Fiona Leahy would make a wonderful heroine of a contemporary bestseller. To begin with she has a gloriously glam job: a party planner extraordinare… chosen by the rich and famous to style events all over the world. She also, like so many romantic heroines, has a wicked wit and down-to-earth Irish roots. See:At home with Skye McAlpine 1. GO BIG 1. GO BIG There is something marvellous about maximalism. There is nothing more decadently daring than colour and pattern, and Fiona is no stranger to taking risks....

What if you approached life’s challenges from the point of view that you are working you way through a video game. Instead of viewing life’s obstacles as challenges, what if you viewed them as missions or quests to be completed. Superbetter is a game which help us to view our challenges from a different angle in order to cope with and even overcome them. How it Works How it Works...

Microsoft however decided that this feature wasn’t worth the transition to Windows 8. Today I will show you how you can get back Windows 7 gadgets in Windows 8. We cannot get back the official Windows 7 gadgets, but we will be installing a third-party tool on Windows 8 to get similar desktop gadgets. 8GadgetPack is a software that brings back the Windows 7 desktop gadgets to Windows 8. If you are going to use the desktop mode in Windows 8 more frequently than the Modern UI, you should definitely try out 8GadgetPack....

If you know how to remove a tree stump, you might also know that a stump left in might take the opportunity to reshoot. In this case, you will need to remove of the root system as is possible. ‘Always take care when trying to kill or remove tree roots. If you want to cut up the root system to kill it, be aware that it could be wrapped around underground pipes or cables,’ says Fiona Jenkins, gardening expert at MyJobQuote (opens in new tab)....

As the hardest to successfully light and control, our main focus is on charcoal fired grills, with or without lids. We’ve also got the lowdown on the best lighting materials, looking after those embers and what to do if things get a little too hot to handle… How to prep your grill for lighting How to prep your grill for lighting Start by preparing both the barbecue itself, and its location....

If you are quite busy, constantly opening the Google Maps app to check for the location of a friend can be distracting. An easy way to solve this is by enabling location sharing notifications on your Google Maps app. This way, when someone shares their location with you, you get notified when they arrive or leave a certain location. Here’s how to enable and add location sharing notifications for places on your mobile devices....

You risk missing out on important or urgent mail by turning off your Gmail notifications. Luckily apart from enabling and disabling your Gmail notifications, another option that allows you to determine the type of emails you get notified on. Here’s how to better manage your Gmail notifications. How to Enable or Disable Gmail Notifications on Computer How to Enable or Disable Gmail Notifications on Computer When you enable Gmail notifications on your PC, you get a pop-up every time you receive a new email....

If an apple tree is allowed to get too far out of shape its branches may weaken to the point where they won’t be able to support the weight of the apples. An overgrown tree with too many dense branches won’t allow the air and light to reach the fruit and could therefore be vulnerable to disease – not something you want amongst your kitchen garden ideas. When should apple trees be pruned?...

Besides Windows computers, it also supports removable media like Smartmedia, Secure digital cards, Memory stick, digital cameras, Sony memory sticks, Compact flash cards and many more. Note: According to Recuva developers, it can recover data from a formatted drive too. It can also recover deleted mail from your mail client. It supports Microsoft Outlook Express, Mozilla Thunderbird, or Windows Live Mail. We haven’t tested these features though. How to use Recuva to recover deleted files How to use Recuva to recover deleted files

While slightly tarnished brass brings aged character to door fittings, creating an antique-style look, there is a fine line between a piece looking like an antique and one that looks corroded, unattractive and uncared for. Thankfully, we’ve rounded up a host of easy ways to restore brass hardware that will help you get the shine back in your favorite pieces. See more cleaning know-how on our dedicated page. What is brass hardware?...

We have shared various basic and advanced level tricks using which you can connect your phone to the computer and automatically sync files and photos. One of these easiest tricks used to be the app called BitTorrent Sync. BitTorrent Sync used to provide a universal platform for all the desktops and smartphone OS to sync files over a local wireless network. Installing and setting up the app used to be very easy....

One of the biggest problems? Falling asleep quickly, and staying asleep. Sleeping better is on our minds at this time of year in particular, as we go back to work after an often exhausting festive period. We’ve rounded up advice from designers and experts about how to design a bedroom for a good night’s rest from the furniture arrangement to the quality of the bedding and the all-important question over the presence (or absence) of tech....

If you’ve learned how to grow potatoes you’ll realise that it’s easy to end up with a surplus and storing means you can enjoy the products of your labor for longer. But even if you picked potatoes up in a supermarket, the right storage tactics make the most of your spend. We’ve got the details on how to store potatoes successfully right here. How to store potatoes How to store potatoes...