Avoca dreaming

Oh Avoca. Is there anywhere else in the world that can make me feel worse about my domestic sluttery than you?

I wander around your gorgeousness and dream of a kitchen with a huge Aga, where mismatched antique dinner plates and bountiful floral arrangements would sit effortlessly side by side.

My living room would have coordinated cushions and luxurious blankets strewn across a big beautiful sofa, and all would be clean, stylish and perfect.



However....seeing as I am over 40 and still borrowing money from my mother it's a pretty safe bet this is never going to happen.

And so instead I look to see what little piece of beauty I can take home to buy into the dream - even on a small scale.

I consider the lovely ceramic door knobs for a moment. Using these I could upcycle the cheap plywood dresser we have and it would look wonderful - eclectic and artistic.

Or perhaps I could make my work desk a place of inspiration and nostalgia with these.

Or the bathroom - reorganised with beautiful bottles and old fashioned lotions and potions.

After much procrastinating and price tag checking I wander into the food area and wonder whether I should just settle on the big chocolate and pecan cake instead.

Time to go

Eventually, when the kids are well and truly over it all, I go for something cheaper than the phone, easier than the door knobs, and longer lasting than the cake. Something that not even I can go wrong with - two sweet little china cups that I can use for morning coffee. Not too expensive, not too grand, but enough to bring a little of the dream back with me.

When I get home I arrange them artfully beside the kettle and stand back to consider them for a moment.

But much to my dismay the kitchen does not miraculously change into a Country Homes scene, where a three-tiered Victoria sponge sits waiting on the big wooden table and my smiling children in hand-knitted jumpers sit quietly reading.

No. It all still looks exactly the same. The dishes haven't been done. The washing is still hanging over doors and chairs. The floor still hasn't been mopped in a week. And the kids are still slapping each other.

Except now there are two little beacons of disappointment staring back at me amid the chaos.

Pfft. Next time I'm just going to buy the bloody cake.

How to shop for clothes - my Top 5 Lessons

The other week I whisked my best friend off to a special day out in Dublin. She had just hit a milestone birthday and felt that she had lost her way on the style mile, so we booked in to see the personal shopper at Topshop in Grafton St to see if she could help.

Naturally I went along for moral support purposes only. But it would have been rude not to try on at least a few of the outfits the lovely Sinead had been picked out for me wouldn't it?

I swear my credit card started sweating the minute I opened the changing room door....

Anyway we had an amazing morning trying on clothes that we would never have picked out for ourselves and being very pleasently surprised by the outcome. Mostly at any rate - that to die for Kate Moss number? Yeah - you're not Kate Moss and it looks ridiculous. Well it did on me anyway.

So what did I get?

Some of my purchases are below - teamed up with a few 'must haves next times'.

Outfit 1

Topshop Picks 1 by katetakes5 featuring skinny jeans

Outfit 2

Topshop picks 2 by katetakes5 featuring calf length skirts

And what did I learn?

1. Shop with an outfit in mind.
Like most people I would swan around the shops picking up bits and pieces that I liked and then buying the one or two items that suited me when I tried them on.
No more. All the clothes I get now can be mixed and matched with each other to make up a complete outfit. The same shoes and jewellery are used throughout, the same jeans and tops are used with a few other picks and that's it - you have a handful of pieces that can be pulled together in lots of different ways. Clever eh?

Topshop picks 3 by katetakes5 featuring leather shoes

2. Shop for what you wear.
There's no point in having lots of pairs of lovely high heels if you never wear high heels, dresses that never see the light of day, and blouses that would look great at the office (when you don't actually work in an office).

3. Take a moment.
Do you often try something on in a changing room, look at yourself for point one of a nanosecond and think 'eugh, disgusting!' before ripping it off? Next time stop, take a moment, try tucking it in, or rolling up the sleeves or putting a pair of jeans on underneath, or doing up the top button. It's amazing what little adjustments can do to make an item suit you.

4. Only buy the definites. 
Unsure about something? Leave it behind and think about it for awhile. Chances are if you didn't absolutely love it then it's not for you and it will hang in your wardrobe with all those other guilt inducing purchases.

5. Don't tell the other half. 
Goes without saying doesn't it?

The eyes have it (or how to embarrass your husband...)

Last week I had an article published in the Irish Independent newspaper.  I was pretty pleased with myself and sent it on to my husband along with a few friends commenting that it was worth a look just for the ridiculous photo:

'They've doctored my eyes!!' Despairing Dad wrote back.
What followed has kept me amused ever since. In deed, next time we have an argument I am going to re-conjure these images so that the sound of my maniacal laughing drives him from the room.

So, here's the first email response I got, titled 'Seperated at Birth?':

Oh how we laughed (and when I say we I mean I).

And here's the next, 'Seperated at Birth too?':

I'm not sure which I like more.

Feel free to join in. I may get them all printed off and use them as wallpaper beside the naughty step. Now that'll definitely scare the kids into behaving.