The Must Have Home Accessory

So Christmas is over and thoughts turn to 2014 and what it holds for us. What we need to do in terms of self development, firming up holiday plans, or looking at projects for the home

No one enjoys a house project more than I do and the idea of the smell of new paint or finding the most gorgeous piece of furniture or stunning accessory is definitely what floats my boat. If you've got the finances available after Christmas and are not like me, stealing yourself for an expensive time with both children's birthdays just three days apart in January, you may be looking to bag a bargain in the sales.

I'm a sales sceptic but I must concede finding something you would have happily paid full price for now marked down by 50% is a joyous experience but, as my dad always says 'it's not a bargain if you didn't need it in the first place'. Now I am prepared to replace the word NEED with the word WANT but I must say if you wouldn't have paid full price for it then at least make sure it's the item itself and not the sale label that you've fallen in love with.

One of my New Years resolutions for 2014 is one of retail restraint. And it's going to be a toughie!  I want to be a more discerning purchaser, buying one item that I will love forever rather than several that won't last the test of time. I'm  going for quality rather than quantity from local independent stores. We are very fortunate to have excellent retailers in Lichfield such as the Kitchen shop (follow them on twitter@KitchenShopLich) and www.worthbrothers.co.uk wine merchants not to mention www.packingtonpork.co.uk all offering fabulous service and knowledge and a passion for their chosen field.

I consider myself very fortunate to live in  a lovely single track lane just outside the cathedral city of Lichfield and although interior styling is my passion it has come home to me that whilst I love the items we have in our home both inherited and new, junk shop and designer what really makes the house a perfect home for us isn't necessarily the stuff I put in it. The best accessory to our home is the sense of community there is. Yes, yes I know that all sounds a bit 'Little House on The Prairie' instead of my usual 'little house at the Priory' but its true. While we are townies dipping our toes into country life, safe in the knowledge that easy access to the  road infer structure  allows us to go about our daily office based jobs, many of our neighbours have gown up in the lane, some have been here for more than 60 years, suffering the Foot & Mouth crisis and nearly loosing lambs and ewes in last years late snow fall.  

And yet for our differences we have a great sense of community here, getting together over Christmas, enjoying our 'new' tradition of a yearly rounders tournament etc. At a recent post Christmas bash we all jumped at the chance of helping move a farmers flock of sheep in the coming months as, with his three lads away at university, he will be short of help. Whether he is so short of help he has to rely on the assistance of a family of suburbanites remains to be seen but I sincerely hope so. I'm thinking that something in a wool tweed would be an ideal outfit for sheep steering, perhaps paired with a medium height wedge!

So whether you're a townie cuckooing your way into a rural community like me, or a confirmed city dweller, I would urge you in 2014 to work at building a community.  It's 2014's must have accessory for every well dressed home!

Christmas Countdown

Well, we've reached the main run up to Christmas. It's funny that there are so many markers along the way on our journey to the big day. I've had my first mince pie today for instance. Not exactly earth shattering  but I miss all the markers I used to associate with the season, such as the carol service and of course the Nativity now my children are teenagers.

But whilst everyone has their own vague trigger points, such as suddenly feeling the urge to mix yourself a 'snowball' or buy a box of Dates, for the kids it's the advent calendar that finally sees them go from mildly excited to full on 'peel them off the ceiling' mode.

Is it rose tinted spectacles for days gone by or are advert calendars a little bit crap these days. All cheap chocolate  and Dr Who or One Direction. So this year I've taken the bold step, with the aid of the inimitable www.johnlewis.com to come up with my own countdown to Christmas.

These delightfully traditional looking boxes come in a pack of 25 all with hanging ribbon already attached and a ribbon to attached them to, to string them around the home, I've chosen to hang mine, along with a few baubles rather precariously on a slightly lopsided branch. I thought the lopsidedness would add to the charm, however I may have inadvertently invented the worlds first Advent Kerplunk. Now, knowing what makes my family tick, I've stuck to a chocolate theme for inside, but you could always put other little gifts into them or healthy treats or uplifting messages (yeah right) and the boxes can be reused again and again to become a family tradition. It's great to get the kids involved in assembling the boxes or to do it solo whilst taking in a glass of fizz.

I've decided that to add a little jeopardy to proceedings, other than the whole Kerplunk thing, and to substitute 25% of the contents for a  forfeit or  task. For example if your day to open a box on the advent tree is 20th December, you may find that instead of the Lindt Christmas Bear you were expecting, you have to promise to stuff the Turkey, or go for the world record of most sprout consumed in a singe sitting.

Christmas Kerplunk Countdown Commences - Snowball anyone?