keep the good things going

These shots were taken while England was still basking in the heat of the Indian summer and I lost whole afternoons tooling around London town with my sun hat and camera.

I don't know how, but Autumn passed me by in the rustle of a leaf. I swore I had it, but before I could say "pumpkin spice latte", it was gone ;)

Now here I find myself staring at the ass end of November and the mercury has sunk to below 8°.  

 Frozen fingers and bottle-warmed beds are now the flavour of the day.

 I've got a thirst on for thick wooly tights, Christmas get-togethers, tree decorating with Vince Guaraldi band and much anticipated dustings of snow powder. Also I'm making mental notes to stock up on mulled wine and gingerbread ingredients and surviving the winter months via self-induced food coma!

The season is almost upon us, friends, and it has a habit of keeping things sweet and light.

 I hope yours is a happy one x

living heavy//travelling light

Hello again.

Excuse, if you will, the chorus of crickets that have consumed this blog these last few months.

Truth be told, I almost never made my way back here and even now it feels a little like I'm trying on an old dress that doesn't quite fit any more.

For a while there it seemed like life and it's wicked sense of humor had been pulling some of it's best moves to trip me up and send me out of step with the music. I let a few key events get the better of me until I literally stooped beneath the sad & sorry personal rain cloud I was totin'.

My bad run culminated in the death of my beloved Nana Kitty on Sunday who was, and will ever be, my hero. 

Coming back to Ireland for the funeral has slid all of my bad luck into a new perspective and I realize that any heart sickness I might feel now will somehow, over time, evolve into the footnote to a new, and happier, tale.

During a particularly rotten week when I was ready to crack some skulls my family whisked me away with them for a few days in Weymouth on the South coast of England. It's incredible what a dose of sea breeze, fresh, salty lungfuls of air and several rounds of tea and crab sandwiches can do for the bluest of the blues.

So here's to wiping the slate clean, picking myself up after yet another tumble, and finding comfort in old dresses.

surfs up!

Here are just a few iPhone shots I took during my road trip to Cornwall with Free People last weekend!

I kinda rued never getting my driver's license because the minute I saw the turquoise VW camper the girls had rented I wanted to hop behind the wheel and drive it straight into the sunset! What an awesome set of wheels!!

The trip was a total blast and I had such a great time making lots of memories, sunburnt noses and shoulders, and a few awesome new friends along the way.

Full guest post coming very soon over on the BLDG blog.

I'll keep you posted >.<

I'm so glad that you're here! Why not hitch your wagon to Stars in Jars?
>.<

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free people road trip

Let me see....spectacles, testicles, wallet+ watch.

Ok, I think I have everything >.<

No sooner have I arrived here in London and I'm hitting the road again!

I could have done cartwheels on the moon when this exciting opportunity came up a few weeks ago.

To celebrate their UK launch, clothing brand Free People are hosting a weekend long road trip to the pretty seaside town of Newquay in Cornwall... and they invited me to come down and cover the event for their blog!

Wild stories of VW camper vans, live music and beach yoga classes have my heart skipping beats and I'll probably burst with excitement on the train down there today. To even be asked is such a huge honour and I'm stoked that this brand are launching in my homeland~ I love losing myself in their collections, they always stir the wildness in me.

If you fancy following the fun in Cornwall this weekend you can do so on instagram: #fproadtrip

Back soon!

(with sand in my jorts probably ^.^)

mi casa

A little peek inside my new Chiswick residency!

 I can't tell you how good, and grown up, it feels to live in an an actual house again. After years of living in tiny Korean studio apartments and my room in my parent's home, to have so much delicious living space is kinda rocking my world right now.

I'm slowly adding twigs and feathers to my new nest. My bedroom is a work in progress, I've had a blissful few days re-watching Girls season 1 + 2 on the laptop while slowly unpacking and decorating. I'll be doing an IKEA run tomorrow to pick up some furnishings and doo dads to bring it all together and make it my own. All these months of pinning home decor will finally be put to good use as I'm full of ideas!

Hey! Did you vote for Stars in Jars to win the Free People UK Guest Blogger competition yet?

I was overjoyed to be selected for the final three and I sure would appreciate your vote!

2 seconds of your time por favor!

oh lovely readers...I need you!

My heart did ten back flips when I discovered Stars in Jars made it to the top three in the Free People UK Guest Blogger competition this week!!!

I submitted this post into the competition and then didn't give it a second thought so to be told I made the final 3 was so joyful! 

The next stage of the competition is to rack up the most votes. I just took a peek and I am trailing WAY behind the other two finalists haha!! 

Their posts are stellar though so muchos kudos to them >.<

If you, lovely readers, could take two seconds to click on the link below and vote for Stars in Jars today you will receive one sparkly unicorn and a magical rainbow cape in the post tomorrow.

Not really, but you will have made one girl very happy ^.^

Go team!!

http://blog.freepeople.com/2013/08/uk-guest-blogger-competition-vote-favorite-entry/

I'm so glad that you're here! Why not hitch your wagon to Stars in Jars?
>.<

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goin' up the country

My last few weeks on the Emerald Isle have had the most round house kickin'/ fist pumpin'/ air guitar playin' kinda effect on my heart.

My beautiful cousin and soul sister Finn came to visit for a long weekend. I'll be sharing a house with this amazing girl as well as some other pretty rad house-mates when I move to West London tomorrow (TOMORROW!).

We managed to squeeze in a full day of sightseeing, Irish coffees and pub time in my parent's home-town before packing up the car to head off to Kerry for a big old family knees up.

A 5 hour car journey, way too many travel sweets and one retail park pit stop later we were in beautiful Killarney in Kerry to visit my aunt and her family. It was a girly affair with 4 aunties and three girly cousins staying up way past the witching hour at the kitchen table drinking wine, taking photographs and swapping family anecdotes.

I treasured the opportunity to connect with my little cousin Zio as it's only the second chance I have had to meet her since she was adopted from Vietnam when she was a baby. Such a funny, smart and kind little human being, she just adored getting to know her grown up cousins and we took every opportunity to play with her and get to know her beautiful personality.

When she jumped on my bed one morning and said "Let's play 'Mamas and darlings', you can be the Mama and I'll be the darling" (a game she learned from a tv show apparently) I seriously thought my uterus would go off like a bomb. Sigh. 

As well as the (several) maternal ticks and twitches I also thanked my moon and stars for being blessed with such a huge close-knit family and I relished the chance to bond with some seriously cool female matriarchs. 

Killarney is a treat to visit and if you're ever considering a tour of Ireland it will tick every box~ I particularly fell in love with this time capsule tea room which we all loved so much we ate lunch in it two days on the trot. Smoked salmon and poached eggs and eggs benedict for the girl who wanted to run away with the china. Delicious.

My flight to London leaves at mid-day tomorrow so it'll be an early night for me tonight. I can't wait to check in with my first post from my new home. Thank you to all of you who have left such sweet words of luck and encouragement for me on my journey. Hugs and kisses are on the wind to you all x x x

Thank you so much for reading! Why not hitch your wagon to Stars in Jars?
>.<

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