Art and Shopping ★

wow art AND shopping in one post... well they are two of my favourite things, what did you expect!!!

anyway, while i was in Kinsale yesterday i also took the opportunity to re-visit a fabulous little gallery shop i saw last year during my visit (see old post - kicking back in kinsale) 

this gallery always seems to be filled with the most incredible paintings and ceramic pieces, this year was no exception

(artwork shown here by: Ruthie Ashenhurst, Carolanne Crosbie, Lucia Parle, John Lawrence, Amélie Gagné, Sara Roberts, Adrian Wistreich, Julian Smith, Victor Richardson)

while i was there i also treated myself to this beautiful little ceramic heart brooch, made by wonderfully talented Irish artist Lucia Parle. isn't it pretty!!! 

here's some more of her gorgeous Ceramics work (images via Crafts Council of Ireland)

* * *

so today i just wandered around Cork City Centre again for a few hours since i love the shops on St Patrick's street so much! super duper fun times!

anyway, since i've been out this week near so many wonderful shops, obviously i've ended up treating myself to one or two little bits and bobs!

i thought today i could show you some of the lovely stuff i've bought so far...

well there's the truly awesome pencil necklace and crayon bracelet!!! i figured that being an artist they'd be quite suitable! (Accessorize, Cork)

a colourful little pinwheel pencil! because let's face it... who doesn't love a pinwheel on a pencil!!! (Stationary Shop, Kinsale)

a big ol' yummy rainbow swirl lollipop! tutti frutti goodness!!! (Aunty Nellie's Sweet Shop, Kinsale)

a yummy cupcake scented air freshener. it's for my room... i already have a different strawberry cupcake one hanging from my calender! don't judge!!! (Accessorize, Cork)

a pair of gorgeous pencil cases/cosmetics bags that i couldn't resist! (Jello, Kinsale)

a lovely vintage glass beaded velvet and satin tie-up belt, loved the tasseled rope ties! (PaNdEmOnIuM, Kinsale) 

+ a pretty print, i spotted it in the window of a stationary shop in Kinsale and just knew i had to have it!!! 

it's by British Illustrator Julie Fletcher (print from James Ellis)

i've actually seen some of Julie's work once or twice before floating about online, i just loved the colours in this print though + the adorable little characters! love, love, love it

* * *

anyway, since it was our last day in Cork, today my mum also decided to treat herself to something special! 

i met her outside Brown Thomas and after we had a lovely wander around the handbag hall, she eventually settled for a gorgeous Michael Kors handbag!

 it's a lovely bag, very smart with a fabulous metallic lining and pretty 'MK' charm on the front

very swish! we make quite the stylish pair, her with her MK tote and my with my new Gucci Indy :)

* * *

oh and before i forget, i also popped back in to Peacock and Ruby + Miss Daisy Blue in the market today to say thanks again for being allowed to snap so many pictures of those gorgeous shops! so big thanks again to Breda at Miss Daisy Blue and Noelle (who i met today) and Jill at Peacock and Ruby, thank you :) x

* * *

well i guess that's it for today! tomorrow we're packing up and heading up to Waterford for 2 days (which isn't nearly enough time!!!) so look out for pics of my adventures!

but until then, that's all folks... ◕‿◕ ★ xX

Shoes for all Seasons

i love shoes, i really do!

i know most women say that but i genuinely do bloody well adore shoes, especially high heels. there's something so beautiful about them i don't know what they just look fabulous, on or off, it's weird. but then some of them are so exquisite they could literally be works of art in a gallery. (Manolo Blahnik, Christian Louboutin and Mai Lamore i'm looking at you here...)

oh and if you don't believe me about a shoe being a work of art, just check out Mai Lamore's website, if i owned a pair of those rose shoes they would sit in a glass case under a spotlight on a plinth in my room. oh and listen out for Habanera as well, being played throughout the site. genius!

Mai Lamore site

but if someone made shoes a proper art form i'd go to a shoe gallery, hell i'd practically LIVE there!

it reminds me of last November, seeing all the shoe and clothing displays at the V&A in London was an awesome experience but i pretty much had to be dragged away in the end, i may have also begun to drool slightly.

a similar thing happens when i go to a designer shoe boutique, the worst culprits of all being Selfridges/Harrods/Harvey Nichols/Brown Thomas/Neiman Marcus/Bloomingdales/Bergdorf Goodman etc etc

take me to the shoe department of ANY of those stores and that's an easy way for me to while away an entire day, just wandering around looking at gorgeous shoes.

anyway i've digressed, despite the loveliness of shoes in general, the point of this post was, as the title suggest, Shoes for all Seasons.

this morning i was on some random home ware site (don't ask, i actually can't explain why i was on there, even i don't know how that happened) and i was looking at plastic bowls (once again... don't ask) and saw this photo of a set of ice cream bowls.

i had to screencap the image because something about the lovely pastel colours of the bowls got me thinking and then sketching and the next thing i knew i'd come up with a little series of Shoe illustrations

the individual shoe designs are by me but the red soles = homage to the Shoe God himself, Monsieur Christian Louboutin.

here's the finished piece, each pair were inspired by the colours of the bowls. it may not look that way but it's the truth, promise.

Spring Summer Autumn Winter

for a slightly bigger version of the picture, click on the link HERE

i'm not sure what i'll do with the picture, might have a go at painting some shoes seeing as it's yonks since i actually painted anything!

i'm not sure why i put them in circles either, i suppose they could be badge designs couldn't they? i'd love to get some badges made but i don't think anyone would actually buy them!

anyway, that's all i wanted to share for today.

and yes... i made it home safe and sound at last, thank gooooodness the boat sailed this time!

my cousins Mandy and Emma are coming to stay tonight so i'd better go and tidy up a bit for their arrival.

there... a nice boring ending for you!

◕‿◕ xX

ps - I ♥ shoes

a Disastrously Dull Day

It's not been the best of days today. A slow one for sure but still not altogether great. The plan was to drive around Co. Cork looking for cute little places to stop and have a wander around. What happened wasn't quite as idyllic.

This morning we drove to Bandon, I sat in the car.

Then to Crookstown, I sat in the car.

To Innascarra, where I sat in the car.

Then on to Macroom where I briefly nipped into a Dunnes to buy some bread... and a little handbag that was reduced to €2... BARGAIN!

Then we ended up near Blarney, where I considered going to kiss the Blarney stone. Legend says that those who kiss the stone are granted the gift of eloquence (aka the gift of the gab) but I think i'm already pretty eloquent enough!

If you're wondering why I sat in the car all day it's because I haven't been feeling very well. It's been a pretty crappy day in that sense.

But in a last ditch attempt to redeem myself this afternoon things have looked up ever so slightly. We got back to the hotel early so I could crawl back into bed feeling sorry for myself but an hour later I was up and raring to go. We (me + mum) popped into Cork city centre and headed STRAIGHT to Brown Thomas with one thing in mind.

I'm nearly all out of cash... sadly but mum bought a gorgeous DKNY T&C small shopper bag with a fabulous poppy printed silk scarf. I bought a similar scarf the other day but had to take it back to BT's because it had a snag in it... so not my fault! It was like it when I bought it so I got a full refund.

But... turns out, my mum was totally enamoured with the bag but she said the scarf wasn't her style so guess who's now the proud owner of it! ME ◕‿◕

I took a few snaps of the bag and then one of me with the scarf on. Don't worry... I don't actually plan to go out in public with the scarf on my head, it was just for fun (+ it was my mum's idea, she said that's how she used to wear scarves like that)

i'm still feeling a bit icky, gaaawd knows what's wrong with me! I'm going to curl up in bed and watch some 'Sherlock' and maybe work on a few illustration edits.

Apologies for the boringness of today's post, hopefully tomorrow, my last day here in Cork will be a little more fruitful and less malady strewn.

Byeee ◕‿◕ xX

Corky Cork times

Brown Thomas round 2

aka moooooore Shopping times!

oh-oh…

so i may not have splashed the cash in the Grafton Street Brown Thomas but after realising there was another one right here in Cork i may have gotten a tad carried away today!

(see above photo for the Brown Thomas in Cork city centre)

but LOOK at my shopping bags! aren’t they just darling!!!

totally worth the dosh methinks!

i’m in Cork for 7 more days so there’s a good chance i’ll gather a few more adorabubble little bags before i leave… skint and penniless of course (but with beautiful bags, which is worth it. Obviously)

i also found an amazing little vintage jewellery and clothing shop today in the old ‘English Market’, it’s called Miss Daisy Blue (GREAT name) and was filled with amazing old vintage dresses and headbands/clips as well as loads of cute little bits of jewellery

that’s it for today, i’m chilling in the room tonight though might pop down to the hotel bar in a bit for a drink… and to test out my brand new boots!

it’s been a long day with loooots of walking but on the whole i had another super duper day in Ireland!

◕‿◕ xX

greetings from heaven... aka Dublin

so this is where i spent my afternoon...

in HEAVEN!!!

also known as Brown Thomas on Grafton street in Dublin

also known as my heaven

i'd slowly been making my way to it all day, cleverly steering the parents away from O'Connell street, over the bridge up past Trinity College to the delights of Grafton street, they were none the wiser thank god but i certainly was! i was hardly going to come to Dublin and not visit Brown Thomas was i!

naturally i did my research before leaving the island!

but thank god i had my trusty cream Chloé Paddington with me otherwise i swear they might have kicked me out of the shop! it was soooo luscious and gorgeous inside! it was basically Selfridges in Dublin... only with a little bit of added Irish charm

my mum nearly bought these patent mary janes from the Christian Louboutin section, i physically had to try and remove her from the shop only somehow we ended up stuck in the Louis Vuitton section instead drooling while the lovely shop assistant gladly sorted out the latest season bags for us to parade around in front of the mirror with.

it was a pair of little Lanvin pumps that i had to be dragged away from though!

i pretty much wept in the Chanel section. too many 2.55's, in every colour! i could have died for the delicious burgundy one!

the only place i felt at home was the Chloé section because at least i've got a taste of that from my two Paddingtons

still... as soon as i found the Marc Jacobs bit it was the end! one day that stam will be mine i swear to god!

i also fell in love with this little bejewelled bag in the Miu Miu area, gorgeous, sparkly, perfect.

it came in mint, blushed champagne and charcoal. any colour would suit me fine if anyone fancies getting me one for Christmas!

God bless Brown Thomas that's all i can say!

that's all for now,

arrivederci mia amicas

◕‿◕ xX