2011

while looking at the best parts of 2011 is fun, i also like looking at some of the not so great things that happened so i can grow from them in the upcoming year. so here it goes! bad news first!

lowlights

-jobs are getting harder and harder to find in sb 

-our fish thor died

-haven't finished grad school applications

-got in a huge car accident

highlights

-bonding with my nephew jack

-continuing nomsters and making some money!

- polaroid adventures

- my little brother graduated

-i started this blog. HECK YA!

-went through the temple with my brother for his endowment

-finished all my grad school tests

  

- saw my brother off to the MTC to serve a two year mission in guadalajara, mexico

-got to be with my husband for another amazing and challenging year

and the positives always outweigh the negatives :) here's hoping 2012 will bring us better luck!

have any high or low lights you'd like to share from 2011?

farewell, dennis!

after leaving christmas day to drive to utah, i realized i had no internet. upon arriving in utah, i realized i had no wifi. nada. it was....difficult. i mean, no netflix?!?! how am i supposed to sleep without listening to how i met your mother?

on christmas eve, my brother was set apart as an elder for his mission. 

on christmas, we drove to vegas and the day after we drove the rest of the way to utah. we spent monday and tuesday with our precious little dennis.

and wednesday, we dropped him off at the missionary training center.

i miss him. 

on an entirely separate note, i went thrifting in utah, you see, it is impossible to thrift in santa barbara as most people just prefer to buy new or have their own personal antique dealer. 

while thrifting, i ventured into the sheets section to look for potentially cute fabric to use. and to my surprise, i found some mustard yellow polyester blend fabric for $1.50! SO CHEAP! 

so dear utah, 

even though you were freezing cold and made me hate being outside or really anywhere, thank you for being a good place to thrift. and treat my brother right over the next eight weeks while he's learning spanish.

thanks,

nicole

professional wrapper

so...i'm not actually a professional wrapper. i can wrap a mean gift though. my new favorite gift wrap is kraft paper, and i wanted to share some awesome gift wrapping links with you today to make your gift stand out under your christmas tree

go green! wrapping paper- recycle whatever paper you already have, this website has tons of different ways to use newspaper, magazines, and even calendars.

speaking of eco-friendly wrapping,

diy gift bags are another option for a more delicate gift that can't be wrapped. now, you can save money and make your own bag!

miniature envelopes are another creative way to wrap a gift, especially gift cards. whenever i give gift cards, i always want to wrap it beautifully to show i put some work into it. and what better way than a hand crafted miniature envelope?

kraft paper is amazing. it is cheap, and easy to customize. it also looks super classy....at least i think so. this website has many different wrapping ideas and they are all adorable!

special envelopes are endearing. i love them. if you aren't giving a gift, or if you want to make a special card for a special someone, this is it! these customizable envelopes are sturdy so whoever you give it to will be able to keep it for a long time.

so go wrap up those cute gifts! and let me know how it goes!

a handmade christmas

the great recession + overly expensive goods =

a handmade christmas

and if you are in a bind, here are ten quick gifts to finish of your christmas gift list!

braided headband (for women and children) so cute, and so easy. it's also a great way to use some of your scraps!

flower bib necklace (for women) this necklace is so classy and looks expensive. your giftee would never know you made it!

animal hats (for children) so, so cute. and a free pattern! this could also be made for teens/young adults

infinity scarf (for men, women, children) perfect for any shape, size, or gender, infinity scarves are perfect because it is FREEZING outside. and they are really cute.

braided scarf (for women and children) a slightly more sophisticated version of the infinity scarf, the braided scarf is simple yet refined. 

envelope clutch (for women) ok. this is one of those diy gifts that does not look diy at all. any woman would love to get this as an addition to their closet

bow belt (for women and children) while this does require some knowledge of the person's waist size, this gift is so cute. as in, if you have extra time while making your gifts (because how doesn't just have loads of free time during the holidays) you can go ahead and make me a few. i have been nice all year, i swear!

bath fizzies (for men, women, and children) while the some of the ingredients may not be laying around the house (like essential oils or a pipette), this gifts is so easy to personalize it is worth it to buy some of the ingredients. have a coffee lover? make the fizzies smell like coffee! how about lemon? same thing! plus, who doesn't want to take a long, relaxing bath after the holidays?!

the 'rollie pollie' (for everyone) basically a bean bag filled with soft cotton stuffing, the rollie pollie is an awesome way to add seating to any room, but also a great way to relax. know someone that wants a lovesac? just make them a huge rollie pollie. they will thank you :) hahaha

and if you haven't found anything you like here, go on over to tipnut's diy gift list. there are tons of gift ideas and tutorials, just in time to finish up your gift list!

and with that, i wish you happy crafting! and i will see you friday when we talk about different ways to wrap these precious gifts!

by the way, what gifts are you making this holiday season?

i would love to know!

dreaming of a restful christmas.....

i am so sorry

i have not been a very good blogger lately....hopefully santa won't hold it against me.

to be honest, i had no idea how much car accidents hurt. my husband, myself, and a friend hit a tree head on last week so....yea. it still hurts. hahaha with that said, can i give you all some holiday links i have found useful during my restful holiday season? maybe you can use them too!

a basic stocking because who doesn't want to personalize their stocking?!

gift tags that make you look oh so classy

glitter ornaments and the glitter is on the inside so you don't look like a craft store attacked you

an envelope ornament, a great way to present a gift card at christmas along with a lil' love note

a village of white felt houses because everything is better in miniature

felt mistletoe (kiss kiss kiss!)

a ruffly, felt wreath that matches any decor

a simple and chic tree skirt for us last minute decorators

classy pearl ornaments to fancy up any tree

and with that.....i hope you enjoy this wonderful week and have a fabulous monday!

and hopefully this links can help!

on wednesday, i will be posting ten last minute diy gifts for those family members you didn't forget...you just...have a very full brain. hahaha

annie verse air ee

i have been waiting so long to write my anniversary blog post. every blog i read always has an extremely long, amazing, descriptive texts on their anniversaries and husbands accompanied by tons of cute iphone picz.

ya, i didn't do any of that....sorry guys. in fact, the concussion is still making me forget stuff so i will give you all our anniversary in a nutshell. because i didn't take any cute pictures, i am not writing three paragraphs about my husband, and i'm not feeling descriptive. oh, and i added wedding pictures just for fun :)

we turned off the lights and turned on the christmas tree lights

we opened one christmas each early

we drank and toasted with martinellis

we watched how i met your mother

we cuddled

and that is how the messicks spent their second wedding anniversary.

charming, no?

i love my jason. 

and i am so glad no one realized how amazing he was before i did. because then i took him. 

and lucky, lucky me, 

i get to keep him forever

accidents happen part 1 + two year anniversary

so i feel really bad about not posting on friday. in fact, i distinctly remember telling my husband that in the ER thursday night.

anyways, we were in a car accident on thursday night and i'm still on medication so i won't try to explain it because it won't make sense. the most important thing is that nobody was seriously injured, i just got thrown around like a rag doll a bit but i'm good.

and i guess that's an okay reason to skip a post or two. so, whenever i get my normal strength back, i will tell you guys everything :) 


on another note, it's our anniversary today! we usually go to disneyland, but as neither of us can really move well. instead we will watch a disney movie or two and hug each other.


actually, i don't know what we will do. i'll update you all later :)

until then, feel free to check this page about jason and i 

have a great day!

my christmas looks like...

the ornament we got on our honeymoon at disneyland

the ornament i made out of glitter glue and masking tape

jason's pwesents :)

my unfocused kitten and yarn ornament hahaha

and the best smelling candle ever! i love salt city candles

now that i am done with finals and this last quarter of school, i FINALLY have time to craft and more importantly clean. so while i am jamming out to brittany spears and scrubbing my bathroom down, can you guess what upcoming craft we are going to make with these pieces of fabric?

guess guess guess!

and have a great day!