HAPPY HALLOWEEN EVERYONE!

Officially super-excited about Halloween! This is the start of the festive party season for me. First Halloween, then the sound of fireworks sprinkled around November and then Christmas!

Organising a Halloween party? Don’t forget to check out Housetohome’s essential guide to Halloween 2010. It’s PACKED full of everything from the best Halloween party buys and downloadable decorations, to last-minute party ideas.

Have yourself a spooky soiree!

Get ready for Halloween weekend with these fab party ideas

Can I come in? Homely Halloween House!

This beautiful country-style home did nothing to curb my embarrassing level of excitement about Halloween this year. Is anyone dressing up? I’d love to hear what Halloween costumes you’re trying out. More Halloween party ideas to come, but for now, get into the spooky spirit with this warm and cosy farmhouse dressed in Halloween accessories and pumpkins.

“New England meet Old England” “Old England, New England”

Check out this home dressed up for Halloween!

Country-style kitchen gets a Halloween makeover

Halloween pumpkin goes out for a spin

Give your home a warm and cosy glow this Halloween

A kitchen with a view

Anyone recognise this beautiful kitchen from Magnet? Well it’s just shot to fame as the new kitchen design for ITV’s This Morning… I’m sure the paparazzi will start stalking him while he’s doing his shopping soon enough!

The Crème Lineaire from the purely Magnet range, was chosen for its feminine curves and sleek gloss finish. The soft cream will look great
on camera and the simple lines are elegant and stylish. I predict a new Vogue cover star!

I just don’t know who’s luckier, the handsome Phil Vickery or the kitchen??

Stunning contemporary kitchen design by Magnet for This Morning

Create a Christmas craft room

If you love Christmas crafts as much as I do, you’ll LOVE Ellie from HomeShoppingSpy’s top tips on how to create the perfect craft room, whether it be squeazing it into your home office, devoting an entire room to making crackers and Christmas decorations, or creating a Christmas gift wrapping station. Trust me, your friends and family will be all KINDS of impressed!

Update your dining room on a budget

Are you facing the panic of realising that the other night over a glass of wine you gleefully invited the ENTIRE family over for Christmas?? Well check out these fab ideas to give your dining room a makeover on a tight budget. No one will no the difference! We asked HomeShoppingSpy‘s shopping guru Ellie for her top tips!

Children’s decorating ideas for every style

Whenever I’m in the mood for shopping, I go straight to Ellie, Deputy Shopping Editor of Ideal Home‘s blog HomeShoppingSpy for a quick fix. And what’s GREAT is that she’s a colleague, so browsing through what my next home purchase will be is basically work, right?

Anyway, we hunted Ellie down when she was doing her own shopping (aren’t we rude??) at Caravan Style in London, to quiz her on her top decorating ideas. Check out this children’s decorating ideas for every age video for some fab tips! … they almost made me broody… almost.

Christmas decorating looks: Marks & Spencer

This isn’t just Christmas red, this is M&S Christmas red! Flamboyant and eye-popping Christmas decorations aren’t for everyone, some people enjoy to surround themselves with more subtle festive touches. Marks & Spencer has some inspiring ideas for this holiday season. It’s all about M&S‘s statement red for a modern take on the traditional colour scheme and cosy knitwear to snuggle up in!

Make a statement this Christmas with punchy red decorations from M&S

Snuggle up this Christmas in cosy knits and bedding

Christmas decorating looks: Tesco

Oh ‘Christmas decorating looks on the high street‘, how I’ve missed you over the weekend!! Hopefully more festive ideas from the high street will inject some joy into our Mondays at work (it’s far more practical than lugging a giant duvet into the office!)

Tesco has gone for a real traditional country feel this year so you really can get a snuggley cosy Christmas feel on a budget.

Create an Alpine-style feel this Christmas with handcrafted decorations

Create a cosy fireplace this Christmas with traditional decorations

Friday’s fetish: woodland-inspired decorating

Thought I’d give you all a break from my Christmas decorating looks on the high street addiction. I’m not the biggest fan of getting really excited about something and realising I have to wait 3 MONTHS for it, so I think it’s best I end the week inspired by something that is a bit more current.

Country Homes & Interiors‘ latest decorating trend is all about taking cue from the Autumn forest with its turning leaves (although the closest tree to my home in London is a mug tree) and abundant wildlife and creating your won cosy nest in rich, warming colours.

Check out these beautiful schemes.

Combine a plain sofa with an armchair in a tree-print fabric for an informal snug-style living room. Add a selection of cushions in different fabrics and a rug in a bold design.

Country-style living room from Country Homes & Interiors

Dress a French-style bed in crisp linen, smart stripes and cosy throws. Bring in the woodland element with curtains and scatter-cushions in embroidered leaf, tree and animal designs.

Rustic, woodland-inspired bedroom design idea from Country Homes & Interiors

Colourful nature-inspired hallway decorating idea from Country Homes & Interiors

Make a wooden-topped Gustavian-style table the centrepiece of a dining room using teal as the accent colour, dress chairs in loose covers, and of course, choose a fabric in a warm Autumnal pattern.

Elegant country-style dining room design from Country Homes & Interiors

Christmas decorating looks: Matalan

Ever wonder how the celebs decorate their homes at Christmas? Well if you want to know EXACTLY which decorations, head to Matalan where their celebrity ‘influences’ have designed everything from decorations to  gifts!

Have a look at these two Christmas decorating looks and see if you can guess which is by the ultra flamboyant, Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen and which is by the quintessentially English actress, Jane Asher. It’s a toughie!!

Add flamboyance to your fireplace this Christmas with exotic decorations

Love the traditional country Christmas look? Go for decorations in gold, green and red