It seems that Ireland hates women
This morning a friend sent me a photo of a Belgian newspaper article and I cried. I have been involved in the Irish women’s
The strength of Irish women.
I am auctioning this painting to raise funds for #repealthe8th. 100% of the final sale price will be donated to Together for Y
The story of how I found my Dalilla
Bless me, friends, for I have sinned. It’s been seven years since my last painting. 🙂 Seven years ago I made a painti
“This happens every day. To women that you know. To women you love”
After the Harvey Weinstein scandal, the conversation about the continued sexual harassment, objectification and degradation of
Irish man goes on “hunger strike” against women’s rights
Let me tell you the story of a 28 year old man called Tim. Tim supports the 8th amendment which was voted into Irish Constitut
Baby Shaped Hole
Baby Shaped Hole August 2008 Acrylic on canvas 60x80cm (Sold) “One morning I awoke and understood the hole in the middle
Frida love
Dearest Frida, Your art touches me in ways that I never imagined possible. It claws at my heart. I feel it ache in my bones. B
How Ireland treats a pregnant 14-year-old in 2016
As an Irish native living in Belgium, Charlie editor Hilary is concerned with Ireland’s current affairs. This week a report
The unimaginable evil done to mothers and babies in Ireland
In 1975 human baby bones were found in an underground chamber believed to be a septic tank on the grounds of a Catholic Mother
Song of Good Hope
Fifteen years ago, in my first week of university, a girl pushed a CD into my hands and said “You HAVE to listen to these gu
License To Pee
Picture the scene; a person is having a drink in a bar when they feel they need to use the toilet. They get up and walk to the
Say My Name. It’s time we learned about the female body.
Recently a teacher in America lost her job for using the word vagina while discussing Georgia O’Keeffe paintings in her clas
Who’s afraid of pithair?
It didn’t start out as a statement. It just kinda happened. I haven’t been out of the house for three months while recover
“In onze manier van leven is weinig ruimte voor rouw en verdriet”
Jelle en Sofie zijn twee filmmakers die een verleden als koppel delen. Toen Sofie zes jaar oud was, pleegde haar moeder zelfmo
When having an abortion makes you a criminal
This Friday the 26th of February, the people of Ireland will take to the polls to elect a new government. One of the topics ne
In search of what makes me Irish
“You know, an immigrant is just someone who used to be somewhere else.” said comedian Russell Brand. Whatever you
Watch What Happens When You Kill The Clickbait
Sometimes you just can’t resist those seductive headlines. Links like I’ve Been Brushing My Teeth Wrong All These Year
Needles, laziness, x-rays and a check-up.
On Christmas day it will be exactly one month since I left hospital. Being at home has run more smoothly than the nightmare sc
15 x Laziness
I am learning how to be lazy. I practice every day. I’m getting quite good at it. Sounds strange, I know. Laziness is not co
Sinead, you’ve got more than 8 good reasons to stick around
Sinead O’Connor is no stranger to controversy. In 1992 she tore up a photograph of the pope while signing the word evil on l
Day by Day – The Back Operation
In an effort to keep a short diary over the next week I will update this post each day with some news. If you have no idea wha
Saying goodbye to the whole world.
I feel like I’m saying goodbye to the whole world. Sounds dramatic right? Starting tomorrow I will have a different life. In
George and Milly
George and Milly is run by my sister the fashion guru. She mainly focuses on making stunning scarves, perfect for brightening
Learning to love my self(ie)
I don’t know what I look like. I can’t visualise the shape and size of my body. I look at women and try to figure out if t
Food Matters
Food Matters is a wonderful facebook page to help keep your nose in the right direction when it comes to food and living. They
The story of how my heart broke. Why we should talk about suicide.
It’s estimated that around one million people die by suicide worldwide each year. It is the most common cause of death in t
Do you mean ‘seriously hilary the painter’?
I used to know who I was. It was easy. hilary is a painter. hilary is ‘seriously hilary’. ‘seriously hilary the painter
Don’t you see, Mia was the fox
Mia by Gorki was the first Belgian song I learned by heart. This song is on my lovers’ mixed tape, on my office playlis
Give me a YES!
This morning I cried when a very dear friend of mine told me he would leave Ireland if the Referendum did not pass this Frida
How Modeling Lingerie At La Fille d’O Made Me Think About Shaving, Breastfeeding, Feminism, And Vanity
Something I never imagined myself doing is modeling lingerie. It’s probably because I am absolutely terrible at posing for p
A Chubby Story
Two things hit the news this week (well, on a twitter level anyway) that are related in a way like you’re related to someone
OMG I’m a Charlie!
Becoming a writer for Charlie feels like coming home. A group of writers who write from the heart. Honest, real, inspirational
Pixlr Express
All of the photos I post online have passed through Pixlr Express. It is super easy to use and OH SO pretty. Even when I post
What It’s Like To Be “The Girl With Long Hair”
For most of my life, I had really long hair. I mean really, really, really long. (In my 20s, it even went past my knees.)
Who’s afraid of the big bad wolf?
I am not usually one to be scared of things, I think spiders are cute, can handle heights reasonably well, no sign of a boogey
Why to Love Walter Van Beirendonck’s Designs
The one and only designer dress I own is a 2009 Walter Van Beirendonck, and the reason I could afford (or pretend to afford)
11 Things You Didn’t Know About Redheads
Do redheads come from another planet? Do they have super powers? These aren’t uncommon questions thrown around at the gi
13 Fashion Problems That Only Extremely Sensitive People Will Understand
We have all dealt with uncomfortable items of clothes from time to time, sometimes we make that choice before going out the
I Fucking Love Science
I enjoyed science in school but haven’t kept in touch since then. The I Fucking Love Science site is a superb way to cat
Bustle Bustle
Bustle was my first writing job ever. I always enjoyed writing down my ideas but never imagined that someone would pay me to d
Typeform
I am head-over-heels in love with Typeform. A free online tool to make beautiful surveys and easily export results to excel. I
Is Fashion Supposed To Be A Fairytale Or Should We Expect A Bit More Realism?
Fashion designers are often asked why they don’t opt for more realistic looking models to wear their creations on runwa
Here’s What Not To Wear To A Kids Party
Whether you have kids or not, the fact is that once you hit 30, you’re going to start getting invited to kids birthday p
No One Agrees on the Color of This Dress
Today was one of those days that upon waking up and checking the state of affairs on the internet (while still in your pyjamas
Victory Parade Lets You Create Your Dream Dress
Finding your dream dress is no easy task. After all, it must be the right shape, style and color — and it has to match that
Don’t believe everything you think – what we think about gender.
In general I strive to treat people like people and to not treat anyone differently because of their appearance, gender, race,
Abortion and Ireland, some more broken mother hearts.
In the tourist travel book my boyfriend had when he first came to Ireland it warned “don’t start conversations wit
FYI, Your Hair Has 5 Seasons
We live in a world where we seem to be moving further and further away from nature whilst forming habits that go against our
9 Absolutely Cringeworthy Lingerie Disasters
Whilst researching horribly embarrassing stories in preparation for Valentine’s Day, I discovered that there are two par
The Mermaid Trend is All Over Fashion, But Why Do We So Love These Creatures of the Sea?
Back in November of 2014, The Little Mermaid celebrated a 25th birthday, so it’s no surprise that most thirtysomethings
What’s in Store for Body Image in 2015?
In the last couple of years, a few fashion designers and department stores have begun to realize that there is a need for div
Why We Need To See More Real Bellies
All day long, we are presented with photos of humans in the mainstream media, but very rarely are we presented with “av
13 Things That Happen To You And Your Wardrobe When You Know You Won’t Be Seeing Anyone For A Week
What would change in your daily fashion and beauty routine if you didn’t have to leave your house for a week? I mean,
Creepy Flashing Guy Update
I’m sure you have all been waiting with bated breath to find out how my crusade against Creepy Flashing guy is going! I&
Art Sheep
Art Sheep is my favorite site for soaking up art. It features the most interesting, new, confrontational, whimsical art from a
Not in the Party Mood? These Quotes Will Help!
Theoretically, I think parties are great. I love them, because what’s not to love, right? But in reality, we all know th
Cute Sheep, Poisonous Plants and a French Dress.
Proud moment of the week: I made a Belladone! I bet you think I’m talking about Deadly Nightshade Atropa belladonna righ
Sewing Tips for the Pseudo Dressmaker
It has happened to the best of us: The shopping disaster day. We drag ourself from shop to shop, searching for that perfect dr
Why I’m Buying My Son a Lammily Doll For Christmas — And Why Our Fear of “Average” Kind of Needs to Go
The Lammily doll was born in 2013 out of a Photoshop experiment (oh, the irony!) by Nickolay Lamm, who wondered: What if fashi
Photoshop me pretty.
After reading about this photoshop experiment: I Asked 21 Photoshop Experts From Around the World to Make Me (A Plus-Size Wo
Down with this sort of thing
On my daily school-route cycle I pass a piece of graffiti that bothers me greatly. Complaining about grafitti is not something
Soft Cactus in the sun
I made this scarf with three prints from the first range of Soft Cactus fabrics based on a George and Milly design. This ran
Lena
I want to be more aware of passing time. A year flies past as if it was a month… Four years, five years… whoosh
The Murze
If you understand the words below then murze.be is the blog for you! I just like it cause it has a super cute teeny tiny gameb
Lucy Takes Photos
Lucy Takes Photos is a long time friend and lady after my own heart when it comes to love of colours. This is clear to see in
Mister Yvez
Mister Yvez is a graphic designer based in my living room who makes all kinds of lovely things! He has a soft spot for festiva
Great Expectations
In my teenage years I was in love with the 1998 version of Great Expectations with Ethan Hawke and Gwyneth Paltrow. I spent ho
Mother and Baby – A Mother’s Heart
I wrote this article during the summer and it was published on the Mum’s Days blog on the 13th of June 2014, it was her
Girl
Hey-Day Florist
The official bio: “At Hey Day Wedding Florists our team of expert and imaginative designers can cater for your every wed
Bobby Sewing
At Bobby Sewing in Mortsel you can find the most lovely fabrics, and lots of friendly advice from Joanna. If you’re not
Nele Needs a Holiday
This is my favorite song from the Nele Needs a Holiday album It’s my Party
Mums days
Mum’s days is a fab parenting and general all round life blog run by the wonderful Hannah Parker. “Every Mum’s
Bouquet of Buttons
Bouquet of buttons is a lovely sewing and style blog, I will let Lieke introduce herself: “I like beautiful people, beau
Unbearable + Lightness + Being
“Is heavyness truly deplorable and lightness splendid? The heaviest of burdens crushes us, we sink beneath it, it pins u
Day Dream
Day Dream January 2008 Acrylic on canvas 120x80cm
Be the change you want to see in the world…
This is an article I wrote for my mum in February 2013 when she decided to close her business and asked me to write something
How to Fashionably Keep Warm in the Winter
Sorry to be the one to say it, but summer is long gone and it’s time to find ways to deal with the extreme cold that has
Seriously hilary: The Newsletter
I really should send out more newsletters than I do. My current record is one mail in the last 6 years. So there is no need to
Hurt
September 2004 Acrylic on canvas 51x75cm There was a person who brought love and light and beauty into my life. And I felt