Although we’ll now be allowed to mix households around Christmastime, lots of people are realising that they’d rather stay in a ‘support bubble’ with family rather than risk getting a hotel room over that period. That means that lots of people are now having to either spruce up their spare room or start decorating a guest bedroom from scratch. Considering that stores are still closed, that can get  a little tricky, so we’ve compiled a list of tips to help you get there.

Keep Things Simple

As a general rule of thumb, a guest bedroom is not the place to start experimenting with extreme maximalism or circus-inspired décor. Whilst it definitely doesn’t have to be bland, it should be somewhere that any guest will feel relaxed and comfortable enough to sleep, so keep to neutral tones and don’t overcrowd the space.

Start With the Bed

Before you get too carried away worrying about anything else, make sure you’ve at least got the very basics- that means somewhere for your guests to sleep. There are plenty of options for doing this online without breaking the bank, but we’d specifically recommend getting an ottoman bed or something with a storage base, because that means you don’t have to worry about making space for anything you might have already had in the guest room.  Plus, once you have the right bed you can start to fill in the rest of the room around it.

Find Basics

This will depend entirely on what you already have to hand- at a bare minimum, you’ll need a bed and a wardrobe. If those are things you’ve already got and you feel the need to add more you might also want to consider bedside tables or a desk to make the place feel cosier. If you can’t get to the shops or don’t have the time to go shopping for the best pieces, there are lots of great online options that will deliver directly to your door- if you can’t see them in person first to make sure they match, it’s a good idea to get them all in the same neutral colour.

Accessorise

Whilst you should definitely take our earlier advice about not doing anything extreme, little details will be what ultimately makes the space feel like a home- even touches as simple and inexpensive as some matching throw pillows or a nice candle will do wonders for the room. Another great way to add warmth is to make sure that the room has layers of texture

Get Festive!

If you’re having loved ones over for the holidays, a great way of making a room feel less empty is to put some festive decorations up- a small tree or garland is a great way to make them feel a little more like they’re spending the holidays at their own home.

Final Touches

If you’ve got the room mostly together, all you have to do is check that your guests have everything they’ll need. Some final touches are really important, like making sure your guests have clean towels and hangers, so make sure to double check for those little things.

 Photo courtesy of @life_downthelane on Instagram

This year, Christmas will begin whilst we’re still locked down, and whilst that means we can’t partake in a lot of the traditions we’re used to, it also means we have way more time to decorate, so many people are going all-out with decorations this year. That means that decorations are no longer limited to the living room- this year, people are deciding to make Christmas decorating a whole-home project.

 If you’re up for a challenge, try tying all of your indoor decorations together under one common theme or colour scheme- this could be a frosty blue and white, a minimalist white and silver or a bold multicolour. It’ll provide a great project as you try and source the right pieces to make it work- you could even try doing a different theme for every room.

If you’re the sort of person who decorates the outside of their house, congratulations- you’re already winning at Christmas. If you aren’t, but would like to be, you can’t go wrong with fairy lights in any piece of foliage you can find, on walls, and around doorways. If you’d prefer to add a more unique touch, there are plenty of beautiful wreaths and outdoor ornaments you can make or buy.

For bedrooms, the sky is the limit. Forget pleasing all members of the family and just go for the Christmas decorations that make you feel most festive. You could even go as far as getting a small tree to sit on your bedside table. If you have a statement headboard, this is a great way to complement it. If setting up a whole extra tree is too much stress, you can also create a Christmassy feel by adorning your headboard with Christmas lights or hanging a stocking.

Whatever you do, remember that Christmas decorating isn’t about being super stylish or overly-collected; it’s about making memories and creating an atmosphere that feels special. If it isn’t perfection, don’t panic- as long as you enjoy it it’s exactly right

Picture courtesy of @beckyhomesweethomeaccount on Instagram

If you’ve been on the internet at all this year, you’ll have heard of cottagecore. If you haven’t, let me fill you in- cottagecore is a lifestyle trend that’s been percolating on Instagram and Tumblr for years, but which found a foothold on TikTok this summer, gaining almost four and a half billion views.

Cottagecore values a rural, artsy aesthetic and the power of self-sufficiency- imagine living in a cottage in the woods, making your own food and completely removed from society, and you’d be pretty close to the ideal cottagecore life.  If cottagecore is your thing, but you’re not planning on upping and moving to the wilderness any time soon, here’s what you need to know to get the look.

The good news; you don’t need to buy that much stuff to get the look, because this particular trend is about being able to reuse and recycle anything you can. To get the look, all you really have to do is make sure you have the essential bits. Steer absolutely clear of anything overly modern, technological or plastic; your furniture essentials should either be wood, metal or fabric. This can be the difficult part, but you can find some great fabric options for beds here.

The other piece of good news about cottagecore decorating is that not everything you do needs to match- as long as your colour palette stays consistent, variation will add the rustic charm we associate with cottagecore. For colours, stay in muted, pastel tones and neutrals- you can’t go wrong with white walls and pastel accents.

Finally, what makes a great rustic space is the details- flowers and greenery add great natural touches, as do exposed brick or beams. There aren’t really any hard-and-fast rules when it comes to this, but most cottagecore spaces try to stick to natural materials and soft colours rather than statement pieces.  

As always, the most important thing is to create a space that feels authentic and soothing to you. Cottagecore is about escaping the mainstream for a simpler, less stressful life, so remember that the only person who has to be satisfied with the end result is you.

Photos courtesy of @bestlife_style__ on Instagram 

You’ve probably noticed that you feel much calmer once you’ve tidied your room, and that if you’re moving house, you don’t feel fully calm until everything is where it should be. Most people are aware that their mental health is tied into their space; that’s why we have design ideas like Hygge and minimalism, and why we follow people like Marie Kondo. Here are some ways you can improve your home so it supports your mental health.

Lighting

Natural light is so good for us; it wards off seasonal depression and provides us with vital Vitamin D, but it also stabilises our circadian rhythm, meaning it helps us to sleep through the night. You can’t do much about how much light a room gets naturally, but light colours and reflective surfaces will help the light to travel more effectively.

Colour

When a team of psychologists partnered with a paint company to research the impact of colour on your mental health, they actually found that pastel colours calmed people down, whilst bright ones made them feel more excited. If you’re thinking of redecorating, maybe go for lighter colours to help you to relax.

Storage

People who described their room as ‘cluttered’ were actually far more prone to depression, a 2010 study found; if you can physically see that things are disorganised, you might feel more stressed and less able to relax. Finding a solution like an ottoman bed to store things out of sight will help here.

If you find yourself struggling to sleep or relax in your bedroom, it might be worth considering that the environment you live in isn’t conducive to rest. These tips aren’t a cure-all, but trying to decorate according to how you want a room to make you feel is never a bad idea.

Photos courtesy of @dougs.digs on Instagram

Honestly, once you’ve gotten a mattress, you’re pretty likely to stop thinking about it, and because you spend so much time on it you might not notice it gradually aging.  Unfortunately, having a bad mattress is way more of a problem than you probably think (link to our blog here), so here’s how you’ll know when your mattress has given up.

The Springs Poke You

This is the obvious one- the more time you spend on the mattress the more likely you are to have pushed the springs out of place, which probably means they’ll be digging into you as you sleep.

Everything Hurts

As your mattress ages, it’ll stop supporting you as well as it has- the areas of our body that put the most pressure on it (your back and hips) will create divots which provide no support and cause joint pain.

Your Allergies Are Acting Up

As a mattress gets old, more dust settles in the crevices, which can cause those of us with dust allergies to wake up sniffly and sneezing

You Wake Up Tired

You feel like you can’t get up in the morning, it might be because a lumpy mattress is making it really difficult for you to get comfortable in your sleep, so you’re tossing and turning.

Whilst getting a new mattress might not be top of our priorities list, remember that getting 8 hours of proper, REM sleep makes you smarter, more attractive, less stressed and healthier, so you should probably at least think about investing in a new mattress as soon as you see your old one start to age.

Picture courtesy of @love_this_old_house on Instagram

Move things upwards

Anything you can raise off of the floor and onto the walls is great- having your stuff stored on shelves or hung up draws the eye upwards to create an illusion of height whilst also liberating floor space so the room feels bigger.

Less clutter frees up floor space

Any piece of furniture which doubles as storage is great, because if you can store things in an ottoman bed like this (hyperlink), then your room will have less need of extra furnishings and will seem much bigger.

Know your colour theory

Whilst it’s true that light colours create the illusion of size, dark colours can also create a sense of depth which widens out a room just as well.

Use contrast

If you paint a wall in two colours, with the bottom three-quarters darker than the top, the line creates contrast. Because the human eye is naturally drawn to contrast, the eye travels upwards and creates an illusion of height.

Hang curtains well above the window

A favourite hack of Queer Eye’s Bobby Berk, hanging the curtain rail a foot or so above the top of the window is another trick that convinces the human brain that the ceiling is much higher than it actually is.

Buy a mirror

If your small room doesn’t get much natural light, it’ll seem a lot closer and darker than it is. As we said before, light creates the illusion of space, so adding a mirror big enough to reflect some natural light adds depth to a room.

Buy a visually interesting light fixture

An interesting light fixture draws the eye upwards and creates the illusion of height, whilst also distracting from a lack of floor space.

Buy furniture with legs

Furniture that sits directly on the ground or which has a skirt makes everything in a room feel lower and stops light from moving through. By buying furnishings that are raised off the floor, you’ll ensure everything in a room looks slightly higher and a lot more open.

Create Space

A small room with lots of furniture crammed together will feel tiny- by bringing furniture     away from the wall slightly and spacing it out, you’ll seem like you have a lot more floor space

Find your light

If your room is dark, it’ll seem small, so augment your main light source with some lamps, candles or fairy lights .

100�s Of New Lines Added in the Joules Winter Sale The Joules Sale is now on! Save up to 50% off clothing and accessories for Women, Men and Children plus discover 1000s of savings on Friends of Joules too! Shop from a range of products for the family, from jackets and nightwear for women to children�s jumpers and trousers, there�s no better time to buy at Joules and bag that bargain! Shop now before it�s Too Late! Start: 23/12/2020 Ends: TBC URL: www.joules.com 20% Off First Orders & Free Standard Delivery Joules are pleased to announce the launch of our 20% off First Orders Plus free standard delivery and returns* offer. Celebrate the launch of the new Spring collection and discover 20% off first orders on clothing for Women, Men, Boys, Girls and Baby. You will also be able to get 20% off first orders on Joules Homeware and accessories for all genders too. Start: 22.12.2020 Ends: 29.12.2020 Code: 20WINTER

URL: www.joules.com

Cartridges  |  Printers  |  Paper  |  Stationery  |  LED Bulbs  |  Affiliate Offers Have A Lovely Christmas! Hi Affiliates, We would like to wish you all a Merry Christmas! It's not too late for you to promote and download our free printable Christmas Cards to spread some joy! Don't forget about your current affiliate voucher codes & our top label printers below to help you get your promotions ready! Make sure to also keep a look out for your January affiliate newsletter where we will be revealing a new affiliate voucher code. Happy Promoting, Cartridge People Affiliate Team AFFTON 5% off Cartridge People Own Brand Toner Cartridges. Expires Midnight on Sunday, 31st January 2021 View Here AFFCP3 3% off Cartridge People Own Brand Ink Cartridges Expires Midnight on Sunday, 31st January 2021 View Here Our Top 5 Label Printers To Promote! Earn 1% Commission Per Every Completed Printer Sale Dymo LabelWriter 450 Turbo Thermal Label Printer View Here Brother PT-M95 Thermal Transfer Label Printer View Here Brother PT-P700 Thermal Transfer Label Printer View Here Dymo LabelManager 360D Label Printer View Here Dymo LabelWriter 450 Thermal Label Printer View Here Promote Our Free Printable Christmas Cards! There is still time for your customers to download our free printable Christmas Cards. Make sure you promote them! View Here Latest Affiliate Tweets! Hi @CPAffiliatesBatteries are the perfect addition for Christmas! So help customers keep stocked up. 🔋 Don't forg… twitter.com/i/web/status/1… [text(dateformat="j M H:i"):2020-12-15T11:18:13+00:00] View Post 📅 As it is getting closer to Christmas and the New Year @CPAffiliates, we thought this would be the perfect time fo… twitter.com/i/web/status/1… [text(dateformat="j M H:i"):2020-12-09T12:18:17+00:00] View Post Christmas Instagram Selfie Competition - Win A Lush Gingerbread House Gift Set. Find out more here >>… twitter.com/i/web/status/1… [text(dateformat="j M H:i"):2020-12-09T09:54:53+00:00] View Post The Cartridge People brand is a Trademark brand in Europe and the UK operated under licence by The Cartridge People Ltd. Company Registration Number 08257316. Registered Office: Unit 13 Orion Park, University Way, Crewe, CW1 6NG.

Dear Affiliates,

We will be running a 20% off everything site wide promotion in our Winter Sale from 24th Dec - 4th Jan using code SALE20.

Running from Thursday 24th December - Monday 4th January.

Online only and excluding current promotions customers will be able to get 20% off our cordless Floorcare, Garden and Massage Bed range using the code SALE20, while stock lasts. Stock is limited so they'll need to be quick!

Free delivery, 7 days a week. 2 year guarantee.

Vitamin Planet Affiliate Newsletter

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Up to 35% off Manuka Honey At Vitamin Planet

GreenBay Harvest Manuka Honey Lozenges 8 lozenges

Green Bay Manuka Honey Lozenges Original was the world's first all-natural NPA Manuka honey lozenge with the unique antibacterial properties of Manuka honey.

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GreenBay Harvest Echinacea Manuka 8 lozenges

Green Bay Manuka Honey Lozenges with Echinacea & Propolis are made from NPA Manuka honey and immunity-enhancing Echinacea and infection-fighting Propolis.

RRP £8.39 Our Price £5.39

Hilltop Honey Organic Multiflower Honey 370g

Organic honey harvested from multiple flowers that are organic certificated lands in Europe.

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Hilltop Honey Cut Comb Honey Slab 200g

This cut comb honey is the rawest form of eating honey possible. It has come straight out of the hive (from frames without wire or wax), been cut into squares, and then packaged into our containers with absolutely no heat treatment at all...you can't get rawer than that!

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Gustare Honey Grey Iron Bark Honey (Mild) 400g

Grey Iron Bark Honey is light in colour and has a mild, warm and subtle flavour with a slight nutty and toffee aftertaste.

RRP £11.09 Our Price £9.99

Hilltop Honey Lavender Honey 227g

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RRP £5.19 Our Price £2.59

Hilltop Honey Manuka MGO 100+ 225g

Manuka MGO 100+ Delicious Manuka Honey, carefully sourced from the best New Zealand Beekeepers. Very sought after.

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Hilltop Honey Organic Acacia Honey 370g

Organic honey harvested from Acacia trees in Organic certificated lands in Europe.

RRP £5.29 Our Price £3.49

Littleover Apiaries Lavender Honey 340g

This is produced in the lavender fields of France and Spain. When you open the jar you will smell the lavender - an instant trip back to your summer holidays.

RRP £6.49 Our Price £4.99

Littleover Apiaries Traditional Set Honey 340g

A pure and traditional honey reminiscent of the summer countryside, where our bees roam in order to gather their harvest of nectar.

Was £3.39 Now £2.59

Join Vitamin Planet Affiliate Programme With AWIN

Clove Technology Affiliate Newsletter

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Buy The Sony Xperia 5 II Today At Clove Technology

Sony Xperia 5 II - UK Model - Dual SIM / Black / 128GB - 8GB RAM

The Sony Xperia 5 II shows what is possible with a compact smartphone. It offers an incredible 6.1-inch FHD+ OLED CinemaWide display with 120HZ refresh rate, stunning sound and triple rear cameras which can capture seemingly impossible images and movies. Support for 5G mobile data, ensures you are ready for super-fast downloads and streaming.

Our Price £799.00

Join Clove Technology Affiliate Programme With AWIN

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Affiliate Program CLOSED: Your Everlasting Rose (MID: 18778) Dear Publishers Awin regret to inform you that Your Everlasting Rose (18778) will be closed on the 21/12/2020. Please remove all existing links immediately. Thank you for your efforts in promoting this advertiser. We suggest the following list of advertisers in this category that you can swap your links to: List of similar advertisers on the network: MID: 964 - Serenata Flowers MID: 1268 - Flying Flowers MID: 1969 - Interflora Alternatively you can click here to view more advertisers in the same category. Kind regards Awin Support support@awin.com

Shop up to 40% off stylish watches, beautiful diamonds and must-have jewellery in the Beaverbrooks Big Winter Sale.

The Sale begins at 5pm on Thursday 24th December and ends 9am Tuesday 26th January 2021.

• Next day delivery 7 days a week
• Free Click & Collect to 12,000 locations
• Up to 4 years finance available on Sale items
• Shop now, pay later with Klarna. Pay 30 days after delivery or in 3 interest free instalments

The discounts will be applied directly to the products on www.beaverbrooks.co.uk/sale so no voucher code will be needed in order to activate the sale prices.

Dear Affiliates,

Welcome to the first of the new weekly trends newsletter!

As promised, we want to start sharing with you some stats around our best-selling destinations, departure dates, hotels etc. and we hope these data insights will help. There are also a couple of top deals at the bottom that you may want to promote (just remember the prices may change and ensure you are using a fully tracked link).

As this is the first of these newsletters, please let us know if there are any other bits of information that you would find useful and we’ll do our best to add them in.

 Stats from 14^th – 20^th December 2020

Sol Pelicanos Ocas – From £495pp*

*Based on 2 adults sharing, traveling from London Luton on 31^st August 2021

https://www.awin1.com/cread.php?awinmid=3655&awinaffid=!!!id!!!&ued=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.onthebeach.co.uk%2Fhelios_deals%2F23095719902%2Faf3c657d39e1fcc452f30e1cc32c1c39%3Fadults%3D2%26board_code%3DBB%26children%3D0%26deal_source%3Dhelios%26destination_ids%255B%255D%3D93%26dfdp%3D49438%26dffp%3Dd7a796c9beb4f07a15dbe041e039aa5440278bc1%26duration%3D7%26hotel_id%3D300631%26infants%3D0%26number_of_bags%3D0%26number_of_rooms%3D1%26on%3D2021-08-31%26redirected%3Dfalse%26refundable_boards%3Dtrue%26result_uid%3D4693e382-dd6c-4887-ba61-68865748c368%26room_type%3DSOL%2BROOM%26search_id%3D2495773451%26variant%3DAB

Laguna Park II – From £325pp*

*Based on 2 adults sharing, traveling from Manchester on 30^th August 2021

https://www.awin1.com/cread.php?awinmid=3655&awinaffid=!!!id!!!&ued=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.onthebeach.co.uk%2Fhelios_deals%2F21418771956%2F9a6108c35f29d59a5b917d166153d531%3Fadults%3D2%26board_code%3DSC%26children%3D0%26infants%3D0%26deal_source%3Dhelios%26location_ids%255B%255D%3D27%26duration%3D7%26hotel_id%3D274837%26number_of_bags%3D0%26number_of_rooms%3D1%26on%3D2021-08-30%26search_id%3D212925339

We hope you find that useful and as always, if you have any questions or want any other information, please just let us know.

On the Beach Affiliate Team

You are inn safe hands. 

A number of our inns are open! To find out more, click here.

Raise a glass of local real ale, catch up over a speciality tea or coffee. Sit down to delicious, home-cooked pub food served all day, every day, and have a blissful night’s sleep in one of our comfortable rooms.

It's never to early to plan getaways, and after this year, we're sure you need one. Our inns are available for 2021 booking now! Think ahead and grab the best deals on 2021 getaways.

We understand pets are part of the family. That's why all our inns are pet friendly with designated dog friendly rooms and areas within our dining and bar areas.

Our Monetary Gift Vouchers are also still available, they're the perfect gift to give to loved ones in 2021 for any occasion! Choose an amount from £10 to spend on food, drink or accommodation at any of our inns.

If you wish to discuss any promotion opportunities please contact our affiliate manager at kathryn.jago@mediaworks.co.uk

2021 is just around the corner! It's time to think about getting the office ready for a fresh new year. At Where The Trade Buys we have a large range of office printing services. Which will help you make great first impressions in 2021 with personalised stationary, from letterheads, compliment slips and presentation folders.

Our note pads are printed using the latest Indigo HP technology. Available in A2, A3, A4 and A5, these custom notepads can be branded with your logo for a unique touch.

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Show your business in its best light with our interlocking presentation folders. Exquisitely printed, nothing makes a better first impression at a meeting or presentation. Our capacity A4 and A5 presentation folders are oversized to ensure your documents are secure and include business cards slots as standard. Add a luxury lamination, Scodix UV or gold or siliver foil finish to create a truly lasting impression.

Find our seasonal hours and information here.

20% Off Your First Order - Applied Automatically

For any questions regarding the range or to discuss any upcoming opportunities please get in contact with our affiliate marketing manager kathryn.jago@mediaworks.co.uk.