Tag: Designers

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Mid Summer

For me, June means going out to gather some of the fragrant elderflowercreamy-white elder flowers to make some delicious and refreshing cordial. mixed with sparkling water and served in a KaroArt porcelain tumbler, how delightful is that ?

If you are going to an outdoor food, music or literary festival or simply going picnicking by the seaside, you might want to pack a cosy and warm hand-woven tweed blanket for comfort. How about the colourful ‘Carnival’ blanket by Studio Donegal ? Blush tear drop

Invited to a wedding or a party ? Well then, the perfect and perfectly affordable acccessory to wear is the ‘Blush’ Palomar neckpiece together with the small teardrop earrings by Bláithín Ennis. Simply gorgeous! For a more casual look, wear the “Spring cycle’ or ‘Dublin castle flag’ necklace by ArtySmarty. Bound to be noticed.

 

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ID2015

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2015 is the year of Irish Design and there are many events organized nationally and internationally to celebrate the makers and designers of Ireland. I hope to feature some of these events throughout the year. It’s going to be a fantastic opportunity to appreciate the many talents available and be totally inspired!

 Makers and designers are truly passionate about their art and craft and it really shows in the quality of the items they produce. The care and skill involved in creating a hand-crafted piece, together with the inspiration behind the design idea, make the whole process of creating it truly unique. The natural beauty of each piece; be it made of wood, metal, ceramic, fabric or paper, is everlasting. And of course with each designer comes a story, which means that it is connected and personal to him or her.

First stop: Showcase held in the RDS where top Irish makers and emerging designers exhibit their original hand-crafted products.  It is a great forum for meeting the makers, talking about their designs and discovering their collections and their creative journey.

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Inspired

showcase1Showcase 2014 features the best of Irish design with products from over 400 exhibitors. Ideally you would need two or three days to go around and see it all. Although I had only one day to get to it this year I had done my homework before going and had pinpointed the people I absolutely wanted to meet.

 It is always a real treat to attend the show as the choice and variety of Irish-made products is outstanding.  I went to it on the opening day with fellow designer and fashionista Naomi who has a great eye for spotting the unusual and the quirky.

We stopped at the stands of some of the makers that I stock in Handmade Design Studio such as ArtySmarty creator Angela Cutlhill, Matt Jones, Sarah Mc Kenna, Orla Barry, Blaithin Ennis among others. I discovered their exciting and on trend new collections and cannot wait to receive them in the shop.

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I also met some really interesting and friendly new craftmakers whom I had not metbefore and was truly inspired by their unique products.

 The beautifully crafted, high quality items soon to be found in Handmade Design Studio are:

  • Natural and colourful luxury soaps by Baressential
  • Urban-inspired fine silk scarves by Katie Brown
  • And much more …

If you are ever coming to Mullingar, come and have a peek!