Having guests to stay

This past weekend I had my parents in-law to stay at our house. I enjoy having guests stay over, and I like to make an effort. Having guests, and preparing for their arrival is part of home keeping. The one thing I also like about having guests is that it forces me to get up off my backside and clean the house properly (I know, I know, if I kept on top of my house cleaning routine I wouldn't need to run around like a lunatic before their arrival in the first place).

Anyway, all of this got me thinking about special gestures to welcome guests. Last year when I visited my family in South Africa, my aunt put some fresh flowers from her garden in the room where I was staying, so simple, but what a special gesture . My mum always leaves me a gift on the bed when I'm staying- mum's are the best! My friend who we recently visited left some chocolates on our pillows when we stayed over, and my mother in-law always has a cup of tea ready as soon as we walk through the door. These are all things that say 'it's nice to have you here' and sets the visit off to a good start.

Here are some lovely gestures you can try when you next have guests to stay. Even if your guests must stay on the sofa or a mattress in the living room, add that extra something to say 'thanks for visiting'. Oh, and clean bedding really does make a difference.

• Fresh flowers from the garden in the 'guest' room (even if it's the study)


• Leave their favourite candy or sweet on a pillow


• Fresh towels on the bed says 'make yourself at home', wrap some towels in a ribbon along with a small soap


• Glasses on the bedside table with some water before bedtime is a simple but caring gesture


• A great tip from the How to be the Perfect Housewife book is to save up all those free samples of make-up and creams you get in magazines, and put them in a little guest basket in case your guests have left anything at home


• Save the free toothbrushes you get if you fly abroad and add them to your guest basket


• A small soap or body lotion left on the bed is sophisticated, and will make your guests feel like they are staying at a bed and breakfast


• Leave some magazines or books out for your guests to read before bedtime


• When guests with a baby or toddler are staying, childproofing the room by removing breakables and covering electrical points will put everyone at ease.


• For guests staying longer than one night, leaving a tray with bottles of water and snacks is a good idea, they might be too shy to ask for food between meals


• A note saying 'welcome, make yourselves at home' left on the bed will help your guests relax


• Vacuum and tidy the room before guests arrive, a fresh room is much more welcoming

So adding that small something extra for guests is a wonderful way to start their stay off on a positive note. Keep it simple and don't overdo it... you might never get rid of them again. As always, here are some inspiring finds and ideas to update a guest room

Left to right

Row 1: This bowl filled with goodies for your guests is sure to make a statement, from the talented glass artist at Handmade Heaven; Beautifully scented soap like this oatmeal, goats milk and honey ones from MoonMaidenSoap will also make the room smell nice; A pretty vase tall enough to proudly display your best garden flowers from Vessel & Wares.

Row 2: This delightful and inspiring room belongs to the Killyrudden bed & breakfast in New Zealand; Perfect to put on the side table for guests at night, this recycled glass night set is from Reform School; Organic Bamboo towels from Shoo-Foo.

Row 3: These tumbled turquoise stone lookalikes are very impressive little soaps, from Amethyst Soaps; A terry cloth designed for babies, but perfect for washing away make-up without the guilt of leaving mascara marks on white towels from The Pat-a-cake Baby; A funky retro display tray from Natuure.

I'll be posting again soon.
x

Bring out the welcome mat...

Hello and welcome to the first post on my Linen Cupboard blog. I hope you will find my research into the art of home keeping entertaining and fun. Somehow I think there are many of us out there that long for days when house keeping and cleaning was fashionable. When it was still talked about, taught and understood. This lovely New England welcome mat is from the dotcomgiftshop.

I'm hoping to show both you and me, that home keeping involves many different things and it could (not to mention should) be fun. Why? Because we should love our homes, and those who visit or share it with us should love being there too. It's fundamental to our happiness. Of course we all have different ideas to what makes the perfect home, and that's fine. But fundamentally our homes are where we feel safe and secure. A clean house keeps us healthy and happy.

But before I jump straight past the front door, and start handing out advice on how to clean, organise and live a happier life within our homes, I thought we should start from the outside... A friend of mine has recently re-painted her front door in a fetching teal colour, and that reminded what a difference a front door makes to the whole feel of a home. Walking up to a house that looks clean and cared for from the outside will influence not only how you and others see your house from the outside, but will already set the feel of the house you are about to enter.

So shake out that welcome mat, sweep away the dust and leaves, and give your front door a fresh lick of paint (take a look at the The stepped-up stoop article on the Martha Stewart website for some more handy tips). Go ahead and wash the windows surrounding your front door, put up a light, stick up some new numbers, hang out a sign to welcome people or for those creative souls, get busy making a wreath. Next time you walk up to your front door you'll feel proud... it's your home, even if you don't own your own home, you should love where you live and take care of the place that keeps you safe and dry!

Here are some inspiring ideas and finds, I hope you like them.

From left to right:

Row 1: A very classy and easy way to add a welcome sign to your front door from ScribbleIT; The sweetest birdie hanger ever - would look great hanging in the window of a door, made by emilyfriday ; and a lovely stepping stone to add to your path, available from gardenmolds.com

Row 2: Beautiful self adhesive vinyl sign from Singlestonestudio; This fabulous front door belongs to the Yellow Door Cottage in Australia; Add some modern numbers to make it easy for guests to find your house, these are from Design Within Reach .

Row 3: A simple classic wooden welcome sign by Georgiegirlcrafts ; a very unique and girlie wreath by Constant gatherer; If you have a spare bit of glass by your front door, add your house number to it with frosted glass film as done by Purlfrost

In future posts I hope to feature some inspiring people, and get you (anyone out there?) to send in some photos and tips too! So do take part! Next up- the bedroom, what to keep, what to chuck out, and how to sleep sound. Have a fabulous week! x