Blogging in Belfast

April 24, 2013


belfast center

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 street 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.

belfast street 2 Some of them are sassier than others!

belfast craig and sarah

Friday was our first spring-feeling day and it was lovely to feel warm!
refound mantle

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.  refound vignette stairway refound 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!

refound chairs

refound lanterns

Aren’t those lanterns incredible? They’re covered with cupcake papers – and you wouldn’t even know it, huh?!  artwork refound

sarah and jill 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!

emily refound 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!

 

6 Comments

  • Reply caitlin April 24, 2013 at 10:38 am

    You were really inspiring, Emily. And not just a brief inspiration, I’m still on a high now, almost a week later. Thanks for spreading your knowledge. Caitlin (the Australian)

    • Reply emily April 25, 2013 at 8:59 pm

      Thank you so much, Caitlin! I’m sorry we didn’t get to chat more! But I’m really glad you’re still feeling inspired. Can’t wait to see what you come up with!

  • Reply Bloggers in Belfast, there is such thing! | kedulis April 24, 2013 at 10:19 pm

    […] Friday I accidentally stumbled on Dublin based Emily’s blog From China Village and not only did I find out about an amazing new (to me) place in Belfast, but also had the last […]

  • Reply Edite April 25, 2013 at 9:23 am

    Thanks Emily! It was a beautiful evening in a nice company! Great to see other (present and future) bloggers and have the opportunity to have the questions answered. Island is small, I’m sure we’ll meet again! 🙂

    • Reply emily April 25, 2013 at 9:02 pm

      I’m so glad you enjoyed it and I’m sure our paths will cross again!

  • Reply One Day in Belfast, Ireland | From China VillageFrom China Village June 27, 2014 at 1:04 pm

    […] goodness Caitlin, the friendliest shop worker ever, had attended this blog event in Belfast where I spoke. Somehow she recognized me and let us in for a browse! I’m so glad she did. […]

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