LollyChops

Chiffon and taffeta flowers!

I am attempting a daring feat today!  I will see if I can write the shortest post in LC history (GallyChops has informed me that I need to go to bed e-meediately).

I hardly crafted this weekend (3 hours was about all I could muster).  I did manage to make up some taffeta and chiffon flowers that I have been admiring for decades (in dog years of course) and I wanted to share them with you real quick!!!

It was crazy easy and I did not burn down the house (which is kinda like a bonus if you ask me).

I got 1/8 of a yard of several colors of taffeta and chiffon at JoAnn's for digging in the dirt cheap (we are talking like $.30 - .75 per piece)!

I cut them into circles and used a candle flame to kinda burn the edges a little.  It took me a few tries to get the hang of it - but once I had it down I was on a taffeta and chiffon edge burning ROLL!

I made up a few totally cool flowers and have plans for loads more once I have this gallbladder thing all worked out.

I found out Friday that there are in fact stones in there (the technician pointed to them and said to me "you see those there..  those are your little friends")...  I think you guys make much nicer friends that that goat load of gall stones (I plan on keeping you guys around for sure!!!).

Oh yeah...  O.M.T.... this past Friday - Rachel from OnePrettyThing wrote to tell me that she is currently researching methods and procedures for polishing and cutting gallstones into fine gems - so we can make necklaces and matching earrings (she's so clever).  I can hardly wait!....  Saturday RonChops came up with the idea of bringing them home to use as models for needle felted renditions of gallstones.  That could be cool too.  I'll have to decide carefully what to do with them!

Lots more grizzly HUGS!

P.S.  Bear with me until I get all this personal health stuff worked out.  I'll let you guys know what's going on for sure!  xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

P.S.S.T.  So much for the short post.  hehehe

Pea.Ess.Ess.  Kim (one of the owners of SpoonFlower) made a super awesome dress from my Pear Pops - Gumbo fabric!  You can go check it out HERE!  It's sooooowwwwww cool!

Sunday Guest Recipe :: Applesauce Cake

Hi everyone!  I hope you are all having a wonderful weekend!  I gotta say...  W.O.W. and thanks to all of the love you guys sent our way Friday!   I am just totally blown away by all of your comments!  MomChops and SisterChops are coming over today to help me with the totally tubular giveaway!  We'll be getting things ready to ship out and notifying the winners (woot~~~)!

On to the recipe/interview portion of our regularly scheduled program!
My guest today is Heather from Living-Senses!  She has been a real trooper in dealing with me!  She was scheduled appear April 4 and I did not have my act together...  so she gracoiusly agreed to be my guest today instead!

Let's get rolling with the interview!

LollyChops:  What topping(s) do you like on your pizza?
Heather:  sun dried tomatoes, feta cheese, pesto, and kalamata olives. No contest. Unless of course it's fast food pizza, then I love Canadian Bacon and Pineapple. Forever and always.

LollyChops:  If you were a salad, which dressing would you pick?
Heather:  Blue Cheese. Love that stuff.

LollyChops:  What do you use to clean your dishes. Plain sponge, sponge with scrubber attached to one side, scrubber handle thing with soap refill, scrubber knob thing w/wo soap refill, kitchen towel, etc… 
Heather:  I've recently learned to knit, and last night I cast off dish cloth number 7. I've been enjoying using my hand knit dish cloths lately. It's really fun to open the dish cloth drawer and see all hand knits looking back at me, too. I also have a soap filled scrubber for really sticky things.

Lolly's got some serious gall!

Real real quick...I wanted to let you guys know what in the heck was going on with the Chops clan.  It's been a really long week.  Pottery weekend has been moved to October (giant thanks to Pam for being so understanding!!!!).

This past Monday my Aunt (the one who was coming for the pottery weekend with her daughter) had a stress test and found out that she needed to have a cardiac catheterization Wednesday (as in two days ago).  So they went in and immediately told her that she needed to have open heart surgery that very same day!  This all happened really really fast.  I took off work and went to hang out with MomChops till we got word on her progress.  A few hours later she came through triple bypass surgery with flying colors (thank goodness)!  She's assured us all that she will be ready for pottery weekend by October (she was pretty bummed about having to miss it!!!). 

Tuesday evening I started having some weird pains and went to the doctor Wednesday only to find out that I prolly need to have my gallbladder removed.  Yippee!  Well not really...  soooo...  as you can imagine I am putting the tubular giveaway on hold for a few days till I get this resolved (I was thinking that if I have gall stones that we might do a little Gally Lolly giveaway later next week).  You guys interested (or just completely freaked out)?  hehehe

The good news...(there is always good news)... is that my sister is in town (cause she was scheduled to be here for the pottery weekend) so I get to hang out with her AND my icky gallbladder all weekend long!  WOO HOO!

Bear with me you guys!  I'll be back to my old self SOON!

Grizzly HUGS!!

P.S. HUGS x 1,000,000 = more hugs than you can stand (squared)!

Totally Tubular Challenge/Giveaway Extravaganza

I try my best to pump things up around here and get you guys excited...  but this one is gonna be a toughie!  You see... I am in fact having a giveaway today... but there is a teeny tiny catch (hang with me until at least the 4th sentence ok) (and yes...  that's a trick since my sentences are usually about 15 sentences crammed into one).  MUHAHAHAHAHAH!  oops.  I think I gave away my secret. 

Anyhoo...wondering what the catch is?
So yes it's a giveaway.  BUT...you have to make something with what I give ya (and then send me the pics of what you make for all the world to see).  I am not sure how many crazies kind souls are going to fall for this so I cannot even say how many I'll send out...  but I will tell ya I am willing to send out at least 30 - 40 of them (and no...they are not buttons to cover (shocking I know)).

How it all started...
I am sure you have heard me mention Uline before.  I get my glassine bags and other misc shipping supplies from those folks (they helped me get my shipping act together in a big way).  I was poking around their site a couple of weeks ago (I was ordering 240 bubble envelopes so I can mail loads more cool stuff to you guys for way cheaper)...  and I spotted these totally cool mailing tubes (you can check them out HERE)!  I knew I wanted to order some for myself but you had to get like 4 trillion of them at a time.  I ordered them anyway and when they arrived RonChops declared me officially insane (you should see the boxes these things came in...  GIGANTIC).  He of course asked me what I was going to do with 4 trillion mailing tubes and I declared ever-so-smartly...  mail stuff in them silly!  At which point he quietly walked away shaking his head (how the man puts up with me I have NO idea).

Stop blabbering already Lolly and get to the challenge!!!
(you know you guys are thinking that in your head...  admit it!!!)
Ok... so...you prolly already guessed from the pics and my excited talk of ordering 4 trillion mailing tubes...  that what I am going to send you is a mailing tube (no I am not kidding and yes it's STILL exciting). 

So I'll send you a mailing tube (in the MAIL) and all you have to do is alter it in some way.  In any way (think artsy fartsy).  You can stamp on it, slice it, dice it, paint it, poke holes in it, glue stuff to it, stuff stuff in it, sew a little outfit for it, cut it in half and make a pencil cup from it (that is of course - decorated), cover it in peanut butter and make a bird feeder out of it...  the possibilities are endless.  Trust me!  It's just a simple 3 inch by 7 inch plain white mailing tube.  Go crazy! (!!!!)

The ONLY catch is that you have to send me pics of your new fantabulous tube by May 16 so I can do a massive tubular post with everything you guys created!  Well I say massive...  but who knows!  I can see it now.  2 people are going to sign up for this.  Me and Cassie (she already said she was in).  I am sitting here laughing at myself actually.  I think it's a totally nutty idea but I want to try it anyway and see what happens!

How do I enter Lolly?
Like I said...  just leave me a comment here telling me "I'm in".. (make sure you enter your email address into the box thing so I can contact you).  If you are NOT interested you can leave a comment anyway (and tell me what a nut I am...  I need reassurance in that department).  If by some miracle a goat-load of people enter...  I'll just have to pick 30 or so folks (I am just not seeing it happen - but you never know right)?!?!?!

Oh and one more thing....  you have to cover up the entire outside of the tube with something (as in...no white can be peeping through rearing it's ugly former life of a mailing tube head).  :D

T-minus 3 days and counting till my pottery workshop HUGS!

P.S.  xoxoxoxox

P.S.S.  I promise not to get my feelins hurt if no one thinks this is a good idea.  I'll just huddle in the corner with my cake pops crying my little baby eyeballs out.

P.S.S.T.  There might be a little something in your tube when you get it.  But I'm not tellin' no one nuthin.

P.S.S.S.T.  This whole thing is was inspired by Cassie of For the Art of It.  Thanks Cassie!

Tiny Recap:  Let me know if you are "in" sane" by this Friday (April 24) and remember to have your pics to me by May 16!!  Isn't this exciting?!?!

O.M.T. Holey Mackerel!  Did I just set a LollyChops P.S. record??!?!?!?!?!?!  WOO HOOT!!!

Sunday Guest Recipe :: Ham and Cheese Strata

Happy Spring Sunday everyone!  Today my guest is Sandy from The 4R's Ramblings!  She's sharing a totally beautiful and dreamy sounding strata that's an absolutely perfect way to use up any leftover Easter ham you may have lurking in your fridge (or this might just give you an excuse to go out and get some ham ASAP!)!

Let's get starting with the interview!

LollyChops:  What's your favorite ingredient when cooking?
Sandy:  CHOCOLATE!
LollyChops:  Are ya sure about that?  The all caps makes me question if it's really your fav.  :D

LollyChops:  What topping(s) do you like on your pizza?
Sandy:  sausage, black olive

LollyChops:  What recipe do you cook best (the one you are known for or that all your friends always want you to make)?
Sandy:  My friends always ask me to make Kahlua Walnut Squares, I would have submitted this, but I have seen the recipe too often in print!

LollyChops:  What's your favorite ice cream flavor?
Sandy:  coffee fudge ripple, used to have at Baskin Robbins