Showing posts with label charity. Show all posts
Showing posts with label charity. Show all posts

Sunday, 16 September 2018

15 of my favourite homeware pieces raising money for a good cause

Charity is something that is very close to my heart that I like to support where I can. So when I received a press release about a new line of chairs from Sue Ryder to raise money for those who require hospice or neurological care I wanted to get involved (and as a FYI this post is not sponsored or compensated in any shape or form).

Let's be honest. When you think of charity shop chairs you think dated, second hand chairs, right? WRONG. In this case all chairs in the collection are brand new. And dated they are not. Offering a range of pinks (which they are aptly calling millennial pink), greys and velvets for a touch of luxury, they are very much current. I am quite the interiors enthusiast and I have seen similar chairs around, but not at prices as low as these. And I promise you, they look every bit as high end. Don't believe me? Check out for yourself below!

JEWEL TONES

When it comes to jewel tones, don't be shy and really go for it. Contrast against a dark wall and choose all manner of magentas, teals and yellows with metallic accents and accessories.

Image source - Pinterest - 1 / 2 

GET THE LOOK


Jewel tones like these are great for rental properties, student digs or anywhere else where there are decoration restrictions in place. If you are faced with white or magnolia walls that you hate and begrudgingly aren't allowed to change, why not bring colour into your home by way of furniture and accessories? Gradually layer in different colours to really pop against those plain walls. The above rug makes a real statement and velvet pieces like the above chairs add a luxe element.

PRETTY IN PINK

Being someone who once hated all things pink, I can't quite believe I'm saying this... (I've had an epiphany!) but pink chairs are wonderfully versatile. They work well with white walls, soft greys, soft blues (like the duck egg featured below), and also dark walls for real impact. For a luxe take on the trend, pair with mirrored furniture, bold print rugs and gold accents.

Image source - Pinterest - 1 / 2 / 3 

GET THE LOOK

I don't know about you, but I love this pink stool with black legs (they also do a version with wooden legs if you prefer a softer look). Or how about this pink velvet chair? It reminds me of the seating in Sketch! Pair pink velvet with mirrored furniture for a high end look. I am seriously in love with this mirrored console table and this black and white rug!


SOFT GREYS

I love a grey. Whether incorporated into shabby chic, hygge or French style decor, there is something very soothing about it. Particularly when paired with touches of white - be it white walls, fluffy sheepskin rugs or knitted throws. Grey lends itself well to natural accessories like jute rugs, exposed brick walls, baskets, and wooden accents.

Image source - Pinterest - 1 / 2 

GET THE LOOK

These dining chairs are dupes for the ones on the My Furniture website with the silver ring pull handle, don't you think? Although admittedly I do also love these bar stools! The trays, crates and baskets below all fit seamlessly well with the French shabby chic aesthetic I love so much.


The Sue Ryder website also has a good selection of other chairs in other colours and styles which you can find here. Or if you're good on the chair front, they also stock garden furniture, soft furnishings and other homeware.

As well as offering express delivery and safe and secure payments, Sue Ryder’s dedicated online shop offers free delivery over £50, a 30-day money back guarantee and a dedicated Customer Services Team. If you have any questions about the site, delivery or a particular product, do feel free to reach out to sales@suerydercare.org and be a pal and say I sent you.

As much as I love treating myself to new pieces for my home, there's something extra special about knowing that a purchase you make is also raising money for a good cause, don't you think?

Which of the above three categories is your sort of style?

Friday, 10 February 2017

Charity // living on £2 a day with Zamcog & Voucherbox

Recently Voucherbox reached out to me, wanting to spread awareness of how much food we waste and the amount we spend in doing so. Did you know that it costs £2 a day to feed, clothe and educate a child in Zambia? Voucherbox has teamed up with Zamcog to present the £2 challenge.

The #2poundchallenge is all about encouraging bloggers to try living off of just £2 a day and for each blogger that takes part and writes a post on their experiences, Voucherbox will donate £50 to Zamcog. Which is amazingly generous. Working in the city of London, I am only too aware that a typical lunch can cost me £5 or more. And that's just lunch.


For the challenge myself and M. would need to live on just £4 a day (£2 each). The £4 would go towards three meals for two people and some form of snack. To save as much as possible, I made lunch and dinner in bulk so the below takes into account the costs of both of our portions for just one day.

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BREAKFAST

Toast & jam 


x4 slices of toast each - 16p
Butter - 13p 
Jam- 9p

TOTAL = 39p

I bought a loaf of supermarket own brand wholemeal bread which equated to 4p a slice. A very frugal lunch meant that I could stretch to jam as well as butter (albeit in small quantities!)

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LUNCH

Parsnip soup


Parsnips - 30p
Rosemary - free!
Veg stock - 12p
Onion - 6p
Milk  - 16p
Butter - 6p

 TOTAL = 70p

The rosemary was scavenged from the garden which was a good way of being resourceful and thrifty. Being a relatively simple soup with one vegetable and no meat stock, I did worry that it may be fairly bland, but the rosemary was great at counteracting this. This was in fact one my favourite soups I've ever made!

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DINNER

Gnocchi bake


Gnocchi - 38p
Cheese - 24p
Peppers - 39p
x1 tin chopped tomatoes - 31p
Garlic clove - 5p
Tomato puree - 5p
Spinach - 50p
Smoked paprika - 5p

TOTAL = £1.97

Who knew that a £1.97 dinner with the most basic of ingredients could be so full of flavour?! I picked up a value pack of gnocchi for just 75p from the supermarket and I only used half of it as gnocchi is brilliant for being really filling - so you don't need a whole lot of the stuff. Rather than being just a plain and boring stodge, cheese and tomato combo, the veg gave it some extra colour, texture and flavour. I shopped the 'farms' range of supermarket veg which is sourced from local farms and is considerably cheaper. I usually shop this range anyway as it's just as good quality as anything else. Not the prettiest dish to plate up, but that crispy cheese on top was the real MVP!

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SNACKS

Bourbon biscuits


x4 biscuits each = 2p per biscuit

TOTAL = 16p

In an ideal world I would have been snacking on fruit but have you seen how expensive fruit is these days?! Why spend 40p on an apple when you can spend 30p on a pack of 22 biscuits? Chocolate is a lot tastier than fruit anyway. This worked out at 2p per biscuit which were perfect for late morning nibbles and the afternoon slump!

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TOTAL SPEND = £3.22

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What I learnt from the experience is that living on just £2 a day is incredibly hard. Everything has a price and it was interesting seeing the monetary value of a splash of oil and a sprinkle of paprika, because everything adds up. It really made me re-think how much I spend on food and this is something I'm going to continue. This experience has proven that this is possible and that cheap food isn't tasteless or lacking. My shop was done in Tesco - so this proves it is possible in British supermarkets other than Aldi, Lidl or Iceland.

One of the conditions of the £2 challenge was to tag another blogger to continue on the good work. But I don't want to tag just one person - I invite you all to join and contribute towards this good cause. To date over £1000 has been raised which is an amazing achievement.  If you participate in the #2poundchallenge, please do leave links to your experiences in the comments below as I'd love to see other ideas for money saving meals!

Thursday, 12 December 2013

Raising money for Save The Children with Christmas Jumper Day

As many of you are aware, Friday 13th December this year marks Christmas Jumper Day. A day which not only gives you the perfect excuse to dig out your winter woollies, but also raises money for a wonderful cause - Save The Children.

Forever the huge Home Alone fan, the increasingly talked about Home Alone jumper was the one for me. Seeing it sold at both ends of the pricing spectrum (£40 in Topshop Oxford Circus - WHY???), I scored mine for a mere £9 from eBay. Praise be.


I located a UK based seller as I didn't want to pay extortionate P&P. The quality itself isn't bad. There were a few loose threads here and there from transit, but for £9 I hardly mind. The material is very soft and thankfully isn't itchy - an added bonus.

You can find out more about Christmas Jumper Day and how to donate here

Will you be supporting Christmas Jumper day this year?