Blog Feed: Welcome to my World

From Banking to Blogging, Beading and Beyond!

Published on 2013-05-20 03:51:00

A while back I was asked by a friend to speak about my jewellery business and how I got started, having previously working in banking, to a group of ladies.

Five Minute Friday - Song

Published on 2013-05-17 12:36:00

A Family Celebration

Published on 2013-05-14 05:27:00

I was glad I took the photo of the sunny warm day with the blue sky last week, as there has been very little blue sky since, and even less sun! Mostly rain and even hail this week. However the weather didn't spoil our weekend, when my parents, my br

Review of Skylanders Giants Lunch Bag from the Internet Gift Store

Published on 2013-05-13 15:35:00

As a parent blogger I am sometimes given the opportunity to review some products for my family. When was asked to pick a character lunch bag from the online shop Internet Gift Store, there was really only one to be selected. My son is a HUGE Sk

Decisions, decisions - help me choose new MINTED business cards

Published on 2013-05-12 14:47:00

Hello lovely readers I need your help. As well as my janmary designs business cards, sometimes I just want to give my contact details on occasions where it is not my jewellery business we are discussing. I have

Lessons Learned This Week

Published on 2013-05-07 15:38:00

Quick post tonight, while I am watching the first episode of The Apprentice - here are this week's lessons I love The Apprentice - and this year's candidates look as eccentric as ever. Are you watching? Blue skies and warm sunshine - it has been

Review of a Colour Consultation by Jennifer Kelly, Bangor

Published on 2013-05-04 13:20:00

I met Jennifer (Jennfer Kelly, Image Consultant) last year, after she got in touch to order some pieces of my jewellery for her new shop in Grays Hill, Bangor. She has been encouraging me to have a colour consultation for some time, but I have al

Guest Post - Expert Tips for Fuss Free Travel with Kids

Published on 2013-05-03 07:08:00

This is a guest post by Jane Blackmore I have always adored holidays and travelling; before the children arrived I enjoyed staring at sunsets in Costa Rica, being overwhelmed by sensational scenery in Kenya and living the high life in New York Cit

What I learned this week

Published on 2013-04-23 14:51:00

A few lessons to share this week 1. Getting my photo taken for some PR pics for my business is not as painless as I thought it would be - the lovely Trazanne Norwood really put me at my ease, did some wonders with her makeup brushes, and when I went

A review of The French Rooms in Bushmills - Bon Apetit!

Published on 2013-04-17 14:47:00

When we come up to stay at the north coast, near the Giants Causeway, it is always interesting to look out for new things happening in the village of Bushmills. New shops and restaurants are always eagerly anticipated, and where possible we like to s

Memories of Boston and Praying for Boston

Published on 2013-04-16 11:15:00

I

Digi-Scrapping with Scrap Girls Simpler Times Charity Kit

Published on 2013-04-13 14:18:00

I used to do a LOT of digital scrapbooking, but not so much recently. However, recently Debbie Cleek, President of Scrap Girls Digital Scrapbooking approached me and asked me to create a digital layout to promote their Simpler Times bi-annual charity

What I learned this week

Published on 2013-04-09 10:32:00

I'll get straight down to my lessons learned ....we have had probably our coldest but driest beginning of April ever - sun shone every day (which doesn't usually happen!), no April showers. LOTS of blue skies!

iPhone Friday - app of the week - PhotoSynth

Published on 2013-04-05 10:05:00

Welcome to another iPhone Friday This week I want to share my favourite panoramic app = Photosynth - not sure why it sounds nothing like a panoramic app! Here are a few recent panoramic photos taken with the app. Ballintoy Runkerry Strand (d

A Photo-drive to Murlough Bay with snow and sheep!

Published on 2013-04-02 04:05:00

Follow my blog with Bloglovin We headed east from the cottage for a drive round the coast this morning. We drove from Ballycastle to Cushendun along the scenic road (narrow, twisty and steep in places!) which passes Fair Head, Murlough Bay and Torr

An Easter/Spring Update

Published on 2013-03-31 05:33:00

I seem to have been neglecting this blog with "ordinary" posts - without my routine of Lessons Learned and iPhone Friday, I doubt if I would ever get around to posting. So, here is an update for you all. The snow is still lying here in quite a few

iPhone Friday - Pinterest links on iphoneography

Published on 2013-03-29 16:56:00

Hello and welcome to another iPhone Friday post. This week, as well as sharing some of my iphone photography images captured this week, I want to encourage you to use Pinterest to find great iPhone photography tutorials and inspiration. My favour

Best Travel Games for Kids - a guest post

Published on 2013-03-27 05:39:00

Anyone who has been on a long haul journey with children will know how difficult keeping them entertained can be. When just ten minutes into the journey, cries of "Are we there yet?" and "I'm bored!" can have you tearing your hair out before you've e

What I learned this week (the snowy Spring version!)

Published on 2013-03-26 09:26:00

I learned Never underestimate the amount of SNOW we can have in March

Old School Blogging

Published on 2013-03-25 16:46:00

WAY back when, back in 2007, when I first started reading other blogs, and eventually took the plunge to write my own blog, I used to love "meme"s - a serious of questions we would answer on our blog, tag others so they could join in too, and link ba

Coffee Time - a guest post!

Published on 2013-03-24 11:31:00

When prompted to write a blog post about coffee, it was definitely a challenge..... as I haven't touched the stuff in over 20 years! I did drink coffee as a teen, but as I gradually took it weaker and weaker, sweeter and sweeter, I

iPhone Friday - using Phonto to add text

Published on 2013-03-22 08:12:00

Today, on this very snowy MARCH day (when will winter ever be over? - my wee daffodils are buried under the snow!) I plan to share my favourite way to add text to an iphone photo - Phonto, but first a pic of our walk to school this morning App of

St Patrick`s Day iPhone Photowalk on the bewch

Published on 2013-03-17 08:45:00

Just spending one night up at the cottage for St Patrick`s , and this morning we wrapped up warmly for a walk on the beach. There are quite a few beaches nearby to choose from, but we opted for Runkerry Strand wish is near Portballintrae. From t

iPhone Friday - tips and updates on iphoneography

Published on 2013-03-15 02:40:00

Welcome back. I will start this week with an app I am using more and more.... SQUAREREADY

Lessons Learned at a One Direction Concert

Published on 2013-03-12 17:27:00

This is what I learned this week, courtesy of taking my daughters and their friend to a 1D (One Direction) concert last night. 1. If you are under 14 you must have an adult with you to attend a concert at the odyssey, Belfast.....so I just HAD t

Skylanders Half Term Homework!

Published on 2013-03-10 11:41:00

My son is a huge fan of all things Skylanders, so when a parcel including a yellow folder, a new Skylanders figure and a "homework" book he was delighted. When he

iPhone Friday - Mobile Phone Photography course in Lisburn

Published on 2013-03-08 04:04:00

This week, for iPhone Friday I want to share about the first Mobile Phone Photography workshop which I taught last Saturday at the Island Arts Centre, Lisburn.

Mother's Day Flowers from Asda - a review

Published on 2013-03-07 06:02:00

As Mother's Day approaches, I welcomed the opportunity to receive a delivery of lovely bouquet of flowers from Asda to review on my blog. (It is Mother's Day here in UK this Sunday) The ordering process was very straightforward - I actually did

Lessons Learned this week

Published on 2013-03-05 15:23:00

Another week has passed - and it has been a busy one. On Friday a bloggy friend Kimberly Geswein (a font celebrity!) arrived for 6 days (en route to assist with bringing 2 adopted kids to US from Ukraine), and it has been lovely having her stay. On

Iphone Friday - using Pro HDR

Published on 2013-03-01 10:31:00

HDR photography stands for High Dynamic Range photography - it is a method of composing a photograph using a number of photographs taken with different exposures. It is a great way to capture an image that has some particularily dark and bright areas

Lessons Learned this week

Published on 2013-02-26 16:32:00

Here are this weeks lessons: Lesson 1 Not expecting any sympathy here (after 2 brilliant weeks in Florida) but jet lag is yuck! Getting up this morning was even worse! Lesson 2 When suffering from jetlag it's best NOT to leave your car unlocked

Home Sweet Home - home from Florida trip

Published on 2013-02-23 15:21:00

It is good to be home! Arrived home around 10am this morning, following (thankfully) uneventful flights from Orlando via Atlanta to Dublin. If you missed it, we had a rather diverted journey to Orlando two weeks ago .... lets just say there is a lot

Family Trip to Florida Part 7 Animal Kingdom

Published on 2013-02-19 16:40:00

We have just pasted the half-way point of our holiday - and loving it! On Saturday morning we headed to the Florida Mall for those who wanted to spend some more dollars! (I didn't spend anything!) We also managed to meet up with another bloggy frie

Family Trip to Florida part 6 - Our day at Discovery Cove

Published on 2013-02-19 06:29:00

It had finally arrived - our day at Discovery Cove. I "encouraged" the kids to get up early so we could arrive just after 7.30am - we were able to walk straight in to Reception and be registered - (TIP - photo id needed for adults but we had

Family Trip to Florida Part 5 - more Sea World and more Shopping!

Published on 2013-02-17 07:47:00

The forecast for today was not great, so we chose to "finish" Sea World, with a few rides and shows, then

Teen Makeup Review - Scarlett and Crimson

Published on 2013-02-16 07:04:00

The following review has been written by my 15 year old daughter: Having a mum who is a blogger can be quite embarrasing at times, but it also has its perks - like when you get to review

Family Trip to Florida part 4 - Sea World and shopping

Published on 2013-02-15 18:59:00

We chose Wednesday to be our first visit to Sea World. As we are doing Discovery Cove later in the week we have unlimited visits to Sea World included, so don't have to pack it in to one day. We chose the shows we wanted to see, and then just wa

Family Trip to Florida -Part 3 - Making memories at the Magic Kingdon

Published on 2013-02-14 18:26:00

There is nothing quite like the thrill of first seeking the Cinderella Castle from a distance and know you have arrived at the Magic Kingdom but just driving through here is even quite exciting! The kids chose the Monorail as the means to get fro

Family Trip to Florida Part 2 - Epcot (and Target!)

Published on 2013-02-13 16:04:00

Day 2 - the kids coping better with jetlag, and managed to sleep much longer than us, but by 7am we were all awake, and I even managed a swim before breakfast. We left about 8.15 am for Epcot, with a plan just to stay as long as we can manage before

Family trip to Florida part 1 - Downtown Disney

Published on 2013-02-11 13:39:00

After our adventurous journey to collect our keys and villa directions (a 6 bedroom villa in Windsor Hills - separate blog post on thevilla to follow) we stopped of for brunch at the Cracker Barrell. The pancakes,

The Journey and the Destination

Published on 2013-02-10 20:36:00

There is a quote

iphone Friday

Published on 2013-02-10 04:50:00

EDITED TO ADD - THIS POST WAS SUPPOSEDLY PUBLISHED ON FRIDAY - JUST REALISED IT HADN'T - SORRY FOR THE DELAY!!! Another week of images taken on my iphone - recording everyday life. I am writing this post in Dublin airport. We are on our way to Orla

Lessons learned this week

Published on 2013-02-05 14:48:00

I seem to have got into a sort of a pattern here of posting on Tuesdays and Fridays., but I think if I didn't not sure how much blogging I would actually achieve! So it's Tuesday, so I am back with a few lessons learned: 1. Just when we thought the

iphone Friday

Published on 2013-02-01 01:00:00

One month complete - only another 11 to go! Anyone else taking a photo a day in 2013? Do let me know. I must tell you it is SO much easier doing it with my iphone this year. When I have tried before with my Canon DSLR it was such a faff remembering

Tuesday Musings and Lessons Learned

Published on 2013-01-29 03:35:00

Here are this weeks lessons : 1. When there is less than 2 weeks to your holiday in Florida, everyone in the family might get a bit excited (unless you are my husband, who doesn't look forward to a holiday until he is practically on the plane!)

iphone friday

Published on 2013-01-25 14:46:00

It's Friday again! Time for another round up in iphone pics, and a recommended app Photos first: I realised there was a bit of a snowy-weather theme to this weeks iphone pics On Friday we had some light snow - and I recorded it's arrival using the

Lessons Learned this week

Published on 2013-01-22 11:25:00

It's that time again, for some more lessons learned. Since last week, here is what has been happening, and what lessons I have learned 1.

iphone Friday

Published on 2013-01-18 10:47:00

Welcome back to another iphone friday - where I share some of my iphone photos from the last week, and recommend an app or two to get the most from the amazing camera lurking inside your smart phone. Saturday (day 12 of 365) cleaning the bathroom w

Tuesday Musings and Lessons Learned this Week

Published on 2013-01-15 04:41:00

I have been preparing a talk/presentation for a local women's church group about my jewellery/digital scrapbooking/blog/faith and I have realised the following: I miss digital scrapbooking and I intend to do more this year

iphone Friday

Published on 2013-01-11 07:58:00

Welcome to another iphone Friday feature iphone photos of the week Here are some of my daily images from the past week On Friday I created some crocheted janmary designs necklaces On Saturday I played with organised my new shelves for my

Monday Musings

Published on 2013-01-07 11:28:00

Everyone finally back to school today ..... the cat and I have the house back to ourselves! It is only a month until our trip to Florida - can't wait, especially on dark, wet and gloomy mornings like today! This was at 8.45 am this morning. I am

Iphone Friday

Published on 2013-01-04 14:48:00

For 2013, as well as taking a daily photo on my iphone, I plan to have a weekly series on using your iphone - hence iphone Friday! I will share a few of my images from each week and also include a review of some of my favourite iphone photography

Working on a crocheted necklace - love my job :) www.janmarydesigns.com [Flickr]

Published on 2013-01-04 08:42:59

janmary posted a photo:

Project 365 - here we go again!

Published on 2013-01-03 10:39:00

So I am trying again ..... to take a photo every day for the year. This year it will be all on my iphone/instagram but I plan to share the images here on my blog too. I might post each day, but I will probably post a few at a time, as I am doing in

A New Year!

Published on 2013-01-01 14:00:00

A Review of 2012

Published on 2012-12-31 13:04:00

Happy New Year! As has now become a tradition on my blog, at the end of the year I share a post with

Most Popular Posts on Janmary Blog for 2012

Published on 2012-12-31 11:04:00

These are links to my most popular posts on my blog this year. There were a few unexpected surprises included! 1. Bookcase makeover with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint 2. Easy Mint Cheesecake (still need to remembered to take a photo when I next mad

Another Blustery Day by the Sea

Published on 2012-12-30 14:29:00

I only ventured out (of the cottage) once today, to capture some spectacular breaking waves in Portballintrae. LOTS of pics ........

A wee bit breezy in Portballintrae this morning! [Flickr]

Published on 2012-12-30 07:08:35

janmary posted a photo:

Arrived up to north coast to glorious (if chilly) afternoon [Flickr]

Published on 2012-12-29 08:07:34

janmary posted a photo:

Final janmary jewellery party of 2012 [Flickr]

Published on 2012-12-28 10:12:53

janmary posted a photo:

Our Christmas Day Traditions in Northern Ireland

Published on 2012-12-25 14:22:00

Following on from our Christmas Eve traditions .... here is a traditional Christmas in our house. The alloted time for our 8 year old to come in and wake us up was 7am, but as he was sick in the night with a high temperature and we saw him at 4am, 5

Our Christmas Eve Traditions in N Ireland

Published on 2012-12-24 16:17:00

Since we were married (20 years ago - eeek!) we have accumulated number of Christmas traditions, with quite a few specifically for Christmas Eve. My favourite thing about Christmas Eve is NOT GOING OUT to the shops! If it ain't bought by now, it isn

{Really} Easy Peppermint Bark

Published on 2012-12-19 16:23:00

I made Peppermint Bark for the first time today, and can't believe how easy it is to make how delicious it is how pretty and Christmas-y it looks how come I haven't made it before now! Ingredients dark chocolate - 2 large bars (preferably "good

Guest Post : Ingenious Bedroom Storage Solutions from John Lewis

Published on 2012-12-17 13:54:00

Clever bedroom storage furniture can make a little space go a lot further, and life that bit easier with everything allocated a place that isn’t the floor! Here a John Lewis guest bloggers presents top picks for getting the most out of precious spa

Team Skylander - a new creation - Driller

Published on 2012-12-17 08:00:00

My son (we will call him Junior) is mad about Skylanders, and loves playing with the characters, both on the Wii, and just with the figures too. Many a deep discussion is to be had about the merits of each character and their powers. The plot, graphi

Christmas Home Tour 2012 with Janmary

Published on 2012-12-16 16:38:00

It's that time again ..... my favourite bloggy time of the year, when we all visit eachother's blogs and share our Christmas decor. So welcome to my world, and home, here in Northern Ireland. Come on, on in and make yourself at home. We will

Getting to know you - Christmas version - Part 1

Published on 2012-12-12 14:59:00

I came across this Christmas Meme / Questionnaire and thought I would share a wee bit of my Christmas here in N Ireland.

Angry Birds Trilogy on 3DS Review

Published on 2012-12-12 10:04:00

Just occasionally my kids think that having a blogging mum is more of a bonus than an embarrassment - and when I am sent a "cool awesome" Nintendo 3DS and games to review is one of those times. Anyone with an iphone or facebook will probably be fami

White Company Orange Grove Candle Review and my twinkly lights!

Published on 2012-12-11 14:28:00

I was sent a beautiful signature scented Orange Grove Candle from The White Company as a wee Christmas blogging gift.

Another teen in the house!

Published on 2012-12-10 10:29:00

Over the weekend our middle kid turned 13 - eeeeek!

Entrance Hall Makeover - finished for Christmas!

Published on 2012-12-08 14:17:00

Ta da! ...... after 14 years of living with a green carpet we detested, we finally have replaced it, and all the planned work of the last few weeks of work is finished. This is it just after the carpet was laid - so still a bit bare and thi

Pinterest Advent Calendar Finds and our own Advent Calendar this year

Published on 2012-12-03 15:45:00

Each year I purchase an Advent Calender, but I also enjoy re-using the ones from previous years. As our house is still in semi-chaos so our Christmas decorations are not yet down from the attic. I am waiting impatiently patiently, and making do with

Back at Titanic, Belfast

Published on 2012-12-02 17:35:00

Last week I managed to escape the building work at home and attend the Invest NI Conference Design for Business. I arrived in plenty of time, and went for a short walk around outside and took a few photos to share with my bloggy friends.

Hall / Entryway Makeover Update {more pics}

Published on 2012-12-01 15:48:00

The work continues ...... This week we have new lights in hall and landing (more pics to follow of those (when we get all the lightbulbs we need) a light in the new cupboard under the stairs painted walls, and first coat on the skirting boards and

Kaleidoscope Style Challenge - Partywear {a review}

Published on 2012-12-01 01:22:00

Recently I was offered the chance to choose my ideal party outfit from the online fashion retailer Kaleidoscope and share with my readers what for me would be the perfect outfit. There was so much choice, but as my favourite colour is teal and I kne

Children's Gift Ideas for Christmas - Ikea book and toy review

Published on 2012-11-27 15:02:00

I was recently given the opportunity to review some of the Ikea toys which are part of their annual charity campaign.

Thank You - 5 minute friday

Published on 2012-11-23 13:07:00

Today the 5 minute Friday prompt is THANK YOU -

Entrance Hall Makeover - an update

Published on 2012-11-22 15:48:00

Last week this was the list of what was ahead of us - updated with the progress to date: new understair storage cupboard being built

Review of Wappy Dog and Game for Nintentendo DS

Published on 2012-11-20 14:47:00

My kids would love a dog, and while we have (yet) to weaken, we went sort of (!) a step closer when we were sent the Wappy Nintendo Game and Interactive Toy to review! Apparently a virtual dog was not what they had in mind! My 8 year old son has

Tuesday's musings - (dis)organised chaos

Published on 2012-11-13 15:57:00

It is a bit chaotic around here right now - we are a bit upside down, as we are starting to get some work done in the house new understair storage cupboard being built new hall / stairs / landing / dinning room carpet painting hall / stairs / landi

Quiet - five minute Friday

Published on 2012-11-09 00:44:00

I'm joining in with Five Minute Friday (5 minutes of writing on a given topic .... writing from the heart without editing, then joining in with other bloggers by sharing it over at Lisa jo's The Gypsy Mama blog) This week the topic is QUIET GO I l

Half term happenings

Published on 2012-10-30 16:14:00

I usually don't like to blog without the photos to accompany it, but I plan to blog tonight and add the photos tomorrow. So if there aren't any images yet - come back to see them later! Unusually for us we aren't up at the cottage when the kids are off school for half term.

Irish Apple Cake

Published on 2012-10-24 15:47:00

I made this receipe last week, to celebrate having everyone home again (my husband had been in America for 5 days)

Autumn Colour in Northern Ireland

Published on 2012-10-20 15:03:00

For the last few weeks I have taken my camera with me to some of the local parks and captured some images - here are a selection.....

Blog Review : Mattel Apptivity Hot Wheels

Published on 2012-10-18 15:26:00

My son will quickly tell anyone who is interested (or not) that his mum blogs and it is awesome as he gets to review toys! When I was asked to review the Mattel Apptivity Hot Wheels car using the app for the iPad, I knew he would love it - combining his obsession love of hot wheels cars, and meaning he would get access to his sister's iPad, it was bound to be a winner. The Hot Wheels toy arrived (we received the Drift King car), and as soon as the free iPad app was downloaded from the [..]

Eight is great!

Published on 2012-10-16 15:00:00

Last week our youngest member of our family turned 8! For his birthday he got a new "big" bike with gears and brakes, with which he was well pleased. He had a party with SIXTEEN kids, in our house (!) last Saturday, but thanks to the magic tricks and humour of Magic George the magician we all survived to tell the tale. We had a Skylander cake and Skylander cupcakes (thanks to ebay who provided the edible skylanders) I had a go at layering jelly - the kids were impressed! [..]

Autumn / Fall around the house .... and church

Published on 2012-10-08 15:39:00

Continuing my Janmary Does Autumn (this is Part 3), as part of The Inspired Room's Fall Nesting series, tonight I am sharing Fall (autumn) around the house. To be honest, here in Ireland there is now a whole lot of seasonal decorating beyond Christmas. I am probably the exception to the rule, as I have embraced Valentines Decor, Spring/Easter Decor, Beach/summer decor and of course Fall/Autumn decor. Consequently, available and affordable seasonal products (beyond Christmas) are not readily av [..]

Irish Apple Crumble (and ouch!)

Published on 2012-10-05 14:37:00

20 little things I love about autumn {fall}

Published on 2012-10-01 15:50:00

Zip-it - a Fun Family Word Game

Published on 2012-09-26 09:06:00

A few months back I reviewed Bananagrams - a fun word game I bought at BritMums Live blogging conference. Now I have the opportunity to review another game from the same creators. Zip-it is portable, quick, and suitable for our whole family. Each round only takes about 1 minute, so although it is only a 2 player game, everyone can quickly have a turn without too much waiting. If you want to you can play until one player reaches the 10 points, scoring 1 point for each round won, a [..]

Groupon Offer Review of Shutter Sheep Nightime Photography Workshop

Published on 2012-09-23 13:24:00

I was given the opportunity to try out on of the local Groupon Belfast offers, and as soon as I saw the Shutter Sheep Night-time Photography Workshop I knew that was the one I wanted to do. Booking online was straightforward, and although the workshop had to be rescheduled due to heavy rain, there was lots of communication and a new time slot was booked. So last night, my eldest daughter and I headed to Starbucks at Victoria Square, Belfast, wrapped up warm with cameras and tripods at the read [..]

Felting, more 40th birthdays, following and more

Published on 2012-09-16 10:48:00

Planning a trip to Orlando, Florida

Published on 2012-09-09 14:40:00

La, la, la, la, la, l'America! I love to plan and trip, and there is nowhere with more planning resources and forums available than for a trip to Orlando. We have just booked a trip to a villa in Florida for next February (around half-term) with help from Jonathan Millar, Bryan Somers Travel. Until recently I was a great advocate of booking my own travel and accomodation, car hire etc - but when I got a great quote from Jonathan - meeting all our requirements and having the bonus of the entire [..]

Thanksgiving for a life well lived

Published on 2012-09-07 14:32:00

Today was the funeral and thanksgiving for my mum's eldest brother, John Colville.

Featured Guest Post - Holy Island, Northumberland

Published on 2012-09-05 11:16:00

Holy Island in Northumberland is just one of the many stunning destinations on offer in this wild and woolly Northern county and getting around these parts by car is the best way of seeing Lindisfarne and all the other attractions. With such a wide open landscape and so many sights to see including castles, abbeys and some of the liveliest towns and cities in the UK, taking advantage of economy car hire makes perfect sense here.

Back to School and "Mother of the Year" fail!

Published on 2012-08-31 07:29:00

The summer is over, and the kids are back to school. My daughters started back to school on Wednesday - new timetables, new teachers, longer school skirts (which they detest!) and same old routine! The following day, Thursday, my son started back at his school. Here he is with my husband - I love this photo. My son is now into Primary 4, and was really looking forward to staying in school til 3 o'clock with the rest of the senior school. When I dropped him off he said "See you at 3" At t [..]

Another birthday

Published on 2012-08-22 07:53:00

Yesterday I turned 45! I look so young don't I?!!!

Monday Musings

Published on 2012-08-20 07:46:00

It's been a busy week since returning from our house swap in Cotswolds, England. We spent most of it back up at our cottage, so our daughters could attend On The Edge, the teen evening programme at New Horizon Christian conference in Coleraine. I was able to attend on Friday evening - it was challenging and inspiring, and maybe next year we will manage to attend more of the conference! Also during the week we met up with some friends for coffee/ice-cream in Portstewart On another evening [..]

My parents 50th wedding anniversary

Published on 2012-08-17 10:44:00

On Monday evening we celebrated my parents 50th wedding anniversary with a family meal. My brothers, their wives and most of the other grandkids were there, along with our family of 5. We had a lovely meal in Parsons Nose in Hillsborough. We didn't manage a group photo at the restaurant, but here are my parents and kids back at our house later. It is rare to get all 5 on the sofa at once, looking in the same direction - but I think we managed it! I remember way back when it was my parents [..]

Photo Canvas Review of Hello Canvas

Published on 2012-08-16 06:54:00

Regular readers of my blog know how much I love

A week houseswapping in the Cotswolds (via Instagram)

Published on 2012-08-12 15:27:00

We are home and (sort of) unpacked after a great 9 days in the Cotswolds and Bristol. So as I sit down to watch the closing cereymony of the London 2012 Olympics here is a wee recap of our week that was. Friday - arrived into Bristol airport, and relived some happy memories as we crossed over the Clifton Suspension Bridge.

Arlington Row Cottages, Bibury in the Cotswolds

Published on 2012-08-06 17:45:00

William Morris described Bibury as the most beautiful village in England, and this row of picturesque 17th century cottages called Arlington Row definitely lived up to expectations. As our house swap in the Cotswolds continues, we explored the area today, dodging the showers (mostly) and Arlington Row was definitely a highlight. Here are a few of photos I took today The rest of the village was very pretty too and the ducks were very sociable

Stroud Farmers Market - House Swap in the Cotswolds, England

Published on 2012-08-05 15:07:00

On our first morning of our house swap near Stroud, we needed to buy some groceries, and combined a visit to the supermarket for the basics with a visit to Stroud's famous Farmers Market. I was so impressed with the quality, variety and freshness of the produce on dozens of stalls. Many provided free samples, so it was a tasty visit too! As well as many food stalls, there were local crafts including wood carving, jeweller, wool, and plants. Some street musicians added to [..]

Welcome to Our House Swap in the Cotswolds

Published on 2012-08-04 16:08:00

We usually arrange our home exchanges through www.homeexchange.com So far in the last few years we have been to Dublin, Boston & Cape Cod, Galway, France and Donegal. This summer however, we have arranged a swap with an old school friend of mine, who now lives in an historic old mill in the Cotswolds. It has wonderfully thick walls, lots of character and quirkiness. It has TWO spiral staircases which the kids love, and most of us have already bumped our heads on the low beams and ceilings [..]

Review of Bananagram - fun family game

Published on 2012-08-01 10:23:00

I bought this Bananagram game at Britmums Live conference in London last month for a number of reasons: 1. It was promoted as a game for all ages (from 7 up) 2. It was Olympic 2012 special addition and I was in London and promised to bring home a souvenir 3. It looked fun while being educational too 4. Easily transported for family holidays We have already played it with friends and family .... and it has been very popular.

The unplanned watching of the Opening Ceremony London 2012

Published on 2012-07-28 05:02:00

Last night my husband and I had planned a quiet night out - a walk on the beach and a coffee .... thanks to our helpful neighbour who was coming round to be with the.

Summer Days Continue

Published on 2012-07-27 07:28:00

I could call the post lazy, hazy days of summer - but that wouldn't be quite correct. We have been busy (with peace camp poetic tents and distressed painted pine bookcases) and the weather has been pretty good with either being fresh and breezy, or amazingly warm - we have even spent a few afternoons sitting on the beach (usually it is only warm enough to walk, but not stay in one place for too long!) Of course we had the obligatory wind break with us - are they just a Northern Ireland phenonemo [..]

Bookcase makeover with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint

Published on 2012-07-24 03:29:00

peace camp benone 31a [Flickr]

Published on 2012-07-21 04:53:17

janmary posted a photo: Peace Camp Benone Strand 21 July 2012

peace camp benone 30a [Flickr]

Published on 2012-07-21 04:53:16

janmary posted a photo: Peace Camp Benone Strand 21 July 2012

peace camp benone 29a [Flickr]

Published on 2012-07-21 04:53:15

janmary posted a photo: Peace Camp Benone Strand 21 July 2012

peace camp benone 28a [Flickr]

Published on 2012-07-21 04:53:14

janmary posted a photo: Peace Camp Benone Strand 21 July 2012

peace camp benone 27a [Flickr]

Published on 2012-07-21 04:53:13

janmary posted a photo: Peace Camp Benone Strand 21 July 2012

Peace Camp 2012 at Benone Strand, Northern Ireland

Published on 2012-07-21 04:53:00

Peace Camp is part of the London 2012 Festival, and is described as "A coastal installation celebrating love poetry and landscape" It is happening from 19 - 22 July in 8 coastal venues in the UK. Here is N Ireland, although we are closer to the White Park Bay installation, I chose to go over to the Benone Strand event - I wanted to have the dramatic backdrop of the Mussenden Temple, and also as it happened at night, didn't fancy that long wee lane down to White Park beach in the dark! [..]

Guest Post : Five of the UK's top family-friendly hotels

Published on 2012-07-19 15:21:00

When planning a break for your family, the task of finding child friendly hotels should be top of your priority list. If you choose the right place to rest your heads at night, you will be able to sleep safe in the knowledge that the fully trained staff are more than capable of attending to the needs of you and your family. Team this with unrivalled facilities that carefully consider what both parents and children need from a holiday and you will understand why it’s important to make the r [..]

Summer Days and NOT an Apology

Published on 2012-07-14 16:31:00

It has been a week of contrasts here at our cottage near the sea there have been warm (yes, actually warm!) sunny days and wet and very damp days there has been the crazy busy of CSSM for the kids (but they wouldn't miss it for the world) and quiet afternoons making jewellery or walking on the beach

Enjoying Life

Published on 2012-07-04 16:46:00

For the rest of our family the North Atlantic sea off the north coast of Northern Ireland is just TOO cold .... but not for our 7 year old. He certainly believes in "Enjoying Life"! This photo is part of a challenge over at I Heart Faces

Summer time fun - school is out and summer has arrived

Published on 2012-07-04 11:44:00

The school holidays have arrived, and we have relocated to our cottage by near the sea. We have a friend visiting from England, but it has been a relaxing week, with little happening. However, we have already managed to do a few of our traditional summer activities which include : evening paddles on White Rocks beach playing in the fountains in Ballycastle camp fire, hot chocolate and toasting marshmallows on the beach family games (new Bananagram game - revi [..]

Serenata Flowers Giveaway Winner

Published on 2012-07-03 15:54:00

......and the of the £30 Serenta bouquet winner is ....... Elaine! (who wrote the 4th comment) (chosen at random - honest!) Thanks again to Serenata Flowers for sponsoring this giveaway, and congrats to Elaine.

A Sunday in London

Published on 2012-07-01 16:22:00

After the 2 day Brit Mums Live conference in London I had most of the Sunday in London to spend as I pleased. I didn't manage to lie it, so I headed out with my compact camera and iphone (I really missed having my DSLR with me) to explore.

Back from Brit Mums Live Blogging Conference

Published on 2012-06-25 09:08:00

Here's what I learned from this weekend - while at BritMums Live Conference in London: 1. I had forgotten how much faster Londoners walk! Even when I wasn't in a particular rush, by the end of the weekend I too was walking everywhere at a brisk trot! 2. Easyjet handluggage dimensions include a height of 56 cm, and my case was 57 cm, but fortunately I got away with it! 3. I am SO GLAD I had already met fellow Northern Ireland blogger twopointfourchildren last week. From when we met up at 5a [..]

Serenata Flowers Giveaway

Published on 2012-06-20 04:10:00

I love flowers, and how lovely would it be to win a beautiful bouquet. The lovely people at Serenata Flowers would like to send one of my blog readers a bouquet worth £30. (All the flowers in this post are £30 or less at the Serenata website) So ..... how to enter? Several ways - all of them easy! 1. Visit the Serenata website, browse the bouquets and come back and leave a comment here telling me your favourite bouquet.

Whew - that was the week that was!

Published on 2012-06-19 10:09:00

Last week I shared a glimpse of what lay ahead of me ...... well I survived (obviously!) and today had my first totally "at home" day, apart from the school runs. I have spent the day creating jewellery while watching a few films on Netflix.

Big Beach Clean Up with Marine Conservation Society and M&S

Published on 2012-06-13 14:57:00

After having to be rescheduled from a sunny friday in May to a damp Tuesday in June, the organisers were not sure how many volunteers would turn up for the Marine Conservation Society Big Beach Clean in assoctiation with Marks & Spencers Forever Fish Campaign However they needn't have worried - the turn out was great. We were given an introduction by Dr Richard Keirle from the Marine Conservation Society, then split into two groups - half the group did a beach clean, and the other half di [..]

20 Years Married .......What a Difference A Day Makes!

Published on 2012-06-12 15:04:00

Today, twenty years ago, was a glorious hot sunny day (quite rare in N Ireland!) and I was getting married. This is the gift I created for my husband..... We met in Ahoghill in 1988, and our first date was in Bleakers Restaurant on the Malone Road (opposite the end of Eglantine Avenue and above Simpsons, for those who were students in Belfast!) We were engaged in 1991 (we were both 23 in this photo - but look SO young!)

The calm before the storm.......

Published on 2012-06-11 12:54:00

After our break in Rome (yes, almost finished with the Rome posts, but not quite!) we had a quieter week last week. On thursday one child home sick from school, and on Friday it was a different child! The weekend was fairly quiet too - my husband was on call, and apart from our son finally mastering cycling all by himself (hooray!) we didn't do too much. This week however - h e c t i c! Tomorrow - Big Beach Clean Up at Hazelbank with the Marine Conservation Society and Marks and Spencers (i [..]

Panoramic Photos from Rome - part 6 of our Roman holiday

Published on 2012-06-10 14:53:00

I loved our 20th wedding anniversary trip to Rome (have you noticed!) and I also love my Photosynth App on my iphone..... and here are a few of the images from our trip.

Cooking Classes in Rome - a review, and part 5 of our Roman Holiday

Published on 2012-06-08 17:23:00

A highlight of our trip to Rome was definitely our day spent with Andrea, a chef, from Cooking Classes in Rome.

Retro Kitchen Timer - a review from the Handpicked Collection

Published on 2012-06-06 13:51:00

I was recently given the opportunity to review with my blog readers an item from The Handpicked Collection. I always love to see what new pretty things they have in their catelogue, and was delighted to be sent this retro kitchen timer to review.

Roman Holiday - Part 4 - A Sunset in Rome

Published on 2012-06-05 12:36:00

Our lovely hotel in Rome had an even lovelier roof top bar with an even more perfect view. Here follows an overload of sunset photos over Rome.

Roman Holiday - Part 3 - ancient rome

Published on 2012-06-04 07:16:00

Welcome back. I am splitting up our trip to Rome in manageable chunks.....if you missed them, here is Part 1 and Part 2. Today I am sharing some of Ancient Rome with you. We walked over to the area, and it is overwhelming .... there are ruins and pillars and arches everywhere, and with my limited knowledge the only bit I was sure of was the Colosseum! We had not booked a tour with a guide, but signed up for one right outside the Colosseum.... and were glad we did. It was really he [..]

A Roman Holiday - Part 2

Published on 2012-06-03 06:09:00

Welcome to my 4 night holiday in Rome! Thanks to my lovely parents, my husband and I were able to book a 20th wedding anniversary trip to Rome, without the kids. We flew with Aer Lingus direct from Dublin to Rome, and were glad we had booked a private transfer to the hotel. It was worth it for the air conditioning, chilled bottle of water, and being taken right to the door of our hotel with no stress or hassle. It was getting dark as we arrived, but this was right outside the hotel.

A Roman Holiday - part 1

Published on 2012-06-01 16:14:00

I'm back! We had an amazing 4 nights in Rome for our 20th wedding anniversary. The hotel, the food, the views, the weather, the city - all wonderful. I have lots to share, so lots of blog posts to follow. To whet your appetite here are a couple of my favourite images from our first evening...... This is the view of our hotel balcony overlooking the Pantheon and the square Here is the Pantheon from just outside the hotel .... We had a late dinner, then strolled over to the Trevi [..]

Why I Blog?

Published on 2012-05-31 01:37:00

I've made it - despite being away on holiday in Italy I have taken part in the "Daily Blogging in the month of May" - every day - without fail! The final day's topic is "Why I Blog" As I am sure is the same for many bloggers, the reasons I started blogging have evolved as my blogging journey continues. When I started, way back in 2007, I just about knew what a blog was, and created mine to share my digital scrapbooking layouts with other digi-scrappers. It is now about so much more : I rec [..]

What's in my makeup bag?

Published on 2012-05-30 02:00:00

I am in Rome (20th wedding anniversary, and yes it is amazing) so sharing what makeup I have brought with me. Pics of makeup will follow, but with a view like this from our hotel room, and places like this to visit (see photos at end of post) I have stopped to photograph my makeup! However I am determined to finish the challenge, so here is a quick summary. I'm not hugely into makeup but I usual have available (but I often only wear a minimal amount unless it is a special occasion) a foundatio [..]

Where I have travelled

Published on 2012-05-29 02:00:00

I have had fun remembering some of the places I have travelled - here are a selection As kids we spent holidays in Portrush (in N Ireland), and Achill Island (west coast of Ireland) and then to "the Continent" with my family - we started in a rented tent in France, then we progressed to a trailer tent (which we towed all the way to the Italian Alps and Venice from N Ireland!), and ended up in a small touring caravan. As a teen I first flew in a airplane on my first holiday without my parents [..]

What I Am Looking Forward To - Rome!

Published on 2012-05-28 02:00:00

Today I am travelling with my husband to Rome for 4 nights to celebrate our 20th wedding anniversary (which is actually next month, on 12 June). Thanks to my willing parents, who are moving into our house with our 3 kids for the week, we are able to head away. A few things I am really looking forward to: Our room with a view (hopefully) of the Panthenon, this is the hotel

A Favourite Recipe -Easy Mint Cheesecake (with After Eights)

Published on 2012-05-27 15:53:00

Easy, quick and delicious - what more could you want from a cheesecake recipe! I've been making this cheesecake for years ..... and it is so easy and foolproof For the base - 200g crushed digestive biscuits 75g melted butter For the topping - 225g full fat philadelphia cream cheese 125 g icing sugar 250 ml whipping cream. Crush digestive biscuits, mix in melted butter, press into the bottom of a loose-bottomed spring clip tin Chill in fridge until required Beat sugar and cream cheese tog [..]

An Old Sketch instead of An Old Photo

Published on 2012-05-26 15:58:00

Today's challenge (the month of daily blogging is nearing an end!) was to share an old photo, but I thought this would be an appropriate post to share a pencil sketch an artist relative (my Dad's cousin, Elizabeth McEwen) did of me when I was about 7.

5 of my favourite blogs

Published on 2012-05-25 17:32:00

It is hard to pick just 5 ..... I have too many in my Google Reader.....and these are in no particular order, but these are 5 which I always look forward to reading Elizabeth - a lovely photographer from Florida, who is moving to IRELAND next year, so we will practically be neighbours! It is lovely to have met up with her on her frequent trips over here and she has even photographed my family. A Beach Cottage - Sarah is an English girl now living by the sea in Sydney, Australia and she [..]

A Sports Shoe Review and Walk to School Week

Published on 2012-05-25 01:00:00

From time to time as a blogger I have the opportunity to review products, the company provide me with the product, but any opinions expressed are entirely my own. When www.sportshoes.com asked me to select a pair of running shoes to review I was spoilt for choice. Their website had lots of advice and filters to help in the selection, and I narrowed it down to wanting a "trail" pair which would be waterproof and very useful for our walks up on the North Coast of Northern Ireland. So in the e [..]

My favourite Childhood Book - Lotta

Published on 2012-05-24 06:56:00

I have always loved this book - Lotta by Astrid Lindgren a swedish children's author who also created Pippa Longstocking. This is my original copy of the book (see.....hoarding can occasionally pay off!) I was an avoid reader as a child (before blogs and pinterest were invented!) and could usually be found with my nose in a book. Lotta is a little girl (about 3 or 4ish), the youngest in her family, having 2 older siblings - which was just like me. She got grumpy with the rest of her [..]

My Dream Job

Published on 2012-05-23 06:56:00

This post IS about my dream job, but I will start at the beginning, and tell you how I arrived at where I am today. As a child I wanted to be a teacher, maybe a maths teacher (like my Mum) but I enjoyed Economics at school and wanted to either work for a bank or go to university to do Business Studies. I never imagined/dreamed I would end up in a creative job (lots of my family are very talented artists, but I never was that good!). A worked in the bank full time, then part time when my 2 da [..]

Best thing this year

Published on 2012-05-22 04:13:00

Another upbeat post for the Daily Blogging Challenge for the whole month of May. Several things come to mind - Business-wise it is having Janmary Designs jewellery stocked in more Northern Ireland boutiques including Momento, Wickerman, Jennifer Kelly Image and Gloonan Gallery. I was thrilled to have my jewellery shortlisted and selected by a panel for sale in the gift shop at the Northern Ireland Assembly up at Stormont in Belfast.

10 favourite foods

Published on 2012-05-21 03:32:00

10 favourite foods ...... only 10?!!! Here you go ...hope you aren't hungry! Pasta Carbonara - first

A difficult time - PND / PPD

Published on 2012-05-20 12:20:00

Today the blogging challenge is to share a difficult time in our lives. I don't like to dwell on the darker times, but in sharing I know we can help eachother.... life isn't always perfect........and although we may not always share the scars on our blogs, the lives of bloggers certainly aren't perfect. So today I would love you to read THIS post on my experiences of Post Natal Depression (Post Partum Depression). Never having experienced depression before, it gave me just a wee glimpse o [..]

What I collect

Published on 2012-05-19 10:41:00

I am rather fond of collecting (as my long-suffering husband will testify to) - books - I seem to like collecting books, although I rarely read them again, as I remember too clearly what happens in them, so don't enjoy reading them again! I am the same with watching films again - I don't see the point! recipe books - the one type of book which I do love looking at again and again.

The reason for my blog name - Janmary (Welcome to my world)

Published on 2012-05-18 03:32:00

When I started blogging in 2007, I wasn't really sure what I was getting into....and I needed a name. I had been using the online name of JanMary in various online digital scrapbooking forums, and I was planning to use the blog primarily to share my digital layouts, I thought I would continue to use that as my name. Jan is the first part of my real name, and Mary is my middle name. I used the tagline "Welcome to my world" as it is something I said say often to my husband when he wonders someti [..]

My most proud moment

Published on 2012-05-17 15:40:00

Today's challenging blog topic in the Daily Blogging Challenge is to share my proudest moment(s). The people I am most proud of are my husband and kids, but they aren't "moments" so I don't get off that easily. EDITED to add - everyone else is adding pics of their babies when they were born, so I will too - this is a digital layout using images of each of the kids when they were born - they were born 2 years and then 5 years apart - someone looked at this and thought I had triplets!!! De [..]

Top of my Bucket List

Published on 2012-05-16 08:44:00

Do you have a bucket list? I must confess I have never made one, but there are a few more things I would like to do: visit San Franciso live in Australia - when the kids were younger we tried to do this as part of my husband's training, but in the end we had to settle for a year in England. We loved our time in Bristol, but I think we would still love to spend some time in Australia. buy a house with a sea view - our cottage is withing a mile of the sea, and we used to have a "sea glimpse [..]

A Day in My Life

Published on 2012-05-15 10:19:00

Continuing the Daily Blogging Challenge for the month of May, we have reached DAY 15. This is a typical week day during school term day in my life - welcome to my world! My day hopefully starts with the alarm clock at 6.50am. I say "hopefully" as we have a 7 year old who tends to wander in MUCH earlier, but we are working on that. Yesterday I bought him his own digital alarm clock, so we will see how that goes! I head down stairs after making sure everyone is at least awake, if not upr [..]

My week that was / Monday Musings

Published on 2012-05-14 10:58:00

As you may know I have been blogging EVERY DAY so far in the month of May. Today's challenge was to blog about "If I won the lottery", but as I have never bought a lottery ticket, and never plan to do so, it wouldn't be a very interesting post. So instead, today I am back to my normal schedule. Daily blogging challenge continues tomorrow. I have recently been doing my own Monday Musings where I share what's been going on in my world over the past week (well .... my tagline IS "welcome to my [..]

photo inrl instagram [Flickr]

Published on 2012-04-30 05:53:47

janmary posted a photo: loved following on twitter and instagram as the inrl blessing travelled the globe!

inrl in N Ireland [Flickr]

Published on 2012-04-30 05:53:44

janmary posted a photo: used ikea frames to display the printables

inrl in N Ireland [Flickr]

Published on 2012-04-30 05:53:37

janmary posted a photo: put shells and water in glass dish and floated candles on top

inrl in N Ireland [Flickr]

Published on 2012-04-30 05:53:30

janmary posted a photo: mini cupcakes in the (in)RL logo colours!

inrl in N Ireland [Flickr]

Published on 2012-04-30 05:53:21

janmary posted a photo: Shells and candle on large glass plate

Monday Musings including an (in)RL invitation

Published on 2012-04-23 16:00:00

Another busy week has past. Here is what I have been up to: 1. Extreme Knitting On Saturday at the Creative Crafts Show in the Kings Hall, Belfast I came across Rachel John and her extreme knitting. I purchased a cushion kit and within 2 hours I had created this!

Monday Musings - including more from Donegal

Published on 2012-04-16 15:14:00

1. Back to relative normality after the kids having 2 weeks of holidays over Easter, and we headed to Donegal for a week of it, doing our house swap thing again. You can see the other posts from Donegal HERE and HERE These are a few of my favourite photos from the last couple of days in Donegal (which is up

More from our house swap in Donegal

Published on 2012-04-13 09:06:00

Welcome to another update from our house swap adventures in Donegal, the beautiful north west corner of Ireland. Here are a few photos taken on our explorations around the area. We have dodged the April spring showers (including hailstones) and made the most of the dry spells when the sun shone. However, we didn’t manage to avoid all of them, and in the interest of “keeping it real” this was the view from the car sometimes too! This one of a beautiful wee cottage overl [..]

Welcome to Donegal!

Published on 2012-04-09 10:31:00

This week we are spending a week house swapping in Donegal, in the small village of Creeslough. All around are beautiful beaches and misty mountains. Some photos from our exploration of Donegal so far – all within about

An April Evening on White Rocks Strand, N Ireland

Published on 2012-04-05 15:37:00

We are having a relatively quiet week at the cottage, and for the last few evenings the highlight of the day has been a trip to the beach in the evening. We have chosen White Rocks Strand which is just a few miles along the coast from the cottage.

Titanitc Experience in Belfast - review of visiting with kids (part 1)

Published on 2012-04-04 05:37:00

On 1 April 2012 we went to check out the brand new (opened the previous day) Titantic Experience Museum in the docks area of Belfast. I expected a few teething troubles, but was very impressed with the whole "experience". (This is only a selection of the photos - more to follow in a separate post!) I know a few have expressed reservations about "celebrating" the Titanic, as the sinking was a terrible tragedy, but it was more about exploring and celebrating that time in Belfast, and then [..]

Monday Musings - sports relief, the surfer and the GB display

Published on 2012-03-26 16:56:00

So what's been happening this week in my world? On Wednesday I posted by first in what I hope will be a series on iphoneography and have been delighted by how much it has already been pinned on pinterest, shared and commented upon. Here it is in case you missed it! Friday here was the charity Sports Relief day, and my son went to school in fancy dress as a surfer (ok - it's a body board, but you get the idea!) to run/walk his sponsored mile.

Janmary Designs jewellery and the Stormont Coffee and Gift Shop at the N Ireland Assembly

Published on 2012-03-25 15:28:00

I was reallly pleased to learn that my Janmary Designs handcrafted jewellery has been accepted by the panel selecting the next Northern Ireland crafters to be showcased in the Coffee and Gift Shop in the N Ireland Assembly.

10 reasons to love your iphone camera (iphonepgraphy)

Published on 2012-03-21 13:54:00

Since watching photographer Jack Hollinsgworth on Creative Live sharing his passion for iphone photography (aka iphoneography) I have become increasingly attached to using my iphone as a camera on a daily basis. Here is why: 1. My iphone camera is (nearly) always with me I may have a better camera at home, but as they say "The best camera to use is the one you have with you", and I don't know about you, but I am rarely without my iphone. This photo was snapped with my phone walking with m [..]

Monday Musings

Published on 2012-03-19 17:02:00

Inspired by Elizabeth I am planning to start of my bloggy week with a roundup of what's been happening. I have already blogged about our great day on St Patrick's Day with our friends from USA. Yesterday we had a quieter but still enjoyable day. It was Mothers Day here, so it started with breakfast in bed with the help of my 7 year old - tea and toast (with LOTS of butter and jam!) I received some lovely cards and gifts from my kids - a plant, a book, a Reese peanut butter bar (love them), an [..]

My St Patrick's Day 2012

Published on 2012-03-18 13:17:00

I hope wherever you are in the world you had a great St Patrick's Day. Usually I attend the St Patrick's Day parade in Belfast, but this year I had a much better alternative....to spend it with my bloggy friend Elizabeth from America. We met online a few years ago, and in 2010 met for the first time in Belfast. This year we were delighted to meet up with them again, and in exchange for the use of our cottage for a couple of nights, the talented and lovely Elizabeth offered us a family photo s [..]

St Patricks Day Blogging Carnival 2012 by Janmary

Published on 2012-03-14 07:30:00

Hellebores in the garden - Christmas Roses and Lenten Roses

Published on 2012-03-12 04:55:00

My parents are wonderful gardeners, and when we were visiting I took some photos of their collection of hellebores (no, I didn't know what they were called either - my parents told me!). I knew their more common name of "Christmas Rose" but I have also learned they are called "Lenten Roses" as they often bloom during Lent - as these ones are doing. Here are a selection I love the delicate soft shades, especially when there is not much colour in the rest of the garden. Do you have a favour [..]

Sunday at Scrabo Tower, Newtownards

Published on 2012-03-11 16:30:00

I know it took me a whole week to blog about last week's explore, and here I am again, sharing where we went today. On the way to visit my parents we stopped off today at Scrabo Tower. It can be seen from miles around, overlooking the town of Newtownards and Strangford Lough. It is quite a steep climb up from the carpark. It has been years since we have been up here, and it was steeper than I remember.....but then I am probably 20 years older! There are stunning views in all directions. [..]

A Sunday stroll - Lisburn's Island Civic Centre, Kilrush Cemetry and more

Published on 2012-03-10 15:45:00

As has become my routine, this Sunday morning I went for another walk/explore in our local area before church, while the rest of the family were at Sunday School. I headed down the side of church, and have always loved this curved terrace. And here is the view of the church from here. There is an old cemetry which is closed up, but I would love to explore around it some day. Here are a few photos I took through the railings. It has been pretty neglected, I'd love to get a closer lo [..]

An introduction to Janmary - Meet & Greet for Britmums Live 2012

Published on 2012-03-04 01:58:00

I am excited to be heading to my second blogging conference in June 2012 in London - BritMumsLive. Last autumn I was able to attend a one day SITS conference in Atlanta, this time it is a whole TWO days. As part of getting ready for the conference we are linking up to a Meet and Greet over at Stepford Wife. So this post is an introduction to me! As my blog tagline says "Welcome to my world......." Name : Janmary (on line) Janine (in the real world) (not sure if Britmums Live is in the real [..]

Hyperparathyroidism........one year on from surgery

Published on 2012-03-01 15:24:00

It is hard to believe that this time last year I was being moved to a ward following my surgery to remove one of my parathyroid glands. You can read my pre-surgery story My surgery, and initial recovery So, how do I feel one year on? SO much better. I still have some bone pain and still get tired quite easily, but the majority of pain has gone, and the BRAIN FOG has gone! My brain can function without feeling like I am wading through treacle and losing my mind. I no longer forget I have [..]

Review of Handpicked Collection Glass Photo Cube - perfect for Mothers Day

Published on 2012-02-29 14:58:00

The lovely people at The Handpicked Collection gave me the chance to review another of their gifts. As I love photography and any gifts to do with displaying photographs I was delighted with this glass photo cube. I chose 3 images of kids and husband, but it is hard to photograph it to show how lovely the photocube is. It is surprisingly heavy, and you have room for 3 photos. I just printed them off the computer this afternoon. I am not just saying this, but it is lovely quality with [..]

Another Sunday stroll and photowalk - Castle Gardens, Lisburn

Published on 2012-02-27 16:06:00

These days I only seem to manage to take photos with my DSLR on Sunday mornings before church. I drop off the kids to Sunday School, then have 45 minutes to myself. Yesterday I headed up to Castle Gardens for a "wee dander"....... Here are a few of the images: This is one of the Wallace fountains - there are a number in Paris. I found a few roses on the railings I love the character and texture of these old walls Apparently this cannon is from the Crimean war, and is a [..]

Cath Kidston store arrives in Belfast

Published on 2012-02-26 16:43:00

Last week I took the opportunity while in Belfast city centre to visit the new Cath Kidston shop. It is directly opposite Avoca (which I love) and just down from White Stuff (which I love too)! Cath Kidston decscribed her designs as having a Marmite effect - she said this "People either love it and want a little bit of it very much, or want to stab us." I snapped a few photos with my iphone - here you go: I love the colours and the layout of the store. To have an entire house decora [..]

The Dark Hedges and the green fence!

Published on 2012-02-24 14:08:00

As regular readers know, I LOVE to photograph the Dark Hedges in rural Co Antrim here in N Ireland. It might well be the most famous and unknown road in Northern Ireland. It has featured in advertisements and on calendars, and on many a flickr account. Recently it received funding to help preserve these wonderful trees for future generations, including a tree surgeon to look after the trees, and also some funding for new fencing. But where did they decide to place the fencing? Right i [..]

Half Term in Ballycastle

Published on 2012-02-17 14:09:00

Having arrived up at the cottage last night for half term, we headed along our favourite coast road to Ballycastle this morning. As usual ..... a few lots of photos This photo was taken from the moving car window on the way. This is the Children of Lir sculpture in Ballycastle. You can find out more about it in THIS post. The beach was almost desserted. That's Fair Head in the fore ground, and that is Scotland in the distance. We walked over the bridge and up past the golf cou [..]

Lisburn train station, Northern Ireland [Flickr]

Published on 2012-02-16 03:35:37

janmary posted a photo:

Mom Monday / Mum Monday - kids say the funniest things

Published on 2012-02-13 13:47:00

The lovely Genny has a weekly link up of mums sharing tips, personal stories, encouragements and ideas and this week I am joining in from Northern Ireland, sharing a few of my son's "funnies" from the past week: On Wednesday, while eating the roast chicken dinner I had made "Mum, I prefer it when there are bumps (lumps) in the gravy. Next time can we have the bumps back?" On Friday he showed me a sore in his mouth, I explained it was a mouth ulcer "But how do you get an Ulster in your mouth [..]

A Sunday Morning Walk in Wallace Park

Published on 2012-02-12 15:30:00

This morning before Church I enjoyed a walk around our local park. Even with our mild winter, there is not much colour in the park I found some colour and but lots of texture. I spent quite a while photographing the ducks - I had a photography tutor last year who was not a fan of photos of ducks or sunsets, so in the unlikely event of his seeing this post ..... look away now! Mrs Duck always gets a bit overlooked, but when seen on their own, they are really [..]

Another Belfast Photowalk - Victoria Square and St Georges Market

Published on 2012-02-10 17:46:00

For the 2nd friday I took myself and my camera off to Belfast. It was a very different morning, no sparkling reflections - but cold grey fog. This was the view of the shipyard and Titanic Quarter which I visited last week. This is the view from the top of the Victoria Square shopping centre. I love being able to look down on the roof tops. Outside Victoria Square, is the Jaffe Fountain. I have always been intrigued by this pub Bittles Bar - the "flat-iron" building narrows to [..]

Roman Holiday!

Published on 2012-02-08 14:53:00

No, not the classic Audrey Hepburn film from the 1950's, but my husband and I will be in Rome at the end of May to celebrate our 20th wedding anniversary! Could we actually be THAT old? I don't feel it, but the facts don't lie On 12 June 1992 I said I do (that rhymes!) You can see a few images of us looking VERY young HERE. Just remember it was the early nineties for forgive the fashion! I love to plan a holiday, whereas my husband doesn't think to much about it until he is actually on the [..]

Daily photos continue ...January is complete!

Published on 2012-02-05 13:11:00

Yes - I made it! I managed to take daily photos both with my Canon DSLR and iphone. You can see my iphone monthly summary HERE, and I have started to post some of my daily iphone photos to a new blog www.iphoneographyphotos.blogspot.com. So, here are the rest of my DSLR pics which I have created weekly summaries for using Photoshop, Digital Scrapbooking and the lovely Gina's Weeds & Wildflowers digital scrapbooking kit. My favourite photos from 22 - 28 January is the one of my 7 year old e [..]

A photowalk in the Titantic Quarter, Belfast

Published on 2012-02-03 16:24:00

It was a cold and frosty morning as I headed to the Titanic Quarter in Belfast. The Titanic Experience will open on 31 March 2012, just in time for the 100 anniversary of the Titanic tragedy. The whole area was ignored and neglected for many years, but in recent years has seen major redevelopement. So here are LOTS of photos and not very many words of my walkabout this morning. I really like the above photo, which shows the new Titanic Experience and one of the large [..]

Storage Solutions for makeup and jewellery

Published on 2012-02-02 14:23:00

Thanks to my friend Deborah, I bought these cheep (£3) and cheerful hanging pockets from Primark. I am using 2 cream ones in our bedroom - on the back of the ensuite door I have my makeup (not that I wear much, but I like having it all accesible and not rattling around in a drawer. The second one is hanging on the back of our bedroom door, and I am using it for my everyday jewellery. It is great for keeping things untangled, and I tend to wear a wider range as I am not forgeting [..]

Running my bath and my daughter recommended I use her "stress-battling" Calm One Calm All bubble bath - is she trying to tell me something?!! [Flickr]

Published on 2012-02-01 14:44:20

janmary posted a photo:

Evening on the East Strand, Portrush

Published on 2011-07-06 03:19:00

When the sun shines, and the temperature rises just a wee bit, it really is quite a lovely place to be. On Sunday evening, we headed over to "the Port" (Portrush) for an icecream and a walk on the beach. The East Strand, also called Curran

The Ensuite / Shower Room Makeover - with before and after photos

Published on 2011-07-05 06:23:00

It is finished! :) Still a few accessories to add, but after 12 years in our home, we have finally completed the makeover of our ensuite. (For my American/Canadian readers - what do you call it - it has a shower and is attached to the master bedro

The summer has begun!

Published on 2011-07-03 10:56:00

School finished on Thursday, and we were up here at the cottage by early afternoon on Friday. We seemed to have brought some warm sunshine with us, and not wanting to take it for granted, we headed to the beach on Friday night for our tradi

My latest jewellery creation for www.janmarydesigns.com [Flickr]

Published on 2011-06-29 06:12:20

janmary posted a photo:

School's Out for Summer, end of an era, moving on ....and lots more cliches!

Published on 2011-06-28 12:08:00

...at least school is out for 2 out of our 3 kids, and for one today is her last ever day at Primary School. The end of primary school means a few traditions for us - group photos of our kids in their uniforms signing of their polo shirts and sw

Sports Day Fun

Published on 2011-06-26 14:29:00

Finally, both sports days have been held at my kids primary school. For my youngest, it is his second sports day. As a P7"buddy" his big sister got to help organise the little ones, getting them ready, running in the right direction etc! Last F

Fathers Day 2011

Published on 2011-06-19 03:58:00

In honour of Fathers Day, I want to share a little bit about two special fathers in my life. Firstly my Dad.........a man of faith, compassion, loyalty and love. He is generous to a fault, caring and the best gardener I know. He gives generously of

Fathers Day 2011

Published on 2011-06-19 03:58:00

In honour of Fathers Day, I want to share a little bit about two special fathers in my life. Firstly my Dad.........a man of faith, compassion, loyalty and love. He is generous to a fault, caring and the best gardener I know. He gives generously of

Day 2 of ensuite makeover [Flickr]

Published on 2011-06-17 10:06:29

janmary posted a photo:

Day 2 of ensuite makeover [Flickr]

Published on 2011-06-17 10:06:29

janmary posted a photo:

The makeover of the ensuite has begun! [Flickr]

Published on 2011-06-16 07:20:22

janmary posted a photo:

The makeover of the ensuite has begun! [Flickr]

Published on 2011-06-16 07:20:22

janmary posted a photo:

Bright and Vivid - Nature Detective

Published on 2011-06-13 16:35:00

This week the theme at I Heart Faces is Bright and Vivid. This photo of my son and his magnifying glass was snapped during a walk in a lovely park in Galway, on the west coast of Ireland in April 2011. I wasn't sure how it would turn out, but was pl

Bright and Vivid - Nature Detective

Published on 2011-06-13 16:35:00

This week the theme at I Heart Faces is Bright and Vivid. This photo of my son and his magnifying glass was snapped during a walk in a lovely park in Galway, on the west coast of Ireland in April 2011. I wasn't sure how it would turn out, but was pl

From Ballycastle to Buckingham Palace (almost!)

Published on 2011-06-13 15:47:00

www.Last Saturday we headed to Ballycastle, one of our favourite spots on the north Antrim coast. It manages to combine a lively small town, a lovely harbour, lots of play parks, a beach, great views and a craft shop selling Janmary Designs

From Ballycastle to Buckingham Palace (almost!)

Published on 2011-06-13 15:47:00

www.Last Saturday we headed to Ballycastle, one of our favourite spots on the north Antrim coast. It manages to combine a lively small town, a lovely harbour, lots of play parks, a beach, great views and a craft shop selling Janmary Designs

19 years ago today...

Published on 2011-06-12 15:11:00

I said "I do" In honour of the occasion, another photo of the two of us - regular readers will know I don't put photos of me on this blog very often. Sorry to be all soppy and romantic on you, don't worry, normal service will resume shortly!

19 years ago today...

Published on 2011-06-12 15:11:00

I said "I do" In honour of the occasion, another photo of the two of us - regular readers will know I don't put photos of me on this blog very often. Sorry to be all soppy and romantic on you, don't worry, normal service will resume shortly!

A Spontaneous Visit to the Cottage

Published on 2011-06-05 16:44:00

It's not like us to be spontaneous! With 3 kids and hectic lives, we usually plan well in advance when we are heading north, and usually only go when we are able to for the full weekend. However, on Friday evening, with a reasonable weather forecast,

A Spontaneous Visit to the Cottage

Published on 2011-06-05 16:44:00

It's not like us to be spontaneous! With 3 kids and hectic lives, we usually plan well in advance when we are heading north, and usually only go when we are able to for the full weekend. However, on Friday evening, with a reasonable weather forecast,

Photogaphy course continued, and celebrations

Published on 2011-06-03 15:33:00

Much to my disappointment, both the photo courses I have been on are coming to an end. I'll miss the new challenges, getting out of the house every Tuesday evening (!), and having a steady stream of topics and photos for my blog! Here are a few phot

Photogaphy course continued, and celebrations

Published on 2011-06-03 15:33:00

Much to my disappointment, both the photo courses I have been on are coming to an end. I'll miss the new challenges, getting out of the house every Tuesday evening (!), and having a steady stream of topics and photos for my blog! Here are a few phot

Letter box photos

Published on 2011-05-29 16:16:00

I've been learning lots on the two short photo courses I'm involved in. One of the recent challenges was to take images in and around our town and crop them down to letterbox size - so they are at least 3 times as long as they are high (or vice versa

Walking to School - with link to printable game

Published on 2011-05-25 14:29:00

One of the best things about working at home, is being able to walk my kids to school. I confess I don't always take advantage of doing it, but I know we can if we want to! It is just about a 15 minute walk - with a particularily steep hill to walk u

Snapshots Around The World - Musical

Published on 2011-05-23 14:30:00

The lovely Sue (who has been having an eventful year in Japan, particularily since the earthquake) is one of 3 bloggers who have created a new blog Snapshops Around the World. Each week there is a theme, and we are invited to share our interpretatio

Latest red knitted cuff & crochet necklace by Janmary Designs [Flickr]

Published on 2011-05-21 05:53:04

janmary posted a photo:

Boyce Avenue [Flickr]

Published on 2011-05-19 16:52:22

janmary posted a photo:

Photography Course - The Details

Published on 2011-05-18 09:09:00

There is a particular street in Lisburn with lots of old premises, many in need of some renovation, but with great photo potential. I spent an hour wandering up and down, photographing peeling paint, cobwebs and locks. I got a few strange looks, a

janmary designs A [Flickr]

Published on 2011-05-17 10:18:19

janmary posted a video: A video using Stop Motion technique - created for a photography course

Community Photography Course - Old and New

Published on 2011-05-16 07:01:00

I recently signed up for a local community photography course in Lisburn, you can see some of my first images here, and thought I'd share some more today. One of our challenges was to capture some "Old and New" images in Lisburn. I starte

Jungle Speed - review a great game for all the family

Published on 2011-05-10 14:54:00

I was recently contacted about reviewing Jungle Speed by a toy company. Although the game was sent to me for review, the opinions are all my own (or my kids)!!! It is portable, easy to set up, relatively easy to explain to all ages, there is

backlit unedited [Flickr]

Published on 2011-05-09 04:30:59

janmary posted a photo:

backlit 1 edited [Flickr]

Published on 2011-05-09 04:30:46

janmary posted a photo:

You Capture - Outside

Published on 2011-05-08 15:20:00

Oops - where has the time gone - I haven't been blogging so much recently! Anyway, here I am with a quick post to join in with the You Capture photography challenge over at wonderfully named blog I Should Be Folding Laundry The theme is Outside, an

Sunday morning at White Rocks strand, N Ireland [Flickr]

Published on 2011-05-01 06:07:52

janmary posted a photo:

Daughters walking back from beach @ sunset [Flickr]

Published on 2011-04-30 15:02:22

janmary posted a photo:

The Cliffs of Moher, more from the home exchange

Published on 2011-04-30 12:12:00

These cliffs are probably the most famous in Ireland, and the photos hopefully speak mostly for themselves! It was a beautiful clear sunny day, and despite warning our kids to bring extra layers as it would probably be blustery, it was actually

Wedding Fever

Published on 2011-04-30 07:09:00

As we were driving back up from Galway, and our house swap, we missed watching the Royal Wedding live on TV. So last night I settled down with the family to watch the highlights on the BBC. While watching I learnt the following: 1. My daughters kn

nature detective by janmary [Flickr]

Published on 2011-04-28 16:03:32

janmary posted a photo:

Galway City, part of our Home Exchange

Published on 2011-04-27 14:29:00

Yesterday afternoon we headed into Galway for a little retail therapy and then dinner. There were a lovely little toy shop full of amazing wooden and traditional toys and a wonderful spiral staircase Some great graffitti/wall art

The fields and castle of Athenry

Published on 2011-04-27 11:23:00

Ok, this post is not actually about the fields, and mostly about the castle of Athenry, but it is hard for the song The Fields of Athenry not to pop into your mind while you drive around the town and area. The castle is a glorious medieval ca

Our House Swap Day 2 :Clifden and pony trekking on the beach, Galway

Published on 2011-04-26 07:27:00

We woke up to another bright and breezy day, packed up a picnic, and headed west, past Galway city and into Conemara. The countryside was rugged and beautiful. We stopped at a beach near Ballyconneely for our picnic lunch, and explored the beach.

Our House Swap Day 1 : Salthill and Renville, Galway

Published on 2011-04-24 12:59:00

We arrived on Saturday afternoon after 170 miles of driving, to our home for the week, a house swap home in Craughwell, Co Galway. It is a lovely large 6 bedroomed house with a huge garden, trampoline, wide screen tvs and lots of lego! After d

Photography Course - photowalk in Castle Gardens, Lisburn

Published on 2011-04-23 15:11:00

Last week saw the start of a local community photography course in Lisburn. It was so popular that they decided to run two classes, and we have split into a Tuesday night and a Thursday night group. On the first evening we were given an introduct

Top Ten Reasons to House Swap

Published on 2011-04-22 01:26:00

What is House Swapping? It is exchanging your home (or second home) with another homeowner somewhere else in the world for a vacation. Shop in their local supermarkets, live like a local, find out much more about a culture and way of life than you

Disappearing Trees - now you see them .... now you don't!

Published on 2011-04-21 06:20:00

When we bought our home 12 years ago, there was a boring square of grass, without no other signs of life, despite the previous owners having lived there for 4 years. This was part of our garden last summer, This was is waaaaay back then

And the winner of the Orla Kiely Shopping Bag Giveaway is......

Published on 2011-04-21 04:04:00

Thanks to everyone who entered, and I promise to host another giveaway when the next Orla Kiely designed shopping bag is released. In the meantime, the winner, chosen at random, is Suzann from The Olive Cottage. Congratulations to Suzann. And ju

I Heart Faces - Wind

Published on 2011-04-18 14:31:00

I knew as soon as I saw the Photo Challenge for this week which photo I would use. This is my son on a blustery day on Portrush East Strand here in Northern Ireland. For more I Heart Faces entry visit HERE Thanks for looking - leave a comm

Top Ten Bloggers in Northern Ireland!

Published on 2011-04-15 17:30:00

This past month there has been a frenzy of activity around the Northern Ireland Social Media awards - last month was nominating time. Thanks to everyone who nominated Janmary Blog in Section 5 - Best Blogger, because I have been shortlisted in the to

Giveaway - beautiful Orla Kiela Reuseable Shopping Bag!

Published on 2011-04-14 02:03:00

I don't know about you, but (when I remember to leave them in the car for next time) I much prefer using reuseable shopping bags to the flimsy plastic bags provided. It's even better, however, if the reuseable bags are beautiful as well a

You're invited to a PARTY - with a giveaway

Published on 2011-04-11 01:43:00

Over at janmary designs this week, there is a party going on, and you're invited! You could win this unique hand-knit wild berry cuff, made by my own fair hand. To celebrate the end of Indie Business 3.0 a group of lovely crafters have got

Indie Business 3.0 - what's that about?

Published on 2011-04-10 13:42:00

A couple of months ago I stumbled across an online business course called Indie Business 3.0. It was aimed particularily at small business owners in the creative craft sector. I already knew of one of the tutors, and thought .....why not? The c

summer blues wire cuff 1 4w (Small) [Flickr]

Published on 2011-04-10 07:30:48

janmary posted a photo:

summer pearls wire cuff 1 4w (Small) [Flickr]

Published on 2011-04-10 07:30:46

janmary posted a photo:

sea urchin stretch 4w (Small) [Flickr]

Published on 2011-04-10 01:37:22

janmary posted a photo:

moonlight pears knitted cuff 4w (Small) [Flickr]

Published on 2011-04-10 01:37:20

janmary posted a photo:

40 shades of green knitted bracelet 4w (Small) [Flickr]

Published on 2011-04-10 01:37:18

janmary posted a photo:

summer bright bracelet 4w (Small) [Flickr]

Published on 2011-04-10 01:37:16

janmary posted a photo:

blackberry knitted cuff janmary designs (Small) [Flickr]

Published on 2011-04-09 08:22:11

janmary posted a photo:

Busy, busy, busy!

Published on 2011-04-07 15:13:00

It's been busy, busy, busy here in the world of Janmary Designs. Busy in a good way, though, so I'm not complaining! I've been busy creating some new jewellery items for summer for janmary designs. With the warmer weather and lighter ev

Mothering Sunday / Mothers Day in N Ireland

Published on 2011-04-05 11:04:00

Last weekend was Mothering Sunday, aka Mothers Day. It was a lovely day, and I received some lovely gifts from the kids (with a little help from my husband) There were flowers in a cute pink bucket (some of the soil ended up on the duvet in my so

Sunny Saturday in Spring

Published on 2011-04-03 11:00:00

How's that title for a bit of alliteration?!! One of the newest, largest and well equipped playgrounds in Northern Ireland has to be Wallace Park in Lisburn (although we might be slightly biased!). Here are a few images from this morning's adventur

purple dream cluster by janmary designs [Flickr]

Published on 2011-03-31 10:29:14

janmary posted a photo: Another creation for www.janmarydesigns.com - Purple Dreams cluster. A combination of purple beads, pearls and large silver heart, all on a clip which can be worn on a long chain, or as a bag charm

Pia, pia, piano........

Published on 2011-03-31 05:53:00

Yesterday was piano exam day for my younger daughter (middle child), so it seems as good as reason as any to post a photo or two of our piano. This time her exam was held in Ballynahinch, last time it was in North Belfast. It was much better for t

Digimumpreneurs, macaroons and cakes!

Published on 2011-03-30 14:20:00

Since starting my own small business www.janmarydesigns.com I have become more and more aware of the need to connect and network. It can be a bit daunting arriving in a room full of strangers, and definitely puts me outside my comfort zone.

midnight blues toggle janmarydesugns.com [Flickr]

Published on 2011-03-28 13:38:11

janmary posted a photo: Silver plated toggle bracelet with individually wrapped beads in blues, silver and faux pearls

razzle dazzle toggle janmarydesigns.com [Flickr]

Published on 2011-03-28 13:38:09

janmary posted a photo: Silver plated toggle bracelet created with individually wrapped turquoise/pink crackle beads.

And the winners are......

Published on 2011-03-28 07:49:00

I'm delighted to announce the 3 winners chosen at random from the participants and commentors on my Janmary St Patricks Day Blogging Carnival. First the prizes There's irish chocolate (have not personally tasted these, but they look good!) And t

Beach cottage Saturday and Meet-a-blogger Sunday

Published on 2011-03-27 13:39:00

If you have not yet discovered the joy that is The Beach Cottage blogger, you are missing out, especially if you love shabby beach chic with lots and lots of white! Originally from England, she has embraced the Aussie life to the full. She challenge

Speak Now.....Taylor Swift in Belfast 2011

Published on 2011-03-26 13:34:00

It isn't often my daughters' taste in music collides with mine, but we are all fans of Taylor Swift. So when I heard last year she was coming to Belfast in March 2011, I knew it would be a perfect Christmas surprise. Last night the concert was on in

multi knitted cuff by janmary [Flickr]

Published on 2011-03-23 13:11:22

janmary posted a photo: Hand knitted cuff bracelet by janmary designs

trees and cottage photo cards [Flickr]

Published on 2011-03-23 13:11:20

janmary posted a photo: blank photo cards by janmary designs original photos from N Ireland, printed on high quality blank note cards.

Irish Blog Awards and Ladies Tea Party 2011

Published on 2011-03-20 14:26:00

As the Irish Blog Awards were being held in Belfast this year, and as an Etsy Ireland member I was contributing towards the Ladies Tea Party goody bags, it seemed a perfect opportunity to meet some fellow irish bloggers. I came home with

St Patrick's Day Parade in Belfast 2011

Published on 2011-03-17 17:35:00

This morning, as has become my tradition since I started blogging, I went into Belfast to photograph the St Patrick's Day parade in Belfast. This year I chose a vantage point of just opposite the City Hall. There was lots of colour

st pats 16 4w (Small) [Flickr]

Published on 2011-03-17 17:09:19

janmary posted a photo:

st pats 15 4w (Small) [Flickr]

Published on 2011-03-17 17:09:17

janmary posted a photo:

st pats 14 4w (Small) [Flickr]

Published on 2011-03-17 17:09:15

janmary posted a photo:

st pats 13 4w (Small) [Flickr]

Published on 2011-03-17 17:09:13

janmary posted a photo:

st pats 12 4w (Small) [Flickr]

Published on 2011-03-17 17:09:10

janmary posted a photo:

New lessons, old memories and feeling social

Published on 2011-03-15 10:05:00

It's Tuesday, and time to share those lessons learned : enjoy more gorgeous flowers and visits from friends, and thanks everyone, I'm feeling much better now (following the surgery) don't be surprised if the double glazing salesman looks mor

Announcing JanMary St Patricks Day Bloggy Carnival 2011

Published on 2011-03-12 05:50:00

It's that time again, when half the world goes green crazy, and each year I am continually amazed at how Ireland is celebrated around the world! I'm JanMary, a blogger in Northern Ireland, and at this time of year I host a wee party to celebrate the

Lessons Learned - recovering and thankful

Published on 2011-03-08 08:47:00

So this day last week, I was in the operating theatre, and as thankful I am for the NHS, it is much more lovely being at home. Lessons learned : 1. Photo opportunities are more limited when you don't leave the house for a week! 2. My Mum an

A different room with a view!

Published on 2011-03-04 12:40:00

I'm home from hospital, I had my hyperparathyroidism surgery on Tuesday, and I must say there is nothing like being in your own bed, with your own duvet, and of course a cosy laptop helps too! Don't panic, no scary photos of scars, but here are a fe

Anything but a face - I heart faces!

Published on 2011-02-28 04:10:00

This week the challenge is to share a photo which doesn't contain a face! With a daughter who is becoming more and more camera shy, this is not a problem for me, as I have lots of photos like this: This one was taken on the beach in Portballintrae,

Inside the Manor House - to the manor born?

Published on 2011-02-20 15:06:00

We're home from our half-term break - 2 nights in Manor Country House, Fermanagh and 2 nights up at our cottage on the north coast. As requested, especially for Andrea, I'm sharing some more of the inside of the Manor House. There's going to

Foggy February in Fermanagh

Published on 2011-02-19 05:17:00

Fortunately for me, the weather provided some convenient alliteration for the title of this post! Our second day in Fermanagh started with a delicious breakfast, and an eerie view of the grounds through the fog. What a difference a day makes!

Half Term in the Fermanagh Lakelands

Published on 2011-02-16 15:36:00

Today started a glorious sunny and remarkably mild February day. After some last minute shopping and delivering George to the cattery for his own holiday, we headed west. Fermanagh is the most westerly county of Northern Ireland and is dominated by

Makeover time!

Published on 2011-02-14 13:57:00

That's right - a make-over of me! My regular blogger readers will now be in shock because I prefer to make-over rooms in my house than myself I hate sharing photos of me I just hate having my photo taken I'm not known for wearing much make-up S

Cups or Mugs and Valentines!

Published on 2011-02-11 15:06:00

For a while I have been on the look out for some new red mugs for our cottage near the sea. Last night, while out clothes shopping with my daughters, I spied these beauties: And I loved them even more when I realised they were only 85 pence each (

plum hearts by janmary [Flickr]

Published on 2011-02-08 10:24:20

janmary posted a photo: handmade silverplate toggle bracelet by janmary designs

plum hearts by janmary 3 [Flickr]

Published on 2011-02-08 10:24:18

janmary posted a photo: handmade silverplate toggle bracelet by janmary designs

plum hearts by janmary 2 [Flickr]

Published on 2011-02-08 10:24:15

janmary posted a photo: handmade silverplate toggle bracelet by janmary designs

hearts necklace by janmary 5 [Flickr]

Published on 2011-02-08 10:24:14

janmary posted a photo: handmade by janmary designs

hearts necklace by janmary 4 [Flickr]

Published on 2011-02-08 10:24:11

janmary posted a photo: handmade by janmary designs

Stones, Bones, Moans and Groans - Hyperparathyroidism & Me

Published on 2011-02-04 05:10:00

Welcome to my world of hyperparathyroidism! Normal blogging service will resume shortly, but decided that this would be an appropriate time to try to share what's been going on around here recently. The stones, bones, moans and groans will be exp

After the hair-cut, and after the front tooth fell out!

Published on 2011-01-31 08:58:00

As previously mentioned, my 6 year old was desparately in need of a haircut. I promised some after photos. Then his front tooth fell out, so here are some after-the-after photos too. And yes- the cheeky grin and red hair perfectly match his

I Heart Faces - January Face Photo Challenge

Published on 2011-01-31 05:09:00

As I mentioned last week, my son really needed a haircut, and I promised some "after" photo. I took lots of "After the hair cut", and then more of "after the haircut and the front tooth falling out"! So my entry for I Heart Faces this week is

What I learned this week/month

Published on 2011-01-26 03:49:00

It has been too long since I joined it the blog carnival "What I Learned This Week" So, in no particular order, here are my lessons learned 1. Sometimes a night out with friends is better organised with little advance notice, and last friday 5 of u

swirl black brooch by janmary [Flickr]

Published on 2011-01-24 15:02:30

janmary posted a photo: handcrafted black swirl brooch by janmary designs

red knotted necklace janmary [Flickr]

Published on 2011-01-24 15:02:24

janmary posted a photo: handcrafted red and black knotted necklace by janmary designs

princess pink stretch charm by janmary [Flickr]

Published on 2011-01-24 15:02:23

janmary posted a photo: handcrafted child's princess pink stretch charm bracelet by janmary designs

pearl crystal wedding comb by janmary [Flickr]

Published on 2011-01-24 15:02:21

janmary posted a photo: pearl bridal wedding hair comb handcrafted by janmary designs

neutral cluster long chain by janmary [Flickr]

Published on 2011-01-24 15:02:19

janmary posted a photo: handcrafted neutral cluster of beads on long chain by janmary designs

A New Year, a new camera and a new lens

Published on 2011-01-24 14:55:00

For Christmas I upgraded my Canon to a 500D (and my 400D/Rebel xti went to a good home, didn't it Sheila?!) and today my new lens arrived. I know little about lenses and their various attributes but was looking for something which would be good in l

Welcome to my new Janmary Designs Jewellery

Published on 2011-01-23 14:08:00

It's finished - at last you too can see the new home of Janmary Designs handcrafted jewellery The web address is still the same www.janmarydesigns.com but is has a whole new look, which I love. Please, if you can, visit and have a look aroun

I Heart Faces - a Winter Wonderland

Published on 2011-01-18 03:46:00

After our weather extremes of this winter here in Northern Ireland, there was no shortage of images to choose from for the theme at I Heart Faces this week. Here is my pick, my middle daughter, enjoying the snow. For more Winter Wonderland

Blogging - more questions than answers.....

Published on 2011-01-13 12:09:00

You are charged with not blogging, how do you plead? Guilty as charged. After 33 days of consecutive blogging before/during/after Christmas I was all blogged out! I have mentally written lots of

Back to the beach

Published on 2011-01-02 14:31:00

Having not been walking on the beach since half-term back in October, it was great to be back today. It was chilly and the "wee beach" at Portballintrae was all but desserted apart from us. I took a few lots of photos : It looked idyllic, and very

Welcome to a new year, and a new DECADE on 1.1.11 :)

Published on 2011-01-01 12:51:00

How are you this first day of twenty eleven? Here's what has been happening since my recap of the year (in many words and photos) yesterday/last year! We were invited to a party which was to be our first attempt to go out to a party, with the 3 ki

On 31st December ...... a bloggy review of 2010 .... and my 600th post!

Published on 2010-12-31 03:23:00

It's that time again ..... a recap of the major happenings on my blog in 2010. January 2010 Welcome Twenty Ten We started off with quite a lot of snow (or so we thought!) I shared a delicious soup recipe We had There's More - a great commun