Desk days

I’ve spent a lot of time at my desk recently. I’ve put a bit of extra effort in to make it somewhere I want to sit more than somewhere I need to sit, and for me that usually means mixing things up. I get bored if things stay in the same place too long so I rotate things around the apartment. Not so fun for husband though when he’s trying to look for something. Bless him. 

I’ve become a smidge obsessed with matches recently. I think it’s because we’re well and truly into the winter months, and candles in our home get lit on a regular basis. I found these giant match sticks in Industry‘s new pop up shop on Drury Street, and they perfectly quenched my need. So this week I was on the lookout for a special match stick holder {as you do} and spotted this perfect little red shot glass in a charity shop on Saint Michan’s Street {can’t remember its name} for €0.50. SCORE.
Candles are also a great way for me to get through the depressing Irish winter {cold, no snow, grey, grey, grey, rain and grey}. If it’s going to be dark and gross out, might as well make it fancy and cosy and light some candles. If I had a fireplace, that thing would be lit from October to March. 

And above, my most random impulse buy ever. I saw these Black is the New Black pencils from MadeByGirl, and I had to have them. They reminded me of what I almost always say when I’m out shopping – whether it’s something for our apartment, or something for me to wear … 

… that or dark purple / maroon / wine etc. The darker, the better. But that’s not really reflected in these bright pictures. I feel I should say, if we owned our apartment, it would look very different. Speaking of darker, I was a bit bold and spray painted one of my faux hydrangeas yesterday. They’re originally bright purple with pink, and because of that I noticed I didn’t have them on display as much. I gave one one of them darker a light dusting of spray paint to see what it looked like, and I think it turned out not too bad if I may be so bold. Oh, and for those of you curious about my vase, I nabbed that cheap and cheerful DIY from Bethany from Dwellings by DeVore. A girl after my own heart. 

Also featured – lamp revampthrifted coralfaux hydrangeas

Curated collection for Hatch.co

A couple weeks ago I got a lovely e-mail from Anastasia Leng from Hatch.co {as she said “yup, without the m at the end“}, who said she liked my blog and my style and was hoping I’d put a collection together for their website. I checked it out, and was pretty quickly lured in … 
Hatch is a website that features products and pieces that can be personalized and customized for the user, by the maker. The end result is something bespoke and personal to each person. My first thought – it’s a great site to check out if you’re stuck for a gift to get someone. You will for sure find something cute or quirky to customize on Hatch. Or if you’re like me, you get sucked in and want ALL OF THE THINGS. Speaking of which, here is my collection which I lovingly called Geek Chic … 

Metal accent table – this needs to happen in my life. Perfect side table in our living room.
Geeky cotton pillow covers – I love pillows and I love my geeky IT husband. As you can imagine, there are 3 pillows in this set. I want Alt of them. 
Origami paper lamp shade – really adore these delicate lamps. It’s hard to believe they’re made of paper.
Your photo turned into a cross stitch – oh I wish I had the cross stitch skills to do this kind of stuff, especially a pic of my childhood home back in Canada. 
Custom printed pet pillow – I think this is my favourite piece, hands down. Our apartment would be swimming in them. Crazy cat lady represent. 
6 Recycled vinyl LP record snack bowls – a serving bowl! It really appeals to my reduce-reuse mentality. 
7 Industrial modern table – I don’t even know what to write. I just need that table.
Geeky gadget sleeve – a perfect nostalgic sleeping bag for our gadgets.
9 Personalised pet figurine – this is an amazing figurine. Especially made for people like me, who miss their pets 4 hours into vacation time. With these personalized pet figurines, you can take your pet wherever you go. I can see myself even talking to it … Did I mention earlier I was a crazy cat lady? Yeah.
10 Custom monogram pillows – These are adorable, but I must point out these are me and hubby’s initials so I had to include them. Pillows. I heart pillows. One can never have too many pillows.

Crafty Christmas tutorial link-up

As promised in my edible Christmas ornaments post, here is the list of all the projects involved in Lupin’s Christmas Link-up! The perfect little projects to get you in the mood for the encroaching season … 

ROW 1 – felt house gift tag holder by i ManuFatti, Christmas trinket mobile hoop by Carina’s Craftblog, felt polar bear ornament by La Creature and You, and Christmas Hoop by Claire Payne.
ROW 2embroidered Christmas mug rug by Button Button, polymer clay star ornaments by Saraccino, and knitted Christmas stockings garland by Knit Me a Cake.
ROW 3DIY Christmas ribbon by Adventures & Tea Parties, embroidered mistletoe ornament by Bugs and Fishes, scented salt dough ornaments by Retro Delicious, and crochet Christmas tree decorations by Homemade@MyPlace. 
ROW 4Christmas cross stitch raccoon ornament by Hugs are Fun, polymer clay Christmas tree by Little Creatures, Christmas wish-list felt envelope by Jumbleberries, and felt Christmas tree toy by Pinwheels and Stories. 

ROW 5let it snow embroidery pattern by A Little Happy Place, festive wanderers embroidery pattern by Unexpected Kitty, festive felt and fabric coasters by Betz White, and holiday ribbon pillow by Mrs. Saint Nick.
ROW 6felt gingerbread man gift tag by Grace’s Favours, crochet Christmas star jar covers by Dinki Dots, and edible Christmas ornaments by moi! 
ROW 7cross stitch Christmas trees by Made by Mrs M, secret love letter Christmas gift tag by Crafts of Texture, applique love Christmas card by Halcyon Threads, and Christmas mini mitts by The Crimson Rabbit. 
ROW 8felt reindeer ornament by Pickle-Lily, Christmas carousel by Aura Verde Crafts, embroidered Christmas stocking ornament by Cocojude, and stenciled Christmas embroidery hoop by Angharad. 

Enjoy! xx A 🙂