Above photo is for demonstration purposes only and not necessarily indicative of the exact plants that will be sent. Plant pots are not included in the giveaway
This month, we’re pleased to be offering a mystery plant bundle (worth £45.00) from HeyPlants. Many of us are spending more time at home (and in the garden) because of the various lock-downs. Lots of people have developed a new-found interest in gardening and looking after plants in general.
HeyPlants is a new, online marketplace that connects garden enthusiasts with local sellers, garden centres and plant nurseries. Simply visit their website, search for a plant and they’ll show you nearby stores with that plant in stock. If you have a favourite neighbourhood store or seller, you can also browse products within a specific store. The choice is yours! They’ll then deliver your new plant(s) direct to your door.
The HeyPlants marketplace offers a wide range of outdoor and indoor plants; ferns, palms, orchids, cacti & succulents and bulbs & seeds.
To enter, please leave a comment telling us what are some of your favourite plants.
Couple Haley & Michael moved into this 160 square ft Philly tiny house in the Germantown neighbourhood Philadelphia, Pennsylvania less than a year ago. They acknowledge that they followed advice gleaned from the book, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying: A simple, effective way to banish clutter forever by neatness doyenne, Marie Kondo. They say that it has altered their relationship with their possessions.
Ever since we, ourselves, halved our living space 15 months ago, we’ve found it easier to adjust that we thought. We dispensed with unnecessary ‘stuff’ that we’d collected over many years; we realised that we had a lot of unused, surplus rooms in our previous house. Like Haley & Michael, we’ve come up with unique and bespoke storage solutions; we built bookshelves from re-purposed scaffolding planks and have stacked old apple crates as kitchen ‘cupboards’. Our clothes, towels, bed linen and all sorts of other stuff are secreted away in stacked vintage luggage.
Baskets made from natural materials (wicker, bamboo, water hyacinth) of various shapes & sizes are also put to good use. We’ve even come up with a novel way to hide our broadband modem! Having compact accommodation makes you more mindful of how you use the precious room that you have.
Do you have any tips for maximising restrictive living space?
Dorrit Dekk (1917-2014) – born Dorothy Karoline Fuhrmann – was an accomplished graphic designer and artist. Born in the former Czechoslovakia, she moved as a young child with her mother and brother to Austria where, between 1936 and 1938, she attended University of Applied Arts Vienna. In 1938, with the annexation of Austria into Nazi Germany she fled to London.
Other than a year of living in South Africa, Dorrit settled in Airlie Gardens, in Kensington, London from the 1960s until her death in 2014.
Between 1946 and 1948 she worked for the Central Office of Information, creating posters publicising messages such as “Coughs and sneezes spread diseases” and “Bones are still needed to make glue” for the Ministry of Labour and National Service.
As part of the 1951 Festival of Britain’s Land Travelling Exhibition, she created the mural “People at Play”. She worked extensively creating posters for the like of Air France, London Transport, British Rail, Trust House Forte, Schweppes and the Post Office Savings Bank. She produced covers and illustrations for publishers such as Penguin Books (where she designed the cover for Three Men in a Boat by Jerome K Jerome) and Tatler magazine. She created menu card designs for P&O cruise ships in the 1950s, 60s & 70s a few of which are currently for sale on eBay.
She gained her “Dorrit” nickname during childhood from her mother who was a fan of Charles Dickens. A printer once recommended to her that she should sign her work however, she realised that both her maiden name and married name (Klatzow) would be difficult to recognise in Britain, so he suggested that she use her initials: DKK, but with the inclusion of an “e”. Thus, her professional name became “Dekk”.
I read somewhere that the British wear their underwear the longest. Not that it doesn’t get washed between each time it’s put on, just that they don’t throw them away for brand new ones as often as other nationalities.
In many ways, that’s a good thing; wear it until it’s worn out… make do and mend and all that. It’s been recommended that you throw away underwear after a year – I think that’s excessive and downright wasteful! So long as they’re washed properly – a hot cycle where possible and with the recommended amount of detergent – there should be a lot more life left in them than that.
When they’re actually coming to the end of their useful lifespan, consider replacing them with ethical underwear. They may be dearer than that bulk pack that costs a couple of quid for half a dozen but a clear conscience is as important as clean bra & knickers.
There are a growing number of manufacturers and retailers that are putting sustainability, the environment and workers’ rights at the forefront of their business. We’ve picked three of them for this week’s Price Points feature.
As well as their green credentials, I also admire the fact that their models come in all shapes, sizes and complexions. And the photos aren’t airbrushed to remove cellulite, stretch marks and other ‘imperfections’. They’re ‘real’ women!
…we put sustainable thinking at the center of everything – that means we only choose fabrics that care for our environment and we only ever partner with factories that care about their impact, too. When we say sustainability is our core mission we don’t mean that sustainability is nice to have – we mean that it’s the only way we act.
Exceptional quality. Ethical factories. Radical transparency.
We believe our customers have a right to know how much their clothes cost to make. We reveal the true costs behind all of our products – from materials to labor to transportation – then offer them to you, minus the traditional retail markup.
Winter is drawing ever nearer. There’s a chill in the air already, and darker nights have begun to creep in sooner. Also, the colder months can definitely influence your mood, so it’s important that the home space is as cosy and comfortable as possible to lift your spirits.
There are many ways you can achieve these ends, and there are many handy tips for you to learn; from decoration tips to what to do if your radiator is cold at the bottom.
With so many options in this arena available to you, it can be tough narrowing them down to a select few. Well, we’ve taken the liberty of doing that for you!
Consequently, here’s how to get your home warm and snug for winter.
Do temperature checks
Check your boilers, radiators and any other heating systems you use in your home, and look for signs of grime, breakage or anything faulty. Everything needs to be pristine, because if these things break down in the middle of winter, you’ll likely have a long (and cold) wait to get things fixed, unfortunately.
Of course, breakages do sometimes happen anyway, but if they do you can always take matters into your own hands. Sometimes it’s merely a matter of resetting a thermostat or replacing water tanks.
If your radiator gets cold at the bottom, there are some points to bear in mind. If you need a detailed, step-by-step guide on how to embark on these fixes, then here’s what to do if your radiator is cold at the bottom. Everything from draining the radiator to using valves in a quick and easy way is clearly detailed for your convenience!
Add candles
Flickering candles are a great way of introducing delicate, atmospheric lighting into your home space. Better yet, they’re so adaptable, adding cosy ambience to bathrooms, living rooms and kitchens alike. Candles are also cheap and easy to acquire – you can’t go wrong!
If you’re also a fan of the scented variety of candle, then absolutely indulge yourself there too. Firing on all cylinders and tickling the senses of both sight and smell can add another interesting layer to how you’ve adorned your home.
Introduce thick curtains
Most people use curtains to block out the daylight or keep prying eyes from checking out their interiors come night-time. That’s a perfectly valid way to use them, but in the winter, they can be useful for so much more!
Curtains also retain the heat within your home, and they ward off the chill of the wintery outside. Pick up a set of especially thick and lined curtains that match your chosen colour scheme and décor, and you’ll create a very cosy ambience in any room in the house. There’s no rule that says you can’t cover your front and back doors with curtains either, so consider that too!
Decorate the fireplace
Fireplaces can be overlooked, however they’re prime spots in your house for adding a measure of personality. After all, when Christmas rolls around, many people hang lush green garlands across the mantle… but why wait until Christmas to give the area some TLC?
Not only do fireplaces provide literal warmth, but they can also bring a lot to the home in terms of aesthetics if they’re decorated thoughtfully. Elegant ornaments, lush green plants and small but charming art works can all fit on or over the mantle of your fireplace to give it some additional charm. You can also add a stack of firewood beside the fireplace, for either practical use or just to further emphasise a rustic feel in your home.
Bare mantle-pieces and empty fireplaces can feel quite cold, in terms of mood. However, if you fill this space with a few personal touches, you’ll create a warmth that makes the room feel really lived in.
In the colder seasons, you’d ideally like to return to a home that’s colourful and inviting, in direct contrast to the drab outdoors. Warm shades of red, orange or burgundy can really lift your surroundings and envelop you in a snug den that will shield you from the outside gloominess.
Colour really can lift your spirits and can be quite effective used in the right way. Ensure each hue compliments the next and adds to the comforting aesthetic you’re trying to create. From cushions to rugs to wall paint, you can overhaul it all!
Mint isn’t my favourite flavour, the only way I like to eat it is with chocolate. You’d immediately think of After Eights, but they can be sickly sweet. My mint triple chocolate brownies recipe is much more refined.
The recipe doesn’t need a huge amount of added sugar, the dark chocolate – and the white chocolate especially – are sweet enough to start with.
The inclusion of pure cocoa powder (the kind I use is un-Dutched, but it’s not necessary for this recipe) adds even more of a chocolate depth of flavour.
If you don’t have a few heat-proof bowls that fit perfectly over saucepans of simmering water, you can always ‘pulse’ the chocolate in a microwave to get it to melt without burning.
Mint extract is powerful stuff, so you only need a smidgen – less than a teaspoonful to 100 grams of the white chocolate.
To ensure that your stripes are level and defined, keep the brownie in the baking tin as you add each layer. And give each stage time to cool and/or set completely before adding the next one on top.
After a couple of days – if you still have any left – the brownie layer may begin to get a little dry. Simply serve it warmed up with a side of ice cream or pouring cream.
If you don’t have Buy Me a Pie! app installed you’ll see the list with ingredients right after downloading it
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 180°C/350ºF/Gas mark 4
For the brownie layer
Grease & line a 20cm/8" square cake tin with parchment paper
Melt the dark chocolate and butter together in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of just simmering water (making sure the bottom of the bowl doesn't come into contact with the water)
Stir to incorporate until the chocolate is completely melted and free of any lumps
In another, larger mixing bowl, whisk the eggs and brown sugar together well
Mix in the chocolate mixture
Sieve together the flour and cocoa powder and fold into the mixture
Pour the batter into the lined baking tin
Cook for 15-20 minutes or until just baked
Remove from the oven and set aside to cool, still in its tin
For the mint layer
Melt the white chocolate and double cream together in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of just simmering water (making sure the bottom of the bowl doesn't come into contact with the water). Stir to incorporate until the chocolate is completely melted and free of any lumps
Stir in the mint extract
Pour the mixture on to the brownie and spread evenly over the top with the help of a small offset palette knife
Put the tin into the fridge and allow the mint layer to firm up
For the ganache layer
Melt the dark chocolate and double cream together in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of just simmering water (making sure the bottom of the bowl doesn't come into contact with the water). Stir to incorporate until the chocolate is completely melted and free of any lumps
I think everyone’s approaching their wits’ end with the restrictions, I know I am! What I would give to be able to dash off to stay at this Grey Shed getaway right now.
Grey Shed is actually available to rent… as soon as the lockdown in England is lifted. It’s a lovely, homely holiday let with a pared back, vintage-industrial vibe. It sleeps two, with a super-king bed installed on a mezzanine floor… and a roll-top bath where you can lie while staring up at the stars through the skylight.
It’s situated in Crayke which is just north of the city of York and just outside the North Yorkshire Moors National Park. That makes it the perfect location for either a walking holiday or Christmas shopping trip… or you could do both!
Above photo is for demonstration purposes only and not necessarily indicative of the exact plants that will be sent. Plant pots are not included in the giveaway
