~~Niki's Cards~~

I Love You Every Day Poem

2010-03-26T14:15:00.001-07:00

I just wrote this poem, it should be a song!

Lord.. Sitting here alone,
Reading in your word,
Hearing your voice,
the most precious thing I've heard,

I'm so grateful for your love,
so grateful for your heart,
so grateful for you,
if I could only start.

To stop doing things alone,
doing things on my own,
without you i'm nothing,
you satisfy all my longing,

To know,
I will see you in the sky
To be with you forever,
Is a joy I must confide

So I turn to you now,
I cling near to your feet,
hold me close to you,
to your heart I will always seek

Your love is like a song,
Your word is like a lamp,
tears falling down,
my face is damp

Not ashamed to say,
I love you every day.
I'm blessed by your mercy,
and peace that set me free.

Sympathy Card

2010-03-24T08:38:00.001-07:00

Here is a beautiful card I made for a dear friend. First card I've made in a very long time! I used vellum for the overlay and used a stamp for the top. Under the vellum is a cricut cut out that I embellished with stickles and ink. The inside is a paper punch which I embellished with stickles and ink. I placed them over the florish stamp. Enjoy!

Inside:

The Beauty Of

2010-03-18T15:34:00.000-07:00

I wrote this poem but I'm not sure if I'm done yet. I also have some projects and a new card I made and will post it soon. I really love this poem and wanted to share.

The Beauty Of:

The beauty of
a hovering black cloud,
surrounding the sky,
with thunder so loud,

Majestic and grand,
with sounds of the sky,
awake and alive,
I just watch, and I sigh.

It's like a painting,
from Your hands,
Oh Lord the beauty,
shadows all over the land.

A touch of light,
seeps through the storm,
appears a rainbow,
Hope in beautiful form.

Saying Sorry

2010-03-08T21:39:00.000-08:00

Just some thoughts I had, and placed them together in a poem. I was thinking about how people don't seem to apologize anymore for their wrong-doings, but rather instead, they try to justify their wrongs.

***James 5:16 (NIV) 16Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.***

Saying Sorry
is not just words,
it needs to be felt,
and not just heard

Sorry is closure
That someone needs,
not just lying words,
that can mislead.

Sorry needs to be said
Sorry needs to be told,
Sorry comes from the heart,
it can't be bought or sold.

When you have offended,
or done wrong,
sorry means you have regret,
don't wait too long.

Have you ever said it?
Have you heard of forgiveness?
If you won't do it,
you will become a big mess.

Have you ever given it thought,
that you need to come clean,
for you have broken my heart,
you were very mean.

Maybe you weren't taught,
to put someone above yourself,
to care enough to be honest,
not put them on a shelf.

Maybe you think it will cost you,
Saying sorry can be a sacrifice,
but think of what Jesus has done,
it cost Him a bigger price.

So please apologize,
for I am worth your time,
forgiving is important,
it's not just another line.

I wait for that day,
where we can rejoice,
together in forgiveness,
Hoping you make the right choice...

It's Up To You

2010-03-05T12:18:00.000-08:00

Wish you would tell the truth
instead of hiding behind her lies
From you I have endured
many nights of cries

If you just stop,
let go and let God
Speak only the truth,
instead of being a fraud

For someday
you shall face,
the white throne.
Judgement or Grace?

It's your choice,
but choose wisely,
for God loves the truth,
from lies you must flee.

So please Say,
the absolute truth
of your actions,
so this trial will loose.

It's all up to you,
to follow the pack,
or stand up for peace,
His Grace will never lack.

Forgiveness is free,
His love is forever,
He will forgive your sins,
and remember them never.

I pray you choose Him
I pray you get this straight,
Please don't wait,
Please don't be late.

Titled: What?

2010-02-28T16:33:00.000-08:00

Another poem I just wrote :-)
What?

It's mind boggling
To be erased
from many lives
and they don't seem fazed.

Do they not see?
What they are doing?
That it's not just me
they are throwing?

The Lord called us
to live in peace
bearing each other's burdens
it's not just a short lease.

But I have been erased,
I've done all that can be done,
I sit here and watch,
all of them run.

I'm okay,
I'm sad for them all,
wish they knew better,
it's hard seeing them fall.

I wait for them to see,
for them to realize
the harshness they brought,
and the assumptions and lies

I'm okay,
they need not worry about me
I'm praying for them
to open their eyes and finally see.

Poem I wrote

2010-02-27T09:49:00.000-08:00

Poem I wrote. No need for comments, just needed to get some stuff off my chest.

Happy Birthday

I keep thinking
I'm better off without you
how sad to say
but it's very true

You were a poison
spreading to willing ears
how sad the things you do
causing me so many tears

You tried making me think
all this was all my fault
but it was you,
and the bad things you thought

One way out
The answer is in the book
Not Dr's or PhD's
Only God's word, please look

Lies destroy,
Lies, slander, Betrayal,
but with Jesus,
How can you fail?

So remember this,
The truth will set you free
Cry out to Him,
Grace has no fee

He gives Grace freely
to all that come to Him
we don't deserve it,
His blood washes away the sins

Freedom is a gift,
sinners live in bondage,
slavery they put themselves in,
It's a choice to change.

Think of how it will feel
to be real before God,
and His people
and not be a fraud

To finally walk alongside,
abiding in the Lord,
His blessings bestowed upon you,
all in one chord.

He will forgive you,
all you can do is ask,
He's done it for all of us,
It's His favorite task.

I pray you choose Him
I pray you choose Truth
I pray you get real,
That is the deal.

Interesting

2010-01-28T11:39:00.000-08:00

It's been an interesting and busy time for me in the past 7 months! But the Lord is good and all is well. I haven't crafted in a while, but I have started a new Cross Stitch project that is absolutely beautiful. It might take years to complete. Hope not! Hope to start a new scrapbook soon for my girl's dancing hobbies and recitals.
Excited about two of my best friends have moved right in the same city! I'm excited to start a cooking project with them every month for us and the kids and looking forward to the fellowship together with our families.
I'm amazed at my little girl, with how well she is reading. She is reading novels already! She is a little bookworm for a 6 year old. I'm blessed with how my oldest daughter plays her guitar. She is going to go to High School this year, wow! How come they grow so quickly? Just counting the blessings, and these are just a few I love to share.
Here is a great thing to think about: Philippians 4:8 (NIV) Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.

Snow White Inchie

2009-07-27T23:58:00.000-07:00

Here is my Favorite Snow White in an inchie! It is 1x1 inch big. It's prettier in person, since it is so small. I found a scene of her cottage in the internet and I re-sized it to fit perfectly. I embellished the background with stickles. For Snow White, she was a stamp that I had found at a dollar store and I heat embossed it with black distress embossing powder so it shines. I colored her in with markers and a peach color prismacolor pencil. I used the Glitter pen jelly roll to do the sleeves, and red stickles to finish off the lips and bow and sleeves.

Tinkerbell Inchie

2009-07-27T23:54:00.000-07:00

Here is a Tinkerbell inchie for a disney swap. It is a 1x1 inch piece of artwork that people share and trade and collect. I found a woods scene graphic and re-sized it to fit. Tinkerbell is a tiny stamp I had found at a dollar store. I colored her in with green and peach prismacolor pencils and green and diamond glitter stickles. I used peeled paint distress stickles for the background.

Donald Duck Inchie

2009-07-27T23:51:00.000-07:00

Here is my Donald Duck inchie for a disney swap. An inchie is 1x1 inch piece of artwork that people collect and trade or use to embellish crafts. The background is a cartoon I found on the internet and I shrank it to fit. The sand is with Antique Linen distress stickles and Donald was from a stamp I had and I cut him out. I colored him in with prismacolor pencils and stickles and markers.

I love how he looks like he is running around!

Little Mermaid (Ariel) Inchie

2009-07-27T23:48:00.001-07:00

This is for a disney inchie swap. An inchie is 1 x 1 inch of artwork. People trade and collect them.
I used green cardstock paper, and put a background stamp on it with rose coral ink. I highlighted it with the gelly glitter pen. I then stamped with aqua ink on white cardstock paper, and cut those out by hand for her background. Ariel was a tiny stamp I found a while ago at the dollar store. It is so tiny it was hard to get all the features, but I did my best.
Here is Ariel:

Her face was colored in with prismacolor peach, and the hair was colored in with marker and highlighted with the glitter jelly roll pen.
Thanks for looking!

Hand Painted Wood Box

2009-07-27T23:41:00.000-07:00

I painted this for a swap, and I'm so excited about it. It was hard to part with! She loved ladybugs and so I put my own spin on it. I painted in acrylics and it turned out amazing. Here are the pictures:

Front View of Box.

The scene on the lid.

Another scene on the lid.

Closer View

Side view!

A surprise scene inside the box!

Close-up of the inside scene!

Rock/Goth Altered Paint Can

2009-07-22T16:19:00.000-07:00

Here is the front of the can.

I used cricut design studio with storybook cart for the name. I used the EK success punch for the border. I sewed with the sewing machine for the trim, in metallic red.

I used a stamp to embellish in stazon black ink.

I had a great stamp for the top and I heat embossed with some distress black embossing powder. I sewed metallic thread for the border.
Here is the back:

Here is a close-up of the hand stitch work I did for the motif. It's 2 corner parts, put together to make one big piece. I embellished the middle with a prima flower. For the bottom border, the black cut-out is a quickutz border die cut.
Here is the chain I used:

I think it rocked it! I wrapped it around the handle with black fuzzy yarn.

Thanks for looking, I'm very proud of this one!

Red ATC Card

2009-07-18T08:32:00.000-07:00

Here is an Artist Trading Card from the same color swap. (ATC= 3 1/2 x 2 1/2) I chose red. I had a picture in my mind of what I wanted to do of red sunflowers and ladybugs. I decided to paint in acrylics! It was a challenge as we aren't supposed to use any other color. I had to mix whites with red, and black with dark red, so I can get the shading of things going okay. I really like the result! I sewed the trim on the bottom, and embellished with some red glitter paint on the leaves and inside the flower. I used red stickles and burgundy stickles to create the ladybugs.

Pink ATC Card

2009-07-18T08:28:00.001-07:00

There was a challenge to make a color of your choice Artist Trading Card. (ATC= 3 1/2 x 2 1/2 inches) My color was pink. You can't use any other color. So you are supposed to make it with 3 shades of pink and use a technique of your choice. I used sewing. I had paper that had pink sewing on it and I sewed a frame around it. I used 2 colors of stickles to embellish the rose. I used sizzix sizzlets to make the rose and the fern leaf. I'm not sure if I like this, but, I guess it is okay.

Copic Marker Blog Candy

2009-07-11T06:10:00.000-07:00

Here is a blog with a chance to win copic markers!

http://charmedcrafts.blogspot.com/2009/07/another-blog-candy-with-twist.html

A Poem I wrote

2009-07-05T22:04:00.000-07:00

Here is part of a poem I wrote last week, felt very inspired. This is the second half:

He is the ALMIGHTY,
you are not,
So get off the throne,
that is HIS spot.

Take up the cross,
every day,
because He says,
or it's your loss.

May God bless you
and Keep you,
Be careful how you live,
He wants you to give

Mercy and grace
to others,
not at a slow pace,
put on a real face

as you have a mask
you hide with such task,
then you can, Be His Guest,
At His food-fest!

He can set you free,
from this disease,
Sorry is all you need,
forgiveness and mercy.

The gift is free.

Manatee Rescue ATC (Sea World Swap)

2009-07-02T09:52:00.000-07:00

Here is another Artist Trading Card (ATC) I made for the Sea World Swap. It is 3 1/2 by 2 1/2 inches. I picked Manatee Rescue as the theme as it's my favorite! Here are all the supplies I used:
Light Green Cardstock
Dark Blue Cardstock
Black Cardstock
Water Print Paper
3 Colors of Glimmer Mist
Pearl, Sea Glass, And another blue one, I forgot what color
Silver, Aqua, Blue, Cats Eye ink
Cricut Seaweed from: Life's A Beach
Glitter Jelly Pen
Silver Ice Stickles
Zig Pen glue adhesive

I sprayed the blue cardstock with 3 colors of glimmer mist and let it dry. The light green cardstock, I shaded with 2 colors of catseye ink, to seem like water.
I printed out the title from a picture and added the font on glossy paper. Sea World logo from the internet also on glossy paper. I found the manatee picture on the internet, because they looked cute and happy. I used silver ink to shade the seaweed, the edge of the blue cardstock and on the base. I used the Jelly Glitter pen to make the bubbles and highlighted it with ice stickles

Sea World Vacation ATC Card "Seahorse Aquarium"

2009-06-22T13:44:00.001-07:00

Here is my Artist Trading Card (ATC) for the Sea World Vacation swap. I had fun with this one, using sea glass glimmer mist for the background, punches for the seahorses, and the cricut for the seaweed. I also had a neat stamp from The Angel Company, for the background seaweed.

Vegas ATC "It's Vegas, Baby!"

2009-06-22T13:39:00.000-07:00

Here is my Artist Trading Card (ATC) for the Vegas Swap. It is 3 1/2 inches by 2 1/2. We were supposed to use a lot of BLING, and I think I did that good! I used 8 colors! I was inspired by the Vegas lights, and the showgirl. I wanted one that was old-fashioned and classy looking. I also like the slogan "It's Vegas, Baby!" so that is it's name!

Also, when I was waiting for the glitter to dry on the cards, I lined up the girls, and here is a picture of the line-up:

Dance Recital June, 2009

2009-06-22T13:30:00.000-07:00

Finally the long-awaited pictures for the Dance Recital!
Here is Melody's Costume:

Melody did a Tap Dance number, and then a Ballet Dance number:
This is from the Dress rehearsal since you are not allowed to take pictures on the actual performance.

(Melody is 4th from the right above)

(Melody is on the left)

(above) this picture was taken at the dress rehearsal.

Here is Amanda before she was go to on, it was at the dress rehearsal. She thought it was cool to have her own mirror.

Below: Here is the dance with my husband and daughter at the dress rehearsal. They are in the center.

After the Performance:

It was a blessed time and weekend! Thank you for looking!

Father/Daughter Dance

2009-06-17T23:48:00.001-07:00

Here are a couple of pictures of my husband Ed, and our older Daughter Amanda. The dance recital is this weekend, we are all so excited! Our younger Daughter Melody is dancing in it as well for her Tap and Ballet. They have worked so hard, so it will be amazing to see them this weekend! Here are two pictures of the Father/Daughter Dance costumes. It will be a Swing Dance to: Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy. Will have more pictures later of the other costumes!

Psalm 28:7 The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to him in song.

1920's ATC Card

2009-06-17T23:41:00.001-07:00

I think this is my favorite Artist Trading Card as of yet! I really had fun with this Decade. Many events and things happened around that time so I tried to capture what I could to reflect it. The Card is 3 1/2 x 2 1/2 inches.
I used:
2 images I found on the internet and printed them out on glossy paper.
I went to wordle.com and made a word collage for this. It ended up not working out the way I wanted it to, but I like this one much more. So I cut them out and placed them.
Liquid Pearls in White. (For her jewelry)
I used Burgundy and Christmas Red stickles.
Silver, and Warm Red catseye ink for shading.
Zig Pen Glue
Cream, White, and Burgundy cardstock.

"Play Time" Title and Raggedy Ann Paper Doll

2009-06-17T23:39:00.000-07:00

Here is a cute Title and Paper Doll I just made for a fun swap!

"This Is The Life" Beach Theme ATC Card

2009-06-17T23:33:00.000-07:00

Here is another Artist Trading Card! It is 3 1/2 by 2 1/2 inches big. This is made with an Inkadinkado Stamp and StazOn Jet Black ink. I colored it in with my prismacolor pencils and used green stickles and yellow stickles. I used Navy cardstock for the background. It just makes me think of a relaxing day by the beach, reading a book! Love it!

Snow White ATC Card

2009-06-11T08:54:00.000-07:00

I'm making these ATC cards for a swap I'm in, this one is for the disney vacation swap. ATC cards are 3 1/2 by 2 1/2 size. I really liked making this one, it was great fun! ATC= Artist Trading Card
Here is what I used:
Snow white in size 1 3/4 inch on the cricut
water colors
water color paper for the background
stickles in 4 colors
flower brads in 3 colors
Navy Paper
Apple punch
White pen for highlight on apple.
Maroon ink for shading apple.

Uninvited Guests ATC

2009-06-11T08:46:00.000-07:00

This card was made for a swap I'm doing. It's summer theme and in misc. So I thought this card would be funny.
Here is what I used:
Blue, white, yellow cardstock
Various food studio g stamps
Prismacolor pencils
Black and yellow stickles
Glue zig pen
Background plaid stamp
Red glitter embossing powder for heat emboss
Black, red and green zig pens.
Blue Catseye ink for edges of blue paper.
So I cut out the card in yellow 3 1/2 by 2 1/2.
I heat embossed the plaid background with the red glitter powder for the tablecloth. I stamped and cut out each food item, colored them and glued them on. I drew the ants myself.

Thanks for looking!

Thank you for the Award!

2009-06-09T10:08:00.000-07:00

I GOT AN AWARD!!!!

Hey cool I got an award from: ~Crafty J's Place~ Thanks Jeri! Sorry it took me so long, okay I hope I'm doing this right. I'm so honored :-)

1: Thank the person who gave me the award and link to their blog (completed)
2: List 10 honest things about myself:

1. I love the Lord very much.
2. I'm blessed to have a wonderful and loving husband that is always on my side, he is my best friend.
3. My favorite scripture is: 1 Corinthians 2: 9 However, as it is written:
"No eye has seen,
no ear has heard,
no mind has conceived
what God has prepared for those who love him
It was preached the day I came to know the Lord, and it really opened my eyes.
4. My 2 daughters are so amazing, I enjoy spending time with them. I learn so much from them and we love to laugh together.
5. I'm blessed to have amazing friends
6. I like to do all kinds of art, I like the challenge of learning new things. It's so much fun to do.
7. I'm a deep thinker, I think about everything and pray about everything.
8. I love going to Disneyland!
9. I love to dig deep into God's word and study and I love to learn.
10. I miss my niece and nephews too much.

3:Put the award on my blog(Completed)
4:Pick 7 people to give the award to:

In no particular order.....
A Heart To Homeschool

Black Diamonds

Little Did She Know

Liz's Craft World

Scrap This, Craft That

Pixie Dust Creations

Lisa Loves Stampin And Craftin

"Pooh Jumps For Joy" Inchie

2009-06-02T19:29:00.000-07:00

Here is an inchie I made for my Daughter's Disney swap on the cricut board. I used 3 layers of cardstock, and found a neat watercolor picture to put in the background. I used copper glimmer mist over the pooh color paper. I colored his shirt with a marker. You can see the sparkle through the red of his shirt. He is from a punch my daughter had. I used red glitz stickles for the dots on the frame. Inchie: 1 inch work of art

She is really excited about this swap, thanks Jeri for your help with the swap!! You're awesome!

Refiner's Fire

2009-05-24T13:05:00.000-07:00

Been thinking about quite a bit lately of the process of fire and how they refine silver. It goes through a huge process, to take out impurities. We all have impurities! I know I do! Sometimes we go through trials and things so God can produce our Character, to become who He meant for us to be.
Malachi 3: 2 “ But who can endure the day of His coming?
And who can stand when He appears?
For He is like a refiner’s fire
And like launderers’ soap.
3 He will sit as a refiner and a purifier of silver;
He will purify the sons of Levi,
And purge them as gold and silver,
That they may offer to the LORD
An offering in righteousness.
4 “ Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem
Will be pleasant to the LORD,
As in the days of old,
As in former years.

Have you ever thought of the process it takes to purify silver? It's quite interesting. Here is a story I found on the internet:

Refining Silver

Some time ago, a few ladies met in a certain city to read the scriptures, and make them the subject of conversation. While reading the third chapter of Malachi they came upon a remarkable expression in the third verse: "And He shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver." One lady's opinion was that is was intended to convey the view of the sanctifying influence of the grace of Christ. Then she proposed to visit a silversmith and report to them what he said on the subject.

She went accordingly and without telling the object of her errand, begged to know the process of refining silver, which he fully described to her. "But Sir" she said, "do you sit while the work of refining is going on?" "Oh, yes, madam," replied the silversmith; "I must sit with my eye steadily fixed on the furnace, for if the time necessary for refining be exceeded in the slightest degree, the silver will be injured."

The lady at once saw the beauty, and comfort too, of the expression, "He shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver." Christ sees it needful to put His children into a furnace; His eye is steadily intent on the work of purifying, and His wisdom and love are both engaged in the best manner for them. Their trials do not come at random; "the very hairs of your head are all numbered."

As the lady was leaving the shop, the silversmith called her back, and said he had forgotten to mention that the only way that he knows when the process of purifying is complete when he sees his own image reflected in the silver....

--Author Unknown

So, I lay in bed last night, just praying that He can see Himself in me, like a mirror. I want to be the Moon, because it reflects the Sun!
~Niki

Decade: 1910's ATC

2009-05-23T19:21:00.000-07:00

Here is my very first ATC card! I'm so proud of it! I have never made these before but always wanted to. An ATC is an Artist Trading Card, of original art that people trade, sell, ect. The card is size 3 1/2 inch by 2 1/2 inch. You are supposed to layer the paper and sign the back. I'm involved with many swaps, and one of them is that everyone is doing decades. My Decade is the 1910's. This card is so pretty.

The card itself is white textured Bazzill paper. The background is a black cardstock. I found a print of a lady from 1910, I liked her hat and her smile. I printed it out on cardstock and tore the edges. Feathers were really big back then, so I accented with some fibers to resemble feathers. The Zipper was invented and became very popular in this decade so the trim on the top/bottom is part of a stamp by Fiskars, which I accented with silver Stickles. I found a newspaper article about the Titanic sinking and printed that out on cardstock and distressed it. The clock stamp I heat embossed using Ranger black fine detail embossing powder. I really love this result. I'm so excited, this card was so neat to make!

My Big Battle

2009-05-20T15:11:00.000-07:00

Well, weight loss is a funny thing! I have been trying to lose weight since January, and it goes up and down and up again, then down in a huge way. The weight still wants to cling to you, and I gotta kick it's butt off every single week! It's like a huge battle, and I want to win! I have lost about 21 pounds so far, and it's been quite fun to see the results, smaller pants, smaller shirts, nothing I had will fit anymore, it's quite crazy. I keep thinking, "More of Jesus and Less of ME" Literally. So that is what I really want in my life, More of Jesus! With His help, this weight battle will be won! He really has helped me! So every week that goes by, I have to really catch myself, making sure I eat enough calories, not the wrong things. At least I don't drink soda anymore, and the cravings for it have weakened, whew, what a relief! I usually keep a tally of how much I exercise every week, so now I have placed that tally on here. Anyhow, I just wanted to share what I have been going through. It's a BIG BATTLE and I wanna win it! These are just my random thoughts! :-)

Inchies, Twinchies and Trinchies Set!

2009-05-12T19:22:00.000-07:00

Here is a new project I just made. It's for a swap and these, they turned out so cute I'm going to have a hard time parting with them! Inchies are a new craze, they are little pieces of art, that fit on a 1 inche square. But this swap went a bit further, and wanted me to make a matching set of a 2 inch as well as a 3 inch square! Here is what I came up with.
I cut them on my cricut, using Zooballoo cricut cartridge, I cut 3 sizes of grass in 2 colors. Then I played with my cricut Hello Kitty and friends, and cut out the suns, and the Hello Kitty's and the flowers, OHH so cute! I shaded some clouds in the sky, with my catseye ink in white:

CD and Cereal Box Book!

2009-05-12T19:01:00.000-07:00

What can you do with old CD's and a cereal box??!!! I'm in this swap, and I'm new to altering things, and one of the things to do in this swap is to make something altered. I kept thinking about it and thinking about it until finally, I thought I would make a small book!
Materials:
Cricut Expression
Cereal Box
2 CD's
Bind It All
4 Sheets of 12x12 paper solid color
1 sheet of Print Paper
1 Brad
2 Flowers
Ribbon
Sponge Paintbrush
Stickles glue
Mod Podge
Cricut-"George" Cartridge using Circles
_______________________________________

I measured the CD's so I can cut paper on the Expression at 4 3/4 inches. I cut out all the circles of solid paper. I took apart the cereal box so the box will lay flat on the sticky mat.

I cut out four circles also at 4 3/4 inches on the expression. I had it set at the highest pressure and it cut out perfectly. I didn't need to change to the deep housing blade.

When I cut everything out, that was when I used my Bind it all to cut all the sides of the paper and CD's and cardboard, so when I glue it, it will come together perfectly.
I glued the cardboard on both sides of both CD's using Mod Podge. I glued the ribbon on the CD at that point so I will be able to tie it together to keep the book shut.

This is the print, I used it for the covers outside and inside, on either side of the cereal box.

I glued with Mod Podge the print onto the cardboard. I kept out the cover and embellished the front with flowers and a brad.

Then I binded it together!

Here it is!!! All done! Just put ribbon on the edge! It was great fun to make!

My First Altered Paintcan "Eeyore's Tail"

2009-05-08T14:50:00.000-07:00

Here is the front:

Here is the back:

Here is the lid:

Matching Card:

It was a challenge to make as she likes Eeyore, Red and Purple, I found this paper that was red, and had Eeyore blue on it, so I worked with this one! Since she loves Eeyore, I remembered he lost his tail sometimes, so I have tails all around the can for him to find! The back was made with the cricut cart: Mini Monograms, and the Name: Joyce was made with Storybook Font, Eeyore is with Pooh and friends.

My Short-Term Weight Loss Goal!

2009-05-08T14:29:00.000-07:00

I did it, I just found out today I have lost 20 pounds! I started on January 13th, and just dieted and exercised every week. I came up with a goal of working on the Wii fit every week at least 6 hours and eating right with my calories. It's paying off! It was slow going for the past month, I don't know why, but finally it paid off! I had a short-term goal, for motivating myself, to get a Cricut Cartridge! I get Wildcard! YAAA! SO I'm going to break open that cartridge tonight! Also, I'm wearing some capri's that I bought but was always too small for me. YAA! Now I need to figure out a new Short-Term loss goal. Another 20!
Thanks for reading :-)

My Daughter is a TEEN today!!

2009-05-04T09:44:00.000-07:00

Okay so today is the BIG day! My Daughter Amanda is 13. I can't believe it. She has grown up so much, she is amazing, beautiful and so talented. She has such a heart and passion for the Lord and also to play her guitar. It's been a joy to watch her grow up, and boy did these years go by very fast!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY PRINCESS! We love you!

Another Inchie!

2009-04-18T10:20:00.000-07:00

Here is my second inchie for a swap! I have 52 to make!
I used:
Grey Textured Bazzil
1 inch square punch
pattern paper
DMC thread in Burgundy
Cross Stitch Needle
Waterfall Stickles
Zig Writer in Black
Cat's Eye Ink in: Azurite and Prussian Blue for the edges and to shade the texture
Glue Zots

Thanks for looking!

My Craft Room!

2009-04-17T16:10:00.001-07:00

Finally, I got all my jetmax cubes assembled, and now I can post my craft room! I still need 2 more but there is no hurry. I do all kinds of crafts: tatting, knit, crochet, paint in oils and acrylics, needleworks, jewelry, you name it I probably can make it, mostly everything I do involves paper crafts, especially lately. So here is a peek into my obsession:

My Desk (Above) My dear friend Jeri made me matching covers for both my cricuts! They are awesome! I crocheted the doily on my chair.

My Paper (yes, I love groucho, I have had this puppet since I was 8 years old! I lost his glasses and cigar) My baby Bug's cover was also made by Jeri!

Here are my jetmax cubes, I love them!

My painting area

My Embellishment Center

I love this dresser, it used to be my daughter's when she was a baby. I re-purposed it in my room, she inherited her big sis's furniture!

My Closet Area.

Closet opened, lots of storage for my crafts! My Pazzles, and Jewelry and everything. It's also messy! Don't look! LOL

My Desk area. I found this desk at Joann's a few years ago!
Thank you for looking at my space!

Free Card Cut File

2009-04-15T12:23:00.000-07:00

I've been getting messages of people who would like the cutfile I made, of the birthday card below (scroll down to an older post)for the Cricut Design Studio. I finally figured out how to send them! If you would like the cutfile, please email me at: NikPik3@aol.com
The Cart I used is: Storybook
Here is a picture again:

Now that I have figured this out, I will be able to make more!

My First Inchie!

2009-04-11T20:27:00.000-07:00

Here is my first inchie for a swap.
I used:
Red Cardstock
Brown Cardstock
Textured Blue Paper
Textured Grey Paper
Blue Catseye Ink for the edge of blue paper.
Silver Catseye Ink for the cloud
An Umbrella Punch
Cinnamon Stickles for the glitter on umbrella top.
Glossy Accents for little tiny raindrops.
Each cloud was cut by hand.

I love how it turned out!

New Look!

2009-04-10T21:35:00.001-07:00

Hey I spruced up my blog again and I'm liking it! I lost everything though and need to start over with links!
I have 4 hours and 30 minutes on my Wii Fit for this week so far. I have 1 1/2 hours left to hit my goal for the week! That's a cinch!
Going to work on my craft projects now. I'm just about finished organizing my craft room, I re-did the whole thing. I need 2 more jetmax cubes to complete the design! I will be taking pictures soon.
Have a blessed Easter weekend! He is Risen!

Recent Cards

2009-04-07T19:16:00.000-07:00

Here are some recent cards I have made:
Here is a card I made for Hubby on Valentine's Day. Inside it says: A Wish Came True. I just love him! I love how this card turned out. I sewed a trim in Metallic Silver.

Here is a Card I made for a friend. It doesn't have too much on there, it's for a guy, a dear friend of ours!

A Rocker Card!

My Mom's Birthday card! I used Prismacolor Pencils, and had fun blending and shading! It was a stamp I used. I also used a stamp for the edge and used perfect pearls in pearl color.

Here is my Daughter's 13th Birthday Card, shh don't let her see! Her birthday is 3 weeks away! I used the Hello Kitty Cart, and I love how the cake opens up!

Goals!

2009-04-07T11:09:00.000-07:00

A dear friend of mine has been sending goals every week, and I have been sending mine to her. It's awesome because it's accountability for me, and it motivates me as I think it does her. Here are 3 of my goals: Random order
1. To do at least 6 hours on the Wii Fit this week
2. To keep reading in Revelations
3. To be more productive in my craft room and actually make something

So far I have been reading in Revelations, and I put 1:40 minutes on the Wii Fit! Now I need to kick my own butt and get in my craft room and make something!
I was reading in Revelations, and it's cool because in Rev 1:3 a blessing comes to those who read it, hear it, and keeps it, but it also said the time is near! I'm thinking if it was near then, how much more so is the time near now! Quite exciting!
I did make some cards recently, I will post later, I need to take pictures!
May God bless your day! :-)

Bringing Blog Back To Life Again!

2009-04-02T13:33:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it has been so long since I have posted on here. I just added some new gadgets to my blog. I also have many crafts and things I have made, so please check back and see what I do!
So much has been going on in my life. I have been trying to lose weight starting at the beginning of January. I just found out yesterday I have lost 16 pounds! WOOHOO! I'm wearing a smaller size jeans for the first time today! Thank God for the Wii Fit!
About Crafts, lately I have have been getting major into stamping. I just love ink and any kind of stamps! Especially Stampin up!
May God bless your day!

New Cards!

2008-09-03T10:11:00.000-07:00

I have made some pretty cards! I learned how to use the cricut design studio! So just wait, I will be making even more things now!
Here is one that I made my Niece for her birthday. I used the CDS (cricut design studio) and the cuttlebug for tinkerbell and some stickles for the glittering letters.
Here is a picture of the card when it is open so you can see the lettering on the edge of the card:

Here is a picture of the card as it is closed:

Here is a Belle Card from a Custom Order: (These are $6 and up) I love Belle and making it a girly pink card, it was fun to make! I used my cricut for two cuts, the Belle and for the background frame (Frame was from Storybook)

Here is a card from a Custom Order: I had fun with this, She wanted a Tea theme, and so I tried to make a table scene. She loves pansies so I hand cut out some stamps of the pansies, and colored them. I hand cut the vase. I used storybook to make the scallop table and the lettering. I used sizzix for the leaf in the vase, and the tag. I thought the lettering should be a tea tag which I stamped from a studio G stamp and attached crochet thread from the tag to the tea cup. The Tea cup was from Beyond Birthdays Cricut Cartridge. I embellished it to match and hand-drew the flowers on the saucer. The doily on the table was a fiskars round punch. The recipient's name was Katie so it just fit perfectly! She loves tea!
Here is the card:

Thanks for taking a look! Leave a comment or email me: NikPik3@aol.com

My Friend

2008-08-12T07:27:00.001-07:00

A wonderful card you can send to a wonderful friend!

$5.00

I Heart You Card!

2008-08-12T07:25:00.001-07:00

Here is another card, It's very romantic and fun! $5.00 for sale.

Any questions, please let me know! NikPik3@aol.com

GORGEOUS Card For Sale!

2008-08-11T12:30:00.000-07:00

Here is a beautiful card I made for sale! I will list more later! Let me know if interested! $5.00
Thank you for looking!

My Latest Creations!!

2007-10-20T12:16:00.001-07:00

Hello everyone, hope you are having a great October! Here are my latest card and Christmas tag creations! Thanks for looking!
__________________________________
Here is a card I made for a card swap I'm in. I used a small amount of coral colored cardstock and embossed some flowers on there and highlighted with copper ink. Then I added a flower to match. On the brown paper, I sewed around the edge with coral embroidery thread, and highlighted the edges with copper ink again. I I used a flourish stamp and gold powder and I heat embossed the background. I used my cricut and cut out the Sentiment.

Here below is just a simple sympathy card I made for a dear family. I used the cricut for the sentiment. I inked with olive green the edges and the flourish stamp. I added the paper flower.

Here is a new card idea I thought would hold a friend's gift-card. I used fancy embellished paper, and pearl paper for the background and stamped it with some stamps to decorate and tied it off with a silver ribbon.

Here are some tags I made for a Christmas tag swap:

This tag below opens inside like a card, and I used pearlized paper, it is stunning in person!

More Cards!!

2007-08-23T19:13:00.001-07:00

Here are some great cards I just made. I love sewing on cards, it's great fun! Here is a card I made for a dear friend. I used the Cricut for the "Thanks", a stamping up stamp for the border leaf on the right. Also used bronze color ink to distress the edges of everything, and finished off with some sewing with burgundy thread.

Here below, I made a birthday card. I used glitter paper, and sewed it together. I used a happy birthday stamp with white ink and then inked all edges with bronze ink, and used a flourish clear stamp to decorate the red paper. I finished it off with sewing in gold thread and a flower embellishment.

Here is a pink birthday card I made for a special little girl! She loves Tink, and so I used a tink punch for the tag. I made some flourish's with the sizzix, and colored them in gold ink. I used hand-made paper for the background. It already had stitching on it.

Here is a card I made for my Sister's Wedding. Her theme was red roses. I drew the flourish's by hand and glittered them. I used the sizzix for the cake, and a rub-on for "Love".

Thanks for looking!! :-)

Cards and Bridal Shower Invite

2007-08-18T17:49:00.001-07:00

Here are some more cards!! This first one was for my Mom: I loved using the flourish stamp, that was great fun!

This one was the invites for my Step-Sister's Bridal shower, I made 29 of them! They turned out gorgeous! Her theme was Red Roses, and Silver, and I found the perfect paper! I heat embossed the rose on the inside.

Here is a birthday card I embossed with the Cuttlebug. Ribbon trim and primas were a nice touch!

Thank you for taking a look!! Love, Niki

Cards!

2007-08-07T20:05:00.000-07:00

Here are a few more cards!! More to come!!

Samples Of My Cards

2007-08-04T14:11:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone!! Here are a few of my latest creations! I have many more and will get them on here soon. I make custom cards & invitations. It is such a joy for me! Please let me know if you have any questions, or email me for prices: NikPik3@aol.com
Thank you so much!!

~*~Niki's Cards~*~