Digi Template Challenge

On Scrap Glalaxy this past weekend we had a cyber crop...well, one of our digi girls issued a template challenge. I have never used a template before and since we were supposed to challenge ourselves I thought I should try it. (here is the link to the challenge where you can download the template and try it yourself http://scrapgalaxy.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=5368 just scroll down till you see the template download.) Here is my LO. TFL.
Dream, Design, Digi
Nikki

2 Digital LO's

I downloaded this cute kit from Shabby Princess called Urban Kiwi and these 2 LO's are what I made: TFL
Dream, Design, Create Digi
Nikki

What would you do???

copy and paste this and play along on your blog....
1. Your entire family has gone away for the weekend. The house is all yours. What are the first three things you do? (assuming my house is clean-LOL yes I am a neat freak!!) make some coffee, read a new book, play on the computer or scrapbook while enjoying the silence of the house
2. Your bankbook is looking healthy, you have a four-day weekend ahead. What sounds good?
a girls weekend to AMI lounging by the pool and drinking a margarita (a trip to NYC sounds good too, Kim when are we going???)
3. What do you do while waiting in the doctors office? I watch my kids- LOL (thank God my Dr doesn't make me wait long in the waiting room!! :) )
4. Would you rather spend an afternoon alone in a book store, a mall, napping in the hammock? a book store
5. You have an unexpected 48 hour stay in the hospital. You're coherent and not in pain. How do you spend the time? Reading? Channel Surfing? Laptop surfing? Calling your friends to come visit? Ringing for a nurse every five minutes? Sleeping? laptop surfing, reading and sleeping
6. You have a nine hour trans-continental flight. Get excited about finishing a hot novel? Watch the in-flight movies? Become best friends with the stranger seated next to you? Take three valium and sleep the time away?read the novel
7. You have a seven hour layover in Chicago O'Hare Airport. Do you wear down your cellphone battery calling friends? Read a book? People watch? Shop every store in the airport? Take a taxi and see the city?Take a taxi and see the city (yeah that sounds like fun),
8. What do you do when you're bored stiff? with a 3 year old and a 7 month old I have no time to be bored stiff!!
9. Work first, play later? OR Play while you can, the work will still be there when you get home?Work first, cause then I can really enjoy playing!!!
10. List three times that you are easily bored. taking continuing ed classes from a bad teacher...not sure about 2 more

thanks Kim, had fun playing!
Nikki

Journaling/Blog Post Prompts

Is journaling the hardest part when you are scrapbooking? If it is, then this link is for you! http://www.scrapbook.com/tips/doc/10199/152.html Every Saturday I post a journaling "tip" on Scrap Galaxy and so I thought I would share it with my blog readers.
SDV girls- This would be a good one to print out and bring with us in September.
Amanda, you know how you say that you wouldn't want to have a blog cause you have nothing to say (which I disagee to begin with :)) Well, here would be enough blog entry ideas to last you an entire year-LOL!

Dream, Design, Journal
Nikki

Cyber Crop

I have never participated in an online crop myself and this weekend I am hosting a couple of challenges over at Scrap Galaxy. If you are scrapping and are in need of some inspiration come join us. There will be challenges, make and takes, games and fun prizes!!! It starts tonight and goes till Sunday night. Go to www.scrapgalaxy.com > forum > scroll down to Current Challenges and you will see "Cyber Crop".
Dream, Design, Crop
Nikki

Photoshop Friday

On our way to our friends Ryan and Racquel's house we pass this tree. Sean always comments on how much he loves it and wished I could get a picture of it. So the last time we went to their house, I made him slow down and I took this shot as we drove by. I played around in photoshop and changed it to sepia and I love the effect it gave the photo. TFL

Dream, Design, Photoshop

Nikki

How to: Open your photo in photoshop. Go to Enhance> Adjust Color> Adjust Hue/Saturation. Check the "colorize" box and adjust the 3 sliders to approx 25, 17, 0. Alter as desired.

July photo challenge

1. Clock 2. Fence or gate

3. Dew (I did not stage this...i actually found this perfect dew drop)

4. Bubbles

5. Insect

6. Apple

7. Something on a car

8. A reflection

9. Numbers

10. Buttons

11. Something red

12. Rocks

13. Lace

14. Something sports related

15. Hands (Riley learning how to spin spaghetti)

16. Flower

17. Clouds

18. Ice

19. Ray of sun

20. Something spiral

Thanks Cami http://www.camibhere.blogspot.com/ for the inspiration.

Dream, Design, Photograph

Nikki

Scarlett's Baby Shower

My dear friends Scarlett and Jeff are having a baby in August. I went to their baby shower a couple of weeks ago and had so much fun. This was their beautiful cake made by "Cakes by Ron" here in Sarasota, Florida. Congrats you two!!

PS More baby news...Congrats to Julie, Trent and Ireland on their new baby girl Brighton.

My "Best Life"

I have been reading "The Best Life Diet" by Bob Greene and loving it. It really teaches solid principles that you can follow for the rest of your life. During Phase 1 (four weeks) you: increase your activity level, stop eating at least 2 hours before bed time, eat three meals including breakfast and one snack daily (he gives some good ideas for healthy snacks), drink water (48 ozs), eliminate alcohol, and take a daily supplement. You don't change what or how much you eat in this phase you just start establishing healthy practices and get your metabolism in prime condition for phase two (the weight loss phase). He also has you weigh in at the beginning of the month and not again till the end of your four weeks (mainly due to the big fluxuations in water weight).
Phase two (lasts until you are at your goal weight) builds on the changes you made in phase one and also incorporates these changes: increase you activity level again, understanding your physical and emotional reasons for your hunger , use the hunger scale, eat reasonable portions and remove six empty or problem foods from your diet. During this phase you weigh in weekly.
I have really enjoyed adding some of these healthy habits I was missing in my life. I will keep you posted on my progress.
Nikki

My Clean Studio!

My studio, scrap room, play room... there are so many names that I could call it, but I think I like "studio" best. It sounds more "official"-LOL. I have been wanting to do some re-organizing in there for a while and yesterday was the day. I cleaned, purged, vacuumed, re arranged...and totally got inspired to create. I love the feeling of everything in its place...all ready for me to mess it up again. :)
Dream, Design, Create
Nikki

A few miscelaneous photos...

...i have been meaning to post.

Brody with Grandma Gladys (his great grandma who is 92).
Riley, Nikki, Grandma Gladys, Brody and Dianne. (4 generations)
Big Blue eyes...eating a Zwieback toast.
Riley's first fish with his new "Cars" fishing pole.

Nikki

I have been tagged

...as a Rockin' Girl Blogger!!! Thanks Linda.

Now I get to tag 5 girls... Kim, Karen, Jessi, Charlene and Tammy.

Now you Rockin Girl Bloggers have to take the tag, put it on your blog and nominate 5 people on your blog.

Dream, Design, Create

Nikki

5 ways to

...open your blog post with a bang. http://www.copyblogger.com/5-simple-ways-to-open-your-blog-post-with-a-bang/ Check out this informative article.
This is my web wednesday tip.
Nikki

2007 Goals

I posted a challenge a couple of weeks ago about your goals and how important it is to write them down... the challenge was to include them in a LO...well, here is mine: TFL

Nikki

PS the layout is acutally done on a transparency (that is why the background looks black), oh and that awesome scalloped circle punch is coming to K2, all the Autumn Leaves circle stamps fit inside perfectly!!!

ATC class July14th

ATC class is going to be changing...for the better!!! (yes, it will be FREE!)
We are going to be doing a more structured class each month where I will be teaching 4 new techniques. Because of this change we are going to provide a sign up sheet where you can sign up and leave an e-mail addy so I can send everyone a list of supplies to bring for that month. This will be starting for the August 11th class.

For my ATCers this month we are going to be trying out a new stamp technique.
Bring a variety of stamps, an embossing pad, embossing powder (clear or white if you have it), and a heat gun. You will also need acrylic paint, and a foam brush. The class is free and is from 1 till 3pm.

(I will have all the above supplies with me so if you do not have them, no worries!)
Don't forget to bring all your other ATC supplies so you can stay and play after we try out the new techniques.
Dream, Design and make ATC's
Nikki

"Bag of Ugly"

A couple of weeks ago Jessi posted a challenge to me and the other local girls to complete a LO using 3 items that she will provide to us. She gave me my "bag of ugly" (as she called it) and I had 3 weeks or so to complete it. So anyway, here is what I came up with. TFL.

My four items are the red fringe, purple flower, purple pom poms and the gold thread (which came from a gold cord which I took apart and used some individual threads).

Thanks for the fun challenge Jessi!

Dream, Design, Create

Nikki

PS I think Amanda rocked this challenge!!

Creating a Photo Collage

Check out this great step by step video tutorial by Jessica Sprague on how to create a photo collage http://www.creatingkeepsakes.com/mag/article.ihtml?index_field=1943&issue=

Dream, Design and Photoshop

Nikki

PS I downloaded the trial version on PSE 5.0, oh my so much more user friendly than my 7.0!!

Catchlights

Read this awesome article on "catchlights"...I promise it will inspire you to pick up your camera and start taking pictures!
http://twopeasinabucket.kaboose.com/cg_main.asp?cmd=display&seed_id=14032
Nikki

Favicons

(Taken from Renee Pearson's blog www.reneepearson.typepad.com, and here is the direct link to her post http://reneepearson.typepad.com/fertilepress/2007/07/digital-monda-2.html)
Renee is the one who wrote "Digital Designs for Scrapbooking 1 and 2.

"Favicons, short for "favorite icons" are small icons used by most browsers to identify your site (or blog page). It appears in the address bar to the left of the URL when you are viewing a site."

When you click on her site, you will see hers. She will walk you step by step on how to make one for your own blog! I can not wait to try this out. Hopefully I will get time to play with this tonight!
Dream, Design, Create
Nikki

Photography Tips

I thought to go along with the photography challenge I posted this past week, I would post some photography tips. I was doing some research for myself and thought I would share what I found... here is the site I got the info from if you want t o go and check it out yourself. http://library.thinkquest.org/28146/composition.html

Most of us know these "tips", but a refresher is always good:

1.simplicity (too much in the picture is distracting)

2. framing (to give depth)

3. balance (asymmetric is usually better than symmetric)

4. direction of movement (leave space in front of a subject that is capable of moving)

5. diagonals (linear element are usually viewed more dynamic if diagonal than if horizontal)

6. rule of thirds (tic tac toe board)

7. viewpoint (higher/lower than subject)

Here are a few (there are tons more out there) photography sites I found:
http://www.professionalphotography101.com/

http://www.jenniferburrell.com/

http://wiki.photoblogs.org/wiki/Photography_101

Dream, Design, Photograph
Nikki

7/7/7

Luck of the Irish... TFL

Nikki

Photography Challenge

One of my fellow DT members Cami at Scrap Galaxy issued a July photography challenge and I thought I would share because I thought it might be fun to see some of my local girls participate as well!
Here is the link to the thread in our fourm:http://scrapgalaxy.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=5053 and here is the list of 20 items:
1. Clock
2. Fence or gate
3. Dew (hint...try a spray bottle if need be)
4. Bubbles
5. Insect
6. Apples
7. Something on a car (the front grille...hubcaps...make it interesting!)
8. A reflection
9. Numbers
10. Buttons
11. Something red (I liked that one last time!)
12. Rocks
13. Lace
14. Something sports related
15. Hands
16. Flower
17. Clouds
18. Ice
19. Ray of sun
20. Something spiral

Dream.Design.Create.
Nikki

A very cool site...

http://www.pandora.com/ Do you like to listen to music? Well, you can go onto this site and "make" as many radio stations chosing the type of music you want to hear on each station and then all it plays is music from that artist and the like. No commercials and it is FREE. Too Cool!

Nikki

Happy 4th of July

I am reminded by our freedom everyday when I think of my friends and family that are in the military. You have my deepest appreciation and thanks.

(standing with my hand across my heart)
"I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands. One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."
-The Pledge of Allegiance

Love, Nikki

A few more LO's

Lori took those photos of me and Riley last summer in Wisconsin. Everytime I look at the photos of Riley with his face smashed up against the playground glass I crack up and I just love how that LO turned out. TFL

Dream, Design, Create

Nikki

K2 Weekly Challenge

Allright, I can hardly believe that 2007 is half over already... my challenge to you this week is to create a LO and include the goals you want to achieve by the end of this year. The goals can include life goals, physical goals, creative goals anything you want. (Just like lists, they say that if you put it down on paper you are more likely to achieve it!) I am going to work on this today and will post my LO as soon as I am done.
Thanks for participating. There will be a RAK for the winner.
Dream, Design, Create
Nikki

PS Patricia and Cathy your fabric RAK is at the store. Patricia I forgot to tell you when I saw you friday night.

Happy Anniversary

to us... 7 years ago yesterday we were married, and 7 years ago today we were getting on a plane to go on our honeymoon to Prince Edward Island, Canada!! In some ways it feels like yesterday and others if feels like a lifetime ago. Anyway, this day brings warm and fuzzy feelings for Sean and me.
Nikki

Happy Birthday...

to you, Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to Riley, Happy Birthday to you!

I love you Riley. I can hardly believe you are 3 already. What a big boy you are.







Love, Mommy
(this post is a little late, he turned 3 last weekend-LOL)

Marysha's Baby Shower

My dear friend Marysha is having a miracle baby in a couple of months. I am so happy for her. This is a blanket and birp clothes I made for her baby shower.

I Love You.

Nikki