Skip to main content

Break the Rules with Coloring

By
This past spring, I published a coloring book of floral mandalas called Flowers All Around. (It’s available NOW on Amazon!) I had so much fun drawing these designs. I can honestly say it was one of my favorite personal projects I’ve ever done.




Mandala designs are popular in adult coloring for their repetitive and intricate nature. I like to draw them using floral elements because I’m obsessed with drawing flowers and patterns. I’ve created floral mandalas with a variety of media—paint, pencil, ink, digital, etc. I often draw them when I don’t know what to draw. So I had a lot of practice before I got the idea to even make this book.

Adult coloring books are a great way to relieve stress and create works of art in the process. These aren’t the brand of coloring books you used as a kid. These designs are often very detailed and can be beautiful and sophisticated—though there are some fun quirky ones as well. There are adult coloring books for just about any subject matter you can think…
Post a Comment

April Fools Cake

Image
By

Spring is officially here (finally!), and we are approaching the final days of March. This Friday is April 1st, a.k.a. April Fools Day. What better way to end a cold, dreary winter than with a day of silliness. Here's a fun dinner idea to celebrate—a meatloaf "cake" with a mashed potato "sundae."

For the cake, I pressed the meatloaf mixture into two six-inch round pans lined with parchment paper (about a pound of meat in each). I baked them at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes. I ended up with two "cake" layers, which I assembled with a layer of mashed potato "frosting" in the middle.



I then spread mashed potato over the entire meatloaf cake so it resembled a frosted cake. I piped more mashed potato decoratively around the cake, just as I would with regular frosting, and embellished with peas and ketchup lettering.




And, of course, cake is always better with ice cream. I created a mashed potato "sundae" with gravy "chocolate sauce," a dollop of sour cream "whipped topping," and colorful veggie "sprinkles."



Life is short. Have lots of fun, and eat cake for dinner. :)
Happy April Fools!
Niki

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

New Etsy Shop and Free Pattern

By
I opened up a shop on etsy.com today. I've posted some sweaters for 11.5-inch dolls (I hope to post other types of items in the future). You can visit the shop here. These miniature sweaters were very fun to create. They are all designed and handknit by myself.

Most of the sweaters are knit using size 10 crochet thread and sock knitting needles. I like using the crochet thread because it is relatively inexpensive, comes in a wide array of colors, and is readily available from any store that sells craft supplies.

Here is a free pattern for a basic sweater, for those who would like to try making one yourself!





**UPDATE - 2015** The miniature sweater knitting pattern has been revised.  View/Download the new pattern here:
VIEW
DOWNLOAD
A gift tag template for creating a Christmas ornament from this sweater can be found on my Templates and Patterns page. Additional sweater patterns are available for sale in my Etsy shop.


9 comments
Read more

Niki Knits: Baby Vests (with free pattern)

By
As I revealed previously, I am currently pregnant with my first child, a girl. I am due in December, and my husband and I are so excited.

In my return to crafting, I've once again been bitten by the knitting bug. This is in large part due to the fact that now I have a new area to explore: baby clothes. And not just for my own little angel... There has been a small baby boom recently in my circle of friends, so there are a few other little ones on the way that I have been busy making gifts for as well.

Much of the appeal of making baby clothes (besides the obvious adorableness) is similar to why I like making doll clothes. They are fun to design and execute, and the small scale keeps projects relatively quick and easy, which suits my short attention span. (Case in point: my adult-size fisherman cable sweater that I've been working on for probably 5+ years...not to mention all the other projects I've abandoned altogether because I got bored with them.)

I started out my baby…
Post a Comment
Read more

DIY Birchbox Nail Polish Rack

By
I have become a bit of a beauty product junkie lately. I have a growing stash of foundations, lip balms, lotions, face creams, and everything in between. It's getting quite ridiculous, especially considering that I'm not a particularly heavy makeup wearer. And really, there's only so many products you can use at one time. But everything's just so pretty. :)

Birchbox and similar services, such as My Glam, are great for people like me. For those of you who are unfamiliar with Birchbox, it is a subscription service that sends you four or five samples, many from high-end brands, every month. It's a fun way to try out new products and brands without investing in all sorts of full-size items that end up going to waste. And once in a while, you find something you really like. Some of my favorite things that I've discovered through Birchbox are Nars illuminator and Zoya nail polish.

Birchbox's packaging is very well done. The samples come wrapped in bright pink tis…
2 comments
Read more