DIY Scrapbooking

What is the big deal about scrapbooking? It seems to be the latest fad - at least this is one of the most talked about hobby subject on the internet..

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DIY Project Diary - week 5

Last week was tough. The tiler spent 5 days doing the tiling (he’d estimated 3 days work) so I decided to do the grouting myself. I thought there was nothing to it, I’d done grouting before! Grouting between big tiles is easy. But the mosaic tiles are a nightmare – particularly cleaning off the dried grout. There was dust everywhere. Anyway, it was a good exercise for my arms but it took me two days to do it! Then I had to seal around the bath and taps with silicon – it’s fiddly but strangely satisfying..

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DIY Project Diary ? Week 4

Well, the tiler didn?t turn up ? he hadn?t finished his previous job. We asked him to come over after work at least to look at the bathroom. I didn?t want any more surprises and I wanted to know how long it would take him to tile the whole bathroom. He came over on Monday evening and told us that big tiles cannot be cut around the wall mounted taps..

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DIY Project Diary - week 3

The builders left at last - after 3 weeks of work. It took us a couple of weeks to install the office units, the secondary lighting system and some wardrobes from Schreiber. People complain about IKEA flat packs, but they should try Schreiber, the German manufacturer! It took us 3 days to put together a double -wardrobe. It was soooo complicated – unnecessarily so. Comparatively, IKEA units are designed for idiots to put together..

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Minimalism

It seems that minimalism has had its day. At the end of the 90’s most of us wanted to chuck out our chintz and live a modern “minimalist” lifestyle. However minimalism doesn’t seem to fit within our current culture that encourages maximalism (otherwise called consumerism). Also, the media and the Home Improvement market has totally misinterpreted minimalism and turned it into cheap, shallow nothingness. No wonder so many people now want colour, texture and things..

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Interior Design in our Home

Interior design is the new fashion statement. Not only have the DIY & Home Improvement Stores zoomed into selling us an ideal lifestyle, but most fashion houses have also launched their own homeware products. So we have a wide range of choice of affordable stuff that we want but don’t really need. Our television is full of DIY makeover, renovation, build-your-own-house programmes that give us the illusion that we can do anything quickly, cheaply and effectively. Dozens of magazines make us envious of beautiful spaces. We want better and more. Despite endless choices, images and styles the result is that our trendy and fashionable interiors are themed and look alike. And they are rather soulless. So interior design has been transformed by the Macdonaldisation phenomenon. Individualism and taste got replaced by commercialism and sheep mentality..

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