LollyChops

Craft-a-long Cassidy & The DogChops Kid

My very most favorite thing in the whole wide planet is to take pictures of DogChops as she's yawning.

If I time it just right...

...she ends up looking like a ferocious beast who could take your arm off... 

...kinda like this...

Isn't that the craziest thing ever!?!?!?!
(she looks so cuddly when she's all snarly...  don't you think???)

I find that if I press the shutter down right as she's starting a nice big yawn I tend the get the mouthload-o-teeth combined with this stunning horror film look!

Here's another good one...

Argh Matey!
It's DogChops the Pirate!

In this last one she looks rather disgruntled.
I think it's cause she just found out how much her taxes were gonna be this year.
Poor DogChops.

Now that I have scared the pants off you guys...

It's time for my one million crazies have visited my blog giveaway!
(I mean crazy in the nicest way possible!)
I decided to go back to my roots for this one...
So I cracked open my jewelry making paraphernalia and low and behold...

I found this mess.
I keep this board on top of my bead stash and loads of beads from my last few projects were all conglomerated together into one heaping pile.

I usually store my beads all nice and tidy in tackle boxes... they say "Bass Pro Shops" on top
(there is even a cute little etching of a bass on there too!!)
Note to burglars:  If you come to my house and steal my bead stash cause you think you have found the mother load of fishing gear...
I'll sic my rabid cricket on you!

 

Be afraid burglars!
This fella is feared worldwide!!!

I picked out my colors and got them all organized...
(I kinda like the colors that were hanging out together from the mess up above so I rolled with it and went with those)

...and I decided to make a bracelet cause bracelets are fun without being too over-the-top.
Things NEVER get over-the-top around here do they!?!?!?

Hello????

Here's the bracelet all finished up!

Hey... is that teal??

How do I win that freakishly colorful bracelet Lolly?
To enter all you have to do is leave me a comment with what you are having for dinner tonight.
The real reason I want to know what you're having for dinner is so I can figure out whose house to go to later.
I might even bring my rabid cricket and DogChops the Pirate.
Sounds like fun right?

Enter by 9pm CST Sunday, March 21, 2010.
This giveaway is open to anyone, anywhere, anyhoot.

But what if I don't want to win that freakishly colorful bracelet Lolly?
If you don't want to enter but want to leave a comment anyway...
(mostly cause you are compelled by DogChops stunning smile and over-the-top cuteness)
Please feel free!
Just say... "don't count me in the giveaway Lolly"...
I would love to hear from you regardless!

Sew lastly...
What's this Craft-a-long Cassidy thing all about...
Next week I am going to do a theme week...  kinda like Big Time Bunny Week, Embroidery Week and Cupcake Week!  It's been a while and I figure with spring almost here we needed some excitement!!!

It's going to be a craft-a-long with Lolly week (5 whole posts back to back...  there is gonna be a whole lotta Lolly going on round these parts)!  I am hoping some of you guys will join in and craft with me!

Here is a list of stuff you'll need!
Track down at least 5 picture frames (10 would be ideal).  Mixed sizes are fine.  3D mat board frames are NOT required.  They can be beaten and worn out (shabby chic if you will)... just make sure they all pretty much have the same frame color.  I am going with whitewash frames for my projects.  Hit your dollar stores girls!  I found most of mine there for CHEAP!

Raid your craft stash for fabrics, felt, papers, & tulle.  I recommend choosing at least 5 different colors that work well together (try to have one color for each frame).  Just a tip:  green should probably not be one of the colors...  but have some on hand as an accent for each project!

Also pull together DMC type floss, beads, buttons and bling - your embellies should match with the colors you have chosen!

Get ready cause I think you guys are really gonna love this!  That's all I am tellin' yas.  It's gonna be a souper surprise!

I hope you have a wonderful week and thanks for dropping by!  You guys are basically the coolest!!!

P.S.  I'll be sharing pics of the cards from my super secret card drive soon!  Wait till you see them all!  If you want to participate email me.  It's not too late!!!  XOXOXOXOXO's.

I might be motherless after this one...

MomChops asked me ever-so-nicely for a bead embroidery pin for Easter...  since I had made a bunny one to give away...  it was only fitting that the woman who BORE me get one "just cause"...  I mean... seriously right?

She asked me to make her one that would match with the Easter outfit she had just finished making.  So here we go...  I made it on Saturday (cause I love to procrastinate like that).  So I have a little reveal here... and I am seriously NOT kidding when I say she might disown me when she sees what I am about to reveal.

Ok you guys ready?  Wait....  MomChops...  you might want to stop reading now...  All I am saying is that Aunt Mary's secret fabric is about to be revealed (did you guys hear that sound???  That was the sound of MomChops jaw dropping on the desk).

So here we go...
MomChops made a KILLER skirt from some beautiful fabric... ahem...  that was previously my aunt's curtains.  Ok I just LOL'd and no one is here (even proofreading this post made me LOL again).  I am not laughing at the skirt.  It's COOL...  like WAY cool.  I am doing the nervous kind of laughter thing.  Cause I am hoping I will still have a MomChops after that one.

So you ready to check it out?

Look at that beauty!!!  It's yellow..  hello spring!  AND!!!  It's covered in birds AND branches AND leaves AND flowers!  "Hello...  cool...  this is MomChops and I will be wearing you for Easter.."  Not kidding here folks.  MomChops is my hero.

So I HAD to make her a pin to match with that fabulousness right?

So there tis...  in all it's yellow and green glory!  The MomChops Easter Pin 2009.

That's my beautiful MomChops way up at the top there!  She was radiant when she came over Sunday!  I took some pics of her, her and the dogs, her and my dad and the dogs and just her and my dad (and of course a few of them trying to corral the Dogs Chops).

This next one is my FAV.  It pretty much sums up the obedience of the Dogs Chops.

 

Her and DadChops were having a heck of a time getting them to sit nicely.  They never did get it quite right...  I can hear my dad...  "Dog... sit..  SIT.  S.I.T."  ...and my mom is just smiling and smiling.  I love that.

So I have a couple of questions for you guys before we part for today...

I have a new section for paper crafters and scrappers..  you can see it there on the right.  Right now I have called it "Scrappy Do's"...  I am not really digging that.  Do you guys have any suggestions?  I want to feature the blogs of the scrappers, card makers and paper and digi crafters out there.  Help!  We need a good name for those talented gals!  Got any suggestions for me?

Do you have any good resources for paper crafts, altered art and general paper techniques and tutorials?  I REALLY want to spread my paper crafting wings.  I have been so inspired by Cassie of For the Art of It lately.  I want MORE!

I hope everyone had a terrific weekend!

Monday HUGS with lots of scrappy HUGS on the side (there is no such thing as too many HUGS is there??)!


P.S.  I have a new website coming soon...  it involves LOTS of HUGS (possibly more hugs than you can stand).  I'll talk more about that later.

P.S.S.T.  xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

Happy Birthday Fuji Mama...

Before I share what I made last night I just want to give a little hip hip HOORAY to LaFujiMama..  today is her birthday!!!!  Little Miss Mama is going to be having a baby on Monday too (unless she decides to come a little early)!  So Happy Birthday to my dearest friend and blessings and best of luck Monday with the delivery of your tiny small one!  HUGS Fuj!

I am going to make this a quick post..  I have to get to beddy bye and FAST!  Lolly is tired out!

Necklaces you say?
I managed to finish the one that 94.5% finished yesterday (for Toi) (it was almost cheating since it was almost done anyway) and bust out one more (for Tara)!  Whew.

I know that the only people prolly interested in seeing these are the gals who won them..  BUT for everyone else out there..  I hope this gives you a tiny bit of push with a large dose of inspiration thrown in - to give making jewelry a try!  It so much fun and easy too!

I made another pair of matching earrings for both sets...  it's just natural to do something like that for something like this ya know?

Once I finish these up we are DEFINITELY going to need to move on to another type of jewelry around here.  I am about done with necklaces for a while!

So..  speaking of another type of jewelry..  MomChops and I are going to be taking a jewelry making class this Saturday at the Artful Bead in Ft. Worth!  It's a pearl stringing class and as with ALL of the classes I have taken there - promises to be a TON-O-FUN! 

If you are in the area and want to stop by - please do!  MomChops and I would love to meet ya! 

For those who cannot make it (which I imagine will be EVERYONE)...I'll give you a full report complete with pics next week (it'll be like you were there with us!!)!

Make sure you come by here Sunday and check out the Double Chocolate Gooey Butter Cake from Shawna of Nuts to You!  I already have the pics and it looks DECADENT!

HUGS & x's!

P.S.  If you want to do me a king sized favor..  head over to Fuji's blog and wish her a little birthday/baby love..I have a feeling she would really get a kick out of it (no baby puns intended)...  honest to peanuts.

P.S.S.T.  You will be hearing a LOT more about Fuji once she's had her baby..  I'll be doing some major guest posts AND giveaways over there to keep the camp fires burning until she gets back..  so keep your eyeballs peeled ok!

...a report from the craft room front lines...

Next time I decide to give away so much stuff within such a short amount of time..  you guys need to pop me in the CrazyChops!  Kay???

I am trying to get everything made for the giveaways I have had in the past two weeks and I am only about 1/4 of the way done!  AHHHHH!  It's not the paper that's kicking my behind..  it's the necklaces.  The paper will ALL go out this weekend!  I swears!

I am happy to report that my spacers arrived from India (in world record time) and so did some of the beads I had ordered!  Oh how I love companies who ship quickly (and accurately)!

When I get my resource links page built (hopefully this weekend) I'll share some of the places I order stuff from.

My first share way way up at the top of the post is of the finished green necklace (which was #1 and won by Jingle).  I made some matching earrings to go with it cause I had 3 beads leftover and it's actually a crime in 42 states to separate beads from the same strand.  So I was forced into making them.  I still have a lone bead from that strand... and I am going to have to figure something out and fast.. (maybe a pendant???).  What do you guys think???

The next share is of the 94.5% finished teal necklace (which was #4 and won by Toi).  I just have one more bead groupie to add and some earrings and then I'll be done.  Sadly it's getting late and I am tired out (getting a tinge of orange around the fringes)...so I had to stop.

In my spare time, I am also working on a project that's just for me and my craft room.  It's a picture frame with some butterflies laid about inside...  I saw it a few weeks ago on Ali Edwards site HERE (I love to get inspiration from brilliant folks like her!!).  I am trying to work up my own variation of this.  I'll def share it once I am all done...  this is just a teeny tiny itty bitty sneak peak.

Thursday HUGS you guys!
 
P.S.  Can you smell the weekend?  It's just around the corner!!!!  WOOT!

Do these colors work?

I made this necklace earlier this year - I've never worn it though. 1) I do not wear necklaces and 2) the colors are really bright and I simply do not have anything that it would go with (even if I did wear necklaces).  There was just something about these beads that felt like they needed to be put together.

Everyone I have shown it to either gets really quiet and moves on to something else or they just kinda stare at it and say oh................that's.....nice.  Even MomChops, who usually takes jewelry off my hands with little to no question would not even touch this puppy.  And let me tell you that woman can wear some bright/loud/intense colors too (love you just the way you are moms)- but even this is out of her fashion realm.  I am not sure what to do with it.  It seems sad to leave it all by it's lonesomes when all of the other jewelry has moved on to a happy well rounded home.  I really love it though so it just kinda hangs out in the craft room with me and the puppies.

Do you have something you have made that you either hide in a closet or never wear - but at the same time cannot even stand the thought of being without?  It's a real pickle for me.

Tomorrow is the TGIF Giveaway.  I think I need a new name for it..  after a few Friday's this is going to get outright confusin'

I am sewing a bunny right now.  He's going to be pretty darn cute..  I found the pattern HERE...oh and I hope to have a guest blogger this weekend.  I am about to send her an email to see if she's ready!

Hope everyone had a nice day.