Mo Rún

As some of you may or may not know I’ve been going to Irish classes for over a year and have finally taken the opportunity to go to the Gaeltacht for some intensive study and scenery.

Unfortunately I do not know the Gaelige for accessories, but hopefully I’ll learn it this weekend.  I’m keeping the fabulousness to a minimum as I’ll be sitting in a classroom most of the time, but am taking my Name Necklace, vintage Gucci bag, and a few pairs of earrings. The weather is meant to be great, but a mac, proper shoes and layers must be packed anyhow!

I don’t have any overtly Irish accessories, but I do have this amazing twee handkerchief that was amongst my Grandma Betty’s things and given to me after she passed away. Illustrated on the handkerchief are Glendalough, Blarney Castle, Ross Castle and the Hills of Donegal, where I’m headed this weekend. I must frame it and hang it on the wall as it's a lovely piece.

I won't be posting for the next few days, but let me know what you think of the refurb!

Inbetween Days

‘April is the cruelest month’ or so said T.S. Eliot. April tends to be one of the best months in Ireland, the weather tends to be gorgeous, the flowers are in bloom and Outdoor Yoga starts up.

Though it can be incredibly cruel…Thursday was amazing so I sat on the stoop with Ms. Pearl in a skirt and sandals soaking up the sunshine and drinking cider. Friday I was all about spring accessories and sandals even though the sky was a bit overcast. My housie and I began strolling into town and as expected the heavens opened up. It remained dry for most of the rest of the weekend, but at this time of year it is best to prepare for all eventualities…

Friday I persisted in wearing my Birkenstocks, carrying this lovely inherited vintage bag and silver bracelets. The abalone butterfly cuff was found in my parents’ garage after being neglected by my mother for years – I decided to give it the love it deserves and moved it into my jewelry box. The other is a gift from my great aunt, it’s a little big, but I like that it looks a bit like an ornate watch strap. By the time I was heading home that afternoon, the sun reappeared for a lovely warm evening and overall it has been a lovely long weekend.

A Nom de Nick

When I was a little girl my uncles and father called me Marie-z. I don’t know what their intentions with lumbering me with said nickname was, but in high school it evolved to Marieasy and it has stuck in that form ever since.

I love it as a nickname, in spite of its connotations, and when Tatty Devine had an April Fool’s Day sale on Name Necklaces I decided that I had to have one and went with my tried and trusted nickname. I finally got my anchor charm and they were very obliging in fulfilling my request for a red charm to go with the navy lettering.

I was so excited when it arrived that I couldn’t wait to wear it – I had to compromise as it is not really work appropriate and instead planned my Friday night/Saturday outfit around it.

Positively Charming

For the most part I do not own the most adventurous wardrobe on the planet. I think this stems from a partial childhood in small town Texas where I was once persecuted by my peers for wearing a t-shirt with a peace sign on it. (Apparently peace signs are symbols of devil worshipping, or didn’t you know that?) I am also a UK size 16/18 pear-shaped fashionista on a limited budget.

So I show-off with accessories…today’s outfit was very simple as it's a work day, AA high-waisted skirt, white blouse, black tights and black Ferragamos. Accented with a lovely Marc by Marc Jacobs charm bracelet watch that I got a few years ago from my facilitators, otherwise known as my parents and grandparents.  I love that it is based on a classic feminine style, but is chunky, playful and a little bit rock ‘n’roll.

Love is in the air...

The weather here has been absolutely amazing the past few days and there is no place better in the sunshine than Dublin. The entire mood of the city lifts and the parks are awash with people in sunglasses, chatting, laughing and of course there are young amorous couples everywhere. While I am single - love is definitely in the air...

The gold brooch shown here is a vintage Coro brooch that belonged to my previously mentioned Grandma Betty. It has definitely seen better days when looking at it closely, but from a distance there is absolutely nothing wrong with it. I was advised by my father that it was a brooch that my aunts were allowed to borrow as teens – I could see why they would have wanted to. It’s gold with two love birds and heart-shaped – what’s not to like?

Recently I began pairing it with my reclaimed Love brooch, Originally this brooch was purchased specifically to feminise an American Apparel unisex hoodie. To this day it has not been worn on said hoodie. However, it did prominently feature in my friend Jan’s wedding bouquet as her something borrowed. Some things are just meant to be…

Eccentric Librarian

I have a lovely routine on Sundays, it usually consists of hitting the local pricey grocery store for breakfast, the newspaper and then a lovely Italian coffee shop for a latte. Once I have satisfied my journalism and caffeine cravings, I get dressed, head to the more affordable grocery stores (generally of a German variety) and when I return I embark on a prepping and cooking adventure, making meals in bulk for lunch and dinner.

This Sunday was not of my normal routine as a friend was visiting from Edinburgh, but last Sunday’s outfit began with the most basic canvas – a white t-shirt and jeans. Then on to the accoutrements…it’s still fairly cool here so decided to don my mad Penguin cardigan purchased in TJ Maxx a few years ago. TJ Maxx is not a typo – that’s the US name for TK Maxx – I will never quite understand why there is a difference.  My dad and grandfather had worn Penguin in the 70s and 80s and I was delighted when I heard it was making a comeback. I was not so delighted when I discovered that the shirts I had planned on robbing from my father had made their way to the charity shop not too long before said comeback.

I didn’t go for any other accessories as I figured the glasses and cardigan were enough to embody my intended eccentric librarian look. I do wish I had a really chunky gold chain as I think it would work really well this.