Happy 5th of July!

No, that's not a typo. I've never been one who is overly enthusiastic about the 4th of July, nor am I really all that patriotic. That said, playing with sparklers is fun regardless. Pyromaniacs rejoice!


Here are a couple sparkly sparkler photos for your viewing pleasure...

And with that I say to you, my fine friends, Happy 5th if July to you all.

Song Lyrics & Opinions FROM YOU!

WANTED: Awesome song lyrics to immortalize in METAL

(Well until it's melted down and turned into dental fillings...)

Whilst I love making cute little Dinosaur and Camera silhouettes for the (semi)masses, I need to diversify and challenge myself to keep myself engaged in my work. Plus, if I don't change things up once in a while I fear my brain might liquify and drip out of my ears. Too much information? Perhaps. But, it had to be said.

So, I come to you asking for your opinions. What is your favorite ONE LINE (maybe 2 if theyre fairly short) song lyric? Maybe you have a few? Maybe you'd like to share them with me ? :)

Don't forget to include song title and Artist :) And no worries, so long as you don't choose a Miley Cyrus or Madonna lyric this is totally nonjudgemental...

Crowd participation is encouraged. Help me pool together the most excellent of song lyrics and help make the world a better place :)

Video Alert: Watch Me Whistle While I Work!

Ever been curious about what goes into making a piece of jewelry? Well, curious-itize no more my friends! I thought I'd share with you all a fun little video I made of myself making one of my signature 'By Heart' Rings from start to finish. So I guess I don't really have much else to say in this post other than, I hope you enjoy my cinematic blog debut :)

Making of the 'By Heart' Ring from Ashley Nizolek on Vimeo.

P.S.- A suer huge thanks to Sarah Daly and Lizzie Mackie for providing the soundtrack to this video :)

Etsy Lust: LadyLotus

I am OBSESSED with camera's and photography in general lately, so when I happened upon this print by LadyLotus, I squealed! I really love the overall look of it. The image was originally a hand carved reduction linoleum that she turned into a screen print. I can't get over the detail! And I really love that it's an old Rolleiflex camera and not just a generic old camera that you often see prints of throughout Etsy, it's just so unique! The crisp black and white image would work PERFECTLY in my Black and White themed multifunction Guestroom/Office! Don't you think? I just need to find a couple spots on the wall for them and they will be mine!

What do you think? Good fit?

I'm itching to paint the walls of this room by the way! I'd love to use a vibrant Lilac color, or maybe even a Robin's Egg Blue! I think it'd just give it SO much more personality! Alas, it is an apartment and painting walls is a huge pain in the booty since I will need to paint them back before I move...boo! I really want to figure out a way to make this room have more zest but still love the crisp Black and White look. Damn you apartment rules!!!

All idea's/thoughts/suggestions are welcome :)

The Little Things: Thing #1, A Grapefruit Spoon

I had a thought today, well actually, maybe it was more of a realization than a plain old thought. Anyway, however you want to categorize this brain function, here it is. The coolest stuff, the most enjoyable moments and the most excellent parts of your life are usually made up of tiny little things. Nothing too big, or too excellent in theory, just little things, little moments, little trinkets...

So, my thought is to have a running installment of "Little Things" I'm appreciating that day, or week, or moment. No set schedule because I want this to be free flowing and honest, I'll just be posting whenever the moods strikes. And, I'd really LOVE to hear what little things your appreciating that day too, whenever that day is that I post...

Now, for the first "Little Thing", I'd like to take a minute to appreciate an object rarely thought about but not any less awesome for having been forgotten by so many, so often. What I'm talking about ladies and gents is in fact, a Grapefruit Spoon. Sure, a Grapefruit Spoon is pretty much a glorified "Spork" with its serrated edges and all, but I can't lie, that's probably what makes it so rad. I'm gonna level with you here, I have like 4 Grapefruit Spoons...do you know many people who even have ONE? There's just something about the functionality that the Grapefruit spoon has that just makes me happy. Grapefruit Spoon, you make eating my Grapefruit so easy-peezy-lemon-squeezy that sometimes I just think you need a little recognition...

So, here's to the decidedly mundane but secretly awesome Grapefruit Spoon. May you continue making the lives of Grapefruit eaters that much more pleasant, each and every day :)

What's your "Little Thing" today???

**Amazing Grapefruit Photo Credit goes to the WONDERFUL simpologist over at Flickr :)

On their way...

So, today I will be adding a few simple Valentine's Day inspired items but I thought I'd show you guys a little sampling first, sorta like a "WORLD PREMIERE!!!!". Ok, I thought if I wrote in caps and quotations I would feel extra awesome, like I was introducing a world premiere of a skanky Britney Spears video on MTV, alas it didn't feel much different from typing in lower case letters with no punctuation...go figure.

Anyway I had mixed feelings about doing these but in the end I'm really happy with how cute and sorta chic they turned out, even if they have hearts all over them...

Stay tuned, they should be up and available for purchase in my Etsy Shop by the end of the day at the latest :)

Goodbye Christmas, Hello 2010...

I meant to post these pictures a few days ago but never got to doing it. Christmas is over, and there are only moment's left in 2009, so why not take a looksie at how my family "does" Christmas? We're an animated bunch, as you might be able to tell by the enthusiastic thumbs up pictures and festive holiday ensembles. There's even a little nod to Step Brothers (the movie) mixed within these picture...can you spot it???

Goodbye Christmas, you were fun and exhausting, and you gave me a sinus infection that was all together unpleasant, but I will miss you just the same...

Happy New Year Everyone, hoping this year goes my way, and yours :)

Christmas, Christmas time is here...

Who doesn't love this song? I used to be jealous of my cousin who had a kid's record player in a little suitcase type case and would always play the 45 of this song, throughout the yr...

*Note to self: Find one of these awesome little 45 players and get one for myself!

Anyway, Merry Christmas Everyone!

Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree...

I AM OBSESSED WITH THIS PILLOW! I have a big red chair in my living room that Ive been searching for the perfect, cutesy holiday pillow for, for the past month! And of course, TODAY, Christmas Eve Eve, I find it. Where were you all that time before, dear pillow? Why did you hide from me for so long??? Gah! It breaks my little heart to not have had this little beauty in time for my apartment's holiday makeover.

I love it SO much I just might buy it anyway and use it through the winter, so I can be sure to have it for next year :)

Anyway, check out this adorable pillow and more fun fabric wonders over at allisajacobs! Her Etsy shop is just too cute for words! I've developed a love of fun fabric that satisfies both a modern and whimsical aesthetic, which is exactly what you'll find over at allisajacobs!

I hope everyone is soaking up the last bit of time left in the holiday season and are all set for a wonderful Christmas Eve/Day! I always feel like this season comes and goes so fast. I try my best to enjoy it the entire time, I just never feel like I will ever have a tight enough grip on it! But alas, I will eat, drink and be merry, with the merriest of them, and enjoy every second of it!

Happy Holidays to you all!

Go ELF Yourself!!!

Once you Elf Yourself once, you won't be able to stop. I've done it about a million times in the past 48 hours and it never gets old. What better way to ring in the holiday season than by making yourself a little dancing elf alongside your friends an family? You can even sing a Christmas Carol!!! This is THE BEST THING EVER!!!

Sweet Dance Moves...

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Sweet Vocal Stylings...

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Fun with Washable Markers

I was just flipping through some pictures on my parents computer that I took a couple years ago and came across one of my very favorite pictures from Summer 2006, and wanted to share!.

This shot is of my cousin Clarkie after his first ink session...

A summer at Lake George is heaven, but after a while going to the beach daily is lack luster for little kids with short attention spans. During my summer of nannying for my cousins, we had to think of fun new ways to distract 6 little kids for 8 hours of the day... and this is what we came up with, haha.

The kids loved it, and I laughed the whole time at how concentrated they were while giving each other (and us) tattoo's. No worries Moms, they were non-toxic washable markers. Although, I think Clarkie might have considered making it permanent if he had the option.

I miss those days :)

Hurry Up and Wait!

Wow. This is where I live...can you believe it!? Sometimes I can't even wrap my head around the amazing beauty I'm lucky enough to live amongst! I count myself a very lucky girl.

But ya know... your own business, like I do, can often super saturate your life to the point of insanity and sometimes suck the fun right out of, well, everything. What's my remedy for the " I can't think productively for one more second, or I will scream" Blues? Clicking off my Blackberry, shutting down my MacBook, packin' up some snacks and beverages and stepping outside to enjoy beautiful Lake George. We are so lucky to own a little piece of this lake, rightfully considered by many as "The Queen of American Lakes". 

So off I go, to enjoy this sunny Sunday, and ignore everything to do with my business. Not to worry though kiddies, I will be back later tonight with a new Etsy Lust feature! In the meantime, read up on my first Etsy Lust feature or my ode to a great Etsy talent and friend, RockLove.