Today I get to interview one of my favourite long time bloggers, I am sure she won't mind if I say that it is her complete silliness that draws me to her blog, I am sure you will enjoy all her crazy ideas too, thank you Nikki for answering all my daft questions!
Could we start off with you telling us a little about yourself and your family?
I am a mom of 2 little girls. Zoey is 9 & Pazely is 7. We moved from Washington State to Nebraska almost 2 ½ years ago. We live in a farming/ranching community, where we are experiencing small town life for the first time. My hubby is a pastor of a church, which is what brought us here. I have had more adventure living here than in any other place I’ve lived. Besides adventuring, I also love: blogging, crafting, photography, writing, thrifting, being silly, & Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups.
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| Bug Catcher Necklace |
How did you stumble into the world of blogging?
I give credit to an afternoon of searching the web, 5 years ago, for some place to sell my handmade things, & then stumbling onto a blog called scrumdilly-do! A blog? I seriously had no clue what a blog was. But when I saw that blog, I knew I wanted to create one of my own. It was full of fun & color & happy.
What to enjoy most from blogging?
I mostly enjoy that it combines my love of crafting, writing & photography.
Some of your projects have that 'pure genius' air about them a couple of my absolute favourites were the cardboard furniture you made for your best friends visit and the bug catcher necklaces (we made one those, very handy for camping). Out of all your fun and crazy ideas, which is your favourite?
Why, thank you! I think those are two of my favorites as well. The Bug Catcher Necklace was an idea my {then} 5 year old helped come up with. And the cardboard furniture sorta came out of urgency. (“Tia’s coming for a visit in a few days! Quick! Let’s make fake furniture!”) I find that a lot of great ideas come about in my moments of desperation. When I lack time or even the proper supplies, I become more determined.
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| Furniture Silhouettes |
Who or where do you draw your inspiration from?
My kids inspire me very much. Fresh air & a new perspective are also great magnets for creativity. But, honestly, a lot of ideas come to me at very random times. (Which is why I try to carry a notebook with me at all times.) Once, I forced inspiration. I sat in a cozy spot with a bunch of crafty bits in front of me. I stared & thought & sketched & stared & thought & sketched. And finally, it worked! I came away with a few nifty ideas, one of them my Snowmen Advent Garland from last Christmas. Sometimes I just need to put the breaks on everything & find some time to get in a crafty zone. That’s what I did, & it was very inspiring.
If you had to 'save' 5 things from your studio before your house got blown away to Oz, what would you save?
2. A clay wall-hanging pocket I made in Kindergarten.
- My computer—because all my photos are saved there. (In a very unorganized manner I might add.)
3. My collection of vintage buttons.
4. My “Melvin the Mushroom” rubber stamp a friend bought me from Etsy. He’s so cute!
many happy sentimental bits.)
When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?
I wanted to be a ballerina. And a trumpet player. And I wanted to swim with dolphins & whales at Seaworld.
What is next? Do you have plans for vintage ring world domination or something not so grand?
I really have no idea what’s next. Vintage Ring World Domination would be super sweet though! I have approached blogging & crafting in a real passive way. I craft when I can, I blog when I want. I don’t participate in craft shows or big events. Without doing any legwork of my own, I have had a lot of opportunities come my way due to people stumbling into my creative world. I’m very grateful & thankful for every bit of publicity & praise. I’m not a supermom who can do shows, & network, & blog everyday, & prepare tutorials on a weekly basis, & track down venues to sell my handmade wares, & search out publications to submit my ideas to, AND cook dinner every night, AND take care of my family & home. I tried to do some of that. But I ended up getting stressed out & overwhelmed. I was forced to take a step back & re-evaluate my schedule & agenda. And I have to do this on a regular basis. I found out I am happiest when I keep my energies & time & priority focused on my kids & family, letting everything else follow as it will from there. Right now I’m content with this mellow pace. At the core of everything, I keep myself filled with things that bring happiness.
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| vintage button rings |
I could ask questions all day but will finish with, which is your favourite jumping shot?
Oh my. This is like asking me what child is my most favorite. Haha! Not really. Let’s see…it could be the time I jumped in front of Mt. Rushmore in South Dakota. Or one of the {rare} times the Mr. has jumped with me. Or it could be the day I met my biological sister for the first time & we jumped in front of a giant tank of fish at the Seattle Aquarium. Hmm. Ok, I got it! One of my favorite jumpy shots is when my friend Susan & I jumped in a field of freshly cut wheat. It was a gorgeous sunny day. The sky that day was big & blue. And the clouds were some of the most beautiful I’ve ever seen. All around us giant machines were harvesting wheat. We even got to ride around in one & be a part of all the action. It was a happy day & whenever I see that photo, I think of our splendid afternoon. (And jumpin’ is always best when done with friends.)
I know all that might not sound so grand, but it is perfectly grandiose to me.
A question from Ebi-kun... what is your favourite dish from your neck of the woods?
I’m a big dessert girl. And one of my favorites is Pistachio Torte. The recipe can be found on my blog here. But as far as a main course goes, last year I discovered Cabbage Burgers for the first time, & was rather tickled to find out they are popular in the Nebraska/South Dakota region, where I live. I had never heard of them before. In fact, most of my friends & family had never heard of such a thing. (They are rather delicious!) Here is the link to the recipe I used to make them
Thank you so much, Jo, for letting me blab on your lovely blog! Here’s where people can find me…
WhiMSy love facebook fan page
Etsy shop
and all the images on todays post are © Nikki of Whimsy Love
Thanks so much for featuring me Jo!!
ReplyDeleteWhat a fun interview! I love that cardboard furniture. I know my daughter would have a blast if I made something like that for her. I'll have to check out the blog. And oh yes, I can so relate to this comment:
ReplyDelete"I’m not a supermom who can do shows, & network, & blog everyday, & prepare tutorials on a weekly basis, & track down venues to sell my handmade wares, & search out publications to submit my ideas to, AND cook dinner every night, AND take care of my family & home. I tried to do some of that. But I ended up getting stressed out & overwhelmed. I was forced to take a step back & re-evaluate my schedule & agenda."
so true, I think with blogs it appears that people are supermoms but it doesn't show what is really going on behind the scenes!
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