House décor: Time for some blinds

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As some of you might know, I moved out of London back in December into a new-build house in the countryside on the outskirts of Colchester. Let’s be honest, moving out of our 2-bed apartment in London to a village in Essex was very exciting but at the same time it took a bit of time to adjust to our new routine involving a long daily commute. Thanks to Netflix and a good coffee from a station cafeteria, I got used to my commute and now I am happily re-established in Essex.

Having said this, our lovely 3 bed house still needs a lot in terms of furnishing, décor etc. In 6 months, we have managed to finish our bedroom and kitchen and slowly we are completing other bits around the house.

This month, we decided to buy some blinds and let me tell you – it wasn’t as easy as I thought it might be. Initially, we thought about using a well known company offering in-home appointment to offer perfect made to measure blinds. Unfortunately, as we have a limited budget we weren’t willing to spend a small fortune for blinds offered thus we looked online for some other providers that could help us.

After a lot of research and browsing quite a few websites selling blinds, we came across ‘Make My Blinds’. The company was founded in 2015 and strives to become the authority in the blind industry.

On their website I discovered a few values which I was impressed by:

  • Made by hand – all blinds are made to your own specification;
  • Attention to detail – all blinds are made by hand and machine to the highest quality;
  • Customer focused – company prides itself in a friendly UK customer service team that is happy to answer any question.

What I found really useful was a hub of knowledge on company’s social media platforms –  YouTube, Instagram, Facebook and Twitter providing the most commonly asked questions and answers.

The company offers a range of blinds: wooden, vertical, roller, venetian, skylight, roman and conservatory blinds. We decided to order:

  • Gibson Pewter Vertical blinds for my husband’s study – as he loves gaming and wanted something with a blackout option we selected a darker grey shade that also matches our carpets perfectly. We decided to have the vertical vanes split and bunch evenly on either side using the ‘split’ option which is great as you can control the lighting coming into your room.
  • Real Wood Gloss Daisy venetian blinds for our front kitchen and living room windows. I love this glossy, light bouncing blinds. They are also easy to clean as the dust just slides off.  They are great at controlling the light coming into our home and I really like that they have a long 4-year guarantee.

Order process:

The order process through Make my Blinds website is super user friendly and it enabled us to visualise what we were getting after we inputted sizing information, selected on which side we would like the controls to be in addition to stack side for our vertical blinds. We used a measuring guide which helped us to understand how we should measure the blinds properly to get them sized correctly. The blinds were also much cheaper than what we were quotes by a high street retailer and website states that prices are up to 70% cheaper. What is an additional plus is that you can order free samples and there is a free delivery on orders over £149.

Installation:

I will be honest and admit that we didn’t install the blinds ourselves – firstly because we simply do not have time as we get home late and secondly, we are not really good in DYI. However, if you wish to install the blinds yourselves then Make My Blinds has a great knowledge hub helping you to do that for all different kinds of blinds.

Verdict:

I loved how easy the whole order process was and the website and it’s guides were great help for us as we did not have an idea from where to start. I would recommend ‘Make my Blinds’ to anyone who wishes to purchase high quality, beautifully finished blinds build to their specifications at a very competitive prices.

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Pauline

Dinner at Oliver’s restaurant in The Woburn Hotel

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A couple of weeks ago, I travelled to Woburn with my husband. We stayed at The Woburn Hotel and as we are both massive foodies, we decided to visit ‘Olivier’s’ – 2 AA Rosette restaurant.
Olivier’s Restaurant is recognised to be one of the finest restaurants in Bedfordshire in addition to maintaining its 2 AA Rosettes for 11 years it has won multiple awards most recently “Best Restaurant in Bedfordshire” at the Bedfordshire Business SME Awards held in May.

Location:
Olivier’s Restaurant is based at The Woburn Hotel, which is perfectly located in the heart of Georgian village of Woburn, at the gateway to the historic Woburn Abbey Estate. It is easily reachable from London, Milton Keynes and the surrounding Bedfordshire and Buckinghamshire areas.

Atmosphere:
Olivier’s Restaurant has a modern, stylish décor following its recent refurbishment. Guests can enjoy a relaxed setting whilst having some of the best of English and continental dining prepared by talented chefs under the supervision of Olivier Bertho.
Our table was attended by two waiters – Sergio and Mateusz. They both made us feel welcomed and relaxed whilst being attentive and polite.

The menu:
Olivier’s Restaurant offers its dinners a few menus to choose from – A La Carte, Sunday, Lunch, Children and Afternoon Tea. Each of the menus offers dishes that were created by its talented chefs who all have a real passion for good quality food. Due to Oliver Bertho’s french heritage and his experience in quality restaurants the dishes combine classic French and English influences to create signature dishes. Most of the ingredients are sourced locally to make the most of seasonal ingredients.
We had an afternoon tea on Friday in The Repton Room when we arrived at The Woburn Hotel, which we really enjoyed. Having said that, today I would like to tell you about our dining experience when we decided to dine from the A La Carte menu.

Starters:
For my starter, I had some pan-fried scallops with a crispy chicken skin, sweetcorn purée and black pudding crumb. I love scallops and they were simply delectable.

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My husband had a lovely home smoked duck breast with pickled berries served over some green asparagus salad. He really enjoyed it and finished it in no time.

Duck Salad

Mains:
For my main, I decided to order a ginger glazed salmon fillet with sesame and bean salad accompanied by some wasabi mayonnaise. The dish was luscious.

Salmon SC
My husband had a beef fillet with honey roasted baby shallots, pea purée, crispy bacon and buttered baby vegetables. The dish was cooked to perfection.

Beef fillet

Desserts:
I have a very bad sweet tooth and always look forward to having the last course. Whilst dinning at Oliver’s Restaurant, I decided to have a strawberry bavarois with a crème brûlée glaze, lemon curd, shortbread and meringue drops, which was fabulous. My dessert not only looked amazing, but it was also mouth-watering.
My husband ordered a cheese board served with homemade green tomato chutney and traditional sides, which he enjoyed with our leftover wine.

Overall experience:
If you love great food and faultless service, then I would definitely recommend booking a meal at Olivier’s Restaurant. It is perfect for special occasions or if you just want to treat yourself to a remarkable dining experience.

Website:
For more information and to book visit:
https://www.thewoburnhotel.co.uk/oliviers-restaurant-bedfordshire/

Address:
1 George Street,
Woburn,
Bedfordshire,
MK17 9PX

Hope you enjoyed reading this review!

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Pauline

Holiday destinations: Washington D.C., USA

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A few weeks ago, I traveled to Washington D.C., the capital of the United States. Washington, D.C. is formally known as the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as “Washington”, “the District”, or simply “D.C.”.

Statistics from last year show that Washington had an estimated population of 681,170 however commuters from the surrounding Maryland and Virginia suburbs raise the city’s population to more than one million during the workweek. Washington, D.C., is located in the mid-Atlantic region of the U.S. East Coast.

There are many places worth visiting in Washington. Please find a quick summary listed below:

  • Learn more by visiting free Smithsonian museums so you can absorb culture the way it was meant to be experienced — in short encounters in the midst of everyday life.
  • Take flight at the National Air & Space Museum.
  • Learn about the freedom of the press and take some cool photos at the Newseum.

IMG_2019You should also visit the Pulitzer Prize photographs gallery which features all the winning photographs.

  • Go and take some photos of the White House. Unfortunately, it is difficult to get the access to the building but there are quite a few good places where you can view it from.
  • Visit United States Capitol. You can still access it and the tickets are available from a kiosk just outside the building.
  • Stroll down The National Mall. It is definitely the best way to see most of Washington’s monuments starting from the Capitol all the way to the Lincoln Memorial.
  • Visit Washington National Cathedral. This beautiful Gothic cathedral has been used for state funerals for three presidents and many other important burials and memorials.
  • Go shopping at Tanger Outlet. It is located 20 min drive from central Washington and if you like a bargain then you should definitely go there and check it out.

I hope you enjoyed reading this review.

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Pauline

Birthday celebrations at The Woburn hotel

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Someone wise once said that as you grow older, you learn to understand life a little better… I turned 34 a couple of weeks ago and as I love relaxing, being surrounded by nature and animals, we’ve decided to travel to the picturesque Georgian village of Woburn in Bedfordshire to celebrate it. We’ve stayed in ‘The Woburn Hotel’ – an award winning, 4 AA star hotel.

Location:

‘The Woburn Hotel’ is perfectly located in the heart of Woburn village, in the historic Woburn Abbey Estate that is home of the 15th Duke of Bedford. It can be easily reached from London (~1 hour), Milton Keynes (~20minutes) and in about 30 minutes from Luton Airport.
If being surrounded by nature and animals appeals to you then the hotel’s location should exceed your expectations as it a stone throw away from Woburn Safari Park and Woburn Abbey and Gardens. We visited all of these attractions on Saturday and I really enjoyed our drive through Woburn Safari Park which has over 1,000 wild animals roaming in 300 acres of beautiful parkland. Following from that we discovered an amazing deer park and visited Woburn Abbey which has been home to the Dukes of Bedford for nearly 400 years. In addition, if romantic walks around the gardens are of interest to you then you will be able to explore the 28 acres of award-winning, Humphry Repton inspired, Woburn Abbey Gardens.

Service:

As soon as we entered the hotel, we were welcomed by a very helpful and professional receptionist. He was really approachable and handed us our tickets to Woburn Safari park, which we were going to visit the day-after. He also provided us with some leaflets about the village. Once we checked in, we dropped our bags at our cottage, and we went straight to our afternoon tea. We found all hotel staff at reception and restaurant extremely attentive and friendly.

Rooms:

The Woburn Hotel offers its guests a selection of rooms to choose from in the main hotel ranging from double standard rooms to Abbey rooms to suites in addition to one of seven lovely cottages adjacent to the hotel to suit all budgets. All rooms have stylish décor providing you with everything you need for a relaxing stay. We stayed in a lovely, two storey cottage with a mezzanine floor called – ‘Wispers’ which was overlooking the hotel and its front garden. Each of the cottages have been designed to reflect their connection to the Russell family. The cottage we stayed in was named after an Estate in Sussex, which was purchased by the 11th Duke of Bedford for his wife, Mary back in 1927.

Our cottage featured a comfortable bed, luxury linen, safe, a TV and a telephone.

In addition, there were tea and coffee making facilities a selection of delicious complimentary chocolates, which were freshly prepared for us and waiting for us on our arrival.

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The cottage was perfect to celebrate my birthday and relaxing in after our adventures with its separate, large lounging area.

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Our en-suite bathroom had a classic décor. A selection of The White Company bath toiletries was also provided. In addition, some soft towels, slippers and soft bath gowns were available – perfect for lounging in before and after our sightseeing.

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Facilities:

In addition to some charming rooms, hotel features the drawing room, The Tavistock bar, The Repton Room and 2 AA Rosette restaurant – Olivier’s.

The restaurant offers its dinners some of the best Bedfordshire cuisine. A Polish waiter, which assisted us – Mateusz made our stay extremely memorable by always being chatty and professional.

The hotel also has a lovely patio where its visitors can enjoy a drink or a snack.
Breakfast is offered in the main restaurant and provides a selection of made to order dishes.

Overall experience:

The Woburn hotel is perfectly located just steps away from Woburn Safari Park, Woburn Golf Club and estates. If you have a special occasion coming up, then the hotel offers a range of escapes to choose from. We loved the hotel’s charming accommodation, which being part of the Woburn Estate helped us to create lots of unforgettable moments in the English countryside. In addition, the service was faultless so I would recommend this hotel to anyone who plans to travel to travel to Woburn or surrounding areas.
I would love to stay in this hotel again one day!

Website:

For more information and to book visit:
https://www.thewoburnhotel.co.uk/

Address:
1 George Street,
Woburn,
Bedfordshire,
MK17 9PX

Hope you enjoyed reading this review!

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Pauline

Holiday destinations: Tudor Place, Washington D.C., USA

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As some of you might know, I traveled to Washington D.C. a few weeks ago. During my stay, I decided to visit some historic homes and gardens. Today, I would like to tell you about the Tudor Place. The name of this place is a bit deceiving as it doesn’t have anything in common with a Tudor era but even though it is definitely worth visiting.

Tudor Place House and Garden is an elegant neoclassical house dating back to 1816. To start with it was a home of Martha Custis (a granddaughter of Martha Washington) who built her estate with her husband Thomas Peter.

Tudor Place Owners

The house was extended and through six generations (until 1983), the Peter family celebrated their heritage here while also embracing contemporary art and fashion.

Today, visitors can enjoy a guided tour of the estate, giving them an opportunity to admire displays of family artifacts. I enjoyed walking through the drawing room, dinning room and kitchen while admiring the antics and listening to the stories of each of these rooms.

After the tour, as I love the gardens, I really enjoyed relaxing at the expansive, quiet historic gardens that are located in front of the property. Perfect to unwind when you are busy and fancy a bit of peace and relaxation.

Tudor Place

Location:

Tudor Place is located in Georgetown Heights at 1644 31st Street, Northwest.

I hope you enjoyed reading this review!

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Pauline

Holiday destinations: Zagreb, Croatia

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Two weeks ago, I travelled with my husband to Zagreb in Croatia. Zagreb is not the first city that comes on anyone’s mind when thinking of Croatia but it should definitely change. For me, it was the third Croatian city we’ve seen so far as we previously visited Split and Dubrovnik known from Game of Thrones.

Zagreb is the capital and the largest city of Croatia. It is located in the northwest of the country, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb’s metropolitan area is the biggest in Croatia with a population of over one million.

Zagreb is a city with a rich history dating from the Roman times to the present day. The city smells of roses and there are many flower shops as well as a flower market located in center of the town.

I love how colorful and vibrant it it. It is a perfect destination for a weekend / city break. There are hundreds of great restaurants and bars located in there and even the most demanding foodies like me can choose from a range of local and international cuisines.

If you like sightseeing then there is a lot to see. Here is a short list of my suggestions of places worth visiting:

  • The Upper Town
  • Zagreb Cathedral
  • Zagreb Eye
  • King Tomislav Square
  • Maksimir Park and Zagreb Zoo
  • Ilica Street (for a bit of retail therapy)
  • Museum of Broken Relationships (if you would like to read some heartbreaking stories told by hundreds of personal belongings of past lovers from all over the world).
  • And many more hidden gems like these:

How to get there?

Monarch, the scheduled leisure airline, operates year round flights and holidays to Zagreb from London Gatwick and Manchester airports with fares, including taxes, from £42 one way (£79 return). It is a great cheap airline with the friendliest flight attendants I have ever met.

For further information or to book Monarch flights, Monarch Holidays or Monarch Hotels, please visit www.monarch.co.uk

I hope you enjoyed reading this review.

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Pauline

Holiday destinations: Cologne, Germany

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Last week, we traveled with my husband to Cologne for 3-days weekend break.

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Cologne is the fourth-largest city in German located within the Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan region, one of the major European metropolitan areas, and with more than ten million inhabitants, the largest in Germany.

The city is less than 80 km from Belgium and it is located on both sides of the Rhine River.
IMG_3109When we arrived to Cologne, before we started our sightseeing we decided to visit Cologne Tourist Information Center which is located just opposite of cathedral.

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We bought two KölnCards, that provided us with free public transport as well as reductions at various restaurants, museums, bars and so on around the city. As Cologne is a major cultural center it hosts more than thirty museums and hundreds of galleries so the discounts we received using KölnCards were significant.

There are lots of places worth visiting whilst in Cologne. Here is a short list of my suggestions:
  1. Cologne Cathedral – beautiful Roman Gothic cathedral that is the main tourist attraction of Cologne and attracts over 6 million visitors per year.
  2. Museum Ludwig – great place to visit for art lovers. It holds extensive collection of Picasso works.
  3. Romano-Germanic Museum – holds a lot of Roman artifacts and antiques.
  4. Cologne Cable Car – a gondola lift that runs across the River Rhine.
  5. Fragrance Museum – perfume museum that holds artworks from 1685.

In addition, I would also recommend one of the city sightseeing bus tours. They take around 1.5 hour and you will be able to see all of the main attractions. There was a couple of companies running them and the tickets were 11 EUR.

I hope you enjoyed reading this review.

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Pauline

The Adagio London Brentford, UK

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Two weeks ago, I was invited the opening of the first ever Adagio Aparthotel in London Brentford. I’ve previously stayed in Adagio Aparthotel with my mum in Nice in France and I really enjoyed it so I was really looking forward to discovering what Adagio has to offer in London.

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Location:

The Adagio Aparthotel Brentford provides good links with Central London so it’s great for both business and leisure travellers. It is also located close to London Heathrow airport and within a mile of Kew Gardens. The closest tube station is 10minutes walk from the aparthotel.

Facilities:

Adagio Aparthotel Brentford offers all the comforts of home whilst you are away. The hotel features 100 apartments (a mixture of studios and one-bedroom apartments), virtual concierge, fitness centre, laundry facilities, open hot-desk work area next to reception and a restaurant where you can grab a breakfast or a drink from.

Lobby and Lounge Areas

Aparthotels Adagio London Brentford’s design takes inspiration from its urban surroundings with a modern feel. All Adagio aparthotels aim to provide open areas where guests can work and meet, perhaps even take part in one of their spontaneous cooking sessions all within Adagios comfortable setting.

As soon as you enter, you are welcomed by friendly receptionists and beautiful, contemporary surroundings.

Reception and foyer

Room:

We stayed in a beautiful apartment located on the seventh floor. Our apartment had a fully-equipped kitchen, air conditioning, living area with flat screen smart TV, free WIFI and telephone. We also had a spacious bathroom with complimentary Malin + Goez toiletries.

The living area of the apartment consisted also had a large and comfortable bed so we slept very well.

Studio 1

We also had a large terrace featuring the panoramic views of London where the guests could enjoy a drink or sit down and relax with a good book.

Apartament 1 – Balcony

Overall experience:

The hotel staff believe that ‘home is not a place, it is a feeling’ and they try to create a friendly, open surroundings for its guests. Although, we stayed at the Adagio Aparthotel Brentford only for 1 night, we had a great time. The hotel has everything that’s needed whilst away from home and I will definitely stay in Adagio Aparthotels in the future.

Address:

Key Eye Tower

Ealing Rd

Brentford TW8 0FL

Website:

https://www.adagio-city.com

I hope you enjoyed reading this review!

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Pauline

Lunch at Cantine Milano in Milan, Italy

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On the last day of my trip to Milan, we had our lunch at Cantine Milano which is the first Italian Restaurant with wine shop. The concept for Cantine Milano was born from a passion for wine and the love of good food. All the wines displayed in the restaurant can be tasted and purchased.

Location:

Cantine Milano is located within the Isola district and overlooks Via Traú. The restaurant is only a 5-minutes walk from Zara tube station and is easily reachable from the centre of Milan.

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Atmosphere:

The restaurant has a charming and exclusive décor and the entire dining area as well as the cocktail bar (which counter is entirely made of marble) are surrounded by a unique atmosphere created by the play of lights on the glasses and the dark walls. In addition, Cantine Milano has a private dining room and a spectacular open wine cellar downstairs.

The menu:

Cantine Milano accommodates great Mediterranean cuisine and fine wines with over 300 national and international labels to choose from. All dishes are created following the Apulian recipes and freshly made from high-quality locally sourced ingredients.

Starters:

For my starter, I had some roasted octopus on fondue with cheese, pepper and crispy leek. The dish was flavoursome.

My husband had a trio of mini tartare with tuna, yellowtail and salmon which he enjoyed.

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First Course:

For our Primi (First Course that Italians normally have before a main) we had a couple of dishes to share. I ordered some Gnocchetti (home made potatoes pasta) with cheese and pepper fondue, crispy bacon and parmesan waffle. My husband had some Spaghettoni pasta with raw and cooked crustacean with red bisque and purple potatoes. Both dishes were appetising.

Mains:

For my main, I decided to have some Tataki of tuna in black sesame crust with citrus soy sauce. This Asian-inspired dish was simply phenomenal.

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My husband had some beef with cheese, cognac with green pepper, potatoes and spinach which was delectable.

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Desserts:

My husband decided to skip his dessert but I ordered some tiramisu which was mouth-watering and had a perfect, light consistency. Everything I had was tasty but it was my favourite dish.

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Overall experience:

Our last meal in Milan in Cantine Milano was definitely my favourite and this restaurant is definitely a hidden-gem. From the beginning of my meal until my dessert, everything I ordered was cooked to perfection. In addition, the service was friendly and attentive which is always appreciated. I would definitely recommend anyone who loves good food and wine to visit Cantine Milano next time they are around.

Website:

For more information and to book visit:

https://www.cantinemilano.com/

Address:

Via Traù 1

20159 Milano

I hope you enjoyed reading this review!

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Pauline

Mother’s Day Gift Edit 2019

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Mother’s Day is one of the few opportunities when I can spoil my mum a bit and make her feel loved and appreciated. We are very close but as she lives in another country, I always consider what to send her across for this special celebrations.

I created a shortlist of products that I’ve sent her this year. I hope that you will like my ideas and perhaps even consider them as gifts for your mum.

Firstly, I bough my mum a bottle of her favourite perfumes – J’Adore from Dior.

Secondly, as my mum loves skincare so I got her some natural products from Made for Life Organics:

  • Head and Hair Treatment Oil – a deeply nourishing and conditioning treatment for head and scalp. Based on ingredients like: rosemary, burdock nettle, almond and apricot kernel oil which are rich in vitamins D and E. The product is known to boost circulation, clear the mind and condition hair so I though that it would be a perfect gift for my mum as she loves to have a healthy and shiny hair. It comes in 100ml bottle at the cost of £30.
  • Tone and Firm Body Oil – offers detoxifying combination of organic herbs and essential oils including green tea, rosemary, mint and lemon stimulates circulation. Active nutrients penetrate the skin, encouraging the elimination of toxins from the fatty tissue. It comes in 100ml bottle at the cost of £30.

Both of these products are 100% organic and full of natural botanicals, created to nurture anyone with the purest organics packed with active ingredients from the wild world. They come in a pretty packaging so would be a great gift for anyone. For more information and to purchase visit:

https://www.madeforlifeorganics.com/

Thirdly, as my mum has likes unusual and trendy accessories I got her a couple of products from BasketBasket range:

  • African inspired Raffia Fruit basket – a beautiful, colourful fruit bowl to add up some vibrancy to her bedroom. Made from straw and raffia.

basket

  • Raffia Beach Basket – a lovely beach / shopping basket with wooden button and cord fastener, inner pocket, plus leather handles, along enough to go over the shoulder.

bag

Both of these products are handmade with natural, sustainable products, mainly from Morocco and Madagascar. Website offers a lot of other handmade products and there’s something for everyone with the prices ranging from £19-£50.

https://www.basketbasket.co.uk/

Lastly, I decided to get my mum a Gioteck TX-40 headset as she is a music lover. It took one year in research & development and now all TX headsets deliver an impeccable blend of features, quality and design. I loved how stylish it looks as it combines sleek black with cooper finishes. Gioteck’s range not only looks good but also is durable, reliable and stylish so I am sure my mum will enjoy using it.

headset

Product can be purchased from Argos for £24.99:

https://www.argos.co.uk/product/8361851

I hope that I gave you some ideas which might help you to come up with a perfect gift for your mum.

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Pauline