My Christmas Wish List

I recently started my Christmas shopping but I couldn’t help but find a few little treats which I would love for myself, so if my very own Santa Claus is reading this – then take this as a massive hint!!

Avoca

www.avoca.com

On a recent trip to Avoca in Malahide Castle I found a few little treasures which I could have run away with - they are to die for!!

Firstly, I found this fabulous vintage style telephone which is €94.95 and this is at the top of the wish list. I am obsessed with copper at the moment and I think that this would look amazing in my house (when it is eventually built).

I then came across this stunning Voluspa 6 pack candle set for €79.95. I had never heard of this candle brand before, but I am already in love. They smell absolutely amazing and the pretty glass packaging could be used again for storage – they would be perfect for storing make up brushes or even some stationary.

As a little stocking filler I love these Nordal letter cups which are €11.95. A perfect personalised gift.

Finally, I seen this beautiful Brass Jewellery Stand which is a bargain at €19.95 as it looks so much more expensive, I think that it is so pretty and would look gorgeous on a dressing table.

The Moss Cottage, Dundrum Village.

www.moss.ie

The Moss Cottage my favourite shop of treats and hidden treasure has some beautiful pieces which would make lovely Christmas gifts.

For the crafter or wannabe crafter I think that this is the perfect gift – this Annie Sloan Chalk Paint Starter Kit. It comes in a presentation box with a paint brush, two sample chalk paints and a sample clear and dark wax – at the bargain price of €50!!

Adding to my copper/gold obsession (I actually have this already) is this pretty Gold Wire Candle Holder for €12.95.

Hippenings

www.hippenings.com

I have yet to treat myself with something from Hippenings, but I have greatly admired and wished for all the pretty things online since Laura Cunningham’s website first went live. I particularly love their agenda’s both the Ban.do and Kate Spade.

If you are looking for something fun, there is the greatly sought after Ban.do Florabunda Agenda for €27.50. It is sold out at the moment but if you keep an eye out on the website you could be lucky and it may come back in time for Christmas.

For something a little more classic there is the ever so stylish Kate Spade New York Large Agenda Stripe for €46. I think the monochrome stripe and polka dots with gold detailing is so stylish, right up my street!

So there you go, a few little bits that might give you some inspiration for you list to Santa this year. 

Chic & Cheerful's Visit to Robert's Furniture

Last month I was invited to meet the lovely team at Robert’s Furniture in Ashbourne County Meath.

I was blown away by the story of this family based company, the success they have had over the years, their story of how they would not let the recession bring them down and their passion for high quality furniture.

Robert’s Furniture strives to merge design, style, quality fabrics and value for money along with their first class service.

Robert’s Furniture specialises in the repair, reupholstery and recovery of both residential and commercial furniture. A perfect way to preserve family heirlooms, restore high quality furniture, and to steer clear of overpriced mass produced furniture.

 

At Roberts Furniture there are a range of services available from custom made furniture to the reupholstery of preloved pieces. With the vast variety of fabrics available your piece of furniture will leave their warehouse like new!

Robert’s Furniture was set up in 1949 and to this day stands for the same qualities it started with – excellence, creativity and value for money. When recession hit, Robert’s Furniture decided that they would not let it bring them down, instead they looked to the future and further into reupholstery. This turned to be a massive success for the company leading to many new contacts both residential and commercial. Robert’s furniture has had contracts with Brown Thomas, Tattersalls Ireland as well as serval restaurants, bars and embassies.

Since meeting the team at Robert’s Furniture I now see the importance of preserving furniture. High quality furniture if properly cared for can last a lifetime and can also help the environment against mask production and throwaway consumerism.

I was always a fan of revamping furniture to give it new life, but I now see the importance of preserving furniture – it is good for the environment and your pocket.

I would like to thank Robert’s Furniture for inviting me to their showroom and workshop and for teaching the importance for preservation.

If you are interested in contacting Robert’s Furniture their details are:

Roberts Furniture
Unit 15, Ashbourne Business Centre,
Ashbourne, Co. Meath

Tel: 01 835 3035 / 01 8353032
Email:info@robertsfurniture.ie

Chic & Cheerful's - Girl's Day Out

This is not my usual type of post, no way homeware or self-build related but I thought it might be a nice little read.  Last Thursday my sister Lauren, my auntie Eileen and myself decided to treat ourselves to a much needed girl’s day out. We went to some really nice spots in Dublin and I thought that I would share a few snaps of a day out and what we thought of the venues. 

Peruke & Periwig

31 Dawson Street, Dublin 2.

We started off our day off in our favourite cocktail bar Peruke & Periwig. The bar has the most incredible setting, very dark and it almost feels like stepping back in time. The bar staff are so friendly and will help you find your perfect drink. 

I had my favourite cocktail “Double, Bubble, Toil & Trouble” which is a vodka based blackberry cocktail that arrives in a mini cauldron, Lauren kept it sweet with a milky, marshmallow vodka based cocktail called “The Cold S’Mores” and Eileen had “X-Rated” which is Peruke & Periwig’s version of a Pornstar Cocktail.  

The Westin Hotel

Westmoreland Street, Dublin 2.

We then moved onto the Westin Hotel for afternoon tea. There are two options available “A Most Peculiar Afternoon Tea” or “Traditional Afternoon Tea”. 

We decided to stick to the traditional option which was delicious. The atrium in which the tea is served in was so relaxing and we loved spending the afternoon there snacking on yummy treats.  

Vintage Cocktail Club

15 Crown Alley, Temple Bar, Dublin 15.

We decided to finish our day off at the mysterious Vintage Cocktail Club. The setting is quite similar to Peruke & Periwig but a bit of a louder atmosphere.

I loved the idea of this secret, mysterious bar which is not advertised and you need to ring a bell of an unmarked door to gain access. Again the staff are really friendly and are really helpful in finding the perfect cocktail for you. 

Hopefully this post might be a little inspiration for those of you looking for a nice girl's day out in Dublin. 

Chic & Cheerful’s 6 Ways To Revamp Your Bedroom Without Breaking The Bank

If you are anything like me and you bored of your bedroom quickly but you don’t want to break the bank by redecorating each time you get fed up then this list may help you out.

There are simple ways of giving your bedroom a refreshing change without costing you a fortune. Here is my ‘Top 6 Ways To Revamp Your Bedroom Without Breaking The Bank’.

1.       Rearrange  Your Furniture

This is something I loved to do with my bedroom when I was small and it drove my poor mother insane! I loved rearranging everything in my room to make it feel like new and even now I think that it is a really effective way to revamp your room at no cost. It can also make your room function a little better, making it a more peaceful space to be in.

2.       Paint Your Furniture

It is so easy to breathe new life into your bedroom by simply painting your furniture. This is really on trend on the moment and for good reason, it is so simple and easy to do – if I can do it anyone can!! So many shops are now stocking various brands of chalk paint or egg shell finish which can be easily used for a revamp project. For the price of a small tin of paint you can have a brand new piece of furniture and leaves your room feeling fresh and clean.

3.       DIY Skills – Get Crafting

Again, this is so easy to do, it can look really intimidating but creating art work and crafts for your bedroom is so simple. Step by step decoupage kits can be picked up at most local craft shops, there are tons of YouTube videos available to show you want to do if you feel you need help, as well as blogs (like Chic & Cheerful) which can give you lots of tips.

You can also create fabulous wall art by getting personal photographs printed onto canvas in local photography shops or online, or by framing pictures yourself like postcards, quotes or famous photography.

4.       Spring Clean

This is the easiest and cheapest way to revamp your bedroom – as it is free! I love nothing more than getting some black sacks out and doing a big clear out and declutter of my bedroom. I feel like it is good for your soul and I always find that I sleep better after I do a really good spring clean. It is also a really good way to give back and do some good by donating unwanted clothes and trinkets to your local charity shops.

5.       Purchase Some New Soft Furnishings

Buying yourself a new duvet cover, curtains or some cushions will make your bedroom feel fresh and new without breaking the bank. Keep an eye out for sales in designer shops or take a trip to your local Penneys, IKEA or TK Maxx and pick up a bargain there. A new print or colour can really change the feel of your bedroom and gives your room a new look.

6.       Lighting – Setting A Scene

Purchasing a new lamp for your side table, a new pendent light or even a few new scented candles can create a new feeling in your bedroom that make you want to lay down and relax. Personally I love having a selection of scented candle in my bedroom as I find it so relaxing to have a gorgeous scent in my room throughout out the day and when blown out it leaves behind a calming scent that I always find helps me sleep.

That is just my Top 6 tips on a budget, but there are so many more things that you can do to revamp your bedroom without breaking the bank, just don’t be afraid to get messy and think outside the box.

Enjoy!

Building The Dream - Design

When the opportunity to build our first home together came to us we were blown away with the amazing opportunity we had and quickly became extremely excited with all the ideas of what we could do – and some were ridiculous when we look back on it now e.g. a passive house with a basement which we presumed would only cost €150k…. then reality hit us with a slap in the face!!

We didn’t have anyone in our circle of friends or family who had built a house before so we weren’t really sure as to how to go about designing a house, but I think we did a good job considering and here are a few tips that I have picked up along the way.

Go Snooping

We always had an idea of what we wanted the inside of our house to look like but we were really unsure of what we wanted the outside to be. We found ourselves driving around lovely housing estates looking at houses to find some inspiration. We actually found a house in Glasnevin that we both loved the shape of and took a sneaky picture of it to pass on to our architect at the time and we got it copied and drawn up in our plans.

Like It, List It

We sat down together and talked about what we both really wanted from our home and what we thought we would need from the house in the future as we want this house to be a home for life - I am not going through all this again!! We both wanted an open plan living area, the master bedroom in the attic and three double bedrooms. Unfortunately, the four bedrooms didn’t work out as the attic roof was designed too low so we have lost a bedroom and the open plan living area wasn’t as big as we had hoped for, but we’ve gotten over it and its worked out perfect for our budget and our needs.

Become A Pinterest Addict

I am well and truly a Pinterest addict if you have not guessed yet! Going through Pinterest and finding pins that reflect the home you would love is a great way of finding inspiration when designing. I found the style of kitchen we were looking for so we could show it to our kitchen designer and our style of bathroom that we could show our builder and get quoted and designs for both.

Ask Around

I decided to ask family and friends if they would have anything in their house what would it be. My mam was a great help in this, she gave me some great ideas like having lots of storage or having a large utility room. It was great to get ideas from home owners on if there were given this opportunity what would they do.

Become A Couch Potato

I absolutely love watching home shows on TV, Grand Designs, Room To Improve, Love It or List It…. I just can’t get enough of them and they are great for finding inspiration. Shows like these also help you realise the pit falls of building and that the worst really can happen.

Use and Abuse

Show Homes, restaurants, hotels and offices pay for interior designers to kit out their spaces so they are great places to find some inspiration so visit as many as you can to use the design available. I spent lots of time going to show houses to get different ideas on how to design a house and to also get some interior design ideas.

Finally…..

Go to Chic & Cheerful’s blogs, Facebook page and Instagram account to find lots of tips, tricks and inspiration.

DANU Designer Ceramics

Former NCAD student Ruth Power is the design maker behind the fabulous company DANU Designer Ceramics which specialises in handcrafted, designer ceramic homewares based in her studio in Dublin.

Ruth says that her brand DANU Designer Ceramics is organic yet refined and displays urban and rustic settings which have been inspired by her travels, nature and wanderlust.  

The name DANU steams from the ancient Celtic Goddess of earth and creativity, and the Hindu Goddess of water. These are what Ruth says are the three elements that are required for the creation of ceramics. The Irish and Asian elements also an influence on the pieces that Ruth creates in regards to pattern, colour, shape, design and function. Ruth says every piece she creates has its own story. And I just think that every piece is just simply beautiful.

Here are a few pieces that stood out to me and just think are simply stunning. I love the colours used, and the simple print and shape of the pieces. A truly beautiful piece of homemade Irish artwork. 

These ceramics are stunning, handcrafted pieces of art that you can welcome into your home. Artwork you will cherish forever.  

These pieces can be purchased on Etsy.com. But also make sure to look out for Ruth’s Facebook page for up and coming pieces.

My House of Prints

Based in South West London these absolutely stunning artwork is created by My House of Print in their home studio.

This company offers beautiful personalised prints with thoughtful and creative hand crafted features. This new company is providing top quality service with a personal touch.

These amazing prints can be purchased through their website www.myhouseofprint.com and here is a small taste of what they offer....and they are STUNNING!!!

Personalised New Home Print

I would absolutely love to have the gorgeous print to welcome me to my new house next year and to mark the occasion. This personalised gift is £32 and marks a memory forever. A great gift for family and friends - hint hint to mine LOL!! 

Box Frame Animal Prints

I think that these prints are just stunning and would make a child’s bedroom or nursery so stylish!! These prints come in a Zebra, Elephant, Tiger or Giraffe (along with their party hats) for £34. And at the moment there a special offer for 3 prints for £99 – which is especially great because it is so hard to just pick one print because they are all stunning. This is a gift that your child or family member will cherish for life.

Ps. I don’t have a baby, but I would still put these in my house as I think they are amazing pieces of funky artwork!! Not just for kids! 

Make sure you look out for My House of Prints on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram to see more shots of their amazing work!!