Earl's Court - the perfect recovery to a sleepless night...

The blog is back! Yet again! My excuse for the sabbatical his time is Baby Cross, moving house, and Baby Cross again. How many nappy changes does one baby girl need? The right answer is too many! Still she is a lovely little girl and the way she nearly shuts her eyes when she smiles (just like Mummy...) just melts the heart.

Baby Cross is teething, cue sleepless nights for Mummy and Daddy Cross. The best method for recovery is to park baby with Grandad Cross and escape for a day out with partner-in-crime, Granny Cross to the Ideal Home Show.

There are often lots of opportunities to obtain or win free tickets to the show so keep an eye out on the ever excellent MoneySavingExpert for these freebies. Granny Cross and I were lucky enough to partake, though it is very much a fastest finger first affair, so do act quickly.

The show is going into its final weekend, closing on Sunday 30 March, and there are deals to be had. An outing to the Ideal Home Show is bound to conclude in copious unlikely purchases. One year, I returned with an order for an electric garage door, much to the admiration of my next-door neighbour. This year, Granny Cross and I intended on being more scrupulous and discerning purchasers, though whether we succeeded in this venture or not remains to be seen.

Often, IHS is a way of meeting entrepreneurs from far and wide who are more than happy to chat and persuade you to part with your hard-earned cash. Helen Fung from Happy Dragon, (who sources all her products from China) helped me to choose a linked purple jade necklace with silver joinery and fastenings. A piece of jade jewellery is bought to celebrate and mark important landmarks in your life such as marriage and the birth of a child. And corresponding lack of sleep...

A little while later, we came across a decent chap called Dermot Barry, who sold us a beautiful merino wool throw which can be used as a luxurious baby's blanket - warm in the winter and cool in the summer. The throw combines practicality, beauty and quality. And made to last.

Thinking again of Baby Cross, I bought a handmade hat and dungarees outfit from Seesaw, which makes designer children's clothing in Kent. Lovely pieces that are reversible, and more importantly, machine-washable.

Granny Cross was having thoughts about the other grandchildren and was hoping to spruce up their room in Senior Cross Towers. Walltastic has some fantastic wall murals and sticker sets that will instantly brighten up a child's room.

I must also use this opportunity to step away from show exhibitors to highlight the great work of Carren Lu at Artistic Touch. As a client of Carren's myself, I was thrilled with her work on our wedding stationery including a hand-painted seating plan, as well as a wonderful old-fashioned style Winnie the Pooh mural for the nursery.

Back to Earl's Court, and over on the ecolightings stand, we picked up an excellent tip from Tiger Kang on washing crystal chandeliers with white vinegar. He advised that this was in preference to trying out all-singing and all-dancing crystal cleaners which often proved to be expensive and disappointing in their results.

Stopping off for an ice cream, we came across Salcombe Dairy with its delicious choice of scrumptious and sophisticated flavours. In its waffle cone, I greedily scoffed a scoop of honeycomb crunch and choc choc flake.

Needing a present for Mr Cross to get me out of trouble for a hard day's shopping, I rushed over to Val Elvis at Celtic Spirit Co to sample a 12-year-old whiskey. I myself am not a whiskey drinker - my husband has an extensive collection, but somehow I could appreciate the silky smoothness of the the tipple and merrily purchased a bottle.

Finally, the Edinburgh Natural Skincare Company do skin products in genuine Kilner jars with ingredients tested by chemists to ensure maximum efficacy. Their geranium cream was a firm favourite, so much so that one pot had to come home with me. The skin is still soft hours after application, as I can well testify.

Overall, the Ideal Home Show offers a fun day out with shopping options galore. As we boarded the tube to go home, many a happy customer joined us with bags in hand. Exhausting, yes, and maybe not the ideal antidote to a sleepless night, but a worthwhile and satisfying one all the same.