Buying Christmas  goodies in October (the beginning of October no less!) must be an absolute first for me!  Really, it's only been the last two years or so that I've genuinely been excited for Christmas - I think it may be a combination of having my lovely little niece visit at that time of year and a new house that I'm really excited to decorate!  We all love having a rummage around TK Maxx right?  Well I did a bit of that in the Christmas section at the weekend.  Yep, totally bypassing the Halloween section I picked up a fair few bits - impromptu Christmas Haul!

I picked up the Bahoma set of two Noel Noel scented Candles (£9.99) first of all, I love Christmas scents!  Label anything as 'Christmas spiced' and I'm sold.  The Noel Noel candles are tangerine, nutmeg, berry, fir needle and cinnamon scented.  I'm waiting until it gets that bit closer to Christmas before burning them, but these still smell amazing!  Actually I blame these candles for getting me in the Christmas spirit!!

I spotted the set of 4 'Cherish The Season' tree decorations (£3.99) thinking the cute little ceramic acorns and pinecones would fit in perfectly with the simple white theme (with a hint of red) I went for last year, which I loved and had already planned to continue with in 2014.  The white ceramic Reindeer head (£4.99) has the same chalky feel as the tree decorations.  It's the subtlety of this as a Christmas decoration that I really like!  Stag heads and antlers have been popular in home decorating for quite a while now, so what better to have around at Christmas times?  This may end up on my mantlepiece a bit earlier than what's socially acceptable for Christmas decorations!

Finally I picked up what must be everyone's (right?!) must have purchase for around the Christmas period (well, towards the end of the year anyway).  A new diary!  I've only ever seen the 'In Tempo Firenze' diaries in TK Maxx, but I've picked up a few notebooks and journals from this brand in TK Maxx before and have found the quality to be really great for the price - this rather large, real leather diary was only £5.99.  Predominantly in Italian (hey ho, I'm an italophile and can understand the basics!)  this page a day 2015 diary has all the sections you could want, I can't wait to start filling it with notes and appointments!!

Let me know if I'm crazy to have started picking up Christmas bits and bobs already!!

We are no way near the stage where we should be buying ornaments or soft furnishings for our new house, but I can't go into TK Maxx without coming out without at least a few bits and pieces - it's an Aladdin's cave of loveliness for the home, and more!

When we popped in the TK Maxx Home Store, HomeSense, looking for a larger piece or furniture all thoughts of a coffee table or chair went out of the window when I spotted the glass trinket boxes for only £7.99 each.  Both trinket boxes came with a 'Passport to India' label - I wonder if this is a TK Maxx brand as I can't find anything about Passport to India on the web.  I'm not sure what I'll end up storing in these little beauties but I plan on displaying them on them the shelves we plan on installing in the alcove of our living room.

I can't ever resist giving ALL the candles in TK Maxx a good stiff, the Pecksniff's Gardenia & White Peach candle has that lovely fresh laundry smell and with a pretty little silver lid, I couldn't resist taking it home - to also sit on the living room shelves, once they're up!

The last, and possibly my favourite new item, is the cute little wise words journal.  As soon as I picked up the journal Chris asked whether I really needed another note book that I wrote next to nothing in - I suppose he's right, but of course my answer was YES!  how could I resist that little owl motif! 

Are you like me in TK Maxx or HomeSense - never able to leave without a little something?  Let me know if you've picked up any bargains recently!

1. Made.com Gold Florence Pendant Light  2. BHS Lennon 2 Seater Sofa  3. Zara Patchwork Leather Rug  4. Made.com Carraway square Scatter Cushions  5. Made.com Hendrix Woven Skull Cushion  6. Zara Multicoloured Circular Vase  7. Habitat Large Joyce Acacia Coffee Table  8. H&M Moss-Knit Yellow Throw

Just before Christmas we moved into our new home.  It was a long time in the search - 38 house viewings and 6 months to be precise!  We really didn't want a temporary house, which is what our last place felt like (though we loved it!) so I'm really glad we waited for right place.  The location and outlook of the property is what really swayed it for us, and although every room needs something doing to it we were both excited about the potential!

In between family visits and Christmas shopping we (Chris more like) started chipping away at the living room.  We had a hard decision to make, but we decided to take the first step by remove the gorgeous carpet, yeah right!... What would you know, the room looked better straight away!  The photos below show our progress so far - sorry there are a few iPhone pictures in the mix!

As you can see we have painted the walls a light grey (Dulux Egyptian Cotton) and painted the ceiling, coving, skirting and fire surround white.  I love it!  The white fire surround makes all the difference in giving the room a facelift.  Our plans are to lay a dark real wood floor.  We wanted to strip the floorboards as they're in great condition, but we're going to put a new floor in the dining room, kitchen and hall so didn't want to be stepping down a few centimetres into the living room!  We also want to fit some white blinds and then for the fun bit, furniture and accessories!  Chris and I have both agreed we want a stylish grey sofa but I also can't help browsing for decor accessories! 

Because the room is going to be very grey and light I want there to be a lot of bright accents to set it off.  I've put together a few of the pieces that I've been coveting in this post.  Made.com has been my mecca recently, I love the brightly coloured cushions as well a nice statement light fitting!  I can't wait to hit the shops and show you guys the finished room!

Follow us on this blog as we renovate and decorate our new home!  Exciting!

All via ACHICA

I love the TK Maxx home department, but hate the idea of rummaging through the often jumble-sale style stores for the small chance of finding a little gem!  I was recently introduced to the gorgeous luxury online store ACHICA, which has fast become my new addiction!  No more rummaging through rails and shelves, or being disappointed that a gorgeous item is damaged - something which always happens to me in TK Maxx!

ACHICA is a members only store that offers fabulous brands at discounted prices.  I have to admit that 'members-only' made me think twice, but it's free to join and literally takes 5 seconds to get set up!  With departments spanning everything from home and garden furniture to electrical goods, fashion, food and travel, there is actually something for everyone!  The site works by offering daily shopping promotions, for which you can choose how often you receive e-mail notifications.  The promotions last around 72 hours so you have to be quick if you see something you like, and with  new brands added every day it doesn't take too long to end up hooked!

I've put together a few of the items that I'm watching at the moment.  The Rituals Candle is one of the best examples of the bargains you can find on ACHICA.  Though usually £16.50, you can pick this fig candle up for only £8.50 on ACHICA.com.  The furniture and home accessories departs are my absolute favourite though, it's as if everything has been picked out for my dream house!

Have you ever had a browse around ACHICA?  Let me know if you've picked up any amazing bargains?

*Sponsored post

Primark have done really well with their Christmas home collection this year, and if I was a little less controlled I would have come home with a lot more bits!... I wasn't quite as lucky when it came to the clothes however!

1.  Sofapop Ice Ottoman  |  2.  Canonbury Armchair  |  3.  Harmony Oil Painting  |  4.  Collin Coffee Table  |  5.  Nebenun Grey-White Rug  |  6.  Phoenix Pendant Lamp