Banks are beginning to lend again, but it can still be tough to finance a move and make that tentative first step onto the property ladder. While there is the option to take on a mortgage covering the majority of the purchase price, it’s advisable to avoid this and to instead aim for a good deposit before taking the leap.

Those with the means to buy a house, or in charge of a sizeable chunk of money, will find they have the pick of the market and can avail of good stock at favourable prices. As a result of the worldwide recession, vacant properties are available, as are bank repossessions and these can be a good option to consider.

Spring is often the best time to market a property and 2012 is no different. The traditional spring boom has seen house prices rise and more and more properties becoming available following a winter shortage across the country. This is particularly true of London, where asking prices have risen on average by 2.5%

The spring season has always been seen as a healthy time for the property market to reinvent itself as fresh starts become appealing for both buyers and sellers. Everything seems more attractive with the changing seasons and people begin to forge new plans and seek opportunities. At this time of year it’s common for pricing to be ambitious as estate agents compete to bring new sellers to the market.

A buyer with plenty of options, few commitments and an open mind could see prices drop later on in the year when sellers become keen to make their next move a reality and may reduce the asking price accordingly. Of course this can be a gamble so if the right house is available at the right price, it can be a risk not to snap it up immediately before another buyer does!

It depends very much on the area, but the current property situation generally favours buyers who have a choice of available UK properties to choose from. First time buyers and those not in chains are ideal, as they are able to move quickly and have fewer restrictions holding up a successful sale.

In some cases, however, sellers can have the upper hand and this situation tends to occur in extremely desirable locations where properties may not come available often, or where demand and specific criteria is particularly high. The variations can be huge, depending on location with the capital’s market always staying relatively buoyant, while the north of the country is still struggling somewhat.

With the property market showing slight signs of improvement and certainly not deteriorating, this can be an ideal time to buy a house and likewise sellers may benefit too. It can be harder to find the right property and everyone is still a little cautious but despite this the market still holds many opportunities.

So, I stole this idea from the resort, and to this day absolutely love it. This is how it is done. Pair basic panel drapes with a birch branch to establish the sweetest window treatment you ever saw. If you live in an area that produces birch trees, then go for a walk to locate a slim, but sturdy branch. This will make it all the more special, knowing you found the materials within the area nearby. If there are no birch around, then request a local florist order one for you. This works really well if they can get your exact size. If not, expect to saw it to match up with the dimensions of your window.

Then, put up u- shaped brackets, slide the panels on, and up it goes. Be sure to allow the branch to hang over a bit on the sides so it can be seen. After all it is the natural beauty of the branch that is meant to be on display here.

With this in mind, we’ve put together a list of things to check, consider and question before taking the plunge with any of those lovely insurance providers. Follow our handy guide and you’ve got yourself a one-way ticket to vehicle insurance heaven.

Do your homework

If some bloke walked up to you on the street and offered to insure your car, would you say yes? No, of course you wouldn’t, which is why you should always do some research into the hundreds of providers that are out there.

Read reviews and speak to the relevant customer service people before signing anything (this goes for household names as well as lesser known providers!).

Use a comparison site to compare hundreds of insurance providers in under a minute and as long as you fill in all the details correctly, you’ll soon have a raft of different insurance options to choose from.

Read the small print

This may sound obvious but making sure you know all the ins and outs of your level of cover is integral to avoiding hidden charges in the future. Comparison sites are great for finding lots of quotes but remember: the cheapest policy isn’t always the right one for you and your car.

By reading the small print and checking procedure on every eventual outcome you can be sure that you’ll be covered in a range of different scenarios and that there won’t be any nasty surprises next time you try and make a claim.

Check your car’s details

The details you offer up to any insurance provider have to be 100 per cent truthful so double check the details they ask for before committing. Obviously, lying on your car insurance application is illegal and will probably hinder your ability to find an insurance policy in the future so avoid this at all costs.

Be meticulous in your thought process and get someone to read it all over before signing on the dotted line.

Consider a new car

This may seem a little extreme, but before you take out any more insurance why not do a little research on the cost to insure different cars? Insurers categorise your car into ten different categories depending on how easy they are to repair, how cheap and common the parts are and how much it’s going to cost them to insure you.

If your current car is in a high group and you have the money to buy a new set of wheels that’s cheaper to insure, then this is a great way of cutting down your costs. Many new cars are eco-friendly, meaning you pay little or no road tax and if you can’t afford a new car, there are plenty of used vehicles that come under the low-cost categories.

When you find a good deal on your vehicle insurance it’s easy to rush in headlong and sign the reasonable contract you find. If you consider the things above before taking the plunge, not only will you save some money, but you’ll also enjoy your car, safe in the knowledge that your insurance will cover all eventualities.

Paint is a great way to quickly alter the way a space looks, on ceilings, floors and furniture.  It is the perfect environment for shinny paint as well, which is often not the case. A gleaming floor in a shade that is reminiscent of nature itself will transfix visitors, as will a fun colour on the ceiling. But if you are trying to keep it all simple, white is one of the best choices for the furniture. While it may also be nice to switch out some light fixtures, a ceiling fan and maybe some screening, if the area is enclosed, don’t turn your nose up at these ideas. For they can make a huge difference, and can be accomplished on a very tight budget. But if you are lucky enough to be able to do both, then the changes can prove tremendous.

However, before you cover the house in cotton wool, there are a number of ways in which you can protect your home and reduce the risk of any potential problems. Not only will this make you feel more at ease, it may even save you money in the long run as your years of no-claims increase, so the cost of your home insurance policy will decrease.

In fact, going the extra mile to protect your home may even reduce the price of your initial quote since companies will automatically place you in the ‘low risk’ bracket. Read on for our top tips on how to safeguard your home against disaster.

Firstly, think carefully about what may happen to your home and what is unlikely. If you live near a river for example, flooding is a possibility and you will need to take necessary steps to reduce the damage. Have a comprehensive flood plan in place should the worst happen and invest in products that will help. Silicone sealant around door and window frames can prevent water getting in, as can sandbags or plywood. Move all expensive and sentimental items upstairs to prevent as much loss as possible and contact your local Environment Agency for assistance as soon as you can.

The idea of an intruder in your home can be terrifying, especially if you have young children or live alone. Research by security experts Secure One found that on average, a home in Britain is broken into every 37 seconds, with many properties being targeted by random, opportunist thieves.

Take the necessary precautions to deter potential burglars, including fitting alarms, outdoor security lights and timers on your indoor lights. You could also hide valuable items in a safe, or consider putting up ‘Beware of the dog’ signs (thieves are less likely to target a home they believe has an animal in it).

The riskiest time for damage to a home is winter, when icy temperatures and cold weather can cause huge problems. Take sensible precautions in the colder months and prepare well in advance to ensure that you don’t get caught out. Insulating pipes, clearing gutters and repairing small cracks breakages in the roof/walls are all important tasks, but make sure to do them in the warmer months, after all, no-one wants to be outside doing repairs when its freezing and wet!

The most sensible precautions, however, are the most obvious ones. Installing and checking fire alarms, not leaving electrical items on unnecessarily and carrying out regular maintenance work to guard against wear and tear are all essential processes. It may seem obvious, but forgetting to put standard safety features in place may mean that your insurer will refuse to pay out should the worst happen, or will significantly raise the cost of your policy in the future.

While the chances of something happening to your home are minimal, it’s important to remember that the risk is always there and having the right insurance in place is vital to protect yourself and finance any repairs and replacements.

Do your research thoroughly before committing to a policy and review your insurance every 18 months or so to check it is still relevant and covers everything that you need it to. You can’t prevent life’s disasters from happening altogether, but you can minimise the risk and long-term damage by taking the correct precautions. Check your policy today, and sleep a little easier at night knowing you’ll be well looked after.

The key to getting the water travel and exploration theme so that it flows instead of ebbs is by doing it in small doses. A few wonderful touches will do ya. Consider a grand lantern style light for over a dinner table, or perhaps decorative pillows with catchy patterns reminiscent of sailing flags and special boating knots. Want less color, more spin, try hand woven throw blankets in neutral shades, but with designs involving anchors or lighthouses.

As you can see it can be done tastefully, and turn out to be a fun setting all rolled into one. Well, as long as you don’t get carried away, and actually hang a dingy from the ceiling, or create seating out of old crab traps. There are a ton of things to skip, but that doesn’t mean this is a style to avoid altogether.

We advise you to trace the outline of each picture onto construction paper, and then cut it out. Lay these mock frames out in several different arrangements on the floor to see what looks best. Once you have identified what you like, measure the distance between the items and then tape the mocks to the wall. Once the faux pictures are on the wall you can confirm that it looks the way you want it to. Otherwise, you are just winging it, and that can have real repercussions. In pencil, lightly mark the corners of the construction paper frames, and remove them. Now you are ready to actually place the nails and do the hanging.

Of course prior to that I was familiar with wicker rocking chairs that were sat right out in direct sunlight, and dainty tables set out alongside loungers in the garden. But, it was not till I had my first flat, and a roommate that wicker crossed into my inner dwelling. Low and behold it was not in a small dose either. The roomie, Lori had a complete matching bedroom set, including wicker stand alone mirror, wicker dressing table, wicker end tables, and wicker headboard.

Since, I have enjoyed placing wicker items in and about a home, and can see how versatile it can be first hand. Mostly, I admire it because it can transcend so much, and remains inexpensive. Now that is beautiful.

You see, we have begun the process of switching roles, my parents and I. Though they still live in their own home, independently, my sister and I have found it necessary to do spot visits to ensure they are eating well rounded meals, and getting out and about on a regular basis. Neither of them are slipping mentally, it is just that we want them to stay that way and feel they benefit from these checkups. Although, on the flip side my dad has made it abundantly clear that he does not appreciate being treated as a child and is still the head of the family.

In response, we were not willing to halt our more frequent contact and have agreed with them to have them visit us more often. Therefore, making the guest room fulfill their needs, and to suit their choices was increasingly important. Obviously, like any doting, and possibly from time to time overbearing adult child I was on the case about any back pain they may have been experiencing, and what might have caused it. All the while acting as super sleuth and preparing to diagnose things by myself. Or, in a more extreme case, shuttled them to the doctor for his prognosis and guidance. This would have stirred up a lot of emotions and conflict to be sure, as it would definitely be deemed another way in which I am taking control of my parents lives.

Turns out, mother nor father have any back complaints whatsoever. They are merely familiar with the Sealy backcare elite from my sister’s home. The unfortunate part here is that I once again jumped to conclusions, and did admittedly treat my parents as though they were something they are not, children.  The lesson here is clear, but whether or not I learned it only time will tell.

One of the projects that we not only smitten by, but actually replicated was a paint on canvas one. To do it yourself, all you need is a medium to large size canvas, some masking tape, and at least two colours of paint.  Oh and paint brushes of course, let’s not forget about them.

The artwork we saw completed on television only involved two colours, and they were simply differing shades of grey. The final product looked sophisticated and expensive, so we followed that theme with blues, and then liked what we made so much we made another in blue and green. So, we warn you, this is slightly addicive.

Place the tape in a criss cross design over the canvas. Next, paint nearly all of the exposed canvas one shade, and the remaining fragments another. Once the paint is dry remove the tape to reveal a modern artwork that is not only one of a kind, but also ridiculously inexpensive.