Chair – a word that sends a shudder down the spine of my long-suffering husband, The Bavarian. With my renovation habit focusing heavily on chairs, he has more of less become conditioned to shouting “No. We are not taking it” whenever I look in the direction of a chair at a flea market, second hand shop or… Continue reading Re-upholstering A Dining Room Chair – A Tutorial
Recently I found a loom in perfectly good condition on the side of the road. It was out for the bin. Judging by everything else they’d set out on the path, they were clearing out the attic or the bedroom of a now-grown child. When I was 8 or 9 I had a loom just… Continue reading Christmas Crafts: Make Your Own Wall Hanging
I am a lucky lady. Over the past couple of years I have made friends with four women who are competent, friendly, creative, genuine, honest, helpful, supportive and fun. Together we are a bunch of five mothers with 12 children between us. Out time is mostly taken up with our children, our jobs, our homes… Continue reading The Perfect Holiday Home for The Perfect Group Getaway
You know that hashtag on Instagram #ihavethisthingwithfloors? If you don’t, look it up. There are some incredibly pretty floors out there. I could scroll through the photos for hours. Well, anyway, I actually do have this thing with floors, in particular the laminate floors in my house. When we moved in, we hadn’t the time,… Continue reading What Lies Beneath, Part Two
We’ve gone away for the weekend to celebrate our tenth wedding anniversary. Foolish people that we are, we decided to make it a family affair. The children and the dog are what we have spent most of the last ten years on, so why not celebrate with them? I suggested. I am a fool. At… Continue reading Badhaus 1897 Cafe
Last week I wrote about the accessories I bought this summer for our upstairs bathroom. They gave me the kick I needed to get going on making some changes to the bathroom I was beginning to hate. Just a few short weeks after beginning the makeover, I love my bathroom. Several small changes were all… Continue reading Our Budget Bathroom Makeover
Our upstairs bathroom. Sigh. It is one of those rooms which, no matter what you do to it, seems to be a permanent source of frustration. Inially I thought it was fine. To be perfectly honest, when we viewed the house and the estate agent opened the door to the upstairs bathroom I thought to… Continue reading Decoration Frustration Solved
I’m not really one for motivation quotes. I can see the appeal of them, but they are not something I really feel the need to surround myself with. There are some I like a lot, but it is enough for me to have them in my mind. Create a life you love This too will pass… Continue reading Creating Your Own Motivational Wall Art
Today is World Kiss Day and it got me thinking about, well, kisses. I love kisses and still remember my first kiss with The Bavarian, each of us leaning in across the table in a bar in Dublin on a work night out, two days before we were supposed to go on our first date.… Continue reading A Kissing Home
Back in 2010 I tasted rhubarb lemonade for the first time. I ordered it at a cafe I used often go to for brunch with friends. Sadly, with three children, I don’t get out for brunch much at all now. But, since I enjoy entertaining, I have adapted to hosting brunch rather than going out… Continue reading Homemade Rhubarb & Orange Syrup
