Harmony Design Studio

I recently took part in a fundraising event, a Girls Night in aid of our local kickboxing club here in Leixlip, Bushido Martial Arts.  I’m putting this Thank You on my blog here as some of those who donated prizes for the raffle and spot prizes are from the craft community and I’d like to acknowledge their support at this time.

For the best part the event was organised through Facebook and I have included our Thank You post here.

I’d like to give a special thanks to Mary & Greg Whelan from Irish Linen House for the lovely gift of their Christmas Table Runner.  I have mentioned Greg and Mary here before as I first met them a number of years ago when they first launched their range of table ware at Showcase and it’s wonderful to see how they have grown and flourished in the meantime. Their range can be viewed online and are stocked as far a field as Canada and the US, as well as here in Ireland.  For more information check the website Irish Linen House.

If you are buying gifts this holiday season please try to shop local, if you can’t buy local then please buy Irish!

Well the closing date for the CAO is coming around fast.  The homework has been done and the open days in the colleges, universities and Institutes of Technology have all taken place and the revelant visits have happened.

The newspapers have all had their features on the subject and the form is about to be submitted in our house.

The list has been drafted, having visited the NUI Maynooth last week we had a better understanding of how to go about filling out the form.  All we can do now is wait, lend support and hope things work out ok.

A great new iPhone application was launched recently which allows the user to see how much they could save when they replaced their existing light bulbs with energy saving light bulbs.  With energy costs raising and the introduction of carbon tax this is the one way that we can take control of the costs to ourselves.  So why not download the app at the iTunes Store where is costs €2.99 and see the real savings you can make.  Eco-Blubz will show you the light!

Check out the site Eco-Bulbz for further information about the application.

A fellow blogger who writes the blog on Breast Cancer, http://beyondbreastcancer.wordpress.com/ had a post earlier this week about the Pink Auction.

I’m delighted to let you all know that I’m taking part in the Show Your Business event at the Bank Of Ireland on the Main Street in Blanchardstown, as part of National Enterprise Week, I’ve been there most of this week and will be there again tomorrow.

I have a range of my clocks on display, so if you are in the area and would like to view them, then do drop by and say hello. 

I’m pleased to let you all know that I am now a contributor to the Child and Parent focused free magazine which is distributed to schools and businesses in the the Kildare and West Wicklow area.  The magazine is called Optimum and the link to their site is www.optimummagazine.net

The launch issue was released just before the Easter Holidays and the next issue is due out prior to the Summer Holidays.  I’m happy to receive suggestions for the next article or answer any interior design questions in the OptiMum Interiors section.

Its a wonderful magazine packed with useful information and valuable articles that are child focused. 

Those of you who know me well, would know that my son is involved in martial arts, and there is a very worthy event taking place in the martial arts calander this very weekend 5th to 7th March 2010. The  Irish Open 2010 International is an annual event, held at around this time with the ISPCC benefiting.
The new venue for this year is City West Conference Centre, but being a bigger venue it requires a larger audience to …fill the venue. There are international teams arriving all week to take part.
This is officially the largest martial arts event in World and though attracting an audience would be great, any sponsors that would like to come on board would also be very welcome. There are 2150 participants from 31 countries, with many international names attending again as in the past.

Again any help in promoting this event would be greatly appreciated. The event will be opened by Pat Hickey Olympic of the Council of Ireland at 11am on Sunday 7th.

Further information can be found at http://www.irishopenonline.com

I had a great day on Monday last at Showcase 2010 at the RDS in Dublin.  It turned into a bloggers meet up, an unexpected one at that, I had been planning to met Lorna from Garrendenny Lane Interiors.  While there Lorna had been planning to catch up with Paula from Mable & Violet and Angela from LivingRoom, so the four of us had a great chat about blogging and business. 

It’s something that we are planning to do again in the future, to catch up and swap ideas.  I really enjoyed meeting my fellow bloggers.

I was tagged the other day by Lorna, from Garrendenny Lane Interiors - I enjoyed reading the answers to the questions which she provided, it’s good fun really to read insights into other people’s lives that you are getting to know through their blogs.
So Here are the rules:

1. Respond and rework: Answer the questions on your blog, replace one question that you dislike with a question of your invention, add one more question of your own.

2. Tag eight other people.

Here goes……………

What is your current obsession? I seem to have so many at the moment!! Marketing for the Electrical Business (http://www.pedreschi.com) both online and offline.
Plus marketing for the craft business, I’ve always got my head in one or two books.  At the mo it “Google - Adworks that work”. Wordpress Theme designs in another that I’ve just started and the “Shopaholics Top 1000 Websites”

What’s for dinner? Had planned on a BBQ - but its raining this morning so hopefully it’ll brighten up by this evening
What would you eat for your last meal? Chicken breast, stuffed with breadcrumbs and sun dried tomatoes, wrapped in parma ham, roast veg, roast potatoes, followed by ice cream (I love my deserts)

What was the last thing you bought? A new football for my son, when he finished his Junior Cert, all his other balls were burst.

What are you listening to right now?  Pat Kenny on RTE1.

What is your favourite piece of clothing in your own wardrobe? At the moment, it’s a long white linen top that can be dressed up or down. 

What is your favourite ice cream flavour? It has to be French style vanilla, seeds and all - The big blue box from Lidl is lovely!

What do you think of the person(s) who tagged you? She’s lovely and I’d call her a friend. She supplied the furniture for the Interior Designer of the Year Competition in 2007 that I entered, we spend a few days getting it set up at the RDS in Dublin.

If you could go anywhere in the world for the next hour, where would you go? It would have to be France, I just love it, the buildings, the people, the food its the place I’d love to live.

Which language do you want to learn? I’d love to be able to speak French. I have done evening classes - three or four times but you really have to pratice a language.

What is your favourite colour? Blue - any shade at all

What is your dream job? I’m working on it!  While we have a very successful electrical company, I wanted to turn my hobby into a career so now combine interior design, my handmade clocks/craft/art and the online shop with the electrical business. It is hard work but the rewards are great.

What brings you joy?  Seeing my son enjoying being on his summer holidays, following his exams - life is great when your fifteen!

If you had £100 now, what would you spend it on? Handbags. I have it bad.

What book are you currently reading? Anything to do with business, interior design and art, colour design and pattern!

Describe your personal style? I’m always on the go - so I spend a lot of my time in jeans and a top - but I love to dress up too, I recently spent far too much on a little black dress, for a big night, when Pedreschi Electrical and Alarms Limited won the RECI Contractor of the Year award 2009, for the Dublin region.

What are you going to do after this? Get to work on my paperwork, I have the VAT to sort and the paperwork for our big day next week when we’re being accessed for the PSA Private Security Authority licence.

What are your favourite movies? Harry Potter, The Italian Job, anything lighthearted!

What is your favourite fruit? Cherries, Strawberries and green grapes.

What inspires you? Pattern and form, word and sounds, colour and more colour, they all influnce my art!

Do you collect something? I love jewellery, I have a small collection of vintage brooches thanks to ebay, they remind me of my grandmothers!

If you could change your name to anything, what would you call yourself? I don’t think that I would, I believe that my name is reflected in me. Niamh is an Irish name and its meaning is brightness.

What is your favourite smell? Nothing beats the smell of home baking, but I also love the smell created when painting with oils - theres something about the smell of the paint, turps and linseed oil.

What are you most proud of? My son, he’s a great lad, has a great bunch of friends, he loves his sport which is kickboxing - he started when he was five.

How many times do you press the snooze button before you get up? About six - I don’t count

Cats or dogs? Definitely dogs. Our dog is a border collie who is sixteen and still going.

What’s your biggest fashion mistake? I have to say stuff from the 80s - jump suits with large floral prints.

What is your guilty TV pleasure? Anything to do with property, I wouldn’t watch any soaps, but wouldn’t miss any/all property shows including those ones in far away places.

What did you want to be when you grew up? I can’t remember anything in particular - just know that I wanted to be the boss!

What is your biggest regret? Not being able to have more children. Infertility is a terrible thing, but when you’re caught up in it you’re blinkered. I have come to terms with my lot now though and really appreciate what I have.

What is your worse decorating disaster? It would have to be wallpaper from the early 90’s, it was black marble effect wallpaper that we had in our bathroom, we thought it was so cool at the time.

That’s it!  The eight people I’m tagging are (and I’m really looking forward to finding out more about them): this is to follow - I’m working on it - if you’d like to be featured leave a comment………..

This is a sneak peak into the new collection that I’m working on the Funky Collection.

Harmony Design Studio was featured on TV3’s Ireland AM recession business slot on Friday June 5th. 

The programme is such a great resource as a marketing platform for small, new businessess particularly during these hard times.  I am really happy that I was given the opportunity to showcase my business to such a large and varied audience.  I really enjoyed the experience and the hosts Mark and Sinead made us all feel at ease right from the start.  

For those of you who are visiting the site for the first time I have given a brief overview to the background and how the business was established.  The business is the brainchild of Niamh Pedreschi who registered the business name in November 2008 and the online shop went live at the end of March 2009.

Niamh has a diploma in residential interior design and has been a self taught artist exhibiting her paintings and handmade clocks for a number of years. The art up to now has been viewed as a hobby.

Harmony Design Studio features an interior design blog along with a gallery page and the all important online shop. Transactions are made via PayPal or there is a downloadable order form which can be completed and ordered in the traditional way via post when accompanied with a cheque or postal order.

The handmade clocks are all individual and no two are the same, they are functional art. The mixed media canvas is embellished with glass mosaics amongst other items. Commissions can also be taken for a specific size or colour scheme. Commissions can be taken for your own design, company logo can be incorporated to make a statement piece/timepiece for your reception area or boardroom.

Niamh has sixteen years business experience in running a successful electrical and alarm contracting firm along with her husband Daniel. Pedreschi Electrical & Alarms Limited is a small family run business that has recently been awarded with the accolade of being named RECI Contractor of the Year 2009, in the Dublin Region for the Residential Category.

The website for the electrical business is http://www.pedreschi.com

The backstory on how I started making clocks is a simple one really.  The first clock that I made was for my son, it was May 2002 and Harry Potter was big in our house.  Daniel had made a headboard from MDF in the shape of a castle and I had painted it in the style of Harry Potter.  I had also painted a mural on one of the bedroom walls.  With some left over timber we cut out the shape of what we though a snitch should look like and I mounted a clock into it.  The next time that I was preparing for an art exhibition I decided to mount a clock into the canvas. Thats where it started and it has grown from there.

Thanks for dropping by and do leave a comment.

For those of you who didn’t get a chance to view the programme heres the link  http://www.tv3.ie/videos.php?video=9812&locID=1.65.74

Well the weathers great again today, which is good news for all the festivals taking place around the country.  The tall ships are in Dublin this weekend - but closer to home for me is the Leixlip festival.  This festival is now in its 20th year, its really great for all the residents and business in the town.

Street entertainment on the main street features Clowns, jugglers, stilt walker, fire eaters, magic punch and judy show.  Carnival rides for both young and old along with craft stalls.  There is also a summer fair in the grounds of St. Mary’s Church where there is face painting and bric-a-brac to name but a few.

Music features too with local young bands playing in the main street car park and the big names of  The Blizzards, Aslan and the Camembert Quartet all playing in the Courtyard Hotel.

The Tug O War on Sunday is always a great event with teams from local clubs and businessess taking part.  Sunday night sees Abbaesque in the main street car park followed by the Fireworks display.

So I’m expecting a lot of family to come and visit over the weekend and I’m looking forward to enjoying yet another festival, which is always great.

I finally got around to redesigning the logo for Harmony Design Studio, its the last of the items on my to do list following the rebranding from pedreschi.ie and I must say that I’m happy with the overall logo.

It is in keeping with the previous logo in style and colour.

I am currently working on a new collection of clocks, the collection comprises of a number of one of a kind pieces in a range of funky colours…  I’ll put up some pictures when they are finished.

The inspiriation for this collection is Bloom in the Park.  I hope to have them finished by mid-week.

Bloom 2009 is well under way on the organisation front, the event takes place over the June Bank Holiday weekend.   As a registered craftsperson with the Crafts Council of Ireland there was a call to submit samples of work along with the presentation documentation, to take up a stand for the five day event. 

I gave this a lot of thought but decided against entering on the basis that the amount of time involved both in making the presentation and the setting up plus the show itself, the main factor being that my son is doing the Junior Certificate which starts on June 3rd.  So all in all we could as a family do without the stress.

I know that I’ll regret that I’m not taking part during the event - but it’s best for us to give it a miss for this year.  Further information can be found on www.bloominthepark.com or www.ccoi.ie

While attending the ISEC 2009 exhibition (Trade fair for security equipment) at the Citywest Conference Centre earlier today we called into Avoca in Rathcoole for tea and scones………….ummmm.

I just love their range of homewares and of course their Apple Tarts are just delicious, as are the scones.

They have a range of some items for sale via the website www.avoca.ie

I’m sorry that I have not been posting or updating of late, I am in the process of updating the new site, which will incorporate a shopping cart so you will all be able to purchase my art.  I am posting now just to let you all know what I’ve been up to, as I have been missed!

I applied for and received tickets to attend the Crown Colourmix Classic Collection, which was held on Tuesday 24th February.  This evening was hosted by Crown Paints along with House and Home Magazine, there were introductions by Kevin Whelan Marketing Director of Crown Paints plus Eimear Nic an Bhaird Editor of House and Home.  The setting was just amazing and fitted in very well with the overall atmosphere that was being created.  The location for the event was at Fallon & Byrne in Exchequer Street, Dublin who served delicious canapés and wine on the night.  The purpose of the evening was to launch the classic collection, a range of 48 colours which were compiled by Crown’s Colour Consultant Neville Knott.  The colour charts should be availabe at stockists by now.  The collection was revealed by Neville Knott along with the trends and inspiration that lead to the colours being included in the Classic Collection. It was a very enjoyable evening. The contact details for Crown Paints are www.crownpaints.ie and for House and Home Magazine www.houseandhome.ie  For the inside scoop Eimear has recently started a blog http://houseandhomemagazine.blogspot.com 

I had a chat with Neville who is in the process of filming the new series of Showhouse for RTE, regarding the current climate and the construction industry in general,  this is a subject that is very close to my heart as its the industry from which we make a living. 

We have given the site for the electrical business a complete overhaul also and will be announcing an exciting bit of news in the next week or so at www.pedreschi.com so drop by there for the latest.

I’ve been busy taking photos of my clocks and art to use when I get the shopping cart up and running, plus having some of my work framed ready for submission to the end of year exhibition being held at the National College of Art & Design NCAD, which I’m looking forward to.

In the meantime its back to work on www.tradefinderdirect.ie which I’ll be relaunching at Easter (hopefully),  the site is undergoing a complete overhaul which was badly needed.  I have a few pdf’s to get sorted by then.

Following on from yesterday evening when we ventured out in the snow to take pictures of the Wonderful Barn in Leixlip, I just knew that I’d like to have the same pictures taken during daylight hours.

So when my son arrived home early as his jr. cert mocks finished early we got ourselves wrapped up warm and headed to the wonderful barn and again took the cameras along.

I have tried to take the pictures from the same aspect to give a better picture to compare daylight 14.00hrs and evening/dusk 18.00hrs yesterday.  It had snowed again in Leixlip today but we had some sunshine between the showers.

Wonderful Barn Leixlip

Wonderful Barn, Leixlip

Wonderful Barn, Leixlip

Although there was no one around today but ourselves it wasn’t as eerie as yesterday evening.

The snow as my husband put it “Is as uplifting as a bright summers day” and I know just what he means.  At this gloomy dreary time of year along with the gloomy bad news on a daily basis it has a cleansing effect.  So when the snow arrived this evening we decided to head out for a walk in the Wonderful Barn in Leixlip,  it was 18.00hrs and the snow was still falling.  I took along the camera and took the following pictures, I had the flash switched off so the light is as natural as can be depicted.  Due to the time there had been nobody around the snow was fresh and it was very eerie.

Wonderful Barn Leixlip

Wonderful Barn Leixlip

Wonderful Barn Leixlip

My home 02.02.2009

This final picture is of our home as taken from the front gate, we bought it in April 2004 and moved in at the end of June 2004, we seem to have been renovating and building forever.  It’s amazing how colour can have different effects as it is seen here the driveway is clean and crisp and white - in fact the driveway is nice shiny dark new tarmacadam.

I am happy to say that customer service is alive and well in Golden Discs.  My son received a gift voucher for Christmas and as can happen it was discovered in the dryer, having being washed and dried and shrunk to the size of a postage stamp.

I phoned my local branch of Golden Discs and informed them of my dilemma, they then discussed the matter with their head office promptly returned my call within minutes with the good news that they would honour the voucher.  In the current climate with all the doom and gloom around I am 100% satisified with the way in which this company responded in offering their Customer Service, well done Golden Discs.

Well, back to school day was Tuesday in our house, it went off without a hitch.  I find that this time of year in the days following on in early September that I get restless, so I normally get out the paint and brushes and get to redecorating the house. 

Its a great time of year to get this done, then there is ample time to have the whole house redecorated in the lead up to Christmas instead of leaving it to the last minute.  Its a habit that I got into when my son started school first and the house was so quite without him, I needed something to fill my time.

Speaking of Christmas (should I dare to so early) this is also a great time to start that Christmas shopping as a lot of the large toy shops have sales or good discounts in September, buying those gifts now to put away means that the expense is spread out.  I also have the habit of stocking up on wrapping paper from last year and wrapping and tagging the gifts that are bought early, also make a list of who you have to get gifts for and note when you have bought a gift so as not to duplicate.