The Kira Nichols Etsy Shop

Plenty more to see at kiranichols.etsy.com! Bookmarks, planner clips, digital stamps, ornaments, and many more unique gifts. Thanks for supporting this artist!

Things are looking up!

I'm blogging from my iPad because my computer is acting up and it's driving me crazy. The Internet keeps dropping out and it's making it really hard to do anything. Things are looking up, though. I am still so sad about Tinkerbell and I think about her all the time, but I have some really great news that has been distracting me. Really unexpected news. Can you guess? I'm pregnant! Again. Accidentally. I can hardly believe it! Especially considering it took us so many years to get buddy! It's crazy. But we are so happy. This wasn't supposed to be possible, but it's happened! I'll take it!

It's still really early (I'm only two months along), so I'm cautious with my feelings, but I'm pretty optimistic about it. I'm already puking like it's my job. Morning sickness is no fun.

Anyways, I made these tag cards even before I had Buddy but now I'm just getting around to sharing them with you. I made them for a swap with a very sweet woman (Gifts by Mother Hen). She made the cutest knit budgies for Buddy and I sent her a variety of goodies.

Well, that's all for now. The baby is asleep, so I guess I should be too. The pregnant lady needs her rest! Good night.


Today was a really awful day


This is a picture of Buddy and Tink yesterday.  Just a few hours before we had to put Tink down. The cancer spread all over her body, and as hard as the choice was, it was just time. Yesterday was so hard. So much crying.

But today is worse. I just feel so shredded. I never realized how ingrained in our lives she was. I keep expecting to see her subconsciously and my heart rips open when I remember she’s not here anymore. A hundred times each day. 

Tink was 12 years old. We were friends for her entire life, from tiny puppy to old lady. She was always wanted. We took her with us every time we moved. She was really the best, most gentle, loving, peaceful animal. She knew lots of tricks. She was great at cleaning up our plates. Her ears were soft. She could run so fast and jump so high when she was young.  As she became old, she was calm and sweet and so good. Her heart was pure until the very end.

I know it was the right choice. But I am so sad. I miss her so much.

When will this stop hurting?

Birdhouse Shrine Magnets

It was my goal this week to do a blog post and CHECK ME OUT! Here I am, posting :) If you can't tell by my tone, I'm patting myself on the back. Tooting my own horn. Ahem, okay, now we can continue.
 Truth be told, I made these a while ago. If you follow my FB page, these were the last project I posted there, so they may be familiar.
 My husband is steadily working on finishing our basement, and when he was putting up the sheetrock, I stole a little scrap of drywall shim. It's pretty much thick chipboard, so I cut up little pieces and glued them together to make house shaped tiny shrines.
 These three little ones are about one inch in size, and I think they turned out pretty cute. They were kind of a lot of work. I can't even remember if I made them pre-baby or post-baby...
 Regardless of when I made them, they now hold up some cute Buddy pictures on the fridge.
 This one is a bit bigger.
 The backs. I used super strong neodymium magnets on the back because in my house, we don't have time for weak-sauce magnets failing to hold things up. My secret: I find these little round magnets the cheapest by ordering from Chinese sellers on eBay!
You know it's safe to assume that I haven't been blogging much because of this beautiful baby larva. He is allllmost 5 months old, and I can hardly believe it. He grows every day, and looks a lot like me :) He giggles. I love him. And he goes to bed early!

I've committed myself to doing an entire HOUR of crafting, craftroom organizing, blogging, Etsy stuff, etc. per weeknight after the Buddybean falls asleep. So far, I've put a dent in my craftroom organization, made a few things, and I've....


Crazy, I know. It's open for at least the 2014 holidays. I started making bookmarks again because I am insane. Totally insane.

Anyhoo, I've missed you all, blogfriends. Until the next post... Lots of high fives, hugs and love.

Where I've Been

Hello, Great Big World! Meet Buddy Bonesteel Nichols, born May 2, 5 lbs 11 oz, 19 inches! 
 For anybody wondering where on earth I've been, or who have known, but have just been wondering how on Earth I have been doing: My update post is finally here. I feel like only just this week am I emerging out of the hardest, most challenge-ridden couple years of my life so far. Those of you following my blog over the years have know about our struggles with my back pain and infertility, then this turned out to be a tough pregnancy with lots of puking and headaches and hips popping out and carpal tunnel, etc etc etc. Then to top it all off, baby came prematurely, and then I ended up struggling with some serious postpartum depression and anxiety. I am lucky (?) to have had experience with clinical depression and anxiety in the past, so after only a few weeks I knew that it wasn't baby blues and I needed to get some sort of help... Just this week are my meds balancing out and I am feeling like a normal person again and starting to enjoy my life. That's only the story in a teeny itsty bitsy little nutshell. 

But I am HAPPY. I have my BABY and he is BEAUTIFUL :) Here are some pictures for you guys!
 At the hospital, when things started to get real about a month too soon. We're thinking, "Holy crap! I'm gonna be a father!" and I am thinking, "Holy crap! This hurts like a mother!"
Just about an hour old, face all swollen and cute.

 My favorite picture in the entire world.
 When preemie Buddy had to be a little glo-worm in the bilibed because he was jaundiced.
Two weeks old, tiny boy

Seven weeks old, big boy

My mom and me and Buddy. 

Anyway, I've missed the blogging life. I hope to be back soon with pictures of some things I've made. I do have a few projects I've yet to share here that just haven't made it onto the internets yet because I've been...well...you know. Busy! 

Thanks for all the love.



Lots of earrings! Who knew a Pop Can could be so cool?

This is just going to be mostly an "eye candy" post, because dang. I am pooped. I'll do another post with more earrings (they're coming!) and describe more technique.










I finally got the motivation to whip out my Vintaj Bigkick machine, which I bought months and months ago. It's been hiding in my closet, inside the box... quietly weeping. "Useeee meee! I was expennnsiveee!" Well, I took a much needed Etsy vacation from Wicked Witch bookmarks, and I finally took out the danged machine. And guess what. It's pretty freaking awesome. 

Because you can turn pop cans and soup cans into pretty things. 

More later. Much love, Kira :)