we've moved!

come see me at my new blog
here

and update your readers and blogs cause I swear I am gonna be a real blogger again!

Farewell Blogspot!

home decor on a crafty budget

Come join me and some talanted ladies for a 6 week online home decor class over at SIStv!

Sale Offer Extended Through Monday, April 13 at 11:59pm!!!
Get $10 off and take this class for only $19.95!!!
Enter coupon code EASTER to receive $10 off the regular price of $29.95!

Here are all the details


What: A 6 week course on using craft supplies to create stylish home decor
When: April 13 - May 22
Cost: $29.95 (Use coupon code EASTER for $10 Off!)
Registration opens on: Now enrolling

This six week course is designed to lead you through creating unique focal pieces for your home as well serve as a complete guide to updating your current style...all on a crafty budget!

Each week you'll receive step by step project instructions and decorating tips from your instructors. Each of the six weeks will focus on making over one room, with instructions for one large project, two small projects, and two lessons devoted to design in decorating. Plus, you'll have access to a bonus inspiration gallery from the fashionistas, including instructions for re-creating their projects as well as a Q/A session with your instructors!

Here's a sneak peek at some of the lessons:
The Art of Refinishing and rehupolstering Furniture
Updating Your Look With Simple Craft Supplies
Creating A Unique Jewelry Hanger
Customize Your Bookcases...Without Permanent Alterations
Tips and Tricks For Hanging Wall Decor
Mirror, Mirror On The Wall
How To Effectively Go "Junking"
One Weekend Room Facelifts
Cute And Quirky Entry way Mats
Quick And Painless Painting
Making Mod Curtains
How To Choose Paint Colors

Want to enroll? Click here to register today!

I hope to see ya there!
love nikki

junkyard girl

look at this amazing place i found by my house.
i was in heaven looking through all this "junk"

peace love & recycle!

i finally created a recycling system that makes me happy. no longer do we have an old cardboard box in our kitchen for bottles and cans.

i found these galvanized trash cans at the hardware store, added some spray paint and then hand painted the recycle symbol.

the teal is for the regular trash.

and the plus side is my dumb old beagle is not longer sticking her head in the garbage due to the metal lids.

happy friday!
love nikki

what are you doing this Saturday?

cause if you are in the bay area you should come take my class at Picture Me Perfect. I know there are a few spots still available. I am so excited for this class because we are making 12 layouts. That's right 12. 1 dozen. Here are the details:

We all know that times are tight right now, so let's translate that to our scrapbook pages. In this class you will learn how to make the most of your scrapbooking supplies as you create 12 layouts. We will also focus on mixing patterned papers, stamping and stitching and journal with a vintage typewriter. Everything is included.

Saturday February 21st
3-5pm
Cost for Class: $ 35 (that's only $2.91 per layout)
Additional Kits w/class purchase: $ 30
Kits Only w/o class purchase: $ 30

Sign up by calling the store at (510) 744-9583

I'd love to have you there with us.

Here are some of the layouts we will be completing.

new collection layouts!

spice up the dreary winter with some awesome colors!
this collection is so bright and fun. my favorite is the orange hounds-tooth paper!
it goes on sale monday at SIStv.

home.

i'm home safe and sound after an amazing weekend with friends.


i managed to create a few things too which i really didn't think would happen as my objective was just to hang out, but i managed to do a few crafty things somehow.

this little page for dina's circle journa (the photo is courtesy of kim brimhall) and also a new door hanging for valentine's day.



i'm looking forward to enjoying my last day off before heading back to work tomorrow.

hope everyone had a wonderful weekend.

oh and check this out. give back and earn some free coffee. i'm in... are you?


here is the website to sign up

before:

this old office chair was only $5 at the goodwill. I was stoked. a little paint and some new fabric/padding and it will be perfect for my office.

can't wait to share the after pic.

vacation starts today and i am so happy. off to spend some time with some lovely friends.

oh and i'll be bringing the blog back in full force when i return next week.
i forgot how much i love blogging and reading other blogs. :(

have a wonderful weekend.

hello? is anyone there?

This poor blog has been forgotten for quite some time. Sorry little guy.

I have been busy with an online class, decorating for the holidays, work work work, and some classes at PMP.

Speaking of which, I found some extra class kits which are available in my etsy store. Some from the Merry and Bright garland class and some from my layout class. Stop by and take a look.

I hope everyone is getting in the holiday spirit.

love nikki

a little treat for ya if you VOTE!!!!

back from NOLA

I just got back from a week in New Orleans. It was a wonderful time and an awesome city. I loved the life and culture enriched into everything.... oh and the food.... oh the food.
here are a few quick pics. I am still getting settled back at home but I have a bunch of other pics I want to share and stories I want to tell. stay tuned.




oh, and i also wanted to call out this fun class that I am a part of over at SIStv.


Check it out, lots of awesome projects and some seriously talented ladies. So happy to be a part of it. You can still sign up here.

Here is a bit more info.
This online workshop is designed to help you stretch your dollar this holiday season! At the end of the thirty days, you should have over 30 holiday projects/gifts completed that cover every area of your holiday celebration! From a gorgeous catalog quality tree skirt, to an easy Christmas morning journal meant to ensure those special moments are recorded, to fantastic customizable Christmas cards. This is more than just a class, it’s a tool to give you a well organized, beautifully designed and ultra affordable holiday season.

We’re going to teach you how to take those scrapbooking supplies you already have and turn them into fabulous holiday gifts, décor and more! No more wracking your brain to come up with the perfect gift for that special teacher or those grandparents that always say “oh, we don’t need anything this year.” Instead, grab a cup of hot chocolate and settle in for some crafting time that will result in your most stylish, most economical gift giving season yet! (Don’t worry, this is SIS stuff…these aren’t going to be cheesy, homemade craft projects using popsicle sticks and yarn. We saved those for the preschools out there.)

Each student will also receive a free all encompassing Holiday Season ’08 Planner, where you can keep everything you need for this holiday season and the 30 Days to a Handmade Holiday class together in one place. You’ll get a calendar, budget planner, gift lists, shopping lists for groceries and class supplies, family activity ideas and more! Everything you need to ensure that this class and your family’s holiday season runs smoothly, and stress-free, not to mention budget-friendly. We know that’s a biggie.

the non conformist

Check out the newest collection over at SIS.



Here are some of the things I made with it. I just love the mod sheets and also that awesome carnival fan. Lots of bright colors in there.






Thanks for looking.

oh, also, I updated the post below because we added another date for the Merry and Bright Class in Fremont. I am now gonna teach on Sat 11/8 and also Tuesday 11/18. Hope to see you there.

love nikki

Merry and Bright

Here is my upcoming class at Picture Me Perfect in Fremont. Cost is only $20 and everything is included. Come get ready for the holidays and enjoy some festive cupcakes with us on Saturday, November 8th, 2008, 3-5pm or Tuesday November 18th 7pm- 9pm. Sign up by calling the store at (510) 744-9583 or going to the website.
Hope to see you there. And don't forget, kits are always available if you are unable to make the class.



oh, also, here is the layout I made last night. It's using the Kenner Road September kit. This is the first in many pages for my sister Jenna's wedding album.


TFL.

rainy days.

oh how i love the first rain.
we made chili and cornbread for dinner and had apple cider for dessert and it was perfect.
and now the raining is pouring down.
and it smells so wonderful outside.
and i'm wearing sweats and slippers.
and there's a pumpkin scented candle burning in the livingroom.
and we had movie night.
and i made a layout.
pretty much the best friday night.
my heart is happy.
the end.

halloween hauntings!

some sneaks around our house as we begin to decorate for halloween.
i love this time of the year. love.
the bottom three are some projects i created today while sipping my caramel apple cider:)
the one with the boo tag is from Kenner Road, super fun kit to play with. I added the circle halloween images from some Theresa Collins paper and the sheet music.
who else is ready for Fall??

viva mexico!

just a few of my favorite pics from mexico. it was truly a much needed, relaxing time. I love seeing my family and always miss them after trips like this. We always have a blast together (in between all the drama) and the wedding was a success too.

The view from our hotel


stools at a bar downtown


a stack of sombreros


some of the dia de los muertos skeletons that i was crazy about



my sister Kacy and I


our cousin Collette at the pool... she is the cutest and so much fun.


some wedding shots



ron and i at the wedding


thanks for checking them out.

I am leaving tonight for New York but will be back on monday.
till then.....

trash the dress

Some pictures as we trashed Jenna's wedding dress. Lots of fun, but I felt so bad for her cause it was over 100 degrees and that dress weighed a ton once it was full of water. She was however a great sport, as was Paul her new husband.

i totally forgot to post before i left town but we are in mexico right now. about 1 hour outside of cancun in a cute town called Playa del Carmen. lots of charm and amazing beaches.

my sister Jenna got married here on saturday and the entire family has been here all week swimming, drinking, laughing and making some great memories. we head home tomorrow and while i will be a bit relieved to say goodbye to the extreme humidity, i can't say i will miss my lazy afternoons at the pool, unlimited margaritas and seeing my family every morning. it has been a wonderful trip... despite the fact that i somewhat accidentily hit my brother in the face yesterday and cut his eyebrow open with my wedding ring... ooops, long story....

i will post pictures when i am home, but so far my favorite part was helping out at a trash the dress photo shoot the day after the wedding. i told my sister about this back when she got engaged but i never thought she would be up for it... but she loved the idea and i can't wait to see the results... she is beautiful and her new husband is a charming fire fighter so everyone at the beach thought we were doing a high fashion shoot... it was quite funny.

i also found this amazing shop downtown that has tons of wonderful dia de los muertos stuff. i love it all and think i may be coming home with a handful of skeletons.

in other news, i just bought this lovely kit. i am so excited for my friend KL and wish her only the best. she truely has a wonderful eye for this kind of thing. Congrats Kerry. I am so proud of you and can't wait to play with the kit.

hasta luego amigos!

it was 1970 something...

i have a new addiction.
yearbook yourself
i have always thought i was meant to have been born in another generation...
but after looking at these i'm pretty sure i'm best where i am.
have fun playing.

1958


1960


1964


1966


1976

5 things for today

Happy monday.

1. Weren't the closing ceramonies AMAZING?
2. I am really considering going to London in 2012 for the next summer games. (by which i of course mean as a spectator... unless they make scrapbooking an olympic sport... and even then, I don't think i would make the team. smiles.)
3. I am sooooo ready for the fall.
4. I had the best dinner ever with Ron, my Grandma and my Dad. yummy steak!
5. There is a new collection releasing today at SIStv. The Urban Prep. I just love the colors in this one. lots of yummy green.
here's what I did with it so far.




and also some other recent creations.

lovely littles

i am addicted to making these little pouches. they were all inspired by Rhi and her webisode from a few weeks ago.
The first few have been a little wonky, but each one gets a bit better... and i have already had a bunch of girls at work offer me money to make them custom ones...

the very last one is made from a vintage table cloth circa 1950's... it had some wine stains on it so it didn't break my heart to cut it up... i love vintage linens by the way.

thanks for looking.
love nikki

27 trips around the sun

today was a fabulous birthday.
breakfast in bed.
lazy days in pjs creating stuff.
a signing balloon.
flowers from my angie baby.


and some from my lovely mom.



a special creation from digi master cathy.



lots of calls and texts from my favorite people.
and even a singing message from this girl and her cute kiddos.

thank you to everyone who made my day special.

peace

this makes me so happy.
the end.


(or maybe it was the 2 margaritas that are making me happy... either way.....)

an unlikely encounter

I spent yesterday morning browsing the rows and rows of dealers at the Alameda Antique Fair, by far one of my favorite places to spend a Sunday.



I scored with some charming antique linens, some ribbon and paper and also this tacky, kitschy little piggy bank. Ron hates it and i simply adore it... oh, and the piano stool he is sitting on... yup, got that little baby too.... and it even has metal claw feet. I'm pretty much a happy girl.




And, guess who I ran into.....



yup, Tim Holtz. So I'm sitting there cramming my face with a sausage on a soft roll covered in sour kraut and i see this face that i recognize. So i am thinking to myself for a split second, "how do i know this face? Do they work for Starbucks? Are the a customer?" and then it dawns on me and i blurt out (with a mouthfull of sausage mind you) "TIM HOLTZ!"
anyhow, i am a dork but i couldn't let him escape without a pic for the blog. turns out he had been in the bay area teaching a class.

None the less, not the person i expected to run into.

who doesn't love fair food?

The summer wouldn't be complete without a trip to the county fair... and we pretty much just go for the food... and it was goooood.



Ron actually took the camera from me and took some pictures which is totally rare. We make it a tradition to always stop by the photo booths for our annual strip of silly (usually ugly) pics... and this year it was especially ugly... really, it was bad.





And I wanted these glasses so bad but Ron said no way would he be seen with me if i wore them... i totally love 'em... so 80's... oh well.

rafting and weddings

This weekend was a blast. It was one of the best weekends I've had since my trip to Tennessee. We were on the river for most of the day on Saturday, camped out over night on the bank of the river and then rafted for 1/2 the day on Sunday before heading home. There was about 300 people on our trip and about 50 or so in our group... mostly friends of my Mom's from the hospital. We had tons of food and drinks and plenty of laughs. We really enjoyed it... now I want to plan a trip for next summer for all of mine and Ron's friends.

Kacy and I were partners and even though I came pretty close to pushing her outta the raft or hitting her on the head with the paddle, we survived the experience. Once we got our rhythm we were cruising down that river.



A quick photo after we packed up all the gear to head back to the river.



The craziest thing was there was a wedding in our group on Saturday night. We saw these two ladies on the river with veils on so I yelled congrats to them and they told us the wedding was that night back at camp and everyone was invited.
I did end up bringing my canon so I went over to their camp site and took pictures for them. They were so thrilled to have someone with a nice camera there to document the event. I got some email addresses so I will get the photos out to them today. It was a really cute ceremony and I was so happy I could help with the photos.



I have a few water cameras I will develop this week so hopefully we have some more pics of us actually rafting.

hope you all had a wonderful weekend!

heading to the great outdoors...
we're going rafting and camping this weekend.
pretty excited to get outside and in the water.
i'll share pics when i get home... if i take my camera... i'm a little nervous to bring it... obviosly not on the water, but i might bring it to the campground.
we'll see.

on another note...
is it sad that the main reason i want to bring my camera is so i can use this line of products with the pictures?




happy weekend!

the classic

The newest collection goes on sale today at SIStv. The Classic.
It comes with the coolest set of alphabet stamps from October Afternoon, lots of American Crafts and a bunch of other elements that definitely bring out the classic in everyone. Here is what I have made so far with my collection.





oh, also, I signed up for this online class taught by the uber talented Ashley Wren. This girl rocks and I am super excited for the class.

happy monday.

Celebrating 5 years

of marriage to my cute husband.
We are spending our anniversary relaxing at home and either going out to brunch or dinner. I just am looking forward to hanging out home together, watching movies and cuddling on the couch. my kind of a perfect day.

Hoping you have a wonderful weekend.
love nikki

eta: we had a great brunch this afternoon and then took a nap on the couch watching Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. We just got home from an awesome dinner at one of our favorite restaurants out in Marin.... bacon wrapped filet minot medallions, scalloped potatoes, wine, creme brulee and a latter for the drive home. perfect day.

RAK winner

monica v said...
loving that paper.....i shopped too...scored a beach bum kit.

Congrats Monica. email me your addy so we can get it in the mail for you!
nikkigreenpeterson@yahoo.com