Girls Weekend on AMI

Here are some picts of our FUN girls weekend on Anna Maria Island. We had so much fun lounging by the pool, riding our bikes all over the island...going to see our favorite band ( Dr. Dave-which rocked by the way!!!)
I couldn't have asked for a better weekend (except maybe next time I won't forget all my clothes hanging in the closet! Thanks Megs for lending me the skirt and top.).
PS We missed you Tomi and Ashley!

ATC Art Journal

Prompt: use some ephemera from your week

Prompt: love

Prompt: shoes

Prompt: something you are proud of

Prompt: what is powerful to you
Prompt: I am...

Prompt: a symbol you love...right now it is birds

I was inspired by Emily Falconbridge's art journal challenges on her blog. She is currently on week 17, and I have completed these 7 so far. I am going to work on completing the other 10 so I will be up to date...then all I will have to do is 1 a week. I really love her prompts! TFL

Dream, Design, Create

Nikki

Father's Day Exploding Box

OK girls if you missed my exploding class on Saturday here is your chance to take it again. I will be teaching it again before Mother's Day on Thursday evening May 2nd, and before Father's Day Thurdsay evening June 14th. You can choose either the Scenic Route papers for Mother's Day or the Reminisce papers for a Father's Day box. (This is my example of the Father's Day box I made for Sean.)

After making 2 boxes I found I really like the look of the smaller pictures. So if you would like to take this class bring with you 21 or 22 pictures sized 4x5 or 5x4 centimeters (these will all fit on an 8 1/2 x 11 piece of photo paper- if you crop and print your picts from home). I used 2 1/4 x 2 1/4 inch photos for my mothers day box.

If you do not have pictures you can come make the box and fill it with fun quotes and 7 gypsies stickers (which are included with the class).

Dream, Design, Create

Nikki

K2 Challenge 2

OK Jocie here is my example of your challenge! Thanks for the inspiration this week!
This is the Tinkering Ink paper I got at K2 a couple of weeks ago. I love how this paper looks when it is cut out like this. TFL.
Dream, Design, Create
Nikki

Questions about the Weekly Challenge

Ok, a couple of you have asked what you should do if you want to participate in the weekly challenges but do not have a blog. Easy. There are 2 things you can do. One, go to an online website like www.twopeasinabucket.com or www.scrapbooks.com become a registered user and upload photos to your own gallery, then in the comments line you can leave me the link to your gallery. (This option is nice if you want to start sharing your layouts with others...) Two, you can e-mail me a jpeg of your LO. (when you are taking the picture try taking the picture as "square as possible" (so when i crop it, it ends up being square). I lay mine on the floor in front of a window that lets in lots of light and I stand over it.
My e-mail addy is nikkiclearypta@yahoo.com
If you have any other questions PLEASE feel free to e-mail me.
If you have questions about starting an online gallery e-mail me and I will be glad to try and help you!

Dream, Design, Create
Nikki

A few new LO's

This LO is so much fun and colorful...the new Rhonna papers, chipboard, and buttons, the new Bam Pop font stamps (all at K2)

Patterned papers are Rouge de Garance, arrow is Scenic route, Numbers are American Crafts, "notes" tag is Fontwerks, "Run" acrylic letters are Heidi Swapp (all found at K2)
This LO is Kraft paper, Rouge de Garance patterned paper, Heidi Swapp chipboard letters and "cherish" stamp, Autumn Leaves "all boy" circle stamp, "Photos" stamp by Fontwerks (all found at K2)
This cute LO was made from Kraft papers, MME transparency, the Autumn Leave letter stamps, AC felt flowers (all found at K2)
TFL
Dream, Design, Create
Nikki
xo

Monday Challenge

Ok, here is how it works. Each Monday you will need to check the K2 blog at www.k2scrapbookstudio.typepad.com and Karen will link you to either Jocie, Kim, me or a guest designers blog. On our blog we will post a challenge with a LO showing our take on the challenge. For example: My challenge this week is to scrap a photo and embellish around the photo using different elements on each side of the photo. Get creative...use paint, fabrics, ribbons, stamps, doodling, patterned paper anything you want!!! Here is my example:

We want to see your layouts!! Post a comment on my blog (or the designer who is hosting the challenge that week) with a link to your blog or gallery. At the end of each week the challenge "hostess" will choose her favorite LO from all the challenge participants and Karen will post the winner on K2's blog! We are very excited to see all the beautiful and creative LO's from everyone and continue to be inspired by each other.
Dream, Design, Create
Nikki

Hot Fudge Cake Recipe...

...i keep forgetting to post this recipe, so here it is!
1 box chocolate cake mix
1 large box chocolate instant pudding
8 oz sour cream
3 eggs
3/4 cup water
3/4 cup veg. oil
1 tsp vanilla
1 bag semi sweet chocolate chips

Mix the above ingredients together. Pour into a greased bundt pan. Bake at 350 degrees for approx 1 hour. Frost with chocolate frosting (I use Pilsbury's Chocolate Fudge frosting.) If you have any questions leave me a comment with your e-mail addy and I will e-mail you back.
Enjoy! Nikki
PS you will not thank me for this (lol), it is highly addictive!!!!!!

Mommy and Riley

...we had so much fun taking these goofy pictures of the two of us




TFL
Nikki

Exploding Box-Finished Product

The finished box.


I added 12 photos and adhered them to the flaps facing the inside of the box.


A close up of the photos.


A close up of the handwritten quotes and 7 gypsie "Mom" stickers placed on 8 of the flaps facing the outside of the box.
Dream, Design, Create
Nikki

If you are taking this class with me on April 21st then here is what you need to bring:
-your normal class "kit": trimmer, scissors, adhesive etc...
-corner rounder
-brown ink (for inking the edges)
-12 photos that you are able to crop (4 of them to 2 1/2 inches square and 8 of them to 2 1/4 inches square).
-a couple different color pens (for writing out your tag and your quotes)
-feel free to bring other supplies you may want to add to your box.

NOTE- I used color photos, but against the colorful papers we are going to be using, black and whites would be even better!!
-I will be bringing all my stamps with me, so if you want to play with them during the class and add them to the flaps of your box you can.

Spring Fling LO's

I took Riley to Venice Airport to see the WWII planes they had on display there. We had so much fun crawling up inside them and looking out the windows.

Riley playing with Pop Pop.
Riley at 4 months. (I have all these photos we had taken at JCPenny's and didn't know what to do with them...)
This was about 1-2 weeks before I had Brody. Riley loved feeling my stomach move.
I love this onsie that Dr Karen got for him. Baby: milk junkie, diaper wearing, toothless, heart breaker.

This photo is so precious of all three.




TFL
Dream, Design, Create
Nikki

You might be a Floridian if...

You might be a Floridian if .
"Down South" means Key West
"Panhandling" means going to Pensacola.
You think no-one over 70 should be allowed to drive without being re-tested.
Flip-flops are everyday wear.
Shoes are for business meetings and church.
No, wait, flip flops are good for church too, unless it's Easter or
Christmas.
Sweet tea can be served at any meal.
An alligator once walked through your neighborhood.
You smirk when a game shows "Grand Prize" is a trip or cruise to Florida.
You measure distance in minutes.
You have a drawer full of bathing suits, and one sweatshirt.
You get annoyed at the tourists who feed seagulls.
All the local festivals are named after a fruit.
A mountain is any hill 100 feet above sea level.
You think everyone from a bigger city has a northern accent.
You know the four seasons really are: almost summer, summer,
not summer but really hot, and Christmas.
It's not soda, cola, or pop...its coke, regardless of brand or flavor, "What kinda coke you want?"
Anything under 95 is just warm.
Anything under 70 is chilly.
You've hosted a hurricane party.
You go to a theme park for an afternoon, and know when to get on the best rides.
You pass on the right and honk at the elderly.
You understand the futility of exterminating cockroaches.
You can pronounce Okeechobee, Kissimmee, Withlacoochee, Okahumpka and Loxahatchee.
You understand why it's better to have a friend with a boat, than have a boat yourself.
Bumper stickers on the pickup in front of you include: various fish, NRA, and a confederate flag.
You were 8 before you realized they made houses without pools.
You were 12 when you first met someone who couldn't swim.
You get angry when people say "Florida isn't really part of the SOUTH"
You've worn shorts and used the A/C on Christmas.
You know what the "stingray shuffle" is, and why it's important!
Socks are only for bowling
Orange juice from concentrate makes you vomit
Tap water makes you vomit
You never use an umbrella because you know the rain will be over in
five minutes
A good parking place has nothing to do with distance from the store,
but everything to do with shade.
Your winter coat is made of denim
You can tell the difference between fire ant bites and mosquito bites
You're younger than thirty but some of your friends are over 65
You've driven through Yeehaw Junction.
You could swim before you could read
You have to drive north to get to The South
You know that no other grocery store can compare to Publix.
Every other house had blue roofs in 2004-2005
You've gotten out of school early on Halloween to trick or treat before it got dark
You know that anything under a Category 3 just isn't worth waking up for.
You dread lovebug season.
You are on a first name basis with the Hurricane list. They aren't Hurricane Charley, Hurricane Frances...but Charley, Frances, Ivan and Jeanne.
You know what a snowbird is and the whole subject just annoys you.
You know why flamingos are pink.
You think a six-foot alligator is actually pretty average.
You were twelve before you ever saw snow or you still haven't.

I thought this was pretty funny when my girlfriend e-mailed this to me!
Nikki

Happy Easter

Riley Easter egg hunting...
Brody's adorable easter outfit...
There were better picts of our family, but this one really represented what trying to get a nice picture was like- LOL!
Nikki

Exploding Box Class

Ok, how cute is this! An "exploding" box that holds up to 18 photos and/or quotes. I am going to be teaching this class on April 21st at 1:00. I am going to theme mine for Mothers Day, so I can give it as a gift to both my mom and my mother-in-law. I will be teaching it again in May and then we can theme the papers, quotes and photos for a Father's Day gift. It is so adorable. If you want to see it in person, drop by the studio and check it out. (We will be using the scenic route paper for the April class and I will post the box and papers I choose for the May class (obviously more masculine). I can not take credit for coming up with this idea...I saw it on someone's blog and just loved it. TFL
Dream, Design, Create
Nikki
PS I will post pictures of the box when I embellish it too!!

2 new LO's I created

I was playing around with some chipboard letters and didn't have enough to spell Brody's whole name. Then I realized that they spelled "Boy" how cool is that. I just love how when you play around with your supply stash you come out with something totally different than you had in mind to start with.


My mom took these photos of Riley when he fell playing at their house one afternoon. He really is a tough boy.

Dream, Design, Create
Nikki

Self Portraits...

well, after breaking out my digital camera manual to find something new I could learn, i found that i have a self portrait setting on my camera. As you can see I had fun, and a really good laugh!!! (you should have seen the ones i deleted- LOL)
The main reason I played around is that I want a new picture for my profile. Which one do you think I should use???