Wood farmhouse table top with 5 eggs, a broken egg, 3 tea towels, and muffins in a muffin tin

Winning Gift Ideas for Everyone on Your List… No, Really!

by Evin // December 16, 2021 // No Comments

I’m creating a useful and evergreen list of gift ideas for everyone on your list so you can reference this for birthdays or other occasions. At the end, you can peek at my personal wish list. So, if you know... Continue reading →

Brilliant Things: A Few of My Favorite Things

by Evin // November 30, 2021 // No Comments

In our day-to-day life, we use and enjoy certain things on an almost daily basis. There are things I just cannot imagine what we did before we owned them. They’re great gift ideas as well so with the holidays coming... Continue reading →

Books with a Christmas Theme to Get in the Holiday Spirit

by Evin // November 11, 2021 // No Comments

Each year anticipating Christmas, I get out our boxes of decorations to bring the holiday spirit to our home. I also bring out a stack of Christmas-themed books which we read together and on our own for the two months that follow. It... Continue reading →

Big List of Book Recommendations

by Evin // October 28, 2021 // No Comments

Since my dad passed away, I’ve lost my way a bit. I’ve forgotten how to have ‘me time’ and hobbies. One of my great loves has always been reading books so in an effort to find my way again I... Continue reading →

Gift Ideas for Home & Self-Care

by Evin // August 19, 2021 // No Comments

It has been one heck of a last nine months for me losing my dad, learning more about my mother’s health and helping her transition to a care residence, and clearing out my parents’ house. Really, I guess to be fair... Continue reading →

Your Recommendations for Skin Care & Make Up

by Evin // July 15, 2021 // 1 Comment

I’ve never been much for makeup. Really, I can recall the number of times I bought makeup on one hand. Concealer, lip balm, and an eyelash curler are my basics for everyday. But I rely heavily on skin care because skin... Continue reading →

How to Watch Marvel Movies and TV Shows in Order of When They Took Place in the MCU

by Evin // March 23, 2021 // 3 Comments

This past year, I’ve had a bit more time at home than usual and have been catching up on movies I missed over the last decade or so (since having kids). I want to watch them in order of when... Continue reading →

Getting Those Eyebrows Under Control

by Evin // March 9, 2021 // No Comments

Guest Post By Lucy Zender, creator and founder of Tweezerfile There’s no question that eyebrows have become an obsession over recent years. Indeed, it seems beauty-conscious women cannot be seen out without the perfect brow. With the various changes in... Continue reading →

Woolly and Wonderful Hand-dyers in Ireland & Northern Ireland | EvinOK

Made In Ireland – Makers and Artisans Based in Ireland

by Evin // January 26, 2021 // 1 Comment

If you read my blog regularly, you know I’ve posted quite a few times before about Irish crafts, hand-dyed yarn, and more, so it won’t be a surprise to read this post. I spent many MANY hours combing Instagram and the internet looking... Continue reading →

How to find green gifts for friends and family

by Evin // December 3, 2020 // No Comments

Today, I’m sharing a guest post by Liesbeth Deddens of Climeworks. Concern for the environment has led to changing purchasing habits; whether it’s using biodegradable, chemical-free cleaning products, buying plastic-free goods such as bamboo toothbrushes and shampoo bars, changing energy... Continue reading →

In The Book Personalised Books Under the Tree

by Evin // December 1, 2020 // No Comments

You know I love books! And I have a unique name, so I’ve always loved personalised things because it feels special and bespoke. So when In The Book offered me a choice of gifted books to show off my creative... Continue reading →

Shopping and Planning for Christmas 2020

by Evin // November 26, 2020 // No Comments

With lockdown restrictions returning to Ireland taking place up until the two weeks before Christmas, it is important to remain calm about anything that isn’t life or death. This year has been so hard for so many, I remain grateful... Continue reading →

Collaborating on the Planetary Sisters Countdown Calendar

by Evin // October 15, 2020 // No Comments

One of the unexpected silver linings of a semi-lockdown existence this year has been collaborating with creators virtually. Sometimes, even when you’re local it offers the chance to focus with clarity on your own value. I think 2020 gave me a... Continue reading →

All About Ultraviolet Knits: 12 knitting patterns featuring blacklight-reactive hand-dyed wool

by Evin // September 23, 2020 // No Comments

Ultraviolet Knits: Twelve knitting patterns featuring UV-reactive hand-dyed wool (Anchor and Bee, 2020) features 12 original accessory knitting patterns designed with black light-reactive hand-dyed wool-based yarns. Ultraviolet Knits is inspired by the night’s sky, some from the view from Earth, such as... Continue reading →

Kindness, Sharing, and Emma Rattray’s The Rug Bear

by Evin // September 22, 2020 // No Comments

It was a fun surprise when I was gifted a copy of Emma Rattray’s book The Rug Bear. We are really into bedtime reading (and afternoon reading) in our home, so new books quickly become favourites being toted from room-to-room... Continue reading →

Marking Down Memories in My Creativity Book

by Evin // September 17, 2020 // No Comments

When My Creativity Book came out, I saw it posted on @FitziesFood Instagram and fell in love with the bright illustrations and brilliant concept. Naturally, being a bibliophile, I had to have a copy for Optimus (8), but then he... Continue reading →

Interview with Michael Harrigan & where to buy his book Travel-inspired Knits

by Evin // September 15, 2020 // No Comments

If you’re an avid knitter, you may have already Michael Harrigan’s designs (Ravelry link) or eyed one with a plan to knit it. Completely understandable, I have felt that way too! I met Michael through the online knitting community and was... Continue reading →

Hooded sweatshirt with cat riding a rainbow-vomiting shark beside a periodic table of elements puzzle in a tube-shaped package.

Brilliant Things: Almost Everything We’ve Bought in 2020

by Evin // August 22, 2020 // No Comments

We bought a few new things this year and are loving them, so I thought I’d share a list of what we spent our money on in 2020, since you know it wasn’t travel or dining out. Really, this list... Continue reading →

a bookshelf with writing and nonfiction books lined up

How I Started Blogging and My Favorite Writing Books

by Evin // July 27, 2020 // No Comments

Since I learned what letters and words do, I’ve put them together to convey ideas or just for fun. In college, I was editor-in-chief of the campus newspaper, I was an interning editor for an educational catalog/magazine for three summers,... Continue reading →

A Few of My Kids’ Favorite Robot, STEM, Dinosaurs, Bedtime, and On-the-go Books

by Evin // December 17, 2019 // No Comments

Every so often, I’m struck by the continued love and loyalty my sons feel toward a certain book or toy (or theme) and I thought I’d share some of their favourite books (with a couple toys) within certain themes because... Continue reading →