Friday 14th March – Sunday 6th April – mark these dates in your diary for the 2008 Daily Mail Ideal Home Show at Earls Court, London. I’ve never been to the show but this year I’m going to get some advance tickets and make a proper weekend of it! The website (www.idealhomeshow.co.uk) has lots of editorial features on how interiors and decor has changed since the 1900s (this year is the 100th aniversary of the Ideal Home Show) and I think it’s interesting to see how decorating trends have disappeared, only to come back decades later as ‘retro’ must-haves! Advance tickets are discounted at £11 for adults (midweek) and £7 for concessions (over 60s). Entry for children under 16 is free. See http://www.idealhomeshow.co.uk/book-tickets/ to book online.
2008 Ideal Home Show, London February 10, 2008
Getting Crafty… February 1, 2008
I have never been a particularly crafty person – I like the idea of working on projects and being proud of the end product, but alas, I always convince myself that these jobs 
are best left to professionals! Recently however, I’ve been toying with the idea of picking up some cute fabric and making some new blinds for the kitchen and bedroom. There are so many gorgeous fabrics available at places like the Fabric Warehouse that it seems rude not to have a go! I recently decorated one of our bedrooms in the whitest white paint I could find (Milk White from Crown Paints did the job!) and being an admirer of country style décor, I really fancy adding some red gingham as a contrast. But I can’t find anything ready-made on the high street except for some rather expensive children’s curtains from The White Company! So when I discovered that you could in fact buy special kits for making up your own blinds, the temptation to do some DIY has been nagging me. I’ve found the fabric (Laura Ashley’s Scarlet Red Gingham, at a reasonable £13 per metre) and the roller blind kits cost from only £12.99 online from Terry’s Fabrics. So I could in theory make my own for around the £50 mark. But still the doubts remain. While the costs add up, I am worried that my best efforts would just turn into a big shapeless mess!
