WhiMSy love

Suprise For Me!!

2009-12-07T18:02:00.003-07:00

I've been getting holiday orders & inquiries since re-opening WhiMSy love, which is kinda funny 'cause everything is still packed up in boxes. Guess I better stop laughing & start unpacking huh?

Oh, also, my little town is supposed to get a major dump of snow tonight & in the next couple of days. Something about a possible state of emergency or something? Good times.

Wanna know something super sweet? When we arrived to our house there was food in lots of the cupboards--even homemade jellies & bread! The freezer was stocked with fresh meat. And drawers housed other kitchen accessories like paper towels & baggies. Awesome, right?

Ok, so do you want to know what the title of my blog is referring to? I received an email informing me that a certain passenger named Tia would be arriving for a visit on January 13th! Wheeeeeeee!!!!! She gets to stay until the 18th. I cannot wait! I'm counting down the days. 36 days left. We are not sure the town of Bridgeport is ready for this duo. We'll leave our mark for sure. At least a dent.

-Nikki

Week in Review

2009-12-07T00:00:00.001-07:00

THIS WILL BE A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT 'WEEK IN REVIEW'. CLICK HERE TO VIEW MY PHOTO MOSAIC. For some reason I can't figure out how to load a photo on here from my iPhone. Oh, & all of a sudden I got the CAPS situation resolved by switching to the old blogger. So silly. There wasn't an "Enter" button either, so everything jumbled without paragraphs.

Wheeeee! A new paragraph!

I die inside a little every time I blog without a photo. But the computer hooker upper guy should be here Wednesday. I just might have to bake him a pie or something. I'll be so happy to see him! Me + computer guy = BFF.

Honestly, I don't blame you if you skip town on this ole blog. Boring schmoring lately. But recently I was thinking how some people really struggle to format or theme their blog around a particular topic. Some really want to stick with crafty stuff. Or others strictly prefer a family blog. And then there are those with a passion to keep it all business-like. But my blog is all & everything mixed up in one. A long time ago I started to stress about it not being cohesive. But then I realized it's easier to let my blog be for me what I need it to be in any moment of any day. When I need my blog to fulfill my crafty cravings, she's there for me. When I'm in a picture-taking frenzy, she waits to upload every last photo. (Well, except this week. But it's not her fault.) And when I'm feelin' blue & need to get stuff off my heart-achin' chest, she let's me do that too. Or even when I babble on about my fantastic kidlets she anticipates all the silly quips & quotes.

And somewhere along the way I attracted an amazing audience. It baffles my crazy little brain, but I am so thankful that so many of you stick around & follow along. I feel uber cyber love.
-Nikki

Shop Now Open!!

2009-12-04T16:53:00.000-07:00

I DECIDED TO OPEN THE SHOP A FEW DAYS EARLY. WHY NOT?! AND, ACTUALLY, I'M REALLY EXCITED TO FINALLY HAVE IT OPEN AGAIN! ALTHOUGH MY HOME INTERNET WON'T BE HOOKED UP UNTIL LATER THAN I HOPED FOR, I THINK I CAN RUN MY ETSY SHOP WITH ONE FINGER FROM MY IPHONE. ALL ITEMS MARKED "MOVING SALE" WILL REMAIN AT THE SALE PRICES & I'LL RELOCATE THEM TO THE CLEARANCE SECTION OF THE SHOP. THANKS FOR YOUR PATIENCE WHILE I DO THIS ALL WITH ONE FINGER. NOW GO DO SOME SHOPPIN'!! -NIKKI

Shop 90

2009-12-04T13:32:00.001-07:00

Road trip to NE: day #2 & 3

2009-12-04T09:51:00.000-07:00

MY IPHONE HAS BEEN ACTING A BIT WONKY WHILE TRYING TO BLOG. IT SEEMS MY CAPS KEY IS STUCK. THE COMPUTER GETS HOOKED UP AT THE NEW HOUSE TODAY & I WILL JUST WAIT 'TIL THEN TO UPDATE. I HAD AN EMOTIONAL TIME SAYING GOODBYE TO MY PARENTS YESTERDAY. IT WAS ALL CRYING & TEARS LAST NIGHT. LOTS TO SHARE. HOPEFULLY I'LL HAVE A PEACEFUL MOMENT TONIGHT & GET TO USE ALL 10 FINGERS TO BLOG AWAY TO MY LIITLE HEART'S CONTENT!

Road Trip to NE: Day one

2009-12-01T22:02:00.000-07:00

I CAN'T FIGURE OUT HOW TO GET PICS ON HERE VIA MY IPHONE SO HOPEFULLY THIS LINK TO ONE OF THE PICTURES ON MY FLICKR PAGE WILL WORK. AND WHY ON EARTH THE CAPS WON'T GO AWAY IS A MYSTERY. WHAT A WEIRD POST HUH? http://m.flickr.com/#/photos/whimsy_girl/4151495197/ WE HAD BEAUTIFUL WEATHER, PERFECT SKIES, ONLY HIT A LITTLE PATCH OF SCARY FOG. WE TRAVELED FOR ABOUT 11 HOURS TODAY. IT WILL BE OUR BIGGEST DAY OF THE TRIP. WE ARE HOPING TO STOP & FIND SOME INTERESTING PLACES IF WE CAN TOMORROW. TODAY WAS A BIG PUSH BUT TOMORROW WON'T BE QUITE AS LONG. STILL LOTS OF CAR TIME BUT NOT LIKE TODAY. WE'RE ON OUR WAY TO CHEYENNE TOMORROW. I AM IN AWE AT THE BEAUTY OF OUR COUNTRY & THE SUPERBLY AWESOME WORLD GOD HAS MADE FOR ME. THE MOUNTAINS, THE SUNSETS, THE CLOUDS....ARE ALL PREZZIES WE GET TO RECEIVE EVERYDAY.

Week in Review

2009-11-30T09:52:00.000-07:00

I'm sure you can guess what my week was full of. Packing & moving!

It's so weird to think that next week's review will be filled with pictures of our road trip & sights of our new home & new town.

My heart is heavy today thinking of all the goodbyes that are soon to come, this being our last day here.

We leave bright & early tomorrow @ 6am.

I'll definitely be facebook-ing, so if you want, you can find me on facebook: Nikki Mans. Just let me know you're a blog fan so I know who you are. And I'll blog everyday too, via my iPhone, so there will most likely not be pictures. But I might be able to figure that part out.

After the house is sparkling clean I'll be running last minute errands & organizing our suitcases & 'to-go' bags.

Busy, busy.

I'm really excited about the road trip & adventure we're about to go on. I could not be more thankful that my parents will be traveling with us. They're fun people & I'm happy to share this portion of our adventure with them.

Gotta run. The cleaning crew is arriving soon (which includes Tia, my mom, my aunt, my grandma, my girls & me). Bring on the dust bunnies, dirt & grime!

Click HERE for a photo play-by-play.

♥

{the last supper}

2009-11-28T23:35:00.000-07:00

Still in my p.j.'s & packin' the kitchen with my mom. Little Zoey, in the background, has been ready to help in any way she can.

Tonight was "the last supper" with my family. We gathered at mom & dad's & had takeout from my favorite local bbq place. We played a few games of Wii bowling, tennis & baseball & had apple crisp for dessert. And then it was time to say goodbye to my brother & his family. I hugged my little brother & just lost it. I never thought it would be this hard to say goodbye. Really, I haven't had time to even think about the "goodbyes". And it just hit me hard tonight. I hugged him real good & just wailed & bawled & weeped. It just suddenly came over me. But my sweet brother is a sensitive soul. Which meant that he was wailing & bawling & weeping too. We were a pair, he & I. It wasn't pretty at all.

And then, on the sidelines, mom joined in.

♥

i ♥ not packing.

2009-11-28T00:25:00.000-07:00

This picture pretty much perfectly describes my day. The sepia tone really makes it special I think. The girls sat in front of the computer most of the morning & watched/listened to books while me & the Mr. put in a long day of pack-a-rackin'. (Tomorrow we finish!) Tia stole me away in the early evening for some coffee & shopping & I couldn't have been happier!

And I'm happy to say that the Saran Wrap has almost completed its mission. I hate that stuff. And I hate Mr. WhiMSy love talking about it. I threatened to wrap him in it while he slept. He'll wake up a plastic sheeted burrito, just you wait & see.

The highlight of my day? (Besides not having to help with the saran wrapping anymore?) I got an iPhone!!! A sweet prezzie from an even sweeter person. I feel so lucky! And it means I'll be able to blog/facebook/twitter while I'm on the road! Yahoo!

The first app I loaded was for facebook. {I'm cuckoo for facebook now!} The second one was for a rotary phone app. I LOVE it! It really works like one of those old rotary phones too. I got it from iRetrophone.com

In this photo I'm playing with my new toy while Tia, in the black coat, waits for our pizza dinner.

I'm thankful for friends who are superheroes & rescue me from all the madness.

♥

Roll Me To The Couch, Please.

2009-11-26T23:54:00.000-07:00

As is tradition on Thanksgiving: I ate too much. It's a lovely kind of "full", though. A happy sort of "stuffed". 21 of us gathered at my parent's house & it was the usual Turkey Day procession: Loud kids. Lots of yummy food. Too many people gathered in a cozy house=hot. Football on the television. Piles of dishes needing washed while I find some excuse to avoid helping out- such as a Wii bowling competition. Little ones getting tired & cranky. Time to leave. The End.

I left my camera at mom's house, so no photos this time around. How weird. I feel kinda naked.

More tape & moving paper will be purchased tomorrow so we can continue on with the packing. No, I didn't complete my goal of getting all packed up by Thanksgiving. But, we are ALMOST done & that is awesome! I feel like this is such boring stuff to talk about, but since I closed up my Etsy shop until December 7th & all my crafty things are packed away, I have nothing much else to do or talk about now.

Oh, I DID create a fan page for WhiMSy love on Facebook. A lot of you were asking about that. So, yeah, become a fan! It's in the beginning stages & I really have no idea what I'm doing. I want it to be a collaboration of happy & crafty. I'm not sure how to build upon that theme yet, but I'll learn as I go.

4 more days left to soak up time with my friends & family.

♥

sigh

2009-11-26T00:30:00.000-07:00

Mr. WhiMSy love is obsessed. He's gone crazy with this oversized roll of saran-wrap he purchased. In fact, he purchased two. You can buy these GINORMOUS rolls of clear plastic stretch-wrap for moving. It's a moving accessory really. {It goes great with anything. Plastic sheeting is the new black, so I hear.} You use it by wrapping large pieces of furniture so that drawers & cupboards don't fly open & spill out while you're trying to load 'em onto the moving van. Well, he'll wrap YOU if you stay still long enough. In fact, the photo shows proof of this statement. Almost every piece of furniture in this house is wrapped in that stuff. It doesn't matter if it has a drawer or a cupboard. It doesn't matter how big or little it is. That stuff makes him happy. Me, not so much. In fact, I had a meltdown late this afternoon.

I've had ENOUGH of packing. (And ENOUGH of monster rolls of plastic wrap.) We have gotten SO much done. But when I think about how much there STILL is to do, I get overwhelmed. So, I had a good cry. And then Mr. WhiMSy love tried helping me out by walking me from room to room so I could see all our progress. After I looked past all the shiny things covered in plastic I noticed that some of the boxes had been "tagged" with portraits of a giraffe...or a flower...or other drawings. My girls were walking around with markers in their hands on an official box decorating expedition. And stuff like that makes me happy.

Well, I better head to bed. Although, I'm not tired. And I keep thinking, while everyone else I know is probably preparing for tomorrow's holiday meal or visiting with their families that have arrived from out of town, I'm in my lonely, dark & quiet house, surrounded by smelly cardboard boxes & this empty room echoes with the typing of the keyboard...

*sigh*

♥

I'm One of the Cool Kids Now.

2009-11-25T12:44:00.000-07:00

Guess who joined Facebook? Yep, I gave in. I was gonna keep it on the down low, but I'm

having so much fun with it!

In this photo Tia & I are hanging out on our last Tia/Nikki date at a coffee shop. She's showing this newbie the ins-n-outs of Facebook. Oh, & quirky little sidenote: Sarah Palin will be signing books at that coffee shop/bookstore this Sunday! I think that's pretty neato.

♥

Goodbye Surprise Party for Me!

2009-11-24T00:00:00.000-07:00

I feel so loved. And surprised.

I thought I was going out to dinner with Tia tonight & then we get to the restaurant & the hostess leads us to a table of some of my gal pals! I had no clue. Awww, I feel so special. Thanks girls for a great night!!

Click HERE for a photo play-by-play.

♥

Week in Review

2009-11-23T01:00:00.000-07:00

I was really scraping by to get photos for my 'Week in Review' this week.

We are doing very well with the packing & I've still got my goal set to be finished by Thanksgiving. That would be TERRIFIC!! I can't believe that in a week there will be a moving van parked out front of our house full of all our stuff-n-things.

I've been having so much fun this week collecting all sorts of goodies, doo-dads & surprises to keep Zoey & Pazely entertained on the 3-day trip. They'll each have a shoe box full of happiness. And I'm so excited because while Mr. WhiMSy love & my dad will be traveling in the "Man Van" on our moving adventure, my mom & I are already planning secret side trips while we travel with the girls.

This week, it's all about visits with friends, hanging out with family, & last minute things to do.

Click HERE for a photo play-by-play.

{packing shmacking}

2009-11-21T23:18:00.000-07:00

I packed my art studio all day today. 15 boxes later, it's still not done. But, I did make a discovery. A GROSS one.

Let me back up....

Yesterday in my bedroom I came upon the BIGGEST spider ever. I could hear its legs as it moved across the surface of boxes & books on the floor. EW! I screamed so loud. And my scream---which is a phenomenon in itself---was broadcast far across our house, our street, our neighborhood, maybe even the universe. Of course I killed the spider. One big WHACK with my shoe did the job. If I had let it live I don't know if I would be able to sleep at night. Oh, & it was so big that it couldn't even move very fast. Double EW! I don't know where it was going or where it came from, but it gave me the biggest weebie jeebie's EVER!

SO... today as I'm cleaning my art studio I come across the BIGGEST spider hideout ever. It's got this large webby ball thing & webs all over. And, you know how you usually find little dead bugs hanging out in corners with the webs? Well, there are BIG dead bugs hanging out in this spider's corner. Oh, & the funniest thing is that one of my paper circle punches is attached to the web & hanging up like some decor.

I don't even want to get too close to this whole scenario happnening in the corner. Someone is gonna have to clean up that mess. And it's NOT gonna be me. All I know is that I HOPE I already killed whoever was living there, yesterday in my bedroom.

♥

Luckily we've been able to rescue & recycle boxes for packing from dumpsters behind some nearby medical buildings. But those (& other) resources are pretty much nil so we had to splurge today & buy some. I hate having to buy boxes. It makes me cringe to have to purchase a bunch of stupid cardboard. I don't know why, it just does.

I'm hoping all this packing here-n-there will help so that I won't have to stress about packing things up to the last minute in a whirlwind of panic & tears. I'm honestly hoping to be done packing by Thanksgiving so it'll be "a breeze" until we move 5 days later. That is my goal: to have an easy, stress-less moving experience.

But, enough of the packing today. I'm certain you'll get sick of me talking about it. Just so you know, this is like therapy for me. At the end of the day, I enjoy sitting down & just blabbing it all out, even if it doesn't make sense, even if the thoughts don't all go together.

I'm going to throw my flaxseed & lavender heat-pack in the microwave & give my lower back some relief. I'll watch a movie, sip some hot tea & cozy on the couch as a reward for a hard day's work.

♥

A Motto To Live By

2009-11-21T13:10:00.000-07:00

A month ago I hosted a giveaway for Sylvia C. for one of her popular Speak Your Mind bangles. To say "thank-you", Sylvia sent me one of my very own! Wasn't that sweet?!?! I got to choose my own saying & I wanted something lighthearted & fun. I think I succeeded, dontcha think?

I love how lightweight, yet sturdy, the bangle is. I hardly notice it's on.

Thanks Sylvia!

♥

Quick-Sew Envelopes

2009-11-20T15:31:00.000-07:00

I love sewing on paper & I thought I'd show off the envelopes I've been stitching up for mailing out orders.

They are super simple to make & have a lovely handmade charm to them. As you view the pictures you'll see my step-by-step method. But here are a few tips, or pointers:

*I use brown craft paper & sew the envelopes up on 3 sides using a zig-zag stitch. The thread is very random---whatever bits are leftover on my bobbins! (And if one envelope has 3 or 4 colors, I like it even better!)

*Decorative scissors embellish the envelope flap.

*Make up some smaller envelopes for an adorable presentation of a gift card or some holiday cash! (Use double stick tape to hold the flap down.)

*Kidlets can help decorate the heck out of these too: stamps, crayons, markers, paint, glitter, stickers, etc.

{That sweet deer stamp makes me giddy!}

♥

Super Giveaway Coming Up!

2009-11-19T13:08:00.000-07:00

The CSN stores contacted me about doing a review & hosting a giveaway on my blog. So, I naturally zoned in on the crafty supplies & chose this SUPER nifty Beta Box Arts & Crafts box. {In pink, of course!} I'll be receiving one shortly, giving a review AND one lucky winner will recieve an Arts & Crafts box too! Yahoo! The winner will get to decide their color choice.

Check out the CSN Stores for everything from nursery furniture to pet furniture, from shoes to puppets. (Yes, even the kitchen sink.)

Stay tuned for this fabulous giveaway!

♥

FREE SHIPPING!

2009-11-19T10:19:00.000-07:00

free shipping this weekend on all

Bug Catcher/Treasure Keeper Necklaces !!

{20th, 21st & 22nd}

(And FYI: Since the girls & I have been making up a bunch of these to sell at the craft show that we now can't attend due to the move, I'll be stocking the shop today with our newest necklaces. I'll even let my blog fans pre-order their favorites. So, message me your choice & I'll reserve it with your name on it!)

♥

Level-headed

2009-11-18T18:34:00.000-07:00

Not much exciting is going on around here. The house is slowing turning into a maze of boxes upon boxes & little messes that have no room because the boxes are in the way. I'm still keeping my wits about me though.

I have been contemplating keeping my shop open while the family & I move. I'm having such a hard time deciding. I'm just super bummed that I'll be missing the one & only craft show I signed up for this year & that the dates I'll be packing/traveling/moving are prime time for holiday sales. In the end though, I think it wise to temporarily close up shop. Because who knows how overwhelmed I'll be when I get to our new home & who knows how quickly I'll actually be able to get the shop "set up" when I arrive to the big NE. Argh. Thanks for letting me talk out loud just now.

Not only is there lots to do around here, but today was Pazely's last day of school & tomorrow is Zoey's last day. (Parent/Teacher conferences + Thanksgiving break.) I think I'll break our "movies on the weekend only" rule this week. And next week.

Oh, & our official move date is Tuesday, December 1st.

OK, I'm off to stuff more boxes.

And I think I'll reward myself with some crafty time this weekend.

♥

Fun Food

2009-11-17T14:45:00.000-07:00

Peanut butter & jelly tortillas.

Mmmmmm.

♥ ♥ ♥

Week in Review

2009-11-16T02:00:00.000-07:00

I can't believe that last Monday I was returning home from Nebraska. And that Nebraska will soon BE my home. It hasn't seemed real to me. Yesterday we started packing boxes.That makes it seem more real. But also a bit more chaotic around here. Why can't packing up all my crap be more happy-like? I really am thankful for the peace I continue to feel though. It's almost as if I'm living in this bubble & all the things that would normally affect me can't touch me: fear, nervousness, anxiety, etc.

Mr. WhiMSy love & I have shown the girls pictures of our soon-to-be new house & they already have their rooms picked out. Oh, & guess who's getting a bigger art studio? {Yippee!}

Tia & I whooped it up this week with an extraordinary amount of outings. We're trying to cram in as many as we can.

This week I'll continue packing boxes until my things are all cubed in cardboard.

*Don't forget about the MOVING SALE at WhiMSy love! I'm adding items every day until Nov 23rd. And thanks to those of you who've helped me clear my shelves thus far!*

Happy Monday!

*Click HERE for a photo play-by-play.*

♥

Man, I'm Gonna Miss This Lady.

2009-11-15T01:00:00.000-07:00

She doesn't even know how much...

♥

Front Page Love.

2009-11-14T23:54:00.000-07:00

My vintage book {& adorable nerdy nephew} made it, once again, to the front page of Etsy this afternoon.

Handpicked by admin.

And, might I add: SOLD.

Yahoo!

♥

Salt Shaker Photo Stand Tutorial

2009-11-13T18:47:00.000-07:00

While standing in my art studio yesterday I glanced at my collection of salt-n-pepper shakers sitting so lonely on a shelf & thought of this idea.

{It's an easy project too!}

You'll need:

Salt/Pepper Shakers: Thrift stores are a great place to find 'em. Also, pop into your local antique shops/malls. They are not very expensive at all. The most I might have paid for any of mine were $3.95 for a pair.
Wire: Whatever wire will fit the holes in the shakers will work. I used a 20 gauge craft wire from a company called The Beadery, purchased at my local craft store.
Needle-nose Pliers
Salt
Photos

First, catch the end of the wire in your pliers & slowly twist around & around until you get this spiral shape.

Make lots of different sizes of wire spirals. You might want to measure how much wire you'll need for each spiral, depending on the size of your salt/pepper shaker. If your wire is too long & you stick it into a petite shaker, the whole piece will be top-heavy & easily fall over.

To help with stability & to keep your wire from spinning around, add salt to your shaker.

Carefully slide your photo between the loops of the spiral.

And THAT, my crafty friends, is IT!!

I can totally picture these scattered around a Thanksgiving table!

Or, propped on a sweet shelf in a kitchen or dining room.

♥