Harmony Design Studio

Liven up your summer.  As we look forward to the long summer and spending days in our gardens, this is the time of year when we can treat our outside spaces as rooms and extend our living areas.

No matter what size of outdoor space we have it can be used for a wide variety of occasions and can be decorated in a number of ways to demonstrate our personalities.  Our gardens and patios can be used for entertaining, relaxing, playing and enjoying spending time together. 

Colour can play a very big part in this area of our lives, whether in the form of planting and flowers in bloom or indeed colourful planters, in a variety of colours and finishes.  Our outdoor furniture can also show our personalities and add that all important colour and vitality to our living space.

These areas are not only for use by grownups, but can also be enjoyed by the children, whether having a picnic on the grass, or with the use of toys and play areas.

Using our outside space as a dining and entertaining area can be a great way to spend time.  There is a large variety of colour in the form of picnic sets, salad servers and even glassware available which can add atmosphere and bring your scheme together.

Lighting can be added whether in the form of fairy lights or colourful lanterns, be aware of the safety issues though and make sure that these items are suitable for outdoor use.

Another way to use colour in the outdoor space is with brightly coloured bunting, similar to that pictured, which is normally stocked by Mabel & Violet the online boutique shop.  Also available are many items to create the perfect outdoor space, lovely picnic baskets or garden lanterns.   Whatever style you’re looking to put into your garden this summer you are bound to find something special at Mabel & Violet.  www.mabelandviolet.com

Enjoy the summer.

Photo supplied by Mabel & Violet, www.mabelandviolet.com

We are all very conscientious of the food we eat and whether or not it is organic.  But if we’re thinking about the sustainability of the planet and the ecology and use of land and water, then we must consider the fabrics that we use.

I was carrying out some research in this very area when I remembered meeting a lady who produces organic cotton fabric for use in interior design.  I meet her at the Ideal Homes Show a number of years ago and earlier today I phoned her and also revisited her website.  I gathered a lot of valuable information for my project, but also decided that this topic should also be discussed in general from an ECO point of view.  The lady in question runs the website Eco Creations http://www.ecocreations.ie/ 

So spread the news - organic cotton is available and Fair-Trade organic cotton is available you just have to search it out.

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’ll be taking part in an art exhibition this weekend along with thirty six other artists, the venue is Arch. Ryan SNS at Balgaddy, Lucan.  The exhibition is being opened by the Lord Mayor of South County Dublin at 7.30pm on this Friday, 23rd April.

The exhibition runs on Saturday from 11am til 5pm and again on Sunday from 11am til 5pm.

I am exhibiting a number of watercolour paintings along with a craft stand displaying my range of clocks.

Do say hello if you happen to be around and drop by.

I’ve always been a fan of Designers Guild, I love the fabrics and accessories which they produce.  The colour schemes always appear to be bright and fresh.  So I was delighted to receive in my inbox today their newsletter which announced that they have a new and imporved website.  I couldn’t resist and had to check it out and I’m still very much a Fan!

I just love some of the items in the Childrens range and just have to share them.

I’ve been busy lately doing a lot of networking and attending seminars, the one that I would recommend to anyone who is in business, if its on near you is The Better Business Show for details www.betterbusiness.ie The small firms association is involved in this show and following on from this I was invited and attended a networking event which took place in the O’Callaghan Davenport Hotel and was sponsored by Vodafone.  It was the first time that I had attended such a large event and thoroughly enjoyed it - though I was promoting the other business Pedreschi Electrical & Alarms at that event.

The Kildare Enterprise Board, women is business initiative which I have been attending for the last two to three years has been withdrawn for funding reasons.  This was a great event, there were great speakers every month and I’d made a lot of what I’d call friends through attending this event - I’ll really miss it.

Another event which I attended and again enjoyed was the Life Lasting Success event which was held in the Red Cow Hotel, I had applied for and received the tickets from Krishna De, having been told about the event by Lorna at Garrendenny Lane.  We had a catch up and a chat with fellow twitter member JBBC.  This was a very long day - for I could only make it on the Friday.  The high point for me was listening to the inspiring talk given by Sean Gallagher of Smarthomes and RTE’s Dragon’s Den. 

As a Smarthomes approved installer and working in the construction sector I could really relate with what Sean had to say.  I took away a list of books to read - some of which I had already on my bookshelves and must revisit.

I finally finished my January exams and have to catch up on my blog and friends from the networking groups.

January is a great time to put some plans together for spring decorating, chack out the hot trends for the New Year and even the New Decade.  The current edition of House and Home has the low down on all that’s hot for the “interior” you’d dream of.  My good friend Lorna from Garrendenny Lane Interiors is featured in the current edition, as is Zee from Homebug and some other notable bloggers. It’s well worth checking out!

Farrow and Ball have always been a favourite of mine, I just love the quality and finish that their paint gives.

They have a new ‘Estate® Eggshell’ range, which is a unique high performance paint finish which offers an environmentally-friendly alternative to traditional oil-based eggshell paints.

According to the Farrow and Ball website the product is a pleasure to use as it is easily applied, quick-drying, and has virtually no odour. It offers excellent opacity and is hard wearing and washable.

Suggested uses are

· Update old kitchen or bathroom units to give them a new lease of life.

· Paint children’s bedroom furniture in contrasting colours to create a fun, bold scheme.

· Create a unique feature by painting picture frames, shelves and cupboards either to coordinate or contrast with a room scheme.

· Hide pipework and radiators by painting them in the same colour as the wall paint, or use a bold contrasting colour to make them stand out as features in their own right.

· Recycle some old furniture or finds from your local skip or even from jumbletown.

You can benefit by personalising these items or finds to suit your interior or why not build up a new scheme around a newly revamped piece of furniture.

Furniture to be revamped can be given a new lease of life, particularly items that are finds from jumbletown. Jumbletown for those of you who are not familiar with it, is a great site for finding old pieces of furniture that people are giving away free, you register on the site and when you spot an item that you’re interested in you post a request and then if you’re lucky you get to collect the piece. There are some great before and after pictures posted on the site so check it out for inspiration.

Well Christmas is well and truly upon us and midnight the 21st December is the final deadline for orders to be dispatched in time for Christmas.
To all of my followers and supporters I’d like to say Thank You for following my blog posts for the last year and I look forward to hearing from you in the New Year.  I’d like to wish you all a Very Happy Christmas and a Prosprous New Year.

It’s been a great year for us in some ways and a very sad year in others, for nine months we attended a funeral a month.  We also lost our pet of seventeen years during the summer, so its been hard.

On a brighter note, we (at Pedreschi Electrical & Alarms Ltd, where I work alongside my husband Daniel)were announced the RECI contractor of the Year at a ceremony in the Burlington Hotel which was a great night.  To be awarded the winner in the Domestic Category for the Dublin Region was a great surprise, but then Daniel is really good at what he does.  We finalised our certification process with the EQA and completed our PSA licensing application, required to carry out works on intruder alarm systems.  We also became an approved installer for the MK Smarthomes range of audio/visual equipment.  And signed up to the SEI for the Approved Contractor which enables us to carry out grant work on heating controls.  We attended the Business Fair in Johnstown House, it was the first time that we attended an exhibition on behalf of the electrical business. We updated our website to include blog style posts and have included a contact us page, we are participating in “Social Media” you can find up on Twitter.  @PedreschiElect  We are members of the Kildare Business Network.

While here at Harmony Design Studio things have also been busy, I was featured on Ireland AM on TV3 as part of the “Recession Bussiness - Section”.  I even did some business on the day, which was great!  Having been a part time student at the NCAD, I took part in the end of year exhibition in June.  My stock is also for sale via the Gifts and Vouchers website and also on the AnPost Online Shopping website. I have been busy in the run up to Christmas and didn’t do as many craft fairs as I would normally do, the one that I did attend was at the RTE Sports & Social Club.  I have my head in the books again and for the foreseeable future, I am studying at the IT  Tallaght on the Energy & Environment course.

One of the high points for my son was meeting the boxer Bernard Dunne, who was attending a trade event at Donnelly’s Tools during the summer.  Bernard was such nice lad it was such a shame to see his defeat later in the year.  The other big thing for my son was his junior cert which he passed with flying colours.  Its just 12 months since had his own great achievement.  The photo below shows Alex Pedreschi and Roy Baker, it was taken in December 2008. 

I have a special offer running at the shop for the Season that’s in it - Free presentation box with all orders/sales (certain sizes only).  This offer is open until 1st January.

Its only available in two sizes and details can be found at the shop.

I will extend this offer to the New Year for any orders placed on or before 1st January and for shipping up to the end of February.  So if you have a gift to buy for yourself or someone else special how about comissioning a very special one of a kind original piece of functional art. 

Well the Christmas Craft Fair season is well and truly here.  I had an exhibition stand at the RTE Sports & Social Club on the grounds at RTE yesterday 3rd December.  There was a large turnout for the first year of this craft fair, so many in fact that the event was extended to cover two days.

This is also the weekend when the National Crafts Fair takes place in the RDS, Dublin, a great fair to visit with lots of ideas for Christmas presents, trinkets or even delicous ranges of food to suit all tastes.  So if there is a Craft Fair nearby to you in the run up to Christmas, do visit, do stop and chat with the Craftspeople, they would only be delighted to give you an insight into the time and labour that goes into producing just one item that they’re selling.

I won’t be attending any further craft fairs this year but I do have a Special Offer which is limited to Friends and Family and my business network, Kildare Business Network,  at the moment but I may possibly open it up to everyone next week.

On cold wet and wintery days I day dream of being in sunny and warm places.  So I was happy to find this lovely pic to take me away to day dreams of being in the sun or by the beach.

A costal interior can be easily achieved, the basis of this scheme is the panelling which is painted in warm netural colours.  Accessories really finish off a scheme like this and can be easily picked up in any good DIY or home interiors shop.

I’ve just relased two new items of stock at the shop, they take the form of Gift Vouchers - Gift Certificates.  The come in two sizes and two price ranges, one of which is a half day, 4 hour consultation and the other is for a full day 8 hour consultation.  The full day can be split over two 4 hour sessions by prior agreement.

The vouchers are valid for an initial twelve month period and can be extended by prior arrangement. Futher details can be found at the shop.  http://www.harmonydesignstudio.ie/index.php/products-page/

These would make an ideal Christmas Gift for that special someone who has everything!  

I had reason last week to visit a kitchen and bedroom showrooms and was really taken by this kitchen with curved doors.  They’d make a great statement in a large kitchen or as shown in the picture when placed over a similar shaped bottom unit.

The staff at Collier Kitchens were so helpful, I recommend a visit to their showrooms at Airways Industrial Estate.   Or visit their site which has a great variety of the kitchen, bedrooms and accessories that they stock,  http://www.collierkitchens.ie/index.htm

My new collection is called the Precious Collection and comes in a range of two styles.  The two styles are Precious Collection Pearl and Precious Collection Crystal, featuring genuine Swarovski Crystals.  These make ideal gifts for engagement, wedding or indeed for Christmas.

 The Precious Collection Pearl, is a limited edition timepiece.  I am only releasing thirty of this item. The clock features gold leaf and a pearl style embellishment.  It comes one colour, soft cream and in one size is 8″ x 8″.  An ideal gift for a special occasion or a special couple or person. It comes in a presentation black box. 

The second style is the Precious Collection Crystal, is a truly wonderful timepiece.  The clock features real timber veneer, gold leaf and a genuine Swarovski Cryatal.  It comes one colour, soft cream and in one sixe is 8″ x 8″. 
An ideal gift for a special occasion or a special couple or person.  It comes in a presentation black box.

I will have one of my latest designs from the Precious Collection which has not been launched yet on display at Johnstown Business Fair and the Johnstown Business Centre. If you are attending at anytime over the weekend you have a chance to win this clock, the draw for which will take place on Sunday afternoon.

The fair happens this weekend 9th, 10th 11th October.  Friday 2pm-7pm, Saturday 11am-6pm and Sunday 12pm-5pm.  You can find further information at http://www.johnstownbusinesscentre.ie/

So if you are attending and would like to dicsuss anything in relation to electrical installations, intruder alarm installations or serivce, or if you are planning to carry out building works - we would be happy to discuss this with you. Feel free to bring along copies of drawings or plans to get some advice.

Pedreschi Electrical & Alarms Ltd are now an approved Smarthomes installer and will be laucnhing this serivce at Johnstown Business Fair and the Johnstown Business Centre.

My good friend and fellow blogger Lorna at Garrendenny Lane Interiors has given a lovely blog award to me, for which I’m really happy.   She has in fact given the award to all those on her blogroll.

So if you visiting as a result of following the link from Lorna’s blogroll I’m glad that you’ve dropped by, do visit my shop to see the range of products which are all limited edition, one of a kind handmade clocks, I can custom make in a range of styles and colours to suit your mood.

So thanks for dropping by and do drop in again, leave a comment or send me a message.

I have been meaning to put together this post for a while now but have been very busy networking and attending courses and conferences, along all the other responsibilties that I have.  This post is a follow up the the Sun Sea and Antiques post of during the summer, we spent a few days with a friend who happens to have a holiday home in France and while there we visited the local antiques and bric-a-bric where I discovered this lovely Singer Sewing Machine.  The timber cabinet which housed this machine was wonderfully carved, I just fell for it. 

Anyway I was home a few days when I got a call from my friend to say she’d returned to check the price and was dumbfounded to hear it was for a pricely sum of €15.00. She bought it and has it sitting in the corner of her sitting room ready for me to pick up next time I’m over.     

The sea and sun were also welcome and it all seems like such a long time ago now, we were unlucky to have very few sunny days but it rained mainly each morning and picked up in the afternoon, so it wasn’t too bad as you can see from the photos below. The first is of  LaTrancheSurMer and the second is the port at La Rochelle.  

 Autumn is well and truly here, with autumn colours to be discovered in all the shops.  The Autumn Furniture and Interiors Fair takes place this weekend and runs from Sunday to Wednesday inclusive.  This is a trade only show and having attended last year, it’s been in my dairy for some time now. 

The following items can be found in Marks and Spencer’s now in the colours of the season with deep pinks and rich reds.  Wallpapers in metallic’s are also in vogue this season.

I’ve just launched the new collection that I’ve been working on for the last while, the Funky Collection is a limited edition in a range of fun and funky colours.

The range have just been added to the shop and are available at present.  I will have them on view at the craft fair which I’m attending on this Saturday 15th August at the Enterprise Centre in Clondalkin, which will be attended by a large selection of craftspeople along with a Farmers Market.

I also have in stock plain ribbed black boxes which are available to purchase as an extra when processing your order, they are only available in two sizes for the square clocks and not for any of the other sizes.

I’m planning to update the blogroll and maybe even have the links together on one page with a brief description of what to expect, so I’m putting out this call. 

• If you have a suggestion
• If you want to be included
• If you would like to recommend a site

Please reply with suggested links/sites and if they are applicable to fit in with the type of subjects and topics then I’ll add them to my blogroll.

The site that gets the most recommendations will be named as such.  So get your thinking hats on.

X Niamh