A Scented House

We are smelly people in that we love a house that smells (nice). While I would love to have the time to ensure that the house constantly smells of fresh baked bread I haven’t sadly. I’ve done everything in the past from putting tumble dryer sheets down the back of the radiator (this works actually but you get bored of the same smell fairly quickly) and placed fresh flowers everywhere (Roy and I like different floral smells and living in what looks like a florist can get expensive).

Herbs from the garden have been used to scent the house however they don’t last long and with rooms with high ceilings the scent doesn’t seem to fill the room like I’d want it to.

diffuser

What I do not like are air freshener sprays, gel thingies and other air-clogging artificial smelling home scents. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve tried everything from the humble plugin to the mighty revolving motion activated sprays however none of them feel natural and I don’t suppose any of them are as healthy as we’d like to think. My youngest has sensitive skin and things like sprays don’t tend to do him any good.

My favourite scent provider of choice at the moment offers a range of scented candles and more which I can use to fragrance my home safely and without selling a kidney on the black market. I use a variety of candle types and air fresheners from diffusers to wax melts and enjoy the memory-invoking scents they provide, as well as the longer lasting yet not over-powering fragrance.

I always had candles burning BC (before children) however floating candles, and hot wax don’t necessarily work well with curious toddlers. Our home now (which I adore!) boasts fabulous fireplaces in the living room and dining room, our room as an original fireplace feature and even the kitchen has a useful mantelpiece over an original bread oven, all of which are fabulous places to house my candles.

My current favourites, not least because they are inexpensive and last well are wax melts. I like a mixture of scents from lavenders, jasmine, freesia and citrus scents and use these regularly. I’m not one for vanillas however the range of Christmas scented melts available is fabulous, from Christmas Tree to gingerbread. I like a scent that captures my mood, the season and which lifts a room ideally.


For rooms that I would like to have a constant yet not over-powering scent a diffuser is a good choice. Reed diffusers diffuse perfumes gradually as the scent travels up the reeds. We have one in our room which provides a pleasant but not over-strong scent all day long.

Candles are the traditional format and I enjoy both tealights and larger candles (all of which are great for giving as gifts too). I look forward to lighting a candle and enjoying the warm glow as well as the scent it provides. A candle can motivate me depending on the natural oils used or even calm and relax me.

yankee Xmas

Clearly I am something of a scent tart! I can never get enough of candles, wax tarts and so on which makes me easy to buy for! My question for you today is: What is your favourite scent and why? I’m not sure I could pick an absolute favourite myself as so many smells mean so many things however I would be curious to see what your must-have fragrances are!

 

StorkUp: Funky, Quirky, Original & Affordable Shopping

Hands up if you find shopping a bore sometimes?! When shopping online (which should be considerably easier than trawling around shopping centres) jumping from place to place, looking for inspiration and endlessly searching for different shops may become wearying after a while.

lego-zipbin-storage-case--playmat
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StorkUp offers an alternative to those who are shopping for baby and children’s items, from clothing to toys and beyond. I have been “watching” StorkUp since it launched as I was intrigued by the one stop shop idea however since those early day the business has grown rapidly, incorporating hundreds of retailers into their catalogue ensuring that there is something for all styles, preferences and budgets.

Cream Bunny All In One
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I might have mentioned once or twice recently that I am very soon (approx. two weeks) going to be becoming an aunt to a niece for the time on “my” side of the family. My sister is expecting her first and this time I will be spoiling a girl rather than boys. I had no idea shopping for girls could be so much fun! My two ratbags are of course loveable boys so there is no pink in sight so browsing this site has been a joyful experience!

There are other stores that give you a wide choice of goods and I’ve used many of them at one time or another however StorkUp seem to have the edge on the more trendy, quirky and unique finds which make shopping for yourself or for others that much more enjoyable.

The site itself is ridiculously easy to use. You may sign up with Twitter, Facebook or your email address, add your children’s details or pregnancy info, start lists for saving items or for those who just want to get down to the nitty gritty of seeing what is on offer there is a big SKIP option so that you can start exploring.

StorkUp-Raspberry Red
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The site is set out very much like Pinterest in a way, enabling you to scroll through hundreds of items quickly and easily. It is simple to customise your searches by keyword, theme, price or even by what is “trending” at the time. A brilliant way to get your shopping done!

Thankfully pink, blue, green, purple and any colour you could want is catered for as I seem to have plenty of friends and family all expecting at the moment.

Whether you are searching for clothing, toys, equipment, interiors or indeed anything related to babies, toddlers and children “just because” or for birthdays and Christmas you won’t go wrong using Stork Up. A huge plus point for me is that StorkUp introduces savvy shoppers to a wide number or independent retailers who perhaps might have been missed otherwise.

I will certainly be hitting the site for Xmas ideas and have already “liked” and follow their Facebook page so that I don’t miss out on news, offers and competitions. This year why not make shopping for new, fun and high quality items from independent sellers and established businesses easier, saving yourself both time and money.

From Small Beginnings
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*Written in collaboration with the mentioned business yet true to my own thoughts, feelings and experiences.