Etsy Lovin'

Here are some items I'm currently hearting on Etsy.

Cushions from alexandraferguson for our living room

Mustache cufflinks for himself from beautyspot who's based in the Ukraine

Wild side animal prints from pixiepixels for our bedroom

And this leather handbag (with tassel!) for me from Opelle based in Toronto

All above images via Etsy

A nice cup of tea and sit down

Mug and Tray by Freedom
Chocolate Brownie by me!

Sometimes, it's the little pleasures in life that bring you the most satisfaction.  I'm a tea addict and always feel like a good cuppa will go a long way towards sorting most things out!

By the way, what so you think of this little red lacquered tray I bought today?

It's from a set of five by Freedom and all for the very nice price of 69.95 NZD.

via Freedom.co.nz

I think these are going to be great for organising bit n bobs and doing little displays around the house.  It wasn't that long ago that I was lamenting the complete lack of nice trays to buy in NZ (see here) so thank you Freedom for introducing these lacquered numbers!

Another great little purchase I made lately is the ceramic owl vase.

This one is a bargain from Ezibuy (cost around 30 bucks).  I think it's very Jonathan Adler-esque!

DIY Store Finds

Sorry I've been MIA the last week.  I started a new job last Monday so I've been pretty focused on that.  Anyways, I've promised myself to be more disciplined about posting going forward.  I'm also starting what I'm calling my running experiment.  It's going to be a staged programme over the next 6 weeks to get me up to running 5km's straight.  So currently lots of new endeavours in the life of Stylish Irish!

But back to the post at hand.  'Himself' and I recently made an excursion to Bunnings DIY.  Now NZ does not have a lot to boast about when it comes to shops but one thing they do impressively well is DIY Superstores.  While the purpose of this trip was to pick up materials for 'himself' to build another veggie patch (more on that in due course), I always like to have a hunt around DIY stores for homewares bargains.     This trip yielded this greek key doormat which was only 35 NZD. Now the greek key thing hasn't really hit NZ so I'm pretty sure Bunnings had no idea how on trend they were with this!

Greek Key Doormat

My other DIY store find happened yesterday when I was sent on a mercy dash to our local Mitre 10 to pick up some more potting mix.  I'd been looking for a new pot for the plant in our living room for a while - I'm ashamed to say it had been sitting in the icky plastic pot it came in for the last 1.5 years!  This was only around 30 NZD and while simple, I think it looks pretty good for the money.

Goes to show you can pick up some stylish bits in less than glamorous places... and at a great price.  

Have a great week everybody!

Marc Jacobs to the rescue?

Since my post yesterday (the one where I lamented the lack of truly delectable Ipad covers), I went on Net a Porter in one more brave attempt to find a winter coat for my new baby.  I was delighted to discover the following by Marc Jacobs, a new addition to the range available since I'd last checked on the website.

Cute, n'est ce pas? And bang on the money at approx 100 NZD.  I particularly like that it has faux fur lining to keep my little Ipad nice and snug.  Another Marc Jacobs number that caught my eye was this:

I like it for it's "Chanel-ness" and the fact that it can double as a handbag.  However, at around 700 NZD, it's a lot more than I want to spend.

This Pucci also stirred my interest though I's prefer it in a pink/orange colour scheme.

All images via netaporter

 Maybe there's hope afterall?

DVF Ipad Cover Dilemma

I've been MIA the last few days. Family related stuff. Moving on...

Himself was most kind recently and bought me an Ipad 2 (yes, I'm spoilt - it wasn't my birthday or any other occasion). It's white of course. I don't know what Apple were up to when they didn't offer the original version in white - most odd. Anyhu, I've decided my ipad needs a stylish jacket and from my trip around the blogs, I've found that quite a few of us are rather disappointed by the offerings out there at the mo.  Made By Girl commented that the perfect Ipad case does not exist and I'm afraid I must agree.  In the end she went with the Michael Kors python number as shown below, which I think is rather nice but not quite for me.  You can read her Ipad case post here.

Above 3 images via Made By Girl

I thought I had struck gold when I saw these from DVF.  Look - there's a tassle on the zip and everything, which is a trend I'm still really into.

I particularly love the red one.

Alas, I then realised it was in fact a lap top cover for laptops up to 15" and consequently too big for my wee Ipad.  DVF does have a range of actual Ipad cases but I just can't get as enthused about any of these.  The prints (and the tassle!) on the laptop cover are so much more appealing.

What do you think?  Has anyone else had trouble choosing an Ipad cover?

New online concept store

Anna Spiro's new online concept store is an inspiration.  I love the way you can shop the vignette.  Check it out here.

Rain ... (and virtual window shopping)

It is so wet today in Auckland that I don't feel any guilt about whiling away the afternoon doing some virtual, window shopping.

An attempt earlier to go out in the world found me in horrendous traffic queues and parking hell so I turned around and came home again pretty sharpish!  Sitting here in front of the mac with a cuppa (and a white Tim Tam!) is much, much nicer indeed.

So anyway, with our trip to the motherland (including 3 night stays in each of Hong Kong, London, Copenhagen and San Fran) coming up in less than 4 weeks time, I thought I had better start getting organised about what I'll need to pack and what needs to be purchased in advance, hence my perusing of the Witchery and Country Road websites to check out if they've got the new tees and ballet flats I think I'll need.  I'm also on the look out for a casual but stylish rain jacket given that it's going to be rainy season in Hong Kong and you can be pretty much guaranteed rain any time of the year in Ireland!  Here are some items I'm considering following my web search today...

Holiday Wardrobe Items by Stylish Irish

1. Basic Scoop Neck Tee, Witchery
2. Scoop Hem Tee, Witchery
3. Coated Skinny Leg Jean, Witchery
4. Drawcord Detail Anorak, Witchery
5. Ainsley Stretch Ballet, Witchery
6. Letitia Metallic Ballet, Country Road
7. Ombre Animal Scarf, Witchery
8. Large Black Slouchy Bag, The Leather Store, Etsy

I've also been ogling some cuffs and enamel bracelets at Hermes.  Unknown to "himself" (as yet), I'm plotting the purchase of a little luxury treat for myself while on our travels.  Wouldn't either of these bracelets work well with with the looks above?