Cupcakes, Glitter and Art

My first attempt at bread making

2012-01-23T10:00:00.000-05:00

Hello Lovies.
I had a great weekend and wanted to share one of the best parts about said weekend with all of you.
I actually made a recipe I pinned on pinterest.com. Shocking, I know.
I've been curious about bread making for awhile now, but I had never
tried it. I always imagined it to be a daunting task. Through pinterest I found THIS awesome recipe. As soon as I saw the words "No Kneading, No Fussing, No Kidding" I knew this was the recipe for me!

(**There will be lots of pictures from here on out...)

I bought all of the ingredients...there were only 3!

I mixed up the dough, it took all of 1 minute.

I let it rise in the fridge for the night...look how big it got!

The next morning I pulled enough out of the bowl to make my very first loaf of bread. I let it rise at room temp. for 30 minutes before baking.

After baking, this...

...looked like this!

Now at this point in the recipe it says to let the bread stand for a while and cool.
But you have to take into account that the house smells super yummy right now and my family was circling...like wolves! So we HAD to try it, while it was still warm! It was that perfect bread that's crispy on the outside and warm and soft on the inside!! So. Good.

That first loaf was gone...in minutes!
Later that day I baked three more loaves. Once the dough is ready, it's so easy just to pop more in the oven.

I wrapped one up & took it to my fella, he was a happy boy <3

The rest we kept home to enjoy for the next day or so. The recipe says to leave the bread out unwrapped. My Mom didn't know this, and she stored the last two loaves in a ziploc overnight. When I took them out of the plastic bag, the crust had gone soft. The bread still tasted good, but wasn't quite as nice without it's crispy crust. So if you decide to try this recipe, make sure to store it out of a bag.
This recipe was SO easy. I am excited about bread making and looking to find other recipes to try! If you know any great ones, please share them.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxox

Our Trip to The Dominican Republic

2012-01-09T16:48:00.005-05:00

January 2012
The kid & I were fortunate enough to get a chance to travel with my brother & sister-in-law, to the D.R. It was amazing!! I took over 1000 pics.However, I won't post all those here. Just a few of my faves and some fun ones.

It was the perfect way to start off 2012...with an adventure!!
xoxoxox

and yes, I DO have the whitest legs in the universe!

Celebrate...and use those popper thingies

2012-01-01T11:00:00.000-05:00

Yeah, that's what we did...

Happy First Day of 2012!!!!
xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxxoxo

Happy New Year

2011-12-31T08:37:00.004-05:00

Happy New Year Lovies!

Crazy how fast 2011 went by, no?

A few highlights I remember... In no particular order:

My kid grew, like a whole foot. She's just shy of being my height...and she's only 11! Several of my close friends had babies. Dyed my hair dark. Introduced my fella to Threadless. Went on a cruise. Met my first Threadless blogger in real life. My Dad turned 60! Had a health scare with our doggie, but she's fine now. Yea! Started my Social Media business, and actually have REAL clients. Experienced the Food Truck Phenomenon for the first time. The mister & I introduced our children to each other (giant step in our relationship). Became addicted to instagram. My car passed 100,000 miles. The kid started 5th grade! Experienced The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Islands of Adventure. Made homemade marshmallows. Went roller skating. Celebrated one whole year of dating the sweetest fella this girl could ever ask for. Had my 38th birthday. Whoa.

It was a very busy, sometimes stressful year for me.

I didn't spend as much time doing things that I love and I have really started to miss them.

So for 2012 I have a super cliched list of resolutions.

To Do List - 2012:

1. Eat Cleaner - I know I know, everyone's doin' it. But for reals, I HAVE to!
2. Workout - see #1.
3. Get a physical/see dermatologist - I am WAY over due!
4. 366 Photo project - Haven't done one in a couple of years, it's time.
6. Blog more - at least once a week. I miss my blog.
7. Fashion it up - as in buy a few things that are actually in style. I have nothing right now, ha!
8. Save money - seriously, I'm 38...it's time!

I wish you all a happy and safe New Years Eve.

I'll be at home, with my darling girl...probably asleep by 10:30, ha!

See you all next year!!!

xoxoxoxxoxoxo

Merry Christmas

2011-12-26T11:31:00.002-05:00

Christmas Solo

2011-12-19T11:04:00.000-05:00

My darling girl has been practicing for weeks.
This morning was her school holiday program...and she had a solo!
She was SO nervous, but she did totally awesome!
I'm so proud!

I hope it brings a little Christmas cheer to your Monday, the way it did to mine.
xoxoxoxoxo

Happy Halloween

2011-10-31T10:28:00.000-04:00

Happy Halloween to all my lovely followers.

I hope you have a wonderful Halloween and get LOTS & LOTS of candy!

I love Halloween, it's such a festive time of year!

I dropped off my girl at school this morning.
She looked pretty amazing, if I do say so myself!

Enjoy your day lovies.
xoxoxoxox
Nicole

A happy little tune for you

2011-10-12T17:32:00.003-04:00

Thanks to Miss Liz and her lovely srslyliz blog for introducing me to this amazing & wonderful song and video by jack and white.

I can't stop playing it! And how awesome are all her outfits?!

Now move on the Double and go listen to it...now!

You'll be happy you did. I promise.xoxoxoxoxo

I bet I'm the only parent...

2011-08-22T09:08:00.002-04:00

......that is sad that their kid's summer vacay is over :(

I has the sads. Just look at her. Officially a 5th grader, looking like a 15 year old. My baby is all growned up....waaaahhhhhhhhhh.

Food Truck Extravaganza

2011-07-30T15:47:00.007-04:00

I have been obsessed with this Food Truck Phenomenon that has been sweeping the nation.
However, I live in South Florida. Not Miami or even West Palm Beach, but the very northern tip of South Florida, in a little town called Jupiter.
Don't get me wrong, Jupiter is a lovely town. Picturesque landscaping, gorgeous turquoise ocean water, lovely residents, great place to raise kids...the list goes on and on.
It's just that current trends & cool indie films just never quite make it here. Or if they actually do get here, we are usually 2 or 3 years behind the rest of the nation.
So maybe you can understand how I get about these things.
I did some research & realized there are quite a few Food Trucks traveling around South Florida.
One truck is almost always in West Palm Beach, The Curbside Gourmet. They painted their truck with my favorite color combo, and I am a sucker for good packaging! ha!

(Be sure to click the photos to see them bigger)

I started following them on Twitter (@curbsidegourmet) and have been consistently drooling over the daily menu postings. I can't get down to see them on the weekdays due to work, but lucky me they had a weekend gig today & I finally got to go!!

My lovely friend Christina & I both enjoyed our time with the food trucks & ate until we were full.

I had great intentions of sampling a bit from each truck. However, I'm pretty sure the temperature had reached 1000 degrees outside and our appetites took a beating. Thankfully we started with The Curbside Gourmet. I would have been so upset if I didn't get a chance to finally try their food!

Everything on the menus sounded amazing, but due to the heat we kept it light. BLT on Sourdough, Fresh Greens Salad & Chilled Pea/Mint Soup, and some ice cold Lemon Sparkling Waters.

Everything was delicious!
We left room for dessert tho...super tasty popsicles from Feverish Ice Cream!

They melted faster than we could eat them!

I was sad I didn't have the appetite to try something from every truck...but there is always next time.
Some of the other vendors that were there...

That paint job made us LOL.

Just wanted to share our culinary adventure with you guys...I look forward to going to more Food Truck funtimes soon.
xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

Homemade Marshmallows!

2011-06-27T08:26:00.002-04:00

Uh huh, that's right...I made some marshmallows!
I can honestly say I've never actually took a moment & said..."Hmmmm, I wonder what marshmallows are made of."

However, one day while perusing thru www.pinterest,com (I'm totally addicted to that site)
I came across THIS amazingly delicious looking photo.
I then said to myself...I need to make those!

So, I gave it a whirl...
I used this easy peasy lemon squeezy recipe: Homemade Marshmallows by Joy of Baking

1. You boil up all the sugar

2. Then you whip that mixture up to a delightful fluffy bowl of marshmallow fluff

3. Next you spread the mixture out in the pan, and cover it with even more sugar

4. Wait 12 hours... and they are ready to cut

They are so tasty & delicious! I was going to melt chocolate & drizzle it over them, I think that would be awesome. But I ran out of time. Now I'm on the lookout for awesome & tatsy recipes that use marshmallows. If you know any, post them here.
Now you all should go out & whip up a batch of your own tasty & delicious homemade marshmallows!
xoxoxoxoxox

It's NEW & EXCITING!!

2011-06-15T08:30:00.001-04:00

Hi There!

We are so excited to tell you about the latest & greatest thing happening over at http://www.hellosweetcheeks.com/

HelloSweetcheeks can help your business connect to the thousands of people already using social networking every single day.
We will market your business on Facebook, Twitter, Blogger and more.
We consult closely with each of our clients, finding the best things to post and figuring out how to gain a large number of followers.

Easy and Affordable Advertising.
Let HelloSweetcheeks help guide your business in the right direction.
Email us today
sayhello@hellosweetcheeks.com
for a FREE CONSULTATION.
Let's sit down and chat about all the possibilities Social Media can bring for you and your business!

Time to brag about my kid!

2011-05-15T19:27:00.002-04:00

OK....so, my kid is awesome!
She's been dabbling in duct tape creations for a little while now.
Tons of wallets, coin purses & these totally awesome flowers.
But today she surpassed everything and made
one totally awesome & completely kick ass bag!
Check it out!!!

She made it big enough to hold her folders, and plans on taking it to school tomorrow!
She's awesome right? I mean I know I'm her Mom & am TOTALLY biased,
But still....AWESOME!!!!

Speech Bubble Chalkboards!

2011-05-11T09:00:00.012-04:00

I'm SO excited!!
I posted on facebook a few weeks ago about wanting one of those
chalkboard speech bubbles I have been seeing everywhere.
The place I was going to order from was sold out & I was a tad disappointed.
Then...my friend Mark told me to not buy one,
he could totally make me one!
I was like "NO WAY! Really?"
And he was like, "um yeah...they're not that hard, duh!"
And then I was like, "ok...make me one punkass!"
And so he did :D

Actually he made me two!
He sent me pics documenting the progress...

How cool is that!??!
He did a fine job! I love them very much!
See...

They have cool little knobs on the back for holding too!
I'm gonna use these babies a lot!!
Want some for yourself? He can make you some too!
Contact him via http://www.markjohnsondesigns.com
and tell him HelloSweetcheeks sent ya!
xoxoxoxoxox

Easiest Giveaway Ever!

2011-04-28T09:32:00.000-04:00

Wanna win a button & some free stickers?

Easiest giveaway ever, happening right now on my facebook page!
Just like the page & leave a comment on the giveaway thread, thats it!
You could be a winner!
www.facebook.com/hellosweetcheeks

A Springtime Tale

2011-04-12T08:00:00.012-04:00

**I apologize in advance, this story is neither funny or clever.

Although, it did make ME laugh :P

Happy Springtime Lovies...Eat Peeps till you puke!

xoxoxoxox

Nikki

Valentines Day 2011 - Part II

2011-02-15T10:56:00.000-05:00

After an amazing evening with the mister on Sunday I got to enjoy my February 14th with my girl.
We had some fun with the camera...

and then...
We had pancakes for dinner & Skye got super creative!

They were as tasty as they were cute.
I hope you all had a wonderful Valentines Day with someone you love.
xoxoxoxoxoxoxox

Valentines Day 2011 - Part I

2011-02-15T08:00:00.015-05:00

**Warning, this post is picture heavy & super sappy....run while you still can!!

This Valentines Day turned out to be fantastic!!
Due to our crazy schedules, the boy & I celebrated on Sunday the 13th.

He had been hinting around, not so subtly, that he would like a chocolate mousse cake, with chocolate shavings...so I had to make him one!

He seemed pretty stoked about the cake!

We hit the road & went down to Palm Beach

It was gorgeous out...but freezing!!

So he took me to this amazing little park right next to The Flagler Museum.
It had the biggest tree I've ever seen in my life!

It was gorgeous and amazing and oh so romantic!

We drove around looking at all the pretty houses, daydreaming of how nice it would be to live in them...all the while enjoying a GIANT cola flavored slurpee.
There were lots of hugs & kisses.
and then...
The mister gave me the best present ever! He carved our names in a bunch of trees around town & took pics! Seriously, I think this is the best gift ever...so romantic! aaawwww :)
I got a pretty orchid too!

We ended the evening with him cooking us some delicious steaks & enjoying a tasty bottle of wine.
We even got to watch Love Actually all snuggled up on the couch.

He is the most romantic fella I've ever met, and I'm so glad he's my Valentine!

When I returned home that evening, The kid had left me a little surprise...

How sweet is she!??!
It turned out to be a wonderful day and evening!
So much love!!

Part II will be posted later today :)
Cheers!

xoxoxoxox

My Kid Is So Creative!

2011-02-12T08:00:00.002-05:00

She sat down to make some homemade Valentines.
Check them out!

Awesome, right!?
I love her!!

Feelin' Crafty & Valentinsy

2011-02-11T08:00:00.028-05:00

So, It's Valentines Week. I've seen SO many adorable DIY ideas. I want to make them all! I did one myself, it's the first DIY post I've ever made, so bear with me...

My Mister is a HUGE fan of planes & flying.

I'm a HUGE fan of garlands.
I put our HUGE loves together & this is what I came up with!

Paper Airplane Garland

I realized very quickly that I needed some assistance on paper airplane making!

I found THIS BLOG extremely helpful and used steps 1 - 9 to get the look I wanted. I made a bunch of little planes in my favorite color combo.

The next step was to figure out how to attach them to the ribbon...
I punched holes in the paper with my needle and then sewed a little X thru the ribbon and the paper.

This took way longer than I expected, totally bent my needle and made my fingers sore. But after seeing the final product I think it was totally worth it!

I'm thinkin' this will be the perfect valentines Garland for my handsome pilot! I LOVE it!
xoxoxoxoxoxoxox

Chocolate on the brain!

2011-01-24T08:00:00.006-05:00

I am having some serious chocolate cravings this week!
I want it everyday!!
I was talking to my mister last night & he described the most perfect sounding chocolate cake ever!
Chocolate cake, with chocolate mousse filling, lots of chocolate icing (with chocolate chips) and chocolate shavings on top!!
I want it NOW!!!!

want!

need!!

OMG!! YES!!!!!

Oh man, I can't take it!
*goes to buy bucket loads of chocolate*
xoxoxoxoxox

I am in love with the insta.gram app!

2011-01-18T08:00:00.005-05:00

So I recently got an new iPhone4 and have found an app that makes my heart sing!!

what is instagram?
It lets you take pics with your iPhone & then jazz them up with pretty filters & vintage appeal!
*swoons*

I CAN'T GET ENOUGH!!
and I wanna see yours!!
are you an instagram-aholic too?
gimme your usernames!
mine is nikolina100

See you on instagram!!
xoxox

Feeling Holiday-ish!

2010-11-22T09:00:00.000-05:00

I am SO in the mood to buy everything cute and Christmasy right now!
Here are a few things that have caught my eye over the past week.

Joy - Letterpress Card Set

Red Elf Ring

Christmas Dove Ornament

Reluctant Santa Print

and then there's about a billion things I want for Christmas!

My Christmas WANT list is growing by the day.

I was really good this year....maybe Santa will treat me right!

*fingers crossed*

Tee hee

xoxoxoxo

I am in love with felt things!

2010-11-15T09:00:00.001-05:00

I seem to be strangley attracted to all things felt.
I need someone to come teach me how to make all these fabulous felty things!
Here are a few of my faves I've recently discovered. Enjoy...

Twig Nest With Eggs

I want to buy like 100 of these and hang them all over the house!

Pretty Felt Garland

Pretty Cloud Felt Garland

Multi-Colored Garland

Pretty Felt Acorns

Pretty much everything in Miss Elycia's Shop is straight up adorbes!

I am pretty sure i TOTALLY need this bunny flower garden!

Tiny Bunny Flower Garden

Bear Coin Purse with Felt Face

So stinkin' cute!!!

I have purchase two separate bags from the lovely girldesvignes on etsy. Every time I use one I get like a billion compliments. They are SO cute!

Anyways...

Felt is my obsession right now.

Who wants to come over and teach me their felty ways? Hmmm?

xoxoxoxoxoxo

Nikki

I baked some Pumpkin Cookies!!

2010-11-08T20:32:00.000-05:00

I'm excited! I've been in the mood to bake something fall-ish for awhile.
I settled on this nomzy lookin' recipe from Miss Martha.
Pumpkin Cookies with Brown Butter Icing

Seriously, there should be a warning on these cookie...you could DIE from how awesome they taste!!!!!! so good, oh mah gah!
I think if I were to make them again the only thing I would do differently would be to drizzle the frosting on, instead of spooning it on, like the recipe calls for.
I like pretty things & my spooning is not too pretty.
But the house smells amazing & these cookies taste divine!!
Go...make some....right now!!!
xoxoxoxoxxoxo

Adventure With Cake Pops!

2010-09-06T21:33:00.000-04:00

I made my very first batch of Cake Pops today.

First I made the cake balls.

Then I dipped the sticks in chocolate and put them in the freezer to set quickly.

Then I added the chocolate & other tasty goodness

so...it was a learning experience.
I was going for the look like these. But mine came out lumpy & ugly.
I think I made the actual cake part too big, it kept ripping out the stick from the weight of itself. Annnnnd, I imagined just dipping them in the chocolate to get a round smooth finish...but my chocolate didn't melt like that. So I ended up spooning it on. Hence the lumpiness.
But I am going to do a bit more research and perfect them. I think they will make adorable Halloween treats. And even tho they were ugly...they tasted AWESOME!!!!

Dancing Raindrops

2010-09-05T19:10:00.000-04:00

Click to see them bigger!

It was a rainy stormy Sunday.

After church I got right back in my PJ pants.

Perfect!

So, my Dad almost got struck by Lightning yesterday!

2010-08-30T10:02:00.000-04:00

There I was, sitting at my desk, playing on the interwebs when I heard THE loudest crack of Thunder/Lightning I have ever heard IN MY ENTIRE LIFE!

Stuff from my closet went flying to the floor, I screamed, my kid screamed!

Then I heard my Mom from the other room just totally lose it and start screaming at my Dad!

I went running to the living room,

looked outside to see a GIANT plume of smoke!

Then my Dad came racing in the house! alive!

He had been outside, standing on a metal ladder, holding an umbrella while cleaning out the

metal rain gutters we have on the side of the house.

It was pouring down rain and they were packed with pine needles so the rain will spilling over the side.

He has done this a billion time before.

He had JUST stepped down and was on the porch still holding the umbrella when the lightning hit

a HUGE tree in our backyard!

The force of the hit pushed him physically back

and sent the umbrella flying!

Which is all my Mom actually saw and thought he had been hit & thrown from the ladder.

It was Totally and complately insane!

My Mom was crying, my kid was crying....My dog was standing in the middle of the room looking at us like we had all lost our minds!

My Dad was trying to laugh it off...but I don't think he'll be cleaning out the gutters in a rain storm any more!

I still can't believe it happened! Thanks goodness my Dad is OK!

Only a few things were damaged when they fell off the walls, and

nothing that would be missed like we would miss my Dad :/

here are some pics of the damage...please click them to view larger.

It's hard to tell just how crazy it looks form these pics...but it basically just looks like the tree exploded! there is debris everywhere!

Be careful out there people...when you hear thunder, just go inside & wait it out!

Watch Repair Shop

2010-08-18T21:28:00.002-04:00

My Granddad used to be a watch repairman.

He has this really cool little shop out back and it's got

desks & tools & a ton of really cool stuff in it.

I took these pics last fall, before the new camera purchase,

but I think you can still see just how awesome everything is.
(click the images to see them bigger)

This is my Granddad...he's 83!

Handsome fella isn't he?

He no longer works on watches, but I do love to look at all those things!

School Starts Tomorrow!

2010-08-16T19:24:00.001-04:00

Summer is over...this is it.

The kid starts School tomorrow!

4th grade...whoa!!

Last night, due to a mixture of a late night

(and super delicious) coffee and

not being able to turn my brain off,

I got a whopping 2.5 hours of sleep.

Nevertheless...today started early and was quite full!

My day "off" today went like this...
9:00 AM Met with Skye's new teacher & checked out her classroom,
10:00 AM Picked up some last minute school supplies,
Breakfast with Mom,
11:00 AM Home to do some graphic design,

1:00 PM took a 20 minute nap (so awesome)
1:30 PM Back out to take the kid to the dentist,
3:00 PM Then to swim practice,
6:00 PM then to the grocery store,
7:00 PM Got all the school supplies ready for tomorrow (I do love that new school supply smell)
Finishing my third load of laundry right now...
Going to have dinner and a bit.
And all on 2.5 hours of sleep last night.
Not too shabby eh?

I really want to stay up & watch True Blood.

The question is, will I make it?

We shall see!

xoxox

One Tired Cookie

It rained like crazy today!

2010-08-15T16:20:00.000-04:00

Today has been an awesome Sunday!

It rained and rained and rained some more.

So we made Rice Crispie Treats

Then proceeded to eat half the pan!

Snuggled up for movie time

And, as always...we are now totally inspired to cook our hearts out!

After the rain let up I took a walk around my parents yard with the camera...

My Dad has a fabulous green thumb and our yard is practically a paradise!

I saw lots and lots of mushrooms, a beautiful butterfly and raindrops everywhere!

I hope you all had a lovely & relaxing Sunday.

xoxox

Love Nikki

Artist Spotlight

2010-08-13T08:00:00.002-04:00

This week's spotlight is on one of the sweetest crafters I know, The Lovely

Telaine!!

a.k.a. - Tanya Goen

I met Tanya through www.threadless.com and am fascinated by all her creations!

1.Tell us a little about yourself.

Heya! I'm Tanya to my mother, Tawny to my husband and Telaine to everyone in Internetland. I live in a Green Bay suburb in Wisconsin and I'm not a diehard Packers fan. Crazy, eh? I'm married to Mr. Mitzy the bunny and take care of a pet husband, Mr. Plate. They both like cilantro.

Mr. Mitzy unexpectedly hopped off to the rainbow bridge in the sky post-interview but still holds a place in Tanya's heart.

2. How did you get into making things with yarn?

Is it knitting? crocheting? both? something else? (sorry I'm clueless about this kinda thing)

I blame it on my aforementioned mother. One night I saw her wrapping yarn around and around some pegs on a circle thing. And a pretty tube scarf was coming out the other end. I was intrigued so she showed me how to loom-knit. It all started with a few inches and one ball of furry yarn. But the yarn must have mated with other yarn because now it's tumbling out of the closet (and a shelf … and a basket and ...). So loom-knitting uses pegs instead of knitting needles, essentially. I can knit, purl, make cables, do lace … almost anything a needle-knitter can do. Sometimes it's faster and sometimes it takes forever. But I love every minute of making something out of string.

Knitting on the loom

3. What are your favorite items to make?

Anything that makes someone smile. My first sock was one of my most gleeful accomplishments. I stuck my socked foot in the air and screamed "SOCK!" You can imagine the jubilation when I finished the second one.

First Pair of Socks

4. Do you have a favorite time of day or certain ritual (music, TV, tea, etc) that you work the best with?

When the sun goes down is when I wake up. Watching TV while I knit makes being a couch potato feel less like a waste of time. But my real ritual is outside of the house. I hang out with a group of knitters a few times a week. I have learned more than how to fix a dropped stitch from them. They have become my closest confidants.

5. Do you do custom pieces?

Almost everything I make is custom. By the time I finish a knitting pattern, I've made so many changes to do it, I can almost always call it my own. I'm still happily surprised when a stranger sees my work and asks me to make one for them.

Custom Order, Dino Hats!

6. Anything else you would like the masses to know about your craft?

My venture into crafting didn't start with knitting. I dabbled in rubber-stamping and I still make cards for friends and family. I sewed my first major stitches making pillows from recycled t-shirts.

T-pillow, made from a Threadless shirt

7. 10 random things about you

I have three amazing sisters and all their names start with "T". I'm a Joss Whedon fan and I'm sworn to love almost anything he makes (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Dr. Horrible, Dollhouse). I turn into an amateur gardener and photographer in the summer. (http://www.flickr.com/photos/telaine/4787141995/) Tiger lilies are my favorite flower. I'm told I have a unique laugh. I'm a picky eater but I'm working on that. I quit my "real" job in 2008 and work from home as a freelance graphic designer and crafter. I'm cooking more than Macaroni and Cheese since then. My love for cheese means I'm truly a Wisconsin girl. I took a vacation south to Canada this summer.

My interpretation of RED for the Threadknits.com contest, that combined Threadless and knitting

Pretty impressive isn't she?

I just love talented peoples and when they're as sweet as Tanya it's hard not to be impressed!

Want to know more?

Be sure and read her BLOG for all her latest & greatest creations!

Need a Dino Hat for yourself? They're coming soon to her Etsy Shop!

Be a Fan and LIKE her Facebook Page.

Thanks for sharing with us Tanya!

Things That I love...Popsicles!

2010-07-30T23:04:00.001-04:00

It's so hot....all I wanna do is ~~sit in the shade~~ stay in the A/C and eat Popsicles all day!!

You know what I mean?

credit

Somebody take me here!! Please!!

People that live in New York are SO lucky!
PopBar!!

credit

OMG!! Delish!!
Credit

credit

credit

Even my Dog Happy & I shared a popsicle yesterday :)

I hope this post helps you all stay cool!
Imma go eat like 3000 popsicles now, k?
xoxoxoxoxox

Artist Spotlight

2010-07-29T08:00:00.001-04:00

This week's spotlight is on one of my favorite illustrators!

RANDYOTTER

a.k.a. Aaron Jay

I met Aaron thru www.threadless.com.

I cannot get enough of his totally awesome and adorable drawing style!

Glam Fashion Owls

1. Tell us a little about yourself.

Originally I am from the lovely countryside of east coast of England, however now I live in the slightly grimy city of Coventry where I just graduated with a degree in Illustration. However, its not all bad, considering I can walk to any fast food place I want and the beer is cheap :P. Unfortunately our landlord doesn't allow much more than the hamster and 2 fish we have at present otherwise I would be halfway towards owning a zoo as I love animals so much with cats being the best by far. I am not married however I do share my flat with my lovely girlfriend who somehow puts up with my annoying behavior and madness and there are no kids not for a long time yet haha, although training a mini me would be awesome.

Homework Is For Space Geeks

2. How did you get into illustration?

Since I was a little kid I drew pictures nearly every day making up random characters with felt tip pens, after a while I decided to make my own Pokemon with their own stats and details, before long I had made 450 of them which I still look at now and then. At school I loved studying art, design and even textiles. Of two of those classes I was the only guy. It was really terrible having all those girls fussing over me, haha. Anyhow, after school and A-levels I went to uni to study computer programming, propositional calculus and computer architecture all of which I found pretty boring. After a year I decided to change to something fun which I would actually enjoy and after finding all my old fine art pieces and putting together a portfolio I got into the Illustration course which has lead me up to this point.

Mushroom Monster

3. What illustrations are you most proud of that you have done?

Generally speaking I find my most recent pieces are the ones I am most proud of, this is partly because I am still learning and trying to make progress and in part because I get bored of an image after a couple of days and have to make something new, currently my most favorite image consists of a giant fellow who has other people as teeth.

My New Teeth

4. Do you have a favorite time of day or certain ritual (music, TV, tea, etc) that you work the best with?

I cant seem to get anything done in the mornings apart from answering emails and even then I have to have a preparation coffee before that happens. Usually I wait until about 6 in the evening to start work, only doing concept sketches before this time and finishing these images often continues until 5 in the morning most days. I don't always have music on most of the time its just the tv on for company as music can affect my mood too much for me to work properly. Its probably worth noting that I have a coffee between each stage of an illustration as a reward.

Just Floating

5. Who is your favorite Threadless illustrator?

Oh this is a tough one, with regards to work ethic and getting things done I would have to say Greg Abbott and Wotto who are always working and winning. When considering just imagery I would be inclined to say Aphte and Againstbound with Ben Chen catching up real quickly, I am sure I have missed some off but this really is a tough one.

My Hedgehog's New Hairstyle

7. Anything else you would like the masses to know about your art?

Erm, well, I guess the weirdest thing about my art is that when I create a litte sketch of a character I get really upset about erasing it even if it doesnt fit with what I am working with as I get reallly attached to them and want to bring them alive. Something else that could be interesting is that nearly all my images start off as me just drawing circles until something just clicks, I rarely sit down with the intention of just thinking up an idea.

My Day Off

8. 10 random things about you

1. I give my computers girls names

2. The feeling of winning is better than the money for me

3. I use the "secret"

4. my phone is 5 years old

5. I can almost juggle at a decent level

6. I get sea sick really easily

7. I used to skateboard everyday

8. I used to be really scared of puppets

9. I can hypnotise chickens

10. I am a sweet shot with a catapult

Spacehopper

I hope you all now agree with me about Aaron's amazing style.

I totally adore his work and can't wait until one day he's super famous and I can buy a book of all his awesome illustrations!

Be sure to join his Fan Page to keep up with all his latest works!

Thanks for talking to us Aaron.

Downtown Photoshoot

2010-07-25T16:26:00.002-04:00

Took the kid downtown Orlando this past weekend and snapped over 300 pictures!

These are a few of the many...

I am by NO means a photographer, but I love how some of them came out!

Let me know what one is your favorite.
(you can click on the pics to see them larger)

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

We had SO much fun & Skye

felt like a supermodel!

Artist Spotlight

2010-07-22T08:00:00.015-04:00

This Spotlight is on Awesomely Talented

GIMETZCO

a.k.a. Andrew Bargeron

I have admired Andrew's work for years over at

www.threadless.com, but never actually chatted

with him until the other day.

I saw a post of his regarding an Art Show in Florida that he had some pieces in. I got really excited that there just might be another Threadlesser in Florida and just had to IM him.

Well he no longer lives in Florida but he is a super cool dude and was

nice enough to answer a few questions for me, so check out his interview!

Ouch Proof

1. Tell me a little about yourself.

I was born in a small town in Florida, but I'm not really from there.
My family moved to Italy and then Holland in the 70s and 80s. In '85
we moved to Southern California. I moved Nashville, after 20 years in
CA to marry my wife. I've been here ever since. We have no kids
(yet?) but we do have pets. We have a noble and friendly dog named
Rocket; he's a mix of Australian Shepherd and Catahoula leopard dog.
We rescued a cat and her litter of kittens a while back. We named her
Josie, tamed her kittens and gave them to loving homes. Josie is the
most perfect cat I've ever met. I'm a dog person, but she's really the
greatest cat ever.

>destination ursa major

2. How did you get into illustration?

It's a cliche really. "Ever since before i could remember" I've been drawing. But the year I started illustrating professionally was 1996. That's when we finally got the internet in our home. I was really into Ska at the time and noticed that bands were asking for artwork for shirts and cds. So i got myself a Geocities page and set up shop. My first gig was for My Man Friday, followed by a few other local bands that no longer exist.

Cowboy Parts

3. What illustrations are you most proud of that you have done?

I like any of my illustrations that seem like I had very little to do with them. Meaning, that my weaknesses in illustration are overpowered by my strengths. If the illustration has that balance. then I'm very happy with it.

These are all illustrations/designs that meet that criteria.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/gimetzco/sets/72157616223480076/

4. Do you have a favorite time of day or certain ritual

(music, TV, tea, etc) that you work the best with?

I used to do all of my work in the late hours of the night, but since I've been married, my bedtime is usually my wife's bedtime. So i really prefer to start working as late into the afternoon as possible. I listen to a variety of music, nothing in particular that I MUST hear in order to work well, however, if you want a list, here's a short one: Gorillaz, Blur, the Good the Bad & the queen, Peter Parker, Big Audio Dynamite, Fight like Apes & my own crappy band STATION!

FIGHT LIKE APES

5. Who is your favorite illustrator?

Jamie Hewlett. Philip Bond. Rufus Dayglo. Ashley Wood. basically all of Team Tank Girl. the best art in the biz.

6. Anything else you would like the masses to know about your art?

I'd like the masses to buy my product, or support my art in whatever way they can. I really try to not hop on trends, to not do "what's cool right now" simply because that's what the internet says is cool. So I'd like to really be considered, for what i do. Without the video game cliches and pop culture this'n'that. Like my art, and maybe buy a souvenir if they are available.

completely serious

7. 10 random things about GIMETZCO

I have nimble toes, monkey feet. I can pick things up with them easy. I do voices/accents rather well. I know karate. I love smashing stuff with sledge hammers or chopping wood. I have 3 nipples, just like the man with the Golden Gun. I fancy the Smurfs (but only pre-saturday morning cartoon versions) I'm very much into genre cinema and grindhouse/drive in style films. NOT MST3K. gutsy low budget flicks that have loads of talent or are just too weird to pass up. I HATE Star Wars as a whole, the fandom, how stupid the whole thing really is. But I do like Ewoks & Wookies & Han Solo ain't terrible. I really enjoy making pies. I don't make them enough. any kinda pie. Ginger! I love Ginger Beer, Ginger Candy and crystallized Ginger!

danger radio in "Slowdance with a stranger"

So, there you have it folks...

an awesome interview with an amazing Illustrator!

Please visit http://www.gimetzco.com and check out all of Andrew's cool art as well as news and even FREE music downloads!
STATION

Thanks for talking with us Andrew!

Things That I Love...Tuesdays!

2010-07-19T22:31:00.000-04:00

Hey Guys,
I wanted to just say how much I appreciate you all reading my blog!
I love each and every one of your comments....they really make my day.
I so enjoy doing the Tuesday Loves blog.
However, lately my schedule has been more than hectic and it's becoming
harder & harder to set time aside for Tuesday's Blog.
So I am putting it on a hiatus for a little while.
I might just change it to Things That I love on Whatever day I want!
It will be much easier to do that I think.
Thanks Again.
xoxoxoxxoox
Nikki

Fruit Flavored Bubbles

2010-07-17T20:00:00.000-04:00

So the kid won a giant bottle of fruit flavored bubbles at camp this past week.

She wanted to test them out....so she tasted one.

Conclusion: The bubbles do NOT taste as good as they smell :P

Things That I Love...Tuesdays!

2010-07-13T08:00:00.001-04:00

Cupcakes!!

Back to my roots and the total adoration for all things cupcake!!

credit

I still want an office that looks like this!

This chic is TOTALLY obsessed with cupcakes!

I made a freebie for you lovies...Cupcake Twitter background!

Download it Here!

Well, thats all the cupcake love for now.

Happy Tuesday Lovies!

xoxoxoxoxoxoxxo

My First Blog Award...Wow!

2010-07-11T16:54:00.000-04:00

So I got a Blog Award...the same one from two seperate and lovely bloggers.

How cool is that??

Thanks so much to the Lovely Miss Hana over at http://hana-wordsinabox.blogspot.com/

and the Fabulous Miss Anzouya over at http://anzouyaspool.blogspot.com/ for considering my little blog worthy of an award...you girls rock!!

The Award Comes With 4 Rules:

1. Thank the person that gave you the award

Please see above ;)

2. Share 7 things about yourself

1. My favourite color is Turquoise
2. I have a bajillion freckles!

3. I want a tattoo, but I am a GIANT chicken when it comes to needles!

4. I am a dog person. Not that I hate cats, but they make me sneeze so much.

5. I will pretty much buy anything if it has glitter on it.

6.I really REALLY want a new career in Social Media.

7. Someday I want to own a little bungalow and decorate it all in a beachy & relaxed style.

3. Pass the award along to 15 bloggers who you have recently discovered and who you admire
1. http://www.loveelycia.com/

2. http://inkobsessiondesigns.blogspot.com/

3. http://crookedsister.blogspot.com/

4. http://bugsandfishes.blogspot.com/

5. http://www.guurrrl.blogspot.com/

6. http://kokeshidoll.blogspot.com/

7. http://srslyliz.com/

8. http://www.mylittlebuffaloblog.com/

9. http://delaneygates.typepad.com/my_weblog/

10. http://aprettysimplelife.blogspot.com/

11. http://www.abirdoutofwater.com/

12. http://birdsofafeathergirls.blogspot.com/

13. http://howaboutorange.blogspot.com/

14. http://owlsomegifts.blogspot.com/

15. http://blog.polkadotrobot.com/polka-dot-robot/

**Not necessarily 15 newly discovered blogs, but totally loved for sure :)

4. Contact the bloggers and let them know about the award
gonna do that now :)

Thanks again ladies!

xoxoxoxoxxo

Rodrigo y Gabriella -Vikingman (live at glastonbury)

2010-07-09T08:55:00.000-04:00

This makes my heart happy.

Help me get Threadless to Florida!

2010-07-07T22:42:00.001-04:00

So there's this T-shirt site, maybe you've heard of it... www.threadless.com

I am a GIANT fan and have been an active
blogger for over three years there.

Well, it's their 10th anniversary!!
To celebrate, they're touring the country this year!
They are having a detour too,
which means Miami COULD be a stop on the list

.....we just have to convince them to come.

This is where YOU come in.

Join the Facebook Group:

Threadless Everywhere Tourstop: Miami, Florida

And then post the many many reasons why the Threadless Tour should come to Florida on the wall!
Tell all your friends, lets make Miami a stop on the TOUR!!

Then we can all drink Mojitos together!!

www.threadless.com/tour

If they actually do come to Miami...I will be the Happiest girl ever!!

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

Things That I Love...Tuesdays!

2010-07-06T08:00:00.000-04:00

One of my favorite things right now... Owls!

credit

and last but not least...

Get them here!

Owls are amazing....and owl art is one of my favorite

things to stumble upon.

Happy Tuesday Lovies!

xoxoxoxoxoxo

Nikki

Weekend Funtimes!

2010-07-05T09:38:00.000-04:00

We have packed a LOT of fun in to last two days...

First there were Rollerskating Funtimes with friends.

Then we beached it up for some much needed relaxing times.

and THEEEEN we celebrated the 4th of July with Family!

So much fun!

And now we are off to spend our Monday off having more funtimes!

Yea!

Happy Monday Lovies.

xoxoxoxoxoxo

Things That I Love...Tuesdays!

2010-06-29T08:00:00.004-04:00

Sorry for skipping out on you guys last week...
it's been busy busy busy for me.

But in a really good way :)

I won't bore you with all the details, but lets just say Life Is Good.

Today's loves are all about feathers and such.

credit

If I'm ever brave enough to get a tattoo...I think it will be a feather.

credit

They are quite lovely...don't you think?

Happy Tuesday Lovies!

xoxoxoxoxoxox

and the winers are...

2010-06-28T22:47:00.002-04:00

Thanks to all you lovlies that entered my Blog Giveaway!

I have finally drawn the winners!

*drum roll*

I need your snail mail addys loves.
Send it to: sayhello@hellosweetcheeks.com

Then I can mail you your goodies!

Thanks to everyone that entered and welcome new readers!!

I promise to try and keep you entertained.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxo

Nikki

Another Giveaway!

2010-06-22T08:00:00.000-04:00

So...I have been having so much fun lately and been so busy,
I never got around to a Tuesday Loves this week.

I've been out of town, going on dates, hanging with Family, celebrating Father's Day.
It's been awesome!

But you know what that means...
To make it up to you I'm having a giveaway...Just because I love you all!

You can win a a button and a sticker! Woot!!

I will pick three random winners next Monday.

All you have to do is be a follower and say something nice in the comments!

xoxoxooxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox

Bubbles!

2010-06-19T19:16:00.000-04:00

They are HARD to take pictures of!!

I know they are blurry but I LOVE all the colors!!

Things That I Love...Tuesdays!

2010-06-15T08:00:00.000-04:00

Happy Tuesdays Lovies!

I had such an amazing weekend with friends I barely made it thru to Monday.

My best friend/sister lives in Orlando. Whenever we are there we have such super funtimes

with friends and loved ones...I cry almost everytime we have to leave.

*sigh*

Sorry, not trying to be a Debbie Downer I swear!

on with the story...

This time was no exception. Not only did we have funtimes we also got to go DANCING!!

I haven't been dancing in ages! It was SO Fun!! I want to do it again and again and again!!

So...Let's all go dancing, ok?

credit

and have super funtimes with friends...

see? we all got gussied up and everything!

We had THE most delicious cupcake ever from this place!

Look at it in all it's glory!! We devoured it in less than 30 seconds!

Drank about a billion of these!

and I got these adorable new shoes!

Now do you see why leaving makes me sad?

How can you have that much fun and not cry when it's over? Tee hee.

It was so fun I loved every minute of it.

I know this isn't my normal kind of Tuesday Loves, but it's what I love right now.

Friends, Dancing, Beers, Cupcakes, Sisters, New Shoes and Super Funtimes.

I love you all for reading...Have a fabulous Tuesday.

Try to fit some dancing in if you can...ok?

xoxoxoxoxoxoox

Exactly how I feel today.

2010-06-14T10:17:00.000-04:00

I never loved nobody fully
Always one foot on the ground
And by protecting my heart truly
I got lost in the sounds
I hear in my mind
All these voices
I hear in my mind all these words
I hear in my mind all this music

And it breaks my heart
And it breaks my heart
And it breaks my heart
It breaks my heart

And suppose I never ever met you
Suppose we never fell in love
Suppose I never ever let you kiss me so sweet and so soft
Suppose I never ever saw you
Suppose we never ever called
Suppose I kept on singing love songs just to break my own fall
Just to break my fall
Just to break my fall
Break my fall
Break my fall

All my friends say that of course its gonna get better
Gonna get better
Better better better better
Better better better

I never love nobody fully
Always one foot on the ground
And by protecting by heart truly
I got lost
In the sounds
I hear in my mind
All these voices
I hear in my mind all these words
I hear in my mind
All this music
And it breaks my heart
It breaks my heart

I hear in my mind all of these voices
I hear in my mind all of these words
I hear in my mind all of this music

Breaks my
Heart
Breaks my heart

Things That I Love...Tuesdays!

2010-06-08T08:00:00.000-04:00

Every single day this week we have had a GIANT thunderstorm.

It's been crazy, but one good thing is that I've seen 4 rainbows, in one week!

I love rainbows...don't you?

credit

I would like to eat all the rainbow cupcakes now, ok?

Enjoy your rainbows lovies!

xoxoxoxoxox

and Happy Tuesday!

It's official!!

2010-06-03T12:54:00.000-04:00

The kid is no longer a third grader!!

I am so proud of her!! Her last day of third grade was today...

I can't believe I now have a 4th grader....whoa!!

She made honor roll and about 9 other different awards!

With her teacher, whom she adores!

Proud Granddad!

Isn't she the cutest little thing??

I am so proud of my girl!!

xoxoxoxoxoxo

Do you like pretty packages?

2010-06-02T16:52:00.001-04:00

Love to get pretty things in the mailbox?
Get excited when you see a cute sticker on an envelope?

Then you should totally buy something from my Etsy Shop! I love making the packages just as much as I like making the items!!

Four lucky people will be receiving these little packages, very very soon!

Things That I Love...Tuesdays!

2010-06-01T08:00:00.002-04:00

Cotton Candy!

Last weekend I volunteered at the kid's School Carnival.

Her class was in charge of the cotton candy machine....I fell in love.

I had it in my hair and everywhere, but I didn't care!

I totally wanna buy one!!

How fun would that be!?!?

Sa-weeeeeet!

credit

So if I buy a cotton candy machine I'll have to have a party.

Will you all come?

xoxoxoxoxxo

Happy Tuesday Lovies!

And the winners are...

2010-05-31T21:24:00.003-04:00

Thanks to EVERYONE who entered my Giveaway!
I love you all and will be doing lots more!
Winners...I need your addresses, so I can mail you your stuff.
email me: sayhello@hellosweetcheeks.com
xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox

Experimenting

2010-05-27T19:04:00.002-04:00

Channeling my inner Pocahontas!

Just me, being silly and having fun.

xoxoxoxoxoxooxxoox

Don't forget to enter my giveaway!!
You know you wanna!

Making It Up To You Lovies!

2010-05-26T08:57:00.001-04:00

So...I totally didn't give you guys a Tuesday Loves Blog this week.

I was so busy having fun I didn't sit down at the computer barely at all!

So to make it up to you I'm having a giveaway...Just because I love you all!

You can win a a button & a sticker! Woot!!

I will pick three random winners next Monday.

All you have to do is be a follower and say something nice in the comments!

xoxoxooxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox

Things I bought this week.

2010-05-21T09:48:00.004-04:00

I treated myself!
Can't wait till they arrive!

From Here

From Here

From Here

woot!

Thursday Morning Musing

2010-05-20T08:00:00.001-04:00

I made an observation this morning.

My bed looks dang comfortable...and I don't want to leave it!

I rarely make my bed, every once in awhile if company is coming but almost always....

it looks like this.

I have a few friends, who shall remain nameless, that can't leave the house without making the bed.

Granted their houses always look gorgeous and tidy...but still...Look at that bed!! So comfy!

I refuse to make it!! and NO ONE can make me!

Now I gotta got to work...but I'll be back later and my super comfy cozy bed will be waiting.

tee hee

So tell me, are YOU a bed maker? or do you throw caution to the wind and say....to hell with it!?

Don't worry, I'll love you either way...I'm just curious!

xoxoxoxoxoxo

Things That I Love...Tuesdays!

2010-05-18T08:30:00.003-04:00

Do you ever just wanna hide away from it all?

I wanna build a fort and make arts all day....come with me,

no one will find us!

credit

Doesn't that sound perfect?

Happy Tuesday Lovies...If you need me I'll be in my fort.

xoxoxoxoxoxox

Ok, don't faint on me...

2010-05-16T12:31:00.002-04:00

...My Shop actually has some things in it!!
*GASP*

www.hellosweetcheeks.com

Yay!!
More things coming...very very soon!
xoxoxox

What a great ART day!

2010-05-15T21:00:00.004-04:00

Today we headed down to West Palm Beach for Art Rock.

It was awesome! and SO inspiring!!

So many amazing things...I wanted one (or three) of everything!

With Sugar On Top

All of the cutest sweet things!

Leas Lounge

Lea had some really great looking paintings!

Ginger Dead

Calan has AWESOME pieces...I want one of everything!!

Really fun and unique!

Alexis Colbert

The kid bought one of her prints and I absolutely adored her Bunny Mermaids!

DemiGod Studio

I fell in LOVE with all of her pieces!!

Danny Brito

Danny was so sweet and his art work is even MORE lovely in person!

Raven Girl

Raven girl has some seriously wonderful art pieces and was a really nice gal :)

4 Hounds Press

Leslie was even sweet enough to give us a demo on her mini press machine...that was over 100 years old.

Man do I LOVE letterpress!!

ragamufyn

Some of the CUTEST sewn items I have ever seen!

Cloud Candy

I adore Brandy's artwork!

There were So many more fabulous artists!

Everyone I chatted with was so sweet and you can just tell that

they all were doing what hey loved.

I gave some stickers out and got a few compliments on my threadless shirt...tee hee.

I didn't really get a ton of cards, so I can't remember everyone, but it was the coolest art show!

I really hope there are more in the near future.

xoxoxooxxoxo