Where we find inspiration

What do you do when its cold and nasty outside? Clean your basement? Do the laundry? These are things that I should have done, instead I went junking and lookie lookie what I found! Inspiration! 

Its a piece of junk I know...but I collect old clocks and its from Japan so its kinda old. I really bought it for its cool shape and jadeite green colour with pink accents.  LOVE at first sight (isn't it always...).  For $1.99 I couldn't resist.  

This clock got me thinking BAD BAD thoughts...thoughts of painting, and all that ASCP I have sitting in my basement (that should be cleaned). 

I've wanted to paint my tea trolley since I bought it. It wasn't in bad shape, but it wasn't anything beyond ordinary.

Elvis doesn't live here anymore

Back in August, I created a list of about 12 items which I HAD to paint. I still have about 10 outstanding projects from my August list of 'furniture to paint', but sometimes lists are just suggestions, guidelines.  Sometimes we must step away from the confines of rules, and 'LISTS'! LIST is just a dirty four letter word, after all! So I broke my inner chains and stepped away from my 'L**T'! I painted my tea trolley!! 

First I painted it in Annie Sloan Antibes paint, and while I love green, it was darker than I wanted. So I mixed it with Pure White. I don't know the ratio, because I kept adding white until it was light enough.  Its like, the green just kept sucking up the white!  Anyway, I eventually achieved the colour I wanted and gave the trolley a second coat of paint with the lighter green colour.

Don't judge the messy magazines in the background!

I lightly sanded it in spots.  In some places I only sanded back enough to reveal the darker green and in others, right back to the wood.  I only used clear wax.  I liked it light and airy.

My Pewter tea set from deep in the bowels of my basement

Vintage Candy Tin from England

A set of F. Winkle for Eatonia china platters

Now I love my tea trolley, with its fresh fun colour.  I pulled up a bunch of treasures from my basement, and I think I'm getting ready for spring!  Its only - 15* Celsius here with the wind chill, so I need a little spring!  Keep warm friends! 

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The Loot!

So when I came home from Ireland on Sunday night, I had to go grocery shopping for the kids lunch fixings, as the next day was a school day.  By then, I was truly zonked.  In the morning, I had HAD to put away the Christmas decorations, as it was January 7th, and past the epiphany. I love to put Christmas up on December 1st to enjoy the decorations as long as possible. However by the time its done, I just want my house uncluttered looking again (hah, as if!).  Yesterday I went into the city to visit my parents, and by the time I came home it was time to make dinner...I know I'm droning on and on, but I'm trying to explain why I HADN'T UNPACKED YET!!!!  This morning I tackled the two suitcases.  Isn't your favourite part of unpacking pulling out any shopping you did? Unfortunately I couldn't find any vintage treasures!  We did find one flea market in Dublin on our last day, but it was so small (being right after new years I guess...) that there were only about 7 vendors, mostly selling '80s clothes (I have that in my closet!).  There was one lady with old jewellery, who had a whole stack of vintage postcards for a euro each.  I could kick myself for not negotiating a price for the lot!  But by that time I was so tired and disappointed that my brain froze! I can't believe I didn't even buy one!  

However, what I did buy was some of my favourite Cath Kidston! Given the space and weight restrictions on our luggage, I had to be restrained! Also, our flight was from Dublin to Philadelphia, and a SMALL commuter to Toronto, with limited overhead space. So, I had to be cautious with carry on luggage as well!

I wanted this tin set last time we were in Ireland, but since the kids were with us, we couldn't find any room in the luggage for it!

But look! You open it up and theres not one, two...

But three lovely Royal Rose tins! The colours are so soft too!  Three tins which fit into one, definitely worth the space in my luggage! Also, I'm going to empty all the biscuits (cookies) we have in our pantry into these tins, so I will be organizing, and space saving at home too!  AH-MAY-ZZZZING!

I've been eyeing this broach on there website, and couldn't resist it!  Took no room at all!

A nice little assortment of patches! I'll put them on something!

This is a school satchel for Minnie Me (with the nicer nose, and nicer straighter hair).  The patterns on my table cloth with the satchels are hurting my eyes!

Christmas Apron

I think I can officially open my own Cath Kidston shop now...its a disease!

My oldest daughter asked for this small suitcase.  Look at the interior! It definitely had to be carry on, so why let that space go wasted? I filled it with this...

TAYTOS!!  If you've been to Ireland, you know and probably LOVE these! Cheddar and Onion is the standard flavour (none of that boring 'PLAIN' for the Irish spud!).  My kids LOVELOVELOVELOVELOVE these!

This is Mr. Tayto!

Besides Cath Kidston, the only thing I bought was TONNES of candy! Whenever I travel, I always look for local/unique candy!  I miss the days of small local candy manufacturers in North America, so I troll candy aisles whenever I'm abroad!

I won't show you ALL the candy I bought, just the different types of candy! Lets just say, one suitcase was only candy!

Four boxes of these, some which got smushed! 

These are CRAZY good!

These had the funniest tv commercials!

These were called wigwag in Canada when I was a little girl!

And that that that ah thats all Folks!

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Jennifer Rizzo's Fabulously Creative Fridays

A BIG FAT IRISH WEDDING!

***Heavy photo alert***

When we went to Ireland for our big family reunion last summer, my husbands cousin Cathy told us she was getting married early 2013! As it happened, she meant VERY early 2013!  The wedding was on January 4th, in Tullamore. Our flight was on New Years day, which meant we were nestled snugly in our beds by 10pm new years eve (not like we wouldn't have been anyway...).  We caught the redeye,and then spent the next day roaming around Dublin with red eyes (bad joke but true)!  This was my fourth trip to Ireland, and my first time in Dublin. We stayed at the Dublin Westin and its definitely a ***** in my book! I would highly suggest this hotel to anyone looking for a great place in a great location.  I'm a LITTLE picky when it comes to hotels! We were right next to the Canal, Trinity College, Temple Bar, O'Connoll Street, and a close walk to Grafton street and St. Stephens Green. 

So, after arriving, we went to Bewleys Grafton Street Café for breakfast. This place was a gorgeous café! It had stained glass, crystal,marble, iron, crushed red velvet banquettes coming out the whazzoo!! Hope you're sitting down...  

We were sitting right under one of these full story antique stained glass windows!

What it didn't have:

1. Customer Service:  When we walked in no one was there to seat you (this appears to be the norm in Dublin...).  After walking into the centre of the restaurant and asking someone if we could be seated, we were met by a young womans' barely disguised eye rolling.  Eventually we were seated.
2. No continuity in wait staff:  This is a subset of Customer Service, but deserved its own point, as we had three different waitresses within the 45 minutes we were there!  We had to ask for things we had ordered, as they didn't keep track of who brought us what! The waitresses were polite, but this system was frustrating!
3. Umm...Good Food:  Yes, it didn't have good food!  The front of the cafe has a fresh bakery, but as we wanted to sit in the restaurant, we ordered from the menu.  We got the Full Irish Breakfast.  Sausages, bacon, were cold, the fried mushroom was a bit soggy, and the potato farl was...over microwaved hard?  You know when you microwave bread and it gets hard???  I'm in Ireland ordering a potato farl, I want it fresh!

What it did have:

1. Ambiance.
2. Okay coffee.
3. Good poached EGG (I'm North American, one egg doen't cut it!).
4. Excellent fresh squeezed orange juice.
5. The white/black puddings were okay if you like them.  I like white pudding, it was fine. 

If you are on Grafton street looking for breakfast, its worth going for the ambiance alone.  Maybe just get coffee and something baked!

Here are some photos from around Dublin:

Thats the statue of Molly Mallone...my kids favourite Irish song (and thanks to my husband, they know a great many).

The swans in St. Stephens Green.

View from inside Guinness Brewery

My view from the Guinness Brewery!

Before

This was the BEST fish and chips EVAH!!!  It was at The Bank, and old Victorian Bank converted into a pub!  Gorgeous inside, AND the food was great!  We still had to ask to be seated though!

After

Yes, it was that good! It even came with mushy peas!

Eventually we had to stop eating in Dublin and go to Tullamore for the wedding, hence the title of the post...BIG FAT IRISH WEDDING!!!

The bride was beautiful, the groom was handsome, and the family was warm and wonderful.  My husbands family is friendly and full of humour.  We had a superb time! IT WAS GRAND!!! Have you been to Ireland? If so, I'm sure you know everything is grand!

I won't bore you with family photos, but I have to share photos of this old church, St. Finians of Clonard.  St. Finian was considered the Master of the Saints of Ireland. St. Finian died in approx. year 552 and is buried at this church.  It is a humble little church, but spectacular at the same time.  My photos don't do it justice, and if you were driving by the outside, you would never believe what awaited you inside.  In fact, you probably wouldn't even stop.  I'm so grateful that this is where they had their wedding.  I'm sorry that these are very bad iphone photos, but hope you can get a glimpse of the beauty.

What gorgeous Stations of the Cross

Images of the Twelves Saints

Anyway, the trip ended with one final night in Dublin, spent with my Sister in law and her husband. Loads of fun, and yes, it WAS GRAND!!