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....

Hello everyone. We are all now settled into the New Year. I still haven't got use to writing 2016 though. This is the 8th year I will be blogging which is difficult to believe.... (almost a decade!!) When I first started All things nice... I wasn't sure what I was doing or what blogging even was. But here I am 8 years on and still blogging away. I never liked facebook so didn't bother with it but I have a twitter account, pinterest account and instagram account. I have connected with people from all over the world, from all walks of life and with all sorts of interests. I am grateful for this connection with so many others as it can be a bit lonely living in rural Ireland particularly during the long winter nights. For 2016 I hope to continue my blog, become more organised, keep on top of house work and keep positive. The photos below are all bright and colourful and reflect my mood as we embark on the New Year. What are your hopes for 2016?

Photos from top left; View of Central Park on Allure of the Seas (the world's largest cruise ship), a colourful handmade wooden carousel, my new floral Joules wellies and modern stained glass window in Saint Mel's Cathedral, Longford, Ireland.

I have been procrastinating for a long time now over decorating my good living room. I have it painted since the summer time. It is a pale ice blue/white colour. I have my sofa and armchairs bought and am now trying to source a fireplace which I have spotted online.

Below are a few images of some wallpaper I like from Sanderson. I like both wallpapers but I think that the floral bird pattern is more to my taste. It is the voyage of discovery range (Clementine Dusty Pink). I will get this wallpaper for both alcoves each side of the fireplace.

In terms of the fireplace I like the Victorian fireplaces with the decorate corbel detaling, Below right is an image of our chimney breast. I need to buy a fireplace and get it fitted before getting the skirting, wallpaper and flooring can be started. 

I have my sofa bought, it a dark slate blue colour. Have you any nice inspiration for me for the room?

Are you a dedicated follower of fashion?? Do you like to keep up to date with the latest style and wear 'what's in'? Maybe you love to keep on top of what is in trend but me, nope, I have my own style. I love casual country style clothing and you can check out some of the country style outfits I like over on my Pinterest Board. 

However, I also love bright pastel colours as they impact my mood. Spring may be over, but I am definitely not over pastel colours. I love them, give me baby blue, power pink or mint green any day! Savida at Dunnes Stores have some lovely pastel clothing, accessories and shoes at the moment. Here are a few items I love. I gave in and purchased the laser cut shoes and the cute scalloped edged handbag which was in the sale- Bonus! What type of clothing do you like the most? Are you a dedicated follower of fashion? Or like me, do you go it alone and pick your own style. 

Do you have any pink in your home? Do you think it is too girly? I spotted these cute pink items and the adorable badger cushion (I think it is a badger) all from H&M Home. Unfortunately H&M do not have home accessories in their stores here in Ireland. Have any of you bought any of their homewares? I think some of them are really stylish and very affordable too :) Keep up the good work H&M and bring the homewares to more of your stores, particularly here in Ireland!

Are you all set for Easter this weekend? I get an extra long weekend off work this weekend and want to spend some time with family and friends. I started to add some Spring time colours and flowers into my home last weekend to brighten the place up. The weather is extremely cold these days, but thank goodness we have no snow. Do you decorate your home for Easter

All images my own

I am on the lookout for some nice wallpaper for my snug. I have a stove with a wooden beam over it and there are two small alcoves each side. The room is painted a cream colour and I was looking for wallpaper for the two walls each side of the chimney area. Check out all of the lovely wallpapers below which I like, all from Laura Ashley. Which one do you like most?

 

{Dulux}

"A fundamental Truth: Man Needs Colour"

This quote by the architect Le Corbusier states the need for colour in our lives. Colour affects our interpretation of things. According to Mindini (2001:238)  'Colour is among the first illusions through which man perceives the world'. Colour is manufactured in our minds. Our eyes and brain perceive colour. Colours are experiences and can excite, scare or impress people and it can create a sense of warmth or cold. 'People react to colour therefore how they perceive colour will influence their reactions to a place' (Porter: 1982). This may also apply to everyday items like cothes, furniture and buildings - people react to the colour of various items.

{Colours in the sky @ home}

{Dulux}

Under certain rules our visual interpretation accepts some colours such as harmonised or contrasted colours. Colours play an important role in all aspects of design and can create focal points in our lives and landscape. The use of colour can create distinctive characters in our dress sense, our homes, landscapes and townscapes.

Sir Isaac Newton developed the colour wheel in the early 1700's and it has been used ever since as the foundation of colour theory. The basic colour wheel starts with three primary colours- red, yellow and blue. Different systems of colour have been developed such as the Munsell and Ostwald Colour Systems.

{COLOURLovers}

The colour wheel provides such a variety and choice of colours that considerable thought can be taken when deciding on which colour to use. There are certain rules with regard to colours. There are a number of different types of colour schemes, including monochromatic, complementary, triadic and adjacent schemes. These contain combinations of colours which are generally accepted by people. Monochromatic colour schemes use one colour or hue, containing different values of that colour. As Gloug states 'colours of the same hue are harmonious'. Complementary colour schemes employ colours that are opposite each other on the colour wheel. Triadic colour schemes involve three colours that are equidistant on the wheel. Adjacent colour schemes employ colours that are next to, or near each other on the colour wheel.

{Page thinker}

{Page thinker}

So when you are spring cleaning and redecorating why not get out a colour wheel and come up with some nice colour schemes you like :) All the colours below are from Dulux, for me they are lovely and fresh just the right colours for Spring time :)

* All interior images above are from Dulux Paints Ireland