Lately, I’ve loved spotting street art around Dublin. There’s some incredible and hilarious and sweet art out there covering the walls of our city. Then I heard about the All City Jam happening in the Tivoli car park on May 18th. I’m hoping I’ll have a chance to stop by and see some of the artists in action!
When I visited the Morrison Hotel a few weeks ago, I couldn’t help but notice the lovely vibrant carpets spread throughout the hotel, especially the few ombre carpets in the lobby. Ombre seems to be the trend that just won’t die, and design bloggers have been going nuts for it for years. It’s not entirely my cup of tea, but these particular ombre carpets were Irish designed and made – not all that common for rugs!
The rugs were designed by Irish artist Maree Hensey and produced by Caedogan Rugs in county Wexford. Maree also worked on the carpet that was placed in the middle of the lobby when the hotel first opened years ago!
All of the rugs made in the Caedogan workshop are made using a hand held tufting gun, isn’t that incredible? These rugs in the Morrison are large – that’s a lot of man hours with a tufting gun!
Fab photos by Julie Matkin!
It’s been ages since I did a crafty project. I’ve had a busy few months, and when I get busy, my brain stops being creative all together. Things have eased up slightly in the last week, just enough to allow my brain to do the simplest of projects.
And this one is the simplest. I chose a word, wrote it by bending craft wire, then wrapped it in strips of flowery fabric. I tied the ends to secure them, so I didn’t even need to use glue, although you could.
Now I have a pretty little bit of springy inspiration to remind me to take in the wonders of the world around me, starting with these amazing lilies. They smell amazing, and remind me of my father’s mother, whom I always associate with Easter lilies and white gloves and bonnets.
What word would you choose?
Good morning! I thought I’d share a few behind the scenes shots from my weekend photo shoot at the Four Seasons. The team at the Four Seasons loved our Styled in Ireland / Afternoon Tea feature and they asked us (Julie and I) back to help feature a few more spots around the space. We got to play around in the spa, the lobby, the dining room and their Ice Bar. Michael even joined me for a few shots!
Is it weird that I have a favorite bathroom at the Four Seasons? This one has mirrors for days and is quite possibly bigger than my whole house. Brenda Wall worked absolute magic with my hair and makeup – that updo was beyond amazing!
Clearly we had to think really hard about what to order for lunch. Everything looked so yummy! We ended up with quiche and the yummiest cheese board full of Sheridan’s cheeses.
This is the face I make when I’m zoning out for a minute between shots. It’s not that attractive, but it recharges me well!
And then I found possibly the most flattering mirror on the planet in the elevator and had to capture it with a blurry dark photo because when I got to the lobby and had to get off the elevator, I had to not trip over those huge heels all the way across the lobby. This photo was just to document the pre-teetering-through-fancy-lobby-in-bright-dress moment.
I’ll be sharing more of the real photographs and process in the coming weeks!
I have some exciting news to share. A few weeks ago, the folks at LA College of Creative Arts approached me about teaching a course. We’ve come up with a fantastic weekend workshop on blogging that I’m really excited to be teaching! We have two scheduled so far – May 18/19 and July 20/21 – and a third course (perhaps online!) in June to be announced soon.
LA College runs short and long courses on makeup, hair and fashion styling, as well as shorter workshops in a whole range of creative courses like watercolors and millinery. I’m excited to be able to share what I’ve learned blogging over the last few years with a whole bunch of excited students. If you have any questions about what it will involve, check out their website or shoot me an email! We’re also planning a more advanced blogging course in the future as well, and you’re welcome to shoot me an email if you want to get information when we decide those details!
If you’ve ever had an inkling to start a blog, I would absolutely love to have you in this course!
Happy Saturday, friends! Are you having a nice weekend? After working through the last few weekends and a few late nights this week, I decided to take yesterday off. I was beat and my house needed some love and attention. I spent the entire day weeding out my closet and switching out the winter clothes for the spring/summer clothes. I hadn’t really thrown away clothes since I moved to Dublin and I was starting to really run out of room!
Today was totally and completely sunny – and even warm out of the wind, so I went for a long run, did a few errands, and spent the afternoon in the back garden doing a painting project that took way longer than it should have. You might see it this week, but it’s in my bathroom which is the size of a postage stamp and nearly impossible to photograph, so you might not. Time will tell!
Tomorrow, I’m working with Julie, my favorite fabulous photographer, on a shoot for the Four Seasons. They liked what we did with our Styled in Ireland / Afternoon Tea shoot, so they asked us back to help highlight more of their space. I’m excited – and wearing a whole lotta jewels. You might see some behind the scenes pics over on Instagram!
Now, a few links for your weekend.
Fake townhouses hiding underground portals.
The incredible story of the Boston highjacking victim.
This time last year, I was in Italy with my sister. I miss both!
Awesome stag’s head shower curtain DIY.
A sweet pinata cake topper for a wedding cake – with vows hidden within for a lovely anniversary memories!
My friend Brittany is going to be on the Today Show on Thursday. She’s a finalist in their Kentucky Derby hat contest – cheer at the TV for me if you’re in America!
See you Monday!
The Rolling Donut shop that will be opening on Capel Street/Camden Street. It’s apparently an extension of the little donut hut on O’Connell Street that looks a little iffy but everyone says is amazing. Count me in.
These guys driving up and down the streets of Dublin. What do we think they were doing? Ghost busters?
This car rolled through Temple Bar while I was giving a tour last week. Can you catch the little man catching a ride?
I found the street art mecca just off Francis Street. It needs a whole post but here’s a preview.
The skin exhibit in the Royal Hibernian Academy was quite icky. This was the only piece I was willing to take a photo of. The rest were just too vivid.
And that is all I’ve got for you on this Thursday, friends. Happy almost weekend!
On Friday last week, I took the bus up to Belfast to speak about blogging at event held at a shop called Refound. I got to Belfast around lunchtime and had met my friend Sarah, who was also speaking at the event, for lunch at a cute cafe. I had grand plans of exploring the city for the afternoon, but ended up getting sucked back into working on my laptop (in a sweet cafe called the Black Bear) and barely saw the city! Luckily the walk to the event was straight through the main shopping district in the bright sunshine.
Belfast reminds me a lot of Edinburgh – it feels very different from Dublin. The buildings are taller and the taxis are the traditional black cabs you’d see in London.
Some of them are sassier than others!
Friday was our first spring-feeling day and it was lovely to feel warm!
I didn’t see too much of Belfast, so I can’t make very many recommendations except you must stop by Refound. It’s a fabulous combination of an art gallery and a vintage shop. Owner Jill O’Neill finds pieces at auctions and markets, and has a collection of Refound artists give them a new lease on
life. Everywhere you look, there’s something to cool to discover. 
The Refound space is so neat – really old with original details and really high ceilings. It was such an inspiring backdrop to speak about how I turned a hobby into a creative career!
Aren’t those lanterns incredible? They’re covered with cupcake papers – and you wouldn’t even know it, huh?! 
After a lot of oohing and ahhing, we talked blogging with the lovely audience! That’s Jill, on the left, and my friend Sarah on the right. We also heard from John from Forked, who had us all inspired to eat at a whole bunch of great Belfast restaurants – next time I visit for sure!
And finally, I got to prove how much of a hand talker I really am! I’ll be sharing a few of the tips I talked about over the next few weeks as well!
Thanks so much to Jill for having me up to Belfast to speak – and for letting me snoop around your lovely shop!
{Artwork for the hotel was commissioned from Irish artists. Those blocks on the
left were done by artist David Quinn.}
Last week, I stopped by the Morrison Hotel on Ormond Quay (hurrah North side!) for a few drinks and a little tour of the hotel’s recent renovation. It’s so fun to see the inside of Dublin hotels since we rarely stay in them. But I get a lot of emails asking for recommendations, so I like to know what the options are
{Above photos by Julie Matkin}You might not notice the Morrison Hotel from the outside – it’s very understated. In fact, you might not even realize it’s a hotel! But the newly renovated inside is chic and bright, and feels very cosmopolitan. We were there on early on a Wednesday evening and the place was buzzing with a set of very cool customers.
We got a little tour of some of the rooms. The hotel has a music theme, so the rooms each reflect that – artwork that looks like sound clouds, white lantern lamps with bass clef cut-outs (above left), and even lyrics from Irish artists on the wall in each room. The theme was subtle but kind of lovely once you knew to look for it!
{Me, Alex, Rincy and Julie. Photo by me, obviously, and edited by Rincy!}We also got a peek into their art gallery, which they use for functions (including weddings!). There was a huge mirror on the wall. Apparently it was the only thing that stayed during the original renovation of the space. I wouldn’t have wanted to move it either! 
And then we had cocktails. They were delicious and pretty. Each week a member of the bar staff gets to come up with a new cocktail of the week – with a little friendly voting on Facebook to keep the bartenders on their toes!
If you make it to the Morrison, you have to order their deep fried olives. I’m not usually a fan of deep fried things, but they’re delicious green olives stuffed with cheese and lightly fried. But if you’re not an olive person (Michael, I’m looking at you), try the smoked salmon on house baked treacle bread – made with the chef’s granny’s recipe!
Hello, friends! Happy Friday! I’m writing from the lovely bus on the way up to Belfast, where I’ll be speaking at this fab event on blogging tonight. If you’re in Belfast, I’d love to see you!
I thought I’d get to explore Belfast all afternoon, but the t0-do list is just too long. I’m going to park myself in a coffee shop and people watch/work on my computer for a few hours. If you know of the perfect Belfast coffee shop for that, do let me know!
This weekend, I’m giving a Vayable tour, having a dinner date with my husband (where should we go?), and working on a whole bunch of DIY projects for One Fab Day. Speaking of One Fab Day, I’m teaching two DIY bridal classes for their School of Chic next week. There are just a few spots left if you want to learn how to decorate cakes or make bouquets!
Coffee for a good cause.
Stumped? 50 ideas for blog posts.
Great tips for product photography.
Serious ice cream cake.
I’m hooked on the Skimm – daily news to your inbox.
Love this washi tape table for spring!
Hilarious thoughts on tattoos.
I’m following the news from Boston with a heavy heart. It must be an incredibly scary place to be, so I’m hoping for the most peace for everyone affected.
Welcome! I'm Emily, the face behind From China Village. This is where I get to share my adventures in Dublin, in my {teensy} kitchen and around my home. And I share all my clever, cosy and creative finds from around the web. Thanks for visiting!
I have some exciting news to share. A few weeks ago, the folks at LA College of Creative Arts approached me about teaching a course. We’ve come up with a fantastic weekend workshop on blogging that I’m really excited to … Continue reading