Thursday, December 13, 2012

fun & creative handmade family traditions: the gingerbread village


the gingerbread empire state building by the family rikrak! 
........


thought you might like a peek at the fun gingerbread *empire state building* tower our family built for our local library's annual gingerbread village! it was so much fun watching little rikrak happily decorate to his heart's delight with yummy candies & finger licking scrumptious icing. 

inspired by our family trip to NYC this summer, more goodies ended up in us then on the tower! but that's 1/2 the fun! we all had a great time making it.

and check out his fab king kong, too! this is the 1st year we've built a cookie building from scratch and i hope gingerbread architecture will be a fun new family tradition in our home for years to come!


what's a fun tradition you look forward to each year during the Holidays?

hugs nicies!
Pin It

Monday, December 10, 2012

the december *i love my sponsors* giveaway!


yay!
aren't you the loveliest readers around!
thank YOU, sweet nicies.

thanks for your encouraging words & dear dear comments. it's a pleasure to read thru your hellos, responses & ideas each day.  i always love seeing what you have to say! and thanks for playing all the little games and activities on the blog, for your warm and wonderful emails too!

AND... thanks so much to all of you lovelies out there who have really made my day by supporting my little adventures, as dear sponsors & advertisers of the rikrak studio blog. you nicies mean the world to me, and i really appreciate it!(this is my *free-to-my-lovely-sponsors* giveaway! interested in being a sponsor? contact me at rikrakmail at yahoo dot com for more info!) 

so with a thankful heart, and a happy focus on this wonderful  season of celebration and the things that DECEMBER brings  ...  a little giveaway for all of you!

november's wonderful sponsors are: 

crafted blog


{ the prize }  
a fabulous $25.00 gift certificate 
from me to YOU to spend in
ANY ONE OF MY SPONSORS' shops or on their blogs!
 



that's right...
one lucky winner will get to spend the prize in any of my sponsors' e-shops or blogs!






exciting news, cuties! after the tremendous success the past few months of using rafflecopter, it'll be our fun new giveaway medium! just click away and follow the instructions! 
i'll still be using random.org to draw the winner!
 
if you'd prefer to enter the way you always have (leaving comments in the notes below instead ) that's superdooper, too! either way is great with me! i'll put all of them together at the end!




a Rafflecopter giveaway


...........................
one way to enter is to grab one of my rikrak studio buttons
like this one for YOUR BLOG! here they are!




the rikrak studio





the rikrak studio



and add it to your blog!
{ ... just copy & paste the text in the box above onto your blog sidebar! thanks! } 



thanks for playing!
................



RULES:


a) it is possible to have numerous entries total per person.
b) please make sure to leave each entry as its own comment. thanks!
c) as always, this giveaway is open to all contestants, worldwide.
d) for this particular giveaway, YOU MUST BE A RIKRAK studio follower or subscriber,
old or new! thanks!
e) the winner of this giveaway will be chosen from random.org on
january 1st 2013 @ 12:01 am EST.
f) please be sure to leave me an email where i can reach you if your account
doesn't link to one. thanks.
g) thanks so much everyone! and thanks for visiting the blog!
...............
Pin It

Wednesday, December 5, 2012

spreading a little CHEER!




well happy-almost-Holiday time, sweeties!
thanks for the wonderfully loving support of the fabulous MEGA holidays giveaway!

and without further ado... 
here are our lucky winners (thanks to random.org!)

#1887: 

#773
karen Z.

#142

#2482
julia c.

 #3641 
madalina bibi

thanks to everyone who played! & a special thanks to our beautiful sponsors!



 
 

 



 
 

 
Pin It

Monday, December 3, 2012

final week for stocking orders!



wowzers!
it's the last week to order stockings from my rikrak Christmas shop!
so hurry on in and choose from 100s of remaining, in-stock stockings.

i have all kinds here made and not yet listed, too.
so just email me and let me know your colour palette and i'll tell you what i have in stock for your beautiful Holiday home!

feeling festive? 
what colours do YOU decorate your Holidays with?
hope you're having a great Holiday season, nicies!



 
























...................




















Pin It

Sunday, December 2, 2012

yay & hurry! hurry!


................


congrats to the winner of the november *i love my sponsors * giveaway:  # 621
you've won yourself a $25 shopping spree to the sponsor shop of your choice!

and kiddies:  JUST 1 MORE DAY to enter & win the rikrak studio MEGA giveaway, with prizes valued at over $600! hurry hurry!


Pin It

Thursday, November 29, 2012

my favourite things: autumn grasses


...............



one of my very favourite autumny things is wild grasses turning blonde along the roadsides of southern ontario. 
gorgeous browns and golds dancing in late fall winds.

i could watch them sway all day.

how about you? yay or nay?

wishing you a peaceful weekend nicies.


Pin It

Tuesday, November 27, 2012

come advertise with the rikrak studio blog in December!



i just love my sponsors {here's my monthly FREE-to-sponsors giveaway, for example! i'm so thankful for their kind and artistic support each month! and i'm just delighted with how things are going, growing here on the blog with you lovelies. thank you!
so i'm very happy to be offering a few new ad spots as of today for DECEMBER!
with the Holiday season comes  the busiest shopping time of the year!  i hope it might be the perfect opportunity to showcase your beautiful shops & blogs for all of those handmade shoppers & bloggers & media out there!  i'm offering a few new ad spots, all at GREAT prices!
if you feel that your shop, group, Etsy Team, or blog would be a good fit with the rikrak studio blog feel & focus, and are interested in rates, please email me at 
rikrakmail at yahoo dot com

there's lots of continued fun coming up on the blog: funfun guests, little inspirations, more fabulous giveaways you're not going to want to miss, great games, fantastic features,  and, as always, a few extra fun surprises, too. being part of the blog is a great way to boost sales, increase exposure and build your business in the handmade indie community, too!
i'm a handmaker & mommy and know it's a challenging economic time out there... so i try to keep the rates nice & reasonable.
i also love designing ads for folks that need them, too.
so just let me know if i can help!
come & be part of the fun!
thanks so much, lovelies!
k.

PS: be sure to enter
Pin It

Friday, November 23, 2012

sochi games branding & the patchwork quilt





merchandising photos via sochi2014.com
.......................

 have you seen the new sochi 2014 olympic winter games graphic branding?
saw these pics on brand new and was amazed at the patchwork quilting-ness of it all!
the colours? the bold geometric prints?
 interesting!

what do you think?
have a great weekend, superstars!



Pin It

Thursday, November 22, 2012

thankful!

{ lovely handmade thanks }
1. i'm thankful for today vinyl sticker | artoxo
2. thanksgiving chalkboard print | oliveandbirch
3. vivid blooms thank you cards | southcitypress
4. be thankful art print |  retromodernart

................

happy thanksgiving to our dear american friends today.

what are you feeling thankful for these days, nicies?

today i'm feeling so much gratitude for the great folks in my life, most especially when things are busy busy busy. thank you loves.  
 


Pin It

Wednesday, November 21, 2012

the 2012 handmade co-operative community gift guides { week 3 }


yay it's holiday time!
and no better time for *sharing!*
welcome to the 3rd annual handmade community co-operative gift guides: today is the 3rd of 6 weeks where YOU show the world your gorgeous creations + handmade works of others that you LOVE!
each wednesday leading up to the HOLIDAYS, i'll be inviting folks to be part of the fun!
today there are 3 different categories you can add your goodies in!
let's see what we can make!

show us your best!
+ the works of others you admire.

:: check out the first 6 gift guides here ::
gift guide { one } :: holiday decor
gift guide { two } :: jewelry lovers
gift guide { three } :: holiday cards
gift guide { four } :: animal lovers
gift guide { five } :: nature lovers
gift guide { six } ::  the minimalist




HOW TO PLAY

1. please add one item of your own, and one of another's, in as many of the categories as you'd like!

2. invite your friends! 

3. please share the 2012 handmade community Holiday gift guide button on your sites.
the rikrak studio
4. COME BACK every wednesday for more communal Holiday fun!

yay to handmaking and co-operative community building!
{& hope it's great publicity for you too, nicies! } 

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
 holiday gift guide 7
{ good for the soul }



:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

holiday gift guide 8
{ gifts for the kitchen } 






:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::


holiday gift guide 9
{ personalized gifts }
Pin It

Friday, November 16, 2012

the rikrak studio MEGA happy Holidays GIVEAWAY!






...................

welcome welcome to the Holiday season, nicies!

wanna know a little secret?
it's time to celebrate!

so let's have a party! as a thanks to all of you fabulous readers out there, i've asked some wonderful handmakers to join me in my 3rd annual MEGA happy-Holidays-of-a-giveaway! {thanks so much for your kind kind generosity, nicies!}

there are FIVE (that's right, 5!)
amazing prize packs up for grabs! each prize pack will have a different funfun winner!

here we go:


:: prize pack A ::
valued at over $100

a beautiful silver leather weekly planner for 2013 | myhandboundbooks
a charming Polka Dot Tin Can Bracelet made from recycled tin | remaker
two hand printed teatowels in natural linen: white feather print + one of your own choice| strand redesign


:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::


:: prize pack B ::
valued at over $100
a gorgeous ruffle cuff made of softly shimmering shantung silk  | one perfect day
your choice of ONE rikrak original style eco felt stocking | rikrak 
a modernpearl set of lustrous white oval freshwater coin pearls wrapped in silver wire on a sterling silver chain. | sparrow grey

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::


:: prize pack C ::
valued at over $100
custom sewn Women's CrissCross Top in white with gray contrast stitching| modestmaven
one month of FREE advertising in January on the rikrak studio blog | rikrak studio
a lovely small white decorative pillow with grey beading | nisseworks

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::


:: prize pack D ::
valued at over $100
hand cut, brushed sterling silver robin pendant (with 16" sterling silver snake chain) | miranda britton

a charming hand-pieced wool-blend felt wishing angel |pikelet workshop

a small Spalted Hackberry wood pot, measuring 4" across and 3" high. | wood art for living
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
 
:: prize pack E ::
valued at over $100
a kindle or e-reader case in white and grey | tessa cotton
a beautiful pair of white filigree earrings in vintage lucite sterling silver  | michabella
ivory satin capelet with a large silver metal button for  a baby or preschooler | ruby&sam


 

  ..........................

one way to enter is to grab one of my rikrak studio buttons,
like this one for YOUR BLOG! here they are!



the rikrak studio




the rikrak studio


and add it to your blog!
{ ... just copy & paste the text in the box above onto your blog sidebar! thanks! } 


thanks for playing!
................


RULES:


a) it is possible to have numerous entries total per person.

b) please make sure to leave each entry as it's own comment. thanks!

c) as always, this giveaway is open to all contestants, worldwide.

d) for this particular giveaway, YOU MUST BE A RIKRAK studio follower or subscriber,
old or new! thanks!

e) the 5 winners of this giveaway will be chosen from random.org on
december 4th,  2012 @ 12:01 am EST.

f) please be sure to leave me an email where i can reach you if your account
doesn't link to one. thanks.

g) thanks so much everyone! and thanks for visiting the blog!
..............................

Pin It