Mad Butterfly

Happy Tuesday!

Sorry you didn’t hear from me last week, my hubby hasn’t been very well.  He’s had several attacks of gout recently and we ended up at the hospital for an x-ray to see if there was anything else going on.  Thankfully he seems to be on the mend now.  We still haven’t figured out why he gets it though.

Anyway, on to today’s card for my post over at MTDS – a mad butterfly.  I made this for my friend, she’s mad about polka dots and I didn’t want to do traditional colours for her.


I’m originally made this card for CAS-ual Fridays, to use silver. I’m not sure if it would be classed as CAS as I added some extra bits but their challenge inspired my card so I will enter it.

Pop on over to the MTDS Blog to see what stamps I used.

Have a great week!

Just A Note

Happy Tuesday!  It’s my day over at MTDS and this week I wanted to make something to keep me organised.  I’ve been busy doing so much on my website that I feel a bit out of sync and a bit chaotic as a result of it.  If you haven’t seen my website I’d love you to check it out – www.rubymcguire.com.

The gorgeous Lyndsey of Sour Apple Studio designed it for me and I know all of you lovely card makers/paper crafters will appreciate her design.  She also created this blog for me which is why I wanted her to create my website, she ‘gets’ me.

Anyway, back to trying to get some more order in my life and practice what I preach (as my tagline for my biz says)

I LOVE little books, I mean really love them.  I have little books for all sorts of things, one for my dreams and goals, one for paper crafting ideas, one that I just use to jot down little sayings, one for business ideas, the list goes on.  They help give me some order.  I have sooo many ideas for so many different things that my poor little brain would go into meltdown without them!  So here is the latest addition..


I was given a little spiral bound notebook and loved the polka dot embossed background but it was just plain black and as you know I do so like my colour.  A few patterned papers, a stamp and some ribbon and ta-da, it’s been Rubied!  I also made a matching peg here..

I’m entering this into the Muse Card Challenge where you use a card as inspiration. This was the inspiration…

I used a central panel on my book, the sentiment and line inspired my ribbon and the glass/straw inspired my sentiment and funny flower.

I also used these colours form Inspired by Stamping as inspiration..

Supplies: The papers are from Prima, ‘Doodle Deux’.  For details of the stamps and Copics I used pop on over to my post over at Make The Day Special.

Do you ever cover mini books?  If so I’d love you to post me a link, I’d love to see them.  I could always use some more inspiration as I'm sure one of my books will be full soon and I’ll need to decorate another one!

He’ll think I’m mad!

Hi there.  I saw this post over at Dawn McVey’s and thought I’d like to try these little pencil toppers out, they’re so cute. So off I went hunting around the house for a pencil.  I couldn’t find a single cute pencil. We have every type of pencil possible, a propelling this, a fancy that, but no simple basic pencils.  So, on to plan B (because I was definitely making one of these)  A straw!  Yes, a straw and a slight twist on the plan.  I was going to make a funny valentine straw for my hubby instead of my original pencil plan!  Here is the finished project..


Hopefully it will make him smile too when I present it to him in a glass of something.  I think we often take life far too seriously, we need to add in some of that childlike fun back into our lives.  Here’s mine, wish me luck.  He will either think it’s funny or will get me certified as totally mad!  If you don’t hear from me again you’ll know why lol.

For details of the stamp set and Copics I used pop on over to the Make the Day Special blog.

I’m entering this into the Paper Smooches Sparks Challenge, to use Polka Dots..


Have a happy day!  Try and bring more fun into today somehow if you can.

A little gift set

Hey there everyone.  I hope you’ve been having a wonderful crafty week.  I’ve not been very well so it’s been more about sitting doing not very much (which drives me nuts!) than spending any time in the studio creating.

I do have a creation to share with you though for my post over at Make The Day Special.  I made this last week to match the little card I made my friend.  I also made her a flower brooch to go with it, I thought the colours blended quite well so it felt like I was giving her a matching gift set.

 This was the card from last week…

 Finally this is the little crochet flower I made for her…

All I need to do now is actually post it to her! Please pop on over to the MTDS blog to see all the details of the stamp set I used for my little notebook and I will be back with you next week, hopefully feeling a whole lot better than I do right now.

Until then…

One Cool Chick

Yay, it’s Tuesday.  I love my MTDS Tuesdays!  I’ve been really busy working on my website for my coaching business that I haven’t had a whole lot of time to play. It’s nice to squeeze in some creative time.

What’s your weather like?  I hope that if you’re having snow you’re keeping safe and warm. We’ve apparently got more coming tonight so who knows I may get stranded and have to do some crochet!  Did I tell you I’ve been learning to crochet?  It’s been on my to-learn list for-ever. So far I can do a flower and a granny square!  I might share with you when I’m brave enough!

So onto my card.. Today’s card is for a lovely lady I haven’t known very long. She is such a generous, kind, knowledgeable and fun person. I feel really privileged to have met her. She has been giving me lots of her time recently so I wanted to make her a little thank you card. I thought this proud peacock was up to the job!


For details of what I used to create it then pop on over to the MTDS Blog for more info.
I used this latest sketch from Retro Sketches.  It’s lovely, isn’t it!



As you can see I rotated the sketch and moved my sentiment around a tad so that he could show off his feathers proudly! Hope you like.  He makes me smile!

Have fun, stay safe and cozy!

Funky Flower

Hi there. I’ve got a simple little thank you card to share with you today. 

I think I could have done with running this through PSE to straighten it up a bit, it is straight in real life, honestly!

For details of the stamp I used pop on over to MTDS where I give the details.

I used this sketch from over at Retro Sketches.  Such a fun little sketch, a really great go-to sketch.

Hope you’re having a really good week.  We have had a sprinkling of snow here today, what’s it like with you?

Needs more added?

Hi there, it’s that time again when I share a card over at MTDS.   I needed a few simple thank you cards. I’ve always liked stamps that have a mixture of words based on the same theme.


My hubby took one look at it and said, ‘It doesn’t look like it’s finished’. He then tried to redeem himself by adding, ‘Well it doesn’t, you normally do that layering thing with your pop dots’. I have been trying my hand lately at CAS, it seems to be what I am more inspired to do. Oh well, it’s at least another one of my thank you cards made lol.

Pop on over to the main Make The Day Special blog for more details of the lovely stamp set I used.

I'm entering this into the Retro Sketches challenge with this sketch.  I kind of used my artistic licence a bit as you can see lol.  I LOVE Retro Sketches and their DT cards are consistently fab :o)

 

I'm also entering this into the Our Creative Corner colour challenge.  I saw one of the DT had used peach so hope this counts :o)

Hope you’re having a fab week! 

Happy New Year!!

Well hello!!!

Happy, totally wonderful and fabulous New Year to you!  I wish you everything you wish for yourself.

I am here to do the first 2013 post for MTDS, I’m the first person up to start of the New Year.  I made this little notepad for my friend that is mad about sending me ‘Did you know…?’ texts.


If you want to know what I used then pop on over to the main MTDS blog for all of the deets.

In writing my post for this I learnt that celebrating the New Year is a tradition that dates back nearly 4000 years. If you had lived in Mesopotamia and Babylon 4,000 years ago (c. 2000 B.C.), you probably would have celebrated the new year in mid-March, at the time of the Vernal (Spring) Equinox. If, however, you were an Egyptian, your new year began with the Autumnal Equinox and the flooding of the Nile. If you were Greek, the Winter Solstice began your new year celebrations.  I’ll shut up now lol.

I’m entering this little project into the following challenges..

Retro Sketches using this sketch..


and Paper Smooches Sparks Anything Goes challenge.




Here’s to a fabulous 2013!!

More Christmasness!

Hi there

Just 7 sleeps 'til Santa!

I’m sharing these cards over at MTDS today, pop on over to read more about them.



Hope you’re having a good week.  I seem to have a never ending to-do list at the minute.

Ciao for now.

Two Weeks to Christmas

Happy Tuesday, it’s just two weeks to Christmas Day!  Wow!

Today’s cards for my MTDS blog post are quick and simple.  My friend wasn’t very keen, I think she thought it looked like it had been thrown together, but I think it’s quite funky.  What do you think?!

Next up is another simple card, just a bit of colouring and some ribbon to give it a touch of candy cane colour.




I also made it in this colourway too…


Well I hope you like what you see.  I will be back next week with some more Christmasness.  For details of the stamps & copics I used check out the MTDS blog.

Have a great week!

Jester Socks?!!

Hi there

I did a swopsie with Jenny the other day for my card so I’m posting today, thanks Jenny, you’re a star!  My card is based on last week’s Retro Sketches sketch..

Here’s what I created..

I used two of the Christmas sets from Paper Smooches ..

All Yule Need & Christmas Sampler (the sampler is out of stock at the minute but keep checking the website and grab it when it’s back in)

I have lots of these little ‘jester socks’ coloured in. They are soooo therapeutic to colour and you can do them while you watch tv. Ok so I’ve called them jester socks, what would you call them??!!  I also coloured in some of the socks on the bottom left and the more traditional stocking just above it, eek. I LOVE Christmas!

I hope you have a fab Saturday whatever you are doing. We have friends coming over today so I’m guessing it’s gonna be a little hectic!

Have fun!

Season’s Greetings… already? Really??!

Hi there.  Am I the only person that isn’t ready for Christmas yet?  I’m sure it’s months away, isn’t it?!

I thought I’d better start making some Christmas cards before it arrives, so here’s one I made earlier..

My bestie was over when I made this.  Oh boy, talk about laugh ourselves silly, it was just one of those mornings, we had an hilarious time catching up!

I created this for my blog post over at Make the Day Special so pop on over there for all of the details.

Apparently it’s 4 weeks today to Christmas so you’d better get started on yours too!

Have fun!

Time to Come Out of Your Shell

Hi there.  It's Make the Day Special time again.  I have no idea where these weeks are going, they seem to be flying by!!  I really must start making some Christmas cards next!

My daughter had to do some little thank you cards for her friends and with time being limited I went into a little mass production with variation on colour.



Pop on over to the Make the Day Special Blog for details of what I used.

So I hope you like my little cards, I’ve taken a pic of one on it’s own too so you can see the detail a bit better.  These were super simple to make, which is great when your daughter remembers they need to be made the night before she needs to hand them out!!  Have a great day!

Congratulations

Hi there, I hope you’re enjoying the autumnal weather and the cozy nights, or if you’re in a completely different time zone that you’re enjoying life where you are!

I wanted to create a quick but fun and happy card, my friend is into cows so I thought this would be the perfect stamp for her.  I think it’s a she-cow because of her eyelashes, what do you think?!

I very loosely followed the sketch over at Paper Smooches Sparks Challenge.  I tend to start with a sketch and then get a bit carried away but I hope you can see a bit of where my inspiration came from lol


For details of the stamps and Copics I used pop on over to the Make The Day Special blog.
Have a great Tuesday!