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AS THE NIGHTS draw in and Halloween beckons we’re embracing all things cosy, comforting and even a little creepy this week. From great party decorations to magic spells to keep boredom at bay here are some great ideas writes Ruth O’Connor.
Be inspired at this weekend’s PTSB Ideal Home Show
Seeking advice on all things home and garden this Autumn? Then the PTSB Ideal Home Show may be just the place for you. Returning to the RDS Simmonscourt this Friday to Sunday, the event is where you’ll spot lots of familiar faces including Diarmuid Gavin, Dermot Bannon, Donal Skehan and Hugh Wallace alongside many of Ireland’s leading home improvement and building experts. Find inspiration on everything from energy upgrades and modular homes to smart technology and the latest trends in home furnishings all under one roof. Meanwhile head to three advice stages across the show, including the DFS Interiors Theatre Stage hosted by journalist Jo Linehan, for all the inspiration and advice you need.
Website: idealhome.ie Instagram: @idealhomedublin
Set the scene with great Halloween lights
Online store Lights4Fun have a brilliant range of lights for Halloween from light-up broomsticks, spooky skeletons, animated ghosts in pumpkins and spiderwebs for outdoor use to cute little TruGlow® Ghost LED candles that are safer than the real thing with little ones around. If a less ghoulish version of decorations is more your scene they also have a wide range of autumnal lights to add a cosy, seasonal atmosphere to your home including light-up pumpkins in amber glass, white mini ceramic pumpkins and pre-lit garlands and wreaths.
Add some texture to your home this Halloween with a knitted ‘puimcíní’
These lovely knitted puimcíní are handmade by Aideen from The Little Siopa and great for adding texture to your autumn decorations. They are available in lots of different colours and have an engraved sustainable cork leather tag stem which says the ‘puimcín patch’ or ‘teeny puimcíní’ on it. They are made with premium acrylic yarn or a wool/ acrylic tweed yarn, stuffed with recycled plastic filler and will last a long time if well looked after. They’re available in two sizes – large at €18 and small priced at three puimcíní €24. The Little Siopa also stocks beautiful knitwear for babies and children including new jumpers and cardigans and preloved handknitted treasures which can be embroidered with a child’s name or favourite word.
Decorate for Halloween in style
With collaborations that include Ladurée and Liberty and features in magazines from Architectural Digest to Martha Stewart, it’s safe to say that MeriMeri is a stylish place to source decorations for a party. They have super-cute decorations for parties for little kids including honeycomb witches and spiders, spinning ghosts and bat garlands, as well as everything you need for a special Halloween party table including decorative black cat plates and spell book napkins, Halloween cake toppers and pumpkin-shaped placemats. Beyond Halloween they have a wide range of affordable products and themes that are bound to make party planning a lot easier for busy parents – think ponies and princesses, dinosaurs and diggers, roller skates and race cars and everything in between.
Keep the kids occupied with these nature-inspired spells
Scared of the terror of boredom this mid-term break? Keep your little witches and wizards occupied with the sweetest nature-inspired potion making kits by Irish company Moonbeams and Moss. Crafted in a ‘spell shed’ in the Wicklow Mountains, Moonbeams and Moss is the creation of children’s book author and illustrator Kitty Moss and inspired by the idea that nature is the greatest spellbook. Each handmade potion kit is a magical experience for children aged four to 10 and is part sensory play, part storytelling. Inside each kit are safe, non-toxic natural ingredients, magical nature facts and hand-illustrated spell cards designed to spark wonder and connection to the natural world. Beautifully presented and designed to spark curiosity and creativity these kits are sure to appeal to young fans of Harry Potter or Isadora Moon.
Bag a bargain with Lidl’s devilish decor
Lidl is offering some spooktacular Halloween decoration to customers this year with a wide range of decorations to set a spooky scene from LED Spider Webs (€10.99) and Halloween Doorbells (€4.99) to DIY Door Bows (€6.99) and Spooky Window Stickers (99c). Available in stores now.
Create a cosy home this autumn with Made Local designs
Last week’s launch of the Design & Crafts Council’s Made Local campaign was, as ever, an inspiring affair. Launched in 2020 the nationwide initiative is designed to celebrate the originality and craftsmanship that goes into products that are made in Ireland and to encourage members of the public to buy Irish made products at any time of year but especially in the run up to Christmas. By choosing to shop local you can help to support the almost 1,500 DCCI designers and makers 350 retailers taking part in the campaign – helping to support jobs and local economies as well as bagging yourself some pretty unique, high-quality products at the same time. Pictured above is the Floreo pendant light by Alan Horgan Studio, cushions by Mourne Textiles, a sciob by Ciaran Hogan, a black stoneware vessel by Jars of Clay Ceramics, a woollen blanket by Ériu, handcrafted wooden lovebirds by Tommy Carew Design, a sculptural wooden vessel by edpcreative and an orange glass bowl by Atlantic Glass. .
Search for local craft and design makers and retailers in your area at madelocal.ie .
Tell some (ghost) stories around a Seanchaí Ember candle
Fires have long been a focal point for gathering and storytelling the world over and in Ireland the open fire has long been a site of comfort and companionship. Growing up, Siobhán Kehoe of heritage candle company Rathbornes was always fascinated by the traditional open fires to be found in many Irish homes as well as by the role of traditional Irish storytellers or ‘seanchaí’. These two things have inspired the brand’s latest scent range Seanchai Ember which blends pink pepper and pear with magnolia and rose on a rich base of roasted coffee, cedarwood, ambergris and patchouli to evoke the scent of the Irish hearth. Perfect for this time of year, the new scent is available in a range of luxurious products that includes their Classic Candle (190g) €50, Travel Candle (75g ) €30 and Diffuser (200ml) €65.
YesColour paint collaboration marks 100 years of Green Spot
If your idea of a great night at home is one with good tunes, great friends and an excellent whiskey on hand, then you’ll be intrigued by this unusual pairing. To celebrate 100 years of Green Spot whiskey, the brand has partnered with UK paint company YesColours to create a bespoke Green Spot-inspired paint shade. Designed to echo the famous green spot, once daubed on the casks of ten-year-old whiskey at Mitchell and Son, the custom paint shade celebrates 100 years of ‘creative craftsmanship’ at Green Spot. To celebrate the partnership, a vivid green brushstroke appears across limited edition bottles, and the first 100 in-store purchases at the Mitchell and Son store at The Vaults, Dublin, will receive a complimentary YesColour paint sample with their purchase. The deep green hue has a sense of heritage and weight – ideal for that little snug you’re planning for the front room, perhaps?
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