DIY scan picture frame

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I have seen all sorts of beautiful picture frames to record a baby’s birth or to mark a special occasion like a christening and always loved how special they are. I’ve even received some from some very generous and talented friends, and these frames are always the type of gifts that I really adore because they are so special and personal to each child. I had the two oldest girls scan pictures displayed side by side in a lovely frame but when number 3 came along her picture wouldn’t fit in the same frame as her sisters so I decided to get creative and give their all important first ever pictures a new lease of life and created these scan picture frames.  Continue reading

Handmade Irish baby gifts

When Siobhan the lady behind Monaghan based Bonnie & Bumble, and whose Instagram feed I literally drool over, got in touch and sent me this beautiful baby vest for the new arrival I was inspired to go back to some of the basics of this blog. I simply love to support Irish businesses, especially ones that develop from kitchen tables across the country, that are started by talented Mothers working hard to combine the jobs of parenting with creativity to produce unique and beautiful items. Continue reading

DIY floral photo holder

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I have not had the time to indulge in any fancy DIY’s recently, the constant presence of two very eager little hands means that most DIY’s end up discarded in a pile by a weary mother! When this box of treats popped through the door from silk bedding company Gingerlily I took the contents outside on a sunny day and while the ladies played in the trampoline I got busy creating a DIY photo holder.  Continue reading

Get Crafty

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 It’s funny, this blog actually started out peppered with lots of DIY’s I had done around the house and home. Lately I feel like I need to withdraw that claim as I haven’t done a single crafty thing (apart from mend holes in clothes) in months. So when I was sent Get Crafty by fellow blogger Ali Coghlan I was delighted, but not as delighted as the four year old who snatched it from my hands eager to get started. Continue reading

Etsy Ireland

#EtsyIRL etsy ireland

Have you ever heard of Etsy? I actually do ask this question a lot because it’s an online market place I have used and loved for years. So when I was standing in what seemed like the longest queue at passport control in Charles de Gaulle a few weeks ago I can’t tell you how delighted I was to get an email from Anna to see if I would like to work with Etsy to help promote the platform in Ireland. I didn’t need to think twice about that response let me tell you! Continue reading

DIY Christmas decorations

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I love a good DIY of course and what better time than to let your creative juices run wild than the festive season with some DIY Christmas decorations! Truth be told some of these are hanging around from last year, I haven’t had a chance to do anything much more exciting or adventurous this year. Firstly, apologies for the shoddy pictures, the light is so bad during the winter than it makes it difficult to take good pictures of things. I got these baubles last year in Dunnes for the grand total of Continue reading

Paper snowflakes

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I love to add a little festive DIY cheer around the house. I saw these paper snowflakes on Pinterest and on the lovely Hey Ali blog and so I was inspired to create some myself. I went for plain paper mainly because we have piles of it at home for the girls to use when painting and also because, it you’re feeling really inspired, this is something that you could literally do at your desk over lunchtime if you want to create an air of festive cheer to your desk without costing a cent. Continue reading

DIY Gold Dot Canvas Art

I had these materials lying around for ages begging me to do something with them but our walls are so jammed with pictures at the moment I was lazy about it. I spotted some nice DIY canvas print ideas on good old Pinterest so one sunday recently I was feeling inspired!

First off your materials – there are three main elements, a canvas in whatever size you want, spray paint, again in whatever colour your want and acrylic effect paste. I got this stuff in Lidl ages ago, to be honest I thought it was paint but its got more texture than that. Paint would work the same though really. The pigment in this paste is pretty strong. Continue reading

Rolling back the years with our pastimes

I often find myself doing wardrobe clearouts – it makes space for new items (ha ha just don’t tell my husband!) and also makes me realize what I actually have in there. I find it so hard thought throwing out things I deem as having gone out of fashion because really, is there such a thing!? We thought big shoulders died in the 80’s along side perms and neon but hey presto when Balmain sent their models down the runway a couple of years back with pointy shoulders it sparked a major revival. Continue reading