Love From The Emerald Isle

‘Whether it’s St Patrick’s Day or not, everyone has a little luck o’ the Irish in them’ - Laura Sommers

Hello March and hello St Patrick’s Day bank holiday weekend!  In honour of the Emerald Isle I decided to put together a small collection of some favourite coastal locations showcasing what this beautiful island of ours has to offer!

I won’t lie, it wasn’t an easy selection choice as there are so many dreamy locations that I have been lucky enough to photograph over the years, but I’m sure you will agree that the Emerald Isle has a coastline you don’t want to miss out on… especially when it comes to chasing sunsets!

From Ballycastle to Whitpark Bay, Dunseverick Castle to the Giant’s Causeway, Murlough Bay to Murlough Beach and let’s not forget the stunning coastline of Ireland’s most northernly point: Malin Head, just to name a few!

So, which location would be your first choice to tick off that bucket list?

P.S. Don’t forget that you can add a touch of your favourite Emerald Isle moments to your home decor by browsing my Love Northern Ireland and Love From Ireland Etsy shop sections, or getting in touch to request a customised photography print just for you!

Goodbye July, Hello August!

‘Breathe the sweetness that hovers in August’ - Denise Laverton

Hello August, hello to another month of Summer and hello to chapter 8 of 12! I’m not quite sure how we have gotten to this point so quickly, but here we are! I’m embarrassed to say that my July to-do blog list hasn’t quite gone to plan, but maybe it’s something that is better suited to August and the phasing out of Summer instead!

Image and words by @words_by_wilde_road

Calendar 2023 - Ballycastle Beach, County Antrim

July, well what can I say about July other than it has now officially broken all records for being the wettest month in Northern Ireland since 1836! I’m not someone who usually minds bad weather, but the constant July rain has meant that I wasn’t able to get out with my camera as much as I had planned to which has been really disappointing! So, here is to the power of positive thinking and August having some perfect shooting weather to create some new coastal prints just in time for that seasonal change!

And just incase August does not want to play ball and it is another month of record breaking grey skies and rain, then August’s wallpaper will be the perfect dose of daily colour with that much needed sunset vitamin sea for your phone lock screen (now available for purchase on Etsy).

Hello August : bringing a touch of that Lavender vitamin sea to the new month ahead! Now available of purchase on Etsy

A Black & White version to match incase Lavender isn’t your thing! #TwoForThePriceOfOne

The month ahead at just the simple tap of your phone screen!

Here is to those August adventures, to the return of sunshine and making this month one to remember! Let me know if you have any exciting August plans in the comments.

The Gift Of Sunset Vitamin Sea

With International Women’s Day fast approaching and Mother’s Day just two weeks away, I wanted to have a special print ready for both occasions! It can sometimes be difficult knowing what to surprise the important women in our lives with, so this year I thought a sunset typography print would make the perfect gift and addition to any home!

Inspired by the beautiful words of Beau Taplin and the rolling sunset waves of Carnlough Beach, I have created two typography prints; one a limited edition print playing with lens flare to give that special touch of golden hour, and the other focusing on that sense of calmness.

Which one would you pick?

‘Unstoppable’ - A Limited Edition print with just 5 available to purchase

‘She Was Unstoppable’ - A sense of calming waves available in 3 different print sizes

Little Lavender Line Pick-Me-Ups

‘It Comes And Goes In Waves’

If you know me then you will know that I am someone who loves a quote and finding those little words of wisdom on days when you aren’t feeling so great. It was this that made me think about my work and how I could incorporate the two elements together to bring forward a photography typography range with some pick-me-up phrases and sunset scenes to create 5 little pick-me-up greeting cards.

It Comes And Goes In Waves : perfect for those with a love of those rolling waves

From Find Me Where The Waves Are to Life Is Better At the Beach, This Must Be The Place to Go Lightly and It Comes And Goes In Waves, there is a little something for everyone to let them know that you are thinking of them!

Go Lightly : perfect for those Breakfast At Tiffany’s fans

Find Me Where The Waves Are : perfect for those with a love of vitamin sea

Little-Pick-Me-Ups are now available for purchase on Etsy individually or as a set. Which would you choose to send that someone special, and are there any phrases that you would like to see for future card designs?

A Moment With Lavender Line

“Wherever you go becomes a part of you somehow.” -  Anita Desai

I’m taking a different approach to Wanderlust Wednesday today and sharing some best selling prints that have made their new home in countries such as America, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy and Sweden to name a few. It’s what I look forward to most;  seeing what print has caught the attention of the client, the story behind their print purchase and the country that is next to pin on my sales map. It makes it even more special when it is a print from home and seeing the love that people have for our beautiful coastline as well as the memories it holds. It’s a feeling that will never get old!

Below are just some of those LLP favourites!

Whitepark Waves : A touch of those Whitepark Bay waves to give that hit of vitamin sea!

To The Pier : It’s a written rule that you must stand here to appreciate the view when visiting Ballycastle Beach!

Golden Hour Mournes : A must-visit sunset location!

Ballycastle Blues : It’s hard not to fall in love with North Coast views like this!

Do you own a Lavender Line best seller? I’d love to see how it has settled into its new home! #LavenderLineAtHome

Hello Midsummer!

‘Do what you can, with what you have, where you are’

Happy Summer or should I say Glad Midsommar with today being the official Midsummer date!

It’s hard to believe that it’s that time of year again! Though the travel industry may be at an all time low with the horrible cancellation of Summer holidays and putting most of us off planning anything at all, I am excited to see what this Summer has in store! I am so ready to chase those Summer sunsets wherever they may be and to create a new series of work!

Coral Nights, Carnlough Northern Ireland

If you follow my Instagram account you might have seen an exciting new product launch last week; Lavender Line Photography Phone Wallpapers! We decorate our homes, our workspaces and even our planners with pretty pictures and words of inspiration, so it seemed only natural that we give our phones that same treatment too. After all, it’s the one thing we look at umpteen times a day whether we like to admit it or not!

Stay Wild Ocean Child, Whitepark Bay Northern Ireland

For a while I found it difficult to want to change my phone screen wallpaper as I had put a special photograph in place back in July 2019 when I lost my Little Miss of almost 17 years.  It wasn’t until a phone upgrade in February 2022 that I felt it ok to change to something new, and so ‘Coral Nights’ was used to bring a touch of that golden hour vitamin sea to my lock screen.  It got me thinking about our phone screens and how we use certain photographs to get through certain times, a small comfort that is always at hand. 

So I decided to create a wallpaper series to bring a mini escape to those day to day routines of ours!  

Find Me Where The Waves Are

Escape The Ordinary

Good Vibes Only

And Breathe

Which wallpaper sums you up best?

• And Breathe

• Escape The Ordinary

• Find Me Where The Waves Are

• Good Vibes Only

• Stay Wild Ocean Child

I will be continually adding to the wallpaper collection to bring new quotes and images, but if there is quote or image that you would like to see then please don’t hesitate to get in touch!

A Drop In The Ocean

'The ocean stirs the heart, inspires the imagination and brings eternal joy to the soul’ - Robert Wyland

Wednesday 8th June marked World Oceans Day, a day when the importance of the ocean is brought to our attention with the hard hitting facts of climate change, pollution and its devastating impact.  This year I wanted to promote the campaign 30x30, a campaign designed to protect 30% of the world’s oceans by 2030.  By signing up and supporting this movement it is helping to bring forward the issues of climate change and how protecting just 30% of our oceans can help lead to a healthier support system.  After all, in a world that is built up of 71% water where would we be without it?!

‘For her the ocean was more than a dream, it was a place she needed to visit to find herself’ - Jose Chaves

As someone who has a real love for the ocean and whose work is heavily inspired by it, it is important to me that I help in any way that I can.  Though I am just one person, if I can inspire someone to change their way of thinking with a post or a photograph then I know that I have done my job right!  That is the beauty of social media, how people are made aware of current issues and how it enables them to help in their own unique way.

It is my goal this Summer to create a special ocean print that when purchased its proceeds can be donated to World Oceans Day, a beautiful touch of vitamin sea that people will have displayed proudly in their home knowing that they have helped protect the ocean.

I also wanted to give a quick shoutout to Balscadden Bay Baths (Howth) and their very simple, yet effective beach cleaning scheme. They have supplied bags and ask that each visitor collect 3 items of rubbish before leaving the beach on the climb back up. It is little acts like this that create a positive impact and one that I would like to see more beaches doing in a way to tackle pollution.  I had thought that I had taken a photograph of their system, but unfortunately not… next time though!

Balscadden Bay Baths, Howth

Magical Mournes

‘And you can find me where the sea pours into the stars’ - Eden

One of my main goals this past year has been to capture sundown at the famous Mourne Mountains. To walk along the beachfront and watch them bask in that magical golden hour glow, and last Sunday that Mourne Mountains sunset dream finally came true!

Although there was no sunshine in the forecast I decided to make the trip to Newcastle anyway for a first time visit to Murlough Beach, somewhere that I had been looking forward to exploring and photographing after many recommendations. After a long stretch of beautiful beach walk and stopping every so often to watch those waves rolling in, it seemed that luck was on my side as clouds soon gave way and that magical golden hour was about to begin!

I have visited many famous locations over the past few years to capture golden hour and the Mourne Mountains did not disappoint! To watch the sun shine proudly above Slieve Donard before making her beautiful descent was truly mesmerising! The changing of colours from pinky red to lavender blue, the whispering waves with their pastel reflections…. a truly unforgettable sunset and one that I highly recommend everyone experience!

And so golden hour begins!

Dancing under red skies

Mourne Mountain Magic : A sunset to remember

Now to achieve my Mourne Mountains dream of climbing to the top to capture those stunning costal views from above!

February Meets Summer

‘One must maintain a little bit of Summer even in the middle of Winter’ - H.D. Thoread

What a difference a year makes! Last year we saw the end of February become a Winter wonderland due to ‘The Beast From The East’ hitting the UK. This year it seemed that Summer came to play instead! Although it is alarming that temperatures in February were reaching up to 20 degrees in some parts, it seemed a little wrong to waste such beautiful weather stuck behind a computer screen, so… a trip to the coast was in order! The small perks that self-employment brings!

As I wanted to take some new beach photographs and take advantage of the weather to play around with my drone (still very much a newbie), I had the perfect location in mind. So, I packed my kit, filled my car and hit the road with some great tunes for company! It was time to escape to the stunning and picturesque White Park Bay!

Just a girl and her drone at play!

White Park Bay is a beautiful sandy beach located on the North Coast of Northern Ireland. Not only is it a coastal drive to remember, but once parked up the views are incredible! What really stands out is the unusual walk down to the beach, it’s here that you are met with an old country lane that leads to sand dunes and chalk grasslands before reaching a beautiful stretch of 1.4 miles of sandy goodness! It really is the perfect secluded spot to get that much needed dose of Vitamin Sea!

The stunning White Park Bay and a view that I will never tire of!

Hello blue skies and vitamin sea!

The beautiful golden sands of White Park Bay with Portbradden in the background

Such great heights, above the waves!

Any one who knows me knows just how much I love the beach. There is no better feeling than taking some time out to feel that coastal breeze, to hear those crashing waves and to clear your head in such beautiful and inspiring surroundings. It doesn’t matter the weather, a beach day is always a good idea!