colour-play: orange with a dash of white

let’s face it. i’m obsessed with colours. how ‘ bout you? colours on their own. certain colour combos. colours colours colours. hope you’ll enjoy this fun new series, featuring various colour combos, (and my obsessions wth them!)... i could never choose just one fave… so stay tuned for others! here’s the first: orange, with a dash of white

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oh orange…

how I love you!

and with a dash of white as accent… bliss!

I’ve had this new series written for a little while now, but when i noticed on etsy that today is happy Koninginnedag day (with such a great orangey front page earlier!) ...well…today’s the day!

gosh. i adore the colour orange.

it’s warmth and funness and clarity. and pair it with a little white? wow. so crisp and clean and .. wow!

we have a LOT of orange&white-ness in our home. we all just kinda love it.

and everything to do with rikrak? orange & white

and I love working with orange&white fabrics (sorry – you don’t get to see many in the shop – I keep them all, obsessively!)

so in honour… here’s some great spots to spot my addictive colour combo in action!

orange & white @ home

this beautiful child's room from martha stewart living 2005

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beautiful pillows by Olive

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orange & white Nordic design

(like sandiv999's thrift store find below)

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fashion fix:

pamela tang's beautiful orange linen dress

Amalia versaci’s rockin’ zipper earrings!

rosewebs fabulous recycled orange lawn chair clutch (seen above)

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great orange & white on the web:

two faves: etsy!

& now blogger, too!

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wonderful blogger as obsessed with orange as i am:

the fabulous *how about orange?*

(heavens – what a great blog that is!)

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in architechture

you could buy this lovely mid-century home: ( for only $1.995 million US!)

or for free: delight in UCI Florida's beautiful campus (wonderful photo by darkmatter)

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orange & white to eat!

top it all off with this scrumptious orange cornmeal cake

or the simple, beautiful delight of the amazing jek in the box 's oranges. (by the way - want the best dose of beautiful colourplay around? i'd highly recommend jekinthebox's most beautiful photostream. her photos: AMAZING!)

happy orange & white, lovelies.

what's your favourite orange with white thing?

what are some of your fave colour combos - i'd love to hear for an upcoming post!

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advertise with the rikrakstudio blog!

thanks so much to the nicies who came on board for the first month of advertising here on the rikrak studio blog! it's almost the end of the month - and so i thought i'd let folks know that for the new month of may, i have two new spots available, if you're interested!

if you feel that your shop or group would be a good fit with the rikrak studio blog feel & focus, and are interested in rates, please email me at rikrakmail@yahoo.com

i'm a handmaker & mommy and know it's a challenging economic time out there... so i try to keep the rates nice & low! i'm also happy to design ads for folks that need them, too!

the rikrak studio blog is young but will hopefully continue to grow & grow! thanks so much for helping to build it, wonderfolk! so come & be part of it!

thanks so much!
k.

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a lovely little neighbourhood!

above

aqua skyscrapers by thelittlereddoor
tall blue house by Intres
little boxes original illustration by michelemaule
blue cottage shutter by Sara Tetley

below
little felt dollhouse by gwenleven
KeenDusk dwellings pouch by Majkatree
little city loop by littlepinkhouse
home sweet home pdf by gomakeme


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one of my favourite little things are great neighbourhoods.
i love neighbourhoods.
i love exploring the sights & sounds of a new neighbourhood in my own city,
and adventuring to different neighbourhoods when visiting a new city.

and i just love our little neighbourhood here in Ottawa. it’s pedestrian-friendly, family-friendly, has a great sense of community, offers access to amazing parks, recreational fun,
lovely little spots to grab a teaparty, & amazing schools! i love it!

i also love neighbourhoods in art. i love seeing artists' depictions of the homes, buildings, the architecture of where we might live and grow and learn.

so here’s a little cheer to wonderful neighbourhoods,
(and wonderful neighbours, like all of you on my cyberstreet!)
and the places we call home.

thanks so much to all of my lovely cyber-ly neighbours that came out yesterday to the chat!
it was so nice to see you!

tell me about your neighbourhood! I’d love to hear!

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above
a row of colourful little houses print by artquirk
urban recycling mini skyscraper by prettypeapod
4 house ornaments by puncezilla
custom handfelted rug by tanis alexis

below
house ornament 69 by syko
neighbours print by potato bird
Bristol Hill by GrunSugar
Nenil Print by benben

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you're invited!

hope you'll join me TODAY, tuesday april 28th,
@ 4 pm EST
in the Etsy Virtual Labs
for my little rikrak Quit Your Day Job chat!

i'd love to see you there!
thanks for all of the well-wishes, nicies!
(i'm a wee bit nervous! eek!)

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what are you listening to? {part 2}

i'm often fascinated by how one art form can influence, intersect with another. today we're talking sound. i'm asking folks (on the etsy forums & in previous posts) to tell us what they listen to... in various circumstances... here's the 2nd installment....

what are you listening to... while you make your art / craft? (part two!) here's a sampling:

toybreaker wrote: Ruben Montesco, Christopher D Ashley, Seductions, Detroit Grand Pubahs, Ellen Alien, The Knife, Adult., Lowfish, Motor, SebastiAn, Tomcraft, Fairmont, Rude 66, Kiko, Ricardo Tobar, The Reflecting Skin


fiveforty said: I am at this moment listening to a playlist my son gave me before he left for the treeplant season, Gordon Peterson is singing tome at the moment. (Hard Sun). Love the playlist and it reminds me of my boy!


paisleybaby wrote: I started listening to books on cd while I work and I'm hooked!



parallelbotany: I often don't listen to anything when I'm working. For me, listening to music is usually its own exclusive activity.


zigzagstitches wrote: I listen to CBC Radio One while I am sewing. If it's a program that doesn't interest me, I put on a CD from my rather eclectic collection.


haveitconfections wrote: I usually will put on my favorite TV shows and then minimize them. It's like listening to a radio show. I love it.



museglass said: stax recordings, daniel lanois, stones, lucinda, portishead
and on and on...or nothing.


everything ok wrote: usually i have a star trek dvd in the background, but sometimes (like this evening) i'll put on a mix cd to make sure it flows before gifting it to someone.


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so fun to hear what folks are listening to! thanks so much for sharing!

... and i'd LOVE to hear what you listen to while you craft! please leave me a message here in the comments, or on these etsy threads, and i'll try to feature as many of you as i can next time!

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thanks so much to everyone for your kind wishes yesterday on the QYDJ feature!
::: PLEASE NOTE:::
i think the LIVE CHAT might be rescheduled until another day - so i'll post about it here as soon as i know! thanks!

UPDATE! it's on! today, tues april 28th @ 4pm EST- the etsy virtual labs! see you there!)

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with thanks!

superthanks to etsy & the wonderful marymary for the quit your day job feature!

with so very many thanks....
to all of you nicies for cheering rikrak on.
to all of the folks who love & support handmaking.
to the blogosphere for so many ways to share our little goodies!
to my dear dear family for everything!
to etsy ... for making it possible (& for the lovely feature, too!)

(ps: and old man luedecke for the sound track! in wonderful sackville - nonetheless! delightful!)

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hope you might be able to join me tomorrow afternoon in the
etsy virtual labs LIVE @ 4pm EST for the fun
Quit Your Day Job chat!
i'll be there... and would love to see you!

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signs of spring

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Thorny bud vas by AmyJaneClayAddict

Crocus earrings by shopsomething blue
Spring ruffle bloomers by illiakids
art print by mincingmockingbird
Vadelia in mustard by morelle
Ethereal cherry blossoms print by mayalee

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oh wonderful spring!
it's finally, delightfully, sprung here in lovely ottawa.

little buds.
tiny greens.
soft & blue skies.
sweet little birdie sounds.

little rikrak & i enjoyed a delightful morning of basking in the little signs. welcome welcome to all the wonderful images of spring!

what's your favourite sign of spring?
i'd love to hear.

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(psst: please join me in a couple of hours for something very fun!
til then... happy spring!)

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congratulations!

wow! thanks so much to the over 450 entries in the most recent rikrak giveaway! it was wonderful reading about your favourite goodies from all of the sponsor shops! many thanks! and thanks for celebrating 2 years of sales on etsy with me!

i'm excited to announce that the winner of the $21.00 rikrak gift certificate (for a mini-shopping spree) in my little shop is...... #164 ..... the wonderful zomb!

gosh! i really love zomb's superfun handmade works! stylin' tshirts, superfun pinbacks, adorable little monstery wallets & more! be sure to visit this fabulous shop! just look @ these great shirts!

so thanks again for playing!

check back soon for another fun giveaway! .... and tune in monday for some exciting rikrak news!

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collections: with gooseflesh

i just love seeing what folks are collecting. i guess i kind of feel it tells us just a little bit about what inspires them, what they love, and what they choose to surround themselves with in their home. today, i'm delighted to present the next in the rikrak studio's collections series: 11 & a 1/2 quick questions with a wonderful artist on what they're collecting, (apart from their art supplies! ) hope you'll just love: beach detritus: with the wonderful Helle of gooseflesh.


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shells & bones

who (are you) : Helle Jorgensen AKA Gooseflesh

what (are you collecting) : Driftwood, sponges, shells, bones, shark egg-cases, plastic beach detritus, bird's nests, old needlework, tapestry wool, old concrete pots, plastic bags and truck names.

when (did you start) : As a child.

how (many do you have?) : Too many to count.

where (do you find them) : The beach, on the side of the road (discarded). Op-shops.

where (do you keep them) : In my work-room in boxes; the living room, on display; the garden.

what (‘s a crazy/interesting story behind one) : One of my favourite nests is lined with soft fluffy white fur. I found it on the grass very close to a house where a little Maltese terrier lives. It's master brushes it's coat and throws the fur into the garden where the birds find it and bring it home to their nests.

what (piece would you like to add): Pink, orange and red discarded plastic bags.

why (do you love them) : I love the beauty and complexity of the natural objects from the beach. The bird's nests are exquisitely made and are full of symbolism. The concrete pots come in weird and wonderful shapes and have an interesting patina. The truck names are just plain silly. The discarded plastic bags are a great medium for my crocheted sculptures.

what (else do you collect) : Friends!

coloured plastic

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mesmerizing.

that's what comes to mind when i think of the vast, oceanic talent of helle, masterartist behind gooseflesh.

her handmade wonders amaze me. i love her sense of whimsy & organic artisanship. i love the shapes & colours & detail she utilizes. and when i saw her collection of beach detritus, i asked her if i could feature her amazing, beautiful work as a lovely lovely & fitting end to our special earth day week!



thanks for making such beauty from such debris, gooseflesh. wow.
be sure to visit her thoughtful & beautiful blog,
and her gorgeous handmade shop.
(ps: i hear that on monday, april 27th, gooseflesh will be drastically downsizing her art / craft materials, (including craft books & fabrics) with 10% of proceeds being donated to the Australian Conservation Fund!)

thanks for such a great earth day week, lovelies! let's keep the green momentum going!

(and i'll be drawing the winner of the rikrak mini-shopping spree tonight... still time to enter!)

see you monday for something superfun!

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with thanks: my first sale

little scratches ring by dothandmade

april 23, 2007.
that's a special day in my etsy vernacular.

last week, i wrote here about my nervous joy, 2 years ago, of posting my first item on etsy.
then the elation of that 1st etsy shop heart (you can read all about it here)

then, about 10 days later, after i had listed a few little rikrak goodies, and had received so many wonderful, *welcome to etsy* conversations from other sellers (that's SUCH a nice thing to do, isn't it? wow ... i think here of my first welcoming convo, from the wonderful quiltbaby (now the modern baby co. )- wasn't that so nice of her! thanks again, nicey!)

so on this day, 2 years ago... it happened.

someone i didn't even know had the courage to become my very first etsy sale.
if you've had the joy of selling something on etsy - you'll know how i felt!

elated!
shocked!
nervous!
delighted!
(and to be honest... a little frightened!)
and so many more feelings!

i'm honoured to say that my first rikrak sale was to the wonderful & talented artist michele of dothandmade! (i somehow felt even MORE nervous when i saw who it was to, as i had actually followed michele's work on flickr before that - a real live person, who was an artist, (and wasn't a family member!) was buying my goodies?! heavens!)



that day dothandmade bought a patchwork bib, very similar to the ones here, made of vintage fabrics, that i had quilted. it took me a couple of hours to put the pack together! (i remembering trying various combos of things together, changed my mind a few times, etc) ... finally, i sent it out. since then, i've done some great streamlining and changed my packaging quite a bit (good thing, huh?)

i will forever be thankful to dothandmade for being my first sale.
in honour... i hope you might take a moment to visit her lovely shops. she's a beautiful handfelter (since that time, i have seen her name everywhere leading felting workshops around our lovely province, etc. ) ... she is known to many as i heart felt.

be sure to visit her beautiful fibre shop,
and her lovely jewelry shop here.

spice merino wool by iheartfelt

thanks again, dothandmade!

i've been so fortunate to have sold many things on etsy since that time, and to be honest, i kind of feel so excited EVERYTIME someone buys something i made! (anyone crazy like that like me?) but there is only that one FIRST sale... wow... thanks so much, dothandmade!


so here's to all of the lovely buyers who have been someone's 1st sale! you're pure gold, nicies!

who was your first etsy sale to?
i'd love to know!
how did you feel?

(ps: all 3 different rikrak giveaways are ending today or tomorrow...
head here to find out where to enter!

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great green-ies: treehugger.com

greening.... i find it exciting and hopeful that while there sure are lots of terrible things going on to pollute & harm our planet, there are so many wonderful folks doing fabulous things to help make the world a greener, healthier place! so, the rikrak studio is happy to feature great green-ies : snapshots of amazing, inspiring. eco-forward-thinking folks & groups from all sorts of fields and paths in the greening movement. some inspire by greening at home, or in their business; in their art or the larger world, or on many levels at once! i've asked each green-ie to suggest an easy eco-idea or tip we might all be able to add to our daily lives. today i'm honoured to present the next in this series!

happy earth day, nicies! hope you've been enjoying a wonderful earthy day.

i've been thinking of late about the cyberworld impact on the greening of things... and gosh...there are so many great green websites out there! what a wonderful thing! what great resources!

on earth day, i thought i'd cheer on one of my very faves, the wonderworld that is treehugger.com

it's a treasure trove of info & ideas, with over 30 posts each day, from all walks of life (everything from green basics, to eco.travel & nature, to design & health articles, to culture & celebrity eco. articles...). treehugger.com has, for a few years now, been my goto site when i have a green question or want to stay up to date on green ideas and issues. great green ideas grow there!

i love the treehugger tri-fold mission: "1. get informed 2. interact 3. take action!" indeed! so three cheers for treehugger.com on earthday... for working hard each & everyday @ building a world-wide community of earth-loving enthusiasts!

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i asked the wonderful Bonnie Alter, a fabulous author @ Treehugger.com , if she'd share an earth day eco.tip with us! and i just love her response:

"Take a walk, go to a park and see how the new shoots are coming up, relish the fact that spring comes every year with renewal and beauty for everyone."

many thanks, Bonnie! and what a great tip, indeed!
happy earthday, nicies. may it be one of great renewal for you.
what are your favourite green websites?

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happy earth day!

atlas card by pine street makery

happy earth day, lovelies! yay to the earth!

i think we can probably all agree that earth day is best celebrated each & everyday! i'm so excited when i see folks adding to their earth consciousness on a daily basis. but i do love a special day to focus on things: i think it's exciting when folks can find community in feeling encouraged, empowered & inspired to keep doing the great things they're doing for the earth, start new things to help our world, and spread the word!

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here's a little roundup of some fun everyday earth day ideas from around the blogosphere!


something eco-fabulous to re-make!

• something pretty for the kitchen? the ever-brilliant chakrapennywhistle just posted this tutorial on recycled table runner aprons!

• feeling festive? creature comforts' wonderful DIY grocery bag pompoms are scrumptious!
  

• time to re-invent your place? try 20 fun DIY re-invent your stuff projects on sunset (via design*sponge)

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something eco-fabulous for greening your home!

• down to earth's wonderful blog has so many fabulous recipes for green cleaning

• planet green has great tips on how to green your laundry.

• and there are lots of great energy saving home tips @ the david suzuki foundation
  

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something eco-lovely for eco-fying your little business!

• laura bucci shares a great tutorial on the Trans-Canada Etsy Blog about turning cardboard boxes into stylin' business mailers! love 'em!

• the brilliant tanis alexis shares a fabulous array of eco-wrapping ideas, perfect for your business OR your home, on the ecoetsy blog.
  

• treehugger suggests 7 ways to save your office money by going green.

• planet green suggests the top tips to go green @ work!

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eco-ideas to get the kiddies excited about helping the earth!

• Kaboose has lots of great recycling crafts for the kiddies.

• EcoKids has lots of fun games, activities and ideas for spreading the word!

• Echoage offers a fun alternative to the spending & waste @ a bday party (little rikrak's friends have been doing this lots this year! great ideas!)

• help kids calculate their ecological footprint here on zerofootprint

• play outside!

and of course, so many many other wonderful ideas, too! please share yours!

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what are you doing to celebrate the earth today?
i'd love to hear about it!
thanks for everything, kindly earth.

we're off for a little walk in the puddles. be well, nicies.

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magic & beauty

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found objects necklace by lakeeriebeachglass
vintage fabric wrap skirt by TheGarbologistsWife
sprite hood by fairytalefibers
remade high waist skirt by fisheye
linen pillow cover by ErnstandThistle
yearbook sticker pack by samann1121
make a list recycled notebooks by remaker
chocolate strawberry wrapper bracelet by CandyCalamity
cloudy day cuff by buttercupbloom

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you know something i love?
a little magic.
a little taking something; maybe something forgotten or discarded or trashed & making it into something renewed & lovely & beautiful.

i know a few folks like that in life. magical people who find the good in things bad.
and the joy in things challenging. they can bring out the best in others. they can take things that are broken, in all ways, and help to heal them, reshape them, reknew them.
i admire those folks. i'm so lucky to call a few of them dear friends.

i think wonderful trashioners are like that for the crafting & recycling world.
never giving up on things that others have forsaken.
for me, trashioners live beyond being *garbagers* - with their imaginations they can create beautiful, inspiring, etheral designs from what they've been found...

i think that's a magical, beautiful thing.

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i just love exploring the beauty of things trashion.

it's not garbage. it's the beautiful, inspiring future.
it's not junk. it's remade into treasure.

i encourage you to explore for yourself. just in time for earth day... the world of trashion is full of beautiful artists, making beautiful creations. reknewing the world one old wrapper, well-loved bedsheet or repurposed tire @ a time. saving us from mountains of so called trash by recreating beauty instead! if you can, make something into something else. reinvent something old into something new...

to me, that's real magic & beauty: finding the inner-treasure of something tossed away; discarded.

if you've done some great repurposing, i'd love to see it. please leave us a link to it here! i'd love to hear it's story!

so take a stroll in the beautiful world of trashion and be inspired.
i always am!

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(this article first appeared on, and has been slightly recycled from,
a post i did on the trashion team blog here. thanks!)

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3 different rikrak giveaways! on now!

thanks so much to all of the nicies who've been entering the giveaway here on the rikrakstudio blog! i've been so fortunate... this week, two other wonderful blogs are also doing little rikrak features, with litte interviews, and you can also WIN two different rikrak giveaways from them, too!

so head over to the wonderful lillyella's blog,

where you can win one of my rikrak quilted vintage fabric wallets this week!

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and then over to the etsyfix blog, (article by Shauntel @ the avocado tree)
you can win a set of 4 vintage fabric iron-ons, in your choice of letters, numbers, butterflies, birdies, etc!

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and of course, right here on the rikrak studio blog...
don't forget to enter the rikrak gift certificate giveaway!

fingers crossed for you all!
and thanks so much to the talented lillyella .... be sure to visit her very very popular & lovely shop.

& the sweet Shauntel @ the wonderful blog "the avocado tree".
her kindness & generosity as a mom & thinker just shines through
in all she writes!

thanks lovelies! good luck!

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