KEEP IT TOGETHER: When is a stapler not a stapler? Paperfix, a stapleless stapler, binds paper by punching neat little holes in the sheets, holding them together very effectively.
The only drawback is that you won't get it through a thick wad of paper. It costs €5 from Ecoshop, in Kilmacanogue, Co Wicklow. The store (01-2872914, www.ecoshop.ie) sells a range of environmentally friendly products, from natural paint to organic clothes. Eco Logic also sells them at markets at Leopardstown Racecourse, each Friday; Marlay Park, in Rathfarnham, and Malahide every Saturday; and the People's Park, in Dún Laoghaire, and Ranelagh Multi-denominational School every Sunday. See www.ecologicireland.com. Nicoline Greer
GARDEN BEAUTIFUL
For those with perfect patches, gardening has not had the same competitive frisson since the demise a few years ago of the long-running all-Ireland gardens competition. But it's time to sharpen the secateurs, because Viking garden machinery and Irish Garden magazine have launched a countrywide competition. There are barrow- loads of award categories: 37 county and borough awards, four provincial winners and one overall best-in-Ireland garden. So if you think your garden is gorgeous, don't be shy about coming out of the potting shed. Entries must be in by June 30th. You can get entry forms from the magazine's April and May issues, Viking dealers and Viking Irish Garden Competition, Freepost, PO Box 69, Bray, Co Wicklow, 01-2862649. Jane Powers
MATERIAL WORLD
If you're a stickler for colour co-ordination, you could get your duvet covers, cushions, throws and curtains handmade by professional dressmakers at Hickeys. Take along photographs from magazines, for example, and they will do their best to re-create them. They will trim the furnishings and do tricky things like piping, buttons and zips. It won't necessarily work out cheaper, and you do have to use Hickeys fabrics, but you will end up with something unique, especially as they have 1,000 fabrics to choose from. Hickeys has 14 shops around Ireland; the branches in Blanchardstown and at Mahon Point retail park, in Cork, have dedicated interior-design sections. Nicoline Greer
APRIL SHOWERS
For a country where a rainy day isn't exactly a remarkable occurrence, it's surprising how poor a choice there is in children's rain gear - well, smart-looking rain gear that actually works. Suzanne Kingston, who is based in Co Cork, wasn't keen on the dull, badly-fitting PVC versions on offer, so she went shopping abroad and brought home the agency for Abeko, a Swedish brand of rainwear that's perfect for active little ones. The cute dungarees and matching anoraks are stretchy, rip-resistant, waterproof, windproof and breathable. Perfect outdoor play clothes or for junior biking or boating enthusiasts. For ages from 18 months. Available in a wide range of colours, from €29 for dungarees, and €34 for jackets with detachable hoods. Mail order from www.puddleducks.ie or telephone 021-4372917 for a brochure. Bernice Harrison
FEAST ON THIS
Cork churns out almost as much craftwork as it does artisan cheese. Feast, an exhibition by the 24 members of West Cork Craft & Design Guild that opens this week at Fota House, is a smorgasbord of clothes, fabric, lace, furniture, knives and ceramics (including Sarah Flynn's delicate tableware, pictured here), all meticulously and stylishly made. Some of the guild members also teach their crafts: Alison Ospina runs workshops in making hazelwood chairs; Ben Russell teaches wood turning, including bowls and spoons; and Sally Smart shows you the techniques that go into her imaginative textiles. Everything on display will be for sale, and the artists accept commissions. Feast is open between 11am and 4pm from Friday until Tuesday, April 19th; admission is €5. See www.fotahouse.com and www.westcorkcraft.org. Nicoline Greer
PAPERCHASE
Take recycling into your own hands at Tunde Toth's papermaking workshops. She teaches the art of making paper from her studio in Thomastown, Co Kilkenny. Banana skins, dried flowers, string, lentils, onion skins and waste paper are some of the materials she uses to make the pulp and to dye the paper. Tunde has been making paper from natural fibres and recycled materials for seven years. She says to wear old clothes, as it's messy work. The next dates for the two-day course, which costs €135, are next weekend and May 7th and 8th, but contact Toth for more information: 056-7754418 or tundetoth@hotmail.com. Nicoline Greer