No oil painting...

Let's be honest, tonight's dinner (chicken and veggie pie) wouldn't win any prizes in a beauty contest...

...but it was really, really yummy :-)

Pop in to Pinterest

I've been on Pinterest a couple of years now and really love being able to save little bits of inspiration all together in one lovely place, just some little boards of pretty things, gorgeous places and yummy things to eat, would love to see you there :-)

Visit Alice's profile on Pinterest.

A simple treat

After a long, cold, rainy week here in Dublin we were all ready to just unwind this evening. There is no homework on weekends here which I LOVE and the boys' little cousins popped over for a play after school. This evening's dinner was made from leftovers and followed by my "special homemade apple pie" ;-)

This is probably the easiest treat in the world to make and your kids will love it. I always keep some puff pastry sheets in the freezer, then when a dessert is called for, all I need to do is take one out to defrost, stew some apples, add some cinnamon and sugar and roll it up and bake for 25 mins at 180 degrees, serve with strawberries and vanilla ice cream, couldn't be simpler, a classic treat without any fuss :-)

2014: A Space Odyssey

Fact: Little boys love cubbies. Be it a tent, a blanket draped over a few chairs or a fort made out of cardboard boxes, there is nothing they love doing more than "camping out" in their own little space.

My boys have had various different cubbies over the years, a Thomas and Friends play tent, our homemade teepee, our pop up beach tent and various others, but I think we have a new favourite :-)

Introducing the Space Camp!!!

I have had a lot of fun creating this cute little space. Our three boys share a room and wouldn't have it any other way (for now). We have two sets of bunks meaning one bed is unoccupied (unless we have a sleepover) so I thought it would be a great use of the space to turn into into a little camp where they could chill out.

It was such a simple little project, I draped some curtains from underneath the top mattress to create the "walls" of the cubby, making sure to keep the steps of the bunk clear so my older son who sleeps above can get up and down safely.

The curtains have a fun space/robot theme and go really well with the sheet I used which features little UFO motifs.

Then I filled it with a nice variety of the boys' cushions and soft toys, lots of comfy soft textures make the space even cosier.

For safety reasons the fairy lights I used are battery operated and I take the batteries out at bedtime.

The boys love to chill out in here with their books.

There's that bunting which took me 2 years to make :-)

If you have a spare bunk that's just sitting there unused during the day, I strongly suggest turning it into a fun little camp for your kids. You could make a fairy princess theme for a little girl or a camouflaged army camp for an older boy, the possibilities are endless!

Dear Santa...

Well, if my boys can start making their Santa lists early November then why shouldn't I?  ;-) Like all the mums out there, my Christmas lists are generally all about what the kids would like, what to make for dinner on the big day and what we need for decorations etc, so I thought for a change it would be a bit of fun to compile a little list of my dream vintage items. These are things I have been searching for quite a while and have pretty much given up hope of finding out there at a market or in a shop. They may be items I will end up buying for a bigger price tag on Etsy someday or may just stay on my wish list forever...

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First up, how stunning is this vintage Royal typewriter in soft pink, swoon!

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I am still hoping to find one of these Kaj Franck red heart bowls by Arabia of Finland at a flea market some day, it would be so much fun to find one "in the wild", the alternative would be to pay over 100 euro online!

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I am in love with the series of beautiful enamelled Lotus bowls by Cathrineholm of Norway. They come in lots of different colours but the turquoise on white would be my dream piece.

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In my opinion, by far the prettiest of the vintage Hornsea patterns is "Springtime". Pictured here is the canister, it comes in many different pieces, I would love the butter dish too!

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At the very top of my Pyrex wish list is a cinderella bowl in the "balloons" pattern. It actually comes in a set of 2 to be used as a chip and dip set, but I would be thrilled with just one bowl in either size.

Well, that's it! I would love to hear what's on your Santa list this year :-)

♥♥♥ Le Creuset ♥♥♥

Today I just thought I'd share some new additions to my Le Creuset collection. This cast iron cookware is a dream to cook with and comes with a lifetime guarantee, so I always snap it up if I see a piece I like on special or vintage pieces at bargain prices.

The new collection in Rosemary green is so pretty, such a gorgeous colour and this 24cm casserole is perfect for soups :-)

This 22cm casserole in the Dune/Almond colour is perfect for mashed potatoes cooked in chicken stock and mixed with chives.

This limited edition 22cm shallow casserole comes in really handy for my cheesy rice bake, yum!

This wok is MASSIVE!!! I love Thai green curries and chicken chow mein.

Ever since finding my first vintage Le Creuset saucepans designed by Enzo Mari I have never looked back. I much prefer these to cooking with stainless steel or non-stick pots now, the enamelled finish on Le Creuset pots is a dream to clean up and when looked after properly lasts a lifetime. I was delighted to snap up this set of 3 pots for a steal, the wooden handles are awesome too, no worry about burning your hands on the handles!

Speaking of Enzo Mari designed pieces I am thrilled to have finally added one of his casseroles to my collection. He designed these for Le Creueset in 1972 and this one is in lovely condition. I also have a lime green baker designed by him.

These stoneware bean pots are in the really pretty Satin Blue colour, they are perfect for single serves of comfort food like Chilli Con Carne or Cottage Pie, perfect to eat on the sofa with a fork :-) Try Sophie Dahl's Shepherd's Pie or Nigella Lawson's Chicken, Mushroom and Bacon Pie :-)

And finally, a utensil holder also in Satin Blue, I now have these in 3 different colours and they look lovely together :-)

If you're a Le Creuset fan too and would like to see the rest of my collection I shared it here :-)

Oh Deer

Only of my absolute favourite spots in Dublin is the Phoenix Park. In the centre of Dublin, it is one of the largest parks in Europe. It houses Dublin Zoo, cafés, playing fields and huge open spaces for little ones to run free. But the biggest attraction of the park by far is the large herd of wild deer who live there. They are just stunning and I was very excited to bring our boys to see them when we moved back to Ireland.

The boys just loved them, especially my middle little man who is mad about animals. I'm dying to get back to see them while the stunning multi-coloured Autumn leaves are still on the trees and then again later in Winter, when maybe there will be snow, it would all be just too Christmassy and beautiful :-)

Partner in Crime

I definitely get my shopping genes from my Mum. As kids Mum loved bringing us along to jumble sales looking for bric-a-brac and books (our favourite was always the cake stall) and she still loves shopping for us all to this day :-)

Here are a few of my favourite things Mum has found for me...

A really pretty embroidered top and leather designer handbag new with tags!

A gorgeous set of tea cups, saucers and plates, I love the pretty retro flower pattern :-)

I LOVE this retro Sadler coffee set, it goes really well with a set of mugs I have and I love using it.

Thanks Mum!

Rest

We're having a lazy Sunday at ours. In our PJs until midday, a nice roast chicken for lunch followed by cartoons :-)

Hope you're all having a nice day of rest too :-)