Fionnuala's February Five For A Fiver Friday

...or 'How Many Fs Can You Put In A Blog Post Title'.

I have made a few really lovely purchases over the last week or so and that has motivated me to join in with Julia from Rainbeaubelle's linky 5 under 5. I'm working with Euro rather than GBP but the idea is the same.

So, here are my five:

A glass jar for holding bits and bobs, candles or for use as a vase, €1.50

Intricately painted real eggs, 80 cent each

A tea set for four, €5.00

Tulips, €1.98

A baking book, free in exchange for baking a cake

The glass jar, the eggs and the tea set were all finds from my latest discovery - a second hand warehouse not far from where my in-laws live. 

How I hadn't noticed it before, I do no know. Apparently it has been there for 18 years, but it seems to be a well kept secret. I have a feeling I will be a regular visitor.

The tulips were a treat to myself when doing the grocery shopping on Saturday. I adore tulips. They are one of my very favourite flowers and, at this time of year, I often buy myself a bunch as a little reward for doing the grocery shopping. 

The baking book - 1 Dough, 50 Cakes - was a present from our wonderful local independent bookshop. Every year the shop holds a bake sale in aid of a local charity. To encourage us to bake (as if I needed encouragement!), the shop offers a small range of baking books in exchange for a cake donation. I have taken part the last couple of years. I find it a really nice idea.

  

I've baked a few tray bakes from this book already (photos below) and they worked out perfectly. Tomorrow I will be handing over my cake donation and buying a few slices from the range on offer. I may even make tea in my new tea set to go with them.

Having My Political Say

This week I have been on The Irish Times website again, this time with an article on emigrant voting. 

You may or may not know that Ireland, unlike most European countries, does not allow emigrants to vote by postal vote. Emigrants are kept on the electoral register for, I believe, 18 months after leaving Ireland and may vote in elections in that period if they return to the country to do so. 

With the rise in emigration, particularly among young Irish people, since the end of the boom as well as the presidential election, general elections and the same-sex marriage referendum, there has been a lot of discussion in recent years on the subject of further extending the vote to emigrants.

I, as am emigrant, obviously have some thoughts on the issue and The Irish Times was kind enough to publish them this week. 

At the time of writing this post there were 96 comments on the article. My views are, apparently, not shared by many. But I'm happy to see such a discussion going on. I've even made it to 4th place on the "Most Discussed" articles on Thursday.

Upcycling A Metal Framed MIrror

Some time in the early 2000s, I bought what I considered at the time to be a pretty, metal-framed mirror with a candle holder at the front. I can no longer recall where I bought it or how much I paid. Several house moves later, it has found itself in the cellar, no longer a suitable match for any of our other belongings. 

A couple of times I almost donated it to the charity shop or brought it along to sell at a flea market. But something held me back. I thought I might spray it gold or change the beads. I just never had that aha moment.

That is, till now. Recently I signed up for a surprise parcel project. The other day I got the list of likes and dislikes of the person I am to send a parcel to. It turns out she likes shabby chic, white paint and crafts. 

After a little careful consideration, I decided to get my chalk paint out and see about giving the mirror frame a little makeover. It turned out to be incredibly quick and easy, but with a great result. Hopfully the lovely-sounding recipient will like it as much as I do. 

Step 1: Remove the mirror and wipe the frame clean to remove any dust or candle grease.

Step 2: Give the chalk paint a good stir and then apply one coat of paint to the front of the frame. Leave to dry. Rinse the paintbrush well.

Step 3: Apply one coat of paint to the back of the frame, being careful not to apply the paint too heavily. You want to avoid lumps and bumps of dried paint on the front. Leave to dry. Rinse the paintbrush well.

Step 4: Repeat step 2 and step 3 twice. It took at total of three coats of paint to cover the black metal frame completely.

Step 5: Using a small piece of medium grade sandpaper, sand the areas of the frame that would get most wear and tear. This will give the frame an aged, worn, shabby look. 

Stand back and look at the full piece a few times. Try to create a realistic pattern of wear, e.g. corners, edges, hinges would get most handing and would probably get worn sooner than the more decorative elements of the frame. 

Step 6: Dust the frame with a cotton cloth, such as a tea towel, to remove any dust from the sanding. 

Step 7: Polish the mirror and insert it into the frame.