Take it easy, peasy, lemon squeezey.

Psalms 84:11, "For the LORD God is a sun and shield: the LORD will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly."

The Christmas season is just as much joyous as it is stressful. If you are feeling uneasy this season, don't worry because YOU ARE NOT ALONE. All of us get that uneasy feeling. You're mind is racing and you keep asking yourself things like:
- Why am I depressed even though I have friends and/or family that care?
- Why can't I just enjoy life and be excited like everyone else?
- Am I the only one that feels like I just want to crawl under the covers and stay there forever?
- What the heck is wrong with me?

You are not the only one who thinks all of these things! I go through it constantly, my mom does, my best friend, boyfriend, ALL OF US! And anyone who tells you that they don't is just lying to you and themselves. So let yourself cry, I'll be your shoulder to cry on and I'll listen to what you have to say. Just know that if you have a hurting heart, I'm giving you the biggest bear hugs right now. Please believe in yourself and trust yourself and God because he will always be taking care of you, watching over you, and making sure that you are safe. Take it slow this season, relax, spend sometime doing things that you want to do and don't let anyone pressure you in to something you don't feel is right for you. Believe in yourself and your happiness and that's what you will always have.

Love & tears of relief,
Nikki

I am the luckiest girl in the world!

2010 has been such an amazing year for me. I have done so many things this year and made so many new friends in the process. A lot of those friends that I made became TRUE friends and have made the biggest difference in my life. Yesterday, I celebrated my birthday with my bestest true friend of all....my sister! For my birthday gift, she got tickets to go see The Pee Wee Herman Show on Broadway! We high tailed it to the big apple bright & early to get in some shopping before the show.





I had to pose with this, the biggest tube of mascara I've ever seen! I believe it was on the second level of the THREE LEVEL FOREVER 21. This store was so massive and beautiful!



Ladies and Gentleman, the fattest pigeon ever.



Rockafeller Center had its Christmas tree up and shining bright. It was so beautiful because there were so many people around singing and ice skating down at the rink below the tree. It definitely put me in the Christmas spirit!



This hat was from Saks. It was just hanging on one of the many hat racks that were there, I wanted it so bad! I love hats, especially big ones with flowers on them. When I went to look at the price tag, I gently put it back down on the rack.... an $1000 hat just sitting there!


Hahahaha my sister was in love with this feather/vest/gaga coat! It was so unique and she kept saying, "I'm gonna buy it and wear it to my company Christmas party!" Hahahaha


After a long day of shopping (mostly just window!), we got some sushi and went over to the theater to see none other than....







!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The show was everything I dreamed it would be! Pee Wee still looks the same, has the same voice, it's crazy! The original Miss Yvonne was even in it, and Jambi! I wish I could tell you all about the show, but I don't want to ruin it for anyone who plans on seeing it. I laughed so hard I cried, and the show made tons of references to previous things he had in his show (They played a Penny Cartoon!) If there is any show to go see this season, Pee Wee Herman is a must. The audience was all adults and there were even a couple of guys dressed up as Pee Wee with the haircut and all!

To put the icing on the cake, I got home and logged on to my lovely facebook and the outpouring of love and birthday wishes from everyone made me cry. It only takes two seconds to leave someone a little "Happy Birthday", but those two seconds can mean the world to someone. I am so honored to have the best people in my life and such amazingly, wonderful, talented friends. Thank you to everyone who truly made this such a magical birthday for me. You are all TRUE, DEAR friends and I am so blessed to have all of you with such big hearts. You have no idea how much all of those kind words meant to me!


Lots of love & magic screens,
Your Nikki

Burlesque Makeup and new hair!

I hope everyone had a lovely Turkey day and got some nice food in their tummies =) I spent time with my family today and it was so relaxing and cozy. I don't have much time but I wanted to post up this brand, spankin' new video that I just made for you guys! Last night, I went to see "Burlesque" and was inspired by a specific scene in the movie where Christina is singing a power house ballad and her makeup looked so beautiful and classic. So here is my Thanksgiving gift I'm bringing to your table, I hope you enjoy it!




Huge love & and even bigger bellies,
Nikki

The 2 best baby costumes of 2010

Less than 24 hours until trick-or-treat time! Halloween has always been my favorite holiday. Dressing up scary/silly/sexy, it's all so much fun. This year I saw some really cute baby costumes. Though I don't have any babies, I definitely got some good ideas for when I do start popping them out. Here are two costumes that I couldn't resist... my mom even bought one so that she could pack it away for when I have a baby! Sounds crazy, but that's my mama for ya!

Baby ice cream cone! How stinkin' cute is that?!! I was laughing so hard when I saw it in the store.



















He'll be the baddest, meanest, Hulk baby on the block! I'm obsessed with Hulk and the fact that there is a baby costume... can't get much better than this. Now if only there were a Hello Kitty costume for a girl.... I always thought I'd have a baby boy, I never even thought about girl costumes!


What are you dressing up as this Halloween? Post up some pictures and have a very happy Halloween and tons of fun!

oxox,
Nikki

Longwood Gardens and Spontaneity!

Have you ever had one of those days where you say to yourself, "Today is the day I do something different!" While I was talking with store owners and spreading my makeup word, I decided to take a detour to the amazing Longwood Gardens. So I mosey-ed on over there & I went on in to explore all of the beauty that it had to offer.

For all of you that have never heard of Longwood Gardens, it truly is such an amazing place. Filled with lush trees and vibrant flowers, it's a place where you almost wish you could get lost in. The DuPont's seem to own everything in the Northern Delaware/PA Border area and they keep up with it with such prestige.



These beautiful archways are lined up right out side of the open air theater & water show. I tried running as fast as I can to catch the water show but the second I got there, it ended! Thank you heeled boots!



Surprisingly, no blisters! Just some sore feet. Funny thing is, I had my pair of fold-up flats sitting in my car the whole time.



The Italian Water Gardens weren't working =( But when I was looking around their large lake, a kind man turned to me and said, "Would you like me to take your picture?" I was so happy that there was someone there that was thoughtful enough to ask. I was just going to do the auto-timer and let er rip, haha. So I posed in front of the large lake.



All of the leaves be-changin'!



I absolutely loved this tree - so unique and different. Don't the flowers remind you of wedding bells?



Inside the greenhouse, there were so many amazing flower displays…



Look at the detail in just this one bush.... so cool.



"Making Scents" exhibit. My favorite perfume bottle was the legs.



This perfume was called "Shocking" by Elsa Schiaparelli (greatest rival Coco Chanel) - Mae West was a client of her's, so she made the bottle shaped to imitate Mae's Torso.



They had a machine that would "Create your own Scent" by mixing together notes that were appealing to your nose. Everyone that was doing it got something different! My fragrance that it mixed up for me was "Complice" by Coty. Unfortunately, this perfume has been discontinued for years upon years, but they print out a scratch and sniff sample of it all mixed together and it was lovely!



This is such a wonderful, wonderful place. Can you imagine - someone once LIVED on this property? Imagine walking outside and seeing the beautiful deer jumping through the trees and flowers. So sweet!

If you want to do something that no one else wants to do, DO IT ANYWAY! The number one person in your life should be you. Never sacrifice your happiness or your want to do something. The more you put off something that will truly make you happy, the more you'll be angry with yourself. So here's to random acts of spontaneous =)

Love & floral notes, Nikki

Top 5 Reasons why you are perfect the way you are

5) You have special dreams and goals that mean more to you than anything else. And one day all of those dreams and goals will come true even if you think you're the farthest you could ever possibly be away from them. Don't ever lose sight of your dreams because they WILL COME TRUE!

4) You might have a best friend or family member or whoever that you think you are EXACTLY like. But the truth is... you are unique and a better version of what you think you are. No one is quite like you and that's what makes you so perfect!

3) You are funny! You make at least one person smile a day maybe without even realizing that you do. Someone is thinking about you right this very second and probably smiling about you too! You have your own unique sense of humor and way to bring joy that only you can make.

2) No one looks like you do. So if you ever think you are ugly, fat, or whatever you make up in your mind - don't believe it! Don't compare yourself to others because they are beautiful in their own ways as well. Be an individual and create your own look because you are a bombshell just like the ones that you see in magazines. The only difference between you and those magazine girls is that they are airbrushed. But you're a better version... you are 100% real, baby! Take it from Mae West - "A model is just an imitation of the real thing!" And who wants something fake?

1) And the number one reason you are perfect the way you are is because you know how to LOVE! You love family, friends, animals, your career, your hair... whatever it is that you love, you have the ability to do so! That is the first part in getting what you truly want in life, by loving. So since you already can love someone or some thing, that makes you a step a head of the game!

You always hear that quote "You have to love yourself before you can truly love others". And I never thought that was true... until I realized that I was putting all of my DREAMS , my LOVE, and my PASSION into things that had nothing to do with what I wanted for myself! When I finally started to take all that drive and put it towards what I LOVED (doing makeup, reading, excersizing, family, etc.) I realized what true love really was. And it's the best feeling in the world! Every person has the ability to truly love themselves. And people take many routes to figure out how to find true love for themselves, no one route works the same for everyone. So take your time and listen to your gut if something doesn't feel right. TRUST YOURSELF because you are the only one who knows what is good for you.

Short story time! I remember the exact moment I realized that I loved myself. I was working at a job that would promise me things that would never come true. They would build up my hopes and dreams just to crash them down or lie to me about if they were ever going to promote me or help me obtain my goals. One day, the owner came up to me and said, "You have to change your personality when you are here. Everyone is not your friend." And I said, "I'm sorry you feel that way. I was raised to love and smile and laugh with people. I can't change who I am." And I walked out of there and never looked back! The whole ride home I was shaking I was so nervous! I can't believe I just walked out on my career! So many different things were going through my head... I didn't think I could EVER do something like that! I was working at a place that I thought I wanted to fit into SO BADLY because it was what I thought I wanted to do with my life. But I realized that very moment the owner said that to me that that's not the kind of place I ever want to be in and that it was a GREAT thing that I didn't fit in there!

So if anyone tries to tell you that your personality is bad or not right, forget about them! If they want to be unhappy and sour inside, let them have fun with that! Keep drumming to your own beat because your music is beautiful =) The only reason others make fun of others or hurt others is because they are unhappy with themselves. Remember that it is not you that they are putting down, they are really putting down themselves. I love you for you and there are so many others that do to so keep all of your dreams alive and keep being you =)

Love and big hot air balloon sized hugs,

Nikki

Reasons to love

1) When you tell someone you love them, and you truly mean it, a whole wave of happiness comes over you!

2) Because the word "love" is way more powerful than "hate". "Hate" is an easy one to throw out there. "Love" takes courage to say.

3) When you surround yourself with love, you become invincible. Superman couldn't fly if it wasn't for Louis Lane ;-)

4) Music means more to you. Your friends, family, and coworkers become more and more beautiful. The world seems to go from just ok to "This is A-OK! Woo-hoo!"

There are so many reasons to love than be down in the dumps. For one, you are an amazing person who has a great journey in front of you. You have so many good surprises in store for you and you will succeed!

Love, love, and more of the good stuff...,

Nikki

3 videos that will make you smile!

Have you ever had one of those days that goes so downhill that you just have to throw your hands up and say, "Oh well!'? Today was definitely one of those days for me! Here are 3 videos that usually get me out of a bad mood rut....

1) "The Mean Kitty Song"

For anyone that has a cat, they can appreciate this video. It's such a cute song and the guy who made it is just as cute ;-)

2) "Tunak Tunak Tun"

I remember watching this in the 7th grade and finding it hilarious. Almost a decade later I can still watch it and laugh just as hard! If you are really in a rut, try doing this dance with a friend. You literally can't look at eachother at the same time without getting a hurt belly from laughing so hard!

3) "Call on me"

What a creative fella'.... Eric Pyrdz made every boys dream with this one! I think this video is absolutely great. And if any of you have had a dance party with me, you know this is one of my favorite songs. Enjoy boys ;-)

What are some of the videos that get you going? I hope you can add these to your repitoire of youtube silliness =)

Love and laughs,

Nikki

When you feel like you've forgotten what makes you smile....

Sometimes we all forget what truly makes us happy. Life likes to pull us in all directions which makes you lose yourself sometimes. But don't be afraid because you know who you are, it just might take a little blast from the past to realize it. Today my Dad was unpacking boxes from the move and he found a small backpack with my name on it. He brought it to me and said, "Are these important documents yours?" I opened up the backpack that was filled with realy important documents - notes from friends back in middle school and high school! Notes from my best friend, crushes, and random classmates. I read a few of them and started laughing and tearing up with happiness!

So when you are feeling lost, look for your old diaries or any old notes from way back when. That is your TRUE happiness right in there and we are all capable of being TRULY HAPPY!

Love and crazy note-foldings,

Nikki