No, I haven't been on holidays...sigh...

...I've just been lazy/busy/shirking my blogging duties. Holidays are a thing of the past for me, and I think that my fellow homeowners out there will empathise. It's not just that I don' t have a cent to spare - I'm also happy to stay put in my crazy little house. It's old and dirty, but it's mine. Anyhow, plans are chugging along and I've been chatting to the builder, plumber and electrician about getting started. I must admit that I'm getting just a tad fed up of the grimy blinds, digging around in boxes to find clothes and having a kitchen that is beyond basic, so I really am looking forward to having a nice clean, functioning home. At some stage. After all the work is done. Gulp. And then, why it will be so lovely that I will never want to go on holidays ever again! Well, ok, maybe not; I'm still pondering over a return visit to Sicily because I fell so very much in love with it when I was there last September. I would love love love to treat myself to a stay in the delicious Casa Talia (above) or the breezy-looking La Lumie (below), both in Modica.

Phew

Outdoorsy ideas

I'm quite relieved that I've shelved the extension for a few reasons, one of them being that my wee garden remains intact and I don't have to sacrifice any outdoor space. Since the weather is so beautiful I've been planning how I would like it to look in order to optimise space for both growing plants and veg, and sitting out in the fresh air. I love this concrete built-in-y style bench thingy in the Viceroy Hotel in Santa Monica, California. The powdery blue colour is lovely and fresh, and this allows you to get maximum use from the space at hand.

Knit wit

Hmmm, I wonder how long it will take before I get bored of my own bad knitting pun-thingies? Thought I would give a knitting update - so, I popped into This is Knit in Powerscourt on Saturday, where Lisa very kindly helped me figure out what I needed. She recommended the Stitch n Bitch book (apparently the Vogue Knitting book is something of an encyclopedia), and I got some lovely soft grey yarn to get me started. My first project, I decided, is going to be a little scarf for my godson Naoise, who will be two on Friday. Clearly, he is to be my first victim/recipient of my knitting efforts because A) he is too small to object and B) he is too small to be too cool to wear a scarf that his auntie knitted for him. And also because I love him very much, obviously.

As per usual, I set into my task all gung ho and all 'how hard can this be, really?' Half an hour later I was wailing 'I can't tie a slip knot'. My boyfriend rather wisely absconded, while I squinted at the pictures in the book, as well as trawling the internet for something, anything that would put me on the right track. I dug through the Vogue Knitting website, the Martha Stewart Living website and yelled at a video uploaded by someone called Cassie on youtube. I eventually got the hang of it and my needles were a-clacking last night while I watched a DVD. Very relaxing, very satisfying, highly recommended.

I do recommend Stitch n Bitch, but I must say that the innuendo stuff gets a bit tired - I mean, a scarf pattern called 'ribbed for her pleasure'? Yawn. 

Anyhow, here's Cassie - she's a bit annoying, but she did help me get there in the end:

Anyone in need of an overhaul?

That's an overhaul of your home, of course - the RTÉ programme Showhouse is returning to our screens this autumn as My Showhouse, and they are currently looking for anyone who has just bought a new or second hand home and is planning a makeover, or anyone who wants to do some work on the home that they have lived in for years. You could be in with a chance to have a professional designer (under the watchful eye of the inimitable Neville Knott) jazz up your home - and to be on the telly! If you fancy it then get in touch with Lisa with details of your property (location, size, budget, etc) at myshowhouse@vipmg.tv or 01 864 1444. The pics below of previous Showhouse projects are a little taster of what your home could eventually look like.

Thoroughly Irish treats

I dropped into the launch of the new Foxford Woollen Mills shop on Drury St this morning. It's called No. 6 Castlemarket, and it's very much a showcase of the partnership between Foxford and Helen McAlinden, who has been designing soft furnishings for the company for a while now, about five years I reckon. The actual shop has been open for almost three years now (I think!) and they recently gave it a mini makeover to create more of a focus on the interiors end of things. Helen has given a really contemporary and cosmopolitan look to the brand, which is often perceived as extremely traditional, and the shop is a wonderful showcase for the many beautiful Foxford products. Uses for the soft and snuggly wool extend far beyond blankets and throws, and there are some fab sofas and statement chairs on offer, as well as woollen blinds and, my personal favourite, an extremely huggable wall covered in a soft grey woollen pinstripe. So cast aside your very traditional view of Foxford Woollen Mills and take a look at how modern it is. You really can get everything under the one roof here as well - besides the soft furnishings, there are lots of lovely pieces of furniture and some great accessories, along with the Faulkner Interiors Studio where you can avail of David Faulkner's interior design service that includes curtain making. My very amateur photography does it little justice, but here's a taster of what's on offer - from the top: this is a soft and cosy wing chair (€800) covered in Foxford wool, and there are also other chairs and sofas similarly covered; these would make such a statement in the garden, and they're citronella so they keep bugs at bay - you can buy refills that slip in easily; I want want want want want this table - it has a wooden base and concrete top, and it's my dream dining table, the only catch being that it's €1,100; here's a teeny tiny sample of the wide range of bedlinen, that is competitively priced, particularly given the quality - 300-thread duvet covers start at €55; here are some of the lovely breezy accessories; a pretty little coffee table upstairs; this is the totally touchable upholstered wall - mmmmmm, soft.

Oops

Did I inadvertently make it rain by yakking on about how nice the sun was? It's so grey out there now - makes me want to wrap myself up in Cath Kidston oilcloth and hop home all colourful and waterproof! If you're a CK fan the Kildare Village outlet is a must for you. I wouldn't even be super into her stuff, but, dotted here and there about the house, her prints are bright and lively. I got some wonderful napkins and teatowels, as well as a cute knitting bag, which is currently home to my second knitting project - a scarf for my five-year-old nephew. Anyhow - you can get oilcloth there for €22 per metre.

Holiday dreaming

The sun has been making an extremely commendable effort to pop its head out from behind the clouds of late, which is giving me lots of summery vibes. I'm really excited about the prospect of potentially getting to wear some summer clothes this year, they don't get out much with our monsoony holiday months. Since I am bracing myself for the prospect of home ownership, I don't really see how a proper foreign holiday can fit into the plans this year. If we do actually get a summer I would really love to take a break at home - I haven't been to Dingle in ages, and the house of gallery owner Susan Callery (featured in our July/August 2008 issue) really made me keen to pay a visit to that neck of the woods as soon as I get a chance. 

Irish building of the year 2009

The RIAI Irish Architecture Awards 2009 are taking place and you have until Sunday to submit your vote for the People's Choice Award. There are 35 buildings to choose from, I haven't quite decided which is my favourite yet, but my shortlist is as follows:


This is an insertion into St George's & St Thomas's Church by Clancy Moore architects - so unusual to see such a project these days.



This is a café/bar on Deal Pier by Niall McLaughlin Architects. I love this, it's so wild and romantic looking.



Hazelwood School by GM & AD Architects is a school that caters for 60 student with multiple disabilities, aged from 2 to 19. The aim with this project was to take away any traces of an institutional feel, and it really does look like a welcoming and stimulating environment.



Landscape room by LID Architecture - this looks positively idyllic.



The Library in Abbeyleix by de Blacam & Meagher - if only all public libraries could be like this...



...and if only all cinemas could be like this! The Light House cinema by DTA Architects.



The Wexford Opera House by OPW & Keith Williams Architects - mmmmm, opulent.

Hurrah!

The July/August issue of House and Home is on shelves now! On the cover is the lovely Julianne Kelly, who shares a project that she worked on in a period house on the east coast. We also have a really warm and individual house in Malahide, along with tons of outdoors-y ideas, customised high street furniture and my guide to the wonderful city of Copenhagen.

Yet another addiction of mine

Along with books, cute kitchen stuff, random pieces of furniture and god knows what else, I am unavoidably drawn to eye-catching prints and posters. I make an effort to ignore the urge, but it's hard. Right now I really need to put the brakes on my habit though, because I currently have three items sitting in poster tubes waiting to be framed.  I love a little lunchtime window shopping online at the Keep Calm Gallery and in December I treated myself to an Eat Your Greens print when I was buying my boyfriend an All You Need Is Love print. I had both custom framed,  because they're a slightly irregular size and I couldn't find a frame to fit in any shops. If the AYNIL one hadn't been a present I reckon they'd both be still sitting in the tube, but I got my butt in gear and EYG has a happy new home on my kitchen wall. The wonderful Christy in Moy Framing (beside the Gate Theatre at the top of O'Connell St. Tel: 01 836 5331) did a great job on them, and it was only €60 to frame the two, which I thought was an excellent price. He also had them done in a day. Then one day I came across a pic of a large move poster in someone's living room and my imagination, as per usual, went into overdrive. I went online and bought oversized (69cm x 102cm) posters for two of my favourite movies, Paris, Texas and Wings of Desire, cause I figure they'll look wonderful framed, sitting side-by-side maybe in the hallway, or near the piano, or maybe in the guest bedroom. I have yet to summon up the energy/funds to have them framed, however, so they are, of course, still in the tube, propped against a wall in my bedroom. Along with, of course, my For Like Ever print that I got in New York, as well as a wee print from La Scala opera house in Milan for the performance of Wagner's Tristan und Isolde that we went to see there in February. Aaaaaaaaany day now...

Curtains for me!

I did an extremely enjoyable curtain making course in Roisin Cross Silks out in Dun Laoghaire this weekend. So so so much fun - I was very excited about it but a little skeptical as to whether I really would be able to learn how to make curtains in a mere two days. Well the wonderful Maedhbh Walsh was such a great teacher that I now feel quietly confident about slowly but surely making curtains for my own house. We learned how to line and interline them, so that they'll make rooms nice and cosy. My first curtain making project will be my bedroom curtains, and as well as the beautiful silks out in RCS I've been taking a look at other fabrics that might work. Since they're still going to be costly, even though I'm making them myself, I'm going to be quite careful about opting for something that will wear well over time, but will be interesting and not all bland and boring. I love the idea of a metallic pattern on a earthy coloured fabric - like the silver-embossed material in the top pic, and that Indian-style brown and copper (though I'm not sure how well that would age from a style point of view) on the middle cushion in the second, both from Osborne and Little.