bento box.

A Bento box is to the Japanese what the brown bag lunch is to Americans. Since I bring my LUNCH to work each day, I was VERY interested when I read about these handy ones sold at Plastica.

It's a stackable lunch box with little compartments that could house all the snacks I bring to work. I bring LOTS of little things, and this would keep them all contained in a bright, fun lunch box that would make me happy each day @ noon. I like the blue, green and white one the best. With this, mr hummus doesn't have to touch mr veggies OR mr pitas until right before I eat!

I will admit - I might be pretty easy to please. Right now my solution for a lunch tote is tupperware in a Target bag.

tom's toothpaste.

I'm a Tom's toothpaste lover. I made the switch about a year and a half ago. Bye-bye Colgate for Nicky. I like Tom's because it TASTES GOOD. Plus, they use all natural ingredients in their products and are big charity contributors.

Last night, we ran out. BOO. It was pretty late, but I scoured the linen closet to find the teeney-tiny travel size Colgate we have. It's tough to go back, it's like having Jiff after you've been eating all-natural PB for awhile.

I must have complained loudly, because this morning I was happy to find McAllister had made a late-night pit stop for Tom's on the way home from work. Happi Day!

junk outing.

Sondra and I went junking this past weekend. We hit up some moving sales and antique stores. It is a successful trip when we can fill up the back of her SUV (camera pic below) with JUNK for less than $40 total!

Among my coolfinds:
-A $10 ladder that I'll use as a towel rack and shelf in the guest room.
-Large wire baskets ($2 apiece) that will make 4 GREAT storage with an industrial feel.
-3 small, old drawers ($1 apiece unless your me - then they charge you double!) from our local, architectural salvage shop. I'm going to make them into a 3 shelf inbox for my desk.
-2 OLD suitcases for $3 each. They'll likely be made into one end table, I'm just not sure yet if I want them on casters or not....

There was LOTS more (oh yeah - the $5 vintage drying rack!). I'm sure I'll post about the finished products. Let the projects BEGIN!

mygoogle themes

My Google has THEMES, pass it on!

Thanks to ljc, I now know my 'My Google' page can have a THEME.

The page will dynamically change based on where you are located and what time of day it is, so you won't get bored of your theme. Very rad.

The 'Bus Stop' looks like it could be fun, but for now - I agree with ljc and will opt for the 'Tea House' theme. The orange trees are helping me move past winter and onto SPRING.

switzerland photos.

No one is holding their breath for the photos from our super-duper trip. Thank goodness for that, b/c I've been a total slacker getting them organized and online. My average time from "say-cheese" to computer is usually quicker than a bunny. But not with Europe. And doing the math, I think I know why....

As a couple, during our trip - we hit new photo taking levels never hit before. In our 19 day trip, we arrived home with 2298 images and 34 video clips. (well over 3MB of storage)

2298 pics?!?!?! That means, on average we took 121 photos per day. That's crazy. It's so crazy, I LOVE it.

fyi: I finished Switzerland and posted them to my Gallery Travel page. Next up: Southern France and Rome.

medicine cabinet makeover.

I shamelessly stole a neat-o project idea from MARTHA that I saw online last year.

The project is an easy-peasey way to JAZZ up your medicine cabinet using a sheet of galvanized metal. Plus, it works DOUBLE time for you as storage b/c you can stick magnets to it!

You can check out the before/after road to getting there on my PROJECTS page. It was ironic to see the project tip featured in Martha's APRIL issue of her Living magazine this month. I finished it last week, before the magazine dropped - so I'm CONVINCED Martha and I are on the same wave.....

spring.

I've got the itch. The itch for spring & all that comes along with it!

That includes flowers, sunshine, gardening, coffee on the front porch, lazy Saturday mornings, flip flops, farmer's market, garage sales, flea markets, trips to the dog park and MORE.

happy FIRST day of spring!

shamrock coasters.

I went to Albany for the weekend, to visit my crafty Irish friends.

I made 6 festive shamrock coasters as a gift for my lovely hostesses. They were a nice, functional gift and really fun to make too. I even was able to enjoy them most of the weekend during my stay.

Check out my projects page for the how-to!

going GREEN.

In the spirit of the upcoming GREEN weekend, I thought it would be timely to introduce a new, buzzing, local business here in Rochester....

Green Way Cleaning, is the new biz in town! It was started by a couple of stay-at-home mom's with an eco-friendly passion. They've introduced new products & services for those that want to introduce a green way of cleaning into their homes. They have residential cleaning services, do public speaking engagements and even sell the cleaning products they make.

I just ordered the Green Way Caddy!

the queens of junk.

I love making NEW uses out of OLD things.

Two of the masters of that, are Sue Whitney and Ki Nassuer - the owners of Junk Market. They're also authors of a book (which I own), Junk Market Style, have their own magazine (same name) and a monthly column in Country Living. They are famous for re-purposing garage sale scores into neat and clever ideas. Take their doggie dish idea.... did anyone think I could come up with that on my own?!

My girlfriend and I went to hear them speak over the weekend at the Buffalo Home and Garden show. They were awesome.!! We got to meet Sue unexpectedly on the way in, when we were lost. She smuggled us through the exhibitor entrance saving us that ridiculous $9 cover charge.

Their talk got me super-charged for all the flea market and garage sales that are right around the corner with SPRING!

candid's in town.

I got an email yesterday from a fave band - CANDID.

Simple marketing, they email to announce where they'll be playing. I just HEART how different their email creative is. I've come to always expect something new and different, so I open them all regardless of if whether their tour is in a far-off city I won't be attending.

They are playing here in Roch this weekend. I have tentative out-of-town plans though.... BOO.

Happy 50th Anniversary!

My BLOG turned 50 today….

Having a relatively new entrance into the BLOGGING world, I baked myself CUPCAKES today to celebrate my 50^th POST.

Cheers to 50 MORE!

vending machines

Last week, during my travel to the west coast and back, I happen to notice that vending machines are not just for candy and soda anymore. In Vegas, I saw bouquets of flowers including dozens of roses being sold out of the vending machines while I awaited my luggage @ the baggage claim.

In the Minneosota airport, you could purchase a 30 day OR 60 day supply of Proactiv acne medication right out of a vending machine. You could also purchase an ipod, or if you already have one – accessories for it like headphones, rad cases or iTunes gift cards. The direct-to-consumer marketing model is growing by leaps and bounds when you look at all these new selling channels....

Have you seen anything extraordinary hanging out in your local vending machines?

you're hired!

Does this guy look familiar?!

He may - he is the season-one winner of The Apprentice, Bill Rancic.

The conference I went to last week had Rancic as a key-note speaker. I wasn't entirely excited when I first heard. I'm just not a big fan of people becoming famous off their short-term reality-TV stunts. But his speech was actually quite good and informative. He gave a motivational speech covering his perspective on business values, strategies, goals, etc. He is a SMART guy.

I got a FREE copy of his book (which is signed now ;-0), You're Hired and I read a good chunk of it on the plane ride back. I can tell already it will be an easy, inspiring business-book, I've already related to it on many fronts.

vegas bound.

Here's the view from my WINDOW seat. This was during the Rochester to Chicago leg of my trip over to Vegas for business.

I was running a bit late for my early flight and forgot to turn my cell phone off during take-off. I managed to catch a quick pic with my camera phone before I interrupted traffic control signals....

winter wedding wonderland

Last weekend, McAllister and I went to Niagara-on-the-Lake to watch our friends Wes and Tonia be WED.

They had a beautiful wedding and reception at The Queen's Landing.

Even though we had a minor memory card mishap (forgot to remember the memory), we still managed to capture some GREAT memories. Check 'em out!

10 ways to reuse your Target bag.

they are so smart at target. right on the bag - they suggest 10 ways that YOU can help by using their bags for other purposes. Such as:

1. Tiny Trashcan Liner.
2. Doggy duty.
3. Water Balloon.
4. Roadtrip rubbish.
5. Soggy Laundry.
6. Ice pack for head lump.
7. Toiletry tote.
8. Kitty litter liner.
9. Tomorrow's lunchbag.
10. Care package padding.

I use #2 regularly, sometimes #4, and #9 often too. #6 can be used for any body part - like my knee last night after falling down our icy stairs. And #7 can be used for more than just toiletries - just ask JON, he uses them for plain LUGGAGE.

v-day decor.

With the fear of being compared to the crazy-lady who leaves her christmas lights out all-year round - I've decided to pro-actively take down the v-day decor.

Last year I put ZERO energy into decorating with HEARTS. This year, I had the heartfelt motivation to make some FUN, simple, and cheap Valentine's Day decorations.

I put my WWMD (what-would-martha-do) hat on AND read her magazine for inspiration. Check out my project page for details!

christmas in Feb!

Two weekends ago, I celebrated christmas with Jon and Lisa because we didn't cross paths at the holidays. (BOO to Jon getting sick)

They know how much I HEART presents. And they were truly creative with the BEVERAGE BASKET gift. I'd never seen one before!!


It came filled with beverage goodies!! Starbuck's coffee, various teas, hot cocoa mix, sugar cubes, marshmallows, mexican beer, Starbucks frappucino, powerade, bloody mary mix, a teapot, and SO MUCH MORE.

Thank you Jon and Lisa so much for our FUN filled gift. I can't wait to consume it ALL!!

fave shoes.

i HEART pumas.

my green suede ones are my favorite pair of shoes. I wore them to work today, with my new pink socks that I got for v-DAY.

(that ugly carpet is my OFFICE!)

V-DAY!

happy valentine's!!

quick fix.

I found the Listerine container BORING.

So I took a cruet and turned it into a nice looking MOUTHWASH container. It's much prettier now on the sink.

to TAG, or not to TAG?

That is the question. For those of us that love DATA and INFORMATION, tagging gives us a way to easily CATEGORIZE and ORGANIZE the massive content on the web.

So long keyword searches. TAGGING enables us to organize web material in a very personalized way, rather than relying on pre-existing formats of classifying information. (goodbye dewey decimal) Tagging is great because it's USEFUL to the tagger, making the mose sense of organization given the organizer is in charge of the system.

Just look @ the popularity of flickr, youtube, and del.icio.us. I've been using del.icio.us for awhile... the benefit, access 2 my categorized BOOKMARKS - anytime, anywhere. aka: any computer, any browser.

I found this article really interesting. Especially when Weinberger was talking about the potential intersection between tagging and our social networks. WOW. The power of data.

our kitchen cherries.

Recently I bought a canvas-mounted print, from the artist - Rodney White. This was tough for me, as the piece was BIG and wall space is precious for us PHOTO JUNKIES. I was introduced to White through Ballard Designs, a store suggested to me from my close friend Jenn b/c of my affiliation with Pottery Barn.

White is a young, self-taught artist who typically creates his art on canvas. I just HEART his style. He uses amazing TYPOGRAPHY to convey SIMPLE sayings that are so MEANINGFUL. He also has great COLOR combinations and his pieces have such a retro, VINTAGE feel. (This coming from someone who loves OLD things, a self-professing flea market/junk lover).

White named the print I purchased 'The Hardest of Easy Choices'. I'll admit, I was first drawn to the piece b/c of the colors (hello - my new kitchen?!!) and the cherries (as those who know me know, cherries are symbolic given my other half grew up on a cherry orchard). However, I'm quite happy to report these are my new favorite CHERRIES of all time!!

Happiness is truly a choice, and sometimes the hardest of easy choices. The print's 2 short weeks of life in our home have already been been extremely influential to me. It's crazy how a visual concept can produce something so powerful. These cherries and I already have an unique bond (well, we DO have coffee together each morning).

That said, I'd suggest a quick browse of White's Gallery, as you too may find something that strikes your inspiration fancy!!

paris.

We LOVED Paris. We took some extra time making sure we got just the right photos (MEMORIES) of Paris, with a lot of emphasis on the EIFFEL TOWER. If you haven't seen our photos, make sure to check 'em out!

What will I do with all these photos?!!? Besides coasters, a new mousepad for work, and a large photo gallery of our whole TRIP in our bedroom (we're running out of wall space for photos) - today I'm thinking I'll create some notecards at the Kodak Gallery. Notecards are much more thoughtful and special when using homeade STOCK photography images!

Now my only dilemma is which photo to choose!

Sadie says HELLO WORLD.

Newest addition to the family = Sadie Cunha.

Lucy said she can't WAIT to meet her... or maybe she said EAT her.... I can't remember now.

greetings that provoke!

I HEART MikWright Cards. I've spent much time lingering in the aisles of Wegmans & Parkleigh laughing ALOUD to their provocative humor and old photographs which makes these cards so unique. They remind me of old photographs that you might find when looking through old albums with Grandma.

Recently, on the KODAK BLOG - one of my work colleagues contacted the founders of MikWright - and interviewed them:

Kodak: "What is your most popular photo/caption of all time?"
MK: "Our most popular cards have to do with liquor, hair, and subjects that people want to talk about but let us do the ice breaking. Number one is card 294 (a picture of a man holding a Daschund with the caption, "there he goes again showing off his wiener")

They're very funny & I highly recommend 'em! My fave is card #334, I have just the friend in mind.

meet pandora.

"Can you help me discover more music that I'll like?"

Introducing PANDORA.

Very cool. It's like a create-your-own-radio-station tool. You create 'stations' by selecting artists you like, and Pandora creates playlists of the artists as well as songs from other artists who have similar traits. You can scroll through the playlist, and decide whether you 'like it' or 'don't like it' and they work with your feedback.

It's like they study the DNA of a song, and suggest other songs on your station with similar DNA. The DNA consists of "everything from melody, harmony and rhythm, to instrumentation, orchestration, arrangement, lyrics, and of course the rich world of singing and vocal harmony". I think they're on to something here, b/c it works for me - I can listen to a station for hours!

There you have it, try it out and let me know what you think!

winter is here.

Winter is officially here! Lucy, McAllister and I spent all weekend shovelling the driveway and playing in the SNOW.

the strip.

I just found out that I'm going to VEGAS for a business client meeting Feb 28 - Mar 3rd. We're staying at some fancy digs... the Wynn Hotel.

I've never been 2 Vegas, so I'm very excited. I can already see the crazy photos I'll take!

They are offering a FUN event - golf, a spa massage or a Helicopter Tour of the GRAND CANYON!! I totally picked the heli tour... so what if I'll need valium...

felt.

Last weekend, i sat in front of the fireplace and sewed some Valentine's inspired CRAFTS. They were so simple, and such a nice accent to our front door.

The project idea was in this month's Country Home magazine. While I'm not super skilled at a sewing machine, I can handle some basic hand-sewn stiches easily. Plus, it made a great use for WINSLOW's STUFFING.

You can see more at my PROJECT GALLERY.

stuffing.

Not the kind you eat on Turkey Day.
The kind that Lucy rips out of every stuffed animal toy her path crosses.

Meet WINSLOW, her bear friend that has been with us since Sept 2006. WINSLOW was not always this thin.


He once was a cute, plump little bear. Lucy would carry him around from room to room like her little puppy. Then one day, their relationship changed - and she nearly took his head off in order to remove every last bit of stuffing in him.

What makes a dog like stuffing?

what's new?

I've created a NEW subdirectory on my Kodak Gallery photo page.

It will house all our TRAVEL photos. It joins my other subdirectorys, LUCY and PROJECTS. The URL's are:
www.kodakgallery.com/nicky (general photos, including links to subpages)
www.kodakgallery.com/nicky/lucy (guest of honor being LUCY)
www.kodakgallery.com/nicky/projects (all our home-improvement and crafting projects)
www.kodakgallery.com/nicky/travel (all our travel adventures)

I'll still use the SHARE Albums feature to notify people of new photos being posted. But wanted to inform you for your BOOKMARKing pleasure.

Grindelwald.

In lieu of having all our photos up for public viewing, I thought I'd post some fun shots of our FAVORITE place on our trip. We had a lot of favorites.... favorite city - Paris, favorite country - Switzerland, favorite church - San Pietro, Rome Italy, and favorite Market - Portabello.

However, our favorite place overall that we enjoyed touring the most was GRINDELWALD, Switzerland. Grindelwald is a small village town located in the Bernese Oberland region of Switzerland. It is in the very popular Jungfrau region and located right at the foot of Eiger North Face and Wetterhorn Mountains.

We decided that if we ever are fortunate to take a trip like that again - we'd go back and tour ALL of Switzerland. The pic below is us in front of Mount Wetterhorn and a little ski cafe in Grindelwald.

humid kitty.

i've been struggling with the air lately, or should I say - the lack of moisture in the air. my skin is crazy dry and i've been waking up in the middle of the night with a dry throat literally gasping for a sip of water.

hence my quest for a FUN humidifier for our bedroom. bed bath and beyond was OK, but I headed straight to my favorite store for silly, but practical items TARGET. i couldn't believe all my options.....

I think I've settled on HELLO KITTY but I found a penguin for Justine and a cow for Mom.

clean slate.

New year, fresh start, clean slate, whatever you want to call it. It caused me to change my BLOG background and font color selections.

I'm going for the simple, clean and fun look. Hopefully achieved!

ciao, niccunha

we're back.

it is true, we've made it back across the pond!

stay tuned for lots of stories and photos of our exciting european vacation.

unfortunately, so far - jet lag and a nasty cold has got the best of both of us. so I'm not on top of my photos as much as I want to be. there are LOTS of them, so best get prepared now!

thanks,
nic