Tuesday, February 25, 2014

The Great Big Stitched Postcard Swap - Part 2

My last post was about the postcard I made for Do What You Love’s Great Big Stitched Postcard Swap – now I’ll tell you about the postcard I received in return.


One very rainy morning last October (yes, four months ago!), my poor post lady delivered my soggy and falling-apart post. However, a package from UK-based freelance crafter Emy was perfectly intact.

Using the ‘Celebrate’ theme, Emy had created a felted image of Chinese lanterns in beautiful blue and purple tones. She free stitched the outline of the lanterns, and added little yellow beads to signify the ones floating off into the distance. It’s a very dreamy and image, and it’s lovely when you receive something you would buy yourself. Thank you Emy! See more of her work here. emyscraftyblog.blogspot.com

Do What You Love are organising another swap at the moment, with the theme 'Create'. Registration closes tomorrow so there's still time to participate - sign up here.

Wednesday, October 16, 2013

The Great Big Stitched Postcard Swap


Well, after a summer of slumber in blogland I am back!

I have just taken part in the sixth Great Big Stitched Postcard Swap, run by Do What You Love - a very cute art swap which this year featured over 300 participants from around the world. I find it wonderful to sign up to projects with a deadline, as it forces me to be creative, even when I claim to be too busy to make anything! The theme for this swap was CELEBRATE - a lovely theme which has very joyous connotations.

I tried not to see that much of my swap partner before I began, but a quick look at her inspiring and well-tended blog Emy's Crafty Blog showed that she is a fiery-haired lady, so I made a red-headed paper dolly as the central image in the postcard, continuing a theme I like working with. 



To include the 'celebration' idea, I stitched a miniature book, incorporating celebration-themed quotes such as: 
"Singing is like a celebration of oxygen. - Bjork"
"The more you praise and celebrate your life, the more there is in life to celebrate. - Oprah Winfrey"
"Celebrate what you want to see more of. - Thomas J. Peters"
I made the book from vintage and craft papers, and the cover is recycled leather from the cover of an old American Indian box.



I worked this into a mixed-media collage, incorporating vintage papers and material (including some fabric from my Mum's dress when I was little), and other elements, such as decoupage scraps, paper flowers, and I sewed sequins and beads onto little acrylic-painted discs.

I sent the postcard on Monday, so hopefully it will arrive soon. I've had a sneak peak of Emy's postcard on her blog, and am really looking forward to receiving it. It's a gorgeous felted image of Chinese lanterns, and really evokes the theme 'celebration'.

Monday, May 20, 2013

Review: the Three Towers & Slieve Aughty Centre, Co. Galway

I had been planning a weekend break in Ireland with my boyfriend for some time. We wanted to go somewhere in the northwest that we hadn’t been before. A Groupon voucher appeared in my inbox for the Three Towers& Slieve Aughty Centre, and due to the fantastic savings (and element of adventure…horses!) we knew we had found our place.

Situated just outside Loughrea in County Galway, the centre comprises the ‘Three Towers', an almost brand new eco hotel with organic kitchen, and the well-established Slieve Aughty Riding Centre.

The directions on the website were good, and the receptionist (Jenny) gave us one of the friendliest welcomes imaginable. She greeted us like old friends, and made us a cup of tea, with mini biscuits and organic nougat which would be almost worth the long drive to Galway for on their own.
She designated us an absolutely gorgeous room (the pictures we’d seen on the website didn’t do the rooms justice) with high ceilings and pretty grey and pink décor - my favourite! Even my overnight bag matched the bedroom, so I thought it must be a good sign. ;) Some unoccupied bedrooms had the doors propped open, so we were able to see that all rooms were unique, and rather lovely.

The style of the hotel is somewhat eclectic, and d­one beautifully. There are interesting things dotted around and everywhere you look makes a pretty picture (especially the lovely dining room). I can imagine it would make a fantastic alternative wedding location - I believe a number of wedding receptions have already been held here.

We then went down the buffet style dinner, which was tasty soup, followed by baked aubergine, mashed potato and salad, and homemade rolls (there was also meat, but I chose the veggie option). It was all delicious, and accompanied with tasty organic wine. The only problem was there is no device to keep freshly cooked food warm, so it got cold quite quickly. This was followed by a banana cheesecake, which I’d never seen anywhere before…interesting!
The beds were comfortable, and everywhere was spotlessly clean, which is no mean feat in the countryside next to a riding centre. The rooms are quiet and also comfortably warm, which is important when you come inside after a long country walk. There is also a table of books to borrow during your stay – a very nice touch. The centre seems to offer a lot of activities such as English courses and organic gardening lessons from time to time, which sound fun. It also seems very child-friendly, with a number of other guests bringing along their little ones.

Unfortunately the next morning’s breakfast, my favourite meal, was a disappointment. Only some tables were laid out for breakfast, and we weren’t sure where to sit, so after looking around for a little while made for a table for four. The owner immediately told us not to sit there, as it was set for a family, so we were to sit at a table that had just finished being used. I don’t mind a few crumbs, but it did make us feel a bit second class.

It was a European-style breakfast, which was unexpected in Ireland. There was cereal, a lot of bread, cheese and meat. The only hot items were eggs and mushrooms, but again with no heating device these got cold quickly. I took an egg as had been looking forward to a hot breakfast before our horse trek, but the egg white was extremely runny (aargh!), so I couldn’t eat it. There was also toast, but as you don’t toast it yourself it gets cold very quickly. The hot things ran out as there was a queue of other guests waiting for them, and I did feel that there was a bit of competition for the hot food! The owner is Dutch, so a lot of the food was from the country. I was surprised at the omission of more Irish long-life products, but guess it was too expensive to source food here.
And now to the horses. They are wonderful, and clearly treasured by the small army of equine-loving girls and boys there on that Saturday morning. We went on an hours’ trek. As beginners, we found that the girl leading the trek (whose name I unfortunately cannot recall) was excellent - very relaxed, and patient and encouraging with those who were a bit nervous. It was a fabulous experience, and highly recommended.

I do feel the centre has made the most of the wonderful location with well-signposted trails in the nearby forest for those that fancy a woodland stroll, and laminated maps you can borrow.
Recommendations? I should mention that the Groupon offer was an absolute steal but I tried not to take that into consideration when evaluating the centre.

This is a newly opened place, so there are bound to be a few teething problems. I would recommend a seat in the bedroom, reading lamps on both sides of the bed, and shampoo as well as shower gel in the bathroom. Also, I think it should be mentioned on the website there is no TV in the bedrooms – I don’t own one so always look forward to surfing the channels when I’m in a hotel, especially on rainy Saturday afternoons.

Also, an accessible tea/coffee station nearer to the bedrooms (maybe located where the books are?) would be nice, so that you don’t have to walk through the busy dining room to make your evening cuppa. It just feels a bit weird to go behind the bar and help yourself.
A fully self-service buffet-style breakfast and lunch (with guests picking up their own cutlery, delph and food and choosing where to sit) would avoid confusion by allowing guests to look after themselves and ease the staff and kitchen’s workload. Heating devices for the food, and allowing guests to toast their own bread would also be a welcome element.
This place is obviously a hit with locals, as the restaurant was packed on Saturday night. The mission statements available to read in the bedrooms prove that this is a place that is committed to its vision of organic, sustainable travel, and that is admirable in an economy where cheaper is becoming better at any cost.

Finally, I have to mention Jenny again – she’s a sparkling asset to the hotel (without her, we may have felt a bit unwelcome!)

For something a little different, this is the perfect place to get away from it all. I have recommended it to a number of people, and will definitely return. Once the glitches are sorted out, this is going to be spectacular destination.

Wednesday, May 1, 2013

Walking:Holding

Image courtesy of Rosana Cade http://rosanacadedotcom.wordpress.com
I bought a ticket to Walking:Holding, because when I read the description of this one-to-one experience I had never heard of anything like it before. It was being hosted in Cork as part of the Home Festival, curated by Ruairí Donovan.

I like to challenge myself to do uncomfortable things now and again (I once held a tarantula to try and rid my fear of spiders) and holding hands with strangers and walking around in public was pretty high up on my uncomfortable list. Also, I’m pretty shy at talking to new people…what were we going to talk about? Would there even be talking? What had I let myself in for?

I booked the very first spot of the day, so that I wouldn’t spend my whole Saturday fretting, and so that it might be a memorable experience for the performers, too.

From the meeting point at Gulpd Café in the Triskel, I was led to the starting point by the organiser, and told to close my eyes, breathe deep three times, then open my eyes and the performance would have begun.

I opened my eyes to a striking shaven-headed woman, Rosana Cade, the piece’s creator, walking towards me with a smile. She asked me if there was any particular way I hold hands with someone in my life, and she told me hers. We intertwined our fingers and walked down Patrick Street.

So there I was, holding hands with a girl on a Saturday afternoon in Cork – the busiest time of the week in the city, with the lovely sunny spring weather adding to the amount of people around.

For the first time in my life I noticed people look at me because of who I was holding hands with. People were furtively eyeing us up with a trying-not-to-be-seen ‘I wonder if they’re a couple’ glance. I realised this must the experience of same-sex couples on a regular basis, in a country where homosexuality was only decriminalised 20 years ago.

Then Rosana linked me with the next walker – Jo, a petite Indian girl, who told me that friends of the same sex hold hands in her home country, and it is only seen as a sign of friendship, Lucy Furr, a showstopping and charming drag queen from South Africa in a decked in silver paint, furry white outfit and pearls, a laid-back bearded gentleman in a tracksuit top and jeans whose name I can’t remember, and Dublin-based artist Veronica Dyas, who led me to my final destination of Bishop Lucey park. With all performers I had a friendly conversation – Rosana had said I could talk or be silent if I wished.

Each transaction questioned the way I hold hands, and what it means to me. Each person stopped with me beside a mirror or reflective shop or car window to ask how our reflection made me feel.

I realised that holding hands in my world is only done between couples, or when taking care of a child. I link arms with my female friends, my sister and my parents – but I would never hold hands with them, I only hold hands with my boyfriend. It’s strange that something so small that we do can have such a strong significance.

And peoples’ reactions? To be honest, I had been anticipating more of a reaction. I was expecting at least one derogatory comment during the whole experience. But all we got was a ‘How’ya’ from two teenage boys when walking down Paul Street with Lucy, and a few giggling tweens on Castle Street. 

It is nice to know that the people of Cork are more accepting than I thought – or maybe I’m the one that is too easily shocked.

Thursday, April 25, 2013

Lovely flowers


Some beautiful lilies which my boyfriend bought…I just had to share them with you! They smell absolutely amazing, but unfortunately I can’t share that with you too.