Bling it up baby

Hi, it's Maria here again with some ideas to brighten up your life and save you some pennies.

We're in the process of hauling our house out of the 1970s and into the 21st Century. I'm not sure about you but I find the actual cost of decorating a room fairly bearable. But, when you come to buy those pretty accessories the pennies sure do add up.

The price of lamps was something of an eye opener so I settled on some from good old Marks and Spencer at the bargainous price of two for £9.50.

They are nice lamps and they do the job but I really fancied something with a twist. Now, I'm a pretty simple gal and settled on an old brooch pinned to the shade for my bedside cabinet.

However, my girlie wirlies go for the more is, well, more approach. They ummed and ahhed over the brooch idea and then I spied the most fabulous shiny diamante flower braid. According to Charlotte it is the same as the bracelet for her *Bling bling Barbie*.

Ladies, we had a winner. If it's good enough for the pneumatic plastic bombshell that is Barbie it's good enough for us.

The braid is made up of small flowers with a diamante centre and is easily trimmed to size. I simply measured the length and attached with a dab of super glue on alternate flower centres. This is much easier if you can enlist a helper to pop a peg on the braid as you go round. Leave the pegs in place until the glue dries.

Remove the pegs and voila one blingeroonie bedside lamp.

I do hope that you like this *nifty but thrifty* idea and would love to see any altering that you ladies get up to.

Toodle pip

Ooh, don't forget that you can click on the piccies if you want a closer look.