LollyChops

The Little Rattler...

Hi everyone! I hope you all had a happy long holiday weekend! It's hotter than an oven here in Texas and I'm seriously looking forward to winter (and we've not even hit the hottest part of the summer yet)! EEPS!

I squeezed in a few crafts this past weekend and even managed to get Part 1 of my Faber-Castell video done! YAY!

I'm just in love with the Gelatos and Pitt Artist Big Brush pens!  Oh and the two winners of the Faber-Castell goodies from last week are Melanie K and Laurie Hunt (congrats girls)!!! Big thanks to the lovely folks from Faber-Castell for a chance to use their products and give some away too! 

Front Porch Kits
Live show on UStream this Wednesday - July 6!
I'll be doing a little live Ustream video tomorrow night right HERE!  I used our One Sunny Day - June kit and made a little "Welcome" wall hanging.

There's def teal involved (and orange and green and brown too)...  but the TEAL...sigh.  !t's completely teastastic!

I'm the most excited about the 3D flowers!  I made them using paper circles and I can hardly wait to show you guys how easy they come together!  I hope you can join me!

Big changes are coming!
I've had the same blog design for nearly 3 years and decided that it's time for a change!  Since I want mega changes I've decided to hire someone to help me with the heavy lifting! I have a little something extra special planned for the layout and arrangement of all the parts and pieces (which is why I need helps)!

To kick off the redesign I'm going to be working on a new crafty header and have decided to drag you guys along with me as I make it!!!

I really really love those silly birds on a wire that I have as my header now.  It's actually a metal sculpture MomChops found for me years ago and I adore it to pieces!

I want to keep the same basic thing going (I love change...  really I do) BUT I also loves me some birds on a wire!

Sooooo... I've decided to recreate each bird using felt, fabric, beads, buttons and loads of embroidery stitching!

I thought it would be fun to share a new bird each week as well as the pattern and a little details about how I made each one!  That way if you guys want to make a bird or two of your very own you'll have the pattern to do so!

I'm insanely excited about this project!  I'll be sharing other projects along the way too (so it's not going to be 10 weeks of nothing but birds... I swears)!!! The birds will simply be a small part of my posts every week (and if I happen get overly crafty I might even share two birds in a week... I'm not holding my breath but it could happen)!  The first bird debuts next Monday!

I've gone to the Hedgies!
In case you're wondering... going to the Hedgies is kinda like going to the Hamptons only not as posh and glamarous.

Just kidding...  maybe... when I was at Inspired a couple of months ago I met this lovely lady named Janice.  That's her standing there with her Lolly Tree Project (Tree and Tree, Jr.).  She had shiny TEAL strands of hair (it's called fairy hair and you can see it HERE).

Anyone with teal hair is my instant BFF (not even kidding).  We started chatting over email and it ends up she has an Etsy sewing shop!  I bought a bag from her a few weeks ago... it's brown curduroy with a loverly Hedgie on it (with oodles of TEAL bits and pieces here and there).  I HAD to share it with you cause it's simply fabulous!  

See!!!
Janice does really lovely work!

It's a messenger bag that fits my MacBook pro like it was made for it!

I seriously love this silly little bag!  It's totally me!

You can check out her Etsy shop - Busy Little Hands - right HERE!
(she did not give me anything free or bribe me with teal hair for this mention)
(I just love her to pieces and her craftsmanship is really outstanding and I just had to share!)

Lastly... A DogChops Update
If you've been a reader of my blog for a while now you might remember that DogChops has a little problem with her tail during the summer months.

Despite fancy baths and special pills from The DogChops Family Doctor she won't stop chewing on that darn tail!

Instead of redecorating the base of her tail (as she's done for many summers now) she decided to go for a new look this year.

Exhibit T (not "T" as in Teal... it's more like "T" as in "Tell me she didn't do it AGAIN!!!")

 The once bushy DogChops tail...

...ummm...

...is now officially a rattle snake tail!
(I thought about wrapping it with jingle bells but decided not to make her feel any worse than she already does)

Her hair takes roughly 6 million years to grow out...
So we'll be sporting this look for a long long time...
...well past Christmas!
(so the jingle tail might make it's debut after all!)

So that's all I gots for today!

Thanks a ton for joining me this week (and every week really)!
...and thanks for all of the lovely birthday wishes last week... 

You guys are the bestest!

P.S.  Janice (the awesome Hedgie bag maker) just posted that if you enter LOLLY at checkout you'll get free shipping!  How NEAT (thanks Janice)!

Front Porch Kits - One Sunny Day Kit Giveaway!

Hello friends!  I have a silly little story to share with you today!  When I came home from the first day of the Great American Scrapbook Convention on Thursday evening low and behold...  this is what I found in my craft room...

...a whole lotta nuthin...

!!!!!!!!!!

RonChops decided to surprise me with a craft room floor makeover!

He said it took him almost 5 hours to clear out "all the junk"...
(just FYI, "junk" in le dictionary de la LollyChops is defined as "awesome craft supplies") 

...and wow...

It was like the craft room exploded in the WHOLE entire house!

 The fabric shelves from the closet were in the main hallway...
(I think I need more teal fabric don't you???)

 A whole myraid of I don't even know what found it's way into the poor living room...

...and there were even more shelves from the closet inching their way into the kitchen...

But this next grouping of items was by far my favorite...

I found this in the foyer... 

1) A paper cutout of a banjo
2) A rock with a lot of holes in it
3) ..and a roll of pink party streamers

Can you imagine what RonChops was thinking as he picked up the paper banjo to move it?

"hmmm...  where oh where am I going to put this adorable paper banjo???"

Actually...  what I really think was going through his mind was more along the lines of...

"I wonder if she'll notice if I throw her paper banjo out...???"

 "hmmmm..."

...as he's heading to the trashcan...

...and thinks about the frantic 6 hour search that will ensue when I can't find my paper banjo... 

...he smartly decides to place the paper banjo with the party streamers and holey rock...

...poor RonChops...

I noticed that he moved everything exactly has I had left it...

Even my transformer hot glue gun with hot glue drippings!!!
(he also placed the entire contents from my craft table in a giant trash bag)
(cause he said that he knew if he threw anything out it would be a "bad thing")
(and then I think he mumbled something about me never throwing anything away)
(but I could have daydreamed that part)

 I basically have new wood floors in my craft room as I type this!
(but I still have an entire house full of craft supplies)

So we'll have a little giveaway until I can get things cleaned up, o'kay???

What's on the Chopping Block?

Our June Kit called One Sunny Day... from Front Porch Kits!!!

You will want to check out the DT gallery HERE!

It's loaded to the gills with teal!
...and a whole lotta other awesome stuff...
(but the teal will knock your socks off!!!)

To enter...
Just leave me a comment with your favorite place to take a vacation!

This giveaway is open to anyone, anywhere and will close Sunday evening 10pm CST on June 12, 2011.

If you have already ordered this month's kit and you win... you'll get your money back!

Good luck to you guys and good luck to me (hahaha)!
I'm gonna need extra fortification as I put everything back into my craft room!

One Sunny Day...

Hello friends...  if you love teal go ahead and raise your hand (and don't worry if someone sees you... just tell them you are part of a secret club and that we communicate via hand signals transmitted by satellite... and then quickly tell them that you were only kidding and just stretching...  cause they might be speed dialing dialing the funny farm after that one)!

So for reals...
I have a super duper treat for you guys today!  It's time to share sneaks from our next Front Porch Kits - kit... we named it One Sunny Day...  fitting since it's been hotter than blazes here in Texas already!

This kit is LOADED with teal... like it maybe should be outlawed it's so tealtastic!  I'm sure there are loads of other colors in this kit too... but I can't remember them at and really just want to focus on the teal aspects since it's the greatest color ever...  sound like a good plan???

Let's jump right in!

ummm so...  yeah.  There are at least 3 shades of teal right there!!!

Don't you LOVE it!?!?!?!

Next up...

 ...if you guessed more teal...

YOU WIN!

I don't know what you win... but we'll worry about the little details later!

Is that even more teal???

Why yes, yes it is.
Do you sense a trend yet?

Is that teal too, or is she pulling our leg???
(why I'm suddenly talking in 3rd person is a deep mystery...)

Let's move on...shall'nt we?
(and now I'm evidently making up words too)

ahhhh... more teal and some other colors we won't mention!

So that's ALL I am gonna share today... I think I already may have shared too much but I'm on the cusp of one of the busiest weeks of my life so we gotta get this in while the gettin's good!

Oh and In case you're even remotely interested...
...here's a little run down of what I'll be doing this week...
1) My boss (who I haven't seen in over 4 years) is coming to town for two days this week
1b) Holey. Smokes. Folks.

2) Front Porch Kits is not only releasing our next kit...  we brilliantly decided to have the release coincide with The Great American Scrapbook Convention in Arlington, TX...
2b) ...we also brilliantly decided to have a booth at the aformentioned Great American Scrapbook convention!
2c)  ... can I get a "Way to go Lolly & Tracy!!!" (I'm being sarcastic about this cheering thing in case you can't tell)!

3) I ran into a giant industrial sized wheelbarrow last Thursday morning on my way into work (going down the highway at speeds we don't want to mention in mixed company)...  thusly making my car completely undriveable and scaring the peanuts out of me (let's not even talk about the new phobia I'm sure I have developed for wheelbarrows).  So RonChops and I are down to one car... during the busiest week of my life.
3b) Way to go Lolly!!! (again...  totally being sarcastic...  but totally not kidding about the wheelbarrow phobia)
Sidenote to #3)  If I surround myself with wheelbarrows, do you think that will help me get over my phobia?  hmmmm

4) I have to look my boss right in the eye on Thursday (in the middle of a big important corporate meeting) and tell him that I have to leave early cause I'm going to a scrapbook show.
4b) Did I mention that I haven't seen him in over 4 years?
4c) Oh and I get to do it again on Friday too...  hip hip, hooray!!  

Final Plea:  Can someone please FedEx me a giant box of teal scented Calgon???  I'm gonna need to soak in a tub of it come Sunday.

Now that I have written a novel...
...I just want you to know that I love this kit and I think you will too!
Pre-orders start this Wednesday (you can check them out HERE)!  We'll be doing another Friday Night Live show on Ustream (HERE)!  I'll be back this Thursday with some pictures from the show and a update on how my boss took me leaving for a craft convention.  hehe...  that's gonna be interesting as all get out!

P.S.  The winner from the Vicious Fishes giveaway last week is Kathlyn!  Kathlyn you should already have an email from me!  Congrats!!!!

P.S.S.T.  Thanks for being so sweet to me you guys!  I loves the lot of yas!

Front Porch Kits - Reveal Day!!!

It's later than late and I've 100% turned into a pumpkin...but I wanted to drop in and announce the winner of the Our Best Bites cookbook giveaway!!!

...and the winner is...
Big congrats to Jeanette - whose favorite meal is a big juicy hamburger (but she also evidently likes to make a wild rice casserole too)!  I think that sounds pretty darn good!  Maybe she'll share the recipe with us if we ask nicely?!?!?!?

Front Porck Kits - Friday Night Live!!!
Today is reveal day for the April kit over at Front Porch Kits!  You can check out all of the project pics and full kit content list HERE!

We'll be on UStream tonight (starting at 8:30CST right HERE) for a super goofy and fun show (there will be overalls and singing involved) so I hope to see you guys there!

Vacation time for The Chops Clan...
I'm going to be taking a little blog vacation for the next week or two (prolly just a week cause I'll miss you guys too much).  RonChops and I have a LOT of yard work to do so crafts are gonna have to take a little holiday on their own to the south of France while I dig around in the yard looking for our lawn...I know it's in there somewhere underneath all the weeds that have come up)!  I'll be back soon so keep the teal fires burning!!!

P.S.  I'll miss you guys.  Try not to have too much fun without me!  XOs!   

Front Porch Kits - Fresh from the Garden

Hi everyoneI!! I'm back (and twice in one week no less...  it's an outright teal colored miracle)!

I wanted to drop in and share a couple of sneak peeps from our latest Front Porch kit... we named it Fresh from the Garden (and don't worry... The Teal of Fortune game will be back next month - so get your letters lined up for a hopping good time with prizes)!

This month's kit is pretty unique and has the cutest little alterable you'll ever meet (she has a name of course and I'll introduce you guys to her during Friday Night Live (which you can read about HERE))!

Here is peep numero uno!

MomChops had something to do with those little red fellas...
(she's still working on the last few as her knee heals...  she told me she's seeing them in her dreams now!!!)

...and here is peep numero two...
(two cause it's late and I don't know if it's doh's or dose or dos... my spanish gets rusty this late at night)!

...and in case you can't think of something crafty to do with the chicken inspired metal element...
(a.k.a. chicken wire)
You can always corral a herd of chickens and have them bust out some eggs for you!

mmmm...  eggs sound good right now.

And now for a little episode of "Gettin my country on..." with Lolly
So if yer kinda thinking you might want to git one of these here fancy schmancy kits-loaded-with-crafts, dust off your wanglers and boot scoot on over to the Front Porch Kits website over YONDER to get your pre-order in.  We opened up pre-orders yesterday and the kits started flying away like flapjacks on Christmas morning (whew...  I just re-read that and I'm tellin' you...  it's late and I feel way goofier than nermal... can ya tells?).

P.S.  Do flapjacks actually fly away on Christmas morning?  Should I be pondering such deep thoughts so late at night...  does anyone other than me still call them flapjacks???

P.S.S.T.  I am heading to the kitchen to make a midnight run on some some scrambled eggs.  HUGS Ya'll! I'll be back Friday (oh and don't forget about the Our Best Bites cookbook giveaway over YONDER... it's open till this Thursday night)!