Memories of Ireland

I am so happy to say that I will be returning to the great country of Ireland in late June of this year! I have not been there in 36 years..wow, that pains me to even type those words!  I did live there for several months when I was 5 years old, and those were the best memories of my childhood! I returned at the age of 12 but things had already changed, as I had lost my Grandfather, the old cottage was gone and Ireland already began to modernize.
Returning will be bittersweet as we have lost more of our wonderful Irish clan, my two beloved Uncles passed in the last few years and they were the true characters of Ireland! Nonetheless, I want my girls to see and experience the land that I loved and where I spent some of my best days as a child. We will be staying around the Ring of Kerry this time and will briefly visit Birr and Tullamore to see family. I cannot wait!
Here are a few of my very favorite spots that I still remember from my childhood. Erin Go Bragh and may the luck of the Irish grace all of you this fine day!

The favorite photo of myself on the left and my sister Lisa, already a big dog lover!!

I loved Birr Castle, I pretended that I owned it as my sister and I ran a muck throughout it's ground!

Birr is such a quaint town! My Mom would actually hitch hike with us as she didn't drive and we would always find a lift to town, can you imagine that happening here!! Once there, we would go straight away to get a vanilla soft cone with a Flake  bar stuck right in the middle of it, just like the one below that I was thrilled to find in London!

Although my grandfathers house is gone I was happy to find one very much like it online and this one is in Fivealley, N. Birr just where my grandfathers was!

Another tid bit about Birr is was featured in the wonderful Oscar Nominated Philomena!

Do make it a point to visit Ireland , you wont be sorry I promise!

Credits: The Relished Roost, Wikipedia, Birrcastle

House & Garden-Starts With Great Wallcovering!

I absolutely love House & Garden Magazine from the UK. I picked one up while in London and came right home and signed up on my IPad for future issues. Such beautiful trends and ideas grace each page of this lovely magazine. I picked some of the fun trends that I think may become fun classics to share with you. It seemed each idea section started with a great wall covering. They use wallpaper frequently and are not afraid of bold design or color either.  So much to learn about design from around the world it's so nice to be able to bring it back home and create!

Trustworth

Virginia White

Armani Casa

Above bold tones of turquoise and red are toned down by the streamlined shape of sofa and lam, and the whimsical wall covering!

Orlingandwu

Sophie & Georgie

Token Pendants- Houzz

The above idea for a space is based on pale greens and taupes with a tribute to the garden. Mixes of traditional and modern give it a soft eclectic feel!
Mirrors-Tine K Home

Cole & Son

Drummonds

Vases-Dartington

CTO Lighting

Irish Interior Love - Wall Morris Design!

Even though I am completely enamored with England right now, I have to pay tribute to the land of my mother,"Ireland"!   Everyone is celebrating a little bit of the luck of the Irish this weekend, myself included! Having the family over to enjoy some Shepherd's Pie, Salmon with lemon and butter and of course Brown Bread!  I like Irish soda bread but prefer it's less sweet cousin the brown bread which is deadly with loads of Kerry Gold butter on it!!
In keeping with my blog about beauty and design, I thought I would share one of my favorite interior design firms from Ireland," Wall Morris Design"! I find the design to be classic, clean and yet traditionally elegant at the same time! I think it appeals to almost everyone without being too trendy.
Please enjoy a glimpse of their wonderful work and look to the bottom of the page for a little Irish recipe that works well with whatever you are serving!

IRISH BROWN BREAD

2 1/4 Cups Whole Wheat flour

1 3/4 cups all purpose flour

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

2cups of well shaken buttermilk

4 tbsp melted butter

Heat oven 400degrees

Mix dry ingredients together- sift if large lumps present

Add melted butter and butter milk- mix about 1 minute

Turn out on well floured board- knead about another minute until no dry flour appears

Form a disk and cut a large cross in center  of loaf

Place on baking sheet middle of oven for about 35 to 40 minutes

Bread will be done if you knock on it and it sounds hollow.

Here's the hard part-you have to let it completely cool before cutting, I know it will be tempting to cut it and slap some butter on it -but be patient ..trust me!