I first met Ruby on my FB Gardening Page http://on.fb.me/yNa9Mz  and she became a fan of mine as she adores flowers and really enjoys photographing them when she travels to Ireland.  Ruby’s a Chicago based self-taught artisan who specializes in decoupage, she draws much of her inspiration from the beautiful landscapes of the Irish countryside “People really take pride in their flower gardens in Ireland and the wild flowers are beautiful and abundant as well”.  The whole country is just so scenic, Ruby loves all the thatched cottages with vibrant painted doors and windows which always have the prettiest flower boxes hanging from their window sills.  Ireland’s climate is really moderate and the whole island remains lush and green all year round, most people don’t realize that there’s tons of palm trees all over too…..

Muckross House Ireland, with some beautiful red roses!

She is the first to admit that she is no gardener, in saying that, she wanted to contribute something somewhat relevant to this post, every year she says “this is the year I’ll plant stuff and take care of the little veggies and flowers I plant - I think I watered my tomato plants once last year…so as you can imagine, all I had was a couple dried shrivelled leaves.“ but then she absolutely loves taking piccies of them. Perhaps you ought to stick to just taking piccies of them Ruby? but hey no, try some Tagetes or Marigolds they are foolproof to grow…………….

Zinc pot with Nasturtiums tumbling over! http://www.etsy.com/listing/84062607

Muckross Rose, Ireland 

White Flower Ireland  http://www.etsy.com/listing/67535098/

Donegal Rose, Ireland

But…… hold on a minute!  this girl has real hidden talent! not only does she take great piccies of her love of Ireland, she has an Etsy store especially to showcase her beautiful ‘life’ pictures, just click here The Irish Still to see what I mean and be mesmorised by them!  Another love of hers is  Ruby Clover where she has beautiful Irish & Vintage Inspired Arts, Crafts & Photography, Some of her Irish photography is also currently featured on the set of a prime time network television series!  There is yet another site of hers called Bohemienne where she is a peddlar of Vintage Jewels, Housewares and Haberdashery, gosh what a busy girl!!!  Why not also visit her Facebook page at FB Ruby Clover  follow her in latest creations and her magnificent piccys.

A customised Heirloom Box, would make a great pressie, have one made with a specific style or theme!

But …… hold on again – this girl has been recognised for her talent, all her training has paid off! so much so that she has been commissioned to teach at a new and upcoming Art school on the beautiful Waterford coast in Southern Ireland this summer!  She is going to teach how to create a family heirloom box where she compiles clients’ family photos and genealogical information to create pieces of meaningful art to be passed down through generations and to treasure forever!  wow Ruby! this is great news congratulations!  This is a 3 day course which starts coincidentally on Americans Independance Day 4th July.

The Copper Coast in Ireland With thanks to The Art Hand for this great picture!

 A spokesman for the Art School said ‘Her work is stunning, we’re delighted to have her onboard’  just take a look here The Art Hand News  for more info.  Love your work Ruby really wish I could go and be one of your students this really interests me!  For further details of the Art school above, click on their website The Art Hand and visit also their Facebook Page  at http://on.fb.me/IlYcfb

A beautiful bracelet from one of her Etsy shops. http://www.etsy.com/listing/91020182/

Glor na Mara … Song of the Sea http://www.etsy.com/listing/53550013

This is one of Ruby’s favorite areas of the north coast… amazing natural beauty. http://www.etsy.com/listing/55340774

Well there you have it one successful enterprising Lady!!!  Best of luck with your class on the 4th July, very exciting!  To celebrate Ruby’s success, in conjunction with myself we have decided to hold a little competition, how do you fancy winning two 5×7′s piccys (or one 8×10 if you prefer) from either of her shops! all you have to do is ‘like’ Ruby’s FB page at Ruby Clover and my page at Maison des Fleurs  and leave your comment on this blog posting below.  Ruby will choose the winning number on Saturday 6th May 2012 – Good Luck!

 

Click on the links below to discover what other goodies are for sale in Ruby’s Etsy shops!

http://www.etsy.com/shop/rubyclover

rubyclover - Irish & Vintage Inspired Arts, Crafts & Photography

I decoupage boxes and wall hangings, make jewelry, bookmarks, greeting cards and take lots of photos in Ireland (among other things!)…you never know what my medium du jour will be :)

 

http://www.etsy.com/shop/bohemienne#

Bohemienne - Vintage Jewels, Housewares and Haberdashery …

Peddler of everything vintage…jewelry, buttons, fabric, trims, paper ephemera, photos, housewares, apparel and random supplies. Visit my other shop www.RubyClover.etsy.com for artwork, custom boxes, flower brooches etc.

 

http://www.etsy.com/shop/theirishstill

 

TheIrishStill - photos from Ireland

Any photos that you see here can be professionally printed in any size you’d like and shipped within a couple days, just convo me. Placenames can be written in Irish or English on cards or mats at no extra charge as well.