Dublin Flea Market

Yesterday I finally made it to the Dublin flea market in Newmarket Square. I've been meaning to go there forever and finally made it on the wettest day of the year! Imagine my relief when I realised that as well as a few outdoor stalls there is also a large indoor area.

The key theme is most definitely vintage which is sometimes a word that people use interchangeably with old. To me, vintage means old and covetable and something which has stood the test of time whereas the same cannot always be said for things which are just old! However there was a really good vibe at this market and there are lots of bargains to be had. There's clothes, books, records, food, furniture, posters, pictures and prints, shoes, loads of handbags and general "stuff".

Loved this table but they were sold out:(

The flea market is held on the last Sunday of every month. It's a nice way to spend a Sunday afternoon. And check out my purchase - a very retro orange stool for €15 - almost goes with my equally eye catching tangerine table! I'll be back!   

http://dublinflea.ie/index.html                                                                                                                                                                           

Had to have it!

 It was a tough choice between the saffron and the white but the little burst of sunshine won out. New to the market, the Roberts Revival digital radio is truly an object of desire with a beautiful 1950's retro design updated for the 21st century. It comes in an array of colours including pastel pink, racing green and duck egg blue. The case and handle are leather and the fittings are gold plated. Functional and gorgeous and a real conversation piece - all it's missing is the nostalgic crackle! 

(On sale in Arnotts until the end of January)

I wish I had....

amazing cheekbones! It seems to be the common denominator for keeping your looks as you get older. These ladies look amazing. And did you see Jane Fonda in that gorgeous dress at the Golden Globes - wow! The woman is 74 and even had George Clooney checking her out. Respect!

Joanna Lumley

Jane Fonda

Work it Jane!

Helen Mirren

Meryl Streep

You cannot be serious....

It seems that fashion designers are really only interested in clothing the very thin and almost perfect among us. I guess this is fine when your customers are the Gossip Girl stereotype (I have a girl crush on Blake Lively, I can't deny it!). However when the big trends are copied for the high street this can lead to major crimes against fashion and indeed eyesight.

Don't get me wrong  - high street plagiarism is great to give the rest of us an opportunity to wear a copy of what we couldn't otherwise afford. However when the trend is itsy bitsy leather shorts I'm worried!

Designers, there is something called cellulite which affects almost every woman older than 25. Short shorts are a no-no. Happily there is an invention which is the saviour of many a woman for its ability to cover and warm the legs - opaque tights, you little wonders! Should preserve our modesty up to March at least.

Note: as wonderful as opaque tights are they cannot add a couple of inches to your thighs which is why I definitely won't be wearing these shorts! Blake, however, could wear a couple of plastic spar bags  fashioned as shorts and still look great!

Design Dilemma

After many years of saving, searching and agonising over crazy mortgage repayments I finally bought my house almost 3 years ago. After viewing so many houses and apartments for what seemed like forever I knew immediately that the house was for me - love at first sight so to speak! It's a 1940's corporation house and really hadn't been modernised so it retains a certain charm.

I underestimated how much work was needed but it was structurally sound so the work required was mainly cosmetic as well as rewiring, new windows and peeling off the (in some cases) 5 layers of wallpaper and replastering and painting. I've come to the conclusion that a house is never finished. For that reason I'm glad it's small.

There have been a couple of quick wins which were easy to implement and which overcame a design problem and saved me money that I'd like to share.

In the bedroom was an alcove which housed the gas cylinder. It was a perfect spot for shelving and storage as I don't have a hot press so I had a couple of shelves put in however this was an eyesore to say the least.

One option would have been to put in a door which would have been costly and not a great solution as it wouldn't have had enough space for the door swing due to the proximity of the chest of drawers.
A one or two panel fabric covering would have been an option but this would have to be custom made and I'm not sure if anyone else has noticed this but Dublin isn't great for fabric choice. After some internet research I found the ideal solution - a fringed curtain, also known as a string curtain, no relation to the string vest!!
I found a supplier in the UK. Unfortunately there didn't seem to be anyone in Ireland who stocked them Although the ready-made one was too wide for the space (150cm when I only needed 80cm)  it actually worked out really well as I had a dressmaker double over the width which then resulted in 24 strings per inch instead of the standard 12 so this made the curtain fuller and was more successful in hiding the mess behind it. The beauty of these curtains is that the length can be trimmed but don't trim them too short as they look better left a little longer and will hang better. 

My handyman brother got a metal pole and brackets from the hardware shop and fitted it for me which wasn't too difficult. The curtains already have an opening through which a pole will fit.

I think the overall effect looks great.These curtains are a great idea and they come in a number of colours. The fact that they can be cut and won't fray means that you can customise a unique design.They make a great room divider and are quite glamorous for the bedroom as they have a touch of shine through them. Total cost for the curtain was £39 including postage and approx. €20 for the pole and fittings. Job done!

When I win the lotto I'm going to buy....

Wow! Look at these amazing shoes by Prada which are part of their S/S 2012 collection and inspired by the classic American Cadillac. Obviously not at all practical. I guess you need to keep an extra wide radius around the ankle area but they are so beautiful and what a unique design!

Welcome to my blog!

Born out of a 2012 resolution to get creative and stop "thinking about" and finally "do" all those things that have been floating about in my head, this is the first step towards communication with the masses so bear with me and I hope there won't be too many stumbles along the way!