Made Marian: Oozing Crafty Goodness

I’m just back from a fantastic weekend break in Clare which completely changed the way I think about perfume, but before we get to that, I need to tell you about our shopping trip to Ennis.  Despite living about half an hour away from the town I had never actually been to Ennis before so I was more than pleasantly surprised to find a large town full of boutiques, restaurants and independently owned bookshops.  I brought home four new books, a vintage sewing book, a vintage diet book, a biography of John B. Keane and a novel by Joseph O’Connor all for €17.  I also stopped into Crazy Crafts and stocked up on pretty papers, a new stamper and ink pad and some ribbon.  We also manager to fit in lunch in The Town Hall which I would highly recommend.

Then it was onto Lisdoonvarna to stay at the Wild Honey Inn. At €45 for B&B per person it was fantastic value for money.  It was spotlessly clean, lovely and bright and very toasty.   We had dinner in the bar and lunch the next day, both were excellent and it’s clear that the chef and owner Aidan McGrath has taken great care to create an attractive menu using local produce cooked simply but beautifully.

So, to get back to the point of this post I have to tell you about the Burren Perfumery.  It’s a bit of a trek to get to it but it’s so worth it, as soon as you step out of the car you can get this gorgeous scent wafting through the air.  Inside the shop the staff will talk you through each of the perfumes and anything else you are interested in.  The perfumes are a million miles away from the commercial perfumes you buy in department stores, they smell like real things, for example fennel, mint, lavender, flowers and herbs.  Most of which comes from their own herb garden. The perfumes don’t contain any parabens or any other ingredients that might be bad for your skin.  My personal favourite is their botanicals range which consists of Spring, Summer and Autumn inspired scents, these are very reasobably priced at €35 for 100ml, I bought the Spring scent in keeping with the season that’s (almost) in it.  They also sell a range of handmade soaps, scented candles, creams and balms.  You can read all about it on their website but trust me, you wont be completely converted until you go there.