nikki peterson

we've moved!

2009-07-26T19:43:00.000-07:00

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

2009-04-13T18:17:00.000-07:00

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

2009-04-06T22:16:00.001-07:00

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

peace love & recycle!

2009-04-03T13:05:00.000-07:00

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?

2009-02-18T11:04:00.000-08:00

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!

2009-01-31T20:59:00.000-08:00

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.

2009-01-21T11:11:00.000-08:00

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:

2009-01-14T17:21:00.000-08:00

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?

2008-12-04T17:00:00.000-08:00

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!!!!

2008-11-03T18:53:00.000-08:00

back from NOLA

2008-11-02T20:33:00.000-08:00

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

2008-10-19T11:20:00.001-07:00

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

2008-10-04T19:47:00.000-07:00

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.

2008-10-03T22:53:00.000-07:00

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!

2008-10-02T23:56:00.001-07:00

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!

2008-09-20T14:24:00.000-07:00

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

2008-09-18T22:23:00.000-07:00

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.

2008-09-16T07:17:00.000-07:00

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...

2008-09-04T13:12:00.000-07:00

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

2008-08-25T22:06:00.000-07:00

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

2008-08-10T02:27:00.000-07:00

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

2008-08-07T23:23:00.000-07:00

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

2008-08-05T23:25:00.000-07:00

this makes me so happy.
the end.

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

an unlikely encounter

2008-08-04T20:08:00.000-07:00

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?

2008-08-02T01:25:00.000-07:00

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

2008-07-28T10:09:00.000-07:00

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!

2008-07-26T00:32:00.000-07:00

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

2008-07-21T00:40:00.001-07:00

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

2008-07-20T00:33:00.000-07:00

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

2008-06-28T13:33:00.000-07:00

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

tgif, RAKs, and Sales.

2008-06-27T04:10:00.000-07:00

my life feels crazy.
but good crazy.
but still crazy.
my to do list never gets shorter.
my bank account never gets larger.
but, i have been having fun.
lots of it.
i don't think i would be happy with a calm life,
even though i always complain about the hecticness of my current one.

okay,
and
breathe.....

so i do have things to share from my trip to Tennessee (which was a blast) but i will save that for later.
cause it is 4:23am and I must go to bed.

but, because all the other girls are doing it :)
i'm doing an RAK today!

okay, so SIS is having a 20% off sale till 12 noon CST today 6/27. Just use the coupon code ONEDAY and your entire order will be 20% off, and there is some yummy new thickers and making memories and heidi swapp and more.

So, here's where the RAK comes in... if you shop the sale and then leave a comment here I will send you a pack of not-yet-released Orange Milk Lab paper from SIStv..... and it is super cute...
in fact, here is a LO Jo-Anne made with some of the paper...

so happy shopping!

bye for now.

2008-06-11T09:14:00.000-07:00

i'm heading out the door for the airport in about 5 minutes for SISiversary in Tennessee. I hope everyone has a great week. I'll be home next monday.

Oh, be sure to check out the Fashionista Blog on Thursday cause I am posting a fun tutorial.

Love Nikki

sneakie peakie!

2008-06-10T16:04:00.000-07:00

a few more for my upcoming class on July 5th at PMP. I love this little album so much. I can't wait to share it with you all! And I think my final count was 28 total pages.... i'm telling you it is jam packed!

to sign up call the store or sign up online. I hope to see you there!

off to finish all my packing for tennessee.

loves!

goodness gracious!

2008-06-09T18:01:00.000-07:00

I have become a bad blogger... like for reals! I have been a bad blog reader too... i think my reader must have 1000 posts to catch up on. Sorry ladies, I will catch up soon. I think i got so outta the habit when I realized I was slipping I didn't know where to jump back in... so, I figured I would start with some recent creations.

this was obviously for the lovely Gigi. Can't wait to meet her IRL in two days!!!

this was for the current Scrapjacked. Check it out. This one was sponsered by SIStv so a bunch of us joined in the fun. I used to be a loyal jacker and then fell off that wagon so this was a great boost to start doing them again.

and this little baby is part of my new creative regimen. I am a pretty fast scrapper most of the time, but last week I didn't have much time at all but I totally wanted to create so I gave myself 15 minutes. It is so fun to create an LO that quickly cause you don't think at all, just go!

I am off to Tennessee on Weds for SISiversary and so this is pretty much all I have been thinking about. I can't wait to meet all the other SISters IRL. My list of to-do's is a mile long so I am off to finish a few projects I am taking with me... oh, and to make some goodie bags to share with the girls.

Love nikki

BIG THANKS!

2008-05-26T19:55:00.000-07:00

to all you wonderful ladies who took my first two classes ever. You all were amazing and it really meant a lot to me to have you all there. The pages you created blew me away and touched my heart cause seriously, it was outta this world to see so many LOs that I inspired.
THANK YOU!

oh and marie, the poem rocked. you rock. i loved it. but stupid me didn't have my camera :(

My next class will be on July 5th, same time, same great place.

It is gonna be a Travel Journal. I intended it to be taken on the road with you while you travel to document as you go, but you could totally use it to record a previous trip too. And, it isn't very "themey" so it would also make a great mini for any other topic you so desire.

here are two sneakies....

I think i am more excited for this class cause the book is jam packed with over 20 pages and we are gonna do so many techniques. I got some fun paint things i have been playing with, plus flocking, sewing, stamping and tons more.

I'll post some more sneaks as the month goes on :)

ALSO, SUPER IMPORTANT! I know some of you emailed me about extra class kits... I only have 4 left and they are so full of product, like over $50 worth (hambly, pink paislee, love elsie, thickers and more) plus some handmade embellishments by yours truly. They are $30 plus shipping and come with all the directions to create 4 layouts and you will totally have left overs. :)

email me if you are interested @ nikkigreenpeterson@yahoo.com

get your paint on!

2008-05-20T18:06:00.000-07:00

don't forget, this Saturday is my second paint class over at PMP.

This is one of the 4 LOs we will be creating!

i just spoke with Suzy today and there are a few more spots left. Sign up on the website or by calling the store. We had a blast last month and I know this month won't dissapoint... oh and we are croppin all day too!

hope to see you there!
love nikki

2008-05-13T08:45:00.000-07:00

i am home. well i have been home for a few days but life is busy and therefor my little blog gets a little neglected. but vegas was awesome. we shopped, we gambled, we saw an elvis show (hehe) and ate some yummy food. it wasn't long enough.
more layouts coming soon. gotta go teach a class for starbucks new employees at the training center.
love nikki

THE HIPSTER and Las vEgas

2008-05-07T08:10:00.001-07:00

these babies were made with the upcoming SIStv collection The Hipster. I am so in love with that Pink Paislee stamp set. Lots of funky fun things in this collection, Sassafrass Lass, Cosmo Cricket, Pink Paislee stamps and paper... lots of yummies.

Okay, I am off to Vegas today so have a fabulous few days and I will be home on Friday.
love nikki

demo time

2008-05-06T21:39:00.000-07:00

i am busy creating some new LOs with my recently delivered SIStv collection (yippee) but I wanted to stop in and share a little demo I did for National Scrapbook Day last weekend at Picture Me Perfect.

We raffled the final project off at the celebration. Good Day. Good People. Good Fun.

oh, and check out KLs video too. that girl rocks!

creating

2008-04-26T11:10:00.001-07:00

i have found some time lately between everything else to make some stuff. I am trying to do something crafty everyday. Here are some recent creations.

This first one was my challange over on the fashionista blog... check out the original post for all the pics.

the really long post.

2008-04-26T00:19:00.000-07:00

last Saturday was my first class at PMP and it was so fun. The girls there really stepped out of their boxes and created some stunning layouts. I loved having them all there and I really could not have asked for a better group to teach my first class to. I hope to see more of you when i teach it again in May. Here is another sneak of one of the 4 LOs we will be creating.

I also got my style phyle from SIStv in the mail this week and couldn't resist creating a tribute to one of the best tv shows... i mean come on, the collection was called Jim & Pam.

Also, every Friday Angie has a thread called Truth or Dare. It is a lot of fun. Here is my dare from last night. Diane dared me to create an LO using the very last picture I took with the title "A picture is worth 1000 words"
I took this yesterday AM cause I love to buy myself flowers even thought I feel a bit silly about it... oh and I love my tin can vase but Ron thinks it is trashy... he has no taste.

Hope everyone is having a great weekend.
Love Nikki

PEACE LOVE & HAPPINESS

2008-04-16T19:51:00.000-07:00

some yummy cupcakes for my cute baristas to celebrate some accomplishments.

the romantic

2008-04-13T22:16:00.000-07:00

i can not express how excited i am for this collection to release. It was all designed by my wonderful friend and fellow fashionista Kerry Lynn Yeary for SIStv. I am just thrilled to bits for her and I can't wait to get my hands on it and have some fun. German glass glitter... skeleton keys...vintage music sheets.. exclusive KL papers... oh my!

It goes on sale on Monday at 10am so hurry cause I have a feeling this baby will be selling out quick.

Congratulations my dear Kerry.

these awesome layouts were made by Kayla Aimee using the collection... stunning huh?

from a child's perspective

2008-04-12T00:44:00.000-07:00

life can be a lot more interesting thru the lens of a kid.

Today Kerry and I met for coffee downtown with her wonderful kiddos and introduced them both to the wonderful world of photography. All of these pics are created to Maddy and Ben. They both had a blast lugging the big ol' camera around their necks and shooting away. I love the results. They were also quite intrigued by the magic of Polaroids.

The weather here today was AMAZING! hottest day so far but quite comfortable in the low 80's. To bad I was at work till midnight, but it was an awesome day.

happy weekend!

camera fixed...check!

2008-04-10T15:41:00.000-07:00

not sure what was wrong with it but we are working fine now...

here is one of the yummy finds i got in alameda last weekend. a vintage yo-yo quilt isn't it lovely? courtney and i split the cost and ripped her in half. can't wait to cut it up and play.

also a quick banner i made last night for our living room. this has been on mind all the time especially since the 5 year anniversary of the war and all.... hopefully it will come soon.

oh, the banner was just some XL chipboard that i painted and glittered and stung onto some tulle... quick and simple decor.

IRL!

2008-04-07T19:46:00.000-07:00

it was a splendid weekend! while i was at work all 3 days i still got to sneak in some fun time.
went to the alameda antique fair on sunday with my lovely friend courtney... a friend who i met via SIStv.
we've been planning this trip for a while but too bad KL had to bail due to sick kiddos and husbands with midterms. bummer.
but the good news was the beautiful Rachel was in the bay and headed to the fair too, so we all met up for some shopping and talking. she is as sweet as can be and has the most adorable family. seriously they are picture perfect.
pictures, ahh yes pictures, so i would have some but when i got to the fair my dumb camera wasn't working. all i have it this one via rachel's camera and a polorid of court (which i will share as soon as my camera is back up and running... errghghgh!)

also scored some wonderful finds. will share those too when said mentioned dumb camera is fixed.

ribbon storage

2008-04-04T12:42:00.000-07:00

i have finally pulled all my jumbles of ribbon out of the bag they were all crammed in and got organized. it feels good!
originally i thought to do this

or this

or this

but as pretty as they all looked, none were very practical for the amount of ribbon i have. I saw this idea and knew it was the best option.

so lots of stick pins and cardboard later, i am finished. loving my pretty ribbon basket!

love my plastic camera!

2008-04-02T15:20:00.000-07:00

just got back from the photo lab with a nice roll from thailand a la my holga camera!
this one is my favorite. loving the vibrant colors you get when you cross process the film!
tfl!
-n

little surprises!

2008-04-01T12:15:00.000-07:00

Those sneaky original fashionistas over at SIStv all made some lovely LOs to welcome us new fashionistas to the group. So sweet!
My big SIS is the amazing Becky Novacek. Dude, this girl is amazing with a camera.
Well, we couldn't let them do all this work and not let it be reciprocated....
so.....

here is what I made for Becs.
I hope she likes it!

oh, and guess what,
tomorrow the boutique at SIStv will be all new and fantastic! there will be all new Hambly, Sassafras, Bam POP!, Glimmer Mist, Thickers, and Banana Frog stamps....the first 100 orders will also receive a $20 goodie bag!

And, on april 7, a new style phyle will be available called *jim and pam*. Really, who doesn't love the Office??

And a new collection called "The Romantic." Okay, i don't think i can tell you more about that part yet, but let me just say that you are gonna love it! And, the lovely lady who designed it... she is pretty much amazing!

So be sure to get to the boutique early tomorrow so that you are one of the lucky ladies to get some goodies!

Headed off to the beach today so have a wonderful afternoon!
-n

new additions

2008-03-29T20:09:00.000-07:00

to my kitchen!

i have been collecting some teal and green dishes for a year now and yesterday i got a huge lot to finish it off... well, i don't know if it is finished, but getting there.

Then i had these cobalt blue canisters and they just didn't go with the scheme. So I spray painted them blue and added some tags to label the contents. I love they way they turned out. My kitchen has a vintage 50's theme going on so I think the final piece for this hutch will be an old tin bread canister, if I ever find one that fits...

I keep staring at my collection every time I go into the kitchen. hehe!
happy Saturday, we are off to a 30th birthday party tonight for a friend.

it's so hard to say goodbye...

2008-03-24T17:59:00.000-07:00

to yesterdsay.... okay, now i totally have boyz II men stuck in head, in fact, how the heck do i not have that on itunes? off to download....

okay, $9.99 later and Boyz II Men saftly added to the playlist...

but for reals, this was my last kit designing for Polka Dot Whimsy and i really am sad about it. I had to decide to stop designing for Michelle when all the crazy fashionista stuff happened, which is great, but i am still so sad to stop desiging for PDW.

so here are my final creations made with the March Specialty Kit.

i hope you enjoy!

thank you michelle and PDW for the amazing opportunity.

hey every bunny...

2008-03-23T13:13:00.001-07:00

just popping in to wish you all a hoppy easter before i head to work.
hope your day was filled with cadbury eggs and chocolate bunnies.

Get your paint on!

2008-03-21T21:13:00.000-07:00

I have some exciting news. There is now 2 dates for my paint class at Picture Me Perfect. Unfortunatly Kerry Lynn had to cancel her class in April so the good news is I will fill in on her date so we can offer the paint class in April and May. This is especially cool cause normally they never do a class twice at PMP, so if you were not able to make the May class, join us in April instead.

Here is one layout we will create in the class and also some sneaks from 2 others. In total we will create 4 layouts.

This class is all about using paint on your scrapbook pages. Get ready to get messy and create some fun and funky painted pages. Oh, and the product you will get... yummy. Love, Elsie, Hambly, Pink Paisly, American Crafts, Autumn Leaves... oh it is gonna be great. I hope you can come.

Okay, so the info... the April class will be Saturday April 19th 3pm-5pm. You can sign up for this one by calling the store at (510) 744-9583. The May class will be Saturday May 24 3pm-5pm. You will actually be able to sign up for the May class directly through the Picture Me Perfect site as of the first of April.

If you have any questions feel free to let me know. You can email me at nikkigreenpeterson@yahoo.com or just leave a comment here.

love her.

2008-03-18T23:37:00.000-07:00

my wonderful sister came to the bay for the weekend and was making her rounds to all her biggest fans. she came up to our house on st. patty's day so we could celebrate one of our favorite holidays together in style. beer, green dyed food, laughs and silly antics. it was short but oh so sweet. spending time with her always makes me wish we lived in the same town.

touch of green

2008-03-17T23:01:00.000-07:00

here's hoping everyone in blogworld had a wonderful St. Patty's Day.

best news ever!

2008-03-16T18:46:00.000-07:00

my bestest friend in the entire universe is moving like 10 minutes away from me! angi just told me yesterday that her and the boy are moving to sonoma county. this is so exciting for me. we haven't lived near each other for almost 10 years. my mind is spinning with all the fun things we are going to do together.

she is that kinda friend who you rarely ever see, and surly don't talk to enough, but whenever you are together again it is like no time as passed. love her to pieces.

she was in the bay area today so we hit the streets of Berkeley. shopping, eating and catching up. a splendid day it was.

you're it!

2008-03-15T16:56:00.000-07:00

So I was tagged by the sweet suzy west

here’s the info:

Here are the rules…

Link to your tagger and post these 3 rules on your blog.

Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog, some random, some weird.
Tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blogs.
Let them know they are tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

random pieces of me-

1. i was a competitive gymnast till i was in my teens (and yes, i can still do some flips!)

2. i am the queen of picking out the perfect card for people and i love buying cards, i then write them out and NEVER send them. seriously. today i just mailed my college roommate her cards from her 25th and 26th birthday and she turned 27 last month.

3. i can't spell to save my life. hmm, i think thought that i spelled everything right there.

4. i have my own scraproom, but i almost always scrap at the coffee table, so i guess it is really just a scrap storage room.

5. i am a certified skydiver and have jumped outta many planes.

6. i love the rain and cold and really can't stand the heat... not sure why i live in california...

7. i have had the same job since i was 16. i have worked at many other places concurrently, but at the bucks since i was 16. 10 freakin years!

so i am tagging 1. my sister since she never blogs anymore, and 2. debbi for the same reason oh and 3. brenda too. maybe you this will give you 3 a reason to update those blogs.

also some loyal blog readers of mine
4. marie who has some rockin mojo
5. laura aka ms.grace
6. jamie my old barista
7. vee my fellow polkadot girl

okay, if you hate being tagged then sorry, deal with it. just kidding.

he's official!

2008-03-12T20:43:00.000-07:00

today Ron was sworn in and officially made a juvenile councilor. (he is a CO at juvenile hall) He was also given his badge. We went down to the hall for the ceremony today. I am so proud of him. This is the job he has been wanting for years and to finally see him doing it makes me so happy. I am so glad he found his passion.

I took him and his buddy Doug out to lunch at the best steakhouse ever afterwards and then they both went to the uniforme shop to get wallets that fit the badge.

Congrats Ronny!

everything should be covered in houndstooth

2008-03-10T18:47:00.000-07:00

that is what Rachel said when she saw these in my gallery. And I would have to agree with her.

I made these earings and headband with the gaffer tape from SIS. Simply covered plain plastic accessories with the tape and viola. I call them acSISsories.

i wore the earings to work on Saturday and got so many compliments, and 3 ladies wanted to buy them. too funny!

lovely day.

2008-03-08T16:39:00.000-08:00

yesterday was splenid.
had coffee downtown with a wonderful friend and her cute kids. scrapped the afternoon away. (well, we really got very little done, but it was fun)
ate yummy mexican food for lunch.
played with the kids.
took some pictures.
stopped at the mall with the hubby.
stayed up late talking on the phone to another wonderful friend.
it was a lovely day.

productive day

2008-03-06T20:42:00.000-08:00

went to Picture Me Perfect today to get product for my May class. It is gonna be so much fun, I hope you can make it. All my LOs are planned out and I have my list of goodies that need to be ordered. This class is gonna be loaded with product, I can't wait for the lucky girls to see. How about some Hambly, Love, Elsie, American Crafts oh, and even some new Pink Paislee. Love that stuff, so excited cause it is shipping anytime. Awesome new company. The class is all about painting on your layouts. Be ready to get messy.
So, I will share some sneeks sometime in the next week. Oh, and don't worry if you can't make the class, you can get a kit too with all the supplies, pics of the LOs and instructions. More info to come, but for now be sure you block out Sat May 24th on your calendar.

ETA- the link to PMP is just to their website, where you will be able to sign up for the class once it is up. it will go up the end of this month. to answer some comments and emails, it is not an online class, it is live and in person, but i will have some kits with instructions and all the goodies that you will be able to buy if you are not local. more details coming soon.

happy birthday to the man of many rhymes

2008-03-05T16:29:00.000-08:00

Dr. Suess that is (well actually it was on the 2nd)

the challange at scrap mojo was to use the phrase "oh the places you'll go" anywhere on the page and to use some suess clipart (links to some are on the site) or pages from a suess book.

Here is my take on the challenge.

can't wait to see what everyone else does with it.

come and join in, there is an awesome prize on the line!

-n

jump start your mojo

2008-03-04T04:10:00.000-08:00

come over here to the scrap mojo blog. i'm guest designing for the month of march! This months challenge was fun, especially when I really got into it.... but it doesn't go up till the 5th, so my lips are sealed for now.

okay, had to post that really quick before work. It is 4:15 am and my cereal is done so I must head out to get the coffee brewing. have a wonderful day!
-n

and the winner is....

2008-03-01T23:46:00.000-08:00

Staci Jo!
congrats girl, email me your addy so i can get the goddies off in the mail. nikki886@hotmail.com

You can thank my wonderful hubby for picking your number. Although he really didn't get why he was doing it...

me: pick a number 1-28
ron: why
me: just pick one
ron: is this a trick?
me: no trick, i am giving away a prize on my blog and you are picking the winner
ron: why are you giving stuff away, what are we made of money?
me: why, yes, i do think that, now pick a number...

so congrats StaciJo. Thanks to all for stopping by, wishing me congrats and giving some love out there to other scrappers.

have a great weekend!
-n

check it out!

2008-02-27T19:56:00.000-08:00

What the freak? How cool is this? I made the design team over at Scrap in Style TV . I'm one of the new fashionistas.
I honestly feel so excited, lucky, honored and on and on. I am so full of emotions this week. I have loved SIS since the first day i stummbled on it through elise's blog. It is such a positive, inspiring and supportive community for scrapbookers and I only hope I can do my title justice. And wow, did you see the talent in the other girls who made it too! Seriously!

Congrats to all my new Fgirls, awesome job to all who tried out. The talent pool was intense. Still pretty surprised i squeeked in. Can't wait to see what this year brings.

So, with that said,
I think we should do a little RAK to celebrate! I was thinking i should do this all week, and then i saw amber's blog and so she convinced me, time to give stuff away!

And it is gonna be pretty cool.

How does 1 roll of the coveted SIStv houndstooth gaffer tape sound? Oh, and maybe a piece of my favorite SIStv paper, the KC Label Love Chloe paper.... you know the one that is green woodgrain. hot hot hot! Plus i will also through in some other yummy goodies just for good measure.

Okay, have I got your attention? So, all I want you to do is pass the love. Go find someone elses layout somewhere and show them some love. tell them what you like about the LO. you can do this through SIS if you are a member (if you aren't a member, crawl out from under that rock and come join in the fun, jk) or otherwise find one on someone's blog or website.

Then, leave me a comment with your name and also link up the LO you gave some love to.

I'll pick a winner on Saturday.

where does it go?

2008-02-26T22:26:00.000-08:00

the time that is. i can't believe another week has gone by. Things at the Bucks are crazy, but good crazy, but needless to say i have been busy everyday at work. Things should slow down by next week.

I have been up late playing with my Polka Dot Whimsy kit the past few days and what a full kit it is. I made 5 LOs and a mini and I still have a bunch leftover unused. I swear that Michelle goes crazy when she packs those kits cause they are F-U-L-L.

here's what i made so far.

the yellow and blue one is for my friend Debbi. She recently had to give away her dog and I know it has been sad for her so I will give her this LO to celebrate the memories of Cookie.

-n
oh, i made a mini too. it's late though and i work early so i will post that tomorrow.

some people have scrap rooms, i have a scrap house, kinda.

2008-02-20T16:02:00.000-08:00

As much as i miss my husband (he has been outta town mon-fri for the past 4 weeks for work) the one thing i love about being by myself is the ability to scrapbook in any room of the house. seriously. right now i have stuff on the bedroom floor, my newly delivered PDW kit on the kitchen table, my studio is of course covered and until last night so was the coffee table. The hubs isn't here to get annoyed by the mini messes of creative garb and i can move to a new room based on the winds of inspiration.

Here is one the recent results of my newly converted Scrap House. Unfortunately, said mentioned scrap house will soon return to regular house on Friday, fortunately my lovely husband will be home for 2 days.

Working super early shifts the next two days so i am hoping to play with my new kit for a bit, watch American Idol and Big Brother and head to bed early.

-n

crops, classes and other things

2008-02-17T12:25:00.000-08:00

hope everyone had a great valentines holiday.
we didn't want to wait 2 plus hours at the nice restaurants so we just hit up Baker's Square for our Valentine's Dinner. I am not one to pass up a great patty melt. And i will use any excuse to wear this favorite shirt and mix match my cons.

Made this LO on Saturday at the
SIStv crop. I didn't even finish it till i got home cause i spent most of the day talking. It was a fun afternoon and Kerry Lynn's class was awesome. Gonna finish that project
later this week.

Oh, other exciting news, I am one of the new teachers at Picture Me Perfect. My first class will be on May 24th (we will also do another SIS crop that day) and I am so excited for the class. It is gonna be all about paint on layouts. We will make 4 layouts by the end. I am thrilled. I hope if you are in the area you will make it. I'll share more details and class samples later.

gonna do some scrapping today i hope...
-n

Happy Valentines Day

2008-02-14T12:13:00.001-08:00

wishing everyone a lovely day!

love is in the air

2008-02-09T13:02:00.000-08:00

while i realize Valentines Day is just a halmark holiday i simply don't care... i love this month. I love the pink and red displays at all the little shoppes. I love spending hours in the card section of Target. I love filling little bowls of candy all over my house. This year we had the pink Christmas tree, so i thought it only fitting to keep it up and do a Valentines Tree. Brenda found me a pack of vintage inspired Valentines and from there i became obsessed. I found a few more at Timeless Treasures on Thursday and then yesterday I hit the motherload.

Seriously i am so obsessed with these little guys. I was at an antique store in Petaluma and found hundreds of actual vintage ones. Some have little notes on the back to the original recipeint. Some have dates, the earliest being 1943. Plus the little puns on each of them just crack me up. I am really temped to go back and buy the rest at the antique store today.

So now we are already to have a Pun-derfol Valentines Day with our festive decorations.

finally a home

2008-02-08T00:04:00.000-08:00

for this baby. I got this dessert holder a week ago not knowing quite where it was going to go or what i would use it for. I thought maybe for my studio and then decided it fit much better in the bathroom.

The husband is still away on business so i am taking advantage and doing some projects around the house that have been on my mind. I miss him lots, happy cause he comes home today for the weekend.

TGIF!

brought to you by the letter P

2008-02-07T23:10:00.000-08:00

Today was lovely. I slept in, drove to the city, filled up my car for $2.99/gal (most places i've seen around here it has been around $3.30), went thrifting for treasures around Portrolo Hill and south San Francisco. Had lunch at Mels and made my way to Timeless Treasures . I always leave happy when i visit this store. Today I left happy and also with a bunch of P's (for Peterson) and these fun blocks.... this is sitting over my toilet... and bye for above the front door. Such a yummy place to spend the day.

Yesterday was a good day.

2008-02-06T11:30:00.000-08:00

Bought the new jack johnson cd.

Ate a yummy cupcake from Starbucks.

Got to see a lot of favorite customers who I hadn't seen in 3 weeks... and one who i hadn't seen in 3 years... love my customers... (most of them at least)

Finally filled up my home decor idea book.

Today will be a good day too.

Saw the yummy Hambly sneek peeks

The ants in my kitchen have not returned in 2 days... i think i have won the battle... the war however might not be over.

Gonna take my overlooked photos today before work so i can get all caught up with this project.

Here's hoping your day is good too!

it's tuesday

2008-02-05T12:53:00.000-08:00

almost ready for normal life again

2008-02-03T09:00:00.000-08:00

while i do love to travel.... it is quite nice to be at home in my house with my dogs and my husband.

It is nice to have a fridge stocked full of water and coke zero so i don't have to hunt out a 7-11.

It is nice to watch TV without subtitles.

It is nice to have options when deciding what to eat.

It is nice to not have to pay for internet use by the minute.

i go back to work tomorrow so today is all about relaxing for one more day. I plan to watch the game with the hubs and maybe do some creating in front of the tv.

i did rent both the Beach and Broke Down Palace when i got home, both set in Thailand. We actually went to the beach were the Beach with Leonardo DiCaprio was filmed. It is called Maya Bay in the Phi Phi islands. Here i am wadding in the water there.

Oh, and these are the things that have made me happy since i got home.
wow cool is this. converse at target and i realized on this trip how important it is to have good luggage... i wish this yummy weekend bag wasn't so pricey

oh and can i say i can't stop thinking about this lil baby... i am trying to convince myself that i need it... but i totally don't...

and isn't the commercial for it awesome... so love that song, in fact i like all her songs so far but this one is still my fav

okay, off to work on some valentines day projects...
hubby heads back to San Jose for training again tonight... sigh... :(

Overwhelmed

2008-01-30T15:27:00.000-08:00

I have so many things i sohuld be doing today, my first day home,
but all i want to do is play with my pictures from the trip. so far these are some of my favorites.
Golden Buddah
Longboats in Ao Nong
A tree in Bangkok
Lights in Cheng Mai

I also went back and added some pictures on my last few posts... take a look.

okay, maybe i'll finish my laundry now....

back in california

2008-01-30T13:07:00.000-08:00

made it home safe and sound with just a few hiccups along the way.

I did get up the guts to try the grasshoppers with Lisa before we left town. They weren't that bad. kinda tasted like BBQ chips...seriously.

our last night in bangkok was great. earlier that day mom and i had met 2 canadian girls at a Starbucks. They were backpacking for 3 months. 1 in Australia, 1 in new Zealand and 1 in Thailand. they mentioned they needed prescription mosquito repellent and since we were leaving the next day mom said they could stop by our hotel and have what we had left. She filled a bag with the repellent. hotel shampoos and soaps and wet naps and left it at the front desk for the girls.

Later that night while i waited for mom to shower for dinner i wandered down to the hotel pool because there were signs posted about a pool party for all hotel guests. There was tons of food and drinks including alcohol all for free. The poll was set up lovely with tea lights and flowers. Mom and I stayed and enjoyed the food (yum. tons of fried bananas)

I ran back to our room to drop something off and ran into the canadian girls picking up the bag. I invited them to the party for some free food (they were traveling on a vary limited budget) they joined us and we all sat around the pool for a few hours talking. I hit it off with them right away.

Then the hotel manager came over and invited us on a trolley ride around the city. Mom stayed back for a massage but the canadians came along. It was lots of fun riding through the city at night, talking, taking pictures and getting to know each other. We would stop at various places where the manager would give us the history and share details of the city.

I totally loved these girls. We would so be friends if they lived near me. They came back to the hotel and stayed in my room for a while more talking. I gave them my maps of thailand and my pocket calculator and we exchanged emails. They both want to come to California so I offered them a place to stay when they visit. I hope they take me up on it.

Lisa left that night around midnight and we left the next morning at 8am. The flights were fine and we were all able to sleep a bit and watch some movies. We barely made our connecting flight in Tokyo and were once again making it to the gate with minutes to spare.

Now i am back home with my doggies. I was so anxious to see them and we have spent the day cuddling and unpacking. Ron is in San Jose for the next month for work. He comes home only on the weekends. I went to San Jose last night when we got back in the country and spent the night at his hotel.

2 weeks is the longest I have gone without seeing him or even hearing his voice. I felt like a teenager again because my stomach was filled with butterflies as i waited for him to get off work. I think having time apart like that is great for our marriage because now i feel head over heels in love again like i did when we first started dating.... like when you wait with anticipation for their phone call....

it will be nice to spend this weekend together before i go back to work.

2008-01-28T03:38:00.000-08:00

**edited to add pics

almost time to come home...

i am quite homesick and ready to be with my husband and doggies....

however, i now feel like i have not had enough time in Bangkok. I totally did not "really" see the city when we first arrived. I guess because we were just getting our bearings straight and everything...

yesterday and today however have been fantastic. Mom and I stayed out until about 2am last night, slept in a bit today and then made our way to the Grande Palace and visited a few Wats (temples)

we just took our time exploring little side streets and alleys, snapping pictures and taking it all in. Bangkok really is an amazing city. Yes, it is dirty and polluted, loud and crazy... but it has charm and character and so many wonderful sights and people.

mom was interviewed by some young teenage school children for a project. they asked her all types of questions about Thailand and her stay here. They asked what was one thing Thailand needed more of... Garbage Cans she answered. They agreed. We are always searching for a garbage at all the cities we have been to. It seems most just liter, however neither of us are comfortable doing that.

Tonight we are hoping to catch up with Karen and Lisa as they went off early this morning. One more final dinner together would be nice.

I am pretty sure i have broken the hotels computers trying to upload pics... they are now both crashing about every 5 minutes and it seems the problems began when i plugged in my camera... oops.... i did manage to load to one from our last night in Au Nong at sunset.

love.love.love!

2008-01-27T10:14:00.000-08:00

**edited to add pics

back in bangkok.

i don't think i gave this city a real chance. we are now in a great neighborhood that is known for all the backpackers, right near Khao San Road. Our hotel even provides a free tuk tuk ride over to Khao San.

mom and i spent the evening exploring this colorful and vibrant part of town. The street was lined with food vendors, shopping stalls and little bars right in the middle of the road with plastic stools for chairs. They served drinks in "buckets" that resembled plastic sand pails.

the food was much more unique than we have seen so far. Bugs, dried jellyfish, little bitty fried eggs, eggs on sticks, fruit, kabobs and the usual pad thai and spring rolls. we enjoyed strolling from cart to cart and trying a new treat. Even the bugs. Mom was handing them out to other tourists and they all snacked on them together... and a bag of bugs for 20 baht... well that's a deal!

The shopping was a bit different than we had seen so far. Some was the same old stuff but lots of modern stuff too. Tons of knockoff clothing and cute tees. I haven't bought a lot for myself until tonight. I scored 4 shirts for a total of $12, a cute wallet with a camera on it, and i even got a pair of fun pants. Mom bought them for herself but they didn't fit so she gave them to me. I love them.

We took lots of pictures, found the nearby Starbucks (of course) prowled through the maze of people and had a great evening. Now i wish we had a little more time in Bangkok cause we are near so much at our new hotel.

Okay, i have some awesome pics that i want to share so bad but every time i try to upload even one the entire Internet crashes... urrggg... i will just have to share lots when i get home to my lovely mac. i'll try to upload in the AM... just 1 more day left...

2008-01-26T04:15:00.000-08:00

Here are some pictures. These are mostly from our the day Lisa and I went out exploring the islands. I didn't take my camera on the snorkeling tour because i was worried about the water and sand with my camera.

Yesterday i went out on my own. I walked around with Jack Johnson on my ipod taking pictures. Then i saw a man struggling to load bottles of water on a boat. I grabbed some water and gave him a hand. He was so appreciative he offered to take me to any island for free. I told him i didn't want to go anywhere, but I would like a picture of him. He threw up a peace sign and smiled for the camera. I then began taking pictures of Thai people all along the beach. Some i asked to take their picture, but many saw my camera and asked me to snap a photo. It was pretty fun connecting with them.

I found the Starbucks here in Ao Nang and sat there for a while writing in my journal. The manager gave me her business card and asked that I send them photos from California.

That night i went to a bar up the road and watched a fire show, ate dinner and then met up with the girls. We did a little shopping and hit up another bar. It was called Rock Bar and they had karaoke going.

A few drinks later and Lisa was up on stage singing (i guess you could call it that) Sweet Home Alabama. The bassist was winking at her all night. Watch out K.C. cause she might not be coming home.....

The moms went back to the hotel and Lisa and I found another bar where we met two guys from Spain who spoke little english. I pulled out everything I learned in highschool spanish to communicate with them. (thanks Senior Barosa)

Back at the hotel we snuck into the pool for a quick dip and then off to bed. Today we leave back to Bangkok for 2 days.

Karen has pics from the bar so i will share those pics later.

Love you all!

the view from our first hotel in Krabi

first hotel in Krabi had a private Lagoon.

resturants on long boats docked right on shore

main road in Ao Nong

2008-01-25T22:28:00.000-08:00

So sorry I haven't updated in a while. Our days have been very busy and full since we arrived to the islands and I am beat at the end of the night. Also, i have been sitting here for way too long trying to get some pics to load. it is taking forever (like 2 hours) all i could get was this one. most of Krabi looks like this. I will try to get more to upload tonight, i don't want to waste the day on the computer.

So this will be a long update...

Mom and Karen made it to Krabi just fine, although they did get a lot of stares as they tromped through the airport with 8 bags. They told people they had 3 daughters with them so others would not think the luggage was just theirs... figured they'd add another daughter for good measure.

Our first hotel in Krabi had stunning grounds but the staff was very rude and it was quite a ways away from town. On Weds (our first full day in Krabi we just hung around the pool all day and relaxed and drank way too much wine. (as you can imagine, our day at the airport on tuesday was quite exhausting)

Thursday, Lisa and I took a taxi to Krabi Town (which we quickly renamed Krapy Town as it was filthy and honestly not worth seeing). From there we hired a boat to take us to Railay Beach. It is known for its rock climbing. Taking the boat was interesting because we could not leave until the driver found enough passengers to make it a full boat (8) We found 2 others, from the UK, and then waited and waited. It seemed no one else was ever going to come so we all paid double fair (200baht or about $7) so we could get on our way. We rode in a long tail boat and the ride was incredible and beautiful. The boat drops you off a bit off shore so you jump in the water and trek up the beach.

Railay was so amazing. It is covered with caves and mouth dropping cliffs and rock formations. We found the beach and just enjoyed the scenery for a while. Lisa read on the sand and I swam around. On the beach there were quite a few vendors selling sarongs, jewelry and food/drinks. They comb the beach walking up to sunbathing tourists. Lisa and I enjoyed our best lunch so far. Fresh corn that was fire grilled right in front of us and then lathered in salt and butter and also some super fresh pineapple. We finished it off with a Thai beer and Lisa got a foot massage right on the beach for about $4.

After a few hours we decided to keep exploring the island. We found ourselves strolling through a beach resort and decided we both felt sandy and sticky from the salt water so we snuck into the hotels pool to rinse off. A guard quickly approached us and asked what room we were in. I had already noted a room number so i said 1102. We jotted it down and left. A few short minutes later he came back,

"1102?? are you sure??"
"um, yes i think so, it is our friends room, we are not staying here, our friends are."
I start back peddling as i imagine the two of us being thrown in a Thai prison for trespassing (we've all seen Broke Down Palace)
He leaves again to "check something" and Lisa and I bolt the heck outta there.

We took a long boat to the island of Ao Nang and strolled around for a while. We both decided it was a super cute beach town and it was here that i found the most delicious treat. A thai pancake. It is similar to a crepe and is covered in a variety of things just like crepes. Fruit, chocolate, nutella etc. I have had 3 since i discovered them. Yummy!

We took a cab back to our hotel only to find Aunt Karen saying grab your things and get a cab. Apparently my mom and her decided they didn't like our hotel and it was too far away and they had found a better one right on the beach in Ao Nang. Thank goodness.

Our new hotel is right on the water and also right on a busy and crowded street. It is perfect. There are lots of shops and restaurants around. The rooms are also cute and the staff as been very friendly.

Yesterday we booked a tour that took us on a large ship out to 3 different islands. We first stopped at Chicken Island for snorkeling. I did see alot of fish and tons of jellyfish. We then ate lunch on the ship and headed to the Phi Phi island. The second island was Phi Phi Lai. It was a cute swimming cove with crystal clear water. There are no accommodations to stay overnight here. Lastly we arrived at Phi Phi Don, which was a much busier island and is were most tourists stay if they are going to the Phi Phi islands. Full of vendors and beach front restaurants.

We were the only 4 Americans on the ship. The rest were all Swedish. About 40 of them. We were told there are not many Americans staying on Ao Nang, which i would believe it true as so far i have not met any. Most Americans stay on Phuket.

Back at the hotel we freshened up, ate dinner at an Italian place, yummy, then off to bed.

Oh, did i say how freaking sunburned i am. I swear i wore sunscreen but obviously not enough. My legs and feet are so bad that they are swollen. So swollen my little feet look like fat sausages. I can barely point or flex my feet. Thankfully my face and shoulders are looking a bit tanner than before. (understand that my definition on "tan" is not the same as most people. Damn this Irish complexion)

We leave back to Bangkok tomorrow (Sun) and them home on Tuesday.

2008-01-22T07:28:00.000-08:00

No pictures today for the following reasons:

1. my camera cord is in my suitcase
2. my suitcase is in Bangkok
3. I am in Krabi

Why is suitcase in Bangkok.... because it weights over 7 kg.

We were set to leave Cheng Mai today.... already we had changed our flight due to some unexpected things so we were planned to fly cheng mai- bangkok and then catch our connecting flight 40 minutes after we landed to Krabi. To add to the short between time, it was all on 2 different airlines so we would have had to get our luggage, then check in for the second flight and board....

I was already worried about possibly not having time to pick up the luggage, or it getting lost so I packed thing i for sure didn't want to be with out in my carryon and packed the dirty laundry and other non essentials in the bag to be checked....

We get to the airport only to have the airline tell us our check in luggage could not be more than 14 kg and our carryon no more than 7kg... what? seriosly? who's luggage only weights that much?

So, we quickly unload things out of our carryon luggage that we don't want to be without and check the rest. I grabbed a swim suit, 2 dresses, underware, wallet/passport and my camera... not much else i need....

oh and then we pay $130 for the "extra weight" we were checking.

We arrive in Bangkok only to find out that we have to take a bus to the terminal... we now have 30 minutes till our 2nd plane departs... Lisa and I wait for the bags and Karen and Mom go to check us in for the next flight.

We look at the time and Lisa and I decide if we wait any longer for the bags we will miss the next flight, so we start running, ditching the bags. We figured we could get to Krabi and between the airlines and the hotel our luggage would get to us eventually, hopefully.

When we arrive to the counter Karen and Mom have decided that Lisa and I are to fly to Krabi as planned and they would stay in Bangkok, wait for the bags and fly to Krabi in the am. (there are only 4 flights per day to Krabi and we were already on the last one)

So Lisa and I start booking it to the gate, sprinting seriosly.... or what we would like to call sprinting. Talk about the Amazing Race... we really felt like we were on it...

In the end we made it to the flight (outta breath no less) and saftly to Krabi.
We are now at the hotel and Karen and Mom should be arriving tomorow with luggage.

It was certainly and intersting travel day. I am ready for a good strong drink and a relaxing swim in ocean.
-nikki

BTW, we spoke with an American woman who is Thai in the airport and she wasn't charged extra for her bags and her carry on was well over 7 kg... every non-Thai we spoke to was charged... so when you are in Thailand.... do not fly Thai Asia Air... besides this negative experience with the luggage their were many more dissapoints with the airline.

2008-01-21T12:01:00.000-08:00

Today was amazing, emotional and touching. I loved it all. We went to Elephant Nature Park which is all about conservation, unlike many of the other elephant attractions in Thailand which exploite the elephants and use them to take 4 tourist trecking through the jungle. It was first opened as a santuary were they could just be elephants, no working. Now it has been opened to ecotourists who want to learn and recieve a hands on experience.

We started our day stopping at a local market to load all the elephants food... bags upon bags of bannanas, pineapples, melons etc.

After a 2 hour drive into the hills and jungle we unloaded and got ready to feed the elephants. They were sticking their trunks every which way looking for scraps and one started to steal from my elephants basket. We then ate our lunch and then headed to river to bath them. Then we hung around the babies on the beach. Some even gave kisses which was more like a suck.

We then had a talk from one of the volunteers and then watched a movie about the elephant epidemic in Asia. Very sad. It was just breaking my heart. Many of the elephants at the park were rescued from mistreatment in one form or another. One had a nub foot because it stepped on a landmind. One was blind becuase its owners shoot it in the eyes when it wouldn't behave. One had his tusks cut off with a chainsaw... the stories go on and on.

Even sader was yesterday I saw an elephant crossing the street at the night market in Cheng Mai. I was shocked to see one in the busy streets and felt bad for it as it is loud and chaotic and not suit for an elephant. I learned today that many elephants are used for street begging where the owner takes them out at night and sells food to tourists to feed the elephant and pose for pictures. However, the elephants who do this do not recieve enough food and water often and live in the cities under freeways in squatter camps during the day. It was heartbreaking.
They do the same thing in Bangkok.

I am so glad that I chose to visit a place that is doing something good for these amazing creatures and is trying to have a positive influence on the elephant community in Asia.

2008-01-20T06:54:00.000-08:00

the cute baristas at the Tokyo airport

for those that wondered... this is a tuk tuk... fun to ride at first, but the pollution and exhaust fumes quickley get to you.... tonight we had a bit of a race with Karen and Lisa in one and my mom and I in another... i really felt like i was on the amazing race

Karen pounding out a monk alms bowl... very cool...you can read about it here if you are interested.

we have seen our fair share of buddah statues.... these were two of my faves...

a small Wat (temple) near our hotel in Cheng Mai. it was chained closed, but was in this charming and lush garden.

this was on the outskirts of cheng mai... a small group of women making these traditional parasals.... craziness.

loved seeing this. at night they set up little make shift bars everywhere... like kool-aid stands or something. this vw bus was a bar for the night.

massage time.... i got a full body for like 6 bucks. crazy. it was pretty good, a little painful but relaxing.

love this 2 story starbucks in cheng mai... they were having a staff meeting inside... so cute!

here was today's adventure.... freaking awesome! zip lines through the jungle for about 3 hours. so amazing and cool and unforgettable. not scary, just so awesome. we went with an aussie girl and a german guy too, both traveling by themselves. The girl was in Thailand to celebrate her 24th birthday... thailand was her 24th country. and even weirder is the guide new my friend Angi's boyfriend back in CA. 6 degrees right.

of course, this was a bit of an adventure. Lisa lost her shoe in the jungle when it fell off mid flight... luckily the training guide scurried down into the brush to find it. she also banged up her leg after many times of crashing into the guide on the platform... brakes brakes he kept yelling at her... we all found it amusing.
then, never to be outdown, Mom passed out as we finally touched the ground at the end of the day... as they were lowering us back down she was spinning really fast on the rope and when she landed her blood pressure must have dropped as she slouched over unconciece. thank goodness 26 years of having a nurse for a mom, i rushed over and gave her a good sturnum rub and she woke right up... i know she was proud. she was fine for the rest of the day.

after the course we at lunch at a roadside dinner in the village and hiked up a watwerfall before heading back to town. we layed around during the hot part of the afternoon and then ate dinner and headed to the night bazarre. The other girls are still down there now, i took off a while ago, found some coffee, met some cool thai people who were really impressed by my poloroid camera. they had never seen such a thing and wanted me to take pictures of all of them infront of their booths. it was pretty fun actually and it paid off cause when i was ready to go back to the hotel, they loaded me in a tuk tuk, negotiated a cheap price and sent me on my way...

now i am in the hotel lobby listening to bad karioki and sipping my coffee.
tommorrow will be another full day as we are heading to the elephant santuary.

thanks for the comments. Glad to here my dogs are okay. thanks for letting them out brenda while ron is at work. there are dogs everywhere here, but i think they are homeless and they are really skinny and skraggaly... sad :(

2008-01-18T05:24:00.000-08:00

A monk at the Golden Buddah in Bangkok

sorry, that is the only pic you get for now as it is taking forever to load and i don;t want to waste my vacation loading pics...

We are now in Cheng Mai. We all love it here. Much better than Bangkok. This is what i pictured Thailand would be lick. Much more rural and cleaner here. Lots of trees shading the streets. Cute resturants and bars that look very authentic. We had a tuk tuk driver take us out of the city today for some shopping of the hilltribe handy craft products. We got some nice things and the driver was awesome. He took us whereever we wanted to go and waited everytime. We are pretty sure he got commisions at the store, but we didn't care, we liked the places he took us.

After shopping in the morning we headed back to the hotel to refresh. Mom got a massage for $3... seriosly... she said it was amazing. We found a really cute place for dinner, it was outdoors but covered and had amazing ambiounce. The food was good too and a pitcher of pina colodas was only $2, so 2 pitchers later Karen and I headed to the night bazarre. It is so cool. So many stalls it is almost overwhelming. Everything you could imagine is for sale. I found some amazing lights for my house and now i just need to figure out how to get them home as they are HEAVY. didn't buy them yet, gonna go check on shipping tomorrow.

We were just headed back to the hotel to go to bed when we discovered an internet cafe... can't beat 30 minutes for $1.

2008-01-17T03:25:00.000-08:00

okay captains log 2

have not found an internet cafe although i am told they are everywhere. i am in the hotel and can not upload pics here... :(

today was about getting our bearings. we rode the subway and the sky train downtown and walked around taking it all in.

found the golden buddah and headed to chinatown. lots of walking... lots!

it isn't that hot but is definitly muggy and humid. did a little more sight seeing, rode in a tuk tuk. walked some more. came back to the hotel to regroup before dinner and an evening at the night bazarre.

the people are really nice, i just wish i new the language better. i feel so stupid just smiling. We are all weary of scammers as it is said to be quite commen. Lots of little girls stare at karen and i because of our red and blonde hair i think... i hope that is why. hmmm... okay i am so tired so my mind is going a bit blank... plus i got sick on the plane... started with a sore throat and when i woke up today my entire body was aching and i had a fever... it sure didn't make the day as enjoyable as i would have liked.... but i tried to make the best of it.

heading to cheng mai in the morning and Lisa will meet us there. She changed her flight to come earlier which will be nice.

off to have dinner...

thanks for the comments. they make me smile.

love nikki

वे मदे it

2008-01-16T18:24:00.000-08:00

we made it here safe and sound late weds night at 11pm bangkok time. the plane ride wasn't as bad as i had expected as we had our own row on each flight due to a non crowded flight. moveies and wine also helped our sanity.

we were in japan for about 3 hours and i loved just the airport. totally want to go back there someday. we stopped at a starbucks in the japan airport and the baristas took a picture for me to bring home to partners in the US... the were all very nice and thought it was so cool i worked for starbucks in california.

okay, i don't have much time and this computer is super slow so i will update with stories and pictures when i find an internet cafe.... i am at the hotel right now.
-nikki

Off to Thailand!

2008-01-14T06:46:00.000-08:00

we leave today! getting pretty excited here. just have a few more small things to get done and then i'm off. I will be traveling with my Mom and my Aunt Karen. Lisa, my cousin will meet us up 1 week into our trip. I'll do my best to blog and share stories and pictures while i am over there as i hear internet cafes are everywhere.

This is a little travel journal i made to take along the road. It is mostly just blank pages inside so i can journal about my experiences and thoughts and staple in snippets here and there... i'll share the completed version when i get home in two weeks.

Oh, if you come to read about my trip stories, leave me a comment.... when we went to to Europe a few years ago, it was so nice to read everyones comments... it made us feel not as homesick.... don't get me wrong, i absolutly love to travel but i still always miss home... especially my lil doggies... and this time the hubby...

Love, Nikki

a little juno loving

2008-01-13T07:20:00.000-08:00

i totally have been addicted to the juno soundtrack for a few weeks now. i was inspired to create these two layouts... both of the titles/journaling are lyrics from my 2 favorite songs on the album.
if you haven't seen the movie or listened to the soundtrack..... do! it is awesome. for sure one of my favorite films in a long time, maybe since Across the Universe.

okay, lots to do today. busy busy sunday!

little bits and bobs

2008-01-12T14:50:00.000-08:00

that inspire me.
this board has been growing and expanding and changing over the past year. i always get so happy when i discover a new addition. most everything is out of a magazine or off the internet and then a few randoms.

then today, i find this little blog today and i was so happy.... a place for sharing insperation boards... turns out the blog was a result of the flickr group by the same name.

anyhow, can't wait to upload pics of mine to flickr, but the site is down right now.

manic monday!

2008-01-07T19:15:00.001-08:00

hi ya'll!

busy busy year so far.... but i totally love it. i love a new year, new starts everything is fresh! love it!

okay, so i am in love with this new cd...

you can check her out here
i love the song acadamia... so fun and playful!

okay that is all for today!

resolutions

2008-01-01T12:16:00.000-08:00

this is an old page from a few years ago celebrating the fact that i kept my resolution for the first time ever (it was to keep a daily calander)
this year I resolve to keep my scraproom more organized so I can scrap more... i am terrible about cleaning up after a day of crafting so it sits there for a week or so... I am also resolving to send birthday cards ontime.... i have a few more but I'll keep them personal...
Hope you all had a wonderful holiday!

some new goodies!

2007-12-31T18:42:00.000-08:00

we just all our winter merchandise in at the bucks today... can i just say yum! there is so much, and not that i need anymore mugs and coffee parafanelia, but i just couldn't resist...

this is the cutest art journal... it is filled with colored pencils and a blank tablet...

okay, we are off to a friends house for a new years party... nerdy fun like apples to apples and cranium... we'll share my resolutions tomorrow as i am still narrowing them down...
Happy New Years and here's to a wonderful 2008!
love nikki

top 10 in 2007

2007-12-28T18:05:00.000-08:00

okay, so i saw this super cute idea over at the SIStv message boards to share your favorite layouts of 2007.... so in no particular order, here are mine...

i love this one cause it was the begining of a style change.. a change to start doing 1 pic LOs and only single page spreads... plus i just love that i used the entire pack of stickers...

this one because it is a lot more simple than most of my LOs and Rachel is just too cute

okay, how can i not include an entire page devoted to my love of the color green, plus this is the one that was scrapjacked

this one cracks me up cause it is so me.... notice the major journaling error... yup i was talking on the phone while i journaled and never caught it until a few weeks later... oh well!

this one is the first in a series i like to call "i get bored and take too many pictures of my self in the mirror when i have better things to do". plus this LO was for the RVA kit and that was such a fun and cool experience to be a guest designer.

#2 in above mentioned series... love this pic, love these products... love taking pictures

not much to say but the colors make me smile and the journaling and concept is so utterly true

this is the one. the one that jump started my creativity in the beginning of the year, when i thought i couldn't scrap another page and felt so uninspired.... i created this one in under 30 minutes and was hooked back into this awesome hobby

i love all the open white space on this one and photobooths and our relationship go hand in hand... we have 10 years worth of photobooth pics... i love watching us grow each year in a new photobooth series (too bad i grew a little too much)

this one is just plan fun! and the thought behind it rocks (thanks for the idea Elsie) i have actually checked a few off the list already...

a few more...

2007-12-28T14:55:00.000-08:00

pics from tahoe...

my dad and i drove up the mountain to watch the moon rise over the lake... it was wonderful and it just made the lake glimmer as it rose....

cute lil dad

lastly, i have to share that i am just so excited for the january PDW kit.... looks so yummy, i can't wait to get my hands on it....

snowmen and sledding

2007-12-27T10:09:00.000-08:00

Chistmas is Tahoe was great. We stayed at the cabin by the lake for 4 days. Watching movies, drinking margaritas, playing in the snow.... it was awesome. My dad and I built the best snowman on the block and my brother and I turned the driveway into our own personal sledding hill.... i myself enjoyed riding the shovel, like in "It's a Wonderful Life."

I hope you all had a wonderful holiday.... now I'm off to work!
-nikki

happy birthday!

2007-12-23T08:45:00.001-08:00

to this guy! my wonderful husband turns 30 today! Happy Birthday Ronny!
We're off to Tahoe for the weekend. Happy Holidays Blogworld!
-nikki

a starbucks christmas...

2007-12-22T19:24:00.000-08:00

so it seems everyone this year is making cute little trees out of just about anything... we at the Bucks didn't want to feel left out of the trend so we created this lovley out of coffee and tea bags, coffee filters, a cup and a straw.....
happy holidays!

happy blogger!

2007-12-22T19:17:00.001-08:00

cause my blog is working today....
even happier cause i am off work till thursday! yippe! i can't ever remember having 4 days off at christmas time... oh the life of retail....gotta love it!
so as promised, here are the rest of my LOs for PDW..... these ones were made with the December specilty kit.... can't go wrong with some Love, Elsie....

enjoy!

keeping secrets is hard...

2007-12-21T11:12:00.000-08:00

but i can finally share this one....
I am on the design team for Polkadot Whimsy, a super cool kit club but together by the talanted Michelle Hill. I got the Decemeber main kit and the specilty kit last Saturday and I was overwhelmed at how much stuff was in them... seriously, this girl packs those kits with tons on yummy goodness. Here are the layouts I made, and the cool thing I still have tons of stuff leftover and can make a bunch more, hopefully after Christmas with some good pics of the family on Christmas day.

okay, well blogger is being stupid and slow today so i will share more layouts later from this kit as it is taking forever to upload the pics.... time to get ready for work....