My IKEA Family Live feature!

Heart palpitations at the ready. Back in July you may {or may not, I won’t be offended} remember I shot and submitted pictures of our apartment to IKEA after receiving some rather exciting e-mails from them asking me if I’d like to be a featured IKEA member for their IKEA Family Live online magazine. UMM, yes please with a körsbär on top. 
After some trials and tribulations {which by the way, I received a camera stand for my birthday, ha!}, I submitted all the pictures safe and sound and met my deadline. Sigh of relief. Then the waiting game went down. It wouldn’t be until November until I’d be featured {having submitted the photos in July}, but it was just enough time for the dust to settle and for me to get excited about it all over again!  

Me on the IKEA Family Live  homepage. No biggie. 

I know, slight overkill with the screenshots and whatnot, but how often do you see yourself on an IKEA website? Of course, to see the full feature, click on over here to read all about it and gawk at a couple more pictures of our apartment if you’d like 🙂 
And if you’re a fellow IKEA fiend and would like to also be a featured member, just send an e-mail on over to homes@ikeafamilylive.com with a couple of pictures and details on your home! You know you wanna. xx A

My 15 seconds of fame

Yesterday morning I got a call from Derek, the Director of Localise who I’ve been working alongside for the Sophia House youth room project. He called to say RTE News would be dropping by Sophia House to film a snippet for the 6 o’clock news … And they wanted me there. In 1.5 hours. Um, WHAT. 
Did I mention I had been meaning to dye my hair for about 2 weeks? I had serious skunk roots* going on. Dye hair. Find a tv-appropriate outfit. Loose 30lbs. Get on location. In 1.5 hours. Challenge accepted.

Possibly the weirdest thing I’ve witnessed to date. My big white face on the TV, moving, and making sounds. Weirdest ever. {p.s. for clarification sake, I’m not a student from Notre Dame / the States. It sounded a bit like they were including me in that statement, and as much as I’d like to think I resemble that of a 19 year old, I’m not. I’m sure my botched Canadian accent didn’t help either. I’m just the designer.}

So, you know that saying … 

every day do something that scares you

… well you can be sure I was royally bricking it and met my scare quota for the day. It was a very exciting experience, but terrifying at the same time. As for the next time? Bring it. xx A

*Skunk roots – when people who naturally have very light hair, like myself {ie – blonde}, but choose to dye it a much darker hue. When my hair then grows out, it reveals my natural roots, and I closely resemble that of a skunk along my hair parting. Not so fetching. 

Lovely mention – the Irish Independent

A couple of weeks ago I got a surprise e-mail from the lovely Gabrielle from the Irish Independent looking to include me in an upcoming feature; she was writing about ladies who are ditching cosmo’s for crochet hooks and getting crafty at home {for the record, I am partial to a tall, cold G&T or a healthy glass of wine}. I of course agreed {nervously}, and later that afternoon I spoke with Gabrielle about all things thrifted and handmade throughout our home. From items made from scratch, to revamped thrifted pieces, to crochet, knitting and cross stitch, we talked about it all. And when I say we, I mean I rambled on for some time.

A word of warning ladies – when you’re as pale as me, if you hold a lamp up to your face, your eyes will look like two piss-holes in snow. That is something I have now learned. Aside from that, I am giddy with excitement about my little feature and would like to thank Gabrielle again for being so cool, down to earth and for letting me prattle on about handmade stuff, and Ronan the photographer for making it a fun and relaxed mini photo shoot in my living room, because cameras terrify me and all I do is make dumb faces. 

For anyone who would like to creep the online version of the article, check it out here 🙂 xx A

p.s. I LOVE LAMP. 
Also featured – lamp revampfancy footstool