Inspiration Exchange

I recently received an "inspiration exchange" from a friend.  Essentially a chain email, something I normally dread, but this I loved.   I sent out on inspiring quote and in return received many back.  I thought it would be fun to share some of these each week and hopefully as you read these you will be inspired as well! To start off, here is the quote that I shared for the "inspiration exchange".  Enjoy!!!

Travel Diary: Girls Trip! Ballymaloe House

For as long as I can remember, I've heard about Ballymaloe House in County Cork, Ireland.  It is one of my Mom's favorite places in Ireland (and maybe the world).  She had visited with my Dad years ago and raved about everything, from the late night hot chocolate to the cooking school with Darina Allen.  So when we decided to book a trip to visit for Mother's Day, I knew I had a lot to look forward to.

After mastering my driving skills on the left side of the road (and taking out a few bushes along the way) we arrived at Ballymaloe and wow! The property is amazing and the house itself stunning.

Driving Up to Ballymaloe House

Ballymaloe (pronounced Bally-ma-loo) House manages to create a very elegant yet casual space and this vibe is felt throughout the entire property.  Upon our arrival, I toured the house and knew how lucky I was to be able to spend two nights!  Even as we sat at a beautiful (and delicious!) 5 course dinner in the dining room, we never felt as if we were in a formal restaurant.  Instead, I felt like a guest in someone's private country home.  

Room with a view! Each of the rooms are decorated differently and ours faced out onto the lovely gardens.  

The drawing room, where we enjoyed some delicious tea and "biscuits" next to the fire.

How cool is this dining room? I love the mix of old and new with the elegant furniture and finishings, yet the contemporary artwork.

After exploring and indulging in the delicious food that Ballymaloe offers, we needed a little fresh air and decided to take a walk along the Ballycotton Cliffs.  We lucked out with the most beautiful day.

The Cliffs.

A sunny day in Ireland!

The next day, we were signed up for an afternoon cooking demonstration with Darina Allen.  This was certainly one of the highlights of the trip.  This woman is a powerhouse! She runs the cooking school at Ballymaloe House offering both a 12 week intensive program, as well as day courses.  The school is located on a 100 acre organic farm and puts an emphasis on local ingredients and sustainable farming, something that we should all be focusing more on these days!

Arriving at the "Cookery School".

Darina demonstrating 10 Great Brunch Recipes.  We got to do a tasting at the end and everything was delicious!

After the cooking demonstration we took a walk around the gardens.  While I will never have anything like this living in the city, I will make sure to save these photos for future inspiration.

Solar Panels in the Herb Garden.

Impeccable gardens.

Life size chess, yes please!

I was so inspired by these beautiful gardens that I actually came home and replanted the small potted plants I keep outside of our house.

The Hen House!


How cute are those baby chicks?

Beautiful gardens leading to the Shell House.

The exterior of the Shell House.

Every inch is covered in shells!

Shell Chandelier

The detail of the shell pattern is incredible.

From the delicious and local food, to the beautiful surroundings and extremely friendly staff, Ballymaloe is a must for anyone planning a trip to Ireland.  You really get to relax and feel like you are a guest in someone's home.  If you are near Cork I highly recommend it!

And if my endorsement isnt enough :-) Checkout the Kerrygold Ballymaloe Lit Fest taking place this weekend and featuring some fabulous guest speakers, from Yotam Ottolenghi to Rene Redzepi of Noma (you know, that restaurant that just got rated best in the WOLRD?!!). 

Im Back...

Well, to say I've taken a bit of a hiatus would be an understatement, the last few months have forced me to take a step back from work and blogging.  However, its for a good reason...come September baby NC will be making her arrival!! With all of the baby excitement, its hard not to focus on what I think will be the most fun part of the prep, the nursery!!

We will be converting our guest room into the baby's room and since its small to begin with I am looking for furniture solutions that work with small spaces.   Like all of my spaces, I prefer to use mix of high and low priced pieces.   So far I'm loving the Stokke Crib, this fab fold out sofa and instead of a changing table, I think im going to use this dresser from Ikea and pickup some of these overlays (I will have to get them when I am home in the States, as they dont ship to the UK yet).

Here is my moodboard so far.  I am getting so excited to pull all of this together and create the perfect room for the baby!