The week has gone well and I’ve really enjoyed taking photos and writing posts about Ballinamore businesses – and encouraging you to shop here for Christmas.
Yesterday I visited Sharon Sweeney (Cannaboe Confectionery) to take photos of her Xmas offerings … more on that tomorrow.
I stayed for a cuppa and a great chat … and we hatched some plans for 2 Cannaboe workshops in January (ish) 2009:
- Making Chocolate – 3 hour session on a Monday or Tuesday evening.
- Cake Decorating – 3 hour session on a Monday or Tuesday evening.
Details will be posted here and on Sharon’s site soon … I’ve already booked a space for the chocolate making … heaven on a stick. If you’re interested leave a message for me here or on Sharon’s site.
One of my favourite shops (and people) is The Forge … but everyone calls it Dee’s … after the great woman that runs it … and Gabriel (her husband).
Coco with Dee when she was a wee puppy – that’s Coco not Dee!
Dee’s is the place for literally everything.
I’ll pop in to get a pen … and come out with … candle holders, scented oil, bowls, mufin tins, a winter coat …
Dee has let me come in a few hours a week to play in the shop … I’ve been helping sort stuff in the shelves for Xmas … great fun.
And … everyone in town pops in at some time or another so there’s great chat to be had as well.
I bought nearly all my presents for friends and relatives at Dee’s before I went back to Oz last year. The silver jewellery is gorgeous and my brothers loved their Tshirts.
No matter your age or gender … there’s something here for you for Xmas.
There’s:
Candles
Gorgeous photos frames (and bigger picture frames in the back room)
Fairies & Dolls
Great Xmas decorations (at astoundingly reasonable prices)
Childrens books, colouring books and heaps of crayon sets
Dee also has oil paints and canvasses.
Tractors and trucks and pretty much anything on 4 wheels (girls would like them as well … I would)
Soft toys for the little ones … or for Coco to chew!
I love Elmo … or is that the Cooky Monster? Isn’t it amazing that Sesame Street has been going for all these years?
Puzzles and Games … there’s a jigsaw that’s a village and you can put little bulbs in to light it up … cool.
Lovely mug sets
Fishing rods
Watches
Lots of little things to put into Xmas stockings
Things for girls (in addition to the trucks, tractors and art sets)
A thermos to fill with hot soup, tea or chocolate for the winter walks
Scented oils and oil burners
and sooooooo much more …
I’ll be in Dee’s today for a while helping put more stock on the shelves after she did a buying trip in Dublin yesterday … the woman is a trojan worker and keeps the shop open 7 days a week at this time of year.
Oh yeh … and if you want to buy land or a house … they sell them as well! Gabriel is an auctioneer.
Slan
Liz
I loved Dee’s when I stayed in Ballinamore
last year. Such a neat shop!
My friend who lent us her cottage told
us to pop in there if we needed anything .
Well, we needed a 220 plug for my camera and
thought we would never find one….
Of-coarse she had it and she even modified
it for us.
If it wasn’t for her kindness we wouldn’t
have all our lovely photos of the area