Off the LuckyRainbow Radar!

As the title says, I've been off the luckyrainbow radar for about a week now....for lots of reasons. Unfortunately I had a family funeral to attend in my home town (4 hours away from Limerick) and between travel, the funeral, meeting cousins I'd never met and travelling back I was away for four days. While it was sad to be saying bye to a relative it was nice to leave Limerick for a few days and just forget about work for a little while!

Sometimes in Ireland, when someone dies the family will hold a wake and bring the relative who has passed away home so that friends and those who knew the person can call to their house, pay their respects and say their goodbyes. My family chose this option and while it can be a very sad event for some, I see it as a very positive thing to do. Stories which you might not ever hear or see the light of day are told by those who knew the person best, and this is exactly what happened over those few days. I enjoyed hearing those stories and meeting people who worked or socialised with my uncle......I began to see him in a new light, and saw a different side to the simple life he led.

Aunties from my mothers side brought photos to the house from when my grandparents got married and I even got to see a photo of my great grandmother! I found it fascinating, interesting and sad all at the same time.

This evening sees me tidying the studio and finally getting some shelving up.....I bought them months ago! A clean studio usually results in new work! Here goes!

Today I heart....

.....the fact that I finally got my android phone fixed this week! Thank you Sony Eircsson! For some bizzare reason it stopped allowing me to download apps and I really wanted the Retro Camera App! And so....this week I heart this particular app! Check out the (very) amature shots!

 I particulary love the polaroid type shots........now I want a polaroid camera!!!

Wedding Invitations!

Hi guys!

I promised before the weekend that I would post some new photos from my wedding invite collection....however at the time of writing that particular blog post (and here's the funny part) - I had forgotten that I had left behind my wedding portfolio case when I was last home visiting family in the north east of the country!! Silly, forgetful me!!

I however, promise to put a post up once my case is back in possession in lovely Limerick!

Instead, here are some wedding posts to keep you going from around the web

- Wedding trends from 2010 that I love!

-beautiful calligraphy for your invites!

- gorgeous head pieces for the bride!

- how cute!

- and finally.....Stunning!

Crafty Sunday

Last week I launched 'Crafty Sunday, my new YouTube channel which each Sunday publishes a simple video made by yours truely showing you how to make your very own handmade card. My editorial and filming skills are basic to say the least (I like to think of them as 'cute') - however should creating this little tutorials take off in the way I hope then perhaps I'll invest in a niffty camera for filming!

Last week I showed you how to create a pretty Valentines Card and this week I demonstrate how to create an effective, but simple 'Thank You' card using strips of leftover ribbon and wonderful Amy Butler paper.

If anyone has any questions about the materials, products or techniques used, please don't hesitate to contact me via blogger or at luckyrainbowdesigns@gmail.com

Enjoy!

Today I heart....

......this beautiful, vintage, silk bed jacket...and yes I've neard heard of a bed jacked before either, but when you can wear something this beautiful in bed while reading a book, doodling or perhaps eating breakfast then maybe every girl should have one. The photographs itself gave me one of those "I have to have it moments!".....enjoy the photos compliments of Littlebyrdvintage, for they too are stunning!

Wedding Invitations!

Did you know that I also create custom wedding invitations? Over the weekend, I'll be creating a post showcasing to you the types of invitations I've made in the past and samples from my wedding portfolio for you feast upon!

I recently came to the realisation that ALOT of people get engaged over Christmas and with excitement they start the planning for their big day from the following January, an eager bride to be dragging her future husband from one wedding fair to the next!

So stay tuned for that post, but for now I'll share with you one of my favourite handmade wedding stories from the Etsy blog! I adore this wedding and have already robbed some ideas.......

.......(P.S. - I'm not engaged, but yes you read right, I already have notions in my head!)

Some Treasury Love!

Don't you just love when you log into your Etsy account only to find an email from a lovely seller letting you know that they have included you in a new treasury? Well that's exactly what happended to me today!! Click, Click, Click on this lovely treasury curated by mariescottage.

Also if anyone out there knows how I can take a proper snapshot of a treasury, please let me know! I know there is a better way, just not sure how!

Introducing...Crafty Sundays!

Crafty Sundays is a new video section of my blog which will be published every Sunday. Each week I will share with you how to make a handmade card and also show you where to get the materials so that if you wish, you too can make the very same card or a least a variation of it.

My hope is that those out there will pick up some interesting, fun and creative tips, learn a little something and maybe share their creative process too. Everyone has unique ways of crafting, so why not share a little?

My video editing skills are rusty since my college days, however bear with me....they're set to improve and I hope to purchase a nice digital video camera should this take off in the way that I hope. So, put the kettle on, sit down, relax, enjoy and learn how to make your very own Valentines card! (Apologies in advance that the video is not embedded into this blog post....for some tech-ie reason it cannot locate it for me!)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N1GDECX46UE

Today I heart....

It's been a while since I wrote a 'Today I heart...' post, so I've gathered up some wonderful items from the world of Etsy and beyond that have put a smile on my face or a "wish I thought of that" moment in my head. Enjoy!

First up, this lovely treasury created by Lilabelledesign which she kindly included me in. Its pretty, full of pastel colours and is ready to ditch the winter blues in favour of welcoming spring with big, fat, open arms!

How retro are these mugs? I'm tempted to buy them and add them to my already eclectic kitchen! They're from Lapomme, a french store on Etsy. Each daily cup of tea would make me smile!

This you tube video has me in stiches! Apologies to anyone who is offended by bad language but taking into consideration that I usually have a least one printing dilemma each week, I can relate to this clip!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSK1D3bZhRs&feature=related

An fun way to exercise! - Available from Thevintagetreehouse on Etsy!



After my recent trip to New York, I just love this post on the crazy weather they have been experiencing of late! I miss NYC!

Hope you're all having a lazy Sunday! :)

New Stats Tool on Blogger

Have you noticed the new Stats option when you log into blogger? I am loving it! I decided to have a play around with it and discovered where all my blog traffic is coming from and amazingly networked blogs, the tool that allows me to automatically publish any new posts I create to my facebook personal and LuckyRainbow fan page is the best tool for bringing traffic to my page!

I always associated my blog readership with the amount of followers I had, and really thought that not that many people were interested in my blog, but hey I continued none the less trying to think of interesting ways to direct and attract more followers. I'm really pleased with the stats I've found for my site and even discovered through the key words that people have actually been looking for me and looking for LuckyRainbowDesigns.....great news! Perhaps there is a brand being established after all!

Check it out guys! It may even surprise you too! :)

A clean studio is a happy studio!

While clearing away all my Christmas items for another year I came across stashes and books of paper that I forgot I had in my possession! I suppose that's what happens when you're a bit of a paper-addict! Normally when this happens, I realise that it's usually paper that I have no use for anymore and I tend to give it away to others or have a blog de-stash giveaway!

Surprisingly I loved everything I found and decided in an effort to freshen up my Etsy Shop I would make a few card sets and see if they took off! I've sold a few before but never got the chance to sit down and make, photograph, edit and list more!

 I really love this gift set of five tall cards. Normally I stick to one type of sized card, but these blank tall cards have been staring at me for an age. It was only right I used them up!

They're currently listed on Etsy for €12.50 - envelopes included of course! I heart them! (I hope you do too!)

Happy 2011!

Happy New Year everyone!! I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and are very much looking forward to the new year ahead! I'm finding it hard to believe that it's 2011 already! Are you like me, already making resolutions and promising that this year it will be different? Ah sure we're only human aren't we?

I was pretty sick over Christmas with the flu, which I have to say did dampen my spirits! I was really looking forward to Christmas, nights out and fun on the town with friends and family....alas it didn't happen, but what did happen was that I had plenty of down time to clean the studio, clear away the Christmas crafty supplies for another year and get stuck in and create some new cards. I decided to close my Etsy shop over Christmas, de-list all the old stock and make way for new, fresh items.....a little face lift if you will!.

Here's a sneek peek of what's to come! To see the full collection, you can become a fan here on my facebook page. All cards and card sets will be available from this evening on my Etsy shop!! Enjoy!