Hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas. We have been busy this festive season with a family wedding the week before Christmas. We had some guests stay over, then a few nights out followed by Christmas dinner for seven this year. Overall it was really enjoyable but went very fast. I have a few more friends to meet up with and then time to ring in the New Year.

Those of you who read my blog will know that I have attended some flower arranging classes and I love them! They are finishing up this week though so I will then have to keep putting all I have learned into practice. The clocks went forward last night which means we have longer evenings. I like getting out and about in the evening time particularly now that spring has really set in. I have some extra days off work this week and the week after for Easter. Below are a few images from around my home this weekend.

From top left; Over my wood burning stove in the snug, the picture is from the Spanish Arch in
Galway and the rest of the photos are my Easter/Spring flower arrangements in my entrance hall

From top left; my dining room table with lilies and greenery and the rest of the photos are my other flower arrangements.

The Christmas decorating is almost complete here at home. My husband has the large tree put up in the sun room, it is around nine foot tall. It is so big and full that I can put the Christmas cards through it for decorations. It is a real tree that he cut from the local woods. I always love having a real Christmas tree in our home. I was busy decorating it this evening. The smell is lovely. We also have a smaller artificial tree in our entrance hall too. I have to finish the garland over the fireplace nearer the weekend as the foliage dries out fast. Hope you are all set for Christmas now.... I would love to see some images of your home at Christmas.

Hope everyone has a nice weekend. Imagine we only have one more weekend left until Christmas. I started decorating the house this weekend, using lots of foliage I picked in the hedges and woods around  the farm. I have just a few more decorations to put up and more holly to pick. Here is an image of the arrangement I put on my entrance table in the hallway, do you like it? I might add some more holly to. I'm getting my Christmas holidays on Thursday :) Have you all your decorating done? 

It's beginning to get a lot like winter at home...
The snug in my home is nice and cosy with the log fire burning away, my fairy lights sparkling and candles burning.What else would you want apart from a warm mug of tea.... The days are getting dark so quickly.
Hope you are warm and cosy where ever you are...

How pretty is this gardener's cottage! I fell in love with it when I visited a few weekend ages. It is the gardener's cottage at Kylemore Abbey Victorian Walled Gardens- the largest walled gardens in Ireland and unique as it was built on bogland. It is such a cute looking cottage with its white walls and teal windows, trimmings and fencing. It overlooks the walled gardens which are spectacular. Have a look at my photographs below and for more information visit Kylemore Abbey.

Hope you all had a lovely weekend. I had an extra long one as I took Friday off and today was a bank holiday. I spent Friday with my parents and Saturday with my sister in law. Yesterday I did the shopping and today I just chilled out and did some housework.
Below are a few images from around my home if you would like a nosy. First up is my growing stack of pretty towels in our bathroom with a few Cath Kidston items thrown in too... The wee lotions I got for 50p in a charity shop, I will probably never use them as they are too pretty. As you may have noticed before my bathroom is very vintage style with lots of florals.

Here are a few more photos of the dresser in my living room. Some of my books are stored here including Selina Lake's Homespun Style, Lorna Sixsmith's Would you Marry a Farmer, Gisele Scalon's Goddess Guide, the rest of my books are stored in my library room in the attic. I also have lots of country inspired items. The card is hand painted silk from Swallow Yarn Barn. You might also spot my Rachel Allen Forget me Not candle and the pretty wildlife cards from Wrendale Designs.

And finally some more of my books in my library in the attic...

So I hope you enjoyed the sneak peek around my home...

Here are some inspirational interiors I took from my pinterest page- Interiors I like with a little hint of country to them from wood and stone to sheep inspired decor. 

The first image is from Baobab Interiors. I love the use of the wood and steel, it is quirky, contemporary and also warm and inviting. 

{Source: Baobab Interiors}

How about this cute country cottage look with the stone and wood. This is really pretty and homely looking. 

{Source: Houzz}

The image below is from Citizens of Fashion. It is from interior designer Dephine Krakoff's sophisticated New York townhouse that she shares with her designer husband, Reed Krakoff and their children. I love the sheep! 

{Source: The Citizens of Fashion}

Which is your favorite, which home inspires you?

How about a classic cream living room? Here are some lovely items all from Dunnes Stores

 

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

Do you like wallpaper? I have none in my new home yet! Above are some of my favourite patterns from Cath Kidston and Laura Ashley mainly. What type of wallpaper do you like? Do you have wallpaper at home? I would love to see some images of it. I think it is nice for a feature wall rather than a whole room. I'm thinking of putting some in my guest bedroom (mentioned with images in my previous post)

 

We bought this image for our living room wall in Argos at the weekend. It suits the colours in our room. It is an image of Brixham Harbour.

We put this home sweet home canvas in our kitchen. This was a total bargain at €3.00 from Pennys. All of these add a nice homely feel to our home. I have lots of photo frames but no photographs to put in them yet. Do you put many photographs of your family and friends around your home? I have only one of my parents wedding. I have none of my own wedding yet but I intend to get one or two developed.

As some of you may be aware IKEA House Call contacted me earlier in the Autumn time through my blog. I was very surprised when their marketing section asked me if I would be interested in featuring my home on their online Live Magazine. So I took them up on their offer and submitted my details, information and photographs to them. I was a bit sceptical about submitting my photograph but I thought I might as well... So here are a few of the images they used. My camera isn't great quality so I really didn't think they would ever feature my wee home. It is still very much a work in progress but here are some of the images featured;

 

My kitchen

 

 

My Dining area

 

 

To see more of my home, visit IKEA Live Magazine February Edition.

Spotty cushion covers €8.00 each from Heatons. They are really cute with white lace edging on them.

Fluffy hearts and Christmas tree decorations from IKEA.

 

Our Christmas tree is massive this year, it doesn't look that big in this picture, but it over 10 foot tall. My husband got it in the forest near by. I still have some decorations and red bows to add to it. I have added the red and white spotty cushions I bought in Heatons at the weekend. Sorry the quality of the images are bad.

 This weekend I will finish off all my decorating. This is our first year in our new home so I am still buying new deocorations.

 

I went to IKEA last week and bought these pretty Rosali bed clothes for our bedrrom, the looks like CK but for half the price :) I thought they might be a bit hard but they are so warm and cosy- I love them :)

 

This weekend I have been organising my sun room. Since we moved into the house, I had no furniture only our wicker chairs so I bought a few bits and bobs this weekend. I bought this new unit for the corner and the pink mat. I am waiting to get the light fitting fitted and I will show you photographs of it when it is in place. Hope you like it? The ceiling is high and is finished in pine. I am unsure what way to dress the windows. In total there are three windows and the double doors to outside already have blinds on them. Curtains may block too much light and blinds may look a little plain, what do you think??

At last I am getting around to styling the other rooms in my home, here is one of my guest bedrooms which is coming together nicely now. I think it's a cross between shabby chic and country cottage, what do you think? Apologies as the light was poor when I took the photographs. The next room is my sun room, I need to get lighting, accessories, blinds and a mat too. I'm off work today so will be off to do the shopping soon.

Hello everyone,

Hope you are all well. Apologies as I have been busy and haven't had much time to blog. I have completed my review for the magazine and have the interior design photos taken of my home, fingers crossed some of them will be used. I will keep you updated on them anyway. Here is one of the images I have taken of my kitchen.

The weather was lovely and sunny here today in Ireland but this evening is getting dull again, the rain is never far away. What have you all been up to?

Picked these lovely canvases up in NEXT this weekend for €10.00 for the three. I love them, they are very counrty cottage and will look lovely in my new home :)

Hello everyone,

So I eventually have time to blog. Since the New Year, we have moved into our new home, we're really settled now; kitchen, snug, utility and shower room are all completed. I have a few accessories to get but that is on hold for a while. I have also got a new job which I am really happy with and enjoying, my office is small and really cosy :) So next thing on the "to do list" is get married. The wedding is in three weeks time! I have the dresses sorted, just need to get mine altered a wee bit. All invites are out, flowers sorted, cake sorted, food sorted, cars, rings, etc. I just have to buy my shoes soon and get my hair sorted. No honeymoon planned as my other half is a farmer and has a lot of work on with cows calving. So in three weeks I will be a farmers wife! I'm living life to the full in the countryside. I'm looking forward to getting married and have time to relax and also do some more work around the new home. At last I got the lead to charge my camera so here are a few photos from around my new home. The snug still looks a bit bare but I will upload more photos again for you all!