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The secret to happiness

portmarnock beach by catherine dunne

I know I’ve been quiet these last few months but I’m back now.  I had to step away for a while due to an illness in my family.  Sometimes when things are running smoothly, life can change very quickly.  It’s like that old expression, ‘no news is good news’. Still, when it comes down to it, it makes us appreciate the good stuff and the people we love in our lives.

During this time, I spent many mornings on Portmarnock beach with old friends that I hadn’t seen in ages.  There’s something so healing about being beside the sea when there is turmoil in your life, it’s interesting how we always turn to nature when times are tough. It was very different to the silent swims I’m used to here in the west, Saturday morning beach discos were new to me and I’m back now to the silence. I came back to the west with a head full of new ideas for new designs so keep an eye out for new work coming up.

Someone once told me that the secret to happiness is to want what you have.

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St Patrick’s Day

St Patrick's Day card

If you’re looking for a St Patrick’s Day card this year, there are a number of great ones including the St Patrick’s Day Collection.  It’s great time of year to send a card abroad, and there are also new sea swimming cards for St Patrick’s Day that you can send to your swimming friends.

 

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Original Art and Children’s Books

sea queen by catherine dunne

With summertime here at last, this is what’s going on behind the scenes here in the studio.  I’ve just added a section for original artwork to my website so if you’re looking for some original art for yourself or as a gift, check it out.  I’ll be uploading more in the coming weeks.

The main thing that has been going on is I’m working on a brand new children’s book

How I write children’s books

In case you’re thinking of writing a children’s book yourself, the first stage of my process is I spend a lot of time thinking about the story, it’s like an incubation period and this could take weeks or months.  Then it’s suddenly time to sit down with a notebook and jot down a really rough idea of the book … a beginning, a middle and an end.  This is a very rough outline, then I develop it a bit more.  I’ve reached this stage now so will pop in a little paragraph next month to keep you updated on my progress.

Catherine

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“It’s far from banana bread you were reared”

Mammy and the banana bread

This greeting card is perfect to send to somebody you know who is in the process of mastering the art of banana bread.  Who would believe that this has been a highlight of lockdown.  As always, this greeting card is premium quality, eco friendly and made in Ireland.  I hope you like it!

Mammy and the banana bread

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Rebranded, New Look Website

Irish hare art

Things were quieter than usual during the lockdown.  In some ways it was nice to step back and enjoy the less frantic way of life.  I’m lucky as I live in the Irish countryside so I enjoyed taking time watching birds building their nests and becoming more aware of birdsong with the reduced traffic noise.  The highlight was frogs – an abundance of frogs hatched close to the house and surrounded the back of the house at night!

The extra time gave me a chance to get back to drawing and painting and revisiting art mediums like pastels.  There are a lot of new designs and art on the website and I decided to showcase my art.

Irish hare art

I didn’t want to confuse things by having everything under Greeting Cards Ireland so I’ve rebranded as Catherine Dunne.  This way, my art and illustrated children’s books can share the limelight!

I hope the website is clear and would value your feedback.

Catherine

Irish Greeting Cards | Art | Children’s Books