Void Where Prohibited

Kick Ass Halloween Idea

Nikki — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 20:02:11 +0000

By far the most creative Halloween crafting I saw this year. Click on the picture below to check out much more of this awesomeness.

Bling your TV

Nikki — Sun, 30 Oct 2011 13:45:51 +0000

So what happens when you are desperate to avoid unpacking boxes after your SEVENTH move in 3 years…you start looking at an old TV you just hauled up three flights of stairs and think to yourself, “Self, you should throw that ugly thing out…OR!…wait for it, new idea…I bet you could waste HOURS making that billion-year-old TV look less boring…Why, yes indeed I could and I will! Thanks for the great suggestion, self. You’re so thoughtful!”

And thus I present to you, in shocking 2-D, the birth of a blinged-out TV:

Take one boring, free, mostly functional TV..

Add some thinned out acrylic paint,

Add a liberal amount of Mod Podge and paper,

And still more layers of acrylic paint and some gold swirly paint,

And you have successfully killed a potentially productive day of work and now have a TV that, while still not nearly as impressive in picture quality as everyone else you know…BUT…way more fun to have in your living room.

Total cost:
Zero
(Free TV + craft stuff just sitting around.) Booyah!

Big Changes Coming!!!

Nikki — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 20:16:29 +0000

First: I should be able to start posting again!!! Yay!

Second: I now live in Germany! So this blog will have weekend travel coolness in addition to crafting and cooking new food. Give me a minute to settle into my new place and I will get back to posting.

Talk to you all soon!

Tschüs!

(Bye!)

(Pronounced similar to”Choose,” or “Chews” Hard on the “Ch” sound with a slight “t” in front)

It’s Christmas Eve and I’m Googling artists…

Nikki — Sat, 25 Dec 2010 01:54:43 +0000

Ahhhhhhhh…..

A blessed day of doing nothing important except marveling at how talented people are. Here’s a very small sample of some fantastic illustrators that I found today.

(ps. I graduated Basic and OCS, but still have another 1/2 year of schooling ahead of me, so no crafting just yet. BUT I did make a baby blanket and a scarf while camping with the Army. Yup, this girl brought yarn and crochet needles to the woods. Making the military crafty one project at a time )

Here are some sketches I made if you’re interested…I think I’m going to try to get back into drawing if I have any free time at school.

Merry Christmas. And God bless us, every one.

Handmade Climbing Chalk Bag…Made just for ME!

Nikki — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 02:11:22 +0000

I cannot tell you how excited I am about this. This is the FIRST time anyone other than my mother has made something for me by hand. AND I HEART IT!

My climbing buddy was offered a job in Alaska and she made this for me before leaving town. Say it with me…”Awwwww…” Now for the amazing part, this is TOTALLY handmade. She did all of the stitching by hand – no sewing machine was used. Wow.

Seriously, it even has a tiny, lined pocket!

THANK YOU DAX!!!!!! Best of luck in your job and travels!

Doctor Who Scarf: Progress Report

Nikki — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 02:01:15 +0000

I promise, PROMISE, promise this will be done one day. I’ve been out and about having adventures so I only knit while watching instant-view Netflix these days. Which isn’t that often. (This winter I took up SCUBA diving, kayaking, rock climbing, running, and I hit the gym a lot getting ready for basic training…oh! and I went skydiving once too…all in all, it’s been a busy outdoor kind of Florida winter.)

However, I fit in a block or two of color every few weeks and, since I last updated you on my progress, I’ve added about four feet to the scarf as well as woven in all the lose ends except for the rows I added last week.

Please note, I'm six feet tall...

Only six more feet to go!

Superwoman posing in my PJs and scarf. That's how I roll.

Irish Car Bomb Brownies: Guinness Brownies with Jameson and Bailey’s Cream Cheese Frosting.

Nikki — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 16:42:27 +0000

Sorry, we were too excited about this to take pictures BEFORE we dug in

First let me thank my friend Jen for introducing this into my world…You rock! This is already my new ‘go to” birthday gift for everyone.

Let this sink into your brain for a moment: Guinness, Bailey’s, Jameson, AND chocolate…all in one glorious concoction.

Brownies:

3 oz Baking chocolate (unsweetened)
6 oz butter (unsalted)
3 lg eggs
13 oz sugar (50/50 white and brown is yummy)
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp vanilla extract
5 oz all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp Baking Soda
1/3 cup Guinness
(OR, if you are in a hurry (or lazy), grab a box from the store and substitute Guinness instead of water…it won’t taste quite as good as homemade, but it’s quick and easy – great for last-minute plans.)

Preheat oven to 325 and make sure the rack is in the middle.
Melt chocolate and butter in a double-boiler over low heat while stirring. When just melted remove from heat, stir in beer.
Whisk together eggs, sugar, vanilla, and salt until smooth and light.
Add chocolate mixture to egg mixture and whisk until smooth.
Mix flour and baking soda into chocolate batter and stir until well combined
Pour into 9×13 pan (don’t forget to spray with some Pam.)
Bake 50-60 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean.

Frosting:

6 oz cream cheese
1 1/2 tbsp milk or cream
3/4 cup powdered sugar
Splash of Bailey’s
2 splashes of Jameson

Beat the cream cheese and milk until it is as fluffy as you can make it, gradually add in sugar and then finally the alcohol.

And that’s it…heaven on earth. Go ahead, tell your friends you’re bringing this over and just see if they don’t cry a few tears of joy.

“Sleep Talkin’ Man” is my new HERO!

Nikki — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 22:28:32 +0000

This link is NOT for the kiddies eyes…but, oh Sweet Jesus, I can hardly breath from laughing so hard. Here is a sampling of the more PG sleep ramblings his wife posted lately. I would LOVE to know this dude.

“My bagder’s gonna unleash hell on your ass. Badgertastic!”

“No, not the cats. Don’t trust them. Their eyes. Their eyes. They know too much.”

“Just look at yourself. Yeah, now look at me. You don’t stand a chance. It must suck to be you, I’m sure.”

Baked Plantains. Why has no one told me about these before!!!

Nikki — Sun, 10 Jan 2010 03:10:14 +0000

I had baked plantains for the first time while eating out with some friends and I cannot wait to make them at home!

I think this recipe is the closest I can find to what I had at the restaurant. I think the ones I had were lightly dusted with some sort of thin batter…the outside was a little bit more crispy and golden than what is seen in this picture. I’ll let you know how it works.

Best Dang Salad I’ve had in a while!

Nikki — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 02:56:05 +0000

One day I will upload a picture of this…but since I heard about this I eat it too quick to pause for the camera. The novelty should wear off soon, maybe, perhaps, well we’ll see…oh dear…Is it possible to OD on salad?

Easy Peezy recipe:

Dressing – Rice vinegar/Oil/some Sugar (in portions that taste good to you)
Almond slices
Crumbled up dry Ramen noodles (for crunch)
Craisins
Spinach or Spring Greens
Shredded chicken

Enjoy the Awesome!