#BEDM Day 27: Hometown

I've lived in so many places over the last 27 years that it's hard to say where my hometown is. The longest I spent in one town/city were my teen years in Newark, England for 8 years, followed by Manchester (minus the hiatus to the South) for 7 years and my 5 years of primary school in Aberdeen, Scotland. I guess I would have to say Newark. Because I moved the least in this town. 2 houses in total. Which for me is pretty damn impressive. That and your teenage years are quite an important stage in your life. It's where you are shaped, where you tend to become the person you are today.

I will honestly admit that when I lived in Newark, I wasn't the happiest. I was a lonely kid who's best friend was my mum and I would retire to the TV room and stay there every day after school. Newark was a dull place to be a teenager in the noughties and I was constantly plotting my escape. There were no high street shops to speak of (apart from New Look, Dorothy Perkins and Etam), no cinema and it was home to one nightclub. Our second house was on a new estate that had nothing and there was no public transport to speak of.

Though it wasn't all doom and gloom. My last year of Newark was a happier one when I was in my second year at college and went to parties at friends houses. Thanks mum for driving me. Oh and Accessorize opened! I will admit I was excited. I will give it credit though, it made me super determined to get out of there. It pushed me towards Manchester as it was further away and it pushed me to get my drivers license ASAP.

Things have changed a lot since I left 9 years ago. They have a cinema now, ha ha. And our estate where our family house still resides has actually become a small village now with a couple of shops and a pub. Walking around today (last year really, I haven't been back since Christmas!) I can appreciate the beauty of the place. It's gorgeous and full of history. The buildings are a mix of centuries past in the market square and there's lots of cute cafes and restaurants. It's an ideal place if you're raising a young family or are retired.

As much as I like my hometown of Newark (now!), my heart will always belong to Manchester - the first place I could truly call home. I fought to get here and I fought to get back. I really don't see myself leaving. It may have taken moving 25 times but this nomad is here to stay.

What was your hometown like? Did you plot your own escape?

#BEDM Day 7 Home Sweet Home

I’ve had so many places to call home in my life. The whole name of my blog was inspired by this fact. But now that we're back in Manchester it's time to make a real home. Even though we're buying a house next year, we were determined to make this rental as much like home as possible. So here's a few snaps of my office/dressing room.

The wall is a work in progress. I've been decorating using bits from A Beautiful Mess stationary subscription. I can't wait until the wall is full!

Luna really likes washi tape!

I've also been trying to make a gallery wall up the stairs so this is definitely a work in progress. It's been difficult finding frames and prints that match in size. 

Our kitchen wall. I love this calendar - it's of locations around the USA so it's really inspiring for our road trip that we want to take one day. The print is another A Beautiful Mess one that really makes us chuckle. Topher loves his puns.

I got this box from TK Maxx. It's a mini tool box. Purty! I think the main thing that has made this house feel like home are our two fur babies. It's amazing how much pets transform a place. 

So that's a couple of snaps of my home. What do you think makes a house a home?

A tale of three cities

Once again, I find myself surrounded by boxes asking myself "How did I get here". True to my name (blog name that is) I have moved again. For the 24th time? I'm not entirely sure - I seem to have misplaced the handy list I had.

So this year has been a bit mad to say the least. I would say that this is the first time I have lived in three different cities in a single year, but I would be lying. But I can finally say I have found my happy place. Manchester. The beautiful north west, rain and all. Yes I've come full circle.

London though lovely, was completely not for me. I don't know whether it was the overcrowded streets (not to mention overcrowded everything else), the people or the fact that it was so expensive that we couldn't enjoy the fun entertainment but we learned a lesson. London was just too big for us.

Now, to get all Goldilocks on you. The trouble with Peterborough is that it was just too damn small. Though I did like being able to walk into countryside in ten minutes, I didn't enjoy being able to walk across the city in no time at all. You can't really consider it as a city - the cathedral makes it one but there just wasn't enough things to do for us. Not that I was awake long enough to do them. I was being quickly drained from commuting; both physically and financially. Enough was enough.

Topher and I had a list of pros and cons to where we should live and there were plenty of points on each list, but in the end we had to go with our hearts. Manchester is where we belong. He's born and bred there and I spent 7 years there which is pretty impressive for me!
Manchester is home. It's a large, but not too large city with plenty to do. Location is ideal for work and it's close to family and friends. I love it. So that's us settled I think, at least for now. Next job in 2015 is finding the perfect home to buy! I can never stay still for long, can I?

Wall Murals with 1Wall

*Post in collaboration with 1Wall* 

Now that I'm settled into my new house in Manchester (ignoring the mini mountain of boxes I still need to unpack...) I get to finally share a rather large new addition to my wall. 

Since I was little nomad, I have always wanted a giant map on my wall so when 1Wall got in touch, I naturally gravitated towards the vintage map design on their website. Though I was quite close to choosing the forest scene so Topher could connect with his hobbit self! Another time perhaps.

I was happy to find that when the mural arrived, it came with it's own paste ready to mix and in four large pieces so that it would be easier to put up. I was just relieved as I was imagining myself struggling with one massive piece and making a mess. 

We decided to put it up on our landing as it's such a large space with high ceilings and seemed so plain before. I definitely recommend getting someone to help you put it up, even if you're not as height challenged as myself. It means there's someone there to share the laugh at least! 

In terms of the level of difficulty putting it up, you have to think of it as wallpaper only with less pieces to deal with. The only tricky bit is making sure it all matches up at the edges but I think Topher and I did a good job. Once it was up, it was time for a cup of tea so we could sit back and admire our work. I love it and it makes me smile every time I walk past it. 

If you're not a giant map kind of person then there are plenty of other murals on 1Wall that would take your fancy whether it be scenes from nature, cityscapes, your kids favourite cartoon characters or your celebrity crush - there's something for everyone. They also do door wallpaper, wall stickers, art and even furnishing like lamps and mirrors. Remember it's coming up to Christmas - the countdown begins!

What's on your wall?

My ideal home

I don’t understand people who can live in all white minimalist homes. My life and possessions have always been full of colour and I wouldn’t have it any other way. My next home (number 24 I think?) is a big beautiful 3 bed house in Manchester and even though I'm only renting so no decorating is allowed, I'm know we're one step closer to owning our own house which we will have free reign over. Let the dreaming begin. 

Source - I don't think this is the original source so if this is your photo please contact me so I can credit you.

Considering that I rock a lot of polka dots, it almost goes without saying that I will be needing a polka dot wall. I don't care where, I just need one. 

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These tiles are a world away from the same old standard ones I've seen in just about every bathroom that I have had over the years. I just love how fresh and modern they look.

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This living room is lovely. The hardwood floors and white walls really make the furniture and ethnic ornaments pop. This is just the type of look that I would want to achieve with my own home. This reminds me of some of the things I have picked up on my travels like my Indian patchwork wall hanging (which one of these days will eventually end up on a wall).

Source - I don't think this is the original source so if this is your photo please contact me so I can credit you.

For the past 12 or so years, I have been waiting to document my travels on a wall. It will look like this only brighter and more like a collage. No neat frames allowed! 

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My ultimate house wish has always been to have my own office/walk in wardrobe. This would probably be the room that I go wild in terms of decor. Since it will be my room, I can decorate how I want and that may or may not include the colour that Topher hates the most, mwhahahaha. 

What does your dream home look like?