Diochra.com

Gorgeous knotwork wallpaper, bags

Celtic designs are popping up in interesting places! I definitely want the wallpaper. The black version would make for one dramatic room.

Top: Wallpaper, Viva Wallpaper by Barbara Hulanicki in Blue and Black, at Target for US$69.99 per 56 square feet (about 5.2 square meters).

Bottom: COCCINELLE leather duffel bags from the Spring-Summer YOOX Collection, at YOOX.com for $260 each.

Source: Design*Sponge, Under $100 Wallpaper and Luggage Roundup.

Then while scanning through the rest of the black wallpaper on Target’s site, I came across this sea-creature-like bit of knotwork:

This paper is Odyssey Wallpaper by Basso and Brooke in Black, at Target for $69.99 per 56 square feet. Fun!

Update for my European visitors: I also found Odyssey under the name Dione at Wallpaper from the 70s, a European site; Viva is also there under the name Chantico. (Don’t let the site name fool you—most of the wallpaper there is gorgeous.)

Irish Dance Céilí Fabric via Spoonflower

On a lark, I ordered some fabric samples from Spoonflower showcasing two of my test images from the Céilí Book. Rather plain—I didn’t design them for fabric, after all, but for clarity—but fun. At $18 a yard they’re a bit steep, but I’d love to do more designs. Bags, dress covers, the sky’s the limit.

Today’s Inspiration: Aaron Fallon

New CLRG Set Dance: Planxty Hugh O’Donnell

CLRG has recently approved a new set dance called Planxty Hugh O’Donnell. This is a lovely early 18th century tune from O’Carolan. Mark Arrington has already put up a sample of it on his website, MarkArringtonMusic.com:

Mark Arrington playing O’Carolan’s “Planxty Hugh O’Donnell”

No official word yet, but rumor has it musicians should learn it for September of this year.

Update, March 30: For the CLRG (including IDTANA/NAFC here in North America), Planxty Hugh O’Donnell will be replacing The Deep Green Pool as of September 2010. This information comes from the NAFC’s annual meeting in 2009.

Organizing a Book: Take My Survey to Help!

Hey everyone! Long time, no blog. That’s because my last semester at the UIC School of Art and Design, and Triallta Irish Dance Company, are keeping me busy!

One of my Senior Projects deals with the beginnings of a book I want to write. If you have a few minutes, please go to Dance.net—Organizing a Book: Take My Survey? to look at some pretty pictures and see if I’m going in the right direction. Thank you!

7 Nifty Irish Dance Crafts on Etsy

Today we have some adorable Irish dance crafts from Etsy.com, one of my favorite places to window-shop online. Etsy is a marketplace where you can buy and sell handmade and vintage goods. There are always adorable items to discover (home goods are my current obsession), and Irish dancing is no exception.

All prices are in US Dollars.

1. Custom made Original Art Print LARGE Greeting or Note Card of an Irish Dancer — Featuring an original drawing, Etsy seller IrelandBrady makes each card with a different color combination of papers, so in essence no two cards are exactly alike. $4.00
2. Irish Dancer – Wood Note Card — I love seeing modern design takes on Irish dance, so I was especially happy to see devynlarson’s unique wood-burned, hand-painted notecards. She calls this design “A special design to celebrate my daughter’s passion!” So sweet. $5.00
3. Irish Dance Hard Shoe Scrapbook or Iron-on — Squee! These appliques by christysstitches are cute as a button. She offers hardshoes, softshoes, a variety of dresses, and—my personal favorite—a poodle sock! For you American world travelers, she also has a suitcase and an American passport. Love it. &1.99–4.99
4. Embroidery Design Irish Dance Soft Shoe Ghillie Applique — This one’s for the serious crafter with an embroidery machine (or a friendly neighborhood embroiderer), but irishandmore also offers custom embroidery on shoe bags and backpacks. This is an appliqué embroidery file in many file types of a pointed foot in poodle sock and ghillie. “This design is perfect for, shoe bags, backpacks, tote bags, garment bags or other dance related articles.” Couldn’t agree more. $10.00
5. Irish Dancing Shoes Iron-on Hotfix Rhinestone Transfer Motif — Though I can’t help but wish it were in plain clear or white (or at least green), this rhinestone motif by diamontee is sure to shine up team t-shirts, backpacks, and more. Ooo, or decorative pillows…handmade fabric posters…scrapbook or photo album covers…the sky is the limit. $8.00
6. Irish Dance Scrapbook Element – The Art of Irish Dance — Wow! LetterPerfectByPatti has quite the range of Irish dance and general Irish-themed scrapbooking elements under her “Perfectly Irish” category. “Gone Feisin’,” “’Tis Himself,” “Got Ghillies?” and more, perfect for your feis record book. She also has her own Feis Record Books, Family Feis Journals and greeting cards. $5.00–22.00
7. Boutique Crochet Ghillies Irish Dance Baby or Doll Booties — How adorable are these hand-crocheted ghillie booties by KneatHeaven? This bundle of cuteness has been designed to fit a newborn up to 3 months or a life size Berenguer doll. There are a ton of new babies in my family, but I’m the only Irish dancer—well, for now. Start them young! $18.99

Irish dance suggestions: Twitter and sneak peeks

Hi everyone—happy New Year! I’m hoping 2010 is going to rock. While last year started out spectacularly, studying abroad in Switzerland, it ultimately got a bit crusty around the edges. This year has to be all about discipline, and I’ll write on that in a bit.

I just got a new Twitter account for Irish dancing, ReelyClever. You’ll note that I only have a handful of people to follow so far. Who am I missing? You? Your favorite shop? Your dancing school? Let me know!

Also, I’m a sucker for new Web projects. I have a handful of them that I’ve had in my head for years, but never seem to do anything with them! (I have a bunch of craft ideas for ReelyClever.com, too, so I should start a blog there.) Problem is, I’m a designer, not a programmer, and my attempts to learn programming languages lean towards futile. It’s sad. So I don’t like sharing my ideas because I’m afraid I’ll never finish them! History proves me right. But maybe, just maybe, something will get going and I’ll be able to start talking about them here. Cross your fingers. It’s all about discipline this year.

Merry Christmas

Photo by skeletonxxkrew at Deviantart.com.

An Old Dancer

An Old Dancer from acorndreaming on Vimeo.

What the Judges Want

I highly recommend reading Irish Dance Teacher’s What the Judges Want. A snippet:

They were selected by the teachers of your region for multiple reasons, which I won’t canvass at this moment. They are highly qualified and trained adjudicators from all over the world. They have seen thousands of dancers in their time, have selected world champions and placed incredible teams. They have seen success first hand, because they have created it.

But who are they really?

Each one walked into an Irish Dance class as a youth. Each one pointed a clumsy toe at their first feis. Each one worked to learn a new Jig, to perfect a Hornpipe. Each one slipped on a new costume and laced their hardshoes with care. Each one experienced frustration, felt the elation of victory. Each one had injuries, and fought their way back. Each one danced and danced for years and felt that that was the best thing in their life.

A wonderful read.