MAKE AND SAY I DO Aisling Mackey of DIY Wedding is almost as excited as a newly wed. Her new website got 40,000 hits in the first week - and that was before people could find it through Google.
Such is the enthusiasm of brides and grooms to-be to chip away at the cost of their weddings. The site has everything you need to make your own wedding invitations - 40 different kits that come with a set of instructions and a template that is easy to use through Microsoft Word. You can customise it by adding embellishments including paper, pressed flowers, ribbons or free downloadable wedding fonts. You can also design your own invitation from scratch and visualise it on the site once you put it all together. Mackey also has a facility whereby you can design your invitations by colour scheme to go with the rest of your wedding, and the site sells table confetti of rose petals, ribbon roses and fabric hearts. With each invitation working out at about €1, including the envelope, you could save yourself hundreds of euro. www.diywedding.ie Nicoline Greer
RETAIL THERAPY FOR CHARITY Volunteering in the Wa-wa charity shop in Ranelagh is without doubt my favourite part of the weekend. You never know what wonderful discoveries you might find, such as the John Rocha black cocktail dress with which I wowed the relations last Christmas, priced €5. On a recent Saturday, videos filled the centre of the shop, while once we had a dozen porcelain dolls. The shops are run by Women's Aid, which helps women victims of domestic violence and their children. So drop by the Women's Aid charity shop in Ranelagh or its sister shop across from the old Dundrum Shopping Centre, where you can buy designer gear at Penney's prices all in support of abused women. If you wish to volunteer for Women's Aid or raise money for the charity please contact 01-8684721, or go to www.womensaid.ie Imogen O'Rourke
BASQUE-ING IN SUCCESS Rebecca Garcia, who carried off this year's Nokia young designer of the year award at a fashion show in Custom House Quay, is originally from Bilbao in Spain. In a hotly contested competition, her collection called "To My Valentine in Paris" showed an impressive attention to detail and finish. She came to Ireland in 2000 "for a change" with the intention of staying for nine months, but ended up staying six years. "I just saw Limerick on the map and decided to go there," she says. Following a course at Limerick Senior College she went on to Limerick School of Art and Design, where she will graduate from the diploma course in June before her degree next year. In the meantime she is hoping to find work experience in Madrid for the summer. Her winning collage in patchwork denim and faux orange leather was colourful, assured, youthful in spirit and beautifully presented. "I love working with denim," she says. "It is such an easy-going fabric, you can do anything with it and it looks good." She says she loves every stage of the process of fashion design, from the first sketches to the finished execution. Her sunny, award-winning collection is the first encouraging start to a promising career. Deirdre McQuillan
PICK UP A POSTCARD Anyone who has served their time in Ireland's cafe society in the past 10 years will know the work of Picture Works, the people who put those little stands of postcards in restaurants and bars. Many of the cards carry advertising, but others showcase the work of contemporary Irish artists. Currently on show is a series of six works by Anthony Kelly, who scans, copies and reworks discarded printed matter into brightly-coloured images. "Each postcard rack now is a mix of culture and commerce," says Mark Hooper of Picture Works. "Anthony is the third artist we have picked. Gary Coyle was the first, early last year, and we'll continue the scheme for the foreseeable future." Postcards must have seemed a great idea when the company opened for business in 1994, but in the internet era, does anyone still send them? "Well, we print three million cards a year," says Hooper. "They are printed and put out and they disappear. So someone's doing something with them. And Gary Coyle got an order from Japan for his work, so at least one must have been sent there." www.thepictureworks.com, 01-2300558. Conor Goodman
YOU'VE BEEN FRAMED Visions of Ireland through the lenses of Henri Cartier-Bresson, Elliott Erwitt, Josef Koudelka, Eve Arnold and others go on display at the Irish Museum of Modern Art's expansive Magnum Ireland exhibition. Before you delve into the 150 photographs that span 60 years of Ireland's history (including this 1983 photo of Lahinch by Harry Gruyaert), head for the guided introductory tour of the exhibition on Tuesday at 5pm in the new galleries. Book on 01-6129948. Magnum Ireland, until 18th June. Admission is free. Nicoline Greer
A TASTE OF SOUTH AFRICA When Leesa Booyzen left South Africa four years ago to come to Ireland, she began to dream of opening a shop which would give people a genuine taste of her home country. "Not only was I missing the food," she recalls, "but I realised that we have such unique things in South Africa." Now her dream has become a reality, with the opening of Jabula at 4 Strand Street Great, Dublin 1 - the only shop in Ireland dedicated to food and crafts from South Africa. Booyzen and her partner Angela Lafford hope the shop will appeal both to nostalgic South African ex-pats and to Irish customers. They have hand-picked craftspeople whose products are unusual and of high quality, and they deal with them directly. One man carves lamps out of tree trunks, taking a whole week to complete each one. Another makes quirky animal-shaped wire-and-bead ornaments, while the one-off jewellery is handmade by a Zulu woman. Because of the shop's direct relationship with the craftspeople, specific items can be commissioned. Booyzen and Lafford also stock children's hand-painted clothes, soap, candles, cushions, glass and tableware, while the food ranges from chocolate and juices to chutneys and porridge. Opening hours: Mon-Sat 9am-6pm, and Sun 11am-4pm; call 01-8734107 or see www.jabula.ie. Eimear McKeith
WELCOME TO THE FOOD CLUB Considering the growing prevalence of loyalty card systems in supermarkets and high-street shops and coffee houses, it was probably only a matter of time before a restaurant got in on the act. Cafe Topolis, a good-value, cheery Italian restaurant on Parliament Street, Dublin 2, has recently established a food club. If you join up, you receive a loyalty card which allows you to collect points every time you eat there. Free food club events also take place once a month: so far there have been presentations on wine, bread and cheese, and there are plans for future events on organic food, pizza and pasta. These events are followed by a two-course dinner at a special rate. Another bonus is that you receive a free meal during the month of your birthday (not that you should be paying on that occasion anyway!). It's free to become a member; just e-mail your name, address, telephone number and the month of your birthday to rachel@marketmatch.ie, or call 01-6391460. Eimear McKeith
ONLY NATURAL By the time you have trekked around the country sourcing all your eco products, you could have expended enough energy to cancel out the good you are doing. Ann Kelsey has brought together all the eco products that she fell in love with onto one website called Econatural.com. Her own favourite products are eco yoga mats (pictured) which, unlike the usual PVC mats, are made from a natural rubber base and come in a natural oatmeal colour, deep red or pink. She is also a fan of the Aubrey organics range, a completely natural skincare collection for sensitive skin, and of the E-cloth. "Whatever way the weave is, it cleans really well and you don't need chemicals," she says. She also sells one of her motivations for starting the site in the first place: the Good Shopping Guide, which opened her eyes to what not thinking with your wallet can do. There is a €5.95 delivery charge and free delivery for orders over €100. See www.econatural.com for further details. Nicoline Greer