Tips for a gorgeously fraganced home

Certain smells are as evocative as a photograph, or even more so.

They take you back to a place or moment in time that you may have forgotten all about. After all, why is it that people trying to sell their houses are always told to bake a cake before potential buyers look round? It’s so that the prospective new owners instantly associate the house with a warm, homey feel they may well have felt in their childhood home, where Mum would often bake a cake to have after tea.

 

 So many aromas work together to make your house feel welcoming. In the kitchen, having a clean work surface paves the way for the fragrances of the tasty food you cook to waft their way throughout the space. Your lounge may be full of the fragrance of flowers, your bedroom the tantalising aroma of crispy clean sheets. Bathrooms can be made into the most enticing of spaces with the help of essential oils and scented bubble baths.

Perhaps you have been too busy rushing around after Christmas to pay much attention to how your house smells at the moment. I don’t mean that you’ve let it get dirty, rather that you haven’t had time to make it feel even lovelier with the addition of gorgeous-smelling things.

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So exited about my new venture: My online French Boutique

It's been a lot of work lately. First, was the complete redesigning of Parishues with my fabulous and talented webartists Lucie & Olivier (thank you so so much for your relentless help and support). Now, as a further step and some research and lots more work, I am able to open what I have been planning for a long time: my own little Read on...

Decopatch/wallpaper/wrapping paper – recycle it

This is just a small note to remind us all to keep our scraps of wallpaper, wrapping paper, decopatch, ribbon, pretty pattern fabric! Why? Because you can use it again and make some fabulous, original (and gratifying) creations with them. I share a few on the Handmake your Own Paris middle column, on my homepage. So, pile them up, make a little box and just put them scraps into it. You never know when you might need them for some handcrafted projects! xoxoxox Read on...

Homemade hanging mobile and my templates

I like mobiles, not the phone type noooo, the pretty decorations that you can hang on your front porch or (when you like in a Parisian flat, for example) hang in your office or bedroom. And what's even better? When you have made it yourself! (here are some more examples of THAT!) I got this idea from my local art shop but personalised it Read on...

Creative project: the ribbon & bead necklace/bracelet

Here is a little DIY project that anyone can make, it's simple and can be worn as a bracelet, long necklace or choker too. Alternitavely, you can also find the kit to make these or order the ready made bracelet on my Etsy boutique here All you need is: - 50cm of Liberty print ribbon: find these online, at Liberty retailers near you or at your local crafts shop or when in France at an Arteis store - 2 large sized porcelain beads and one silver large link and a few small charms (I use my trademark anchor always, inspired by my tattoos) - a clasp and link set (to close the bracelet) some jewellery glue (again, refer to HERE to see what kind) Read on...