CANDLES, MARMALADE AND OTHER FINE GEMS

It’s been a very active month since I last posted! Showcase –—the trade show for Irish exporters with the creative gene — was just fab. There was a really nice buzz; lots of visitors, lots of orders placed and people were in good form.

Of course my attention was on the jewellers (although I was swooning with the scents from the La Bougie stand. They were the nearest thing to the wildly different olfactory delights from my favourite candle makers – Cire Trudon — that I’ve ever come across. When I mentioned this to La Bougie creator, Lucy Hagerty she confessed this was no co incidence; Cire Trudon is their hero brand. High five girls! And since CT has been removed from Brown Thomas (why, I wonder?) I, for one will be looking to La Bougie to fill the gap.

I was also impressed with the preserves on display in the Grange Crafts stand. OMG...their brown bread and Whiskey Marmalade was just mouth watering. I had a Harry-met-Sally moment as I savoured a mouthful and was really bowled over when the woman on the stand (I think it was Rachel Cubbitt, but I stand corrected. She gave me a card but I can't find it) insisted on my taking a pot of the marmalade home. How nice was that… My husband, who eats marmalade every day of his life, was most impressed when I told him that I brought it home especially for him (!)

Back to the jewellers … All of them had something unique to offer but I especially loved Garrett Mallon’s designs. A month later I can still see them in my mind’s eye. It must be living in such a beautiful corner of Ireland (Garrett works out of Omeath on Carlingford Lough) that inspires his thoughtful pieces with their nod to our Celtic heritage.

After Showcase I headed to Birmingham. More of that anon (hopefully in less than a month or I’ll be talking about Mothers Day at Christmas ….

Meanwhile check out –

www.garrettmallon.com

www.grangecraft.com

www.labugie.com