Belgium Part 1

So... I got to go to Belgium last week!

 Jacq and I went to visit our dear friend Esther. 

 

When we stepped into her apartment, it was like walking into a magazine! She gets all her furniture secondhand, and paints it herself. Look at this gorgeous old table she got at a farm.

 Eating on a balcony=being on holiday

 We hung out in Brussels city centre

 And Esther took us to the most AMAZING flea market ever

Looking at this photo makes me jealous of myself.... digging through piles and piles of old clothes. What's in my arm? Oh not much... just several vintage dresses I got for 2 euro each! Aaaah!!!! Curse you Ryanair and your baggage restrictions! 

Next time I'm checking a bag.

I have learned two lessons:

1. My husband is the most amazing EVER (ok I already knew that)

2. If I mention in a blog post that I want something, Mike will get it for me (?!)

 

  I am the proud new owner of the most GORGEOUS bike in the world. 

And it has a detachable basket.  

Yep. 

Our friends own a bike shop so Mike got a great deal.

And I married Mike so I got a great deal.

So pretty much everyone wins.

But my bike gets first place.

Now I will casually post some more things I like and further test lesson number 2:

 

Quay Designs

Vintage? Yes. Creative? Yes. Irish? Yes..... We stumbled upon this gorgeous shop after leaving the used furniture store the other day. Cliona Higgins of Quay Designs will make all your furniture dreams come true! Well, that is if your furniture dreams include unique vintage furniture in bright, happy colours all snug inside an old brick building along the lovely River Lee...

Isn't she cute? And so talented! She was on her 6th coat of paint when I took this photo. And I think I'm doing well when I put on a second coat of paint. Oh dear...

And look at the outside! 

The bunting and those gorgeous doors lured us in.

So, thanks to Cliona, I was inspired to re-do my lovely corner cupboard properly! As in, sanding, cleaning, undercoat, etc.

 

It smelled horrible. Like stale tobacco and sour alcohol mixed with mildew. I scrubbed it for ages!

Then I sanded it and painted it with an undercoat. I almost just left it this colour because I really liked it. 

 

I wanted the inside to be bright, so I mixed a bunch of old blue and green paint I had...

 And then I painted the inside blue and the outside white.

And here it is, in the corner!

 I put this tea set inside, along with some old books

I love my new corner cupboard! 

(and look at my bouquet of sweet peas from the garden! Yay!)

Furniture Fever

Unique, affordable furniture in Ireland is hard to come by. Houses here come furnished, which definitely helps to stifle any creativity one may have. If I lived in California, I'd furnish my house from garage sales and the Salvation Army, but we don't have either of those here. So... imagine my joy when my best friend stumbled upon a secondhand furniture shop only minutes from my house! I rode my (Mike's) bike there today to browse around with Jacqueline...

 

 Ok bad photo, but still I had to prove that they have everything! From sinks...

to butter dishes (isn't this so cute with the mushrooms?)

 To stuffed weasels...

 I might have just taken this home with me! Not on the bike of course. I had to come back with the car. My next project will be doing up this gorgeous cabinet. I'm thinking turquoise. And look at the flowers!

 

 Jacq got a matching one, so now we will have BFF corner units. Pretty awesome!

Cork Cycling Festival

This week, Cork is celebrating cycling. There are different themed bike rides going on around the city; and when Mike heard they were doing a community gardens cycle, he knew I'd love it. And he was right! I have to say I felt a little awkward just joining a bunch of strangers to cycle around, but my lovely friend Margaux agreed to come, so that made a world of difference. Of course it was raining... so that spoiled my plans to look like the girl above... or my grandma below:

Instead I had to be practical in an old raincoat. And I don't have a bike of my own, so I took Mike's. It's pretty cute nonetheless (the bike that is, not the coat)!

We went to two community gardens in the city- neither of which I'd ever been too. So amazing! These gardens are bursting with all kinds of flowers, vegetables, and herbs... they're hidden gems, literally secret gardens nestled amongst the buildings of the city. The first garden was in a convent. We got to collect herbs and lettuces, and I ate a few nasturtiums!

It's a California poppy, in Ireland... couldn't resist.

 

 Margaux being a little rabbit.

The second garden was across town, so off we went...

 (check out my biking skills- taking a photo while cycling in the middle of the road- so scary!)

 Had a cup of tea in the greenhouse-turned-cafe

 

Then we collected loads of vegetables for the yummiest dinner ever!

 

 

 Now I am obsessed with bikes and want my own. The Glamorous Housewife recently featured this bike, and I don't think anything could be cuter!

Yes please!