Unique hand-crafted jewellery you will not be able to resist

This week I want to introduce you to another creative: Mary Drea. Maybe you have already read about her. Image Magazine recently named her as a jewellery designer to follow (she trades under addiebeads at the moment) or maybe you discovered her in one of the craft fairs or pop-up shops where she was selling
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Diffusing online shopping with Diffusion

I first met Kate Gleeson when the stylist daughter and I were shopping for her Debs’ dress in Kate’s shop “Diffusion”, in Clontarf in Dublin. We bought the most beautiful dress there by an up-and-coming designer. Kate stocked some of the top designers such as Dolce and Gabbana and catered for an affluent clientele. It
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Rock ‘n’ Roll is alive and KICKING

It was Marilyn Monroe who said “Give a girl the right shoes and she can conquer the world”. I reckon she meant boots because the stylist daughter Courtney has again collaborated with Shoe Lab with a second boot collection that is already conquering the world just 24 hours after the launch, with online sales as
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Allicano – no longer a secret

Shsh! I am going to tell you a secret. Why? Because I am a sharing kind of person. Maybe some of you already know about this little gem, this wonderful little boutique called Allicano. It’s a little off the beaten track in Johnson Place at the top of South William Street near the Stephen’s Green
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Avoiding ‘the morning-after-the-night-before’!

The older I get, the less I am able to drink and the less I want to drink. Now, I am no saint and I have to say I am rather partial to a gin and tonic (Hendricks preferably) and I love bubbly and I enjoy a few glasses of red wine with a meal.
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‘Selected’ stylishly Scandinavian

Have you heard about the Danish label Selected Femme/Homme? I have only recently discovered it since it arrived at the end of last year in my local shopping centre Swords Pavilions, but you can also find the label in stores like Arnotts or if you are so inclined you can shop online at www.selected.ie Why
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Pretty Provence, Peter Mayle and me

Having just returned from a break visiting friends in Provence, it is easy to see why Peter Mayle, the British author of ‘A Year in Provence’, fell in love with the area about thirty years ago. We were also blessed with sunny days and temperatures in the mid-twenties in March when we were there and
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Monart Spa Mid-Week Break to Remember

The 2017 Jaguar sports coupe purred up the drive just in front of us as we arrived for our mid-week break at Monart Spa near Enniscorthy. One of the valets on duty took out the Louis Vuitton cases, and the elegant couple, bedecked in their designer gear, entered the building. We never saw them again.
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Introducing an unsung creative writer

In a departure from my usual post, I’d like to use the platform of my blog to introduce you to an inspiring woman I encountered recently – another ‘Fierce 50’ woman. Deborah Blacoe, however, is not a blogger but rather a writer who until now has only shared her musings and jottings with her friends.
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The Sleep Obsession

Apparently, we sleep for about one-third of our lives, or we spend it in bed trying to sleep. We are obsessed with sleep and how well we sleep. When my children were small, I never got enough of it; my first-born was not a sleeper and GG and I took it in turns to get
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Staying fierce with the Fierce 50 Movement

  Following on from the Fierce 50 Campaign launched by a group of bloggers (including overthehilda) worldwide on February 20th – the 50th day of the year – I am delighted to announce that the Campaign has now become a Movement. We are calling on all women all over the world to join and support
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50 fierce over-50 women collaborate to launch global campaign

Today, February 19th, I am honoured to be part of a movement with over 50 “over-50 bloggers” around the world to launch the first Fierce Over-50 Campaign on the 50th day of the year. Brainchild of the beautiful Catherine  McCormick (catherinegraceo.com), we want  to begin shifting a worldwide perception of this demographic in today’s world. A
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Valentine’s Day…what we do for love!

History lesson. Where did Valentine’s Day originate? Who was this St. Valentine fellow? Seemingly, Emperor Claudius made it illegal for young Roman men to marry, because he felt that single men made better soldiers. But a priest named Valentine continued to secretly marry young lovers. Of course, he was found out and sentenced to death.
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Tired of your ‘old man’? Get a new one!

  GG has been given a make-over by the stylist daughter. She went through his wardrobe like a dervish and threw out (the local charity shop benefited) anything she thought was old, old-fashioned, dated, or a crime against fashion. Gone are the old man sweaters (her words!) and tailored slacks. Several shirts also hit the
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Kildare Village- shopping mecca for discerning bargain hunters

  It’s not often I can persuade the stylist daughter to come shopping with me; she is always too busy, you see. So when she offered to take me shopping in Kildare Village (in a chauffeured driven limo!) I didn’t wait to be asked twice. Even though the day was wet and miserable, The Village
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A special love affair like no other-becoming a granny

  I never thought I would be a besotted granny! I like babies (well, I had two of my own) but I was not the type that stops stranger mums with prams and gushes about the baby. I have a friend who does that and who ruins many a good power walk with her antics.
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Christmas sorted at The National Crafts and Design Fair

I haven’t been to The National Crafts & Design Fair for a few years and boy was I impressed by both the entrepreneurship and creativity when I visited today. There are over 500 of Ireland’s top craftspeople showcasing their handcrafted wares, everything from pendants to pieces of furniture, all together under one roof. The Design
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A real eye-opener

I hated wearing glasses when I was a young one, because I believed in the old adage that ‘men don’t make passes at girls who wear glasses’. Well, glasses were pretty horrendous back in the day when I was a teenager. So I wore lens from about twenty one and then I went and got
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Cruising….the secrets!

To cruise or not to cruise….that is the question! And it is one I will try to answer. Read on. We have just returned from a cruise of the Baltic and boy did we have fun! Previously we did two in the Med on our own; this time we went with two other couples, all
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