Trick or Treat!

Its Halloween!

We won't be home this evening so I left out a bowl of chocolate bars for any children who call.

There are only about 10 children on our street and I don't know if any will call - some are quite young.

Traditionally when you call looking for sweets at neighbors doors in Ireland you would chant "Help the Halloween Party". However over time (and probably seeing it in movies) children have gradually started saying the American "Trick or Treat".  I grew up saying "Help the Halloween Party" - I miss the kids saying it! 

What did you say as a child when you called to houses at Halloween?

Wreath making - on the cheap

Normally I buy polystyrene rings for the base of my wreaths.  However, the more wreaths I made the costs were beginning to add up.

I decided to consider more cost effective options for the base of the wreath.

I had read on blogs about people using pool noodles from the dollar store for their wreaths.  

You can't really find pool noodles here in Ireland so I considered the alternatives.

I went to Woodies DIY and bought insulation tubing for pipes.  It was only 1.49 euro for a strip!! I cut it in half and taped it in a circle.

A wreath base for 75 cents in comparison to 3.50 euro.

Every year there is a sale of crafts in my workplace for charity so I am currently working on wreaths for this.

Do you have any alternatives to polystyrene rungs?

House - Leeson Street

To start the Bank Holiday we went for a cocktail on Friday evening in the newly opened "House" on Leeson Street. 

Upon entering we were greeted in a friendly manner and assisted with being seated.  Many tables were reserved so we sat at the bar in the main area.  We then decided to move further in to the venue and sat at the bar in the marquee/greenhouse area out back.

We ordered cocktails that were not in menu. I had a Grey Goose Caipirosca and Ciaran had an Old Fashioned. The cocktail menu was not that appealing to me - too many of the cocktails were Gin based - but you can't beat the setting.

We hope to return for dinner sometime!

My cocktail was made with sugar syrup (barman's cheat, in my opinion) and ice cubes that were not crushed.  It was a passable version of a Caipirosca.  

Wreath making factory

I've quite the production line going of wreaths.

These are all for my mother.  She wants to give them to her friends.

Currently she is visiting my younger sister who lives in Oman.  My sister works as cabin crew for an airline.

On my mothers return from Oman in a week I will give her the wreaths.

The kitchen table is covered in Christmas baubles and Ciaran has nicknamed me "Elf"!

Sunday Independent Spread

Wow a lot of people read the Sunday Independent!!!

Our house was featured in a 2 page spread in the Life Magazine supplement in the Sunday Independent paper (Sindo).  All day yesterday we were receiving calls and texts from friends saying they saw us in the paper.

It was for a lifestyle feature called "My favourite room" edited by Mary O'Sullivan  with pictures by photographer Tony Gavin.

Christmas Bauble Wreath

So I upped the wreath making ante by buying a hot glue gun.

OMG!  This thing is incredible!  Hot glue guns are not that popular in Ireland (maybe because we don't have Martha Stewart!) but I have seen lots of mention of them on US blogs.  

I picked up my Hot Glue Gun in Evans Art Supplies just off Capel Street. 

It's so easy to use.  

Here's my most recent wreaths made with my Hot Glue Gun

I'll put a bow on this one to complete

This one is a big old hot mess - or a Hot Glue Gun mess!!

Dublin town

The beautifully ornate fully restored public conveninces in Chancery Park in Dublin City near Capel Street.  The clock at the top works!

We saw this Minitel Computer for sale for  25 euro in a secondhand shop.

Minitel (mainly in France) was one of the most successful precursors to the Internet.  Google "Minitel Computer" and read the wiki page - it's an interesting read!

Winter wreath making

Here is a few more wreaths that I have been working on.  This one was made with a sari (Indian lady's dress) brought all the way from India to Ireland by my mother.

A flowery effort to dress a door at Christmas time

And here is a partially started wreath....wonder what it will turn out like!

Starbucks Generation

I visited the new Starbucks in Rathmines.  It was about 10.30am and it was full of schoolgirls.  When I was in school we were not allowed out of the school building during school time.  There was no Starbucks in Ireland and even if there was, I wouldn't have known the difference between an Espresso and an Americano!  I didn't drink tea or coffee when in school and I had no interest in spending my time lolling around coffee shops!

Here are pics of this new Starbucks store.  

It's big and spacious but perhaps with too many hard surfaces.  This is probably done purposefully to discourage guests from sitting over a coffee all day in Starbucks.  Having been in many Starbucks around Dublin, I can't say that the decor in this one is to my taste or makes me comfortable enough to want to visit regularly.

There used to be a Starbucks in Ranelagh (which is next to Rathmines), maybe about 4 years ago.  It was closed down when the CEO did a worldwide cull of the less profitable shops.  This morning the Rathmines Starbucks is busy, I'd say it will be successful given it's location at the entrance to the Swan Centre and next to McDonalds.

A few doors away is Alan Hanna's bookshop one of the few true independents left in Dublin.  About a month ago it opened a coffee shop in the bookstore - it can't be happy to see Starbucks open so close.

Window dressing

I was tasked with dressing the ODKM Studio Window for Halloween.

I bought black and orange paper in O'Sullivans on Camden Street.

I cut it and folded it....

And made up......

This!

Bones lay on the chair the whole time - he wasn't too impressed with my efforts!

Here is the finished shop window!

I was trying to do the window like the way Anthropology dress their windows (of course theirs would be way over the top!)

How it looks from across the road.  The studio is at the Terenure crossroads - one of the most traffic-ed areas of the Dublin Suburbs.

Nando's

I went to Nando's for the first time yesterday.  It was the Blanchardstown Branch that I visited with my two friends.  

We really enjoyed it - the atmosphere and decor was great and the staff were friendly and efficient and the food was good.

We were offered complimentary garlic bread because there was a delay on our food.  We didn't even notice the delay because we were chatting so much as it was a long time since the 3 of us had met up!

Above is my butterflied chicken with lemon & herb and sweet potato mash.  In the background is Yvonne's veggie wrap.

Marguerite had the chicken burger & chips.  The flavouring on top of her chips was tasty!

Caramel Cheesecake

Bottomless Frozen Yoghurt - Mango Flavour

And of course I ordered chocolate cake!!!

All in all a great night and brilliant to get out with my friends.

Eileen Gray

We visited IMMA last night to view the retrospective of Eileen Gray, designer of E1027

Architect Fiona O'Herlihy gave a talk about the work of Gray - Here's the blurb: Architect’s Response | Ruth O’Herlihy

Thursday 17 October, 7.00 – 8.00pm, Galleries, IMMA
Eileen Gray regularly commented on how her Enniscorthy family home was the genesis for her architectural and design practice. As a frame of reference to discuss her retrospective exhibition Ruth O’Herlihy (Architect, Teacher, Director of McCullough Mulvin) reflects on domestic contexts, juxtapositions and the associated memories of spaces that act as a catalyst for her built work and ideas, coming from a rich architectural family context. Please note exhibition fee applies for gallery talks on the exhibition Eileen Gray Architect Designer Painter.

While O'Herlihy's talk was quite interesting I got the feeling that Eileen Gray and her work was not something that she was influenced by.  

I also am not convinced by her statement that Gray was a "good architect but not a great architect".

Here's a few pics of some of the furniture pieces designed by Eileen Grey.  The side table pictured is hugely iconic.

This piece was designed for and built in to E1027.

A drinks trolley designed by Gray

The retrospective in IMMA is on until early 2014 and I urge you to visit.  There is also the permanent Eileen Gray Exhibition in Collins Barracks Museum.  I visited this a few years ago and thought it was quite brilliant!

KTribe Lamp

We got a new floor lamp from Patrick in ShadowLight

It's the KTribe designed by Phillipe Starck and it is gorgeous!

It has a stainless steel frame with a bronze lampshade.  

Patrick had given us a loan of a show lamp for the House Beautiful shoot nearly a year ago - Ciaran thought it was so nice that he decided to order it.  Delivery time was not too bad, he ordered it about 4 weeks ago.  It looks great in situ by our brown leather armchair.

For more great pics of lights in our house click here

Baileys...

As if Bailey's was not luscious enough!!!

I just saw this ad for the new "Bailey's Chocolate Lux".  It is Real Belgian Chocolate mixed with Bailey's Irish Cream.  I like the sound of that.....a lot!!