If You Give A Girl A Snippet...

Many of us are familiar with the children's book "If You Give A Mouse A Cookie."

 For those who might not be, the story is built upon sequence of logic...if you give a mouse a cookie, then he'll probably ask for a glass of milk, and then a straw, then a napkin ~ so you see where this is going!  


My question this week is ~ if you give a girl a snippet roll, 

Then she will probably ask for scissors, then paper, then adhesive, then photos, then bling ~ so you see where this is going!  As in the original, the story goes full circle back to asking for a cookie or snippet roll.
I guess I just like to justify my quest for all the stuff I need to challenge my muse...


I received the nicest email at the start of my week from Gail at Shabby Cottage Studio 

informing me that I won her giveaway...my choice of one of her online classes!  What a treat!...Gail is so very talented and it was difficult to choose, but I decided to go with a class that would help me to create special grounds (surfaces) so that I can use inkjet printing more to my advantage for my art.  I'm waiting for some supplies to arrive and then I'll be tackling this new frontier.  I'll keep you posted on what I'm doing.


I'm participating in the Faerie Shoe Swap hosted by Wendy at Blissangels.  My partner is the lovely Kim from Tabby's Place and she received the shoe I made for her, so it's safe to post the pix!

wrapped up, ready to open

front view

back view

close-up with trims inside

By all means, click on any of the pix for a closer view!  This project was a challenge from the construction point of view, but I fell in love with the result and I'd make another in a heartbeat!


Haven't been out in the "hood" for awhile, checking on yard sales.  Sooooo, on Saturday we found an Estate Sale  AND a yard sale right next to each other!!  I'll let the pix do the talking...

this pix and the next were in a shoebox - $3

hardcovers $1.00 - softcover $0.50

$0.50 - 1.00

$4 - enough for patio pillows for the daughters and us!

We're all busy looking forward to next Monday....July 4th.  There are probably outings, company, picnics, fireworks, trips to the shore ~ lake ~ pool...whatever your plans are, I'll be here with you on Monday, and I'll be sharing a very special swap I had recently with a very special friend who lives on Cape Cod (not TOO envious!!!).


If you need a festive dessert for the holiday and you're looking for one that's delish AND easy peasy, here you go!  From my friends at Allrecipes.com

INGREDIENTS:

1 box of cake mix - yellow, white, or chocolate

1 8 oz. container of Cool Whip, thawed

1 pint fresh blueberries, rinsed and drained

2 pints fresh strawberries, rinsed and sliced

DIRECTIONS:

1.  Bake cake in a 9 x 13 pan, according to directions on box.  Cool completely!

2.  Frost the cooled cake with the Cool Whip.

3.  Arrange blueberries to form a square in the upper left corner (see photo)

4.  Create stripes using the sliced strawberries to form the American flag (refer to photo)

5.  Chill until ready to serve.

Have a fabulous week, keep cool, stay hydrated, and if you happen to give a girl 

a snippet ~ WATCH OUT!!

Love, xoxoxo

Karen

June Is Bustin' Out All Over!

Or, at least my mailbox is!  I'm sharing some amazing swaps with you this week, as well as the prize I won for my Door Tag Challenge.

Here are the Birthday Boxes which Andra and I swapped and Amy Powers hosted.  Be sure to click on the pictures and choose a larger size to get a closer look!

Andra loves red, so I thought this would be appropriate wrapping for her 

overall view of configurations box

cake topper, birthday candle, and locket which opens up to reveal a special message

birthday girl with crown, glass purse charm and vintage flowers

my grannie's thimble, vintage pins, flower and butterfly clip

What a surprise when I opened the package from Andra...I really felt like it was my birthday!

a special package of fabulous goodies before I even got to the configurations box!

Andra really captured my spirit ~ see if you can identify all the "parts" of me!

Thank you, sweet Andra, for your creativity, thoughtfulness, and generosity!

Here comes the package from Jeanie Callaghan for my prize winning door hanger...have to do this in a couple of pix!

the package arrives

an overall view

 My cup runneth over!  Thank you, sweet Jeanie, this is unbelievable!

I'm sure you're dizzy from looking at all these treasures, so here's a little interlude...
Stopped by MMU on Tuesday and had lunch with designer/friend Kiera ~ Chipotle!

Love these lunches with my buds at the store ~ happy place, happy food!!
Now, you may think that all I did this past week was open packages, meet friends for lunch, and play...but seriously, I was working hard in the studio too!  I say working hard because I'm working on two things I've never done before ~ build a faerie shoe and create a paper clay bug!  Those swaps are at the end of this month and next month, so no pix yet.

I did have lunch with my dear sweet Nancy and her daughter Kay.  Nancy and I taught at Dunham and she retired a few years before me.  She and Kay wanted to see the new studio, so we had a salad luncheon here and a wonderful visit.  Nancy had just returned from Ohio where her other daughter, Leigh, and her family live.  While there, they toured the Amish country.  That sweet friend brought me this amazing vintage chocolate box...

Which just happened to be filled with these amazing doilies and fabric!

Well, the week drew to a close and on Friday I helped celebrate a sweet friend's last days in Tucson before moving home to TX.  Stacy planned for us to gather at MMU's midnight mania so we could all visit before saying "adios."  I met Stacy at my first scrap retreat in 2009.  She's a sweetheart, and will be dearly missed.

Geri, Sandra, Stacy, Rhoda, Sharon, and Amy (in the blue)

I did get a few things finished for the store while I was there (although, there was probably more laughing and visiting than anything else!)  Inspiration is credited to Paper Whimsy, Nancy Maxwell James, and Saturday Finds.

In case you haven't had enough visual stimulation, LOL,  here are a couple of goodies for you to use in your cardmaking or altered art.  They are scans of two of my vintage table cloths.  I've found they print up best on matte photo paper.  I'll be adding more, eventually.  Enjoy!

We had a most beautiful Fathers Day on Sunday.

My One and Only - pre-Daddy days!

Mandy spent the morning with us as Dad opened his gift, then we went up to Firebirds for lunch so Melissa could join us (poor thing was working!)  It was a beautiful day with two beautiful daughters who showed their Dad just how much they love him!  Who could ask for more?
I also want to remember two very special men who blessed my life.

My Dad ~ Ed Kolbell (1917-2006)

My father-in-law ~ Paul Hess (1915-1978)

Have a happy, summery fun-filled week...stay cool and hydrated, and please come back again next Monday!
xoxo
Karen

Interest in Pinterest?

I have to say, since I began blogging, running an etsy store, and stretching my creativity, I never really planned to take on anything else in the realm of techie biz.  In fact, I resisted ~ dug my heels in ~ pulled back ~ and downright balked at the idea of anymore "postings."  

But, at the urging of girlfriends, I gave in to Pinterest.  Girlfriends are always right!!  Now, I'm a junkie, downright addicted, and depressed when I no longer have time to "pin!"  For those who are unfamiliar with this concept, it's really very simple.  You wander through bloglandia, websites, retail stores, etc. online ~ see something you absolutely love, want to make, or just use for inspiration  and you pin it.  This is the all-inclusive, all-in-one-place, easy access, virtual filing cabinet!  You can find me and my "boards" at http://pinterest.com by searching Karen Hess.  

My Style Pinboard

Pinterest allows members to invite people to join, so let me know if you're interested in becoming a member and I'll send you an invite!  This is one place where it's cool to "steal," or re-pin, from other people's boards! LOL

We're looking for new patio chairs and I "pinned" ones that I found at K-Mart

I just knew if I didn't "pin" them up, I'd forget where I found them!!  Saves a lot of time, grief, and frustration.

This has been one busy, busy week in the studio with deadlines approaching for swaps.  I'm going to post some "teaser" pix but can't show you the real deal until next Monday, when my partners are in possession of their goodies.  My sweet friend, Mary in Cape Cod, and I decided to do our very own Patriotic Swap so here's a bit of what I'm sending Mary...

Another swap I just sent off was to Andra in Georgia.  We participated in Amy Powers at http://inspireco.blogspot.com Birthday Box Swap (see button on side bar).  Here's a teaser of what I sent Andra...

Complete unveilings will take place next Monday!
And while I'm on the subject of swaps, here's my bonanza from sweet friend Tiffany, "The Cranky Queen, for our R.A.K swap!  Oh, and she's anything but cranky!

Every day I tell myself how blessed we are to have such a fantastic family and ever-growing circle of friends.  This past week Ron received this in the mail from Kenny Lyons, a childhood friend, who lives in Florida with his beautiful wife Jinn.

I tell ya, this slogan is SO my sweet hubby!  And he's been MVP in my book for a lot more than just 7 times!!  With Father's Day next Sunday I told him I would cruise ALL the aisles at Home Depot with him.  I think he secretly wishes he owned a hardware store...hmmm, I don't think he's alone in that wish!


As I sit here on Sunday night at 7:56, getting this missive ready for coffee in the morning, I got to thinking about something.  It's 93 degrees outside.  If you don't live in the West you might just be asking yourself, "What the heck do those people eat in the summer?!"  So, I thought I'd share with you what we had for dinner Sunday night .

a fresh, crisp green salad

some grated cheese

homemade taco meat ~ no package stuff here

ahhh, the finished plate!

Before I leave you, I want to share how my week began.  This is from Jeanie Callaghan at All My Art ~ http://jeanieatc.blogspot.com  And when it arrives, I will share the pix!  Mosey over to Jeanie's blog and see all the fantastic door tags which were created.  These ladies are amazing!  Have a simply stunning, spectacular, and inspiring week my sweet friends!  Thank you for spending some Monday time with me.
xoxo
Karen

MONDAY, JUNE 6, 2011

Door Tag Challenge WINNER!

The winner of my first-ever blog challenge is:

Karen of Karen's Monday Musings

Congratulations, Karen!  As soon as you send me your address, I'll have your prize package in the mail.

Thank you so much to everyone who participated.

This was so much fun!  We'll have to do it again!