Simple Tips to Help you Produce an Amazing Sandwich Platter …

  This week we celebrated Christmas at work with a staff lunch in the office.  We had already attended the “official” work Christmas Party but the lunch is a more casual tradition with everyone in the office asked to bring a plate of food to share and celebrate.  We ended up with a fantastic variety of food and enjoyed a delicious lunch with great company.     One of my “go to” offerings when I’m asked to “bring a plate” is a sandwich platter.  Rarely does anyone ever double up with the same thing and I always find it’s enjoyed and appreciated.  … read more

How to Bake a Perfect Scone …

It took me years to gather the courage to even try baking scones.   I’d heard so many people say how they had tried and failed so I figured it was best avoided.  However, after years of being afraid I finally decided to have a go and I’m so glad I did! Scones seem simple enough … take some fairly basic ingredients, mix them together and you get a beautiful, soft, fluffy scone.  Well, that’s the theory anyway and, with a few simple tips passed on by my Mum, I managed to produce exactly that. So, here are my top tips: Scones need a very light touch and should be … read more

How I Organise my Baking Ingredients (Part 2) …

Recently I shared with you my solution for storing most of my baking ingredients, things like flour, sugar, breadcrumbs, bi-carb soda, etc.  The photo below shows the final result and if you missed that blog post you can read more about it here. However, that was only part of the story because there are loads of other ingredients that I use and need to whip up muffins, cakes, slices and other yummy treats, so it was definitely time to come up with a fantastic solution for storing those extra things.     This project was a little trickier because (unlike the … read more

How to Organise the Computer/Printer Cables in the Office …

I don’t know about you, but the mess and jumble of cords behind my computer in the office was driving me crazy!  It looked awful and was extremely difficult to keep clean and free of dust, so it was time to find a solution. I visited Officeworks and found this fantastic Cable Box.  It comes in black or white and cost me $19.95.  I personally preferred the black because it matched my printer and white plastic products can sometimes yellow with age.   It was so easy to set up … simply remove the lid, run all the cables through the groove on either end, replace the lid … read more

How to Save Money on Gift Wrapping …

Many times throughout the year, we all find the need to give gifts for all kinds of events such as birthdays, weddings, engagements, anniversaries, special days like Mothers Day and Fathers Day, Christmas and so on.  And while sticking to a budget to purchase these gifts, the cost of wrapping paper, gift bags, ribbons, bows, boxes and cards is often overlooked.  These extra items can be quite expensive and can significantly add up of the space of one year. Here are some tips and suggestions that I use to help reduce the cost: Buy your wrapping paper from a … read more

Show your Tea Towels Some Love …

Tea towels are one of those things that don’t really get much thought.  However, because they are used in the kitchen for food preparation, they work pretty hard and really do need a little bit of tender loving care. Tea towels sometimes sit scrunched up and wet on the kitchen bench (particularly when you’re cooking) or they sit damp amongst the washing in the laundry waiting to be washed.  Unfortunately, either of those things will make your humble tea towel a breeding ground for bacteria because it never gets the chance to dry out properly. So here’s a few things … read more

How to Organise Under the Kitchen Sink …

What’s lurking under your kitchen sink? The cupboard under the kitchen sink can end up being one of the messiest in the house … or at least, that’s what it seems like here!  Bottles, sprays, sponges and other items are used and tossed back multiple times a day.  There’s also the jumble of pipes, hoses and plumbing to contend with, making this a difficult spot to organise.  I decided, however, that some decluttering, tidying and sorting of the mess was a job for the last weekend, so here we go! First task was to pull everything out and give the cupboard a good … read more

Bath Towel Buying Guide & Country Road Towels Product Review …

  Recently I decluttered and organised our main bathroom … wow, what a difference!  I can’t believe how much “stuff” I was able to get rid of!  Bathroom cupboards and drawers can accumulate so many things like out-of-date cosmetics and skincare, old hair straighteners and hair dryers, half empty bottles of moisturisers, broken hair bands and so on.   It was also a great opportunity to look at the condition of our towels, hand towels and face washers and, let me tell you, they were looking a little sad.  Noticing that Myer had a Manchester sale at the time, … read more

How to Organise the Bathroom Drawers (Part 2) …

  Last week, my decluttering task was to clean out the top drawer in the main bathroom and I’m pleased to announce “Mission Accomplished”.  Doesn’t it feel great to achieve something that’s been on your "To Do List"?   This week I’ve decided to tackle the next two drawers.  The top drawer held most of Miss 21’s makeup and skincare and I found the perfect solution at Howards Storage.  You can read that story here.   The other two drawers were going to store bulkier items so this is how I tackled organising those:    I removed everything … read more

How to Organise the Bathroom Drawers (Part 1) …

  Bathroom drawers can get very messy, especially if you have teenage girls living in the house and they have a particular fondness for makeup.  Raise your hand now if you know what I’m talking about!   Miss 21 has claimed the main bathroom as hers, which is okay because hubby and I have an ensuite and Miss 15 uses the powder room.  Everyone has a bathroom, so everyone is happy!  But I will own up to being frustrated at how messy the drawers can get, so it was time to take some action.  Here are my top tips for how to go about cleaning out the bathroom … read more

How to Organise the Bathroom Cupboard …

  Although our main bathroom is actually quite small, the bathroom cupboard is a reasonable size.  So to make the most of the space available, I decided to declutter the cupboard and give it a good clean.  Here’s how I did it, along with my top tips:   I removed everything from the cupboard so that all that was remaining was glorious empty space.   I wiped down the sides and bottom of the cupboard (including any shelving) with a damp cloth using Spray and Wipe.  For marks or stains that are a bit harder to shift, I would use something like … read more