Add Kitsch To A Kitchen With These Stylish Mugs

Jan 13 2008 Colin And Justin

Get The Look Tricks Of The Trade

Hip Glasgow store Felix and Oscar never fails to please and this week we're flipping out over their Modernist Mugs from £9.50 and their Dumpling Dynasty range of kitsch home wares. Find out more at their boutiques at 459 Great Western Road or Cresswell Lane or visit www.felixandoscar.co.uk

For those of us who struggle to balance our laptops on our laps, IKEA have a rather clever solution - the Dave laptop table is fully adjustable in height and angle and will easily slot beside you on the sofa to provide a valuable work table. The even better news is that this handy product will cost you only £19.99. www.ikea.co.uk

Give kids' rooms a bit of get up and glow with a Glowbox light table from Habitat. The acrylic cube tables light up and are available in fennel green or satsuma orange and can be used indoors or out. From £56 at Habitat, Glasgow and Edinburgh, www.habitat.co.uk

If the bottoms of your white sinks are starting to look dingy, clean up your act with a little bleach. All you need to do is pop the plug in, lay paper towel in the bottom, pour bleach on to the towels until they are soaking and leave for at least 30 minutes. Remove towels, rinse your sink and your bowls will sparkle like pearls.

Has your copper tarnished to the point of no return? Well, don't give in just yet - help is at hand. Simply mix some lemon juice with salt to create a paste-like consistency, dab on to a swab and use as a mild abrasive to restore your copper to as-new condition

Here's a great tip to clean out the ghastliest of microwaves - take a microwaveable glass container and put one cup of water and one cup of vinegar inside. Place in your microwave and cook for 3-5 minutes then remove the hot bowl. Finally, simply wipe the molten goo from your microwave. Yuk - but effective!

STYLEBIBLE

what's hot in the shops

Handy Woman's Workbook by Bridget Bodoano, £12.99, published by Quadrille

Despite today's sexual equality, large numbers of women still have little or no experience of DIY. But don't despair - this book has all the answers as far as home improvement is concerned.

Illustrated with clear step-by-step instructions, it describes essential tools, guides the reader through common maintenance and decorating tasks, and provides blueprints for useful projects. Move over DIY Donny, it's time for DIY Donna.