Tour the Museum of Style Icons in Ireland, Part II

August 15, 2018 by 32 Comments

On Monday we began a tour through the Museum of Style Icons, a museum owned by Newbridge Silverware in Newbridge, Co. Kildare. It was a wonderful, unexpected highlight during my trip to Ireland last year. In that previous post, I shared this pretty cocktail dress worn by Audrey Hepburn in the movie, Breakfast at Tiffany's.   That dress was displayed near several other dresses worn previously … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Fashion & Beauty, Favorite Fashions & Home Goods, Ireland, Travel Tagged With: , , , , ,

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Inside Ballynahinch Castle: Take a Tour of this Romantic Irish Castle

February 2, 2018 by 22 Comments

I've been dying to take you inside Ballynahinch Castle ever since I returned from Ireland, but it has taken a while to get through all the photos I took. Pictures could never do this beautiful castle justice, but at least they will give you a little idea of how magical it feels to stay there. In this post I'm sharing a mix of photos, some taken by me and some from the Ballynahinch Castle website. Those … [Read more...]

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Hiking the Grounds of Beautiful Ballynahinch Castle, Galway, Ireland

January 30, 2018 by 35 Comments

Ireland is a magical, beautiful place. I would love to go back again someday. The tour I took last summer was a "Castle" tour, so in addition to touring Ireland during the day, the nights were just as magical because they were spent sleeping in fairy tale castles and manor homes along the way. I loved all the homes and castles we stayed in, but my favorite of all was Ballynahinch Castle located in a … [Read more...]

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A Special Delivery

September 27, 2017 by 81 Comments

This is turning into a busy week. My main desktop computer was rebuilt and got a brand new hard drive. I picked it up yesterday and it's wicked fast! So happy to have that done and to have my computer back! I'll be getting a quote this week on having part of my backyard fence rebuilt and the hall/basement staircase door is being replaced again on Friday. The deck cleaning, staining, and rail painting is … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Ireland, St. Patrick's Day Decor, St. Patrick's Day Holiday Home, Travel Tagged With: , , , , , ,

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A Tour of Lough Eske Castle, County Donegal, Ireland

September 13, 2017 by 31 Comments

Thanks so much for all your well-wishes over the last few days. I can't speak for all of Atlanta, but my immediate area seems to have fared quite well. Hurricane Irma was mostly a tropical storm when she arrived here, so though we got plenty of wind and rain and the lights flickered a few times, we never lost power. My biggest concern was that a tree would come down, but thankfully that did not … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Historic Homes, Home Tours, Ireland, Storybook Cottages, Travel Tagged With: , , , ,

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Answering Your Questions & What I Brought Home From Ireland

September 2, 2017 by 46 Comments

It's 5:30 AM as I write this, I've been up since 3 AM. The previous two mornings, I awoke at 4 am. This pretty much happens every time I travel to Europe. I'm not sure when my body will get back on Georgia time, but for now I'm enjoying the peace and quiet you experience when you get up before the birds even open their eyes.   It's amazing all the stuff you can get done when you awaken at 4 … [Read more...]

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Tour the Belleek Pottery Factory, Beautiful Pottery Still Hand-Crafted in Ireland

August 31, 2017 by 43 Comments

Welcome to the 466th Tablescape Thursday! While away in Ireland, I created a post sharing a few pics inside the Belleek Pottery Gift Shoppe located inside the Belleek Pottery Factory in County Fermanagh. If you missed that post, you'll find it here: Shopping in Belleek Pottery.   Today, I thought we would go back inside to tour the "factory." I put factory in quotes because it's not very … [Read more...]

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How I Packed For Travel for Ireland in August

August 30, 2017 by 56 Comments

It feels so good to be back home! I got back in yesterday afternoon and after catching up on some email and doing a bit of unpacking, I was sound asleep by 8:30 PM. That was 1:30 AM, Ireland time and was as long as I could force myself to stay up. I awoke at 4:00 AM and spent the day unpacking, washing clothes and picking up/sorting mail/packages that were being held. I have some delicious books to share … [Read more...]

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Shopping in Belleek Pottery in Northern Ireland, A Dish-Lover’s Heaven!

August 23, 2017 by 44 Comments

Welcome to the 466th Tablescape Thursday! It's after midnight as I write this, so it's already Thursday here in Ireland. The days are wonderfully busy and full as we tour this beautiful country. It's everything that you said it would be in your comments on my previous posts about this scheduled trip. It's lush and green, and the people who live here are just as friendly as you described. I'm sure this … [Read more...]

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Tour Historic Dunboyne Castle, A Beautiful Irish Castle

August 21, 2017 by 31 Comments

Welcome to the 447th Metamorphosis Monday! Good Morning! It's 7 AM here and I'm writing this on my second morning in Ireland. The first is a bit of a blur since I didn't sleep at all on the plane ride over. Rather than bore you with that, how about a tour of  the lovely castle where we stayed on our first night in Ireland. This is the older section of Dunboyne Castle. I'm not sure if they have actual … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Before & After, Historic Homes, Home Tours, Ireland, Travel Tagged With: , , , ,

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Forty Shades of Green

August 17, 2017 by 46 Comments

Welcome to the 465th Tablescape Thursday! I took the new tablescaping storage for a spin yesterday, and I have to say, it definitely made putting a table together for Tablescape Thursday a lot easier with everything so accessible. If you missed that previous storage post, you'll find it here: Tablescaping Storage.   With an upcoming trip to Ireland just a few days away, I couldn't resist … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Spring & Summer Tablescapes, St. Patrick's Day Holiday Home, St. Patrick's Day Table Settings, St. Patrick's Day Tablescapes, Tablescape Thursday Tagged With: , , ,

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A Peek Inside My “Personal Item”

August 5, 2017 by 45 Comments

Two weeks from now I'll be taking off for Ireland. (If you missed that post, you'll find it here: Luxury Travel to Ireland Without the Luxury Price.)   I purchased a Frye leather tote bag to use on this trip. When it arrived, I loved it so much, I purchased it in a second color called, Walnut. I love the contrast stitching on the "walnut" bag and the warm, rugged appearance of the "saddle" … [Read more...]

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4 New Items I’ll Be Taking and Wearing When I Travel to Ireland

July 22, 2017 by 61 Comments

Can you believe it's already been a whole month since I first shared about the upcoming trip to Ireland for the Deluxe Irish Castles Tour. That trip is a just a month away now---hard to believe!   One of the fun things about travel is it gives you a good excuse to add a few new pieces to your wardrobe. Isn't that pretty much a requirement for any vacation! ;)   Ireland is known … [Read more...]

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Luxury Travel to Ireland, Without the Luxury Price

June 20, 2017 by 80 Comments

Ever since I saw the movie, Waking Ned Divine, I've wanted to visit Ireland. Have you seen that movie? If you love comedies with endearing, quirky characters similar to those in Doc Martin, great scenery, beautiful Irish music and happy endings, you'll love it! It's one of my most favorite movies. After seeing Waking Ned Divine, Ireland immediately went on the bucket list. I spent much of this past … [Read more...]

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