Blogs

Hi, everyone!

Here’s another update from some of your favorite people from the Emerald Isle! And make sure to check back on Friday, August 30^th for a special Rose of Tralee Preview blog!

Stephen, Connemara Marble

There has been the sound of little feet in my house! We’ve recently had a fun new arrival in our household - we are fostering a sweet little Miniature Dachshund!!! We saw a posting from our local animal shelter that he had been rescued from a really nasty situation, so we are taking care of him. He is fitting in quite well. When we got him home, he was really thin and nervous, but, with love and care, he is finding his confidence, and we are finding that inside this tiny dog there is a big heart! We have named him Watson, and he is really becoming one of the household!

Me with Watson...and leprechaun hat!

Watson wants to be a leprechaun dog!

One happy little dog!

With Watson, and my son Daniel's Springer Spaniel, Hero! 

I’m looking forward to travelling to QVC soon to take part in the Rose of Tralee celebration on Tuesday, September 3rd!  

See you then,

Stephen

Shop Connemara Marble on QVC.com.

Joseph, JMH Jewellery

Hi, everybody! Greetings from Louisberg, where I am taking a break with my family! We've been working hard all summer getting ready for the Rose of Tralee show on QVC. I'm so looking forward to seeing everyone and showing you what new surprises we have up our sleeves! St. Bridget and the amazing work she did spreading the message of Christianity in Ireland was a big inspiration for us for this show! I've listened to you guys asking for jewelry inspired by this wonderful saint, and we have brought you these JMH Jewellery Sterling Silver St. Bridget's Cross Earrings (J269993)! And there’s more to come! Did you know the St. Bridget’s Cross is said to bring protection to the wearer?

The weather here has been great, for the most part. It has been a sunny Irish summer so far, but today is certainly a soft day! It gives me a great excuse to pop into the studio and get to drawing and working on new designs for St. Patrick’s Day 2014...

Looking forward to seeing you all soon! Tune in to QVC's Rose of Tralee Celebration, and be sure to let me know what you think of our jewelry. I love reading your reviews of JMH Jewelry products!

See you soon!

Joseph

Shop JMH Jewellery on QVC.com.

Barbara, Fragrances of Ireland

The first weekend in August – ‘August Bank Holiday Weekend’ – is a very special one in Ireland. It has a special place in all of our hearts, and, as you can probably garner, the banks are on holiday and so too are much of the country! The August Bank Holiday brings the Hurling and Gaelic Football championships to Quarter Final stage. I have to confess, I am not from a GAA family (Gaelic Athletic Assoc.), but my husband’s family comes from Co. Mayo. Their passion for the game has been passed on to my kids – hence last weekend they were out waving Mayo flags outside their nana’s house, much to the amusement of all her neighbours!

For the last few years, Mayo have been steadily improving. It’s been over 60 years since they won the Sam Maguire Cup, and over the weekend they defeated Donegal, the 2012 Champions, so it’s all systems go for the Semi-Finals on August 25^th when they meet Tyrone – that will be just as I start organising myself for my trip to QVC for the Rose of Tralee event!

After the excitement of the game, we’ve been taking it easier this week! Down at the beach we were teaching Eliza, our youngest, how to skim stones – although it may be closer to throwing at the moment! I also got my kids to do one of my favourite past-times – cloud watching!

Peter, who works with me here at Fragrances of Ireland, thinks this is the most wonderful way to get your imagination going, and I have to agree. Peter was there the day we took Arthur to Roundstone Beach, which is the place that inspired our Fragrances of Ireland Inis the Energy of the Sea Cologne Spray (A38210). Peter took the photo of the beach that I show when I visit QVC.

He has hundreds of images of clouds and would always be asking, ‘What can you see?’ Well, this particular cloud got the best reaction from my kids: buggys, wicked queens, wizards, acrobatic dogs. Why not let me know what you can see?

-Barbara

Shop Fragrances of Ireland on QVC.com.

John, Aran Craft

Hello, everyone! I thought this would be fun to share these photos with you. This is a picture of my brother and I in the early days of Aran Craft! I appear to be giving him some ‘artistic direction’ for one of the first Aran Craft photo-shoots!

Myself and my brother in some of the first Aran Crafts products

Fast-forward to 1999 when I was part of an international team whose objective was to reach the North Pole, which we were successful in achieving! Here I am sporting my Aran Craft sweater at the North Pole and flying the Irish flag!

Aran Crafts at The North Pole in 1999

I am looking forward, as always, to working with my various host friends this year for what we expect to be one of the biggest Rose of Tralee Celebrations ever! 

We have designed a very unique sweater for you guys to enjoy this year, combining unique stitch combinations with great attention to detail. Some of their meanings are inspired from the use of Mother Nature’s bounty with the Moss stitch to the vertical rib stitch representing the sometimes difficult path our lives take. I promise you this will be a real head-turner this fall.

Make sure you tune in on September 3rd, and I hope you enjoy our fantastic latest design for you, our fans and friends.

-John

Shop Aran Craft on QVC.com.

Until next time!

Shop our Irish assortment on QVC.com.