall spray paint it to match the accessories colour for the room and add some co-coordinating cardstock to the stripy bit and most likely add a favourite word, such as…nope, can’t think! So for now its a bit erm, cheap and original as well as practical! Another idea I had, which was totally by accident but one that I shall keep (though it needs some decorating): Now I don’t mind admitting that I don’t really like all these extra things hanging around, I hate clutter, but having just a handful of items on my dresser (yes another thing that needs a makeover!!) is enough for it to be just right!! Debs 

At the start of each month I work out what goals the kids can reasonably aim for the following month. Whilst doing this this evening I was curious to who else does this. Do you? For a few months now I pre-plan things for Charley that he is either working on at school, in church, at beavers or just things around the house that he is old enough to learn. I don’t have the kind of home where the kids are busy every day, I think that is far too much and takes a lot away from their childhood, and besides, Charley loves nothing more than to be in his playroom with all his toys or battling a game out on the Wii . However, there are times when he’s a little too comfortable doing this and I feel he is missing out on other things, so a while back I come up with the idea of goal setting. Nothing drastic, just minor rewards for reasonable expectations. For November Charley is already working on: Daily scripture reading from The Book of Mormon Stories Daily reading/letter s...