Chickens!

This past weekend, we went on a little drive with my parents and visited Dobbies garden centre in Lisburn... you know, for a look around, and for some succulent soil. No big deal.

Well, then I spotted three little chickens who were the very last of the flock, and a sign saying they were reduced. I thought they were the loveliest, healthiest looking chickens I had ever seen, and they were so tame, so I started to panic. What if someone who didn't really WANT chickens bought them... what if they didn't look after them properly (??), or what if they...horror... ate them for their dinner (eek!)??. We spoke to the lovely lady who had been looking after them, and she told us they were the very last ones, had been there for a while (they're about six months old) and that they wouldn't be getting any more after this. Left on the shelf, so to speak.

At that point, I knew we were biting the bullet and taking them home. We have had a chicken house sitting in our garden for three years, and it's never been the 'right time'. We're always working, are away from home a lot on business trips etc etc, so we've always had an excuse not to! Well, I said BOO! to excuses and brought them home in boot of the car and got them settled in on Saturday afternoon.

So far, they're very easy to look after, and are laying eggs like pro's already. And they're DELICIOUS. I've never had an egg this fresh (a warm egg lifted from the straw bed is a thing of beauty) and it's so good.

So... meet the newest additions to Bell Farm (it's getting that way, right?)... Henrietta (the brown one), Brigitte (the white one) and Helga (the black/grey one). Such good girls.

Hope your week is good so far!
Abigail x

p.s. I never got that succulent soil...

Decorating with abigail*ryan Wallpaper...

I'm really having a rather large amount fun imagining what I would buy and collect if I was designing a room from scratch with each of our Wallpaper, Fabric and Cushions as the basis... though I don't think there's ever anything better for an authentic and interesting home than to collect pieces slowly through your life and treasure and re-imagine them in different places and groups in your house, it's fun to think what big pieces you might add if money were no object, or you were designing for a client...

So... without further ado, this is what I would create around our Cosmo Margarita Wallpaper!

I really wanted to accent and bring out the deep olive green/chocolate brown line-work which featured strongly in the Cosmo illustrations, and thought the  Olive Velvet sofa, and chocolate Spindle lampshade would do this beautifully, all the while setting off the matching Margarita Cushions. I really wanted to add a touch of eclecticism, so added the vintage Tretchikoff print, and instantly loved the flash of turquoise along with the green-grey and yellow which tones well with the paper. I emphasised this even more with the addition of the incredible paper-mache Chandelier (okay, I want this for my kitchen, too!) and the pineapple wall sconce. And what about that rug? Oh my! I really could happily live in this scheme, and if we didn't have two dogs, that velvet sofa would be mine. I'm hoping we can find something similar in leather soon.

Hope you're enjoying this little decorating imagining project. What do you think you might add to this scheme? Could you live with this layered and eclectic look?

Shopping List - Clockwise from top: Ceramics, Tortus Copenhagen / Pineapple Wall Sconce, Abigail Ahern / The Chinese Girl, Vladimir Tretchikoff (for vintage and modern reproductions, try eBay) / Spindle Floor Lamp, Habitat / Sofa (I found this on a google search but there's no original source, let me know if you know where this is from!) / Overdyed Grove Rug, Rugs USA / Pyrite Painting, (the incredible) Carly Waito (framed, I am imagining, in a vintage gilt piece) / abigail*ryan Cosmo Margarita Cushions / abigail*ryan Cosmo Margarita Wallpaper / Serena Chandelier, Stray Dog Designs.

Happy weekend to all!

Abigail
xo

Decorating with abigail*ryan Wallpaper...

This morning I was writing a piece of copy for a Northern Ireland Interiors magazine about Wallpaper trends and ideas for decorating with Wallpaper, and it got me thinking... well, it got me plotting, actually.

Since our new Wallpaper arrived, we've had big pieces of it pinned up on various walls in our home, and will soon be decorating throughout our home, ourselves. I thought I would pull together some decorating and accessorising ideas for each of our four papers, and today, I've started with Rose Flamingo.

Personally, I absolutely loves the maximalist look! I believe in collecting special pieces of art or ceramics on your travels and incorporating them, and celebrating them, in your home. I love layering colour and pattern and love clash and contrast as much as I love matchy-matchy. Pulling together a colour story is so much fun, because, let's face it, colour is so much fun! I chose these pieces today thinking how well they would fit in to my existing kitchen/diner (where we also work) and yet, help emphasise the strong aqua and vintage coral, along with the crisp white, in our Flamingo Rose Wallpaper and matching scatter Cushions!

What do you think? Is this a colour scheme you could live with... what would you add in to the mix?

Clockwise from noon: Rose Garden Cushion / Aqua Wire Baskets, Carolyn Donnelly at Dunnes / Flower Knob, Anthropologie / Fox Knob, Anthropologie / Toadstool Plate, Anthropologie / Zuiver Coral Orange Wire Stool, Achica / Teal Cast Iron Casserole, Le Creuset / Aqua gloss Storage Trolley, Ikea / Coral Latte Bowls, Anthropologie / Ercol Nesting tables, Anthropologie / Staffordshire Spaniels, Jonathan Adler / Rose Windrose Cushion / Rose Florimetric Cushion ... and of course, Rose Flamingo Wallpaper.

p.s. our cushions will be in store in early September. If you would like to pre-order, get in touch.

xo,
Abigail @ a*r

Introducing: Hamish...

 

Meet Hamish... the newest addition to the Bell family, and abigail*ryan HQ.

We picked him up on Sunday, the day he turned seven weeks old, and brought him home from his litter of seven to start his new life with us, and Angus. He is a Lhasa Apso, Shih Tzu cross..

Angus doesn't really know what to make of him, and is quite grumpy and cross with us, and moody in general (I'm not sure if he really realises Hamish is a dog, because he's been so lonely and keen to see other dogs, that's the main reason we started thinking about getting him a chum!). But, he's coming around with a lot of love, and after doing lots of reading, we're making sure to do all the right things to cement and reinforce his top dog status. I think they will be best of friends by the end of the week!

It's so SO warm in Belfast (gorgeous weather), it's just a tangle of wriggly squiggly overly warm pups crashing out to sleep away most of the day in a shady spot... Hamish is doing brilliantly, using his training mat like a pro, and eating and drinking like the greedy one of seven he is. He's an absolute dote, and pretty much follows me around like a shadow every moment he isn't sleeping.

Anyway, enjoy these first little snaps. And Hamish, we love you already.
xo

Elderflower adventures...

So... we seem to have caught the preserving/canning bug! Perhaps it's some deep seated need to hunker down and stock the stores now we're newlyweds, and staring our thirties in the face, but I'm fairly sure it's mainly because we're greedy gourmands, and like delicious food - all - year - round! ;)

It all began to simmer a bit in us a year or so ago when Ryan bought me "Canning for a New Generation" which was beautiful, but I didn't have much time to sit and read it (until now)... and recently, our friend Claire showed us an amazing book she had bought by Diana Henry, called "Salt Sugar Smoke", which is DIVINE (and beautifully styled by the super talented Laura Edwards), and really got our juices going - we found a copy ourselves for a song in TK Maxx, (where we get all our best home bargains!).

We're planning a Summer Garden party in August, to celebrate my big 3-0, and wanted to make all sorts of delicious food and drink for our guests. The idea of making yummy infused syrups and spirits for our drinks, and elderflower cordial or champagne from our huge Elderflower bush at the back of the garden seemed not only a budget friendly option, but a creative, inspiring and fun option, too! So - we've made a start...

So far, we have raided Lakeland (hello, cooks/foodie heaven!) stocking up on some huge mason jars, and started a Strawberry Gin, a Rhubarb & Vanilla infused Vodka, a Rhubarb Sharbaat, and a Vin de Myrtille (blueberries, to you and I)... it's been so much fun, and we love watching the jewel toned colours deepen and infuse each day.

Today, we waited until the rain subsided (yes, I know, there might just be an indoor summer party the way things are shaping up this Summer!) and squelched up the garden to pick the just blossomed Elderflowers. A quick shake off, and they were placed in a bowl with three unwaxed lemons, cut in to slices, after their peel was removed with a peeler, also included in the bowl... then, we brought 1.5KG (yes, I know! wow) of sugar to the boil with I.5L water, and then poured the hot syrup over the flower heads and lemons. It all fitted perfectly in to my big antique baking bowl, and then we stirred in 75g of Citric Acid. Everyone says you can get citric acid in any chemist, but I couldn't get it in a large Boots, so went to my local independent chemist, where I had more luck.

All we have to do now is cover the bowl, and leave in a dark place for 24 hours, before straining and decanting in to jars tomorrow! I think we are going to hot process our jars so they last longer than five weeks, and then we are done... it will make litres and litres of delicious summer drinks, not bad for the price of a bag and a half of sugar and a few lemons, egh?

Have a go while the Elderflowers are still in bloom... they're everywhere once you notice them!
Happy cooking,
xo Abigail

Bits and Pieces...

Hmm. The weekend kind of crept up on me, or even, the week kind of disappeared on me... i'm a little unsettled today, thinking it should be Friday, or even Thursday if the universe wanted to be a tad kind of something!


Anyway, so far today, we've been working pretty hard on an application and I'm just taking a little break now from all the typing (to do more typing and online looking, go figure!) while the pup, and Ryan have a little nap. In that respect, it totally feels like the weekend. Planning on cooking a Laksa tonight to keep the cold away (we have had snow flurries and crazy hail), and maybe an early night.


Remember I mentioned I had made Ryan a birthday present? Well, here it is: it's an amazing slanted wooden box with a glass lid I rescued from my Gran when she was going to throw it out some years ago, and I have kept it since. I have never found a good use for it, and don't have any idea what it was for, but I gave it a little TLC, and a new olive green washi tape edge around the glass and made a new embroidery for R. Elderflower leaves (again!) - can't get enough. I had planned for it to be a box for him to keep all his watches safe in - but he wanted it on display so he could see it all the time (secret smile) so I made space up on our mantel (cube unit from ikea, but it's as close as we have!)... and it looks pretty nice amongst all our little bits and pieces...


In other news, we're going to our first wedding fair tomorrow and I am SUPER excited. We have been talking about plans almost non-stop since getting engaged, and, I'm not going to fib - there is a huge amount of frustration at this stage of the game in relation to finding a venue that we feel is 'us' and that fits our budget (pretty small!)! We have felt a little deflated more than once when quotes come flooding in - Ryan has actually even exclaimed 'we're not BUYING the place' a few times ;) However, we're slowly but surely getting an idea of what we want and it's like the fog is lifting a little and we are beginning to come up with plans and ideas that actually inspire us, and starting to put together the bigger picture of the how's and why's. All good.


Hopefully tomorrow will help us on our way even more... we will report back!


What are you doing this weekend, anything nice?
xo! A@a*r

Just another Thursday...

Yesterday I bought a biscuit tin in the M&S bargain corner for a pound (because I had one in my purse, I thought it was a good way to spend it!) reduced down, all because it had a little scratch on the lid. I knew we could give it a good home... today I made space for it on our kitchen shelves. Minimalism isn't for me, clearly.

Tonight for dinner, I cooked some sausages, and we had them with a Belfast bap, pickles (dill, beets, onions), cheese and mustard by candle-light. Felt like a little feast, somehow. Even though it was actually a scraping the cupboards/freezer roulette kind of dinner...

Just another Thursday!

A@a*r x

Oh January...

Hmm... it's a funny old month so far. We're staying up far too late and sleeping in far too much, and as a result, the overwhelming mood around here is, well, of DARKNESS! The day is almost over before it begins.

Yellow-tinged photos by lamp-light don't have much appeal, and honestly, neither does an 8am start each day which is the only good light to be had - so here it is, what we've been up to with an artificially lit hue...

Hot chocolate I made as a little early evening pick-us-up last Friday (boy, was it ever good!) and an embroidery I have been working on today... I have something brewing here, will share very soon. I'm excited! Can you tell in the dark? ;)

I was saying to my MIL last week that I *really* missed the light in my old flat, (seriously check this out, and this, and these! le sigh) - especially at this time of year! High ceilings and big white-ish walls are as distant a memory as Spring and bunches of bold and bright flowers through the house... one day, we will get both of those back, I am sure. Springtime first, no doubt.

It was our THIRD anniversary on Sunday, so that was a lovely bright-point in all the darkness. We dined by candle-light and ate a beautiful beef stew (Ryan's request), peanut and chocolate cup-cakes and drank champagne (an engagement gift) in our new crystal glasses (also an engagement gift!) and talked through plans for our wedding.

Guess January isn't so bad after all, egh!?

Axo

Lucky...

We're very lucky, and touched, to have received so many beautiful cards from friends and family to celebrate our Engagement - thank you to everyone!

Happy Weekend, all!

xo

Christmas Eve...

... it's finally here! After a super busy week of rushing around and tying up loose ends, it's finally Christmas Eve and almost everything is ticked off the list. It's even at that stage where you stop worrying about the tiny little parts that aren't, too. Bliss.

We have been making gorgeous home-made confectionery... INCREDIBLE Salt Caramels, two types of fudge (peanut butter and chocolate!), and apricot logs. The wrapping part is almost as fun as the eating part. Almost, but not quite!

All our presents are wrapped (I still have to do Ryan's, though, shhhh) and I had a lot of fun! Inspired by Hello Sandwich for Martha Stewart's wrapping competition this year... I decided to go origami bow-crazy and I love our silver and neon pink theme with bright accents.

FINALLY, and before we sign off for a few days, we want to take the opportunity to say a huge thank you to all our customers and followers this year for their support - we would like to wish you (and everyone!) a VERY Merry Christmas indeed... hope you have a gorgeous time with friends and family.

With festive love,

Abigail, Ryan & Angus!

xo

Festivities, finally...

I have been *trying* to get a moment to get our house all Christmassy for... um... maybe two weeks now!? Well, yesterday, I was going to get it done come hell or high water! It was decided.

I spent the day cleaning and tidying the house (which was more work than could possibly be imagined as I finally had to tackle the mass of tea-towel stock that had been lying around in boxes for weeks (months!) and work detritus which always manages to creep all through the house), so, when it was all finally finished, it was already late, and dark and I was exhausted, but I could finally set the tree up... yay...

Always lovely, though, unwrapping loved decorations and finding the perfect spot for them! I did have Ryan untangle the lights, though, as knots make me full of rage and we couldn't take the chance that I would burst and untangle them with scissors or something like that! ;)

So nice to wake up this morning (dark and rainy) and be able to light up the tree and revel in the twinkling... it's finally Christmas and we are all set for a week of final orders leaving, wrapping presents, festive cooking and more regular than we would like cleaning of the floors as Angus leaves muddy footprints in his wake every time he comes in from the garden (won't it freeze outside, please!?)... Merry Merry!

Hope you're all set for a good week as we slide on in to the Holidays!

xo

Rocking Friday Night...

Friday night for a lot of people equals drinks out, fancy dinner maybe... celebrating the week behind you, and beginning the weekend with a bang. What are we doing, you may ask...?

Quilting! Oh yeah, baby, that's right ... working late on a Friday night is just how we roll... ;)

Bowls of wheetabix with banana, the pup on the floor at our feet (of course, finding something to snuggle on he shouldn't... but doesn't he have great taste!) and making a jolly-good mess on the kitchen table designing some new patchwork blocks...

I know you're thinking: is that an angel-fish I can see!?

Why yes, it is...!! Awesome to the max, right? ;)

Wishing you all a wonderful weekend to come. Hope you're having as a nice a Friday night as us, however you happen to be spending it!

x A@a*r

There's a mousse, loose, about this hoose!

The latest recipe from our laboratory kitchen (well...it's just are plain old kitchen, but we get to wear white coats and lab glasses...) is a pretty fantastic, dairy free, Chocolate and Coconut Mousse.

This stuff is incredibly rich, but, luckily, also incredibly good...so keep your servings small and share it with more of your friends. They'll suddenly become *best* friends after a taste of this!

100g good quality dark chocolate (dairy free and, at least, 60% cocoa solids)

200g (a bag) of marshmallows

1 can full fat coconut milk*

3 Organic Free Range eggs, separated

1 pinch salt

*make sure you've bought your coconut milk a few days before you want to make this.

First, prepare your coconut milk. If you've left your can undisturbed for a few days, the contents will have separated- this is what you want! Gently turn the can upside down, and open what was the bottom. Pour away all the thick, clear liquid until you're left with only the thick, white coconut cream.

Pour and scrape this cream into a pot over a medium heat along with the chocolate and marshmallows. Mix together and stir constantly to ensure the chocolate doesn't scorch. Once all have melted together into a coconut scented, pillowy, gorgeousness, take off the heat.

Separate your eggs. Whisk the 3 whites with a pinch of salt until they have reached the firm peak stage.

With a hand-whisk, whisk the chocolate mixture for a minute or two to ensure it has cooled slightly, then whip in the 3 egg yolks. The mixture will thicken slightly.

Now, loosen the chocolate mixture by stirring in 1 large spoonful of the beaten egg whites, before folding in the rest of them. Try to be careful here, as you want to keep in as much air as possible- more bubbles= more fun! A metal spoon is a great way to cut through the mix without knocking out too much air...

Divide the mixture between 4-6 dishes (use whatever pretty little things you have lying around) and place in the fridge. In a couple of hours the mousse will be set and you can dive right in!

Serve with nothing more than a knowing grin.

ryan@abigail*ryan

p.s. As this mousse contains very lightly cooked eggs you might want to avoid giving this to pregnant ladies and very young children if you feel it would be unwise...

From scraps...

Years ago, I bought a scrap of Lucienne Day fabric at Glasgow School of Arts Centre for Advanced Textiles... it cost me about a pound, I think, as it was just little bits and pieces and scraps and such, but I have been meaning to do something with it ever since as I LOVE it...

WELL - last night was the night!

A little bit of sewing later, and a bit of help from Mister Bell, and we have a new cushion for our sofa... I'm really delighted with it, and love the little bit of embroidery on the lucienne fabric...

Angus seems to like it, too.

:)

Abigail@abigail*ryan

Kitchen Nooks...

We did a little bit of shuffling this past week - moving all our cookery books off the shelves near the cooker over to some new shelves we hung in the alcove next to the fire-place...

We're loving our new breakfast reading nook! We have pushed the table up next to the shelves, now stacked with all our culinary literature, perfect for inspiring us over long, lazy breakfasts ;)

And now, in addition, we've got some extra space to display nice crockery on the 'free' shelves. Nothing like a bit of shuffling to brighten the place up, egh??

Finally got to hang our plate from Dublin, and our lovely pieces from Otchipotchi and Shan Annabelle Valla... the crockery on the small shelves is a lot of anthropologie, mixed vintage finds and le crueset...

:)

Abigail @ abigail*ryan

Springing Back!

Things are getting back to normal here at chez a*r after Ryan's stay in hospital. He's home and feeling much better every day. Thank you for all your kind messages while he was unwell...

Spring is rearing it's pretty head in Belfast, with some sunshine, daffodils poking through and Hyacinths blooming indoors... it's all rather lovely. Perfect walking weather for the pup!

We are whipping ourselves in to shape, starting off with a year planner (from Crispin Finn), which arrived this morning. Our year is already shaping up to be VERY busy, and it will be so helpful to be able to block it all off and know where we're at at a glance!

We are excited to be able to share that we will be exhibiting at Pulse London this June... the UK's only Summer Trade show, held at Earls Court. It's a trade only show, so we are very much looking forward to talking to buyers and meeting lots of lovely potential new stockists! :)

We also have a new website in the works, and are getting close to launching our new Heirloom range. Honest to goodness... I am completely in love with the floor cushions we've been working on. I don't know how I will be able to let each one off beauty go!!

BUSY!

Hope Spring is showing face with you. Wrap up warm 'till then!!

A@a*r

p.s. as I am about to hit publish, rain has just started to lash the window... Spring is laughing at me! ;))

Happy Birthday Ryan :))

We had a fantastic weekend of celebrations for Ryan's big 30th birthday on Saturday...

We cooked a big Japanese feast full of all sorts of delicious treats, and I made a cake - we had pink champagne and party poppers, and then lit sky-lanterns outside and watched them float off in to the night...

Ryan got some amazing presents, I bought him a painting and his sister and brother in law bought him (us! hehe!) a gorgeous wooden chicken house so we can have hens in our garden... it's all very exciting!

It would be nice if you celebrated with us, too! We would like to extend a lovely 30% discount on all abigail*ryan goodies when you enter HAPPYBIRTHDAYRYAN at the checkout :)))

This will last until the end of the week!

*grin*

xo