Wednesday, March 10, 2021

Is this thing still on?

 Dang.


It's been over 2 years since I last shared a thought or a photo here. How're we all doing? Yeah, me too but hopefully things will be improving for all of us. This global panini is really doing a number on our collective mental health but at the very least, it has brought the topic of mental wellness to the fore and made it less of a taboo than it once was.

So what the heck have I been doing? Some fun projects I'm really proud of, and some challenges I would prefer to forget. I feel more like myself these days, so that's great to report!

So, yeah. Maybe I'll start posting here more if I can drag myself away from Skyrim for a second. Yeah, that's a new thing. I was obsessed with Fallout 4 for about a year, and now I've fallen into this new medieval wormhole and I'm loving it. From the apocalyptic future to magic and dragons. Yes, that sounds better for now, haha.

So watch this space, because maybe I'll share again. Or at least in another 2 years :-)

Nikki


P.S. My Christmas tree is still up, so that's a thing.

Tuesday, October 23, 2018

🚪 🎨 The Door - A History


First the laundry room door was stained wood. But it bored me.
So after a few months of living with it I painted the door pale blue like the kitchen walls. It stayed that way for several months. I added a glass window to it. But it still didn't bring me glee.
So I changed my mind on the color and painted it a sort of greeny aquamarine. It gave the small space a nice bump of brightness. I liked it for about 4 months.
But then...I decided it needed more blue because the tones of my color scheme are more blue than green and it was bugging me. So I painted it navy blue. It stayed that way for 2 hours because it was too dark for the small space. Didn't bring me joy. I kept glaring at it from the living room. Nope, had to go.
Then I went all paint science and mixed some of the navy blue into the aquamarine in a dish to see what would happen. Joy! It made a cheerful turquoise blue. It basically looks exactly the same, but with blue undertones instead of green. So I painted the door for the 4th time. I think I'm done now?
Conclusion: It would be easier if life was photoshop with several layers of history that can be undone. Wow, that got real deep.

Thursday, October 11, 2018

Writing notes to Faeries



I've always had a wild, creative imagination fuelled early on by the stacks of books beside my bed. I've always, ALWAYS loved reading and as a kid I consumed books like air. I was particularly drawn to the old Grimm's Fairytales and the fantasy world of Enid Blyton and her pixies, imps and the Magic Faraway Tree. 

I believed in fairies....like, really BELIEVED! I herded up the neighborhood kids into my Treestump Club, which mostly consisted of writing notes in teeny tiny writing and putting them in old treestumps for the fairies to find (I think we also made up dances? haha).

So, imagine my utter fooking DELIGHT when I came across this beauty of a book at a secondhand book store! Such a nice nostalgic journey back to a time when my hair was crazy(er) and I was mis-matching patterns before it was fashionable.

SCOOOOORE!

(Faeries, 1978. Brian Froud & Alan Lee)


#vintagebooks #1978 #fae #faerie #fairies#littlepeople #secondhandbooks #fairyring#faeriering

Monday, October 1, 2018

Yasss October!

I've been AWOL from the blog for seven months. Life update alert!

...but I've still been a creative fiend. Not with crafting, but with a few fun projects in graphic design and websites. That's why I quit my job - because my creativity had become almost completely stifled and I was miserable. Going back to my designing roots was the best thing I could do for my mental health and happiness!

Also, my kid hasn't had the best of me for years. I was in evening classes working on my degree for all her baby and toddler years. We both missed out on a lot. Now that she's in her pre-teen years, I'm so glad that I can be around, and I get the sense that she's really happy that Mommy is home for her.

So, I've repurposed my craft room into a cute little office, and my vintage drafting table is home to my iMac. I've tossed the restrictive jeans and shoes, and now wear fun and flirty dresses with a hoarde of strappy sandals and comfy converse. The choice to wear dresses is mostly fueled by the need to stay cool in Belize's tropical weather when ya don't have an AC. Yep, it's been bloody hot.

I've also suddenly started painting my nails in all sorts of funky colors, which is something I always wanted to do but didn't think it was office-appropriate. They're currently an interesting shade of neon yellow glitter haha. Think sparkling vom bile haha! Lovely.

But yaaaaas, back to the topic - it's October!!!! That means that it's basically Christmas and I haven't done a single spot of crafting yet. What to do, what to dooooooo?....Stay tuned.


Tuesday, January 16, 2018

Random Tuesday Thoughts

Friday, January 12, 2018

2018 is about to get LITTY!

That mixed bag of feelings when you quit your job to do what you love...ohhhh sheeeeet, what have I done? But also, this year is gonna be awesome!

Weeeeeeeee!

via salesforce.com

You bet your nelly, this bosslady shall allow her employee (me) to have a wee drinkie poo from time to time as required!

via creativemarket.com


 Accurate depiction of one of my coworkers.


This young man bears a strong resemblance to another co-worker(woofer)

via tulsapetsmagazine.com

Wednesday, December 6, 2017

Elfing tired, but happy!

Season's Greetings be upon you! The countdown to Christmas is barreling forward, so I thought I'd show you what I've been up to!







Monday, October 16, 2017

Harry Potter and Halloween

Today's mood: sleepy! This little critter below is the reason for my groggy feelings and he's totally worth it (hairflip, L'Oreal).

Harry Potter the chockie lab came into our lives about a week ago and I'm currently doing the night-time crate training thing. It's basically just like having a newborn baby except I'm outside in my jammies ever 2-3 hours putting him out for "peepee, peepee, what a gooood booooy." The neighbors must think I'm crazy...if truth be told, they probably figured that fact out soon after we moved in. Whatever, just over here livin' my life!


The rest of our animal menagerie are slowly accepting his existence, mostly because they have no choice in the matter haha. Expect many, many doggie pics to come in the future because I can't help it.

Even though I've been a PRO-craftinator, I did manage to squeeze out a wee ghostie craft for Halloween. Here's a lazy update for you via the social mediaaasss...





Can I please get a round of applause for producing an actual craft this month?


Monday, September 25, 2017

The "BERs!"

We're finally into the BERs (SeptemBER...OctoBER...NovemBER...DecemBER) which obviously is the best time of the year! As per usual (perhaps more than usual) I find myself proCRAFTinating. I haven't made a single Halloweenie or Christmas ornament, but I did make a cowfish (wait, what?). Here's a summary of my recent shenanigans as told via Twitter and Instagram.







Wednesday, August 16, 2017

Monday, August 7, 2017

GameOfThoughts - Episode 4



"I'm fine. Everything is fine."






Y Tho?





Jamie, Why you So Pritty?


Monday, July 31, 2017

Game of Foams

Time for some Thrones! I mean, FOAMS Y'all!

Like the rest of the universe, I've been waiting with a total lack of patience for the new Game of Thrones season to begin and dayyyyuuum it's begayyyyyynnnn! I feel less stressed this season and I think it's because I'm finally and properly jaded and ready for anyone to die.

Yes, it took me 6 seasons to come to this place of resignation. That being said, I hope they don't kill off Euron too quickly. What a badass - amirite!? Shit, they'll probably kill him now.

Speaking of badass villains, I wonder what the Night's King is up to and how close he and his Army of the Dead are...cue Thriller intro.

Here's my version of the biggest threat in Westeros...he'll kill yuuuuuu (adorably).


It only took me 4 months after moving to unpack and semi-organize my craft room. Paint pens, CHECK! Card stock, CHECK! Things are about to get Messehhh!


The EYE! It sees! Oh wait...I'm confusing this with Lord of the Rings or the Illuminati... (#illuminaticonfirmed)


Shit's gettin' REAL! Real cute, that is!


In the absence of dragon glass and/or Valyrian steel, d'ya think titanium will work? Oh no, that SONG!!!! Earworm! *plays Nine Inch Nails to drown pop poison*


***SPOILER ALERT***

Speaking of poison...Lady Olenna! *sheds a tear* - Guess I'm not that Jaded. Aaaaaaahhh, damn you Aerosmith! *Earworm*


P.S. You better believe I'm tagging GOT peeps on Instagram just in case I can get a like. I'm still riding the high from that time J.K. Rowling "liked" my Tweet! #cheapthrills - and yes, I screen-shot that shit!

Wednesday, May 3, 2017

Procrastination Explanation

I moved house in late February, and we all know how much FUN that can be! I've been organizing my home little by little since then, but 3 months later my craft room is STILL a pile of boxes and junk. To be fair to myself, I did start to clear it out, but the nice area I cleared is now filled with a sofa that will eventually occupy the corner of the room...once I can SEE that corner hahaha.

You know what they say about idle hands!



To satisfy the need to work with my hands and prevent the apocalypse, I've been focusing on collecting plants and enjoying the blooms in my garden. So until I get my shiz together, please enjoy a few of my pretties...

This is a WEED, but I love it and I think Dr. Seuss would too...


Flamingo Feathers...the seeds came through my fence from the neighbor and politely planted themselves...FO' FREEEE!


I inherited spinach when I bought the house. Here it is, dead and delicious in my plate.


Gratuitous unrelated cat pic...because, Gingy is majestic...


#Bye!

Tuesday, February 7, 2017

Baby Groot!

I'm pretty sure that everyone knows who Baby Groot is at this point. I mean, the little leafy pipsqueak is just flipping adorable! I challenge anyone with a heart to watch the trailer without squeaking in delight.

Case in point...


So of course, I had to make a Baby Groot to call my own. I found a photo of a felt ornament that some immensely creative person made, and used it as inspiration for my very own baby alien tree shrub ornament. BEHOLD!


So, this is the template. The wooden popsicle sticks have nothing to do with this project, but I just happened to be painting a "Shit List" at the same time...will share pics of that project another day...


So adorable, so KAWAII, amirite!? I think I'll put some magnet on him so he can be a fridgie.

Materials: craft foam (grey, green, beige), Uni Posca Pens (black, white, green, brown).

👽  💗  🌿

"I ammmmmmm (baby) GROOOOOOooooooooTTTttT!!"

*Note: this is not a sponsored post. I simply like cute things, and baby Groot is cute...which rhymes because I'm cool like that. All images from the GOTG universe are obviously copyright to Marvel Universe. This is just a fan craft :-)


 #crafts #creative #foamcrafts #evafoam #gomaeva #craftfoam  #handmade #etsy #handicraft #imadethis #crafthobby #guardiansgroot #foamsheets #squee #kawaii #miniatures #guardiansofthegalaxy #iamgroot #groot #dekorgumi #karacsony #babygroot #guardiansofthegalaxy2 #nerdy #marvel #marvelcomics #gotg #scifi #instaart #movies



Monday, January 23, 2017

Off-season Santa in his Slippers

Father Christmas has a few months off to relax, so he's probably chilling at home in the North Pole wearing his most comfy festive pjs and bunny slippers!

I bought "The Awesome Book of Craft Foam" on Ebay earlier this year and have been itching to try this pattern out. Forgive the bad language in the background - Mommy has a potty mouth and is also too lazy to blur the words...



So, for anyone who's interested in trying this type of craft, step 1 is to trace the pattern...


Step 2, I take some cardboard (in this case I used an old file folder) and transfer the tracing and cut out the shapes to make templates.


Step 3, draw around the templates with a pencil onto craft foam and carefully cut out the shapes. It's coming together now!


Then, I decorate each piece (you'll notice I did my own thing instead of following the design - you can use your creativity here and have fun). The final step is to glue each section in place to complete your ornament.

I designed 3 patterns of pajamas - I think I like the tartan the best!


Monday, January 9, 2017

Belize Rhymes with Freeze

Baby it's Cold Outside. I mean, what fresh hell is this? 70 degrees F? I might as well be living in the fridge...move aside eggs and butter, I'm movin' in!



You see, I live in Belize which is a TROPICAL country. I'm used to temperatures that range from mid 80s to the high 90s...not this arctic chill! Sure, in the humid, sticky days of May we all dream of a "cold front" but when it actually arrives I'm like...


And I'm not the only one. People all over Belize have dragged out their hoodies, beanies and blankies to fend off the frigid air. It was actually below 70 degrees this morning - how DARE you Mother Nature? Just because Belize rhymes with Freeze doesn't mean you have to do that to us!


Of course, the snuggly silver lining is that I have an excuse to use all my fabulous Christmas socks and pjs, and cuddle up with the blankies made for me by my mum. Soooo flippin' cozy!


Oh hey - How do you keep warm in a cold room?

wait for it....

wait for it...

Go to the corner cuz it's always 90 degrees. 

Bwahaha!