Inexpensive Decor Ideas For Your Home

I’ve always took a pride in my home decor. Since I am still stuck at home with my parents I am restricted to my own little square bedroom but that hasn’t stopped me browsing the home interior aisles. Since a young age, I’ve always been the organised type and one who takes pride in appearance not just personally but also in my environment. I love having stacks of cushions, wall prints and pretty flowers to dress the place up a little and I thought I would share some of my favourite ways to decorate your home, also at a low cost!

PRINTS

If you are suffering from bare walls then the best way to dress up the place a little is to add prints. I absolutely adore adding framed prints around my room to make a things a little more pretty but they can also add a personal touch too. Pretty much all of my prints come from Etsy which is probably the best place to get cheap prints. They have so many styles and the best thing is that you can easily download them straight away to print. You can also pick up really inexpensive frames too from places like Wilko or Ikea, although Ikea are probably the best as their frames seem to be much better quality! I like to either hang my frames, stack them on top of books or place them on shelves. The options are endless!

As well, prints are a really great option if you want to create a sort of mood board or gallery on your wall! Little Postcards are also a great option and really balance out the sizing proportions! You can also pick them up really cheap from the likes of Paperchase.

BOOKS/MAGAZINES

I’ve always loved a good book or magazine but what is even better about them is that they make a great decor option. I dream of the time that I can own a whole bookcase stacked with pretty books but for the meantime I keep a couple of stacks of books on my shelves. I then put some ornaments on top to give a more dimensional look to an otherwise flat shelf. I personally love beauty/style books as they can be great to flick through for inspiration and pretty pictures but usually they also have a beautiful exterior making them home decor worthy.

Magazines are also really handy and of course spending so much a month on a magazine can be put to good use. I like to stack a lot of my magazines on my drawers and also on my bedside table for a stylish and chic look. Just like books, they look even more the part with a pretty candle or ornament on top!

PLANTS

No home is a home without a bit of natural (or fake!) greenery! Cactus is particularly my favourite kind of plant as they are easy to care for and look pretty cute! You can find cactus or a different range of plants in a garden centre, I picked up most of mine in Homebase and also Ikea have a great range too!

I also love a beautiful bunch of flowers! Peonies are without a doubt my favourite, there is just something about the blush pink against my white furniture! Obviously though flowers have a short shelf life and it can be costly to upkeep. All of the flowers in my room are actually fake, I have a lovely bunch of peonies from Ebay which were super cheap yet still look so pretty! Ikea are also really great for cheap flowers although some of the ones I have are a little too fake, lol!

CANDLES

I am sure many of you will know I am a huge fan of candles. They make a pretty decor piece but also feel so warming in a room. I actually did a whole post dedicated to candles and how to care for them, here if you want to check it out! Candles can be picked up from pretty much anywhere and there is so many to suit everyone’s budget. Being a candle lover, I do like to invest my money in some candles with my favourites being from Diptyque! Another great thing about candles is that once they are done the jar makes a lovely decor piece too! Obviously Diptyque have a beautiful jar design so really look the part when cleaned out and used as plant pots, vases or makeup brush/pen holders! Again I covered that all in my candle post!

How do you like to decor your home? 

Twitter | Pinterest | Bloglovin | Instagram

How To Care For Candles and My Favourites

It’s such a blogging cliché but I do love a good candle. Lighting up a beautiful scent to fill your room with is so relaxing and uplifting. I love having a candle burning at night to ease down or during the day if I am busy to help myself feel a little more calm and relaxed. Having been through my fair share of candles, I have learnt a few things along the way and I thought I would share my candle burning tips! Also, on the topic of candles it would be the perfect time to share some of my favourites too!

THE FIRST BURN 

The first burn of your candle is probably the most important. You want to ensure that you allow it enough burning time so it burns the whole layer on the top round the jar. The reason for this, if it is extinguished sooner when only a small amount of wax is burnt, it will tunnel and not burn evenly. This means you won’t have any wasted wax round the sides which is caused from this.

TRIMMING

It took me a while to learn this one but it is so essential that after each use (after the first burn) you trim your candle wick. You want to trim them so they are quite low, typically 1/8 inch. This prevents soot in the candle and also controls the flame. If you have a shaky flame, you may want to trim it first and then relight. For trimming, I highly recommend investing in a pair of wick trimmers. They don’t need to be expensive or fancy, I am sure you can get decent ones from eBay although I did splurge on this pair from The White Company and I suppose it also works as a nice little decor piece haha! You can use small ordinary scissors but when you get nearer the bottom of the jar you will soon realise the problem with them!

LIGHTING 

This may sound like an obvious point but be careful when lighting your candle and where you place it. Obviously do not have a burning candle near loose fabric like curtains or clothes. Similarly, do not leave a candle unattended and definitely not near young children. Also ensure your candle hasn’t been burning for over four hours as it can overheat so at that point extinguish the flame and leave to cool for a couple of hours.

RECYCLE 

One of my favourite things! Obviously whilst it can be pretty sad to see the end of candle particularly those pricey ones, the jars can be put to good use. After my candle has finished, I like to soak it in warm water and let it sit whilst it absorbs. This usually helps get rid of a lot of leftover wax from the sides of the candle. Then I like to take a cleaning sponge or cloth and wipe the inside to remove any more wax so it is clean. There are other methods that you can use for cleaning them out but I usually do that as it is quick and easy! Then once my jar is clean, I like to reuse it. There are plenty of usages for old candle jars including plant pot holders, makeup brush holders or to place cotton buds in etc.

MY FAVOURITES 

So now you know my tips, what are my favourite home scents? Starting with the classic diptyque, I have tried quite a few from the brand now. Diptyque are really good for fresh and floral kind of scents if that’s your thing. My first ever diptyque candle was the Mimosa scent which is so fresh and great for this time of the year. A new addition that I am truly obsessed with is their limited edition Rosaviola candle which they brought out for Valentines Day with Olympia Le-Tan. Whilst the packaging is absolutely beautiful, the scent is even better with a parma violets kind of sweet violet scent. Love it! Moving on from Diptyque, I also have a new love for The White Company who have such a great range of scents at pretty decent prices. I have currently got my hands on Pomegranate which is the perfect dupe for the Jo Malone Pomegranate Noir scent! Lastly, you can never go wrong with a good old Yankee Candle, being a lover of all things sweet I love the Vanilla Cupcake scent which is beautifully sweet and probably too sickly for many!

What are your favourite candles?

Twitter | Pinterest | Bloglovin | Instagram

The Me Time Tag

Time for another tag 🙂 I do enjoy a good bit of me-time, just being able to chill, do nothing and most importantly not worry about completing any essays or uni coursework! I thought I would try out the ‘me-time tag’ so do enjoy and try it it out yourself!

1. What do you like to watch or read during me-time?

I do love reading a good selection of blogs both on WordPress and Bloglovin. In terms of books I am not the biggest reader but I did get some John Green Books a while back and have started to dig my way through them. Watching wise you can never go wrong with Friends! I also like to spend my spare time catching up on programmes such as Glee and 2 Broke Girls.

2. What do you wear during me-time?

Pyjamas, Pyjamas, Pyjamas. If I could wear pyjamas all day every day I would. I love Jack Will’s selection of nightwear, their leggings are so comfy and pretty. I also love a good comfy hoodie 🙂

3. What are your favourite me-time beauty products?

A good face mask never goes a miss! I’ve been alternating recently between the Lush Mask of Magnaminty and the Glam Glow Super-mud mask which both make my skin feel super soft.

4. Current favourite nail polish?

Tricky one! I never really have one single favourite nail polish but I am currently totally in love with Essie Maximillian Strasse Her and Chanel Tenderly (more of them two later!).

5. What do you eat or drink during me-time?

Anything that is really bad for me! I love a bit of nutella on toast and a Cadburys Hot chocolate with whipped cream ❤ If I am feeling that little bit more nutritional then I will go for some sliced apples with peanut butter.

6. Current favourite candle?

Tricky one again. I love my candles. I love anything sweet so one of my favourites is the Yankee Candle in Vanilla Cupcake, its so sweet and smells incredible. I am also loving the Diptyque Mimosa candle which smells so fresh and clean.

7. Do you ever have outdoor me-time?

Not unless its summer and its warm outside when I might go a walk.

8. Would you ever go and watch a film alone?

Probably not. I am not much of a film watcher and don’t really go to the cinema much but if there was a movie I really wanted to see I would maybe go alone but I would probably go to a far away cinema not local so no one would spot me haha!

9. Favourite online shop?

You can’t go wrong with a bit of ASOS! They have such a wide selection of brands and there is always something for everybody. I also have quite the habit of checking the ‘New In’ section on the Topshop website on a daily basis. If I am feeling quite adventurous I will check Etsy for some DIY inspiration.

10. Anything to add? What else do you do during me-time?

I spend a lot of time looking and dreaming over images on Pinterest, sad life I know. I also use my time to check the great world of social media, fun!