{stack of mail from here}

Happy Friday, everyone! Are you looking forward to the weekend? I have lots of projects planned and I’m very excited to do a little autumn baking.

I thought I’d share with you these two sweet mail-related ideas I found around the web over the last few weeks. Do you write real letters and send them with a stamp? It’s such a novelty these days and no matter how convenient email is, getting a letter in the mail is still so thrilling.

Newspaper Taxi is having a “We Love Mail” competition. You send a little treat from your desk (stickers, a note card, that sort of thing) to them and they’ll pick three names from all the people who send in mail. Then those three people will win all the treats sent in! Now that would be a fun package to get. Stationary bits from around the world would be a very fun surprise.

Crane Paper is running a simpler project – mail them a letter and they’ll mail you back. An instant little pen pal! And you’ll be entered to win a selection of Crane Paper stationary. Very luxurious.

While I understand both of these projects are good publicity and marketing for the blog or company, it’s also a really nice idea. I love the idea of bringing back mailed letters so I think I’m going mail off these two this weekend along with another few letters to people I actually know!

Have a lovely weekend!

{doesn’t that host look pretty relaxed?)

The garden party we threw over last weekend was the first real party Michael and I really ever hosted. We’ve had smaller gatherings and barbecues and tons of low-key dinner parties, but never a proper party. It was a learning experience for both of us – and we managed to make it through alive!

With only one party under our belts, we’re by no means experts. That said, I thought I’d share a few basic party tips and tricks we found along the way.

The more candles, the better

We made a special trip to Ikea (cheap and cheerful!) last week and stocked up on candles of all sizes and shapes. We also picked up those tiny glass tea light holders. They’re very inexpensive and you can hide them in lots of little nooks.

We also collected empty wine bottles for a few weeks ahead of the party and soaked them in water to take off the labels. Then we collected colorful autumn leaves and glued them to the bottles. I knew we’d only use the bottles outdoors and that we’d probably only use them once, so we weren’t too particular with the leaves. The leaves have already dried out and fallen off some of the bottles since the party, but for the night, they did the trick. We stuck white taper candles in the bottles and they added height to our candle collections around the patio.

Stay simple, collect, and repeat

Choose a simple decorating theme, a simple color scheme, and repeat it. We decided to go with cheery autumn colors and lots of found, natural materials. When the weather started to change a few weeks before the party, I knew we weren’t going to be able to use cheery summer colors, but I was not ready to dive right into fall with more moody colors. So we  picked yellow, orange and gold.

Keep your eye out for outdoor materials you can use (but check for permission if they belong to someone!) . I knew there was an enormous bush full of orange berries by the train station that I could cut branches from for days without depleting the supply.

I can’t take any credit for the tip of repeating the decorations everywhere. I knew we’d have tons of candles in every corner and on every surface, but my dear friend Naomi gets all the credit for putting those orange berries everywhere. It was dramatic and simple – she even put a few sprigs in the bathroom!

Think ahead about seating

Seating and the flow of a party isn’t my strong suit, but luckily it’s one of Michael’s favorite parts when planning a party. And he happens to be fantastic at it. He used tea lights to direct our guests through the house to the back (it’s a long, narrow house!) where the party was. He also set up the “cellar” bar in our shed which would draw people away from the food where people tend to congregate and clog up the space.

Signpost the food

I had every intention of making little signs for the food, but simply ran out of time. It’s the one thing I would definitely have done if I had a few minutes to spare. I spent a ton of time (happily!) explaining what the dishes were. This wouldn’t be a bad thing except whenever I’m asked what’s in something, I feel compelled to say how great it is and how easy it is to make and how I can just send you the recipe and you just have to make it. Every single time. I’m sure it was exhausting for my party guests and it wore me out too!

So if you’re at all cheerful and cheerleader-y like me, signpost the food and save your guests! I often make little flags and glue them to toothpicks to stick into a dish. Very sweet!

What about you? Do you have a few tried and true party tricks? Do share!

I have a soft spot in my heart for general stores. I grew up on a tiny street in China Village that had little more than a library, a post office, a general store and a few houses. The general store was the place where the town congregated. Jack, who ran the general store with his family, knew everyone. It made our town feel like a community to have a central point where everyone had to stop to pick up milk or put gas in their cars – with the bonus that Jack would always know your name!

Sadly, since I moved to Ireland, Jack’s general store went out of business and is now vacant. I have occasional daydreams of buying the lot and making a cafe/bakery/shop/playground. All I’d need is a rich benefactor and I’d be there in a heartbeat.

Since I’ve yet to find that benefactor, I thought I’d share this sweet online general store with you today. Brookfarm General Store has a physical location in Brooklyn, but the online shop is beautiful too!

Here are a few of my favorite picks.

{did you know you can heat whiskey rocks and use them to keep your drinks warm?!}

All products found here.

When we first started talking about the idea of throwing a garden party, I envisioned it as a summer fete. Instead, with autumn arriving mid-August, it turned into a welcoming autumn affair. And it was lovely.

We set up a gazebo in the back garden, brought over an extra outdoor heater from Mike’s parents’ house, moved a bunch of furniture around, and decorated.

We used bright orange berries we picked from an enormous bush at the train station around the corner, and leaves that had already turned colors and fallen to the ground. We’re nothing if not resourceful!

To top it all off, we lit about a million candles. It made for wonderful, cozy ambiance as we welcomed a new season with our friends and family.

{see the pretty table runner? just long paper stamped with gold painted leaves! elegant and easy!}

{huge thanks to our friend Naomi for helping decorate with those orange berries – they were everywhere and looked fab!}

{my sister-in-law, Angie, also made a welcome sign for the front door that matched the table runner but I forgot to take a photo!

{there was even a bit of this in the afternoon as we were getting ready! actual blue sky!}

{see? orange berries everywhere!}

{and the only shot of any food I took all night! too busy chatting!}

{my two decorating assistants helped glue autumn-y leaves onto wine bottles that we used to hold even more candles}

{can you believe this is our garden shed? Michael jazzed it up by hanging plain fabric and putting our dining table out there with wine and beer. wish we could keep it all year! we called it the cellar and made it a sign!}

{now for proof that there were people at the party!}

{blurry photo of me with the fantastic decorating duo!}

{such agreeable party-goers!}

Such a fun evening and a great way to officially say goodbye to summer!

{isn’t my city pretty?}

Hello, neglected readers, long time no talk! I got caught up this week with a few upcoming projects and an impending party and just didn’t get to spend any quality time with my computer! So, sadly, a few missed posts.

But the good news is next week is looking a lot more peaceful, with much more time for the projects and craftiness that have been buzzing around my head for the last few weeks.

I’ve also got fun photos to share of a wine tasting and I’ll have tons to report on our garden party! Fingers crossed for the gale force winds to die down after tonight, and that it stays dry!

What do you all have planned for the weekend? I’d love to hear!

Good morning, everyone! Happy Tuesday!

I had the day off from work yesterday, so I decided to take the day off from blogging as well. It was a slow weekend and I didn’t cram in as many fun things as I had planned. But I did work on one little creative project for my sister-in-law.

My sister-in-law, Angie, got a job teaching in a school here in Dublin a few weeks ago. She started last week and so far I think she’s loving it! But the one problem she’s having is her kids (7 and 8 year olds) are having a hard time remembering her name. There aren’t too many Westbrooks’ around these parts. In fact, I think we might be the only family in this whole country called Westbrooks, but I wouldn’t want to put money on it.

So yesterday, I whipped out a piece of drift wood from my (ever growing) stash and got out my paints and paintbrushes.

{That’s supposed to be ivy, not paw prints. I’m a little out of practice. And in my defense, driftwood is not very smooth.}

Now they’ll remember who she is! It’s a little more serious than I’d normally do, but I thought I should use proper lettering in case any poor 7-year-old is trying to copy it!

This exhibition of Matisse’s illustrated books has been on in the Chester Beatty Library for months and I’m just getting the news now! According to nearly every Dubliner I’ve talked to, the Chester Beatty Library is the best in Ireland. It’s free, and it’s even open on Mondays! (Most museums in Dublin aren’t.)

The exhibition is on until September 23rd, so I’m planning to drag Michael along on Sunday. Drag is probably too strong, maybe tug him along. Unless there’s a match on television, in which case I’m on my own. These Irish boys and their football. Sheesh.

{pretty images from here}

Anyone want to join me?