Autumn is well and truly here this week with lots of rain, wind and cold weather. It was almost like Winter. One thing I love about Autumn is that the countryside looks so pretty with all the leaves changing colours. I like wrapping up warm and going off out for a stroll in the evenings just before it begins to get dark. I love wearing my wellies and boots in the Autumn time and  lots of scarfs and hats. Below are some images I like for Autumn Clothing. I make the house nice and cosy- lighting the log burning stove, having candles burning and accessorizing to make the place feel nice and warm. I remove some of the more pastel accessories and replace with nature inspired items. Below are also a few nice images of Autumn interiors from Laura Ashley. Do you like Autumn? If so what is it that you like most about Autumn.

For some more Autumn inspiration visit my Country Chic Pinterest Board

Today I got some exciting news when I was notified by a friend that my blog was shortlisted for the Blog Awards Ireland 2014 Best Personal Blog. I am really delighted that someone has recognized my blog and thought it worthy enough of being shortlisted. I have been blogging since 2009 and since then have seen many bloggers come and go. I have seen blogs develop, re-design and more and more commercial blogs emerging. Twitter, Instagram and Bloglovin were not around back then as far I was aware. I didn't even know what a blog was, until one day I was reading a UK interior design magazine and came across a few recommendations for blogs to visit. I was curious to see what a blog was and from then I set out on my own blogging journey. A lot of things have happened in my life since then, I have changed job twice, built a new home in the country and even got myself a husband.

At the beginning I wasn't sure what to blog about, I didn't have a digital camera and hadn't a clue how to follow other blogs. Over time I found my niche and what I love most- All things nice from my everyday country life.... I am a true home bird and love nothing more than life in the Irish countryside and I hope that my blog reflects my love of all things country.

I won a place on Holly Becker's Blogging Your Way e-course earlier this year and this really helped me to re-design and update my blog, so I must thank Holly from Decor8. Her blog was one of the first I saw and to this day, it is still my inspiration. I know my blog is still not perfect but I try to make it as professional as I can with what I learn online from other bloggers and you tube.

Through my blog IKEA also contacted me to feature my home on their IKEA Live Magazine, I was really delighted with this as I love interior design and was very proud that they wanted to feature my new home on their online magazine.

Blogging has allowed me to network with other bloggers from all over the world, make new online friends and share my life in rural Ireland with everyone who wishes to read along. The Blog Awards is a great opportunity to showcase and celebrate the wealth and diversity of blogs from Ireland and the Irish all across the world. There are some amazing blogs on the shortlist and to all of those that have made the shortlist in the Blog Awards I wish you well.  And finally to those that visit my blog, comment or follow along thank you for taking the time and interest in All things nice...

Autumn has really set in here in Ireland. I had to turn the heating on this evening as it has got so cold. This year it seems to have got very cold very quickly. I am relaxing now with a big mug of tea after a lovely weekend with friends and family. I will miss the longer days of Summer and the sunny mornings, however I must say I like the Autumn time too. The countryside is so pretty with all the autumn leaves on the trees. I love being snug at the wood burning stove with the glow of the fire, drinking lots of hot cups of tea and reading a good book. I change the accessories around in my house too with more autumnal colours to create a more cosy warm feel. I love all the autumn inspired interiors which are now in the shops and with such a variety of online shops there is so much to choose from. This week I  spotted the Hurdal Range from IKEA and I absolutely love it- it has a real country cottage feel and looks so cosy with all the natural wood and green colours too. I am usually not one for too much natural wood in a room but I love this range. What do you think of it?

    {Images: HURDAL Range from IKEA}

Do you get lost browsing for interiors online- I certainly do. Next has a lovely range of autumn interiors and I just love this Mr. Fox bed set which I spotted online. I also think that Mr. Fox  would work very well with the Hurdal Range from IKEA.

    {Images: Mr. Fox from Next} 

How is your Summer going? Already the evenings are getting shorter and there is a coolness in the air at night. I haven't taken much holidays off work yet but I have had a few days enjoying the good things in life... spending time with friends and family, nice food and enjoyable times...

Friday I took the day off work and met up with some old friends in Dundrum which is on the south side of Dublin for those of you who may not be familiar with the area. As you may have noticed I am not a city person and only go to the city an odd time to meet with friends or shopping. So off I went in my little red car to have a catch up with my friends. We decided to have lunch in Jamie's Italian. I didn't realize that Jamie Oliver has over 30 restaurants worldwide. I ordered a plank pizza and it was really delicious, followed by cheesecake which I didn't finish as I was so full. Overall it was really tasty. It was quiet enough for a Friday which was nice as we could spend a bit longer chatting to each other. The decor is industrial style with lots of fruit,vegetable and meat hanging from the counter which we were not keen on as it looked almost fake. The food was lovely though and I would recommend it. Have you visited any of Jamie's restaurants?

Last weekend , I was more in my comfort zone when we visited the Tullamore Show with my sister in law and her partner. The Tullamore Show is the largest Agricultural Show in the Country. It is located a few miles outside Tullamore town in County Offaly. The weather wasn't great but we made the most of it, wellies, hats, umbrellas and raincoats were out. There was an array of home craft and goods on display from the competitions which we spent a long time looking at, followed by lots of pedigree cattle, sheep, pigs, hens, etc. I enjoyed the sheep shearing competition, but we missed the sheep dog trials. There were a lot of market stalls and food stalls. Overall it was an enjoyable experience and is worth a visit, even if you are not a farmer, a farmers wife or even from the countryside. I didn't have a proper map of the show so found it a bit difficult to navigate my way around. Next time I will keep the map that came in the Farmer's Journal. Agricultural Shows are very popular here in Ireland celebrating and showcasing all things agricultural, the livestock, the way of life, food, craft, our traditions, heritage and customs.

Hello everyone, sorry for the lack of blogging lately. The weather has been really hit and miss this week, today started off lovely and then a massive down pour of rain came. You never know what to wear, do you? I always have an umbrella, hat or rain jacket nearby. I noticed this week in the Country Living Magazine that comes with the Farmers Journal they focused on Country Chic Style Clothing. As you may have realized I love all things country and country chic style clothing. I even have a Pinterest board Country Chic for all the country style clothing I love. One Irish clothing range I love is Jack Murphy, take a look at their website here. As they say themselves, "we live and love the countryside and want everyone to be able to enjoy every aspect of country living to the fullest…without compromising their sense of style. So whether you are actually living the country life, simply escaping to the country at weekends or even if you just like the country look, we have the perfect collection for you".

{All images from Jack Murphy}