This weekend was a bank holiday here in Ireland and I took an extra two days off work. I visited County Louth on Friday and came across the quaint port of Greenore. It is very small but pretty all the same. There is a tiny village with brick houses which were built for the railway workers and the port workers years ago. There are also some arts and craft design homes which were originally built for railway drivers, they are so beautiful and very unique for Ireland. We spent a short time in Greenore as we didn't have much time and we wanted to visit Carlingford as well. I really loved this wee place and would love to return again.

This weekend was a bank holiday weekend here in Ireland which was great to get the extra day off work. I still have a lot of holidays to take so hopefully the weather will pick up again and I can enjoy the sunshine. Apologies for the lack of blog posts, pop over to my Instagram account to see what I've been up to around the farm and garden. Below are a few images from around my home this week...

Hello all, sorry for the lack of blog posting. Other social media (aka Instagram) was where it has been happening along with my garden. Lots of gardening taking place at All things nice... I now have lavender, sunflowers, blue hydrangea, roses and lots of other pretty flowers. The weather last night and today is playing havoc with them... it is sooo windy. Yesterday was a lovely warm day so I got the garden mowed, but then it just changed and we had rain all day long today. Anyways it is such an Irish thing to keep talking about the weather...

I have also been busy cleaning and tidying the house and getting my sun room in order. I'm now enjoying spending time in here. It is eclectic but just what I want... In comparison to my living room which is very colour coordinated in greys, white and blue... Sorry about the dark photos but the weather hasn't been good for photographs today. Hope you all had a lovely weekend and have lots planned for August....

Happy Valentine's Weekend everyone... Hope you are all having fun where ever you are. I haven't taken many photographs recently as the weather is still dull here in Ireland. The days are getting longer though so hopefully Spring will set in soon. I was looking through my photographs today and noticed that I take a lot of photos of churches. When I'm on holidays I always love exploring them and here in Ireland I do the same too. Many of them are closed to the public. I love how each one is different and the architecture is amazing all built by hand. Those that built these churches were true crafts people with so much skill and talent. Which is your favourite?

From left, Church at Kylemore Abbey, County Galway, top right, Arva Parish Church, County Cavan and bottom right, Church at Multyfarnham, County Westmeath.

From left, Church at Ardagh, County Longford, top right, Costello Memorial Chapel, Carrick on Shannon, County Leitrim (one of the smallest churches in Europe) and bottom right, Munninane Church, County Sligo.

Here are some of my holiday photos from Palma de Mallorca which I forgot to share with you. Look at those wonderful blue skies. The Cathedral of Santa Maria is spectacular and a real landmark in the city. It has a nice relaxing atmosphere. Have you been to Mallorca??

Here is a quick DIY idea for you all. I love bringing the outdoors into my home in the form of nature inspired home decor. Yesterday I made this moss covered star. Why not have a go yourself.

Step 1: Pick some moss from the countryside, I used moss from hedges and large stones. The larger the pieces the better, try to avoid moss that is very wet or with lots of twigs and creepy crawlies in it.... no one wants them crawling around your home...

Step 2: This is the boring part. Bring your moss home and remove any twigs/ stones/ insects and leave to dry on kitchen roll paper. I dried mine next to the wood burning stove and then on the radiator.

Step 3: Make a large star shape or any alternative shape you would like, I used a star made from wood but you could also use thick cardboard or paper to make your shape. Begin by gluing the moss carefully onto your shape.

Step 4: Continue to glue the moss to cover the entire front.

Step 5: Leave for a few hours for the glue to fully dry. Lift and shake for any loose pieces to fall off and re-glue again if required. There you have it, fully complete! 

As you are aware I am decorating my good living room. I haven't progressed very far yet as I am looking out for white furniture and grey curtains. For the moment I have put dried hydrangeas in the fireplace. I hope to have the room ready for Christmas...

Autumn is well and truly here now with the shorter days. The clocks changed last night. It is a long weekend here in Ireland so I hope to get out into the garden to set my daffodil bulbs. I have 100 of them to plant so that will keep me busy... Hope you are all having a nice weekend.

Now that Spring is here, I am itching to go shopping for home interiors. For the moment though, I can lust after the items below. All are cheap and cheerful and would really brighten up the home. All of these items can be purchased online but I much perfer to go to the shop myself and take a look at the items first. Hope you are all having a lovely weekend and enjoying the Spring weather....

{Images from Dunnes Stores}

{Images from Heatons}

Do you wear Christmas Jumpers? I have seen some pretty ones this year, although I like them I don't wear them.  Here are four I found over on asos. Asos has a great range of clothing online and I love browsing through their website.

Christmas Jumpers are fun! I perfer the blue and white snowflake and reindeer one. Have you bought one this year, if so I would love to see a photo of it?

{Images asos}

The start of November tends to be a bit like the calm before the storm in the build up to Christmas. The Christmas adverts are on television now and lots of Christmas stock in the shops. I shouldn't even be mentioning the big "C word" yet as we still have 6 weeks to go.

This weekend we decided to take it easy and relax, apart from some house work.  It is chilly out today and you just want to stay indoors and keep warm at the fire. We have the wood burning stove on and the living room is nice and cosy for the long night ahead. So time for some cooking, reading, blogging and watching TV. In the meantime, I have gathered together the images below for you. I am drawn to them as they all look like warm snug interiors from my travels around the Castles of Ireland.

What can I say, I love shabby chic interiors, so feminine, pretty and romantic. There are so many gorgeous images on pinterest of shabby chic interiors in homes across the world. Rachel Ashwell is synonymous with Shabby Chic- just take a look at the images below and you will understand why. They are all from Rachel Ashwell who is a designer, author and entrepreneur of all things Shabby chic. She even opened her own shabby chic hotel The Prairie.

My home on the other hand is more country cottage with natural wood and textiles than shabby chic. While I love shabby chic and vintage items, I only have pops of it about the place. Shabby Chic is basically where you choose your furniture and accessories for their appearance of age and signs of wear and tear. Some items can be distressed to look like they are antique and this is a big trend in home furnishings in recent years. The colour tend to be soft muted tones. Feast your eyes on the images below from Rachel Ashwell- aren't they stunning!

Shabby Chic from Rachel Ashwell

Shabby Chic from Rachel Ashwell

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

Last weekend I visited Asda in Enniskillen and bought this lovely new king size duvet cover for just £14.00- such a bargain. It is really soft and suits our bedroom perfectly as it is light blue with cream furniture.

{Image from Asda}

Have you seen the new Cath Kidston Competition Brighten up Your Town and Win a Bespoke Limited Edition Wall Art featuring the top landmarks of your town. How exciting it that?

For more details visit Cath Kidston

Autumn has really set in here in Ireland. It is 7 o' clock now and getting dark. I have the fire lit in the wood burning stove and it is really cosy here. The weather was lovely today, lots of sunshine and very mild too. The leaves are falling off the trees, mushrooms are popping up in the grass and there are berries all over the hedgerows. I love Autumn time and like to make my home nice and cosy for the long nights ahead, a bit like the hedgehog preparing for hibernation. Here are some lovely images from Your Home Magazine Website of Autumn Interior Design Trends. Both are from Laura Ashley. Hope you like them and to see more visit their website- it is full of lovely images and decorating ideas.

 

To see more images and where to buy all of the nine items above visit Your Home

 

 

I promised I would show you an image of my new roman blind in my guest bedroom. The room is painted white. Here it is, sorry the image is very dull. It was taken at the weekend when the weather was very gloomy. I still have more finishing touches to add to this room but overall I think it is coming together well. I need to try and get some nice wall art for over the bed, any suggestions? I don't want anything too patterned as the fabric used on the blind, the bed runner and the cushions is enough pattern. For more images of my home visit my pinterest page

Hello everyone. We have a bank holiday here in Ireland which is great as we get a nice long weekend. Today myself and my husband went for a drive and came across a few antique stores in a small village and an auction room in the countryside, all very different but with some really unique items. Take a look at my photos below, my favourite is the sweet rocking horse. My husband much preferred the motorbike though...