sutton045

Ever since we moved into our house the counter space in the utility room has been a dumping ground for everything and anything. You know yourself, it's one of those rooms where you can just throw stuff in, shut the door and walk away! But after constantly tidying it, the empty counter top and wall space felt like such a waste, I was eager to do something useful with it.  After a bit of research on Pinterest, the below image was what I was loosely basing my makeover on. I used this image as it was a similar size and layout to my utility room so it would be easy to recreate. And I swapped out the laundry bits for booze 😆 I picked a lighter green paint as it ties in with some of the shelving in my kitchen so from certain angles you can see both the shelving and into the utility room and they match nicely. Luckily I only had to paint a small wall so I did that myself. Paint is Colours 'Eau De Nil' in Durable Matt -  http://bit.ly/2xnOusk For the shelf I went to B&Q and pic...

This has to be one of the most controversial fake tans I have ever tried, so an in depth review is needed! Ever since Suzanne Jackson released her hotly anticipated fake tan 'Dripping Gold' the reviews have been quite mixed to say the least. I've definitely seen a few people slate it with just as many raving about it. So as a fake tan aficionado I had to try out this product for myself. Price I picked up the tan in my local Penneys for €20. For full disclosure I did pay for this myself, I used a voucher Penneys Head Office had given me, after I found my cotton pads from there were riddled with dead insects. So the decision to buy, use and review the tan was completely my own. Application I went with the shade Dark, as the Ultra Dark sounds a bit intense for my 'so pale it's almost blue' skin. The product is a mousse - definitely my preferred type of tan as mousse always applies quite smoothly. Solid packaging and pump as well which is always important! The tan s...

Before we get ahead of ourselves, this blog post is how to claim tax back on medical expenses. You are entitled to claim 20% tax back on any medical expenses you paid, for yourself or for someone else i.e your child. You can only claim tax back if you have actually paid tax. (Not USC or PRSI) You cannot claim tax back if you have been refunded the medical expense from private health insurance. You may have underpaid your tax and Revenue can take this back. Generally people don't overpay tax but it can happen if you were out of work for part of the year. Right so now that we're clear on the above lets get started! The first thing you need to do is go onto Revenue.ie and log into 'My Account', if you haven't previously used this service you will have to set up an account. Once logged in click Review your tax 2014-2017, in the blue PAYE Services box on the left.  Once into that section you want to submit a Form 12 for the year 2017 (and any other years you haven't...

During the year I decided that I wanted to spend my Christmas days off abroad, rather than the usual lazing at home, gorging on Celebrations. So one sunny day in August, after a few vinos, myself and Dean booked a New Years Eve trip to Paris, thinking it would be the glammest thing ever. We flew with Aer Lingus and paid about €300 for two return tickets. Once we arrived we had a bit of a confusing trek from Charles de Gaulle airport to our hotel, but with one train and one taxi we were there within an hour or so. The metro system in France is quite complex but with the help of Google Maps you'll figure it out fast enough. We stayed in a hotel called Hotel Nicolo  which was small, cosy (and pricey), but close to the Eiffel Tower. While our room didn't have views of the Eiffel Tower there was fantastic views of it from the main street and you could easily walk to the Eiffel Tower from the hotel. Our hotel was in a lovely area (16th arrondissement) with plenty of boutiques, ...

Whether you've just moved into a house or apartment or have had your own place for years, decorating it is what makes it feel like home. I was so excited to decorate our new house, but of course we were on a tight budget! So here's some of my favourite and affordable homeware shops. Pumpkins - Homesense Wire Basket - Ikea  http://bit.ly/2nPHeke Sheepskin Rug - Ikea  http://bit.ly/2C0Vhq9 Aldi Ireland You may not even notice the fabulous homeware bits Aldi stock as they are usually sold out within minutes! Over the last year or so I have kept a close eye on the ' special buys ' section on the Aldi website, to see what new products are coming in in the next few weeks. And if there's something I'm eager to get my hands on I'll make sure I'm first in the queue on the day it launches. Plant, chairs and lantern from Aldi Footstool from Aldi  Homesense As far as I know there's only two Homesense stores in Ireland, one in Dublin and one in Cork. Luckily for...

This weekend was definitely a lot tamer than the last , but as per usual, there was a few drinks had. On Sunday myself, my Mam and my sister headed to Tankardstown , Slane for Afternoon Tea. It was a bit of a trek getting there but luckily my Dad was on hand to give us a lift out. Pic Credit: Tankardstown Facebook The Afternoon Tea is served in a cute and cosy outhouse, with lovely rustic decor. The service was fantastic from the minute we arrived. Our food was served pretty much straight away and we didn't even have to ask for our photo to be taken before one of the servers was happily snapping away.  Our Afternoon Tea was simple but delicious, we had three small sandwiches, a scone with butter, cream and jam and then a selection of desserts. And prosecco, of course. Unfortunately, the hotel itself is for guests only so we headed off for a few more drinks elsewhere. Our next venue of choice was the Strawberry Hall, another one off the beaten track, which is famous for its ove...