Love your nest

We have had a late burst of summer, a last roll of the sunshine dice, and it’s been lovely. I am thinking of popping off to the seaside for a night or two as I haven’t had a holiday this year (apart from a quick visit home to Ireland to check on mum). I do love to be beside the seaside, it feels like my spiritual home, and I think I will end up living by the sea when I am older. To be honest, if it didn’t mean such a long commute to work, I’d already be living on the coast. I find commuting and driving for long periods of time a bit stressful and tiring so I try to keep it to a minimum. After everything that’s gone on with my health over the last couple of years, I am very focused on minimising anything that causes me stress or tires me out. Your health is your wealth, as they say, and I know that even though living by the sea would do wonders for my physical and mental wellbeing, all the hours on the road commuting and stressing about traffic jams and hold-ups would just undo any of the inherent benefits I’d achieve from a closer proximity to the wonderful sea. So, for now, life by the sea will have to wait.

I’ve been having a lovely time at work recently. Our guest presenters and brand ambassadors really do make all the difference and provide lots of laughs, making work a truly enjoyable experience. Whether it’s an hour of Ronni Nicole dresses with Carla Lazslo, Mr Max with Alexandria Hayden, Amazon products, like the Amazon Echo with Lee Hohbein (did you see the very clever Amazon Auto Today’s Special Value we just had recently?) or even an hour of JM by Julien MacDonald with the gorgeous, and very talented Justine Jones.

They all are so professional and lovely, it makes work a dream and I appreciate everyone of them. Some are even personal friends now, which is an added bonus!

If you read my previous blog, you’ll know that I find this time of year a little tricky as I always find the transition from summer into autumn/winter a little bumpy. That feeling always makes me want to nest, as I really do tend to hunker down and hibernate. Usually once winter is in full swing I don’t do much more than go to work and go home and snuggle up on the sofa or climb into my comfy bed. I am very definitely a nester. I love my nest, especially in the winter. Anyone else?

With that in mind, I’ve been making preparations. I’ve been getting the warmer winter bedding back out of the cupboard again. Whether it’s bedspreads from Alison Cork or linens from Kelly Hoppen or Northern Nights (I got the Northern Nights PUR feather mattress topper recently, a must-have for winter nesting if ever there was one!). Bedding isn’t the only thing that gets a winter overhaul though. Let’s be honest, we all watch much more TV and movies and box sets in the winter (they always save the best TV shows and movies for the winter season) so that is an experience worth investing in. I recently had the Bose TV Speaker on-air. I’m not quite sure how to explain the difference this can make to your TV experience. The sound becomes so much richer, sharper, deeper and clearer. It even has a specific setting for dialogue (which I often struggle with – it just sounds like everyone is mumbling a lot. Maybe it’s just me getting older but anything that can improve the quality of spoken words gets a thumbs up in my book!).

We actually have a Love Your Home Event coming up on 22nd September (I’m calling it Love Your Nest!). The idea is to help you make your home feel truly special this September, while creating a space that works for you, with our latest A/W home collection. Showcasing new products from much-loved brands like Cozee Home, Silentnight and K by Kelly Hoppen, plus unmissable deals on bedding, kitchen gadgets and more, we’ll make it easy for you to weave warmth, structure and beauty into every room. So, whether you want to cosy up in the living room or blitz the bathroom, you’ll find all you need right here.

There is also a gorgeous Today’s Special Value coming up from Homeworx by Harry Slatkin, the award-winning fragrance expert. It’s a set of three faceted glass three-wick candles in signature floral fragrances that will deliver the most luxurious ambiance to your home. They come in luxe, faceted glass vessels to make a real statement in your home, and each feature Harry’s personal monogram on them.

The scents you get are Tiare Sunrise, Clementine Blossom and Almond Flower. Here are the fragrance notes:

Tiare Flower: Honeysuckle, Jasmine, Vanilla and Gardenia
Clementine Flower: Fresh Bergamot, Neroli and Tangerine
Almond Flower: Creamy Pistachio, Orange Flower and Vanilla Bean

Each candle burns for 25 – 40 hours, totaling up to 120 hours of burn time – that’s a whole lot of scent! Plus, you can even stock up with our Auto Delivery option and receive another set of three-wick candles in spring floral fragrances:

Lotus Flower: Bamboo, Lotus, Water Lily and Sandalwood
Jasmine Rain: Waterlily, Bergamot, Sheer Jasmine, Freesia and Gardenia
Vanilla Cherry Blossom: Cherry Blossom, Blackberry, Blushing Peach, Black Anise and Vanilla Sugar

Quality home fragrance is so important to helping create that total 360 degree experience at home and when it comes in beautiful containers casting flickering candle light across a room, so much the better!

I’m off now to check out availability of hotels down on the coast for once last hurrah before I get fully hunkered down for the winter season and hibernate like a bear with all my favourite things around me in my nest!

I’ll fill you in on my jaunt to the coast next time. In the meantime, check out our Love Your Home Event all day on 22nd September with lots of ideas already available on our website right now.

Until next time,

Miceal Xx