Tuesday, January 31, 2012

winter on the lake


our wintry lake :: image by kristal davis / rikrak

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snowy winter has finally arrived.
and the lake is lovely in white: fishing huts punctuating.

i so adore the pixelated view of snowfalls dusty in the camera viewfinder.

how's your winter looking, sweeties! 
(please share fun photoy links if you have them!)
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Monday, January 30, 2012

road trip

her little red suitcase photograph by sugarlily
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back from a wonderful little road trip to ottawa, nicies.
traveled with a dear friend.
to see some dear friends.

so good to be back visiting our old hometown.
i'm a lucky girl indeed.

i so love a great road trip.
the fun visits.
the great music.
the adventure of stops along the way.
the yummy road-trip treats that inevitably make their way into us en route!

and best of all: exploring places and friendships; catching up and learning more.

been on any good road trips lately, sweeties?
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Monday, January 23, 2012

come advertise with the rikrak studio blog!



i just love my sponsors! 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 FEBRUARY.

with february comes  a great time to continue building your wonderful indie business!  i hope it might be the perfect opportunity to showcase your beautiful shops & blogs for all of those handmade-loving shoppers & bloggers & media out there! it's  such a great time for fresh starts, and 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 @ yahoo.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 fun is a great way to boost sales, increase exposure and build your little business in the handmade 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 and promote your wonderful businesses as best i can all month!

i also love designing ads for folks that need them, too.
so just let me know if i can help!

so come & be part of the fun!
thanks so much, lovelies!
k.
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Friday, January 20, 2012

what are we reading { part 5 } ?

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so let's cheer our friday by taking a little break, and hear what you're reading these days. novels? cookbooks? inspiring blogs? great magazine articles?
tell us {&  what do you think of it so far?}

hope your day is filled with yummy tales, nicies!

.......................
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Thursday, January 19, 2012

5-minute handwritten memento art { part 1 }


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i'll confess:  i'm a paper-keeper.
little scraps of handwritten memories fill boxes and boxes at our home.
but let's liberate those most special 2-D keepsakes and give them the attention they deserve!

i've been saving a very special-to-me piece of paper for years now: the luggage tag from my beloved grandmother's 1960's vintage over-the-shoulder samsonite bag. { i love that bag. now mr. rikrak lovingly uses it everyday these past few years)  and the memory of my grandparent's great travel adventures is alive for me in that well-loved luggage and the tiny scrap of paper she took with her to locales around the world. her handwritten name and address (& the great shape of the tag itself!) thrill me!

here's a super easy project i've just finished for a new colour-themed art-wall we're making at home. (more on that later!)

you can use ANY special-to-you paper memento. in the past i've used a special event ticket, a receipt stub from a special dinner, a handwritten recipe from a loved one, etc. the possibilities are endless!

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5-minute DIY handwritten memento art decor project



all you need for a project like this is:  
   ::  a flat special-to-you momento 
  :: a little bit of archival tape (available at art & craft stores) (or    regular masking tape if you prefer)  
   :: a inexpensive frame to match the porportion to your memento 
   :: a piece of paper to use as a background (or you could use a mat




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how-to

1. choose a special to you paper souvenir. (liberate it from your keepsakes box!) 

2. cut a piece of plain paper to the correct size as a background to your frame. (don't forget to clean the glass so it'll look extra fabulous!) i used white paper - but choose whatever colour or patterned paper you'd like!

3. play around with placement of your special token of love within the frame. my luggage tag has a great shape, so i liked it best with ample *white space (i.e. blank space!) around it, positioned to one side. centering it, or placing it in the top, or bottom, or any corner will give different fun effects!

4. gently secure your memento to the paper backing. 

5. add to frame (i repurposed one, and painted another out-of-use frame white for my next project! )

6. stand it on your desktop, on your nightstand, on the mantle, hang on the wall, and smile everytime you see it and think of your special memory!) 

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one of OTHER my favourite things to do with special scraps is to make them into Christmas tree decorations. then they're forever a part of our special memories, and we swoon & feel great joy with a tree filled with tiny notes for just a few weeks each year! try it! you'll love seeing your grandfather's signature hanging from a ribbon on one bough, or that adorable doodle your best friend drew in class from public school or the 1st time your child wrote their name!


care to share any FUN ideas on how to display your most special paper keepsakes?
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Wednesday, January 18, 2012

blog-a-thon



happy wednesday, cutiepies!

thought we'd start a fun new tradition here on the blog today - it's mid-month  & what better-a-time then to thank you all for coming by & playing!

so leave us a link to your own blog + it'll be a superfun way to meet new folks + share your writings with everyone!

it'll be a permanent, up-date-able feature on my sidebar here, so all can visit your lovely blogs!

can't wait to visit all of YOUR beautiful blogs!
have a great day, sweeties!

{ps: have a gorgeous online shop? add your link to *my talented, talented friends* page here for all to see, too! }  

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Tuesday, January 17, 2012

my favourite things: great postage stamps : industrial design





:: above ::

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gosh.
there's something so romantic about it.
a well-designed postage stamp.
wee little artworks to brighten any piece of mail.

my affection lies not in a philatelic way. 
but in a *swoon over great little designs* sorta way!

sure. their charm may be fleeting. added to a letter or package, their adventure into the world may last only 2 days to say a week.
but i think a gorgeous stamp makes a great first impression. it's the icing on the cake. who's with me?

as small business owners, we spend lots of time at the post office, don't we cuties!? i know it's seen it's heydey and all, but i still ADORE great stamps! i'm still giddy with delight when i see upcoming issues of well-designed stamps (such is not always the case - like any artform, there sure are lots i'm not a fan of!) and countdown the days til i can happily adorn my mail with new releases and send them around the world! 

i feel they add great charm to any letter, packet or box. professionally & personally.

my very faves are always iconic graphic design classics.
here are some i love from the industrial design field: paying due homage to great designers!

do you love stamps - for their passing fancy of a week on an envelope?
or maybe as a collectible?

written any fun paper letters lately?
swoon.

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


:: below ::  







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Monday, January 16, 2012

goldeny winners!


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:: goldeny goodness ::

gold metallic pixie boots | teastreetvintage
gold bloom pendant | nervous system
vera scarf blouse | halterhotties
triangulation earrings | corrieberry pie
triangles tea towel | leahduncan
crochet cowl | theuniquebird
turban headband | bluebirdsfly boutique

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not quite enough goldeny light in your life today, cuties? 
fear not!

let's join george & friends as we bask in that gorgeous metally goodness from last night's golden globes!

so... congrats to our december *i love my sponsors* giveaway winner! random.org gives us lucky # 90 ... briss of the fabulous DIY ideas blog: briss days! such fabulous and fun tutorials you have, nicey! now you can choose where to spend your fun $25 gift certificate!

i've always had a thing for goldeny tones!
how about you?
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Thursday, January 12, 2012

thoughts on a clean, blank slate (a.k.a.: are you leaving any white space?)


{ all images by mark sherwood except the final one. } 

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happy new year, nicies!
we're well into the swing of things with 2012 and i'm wondering how you're feeling.
doing. 
thinking. 
re-resolving now that some good time & space has passed since january 1?

i LOVE a new year.
i LOVE the fresh, blank canvas full of possibility and change.

i started off well! i reprioritized. i rethought. i made good changes. i put my best foot forward. i made space.

but all-too-quickly i had filled up all the good & precious (and oh-so-needed)  *white space* in my days yet again.

just like that it was back to the same old same old: a too-full canvas.

so i just decided to start over again.
so happy new NEW year!
i LOVE having a new year start whenever i need it to. be sure to give yourself permission (not that you need it!) do the same. anytime. anyday, nicies!

along this path... loving this brilliant installation: the obliteration room by the famed artist Yayoi Kusama, on exhibit right now at the Gallery of Modern Art, Brisbane, Australia. 

don't you love how it starts as a pure clean slate, and invites each of us to fill it with our thoughts on colour, pattern, space, form & perception (in the form of dot stickers!)  well happy new year to that!

so good. 
so very very good.

how's your blank slate going?
are you leaving enough white space? 
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