about

Welcome! I’m Emily Westbrooks, the face behind From China Village.

From China Village is a lifestyle and Irish design blog, updated daily with craft and DIY ideas, recipe inspiration, travel tips and features on Irish artists and designers. From China Village also chronicles my life in Dublin and my travels throughout Ireland and around the world.

A little more?

I was born and raised in a small town in Maine, and graduated from Colby College with a degree in American Government. I went on to work for political campaigns from organizing motorcades for Senator Kerry’s presidential race to working as political director for a U.S. Congressional race.

I walked away from the wild world of politics in 2008, when I got married and moved to Dublin. My husband, Michael, coaches and plays a lot of basketball, and works as a guidance counselor in an Irish speaking high school.

By day, I work as a communications manager for a national non-profit organization. In every inch of spare time, I write, create, make, travel and discover.

My words have been featured in Design*Sponge, Poppytalk, Apartment Therapy, and the Central Maine Morning Sentinel. Twice monthly, I write Poppytalk’s Dispatches from Dublin about designers and artists in my lovely city!

Wondering about the funny little name of this blog? My teeny tiny hometown in Maine is called China Village.  And I’m a product of my home, no matter how far away I might be. I wrote more about it here.

Last year, I wrote about our third anniversary of living in Dublin, shared our house tour and a big lesson I learned, and talked about homesickness and why we’re still here. It’s been quite a journey!

I’m a great tour guide for this beautiful, quirky city, so if you are planning a visit, check out the Dublin Tips. I’m also working on a series of e-guides so you can enjoy Dublin like a local. Stay tuned for their arrival in late spring.

If you have any questions, feel free to email me! I love to help people enjoy my new home!