A Spode is a Spode!

At lunch time today my twin sister texted me a picture of a bargain that she had spotted.

Spode plateware for......less than a few euro!!

My sister bought 8 plates and side plates and I decided to stop in the city on the way home from work and buy some of the plates for myself (I was afraid to wait until Saturday in case they were all gone!).

I bought the plain large plate in the Delamere pattern which were on sale for only €1.50.  You can click here to see how much they normally sell for!!

The shop we bought the plates in is Michael Guineys which is a Dublin institution since 1971. It is a discount store so I think we can presume that these Spode plates are seconds!

I bought side plates with an additional bird print (pheasants and grouse) which were €1.99 each.

Look at the total price for 6 dinner plates and 6 side plates!! €20.94!

I think there is something very retro looking about these plates and I just love the brown colour! Also, seconds or not, they feel great - a nice substantial plate. All in all a really good buy I think!

Easter Egg time is nearly upon us!

What a fun evening yesterday!  Laura was up from Galway to stay with Amy for the night.  They went to a few spots in Dublin during the day and then got the train out to me at work. We then drove home where I had some little nibblies in the fridge for the girls.

I had bought nice hummus and sundried tomatoes to go with flat bread crackers. There was also a selection of meats. Unfortunately I had under estimated how much food I should have got (I should have bought cheese) so I also popped a pepperoni pizza in the oven which helped stretch out the food! For with the little nibblies I opened a bottle of wine which was very enjoyable.

After our food and a great catch up we hopped in to the hot tub which was super! We spent so long in the tub, enjoying the chat and the out doors.

Later on I walked Amy & Laura to the Luas station. We passed by the old Nightowls building (now Supervalu) where we misspent our youth - that gave us a good laugh!

It was a lovely evening and to top it off I got my first Easter Egg from Laura. Look at this gorgeous big Thorntons chocolate specimen!!

Bunting - makes every event a celebration!

I have a pile of spare fabric and ribbon so am making a concerted effort to use it all up by making bunting.

Bunting is so easy to make. Here are the steps to make it:

1. Cut fabric in to a triangle shape and then sew together leaving the top of the triangle unsewn (sew inside out then flip the right way out).
2. Iron the sewn triangles flat
3. Sew the triangles on to a ribbon trim

It's that easy!

I use a knitting needle to poke the fabric in to a point when turning it in the correct way out.

 

Here is one of the bunting garlands I made before I packaged it up in cellophane.

Lots of nice bunting packaged up to give to friends.

I love hanging bunting at parties, I think it makes it an event and a celebration.

Do you like to hang bunting, readers?!

A Dublin St Patrick's Day

We had a lovely St Patrick's Day celebration yesterday. It started with a full Irish fry up for breakfast. It consisted of eggs, beans, rashers and of course our favourite Clonakilty black pudding (putog dhubh!).

We then set off for town, stopping in for a takeaway coffee in Starbucks on Leeson Street. 

It was a lovely mild day as we walked through Stephen's Green and down to College Green. The parade had yet to start and it was beginning to get very busy. 

We walked back up Nassau Street and then on to Dawson Street. After we passed the Shelbourne we went to Toners Pub. Before we sat down I asked was it ok if we brought the dog in. A nice barman said no problem!

Bones sat on high stool beside us while we watched the parade on the television in the pub.

I couldn't resist getting a picture of Bones with these tourists!

After the parade was over, we set off back home with Bones. We left him in the house while we went and got food in Kinara Kitchen. We then ended the day by watching a few House of Cards episodes and were in bed by 9.30pm.

I hope you enjoyed St Patrick's Day as much as I did!

Easter Bunting!

Easter is coming shortly so I decided to make some Easter bunting for my mother.

I went to the local fabric store to buy some material.  I was hoping for something with bunnies or chicks but unfortunately they don't stock Easter fabric(?!!). 

I found this fabric in the reduced section for €10 a metre rather than €16. It's got a bird print and is in rather Easter like colours - do you think?

For the ribbon I went to Tiger and bought this yellow gingham ribbon.

I cut the fabric in to triangles. There was some wastage with this fabric due to the print having to be positioned so the birds are not upside down!

After facing the triangles together I sewed them and then turned them in the correct way facing out. I ironed them flat (it's easier to sew on the ribbon trim when they are ironed smooth).

I packaged the bunting up in cellophane with an gift tag. A really easy sewing project and a perfect Easter present made in barely any time at all!

Brunch in Dillingers Ranelagh

Yesterday after returning from Athlone we walked the dog and then went for brunch in Dillingers about 3.30pm.

I adore brunch in Dillingers. It's not just about the food - it's the vibe, the music and the buzz in the place. 

We both ordered the same - Fried Chicken and Waffles with Vodka OJs.

We really enjoyed our food as we listened to great musicians like Talking Heads, Queen and David Bowie.

It really is #Brunchtastic!

Rock of Ages Athlone

As I wrote in my last blog, we traveled to Athlone to watch the best (in my limited opinion!) musical ever - "Rock of Ages". Not only do I love this musical, but my younger sister was performing in the production by the Athlone Amateur Musical Society.

I have to say, I was blown away by how professional the set up was upon entering the Dean Crowe Theatre. Then when the show began the performers wowed me even further. They were incredible singers, dancers and actors. I thought my sister Katie was brilliant (I may be biased) and was nearly distracted from all the other performers when she was on stage because I wanted to focus on her and see how good she was!

A big Well Done to all involved in this great show!

The stage looked just as good as London or Dublin on a slightly smaller scale.

Two proud big sisters with Katie!!

Cousin Kasey with our star of the show!

On Friday night I prepped for Saturday by watching Rock of Ages the movie on DVD. When this came out originally in the cinema, Katie and I had gone to see it together.....and of course loved it!!!

Click here to read about when I saw Rock of Ages in Dublin.