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Last Minute Father's Day Gift Idea!

Father's Day (June 16th) is looming, and if you've left it a bit late don't worry - here's a great gift idea that will certainly raise a grin!

The new range of Superhero prints can all be fully personalised - you can not only add their name, but also list their own special super powers and - erm - vulnerabilities! The superhero on the print will even feature their initials on the costume too.

You can order right up until Tuesday 11th June and orders will be sent via 1st class recorded delivery. Visit the website here for more details or to place an order!

Sarah :)

Beside the Seaside

Throw your head back and take a deep sniff: can you smell holidays on the horizon...? Beaches? Ice creams? Hint of donkey on the air? Salt on the wind? Not long now...

1: ‘Fish in the Sea’ personalised print, £14.50

2: Great British Holidays canvas, available in a choice of colours, £29.95

3: ‘Whale’ personalised canvas, from £16.95

4: ‘Kiss Me Quick’ canvas, available in a choice of colours (other designs in this range also available), from £16.95

5: ‘Pirate Treasure’ fantasy portrait, (part of the 'Role Play' collection), from £15

Top 10 Spring Cleaning Ideas (that you probably won’t have thought of!)

I don’t think I’ve ever actually done a ‘spring clean’ in my entire life - housework just seems an ongoing boulder that I’m constantly pushing along! But I have found a few little tips for you that you might find useful for your own personal housework boulder!:

1: Clean with Lemons - if you have burnt on food in your microwave, cut a lemon into quarters and pop it in a bowl of water. Pop the bowl into the microwave on high for a couple of minutes then leave it in there for a couple more. The steam will soften the crusty bits and make it easier to clean (and it will smell lovely too). Also, if you have stains on a chopping board you can rub lemon juice over it, leave for 20/30minutes, rinse off and it should clear the stains for you.

2: Shaving Foam gets stains out of carpets - I haven’t tried this one personally, but I have seen several sources that say this is great for getting rid of spots on the carpet. The foam breaks down grease - has to be the foamy kind though, don’t think gel would work!

3: Bread gets marks off walls - now this one I have tried, and it really does work: just rub a slice of bread over fingermarks on your walls and it will erase them for you.

4: Ice cubes and carpets - ice cubes can be used in two ways: for getting gum out (just hold it on the gum until it freezes then scrape it away), and also for curing dents in carpets when you shift furniture (just put an ice cube into the dent, then after it has melted comb the carpet pile back up).

5: Clean with Coke - great for getting burnt on bits out of pans (leave overnight and the acid in the coke will get to work).

6: Tumble Dryer sheets - if you use these you’ll know that they work well to remove static in your drying, which means they also work really well on things like TV screens, computer screens: in fact anywhere that attracts dust! They are also great for giving a gleam back to chrome items: kettles, light switches, etc. If you particularly like the smell of your washing when it comes out of the dryer you could also try popping a tumble sheet in your knicker drawer for that ‘just washed’ smell too!

7: Magic Erasers - I love these sponges, I always have a packet under the kitchen sink (and you can buy them in pound shops too, bargain!). My white kitchen sink often picks up stains, and sometimes even bleaching won’t brighten it - but rubbing down with one of these sponges works wonders. I’ve also used them on crayon marks on a roller blind, to clean shoes and trainers, to get scuff marks off laminate floors, to get rid of tea stains in cups (just remember to wash the cup thoroughly afterwards), cleaning inside the car - loads of places!

8: Toothbrushes - mix a paste of baking soda and water and use an old electric or battery powered toothbrush to get rid of the grime you get on grouting between tiles.

9: DIY Room Freshener - if your house is a bit - erm - whiffy, simmer a pan containing water, a sliced lemon or two and a sprig of rosemary on your hob. If the water evaporates before you’ve finished enjoying the luscious smell just top it up a bit.

And my best tip of all?

10: Delegate. Delegate, delegate, delegate - fair means or foul, bribery or corruption, strop or wheedle, beg or demand: get the rest of the household to chip in and help. No matter how short or tall they are!

So what are your cleaning tips? Have you got any little gems that you could share? Leave a comment and let me know, I’d love to hear from you!

Sarah :)

PS: an extra tip for you - not really cleaning related, but pretty useful: if you bake a sponge cake and want to prevent it from drying out, just pop a slice of bread on top of the un-iced cake when you put it in your cake box. It will keep the cake moist until you can get to ice (and eat) it!