Niki Jin Crafts

My sisters and I have fun every February because the 12th is our birthday. Being triplets, it is tons of fun to have a special day for all three of us to share. I decided this year that I was going to make Birthday-Valentine's cupcakes, to celebrate both holidays.

First, I made some chocolate candies using different colored melting chocolates and heart-shaped molds. I used the Valentines-appropriate colors pink, red, and white, along with dark chocolate. It was fun coming up with different designs to use in each one. I especially love the polka dots.




I used these cheerful chocolates to top my all-chocolate cupcakes.




To accompany my Birthday cupcakes, I wrapped my sisters' gifts in pretty red wrapping paper that I found on clearance (only $1!). I loved the velvety/shiny textures on it, and of course, the polka-dotted ribbon. I also used leftover chocolates to create a Valentine's candy box.

I love to take pictures, and one of the things that I like to do with them is to create digital scrapbook pages. Interestingly enough, I’ve never really tried the traditional craft of scrapbooking, with good ol’ paper, scissors, glue, and all that good stuff. Maybe I will one day…

Apart from the physical act of cutting and gluing, digital scrapbooking is a lot like the regular version. You take photos, backgrounds (the “paper”), and embellishments, and put them together to make a page. It’s just all done on the computer. It’s a great way to use all those pictures you have stored on your hard drive from your digital camera. I use a combination of Adobe programs (Indesign, Photoshop, Illustrator and Acrobat) to create my pages, but probably the most widely-accepted and user-friendly software for digital scrapbooking is Adobe Photoshop Elements, a popular photo-editing program. There are several websites out there that provide tutorials for getting started. These websites may also sell d…

Well, Super Bowl XLII was yesterday, and unfortunately for me, I am a Patriots fan. They had a great season, though, and they still rule...

Of course, I had to make some snacks for the big game. We went shopping for food on Saturday and got a whole bunch of yummy stuff, including some cheese dip. However, we forgot to buy crackers to go with it. Not wanting to go back to the store, I whipped out my cookbooks and found a simple recipe for homemade crackers. They were actually quite easy and fast to make. They were kind of like making biscuits, except the dough was rolled out really thin so they came out nice and crispy. Before I put them in the oven, I brushed them with melted butter and sprinkled on some garlic salt. Mmmm... In addition to the crackers, my sister made a delicious guacamole. I also made a cilantro hummus dip by combining chick peas, cilantro, garlic cloves, and olive oil in my food processor.

Welcome to Niki Jin Crafts, my new blog where I can share my love for crafts, food, and everything in between! My interests include (but are in no way limited to) cooking, knitting, sewing, scrapbooking, painting and illustration, film, music, gardening . . . I could go on and on. Stay tuned for future posts, where I will share my current projects, ideas, tips, and favorite things. Also, be sure to check out my other blog (www.nicolejinjones.blogspot.com) and website (www.nicolejinjones.com) to see some of my artwork.