tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10789513346872109152024-03-27T17:44:21.772+00:00Nice Day DesignsRuth Crean is an Irish designer showcasing her business Nice Day Designs. This a personal view into the world of crafts, design, and selling online.nicedaydesignshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12294500593836144560noreply@blogger.comBlogger745125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1078951334687210915.post-24160428051332941352017-11-05T15:12:00.000+00:002017-11-05T15:12:02.290+00:00Upcycled Comic Book Lamp
You know when you spend hours looking at Pinterest and have a million ideas? So much time on Pinterest that you don't have any hours left over for actually making the upcycled eco friendly vegan brownie, with hand painted geometric plate. Well I actually peeled myself away from the laptop to actually make a thing.
I've had this mannequin since my market days, clogging up space in my nicedaydesignshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12294500593836144560noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1078951334687210915.post-79598412040405196342017-11-01T14:56:00.000+00:002017-11-01T14:56:02.286+00:00Art on Show
I started a new job recently in Bia Agus Caife in Ennis. It's a fairly relaxed,fun, no stress job. I make coffee all day, have chit chat about the weather, and switch off when I come home, a low maintanance way of keeping the bills paid, which suits me perfectly.
My boss very kindly asked if I would like to hang any on my artwork up to brighten the place up a bit. He also said I could use thenicedaydesignshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12294500593836144560noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1078951334687210915.post-478096959064316922017-10-28T14:29:00.000+01:002017-10-28T14:29:46.452+01:00Selling in Shops Nationwide
It's funny how businesses change over time. When I was doing Nice day Designs full time I felt torn about selling to shops, it seemed like so much money to hand over in commission. The truth is I wasn't that realistic about the amount of hours I was spending out in the cold trying to sell my work at markets. I wasn't paying myself for that time, and I think looking back I was too exhausted to nicedaydesignshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12294500593836144560noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1078951334687210915.post-74038053226962074212017-05-16T13:00:00.000+01:002017-05-16T13:00:25.653+01:00Children can write Hollywood movies
This the first of hopefully many blog posts from Neil, we figured since there are so many parents who follow this blog that it might be of interest. It was first published on his writing blog, you should head over if you're a fan of intelligent sci-fi.
Children can write Hollywood Movies. I have established this fact through an experiment, which will be the basis of today's blog post. I should nicedaydesignshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12294500593836144560noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1078951334687210915.post-1549082784599522522017-03-03T21:21:00.000+00:002017-03-03T21:21:42.533+00:00New Badge Designs
With a new lease of life have come some new badge designs-actually I tell a little fib, I did these a while back, but I only posted them on Facebook and forgot to update the blog. These are just a starting point to give people an idea of what they can order. basically we can put any image and text that you want, your(and our) imagination is the only limit. For a full list of prices for party nicedaydesignshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12294500593836144560noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1078951334687210915.post-1105908600543523072017-03-02T22:30:00.000+00:002017-03-02T22:35:27.014+00:00Nice Day just got a little Nicer
It's been another long break away from Nice Day Designs again, things have changed a little, actually quite a lot since the last time I posted a few words here. I'm still happy with the move that I made to Ennis 18 months ago, and I'm living quietly and happily in my cute little old house.
Recently I decided to wind up this business again, but just the custom badge orders, as much as I love nicedaydesignshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12294500593836144560noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1078951334687210915.post-57845511351443069942016-04-30T13:55:00.001+01:002016-04-30T13:55:15.440+01:00Yoga; More than just stretching and sweating
Photo courtesy of I Love Limerick and Dolf Patijn, part of Yoga for Palestine
In one of my last posts I talked about my recent weight loss, I got an overwhelming reaction from people, thank you for all of your kind words and for sharing your stories too. I said in that post that I would talk more about my journey with yoga. Paths are best explained when you wander up the dirt track that leads nicedaydesignshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12294500593836144560noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1078951334687210915.post-15663036700291014542016-04-21T16:11:00.000+01:002016-04-21T16:11:29.676+01:00Button Collars
I mentioned before that I have stopped making crafts for sale. I do still have some leftover from when I had a market stall and was selling in craft shops around the country. I had just made a bunch of these button collars as I was coming to the end of Nice day Designs. Which probably sounds a bit strange, but I was always working on new designs, and this was one of the last to make it nicedaydesignshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12294500593836144560noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1078951334687210915.post-10896814274630126292016-04-10T15:57:00.000+01:002016-04-10T15:57:10.177+01:00Weight Loss; A different before and after story
I said that this blog would change when I came back to writing, that I wanted it to be more personal and less about craft. My battle with my own body image is something that I've touched on before but never been totally honest about here. In the past year I have lost a significant amount of weight, the type of significant weight loss that people plaster Instagram Before and After photos with.nicedaydesignshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12294500593836144560noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1078951334687210915.post-41483619181355498472016-03-28T13:36:00.000+01:002016-04-07T20:07:13.598+01:00Supplies Shop
One thing that I still have tonnes of is supplies. When I moved house 6 months ago I was somewhat disciplined and sold off a lot of buttons and fabric, but I couldn't bring myself to get rid of all of it. I had lived in that house for seven years so there was a lot of clutter and unwanted life garbage that was clogging up my space. Moving was a great excuse to sort through it, downscale, see nicedaydesignshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12294500593836144560noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1078951334687210915.post-62508732584088583832016-03-23T19:09:00.000+00:002016-03-23T19:09:40.054+00:00Costume design for Mustang Hobo
After finishing up with Nice Day Designs it took me a long time to figure out my relationship with my own art. I was burnt out, dry of ideas and no longer sure if I ever wanted to pick up a sewing needle ever again. I tentatively made a few pieces for myself and friends over the couple of years, but waited a long time before embracing a large project again. I only wanted to do it if I loved nicedaydesignshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12294500593836144560noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1078951334687210915.post-71179384947569398852016-03-18T18:28:00.000+00:002016-03-19T11:57:30.937+00:00A Return to Business
I've spent a very long time away from Nice Day Designs, I'm not sure if I have any readers left after abandoning this little niche on the web for so long, so if you're still reading please wave hello. A lot in my life has changed both externally and internally, mostly for the better, and even the hard stuff ended up being transformative in a positive way.
Those of you who have read nicedaydesignshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12294500593836144560noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1078951334687210915.post-63073611751616645392014-02-28T19:25:00.000+00:002014-02-28T19:25:45.876+00:00Update on The Stormy Teacup Crowdfunding Campaign
I thought I would do an update and let you know how my crowdfunding campaign is going for my new business venture with my friend Martins. Last time I checked in, in this blog post, we were just 5 days into our campaign to open the crafty cafe The Stormy Teacup. As of today we have 9 days left and are coming into the finishing stretch. We've managed to raise just under €5,000 and now have to nicedaydesignshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12294500593836144560noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1078951334687210915.post-82963009833451671652014-02-11T22:35:00.002+00:002014-02-11T22:46:16.143+00:00I'm opening a Cafe in Limerick-The Stormy Teacup
It's been quite a while since I updated this blog, 2013 was a pretty strange year so I took a break from blogging. Part of this strangeness was re-evaluating my life and what I wanted, in the latter half this involved looking at what I want to do professionally. Having Nice Day Designs has been amazing but it hasn't been enough to live on, the balance of trying to make money out of crafts nicedaydesignshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12294500593836144560noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1078951334687210915.post-56770342010774693522013-08-02T18:12:00.000+01:002013-08-02T18:12:36.478+01:00Cooking on a Budget; Beetroot Pasta
I'm probably not meant to moan about how broke I am on this blog, I really should pretend that I am super successful, and that I sleep in blankets made of money. This sadly is not the case, I'm broke at the moment, I know I'll get through it, I always do, but for the next while I'm living on a very strict budget.
It frustrates me when the media talk about people eating badly becausenicedaydesignshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12294500593836144560noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1078951334687210915.post-61686731294251084162013-07-28T10:00:00.000+01:002013-07-28T10:00:00.170+01:00Hosting a House Sale
A couple of months back after my break-up I had a double fold problem, I had way too much stuff and way too little money. The logical solution was to sell my stuff and try to make some cash. Easier said than done sometimes! A friend of mine said they had organised their own house party clothes sale to much success and I decided to give it a shot. I had lots of really good vintage clothes in nicedaydesignshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12294500593836144560noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1078951334687210915.post-33293327123967085312013-07-26T10:00:00.000+01:002013-07-26T10:00:09.478+01:00Anton Chekhov for Limerick Youth Service
I was commissioned by a friend working with Limerick Youth Theatre on a production of The Three Sisters by Chekhov to make canvas bags for all of the cast involved. Normally I don't do a whole new painting for a commission but I was happy to do it because I know I can sell the Chekhov bags in my Etsy shop after as he would be a popular writer. Here are some in progress photos that I tooknicedaydesignshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12294500593836144560noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1078951334687210915.post-57103125914995960112013-07-24T10:00:00.000+01:002013-07-24T10:00:00.880+01:00Watercolour Painting in the People's Park
During the good weather my studio was like a sweat shop, it was impossible to work in, but leading up to the RDS show I didn't really have much choice but to literally sweat it out. Since the pressure to make a million bags has slackened off since the show I've been able to take my time making work. Last week I packed up my brushes, pencils, and paints and headed to the People's Park nicedaydesignshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12294500593836144560noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1078951334687210915.post-78723879000336586672013-07-22T17:02:00.000+01:002013-07-22T17:02:47.399+01:00Robot Tattoo by Tommy Ryan
I got my robot tattoo finished a couple of weeks ago, and for once I had the patience to let it heal before I posted photos online. You may have seen the original post where I showed you the robot when he had no background. Pretty much the morning after I got him done I decided he needed some kind of sketchbook style background on him, to make him look like he was ripped out of a notebook of nicedaydesignshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12294500593836144560noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1078951334687210915.post-67004032712682743772013-07-19T10:00:00.000+01:002013-07-19T10:00:10.516+01:00Product Photography; a lesson in staging
After
Sometimes I can get a little lazy when I taking photos, especially when I'm up to my eyes making work. Over the years I try to make the extra effort and it always pays off, and then I slip back into being lazy again. While looking at the work of Rachel Corcoran I realised that my photos needed more than a little sprucing up. Last week I took some very middle after the road shots of mynicedaydesignshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12294500593836144560noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1078951334687210915.post-59357635642072148092013-07-17T14:05:00.001+01:002013-07-17T14:05:39.159+01:00Sky Arts Tv Portrait Festival; Dublin
I just got back from Dublin yesterday, I was selling my portrait work at the Sky Arts Portrait Artist of the Year Festival in the RDS. Much to my surprise I was contacted a while back by Sky Arts to sell my work at this event. The last two weeks was a bit of a mad rush to get everything printed, packaged and prepped, which was especially difficult given how glorious the weather has been. I nicedaydesignshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12294500593836144560noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1078951334687210915.post-1632058901637125032013-07-02T10:00:00.000+01:002013-07-02T10:00:02.733+01:00Food Love
I'm not normally one of those people who takes photos of my food but a combination of a new phone with a a snazzy camera and also making some tasty food has transformed me into a supper snapper. Both of these dishes were really easy to make, and were absolutely delicious.
Pitta Pizza:
I had some left over homemade Italian sauce from the night before in the fridge and I used it as my base for nicedaydesignshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12294500593836144560noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1078951334687210915.post-45628003211090465472013-06-27T10:00:00.000+01:002013-06-27T10:00:05.525+01:00Writer Portraits; Sky Arts Tv Portrait Expo
This is the project that I've been working on that I mentioned earlier in the week. I was approached by SkyArts Tv a few weeks ago asking if I wanted to sell my canvas bags at an expo that they are hosting on portraiture in the RDS. When I went to their website and saw the standard of stuff that will be on show I was bowled over, and more than a little chagrined/chuffed to be asked to be nicedaydesignshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12294500593836144560noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1078951334687210915.post-5402657513803581412013-06-25T14:25:00.003+01:002013-06-25T14:36:12.644+01:00Coming Back to Life
It seems like I have fallen off the blogging bike, but I'm told you never forget how to ride a bicycle, so I'll tentatively try out my balance over the next few weeks and see how it feels. Since the break-up in March I've been slowing trying to piece my life back together. This involved a slow and delicate process of first picking our lives apart, wallowing in the empty space left behind, andnicedaydesignshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12294500593836144560noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1078951334687210915.post-2353486429155869582013-04-03T12:56:00.000+01:002013-04-03T12:56:01.299+01:00Roller Derby Design
The Limerick Roller Girls are playing for the first time in their home town this weekend. I have a few friends and acquaintances on the team and they suggested that I sell my wares at the event. Instead of just turning up with my normal crafty stuff I thought I would design some derby t-shirts, canvas bags and badges.
My first port of call was of coarse Pinterest, that's where all nicedaydesignshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12294500593836144560noreply@blogger.com2