rose hip :

...as you can see is all about cosy woolens, tweedy yarn, yummy fringes and Liberty love -- probably not very surprising to those of you who've peeked at my blog before! Oh, and let me not forget colour, lots of wonderful colour, which I hope you're in the mood for because this post is positively saturated with it!

So, yes, I came home with three very soft Avoca lambswool blankets which, if you remember, I couldn't stop gushing about in my last post. I'm meant to gift one of them but, ooooo, let me tell you, that'll be hard to do because aren't they all just so lovely?!

What I think really sets these blankets apart from other woolen blankets I've seen are the colour combos used in their designs -- wouldn't you agree?! I have to admit that I had a very hard time coming up with my blanket choices; I could have easily come home with three totally different blankets because the selection was so amazing!

I don't usually go gaga over blanket labels, but aren't these just the sweetest?! Take a closer look here...

Sweet words, aren't they? And what about the fringes on these blankets... I took a few closeups of them so you could hopefully get a sense of all the woolly goodness that comes out in these bright fringes...

Aren't they just yummy?!...

Now with all the sweet sheep roaming all over the Irish countryside, how could I possibly go home without a few skeins of woolly yarn in my luggage?! So, I made a point of looking for shops where yarn was sold in the towns we visited and got all excited when I spotted some Donegal tweed yarn in the loveliest of shades in one shop; I then quickly snatched some in pretty turquoise and green...

I also brought back a few pairs of Donegal socks made up in the same lovely yarn to give away as gifts. I love how this yarn is twisted in different coloured slubs giving it such a perfectly textured and heathered look -- you just can't help but want to touch it!

And, lastly... the only purchase I made in London aside from an umbrella: 2 metres of exquisite Liberty Tatum G Tana Lawn in two different colour streams. Needless to say, I had a hard time choosing my 2 metres as there are so many beautiful options to be found in the shop's wall of cotton fabric bolts! I decided to go with the two prints that first drew my eye...

Now, what to make with this ulta gorgeous fabric?...

Perhaps nothing... Perhaps I'll just keep happily staring at it like I do at the other Tana Lawn fabric pieces I've had in my stash for years now!

Well, I do hope you've enjoyed taking a peek at my purchases from abroad and hopefully these bright shots have even chased away some of those late winter blahs! (If you're looking for more colour inspiration, take a look at Amy Butler's Blossom Magazine issue #2.) Thanks for popping by and I'll be back with more goodies very soon...

View from Blarney Castle, Ireland

...I am by Ireland after our little jaunt there -- by its countryside, coastline, cities, villages, and especially, by its people who charmed me in a big way with their warmth, helpfulness and, to be sure, their infectious sense of humour... If it wouldn't be for missing my children a whole lot, I would have loved to stay on longer and keep roaming through this wonderful country; I definitely want to go back, perhaps with my children this time, to explore more of its many bewitching corners... But for now, let me share with you some of my favourite pics from there:

Harcourt Street, Dublin, across the street from our hotel.

We started off in Dublin and, even though our stay was short there, I really liked the look of this vibrant city with all its simple but beautiful Georgian brick facades, subtetly decorated by lovely wrought iron details like the window guards and lamp posts you can see above.

Avoca Mill, Co. Wicklow

Our first stop after leaving Dublin was such a treat for me as it was at the Avoca Mill Store in Co.Wicklow, just about one hour south of Dublin; Avoca, for those of you who've never heard of it, is an Irish family-run business which started when the Pratt family purchased a rather run-down handweaving mill in the 70s that was first established in a rural Irish village back in 1723. A second generation of the family is now involved in the business and they have grown it into a wonderful enterprise with lovely shops and cafes all over Ireland (including one that I visited in Dublin filled with yummy goodness!), where they sell their beautiful trademark handwoven blankets and throws (which they ship worldwide from their online shop) as well as items such as perfumes, candles, ceramics, clothing and deliciously packaged food products. Now, the Mill Store which we visited in Wicklow has a lovely shop and café and is right next to the original handweaving mill from which this very contemporary business evolved. The great part about visiting this particular Avoca location is that there's a visitor centre which tells the story since 1723 and a mill tour where you can actually view the whole weaving process first hand. Check out how lovely this visitor centre is...

Visitor Centre, Avoca Mill

Isn't it all just so perfectly appointed?! (Avoca Mill Visitor Centre)

Sweet sock display... (Avoca Mill Visitor Centre)

Blankets and antique irons, Avoca Mill Visitor Centre.

More yummy blankets at Avoca Mill Visitor Centre.

Isn't that sock display just perfect?! Now, for a few shots of the shop and café (where I had a scrumptious steak and Guinness pie) and lovely grounds...

Shop and café, Avoca Mill

Armchair upholstered in lovely Avoca wool blanket, Avoca Mill Shop.

Crocheted goods, Avoca Mill Shop.

Lovely grounds of Avoca Mill.

Another view of Avoca Mill.

I loved everything about this place (so up my lane, don't you think?!) and, well, their woolly blankets which come in so many appealing colour palettes are absolutely gorgeous! ( I will show you my Avoca loot in my next post...)

Magical Blarney Castle, Co. Cork

Next, we headed further south to Cork... Now, as you've probably heard, parts of Ireland as well as the UK have recently been devastated by floods, and we were definitely witness to this when we arrived in Cork in the evening and drove right next to the River Lee which looked like it needed just one more drop of water to break its banks. All we could think about at that point -- and I'm not joking -- is to head for the hills or any higher ground! The next day, we visited the nearby and very picturesque Blarney Castle where we saw further evidence of extreme weather damage...

View from the top of Blarney Castle onto storm damage.

We then made our way to the spectacular Ring of Kerry...

Muckross House, Co. Kerry, where it was so windy and rainy that I could barely take this photo!

View from Muckross House onto lake.

The rugged beauty of Killarney National Park, Co. Kerry.

Stunning Ring of Kerry coastline.

Ah, Ireland!... (Kerry coastline)

Need I say more?!... Our next stop was the very charming fishing town of Dingle in Co. Kerry; I took a bunch of photos of houses here because I loved the way their walls, doors, window frames were painting in all sorts of brilliant colours -- take a look...

How sweet is this?! (House in Dingle, Co. Kerry)

Can't beat a yellow door! (House in Dingle)

Colourful street in Dingle.

A red door and lace curtains -- what could be more charming?! (House in Dingle)

Very quaint... (Dingle Facade)

More great Dingle colour and signage...

For all you green and blue lovers... (House in Dingle)

A little bit more muted, but oh so lovely... (Dingle facades)

How about this charming Dingle street?!...

For all you Sherlock lovers... (Dingle storefront)

Royal blue next to mint green and canary yellow... why not?! (Street in Dingle)

As you can see, no colour is barred in this town! Before leaving the Dingle Peninsula, we did a lovely walk along the coast where we met these sweet creatures...

Grazing woolly sheep... (Dingle Peninsula)

One of many quaint stone huts along our walk in the Dingle Peninsula.

More beautiful stone construction along the Dingle Coast.

A striking view... (Dingle Peninsula)

Can't get enough of this ocean view! (Dingle Peninsula)

We did another walk at the stunning and must-see Cliffs of Moher, but before getting there we overnighted in this modest-looking inn in Liscannor which, luckily for us, was the only place to stay at this time of the year (Liscannor is a very, very sleepy town at this time of the year) as it turned out to be quite the little gem; our room on the second floor was very sweetly decorated (looked quite recent) and the food, well, the food was glorious in a very gourmet kind of way (yum, I can almost still taste it...)

Vaughan's Anchor Inn, Liscannor, Co. Clare

A walk at the Cliffs of Moher was definitely in order after our delicious (and very plentiful) supper and breakfast (amazing blood pudding!) and it did not disappoint despite the high winds and dark clouds that had started to move in...

Cliffs of Moher, Co. Clare

O'Brien's Tower in the distance, Cliffs of Moher, Co. Clare.

'Love the way the wind has shaped this grass... (Cliffs of Moher)

We spent our last night in Clifden, Co. Galway, before heading back to Dublin and then home. Ireland has seduced me in so many ways and I would, as I said earlier, go back there for another holiday in a heartbeat! I hope you've enjoyed my little travelogue and I will be back shortly to show you the goodies I brought home with me... I'm still answering the mail I received from the time I was away so please be patient with me... Thanks for the visit and talk to you soon...