JEH.

Apologies for the radio silence for the last week.

My lifelong style icon and all around inspiration, Jane Eleanor Haas (aka Grandma) rejoined her husband and left us all kind of wondering what we're supposed to do without her.

But don't worry: have still been collecting lots of shiny bits and pieces of string. Watch this space.

Etchings.

Original etchings by Bridget Farmer on Etsy.

Wha?

This dress by Miu Miu is $1,355.

I mean, it's dead cute... but how? and why?

Sorry, but I'd like to recommend one of these instead.

Letterpress.

Handmade in Ennis, Co. Clare, and same price as buying them in M&S.

TheLetterboxPress at Etsy.

Bits and bobs.

Ha! It's like rummaging around a drawer in your Grandma's house.

seethebirds on Etsy.

The English Department.

Can't get enough of the Elizabeth Dye wedding dresses at The English Department.

(Via East Side Bride.)

Belfast.

FlaxFox needs to do tea towels!

Unmentionables.

It might be a bit strange, but one of the things that excites me most about the upcoming wedding is that I can... nay I must... invest in some expensive frilly lingerie.

Any suggestions for boutiques around Dublin would be more than welcome.

(Photo by Emily Quinn.)

Dream Pad.

So it's official: myself and husband-to-be will be relocating to Boston later this year.

Of COURSE I've been lusting after potential pads, most of which we can't afford.

But imagine what you could do with a space like this?

Party pad, or what?

Tea time.

The most delightful tea towels, by To Dry For.

However, rather than pay 12 pounds sterling for one of these, I think it would be much more fun and personal to buy some plain ones in bulk on Amazon and decorate them yourself. A cool gift, though!

Cozy.

Hand knitted cowls and scarfs and things by Dublin based Ava Rose Designs on Etsy.

Perfect for staying warm, hiding cold sores, smuggling small bags of chips, etc.

Accomplished.

I was just thinking the other day how much I miss doing cross-stitch.

Cross stitch by Tasy76 on Etsy. But for me, time to hit up Joann Fabrics and buy a kit...

I got your something blue.

When I first bought my wedding dress, my mom asked to see some photos (she lives in America, and I live in Ireland.)

As it's a dress from a designer that's been featured a lot in Irish wedding magazines recently (MLR), I was able to provide her with some awesome photos of the dress, as modeled by gorgeous tall teenagers and accessorized in a very fashion-forward way.

Examples:

(Pics from Confetti and Irish Brides magazines respectively, via Myrtle Ivory.)

Upon ringing Mom and asking her what she thought of the photos, I could almost hear her wincing on the phone. "The dress is beautiful," she said, "but in some of those photos, the styling is very... interesting."

When your Mom says "interesting", she means goddamn-ugly.

But fear not: the process of choosing a wedding dress means finding a middle ground with your mom, and both of you will be happy for it. I was happy to quickly move past any early notions I had of getting married in a short blue dress (actually, it was Dad who put his foot down on that one.) And in the meantime, the Mom who initially thought hippie chains and blue fur boleros were interesting is now going mad for black sashes and statement clutches.

I love her.

So in honour of the open-minded Mom, check out this excellent way to do your "something blue".

Velveteen Rabbit sash from Ivy & Aster, via East Side Bride.

Valentine's Day is coming...

These necklaces are handmade in Dublin, Ireland by Arty Smarty Shop.

And they're all under 25 euro.

An ESL manifesto.

Ever wanted to know what to wear with silver sequin shoes?

How about the etymology of "silver sequin shrug"?

These and many other questions answered in broken english at www.silversequinshoes.com.