January Instagram roundup + Oxfam news!

Before I dive into my exciting Oxfam news, can I take a little moment and say my monthly Instagram roundup is becoming a blog post lined with panic. Wait, it’s the end of another month already? January was busy. Full of ups and downs and for the most part it kept me from Instagramming and writing here as much as I usually do. NOT COMPLAINING, because I’ve learned a lot and accomplished some neat stuff {that sometimes make me think too much and panic. I’m a worrier}.
One of the highlights of January was when I was approached by Oxfam Ireland about working on a piece for an upcoming project* – they’d like me to upcycle / revamp a piece of secondhand furniture, display it in one of their stores for the month of March, and to finish, it will be auctioned off at the end of the month. Um, woah.

To say I’m excited would be the understatement of the month. I’m heading to Belfast tomorrow and I’ll be dropping into their Belfast Home branch to see what gems they have up there for upcycling for the project. Up to my eyes in second hand furniture? I’ll be in my element. They may need to use force to escort me from the premises. You have been warned, Belfast. xx A
If you’d like to follow along with my road trip tomorrow {and exciting cat photos any other day of the week}, you can check out my Instagram feed
*More details on this project laters.

Instagram roundup – December

December was a crazy month for me. I worked four temp jobs in four different offices in as many weeks – c’est la vie of an office zombie. Not to mention Christmas on top of all of it! I was approached by some very inspiring people in December on the design side of things, to embark on new and exciting projects in the months ahead. All of which I cannot wait to get my teeth into – regardless of how terrifying they may be. I also have some big plans festering in my brain that I’d like to make to our home in the months ahead. There’s nothing quite like the overindulgence of Christmas to make you purge every last inch of your home. 

Not only Christmas, but new years has now come and gone. I know – thank you Captain Obvious! I’m always amazed at how quickly the days fly by when I’m not in work. I ate way too much, slept in too long, achieved next to nothing and it was all kinds of excellent. Back to reality tomorrow.
To wrap up December’s Instagram antics I’ll leave you with not one, but two kitteh Instavideos …

They’re up to no good, those two. xx A

From me and mine to you and yours …

I still can’t believe Christmas is only days away. I’m happy to say all our Christmas shopping is done – well, with the exception of some last minute ingredients for treats I’ll be making over the holidays {like this peppermint chocolate bark by Ketty of French Foodie in Dublin. DROOL}. I got all our shopping done on my lunch hours last week, which means I only had to endure an hour of wading through the retail madness each day. It’s been all go, go, go the last couple of weeks, so I can’t wait to chillax and slow down for a few days.
I only got to take pictures of our Christmassy bits over the weekend. I didn’t go as overboard as I had hoped this year. I did however fancy up some mantle swag by using yarn in my favourite colours, made some tassels and taped them up with clear tape. As you can see, there are no more edible ornaments on the tree. Those suckers were devoured weeks ago. 
And below – we don’t have a fireplace in our apartment {massive sad face}, so husband simply downloaded one for me this year …

So from me and mine to you and yours – I hope you have the happiest of holidays. Don those onesies, get comfortable, and turn on the movie marathons with a box {or six} of chocolates within reach. ‘Tis the season  đź™‚ xx A