Thursday, February 14, 2013

we're in it together.

we're in it together.

...........


i am so lucky, 
i know it. 
and i try to always remember it and show my gratitude - some days it's easier than others.

today on valentine's day i want to show my appreciation to YOU, lovelies.

one of my many favourite paper keepsakes is a little note my hubby left for me on a particularly down day a few years ago. i appreciate the genuine sentiment so much. it sits framed on my desk to remember each day.

we're in it together.

... is what it says. 

to me, finding those connections, whether it be with a friend, a parent, a sibling, your child, a romantic partner, your spirituality, your chosen philosophies in life or even your online community is what makes things both less lonely and more connected in life. sharing love. 

here's my valentine's day wish for you all: to know and sincerely feel that we're in it together. whoever your partners on the journeys of life may be. cause i think of today as a great day to spread love, not just romantical thoughts. bet you do, too.

and may each of us let those in our lives know we're here WITH them, too.
 

love to you, nicies.
may you feel loved always.

Pin It

Wednesday, February 13, 2013

how's your winter?


from Myoung Ho Lee's Photography-Act: Tree #3 via {NPRradiopictures}
......


gosh it's a winter wonderland here these days. pretty snow everywhere, and to be honest, everyone at our little home is so happy it see it / play in it / gaze out at the white-ly loveliness of it. me included. 

i've been taking things slowly on the blogging front these days. working on a series of other projects. 
thanks for your patience, loves. 

how's the winter where you are, sweeties? 







Pin It

Thursday, February 7, 2013

gathering pins {calligraphy & handwriting}














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


cheers the swell in adoration for calligraphy & handwriting of late! so i'm gathering lovely calligraphy & handwriting pins over on pinterest


and wonderfully... there's just enough time to practice your own hand at romantic lettering before valentine's day. love lettering here we come!


happy writing, lovelies!

Pin It

Monday, February 4, 2013

artists 101: modern nature with eloise renouf



beautiful nature-inspired artworks by the talented eloise renouf!

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

bravo nicies! 
thanks for all of your wonderful entries in the beautiful miranda britton jewelry giveaway! so excited to read about the lovely things inspiring each of you from the natural world! love it! in honour - hope you're loving the nature-inspired beauty of some of artist eloise renouf's brilliant works! love 'em!

now onto the congrats... 3 cheers for our lucky winner ... random.org's #694 - amanda davis light (sadly... no relation!)  author of the superfun blog primandpropah! congrats nicey - you've won yourself those gorgeous sterling silver earrings. enjoy!


which artists are you loving these days, nicies?  

check out all of the artists 101 stars so far: 

alex steinweiss 
noriko ambe 
lucky jackson 
taylor holland 
shigeru ban 




Pin It

Thursday, January 31, 2013

36 yummy & healthy-ish party snack recipes (for GAME day & everyday)




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

let's be honest.
i know absolutely NOTHING about american football,  or the super bowl. {except the tv commercials are famously expensive, the half-time show is the talk of the town, and superbowl parties with lots of treats are the festive event de rigueur every january!}

but at our house we do know a little something about snacks & parties. we LOVE 'em!


so here's a roundup of 36 YUMMY, some sweet, some savoury, some crunchy, some gooey, some respectably salty party snack recipes that would be a perfect addition to your super bowl party or gosh-darn any old party! i deem them *healthy-ish* as most are made from fresh ingredients and are way less greasy and sodium-packed than their processed munchie counterparts. please note: i'm not a nutritionist in the least, but i do think these goodies look YUM! enjoy!


ps: you can find all these pins, and MORE, in my *yummy & healthy-ish party snacks* board on pinterest! come follow!


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


|above| 
top

middle

end


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

mini pizzas | prevention

middle
spicy chickpea crackers | tasty yummies
mango salsa wontons | self
smoky chipotle hummus dip | fitsugar

end
7-veggie fresh salsa | self
ombre fresh veggie tray | supermom moments
baked beet chips | a cozy kitchen



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


|above| 
top
white bean & artichoke dip with pita crisps | self
adobo glazed mini turkey meatballs  | self
toasted sourdough, avocado &  watercress  snacks | helloonline

middle
oven baked zucchini chips | nutritionist in the kitch
cucumber feta rolls | good life eats
mini chicken lettuce wraps | whole living 

end
kale chips | two take two 
rosemary sea salt soft pretzels | two peas and their pod
maple rosemary glazed cashews | a food centric life

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


end


have a yummy & healthy snack recipe to share? please add it in the comments below!

happy snacking, nicies!

...................
Pin It

Monday, January 28, 2013

congrats!


..........


yippee! it's our first congrats post of the year! 
woohoos today go out to our lucky random.org winner of the december *i love my sponsors* giveaway

yay to #912 : rachel e. wang
you've won a fabulous $25 gift certificate to the rikrak studio sponsor shop of your choice! 


be sure to enter to WIN our current fabulous giveaway: a gorgeous pair of $75 miranda britton sterling silver earrings! you'll love 'em! (on thru sunday!) 

Pin It

Thursday, January 24, 2013

a beautiful jewelry giveaway with miranda britton!



lovely lines.
exquisite designs.
luxurious materials.
beautiful artistry.
such are the ingredients in each of jeweler miranda britton's delicately handcrafted rings, necklaces, earrings and bracelets.

working with primarily sterling silver, i love how miranda weaves natural shapes and found objects into each stunning piece of jewelry. the understated elegance thrills me. wouldn't you agree?


be sure to visit miranda around the web, and read on to WIN this pair of handsawn $75 sterling silver spruce tree earrings! woohoo!


miranda britton jewelry










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

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! }

................................................
:: 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) using random.org, 1 winner of this  giveaway will be chosen on feb. 3rd, 2013 @ 12:01 am EST.
d) open to contestants worldwide.
e) please be sure to leave me an email where i can reach you if your account doesn't link to one. thanks.


Pin It

Monday, January 21, 2013

white space




............
welcome back wondersouls.

hope your time since we last met has been filled with wonderful community, great sharing & fresh new goodness. i'm so thankful mine has.

well we're already almost one month into our brand new year, and i wonder .... how are you doing? 

after the promise the calendar brings of open-ended possibility each year - sometimes around mid-january i begin to feel the weight of not having left myself enough good, open, *white space* in life. 

you know white space - the part of the page we choose to leave blank and unmarked:  those necessary, intentional, quiet, blank breathing spaces we all need to make room for in our daily lives? somehow i've filled up my pages again this year. alas. 

so i ask: 

ARE YOU LEAVING ENOUGH WHITE SPACE?  

the good news is: (at least for me) 
it's not too late, sweeties.
we can still choose to put that healthful space in our lives each day. here's to that. 




Pin It

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