Contributor post by Emily Westbrooks of From China Village 


Ursula Celano's notebooks, aprons, totes and cards are a delightful combination of traditional and modern. Her products, with a motto of Designs that say Ireland, feel like a fresh twist on what's traditionally loveable about Ireland.








Ursula emigrated to London after finishing college in Ireland, and worked in the consulting business, often focusing on the tourism industry. After returning to Ireland (with an English/Italian husband, which explains the less than Irish last name!) and having her two sons, she decided to use her passion for Ireland to design an updated line of gift items. Ursula has always been the type to create and figure out projects for herself. In fact, when we met a few weeks ago, she casually mentioned that she'd made her beautiful silk top! So it comes as no surprise that she taught herself how to create the designs she uses as well as the bags and totes she now has produced in larger quantities.


Ursula's designs feature places or people that are recognizably Irish, like a girl jauntily riding a Dublin Bike, or "Under the weather" cards featuring Dublin's iconic Georgian doors and lots of umbrellas. But her designs aren't all for city folk, she also features a pattern of rolling hills as well as cards with tractors and donkeys! Her designs really do seem to say Ireland and sum up our little country really sweetly.


Whenever possible, Ursula's products are made in Ireland, with her notebooks even printed right here in Dublin. You can order her lovely Irish products from her online shop or find them in many shops throughout the country, including the Irish Design Shop, Article, the National Gallery of Ireland, and Daintree Paper in Dublin.