Tweet as Honey Featured Guest Star- Poppies at Play

Today, we are welcoming Andy from Poppies at Play. And Tom Selleck, his mustache, and I are very excited to have her here. There is much going on in our Green Room today as I have allowed Phil Keoghan and his crew from the Amazing Race to film here. They needed a place to set up a challenge as the racers head through the South on their way to the finish line and my Green Room just happened to fit the bill.

Ya know, Phil is just as famous for his raised eyebrow as Tom is for his mustache. Which actually has caused quite an issue around here as Tom and Phil seem to be in some silent competition. I don’t really see why Tom is so intimidated. Tom’s mustache has so much clout around here that it even has it’s own dressing room. And fan club. And possible zip code (if the paperwork goes through).

The Amazing Race challenge is to drive down I-285 on four wheelers, eat an entire plate of Waffle House’s hashbrowns, smothered, covered, topped, scattered and chunked, served by a waitress named Jilly Bean who has a total of two teeth and a rebel flag tattoo on her arm, while two hillbillies in overalls play “Dueling Banjos” in the background. Tom feels that Phil and his team did all their research on the South based on the movies “Deliverance” and “My Cousin Vinnie”. I kind of agree, and was going to tell him so, but ya know, Phil’s eyebrow made my knees weak and I forgot what I was saying…

Sigh..

Suzy: So, Andy, tell me a little about yourself, your family, your other hobbies…
Andy: I am a 35 yr. old SAHM and I’m trying to figure out what I want to be when I grow up. I love knowing that the world is full of cool things that I don’t know how to do. I get excited by the possibility of learning a zillion new things during my lifetime. I am lucky enough to have found someone that I truly love and who loves me back. Joe is my sweetheart. He works as a shop teacher at the local Jr. High. We purchased the tools for a little wood shop when we bought our first house. I have developed a real love of woodworking and spend time in the shop just about every day.

 

Andy: Joe and I had 5 kids in 7 years. What a journey that is turning out to be! I feel like I’ve strapped myself into a roller coaster and I’m just trying to hold on for dear life! The kids just seem to be enjoying the ride. I’ll feel a little heartbroken when the whirlwind slows down. I’ll miss their young personalities. I’ll be a sad when they grow up and forget that they hate baths and “Time out” and when they realize that boogers actually don’t taste good. I’ll miss their dirty faces and the crazy stories.

Andy: Aside from the obvious blog hobbies, I also love to RUN. I loved occasionally running with my Dad growing up and now I enjoy training for one or two races each year.

Suzy: When and why did you start blogging, and where would you like your blogging to lead?
Andy: I guess I have been blogging for almost 2 years now. Wow! That has gone by quickly. I started blogging because I wanted to develop my creative talents. If something were to happen to Joe, I would love to be able to make some money at home doing something that I love.

Andy: Where would I like my blogging to lead?? Well, I’m not really sure. I’m still trying to find a really good niche for myself. It has always been a dream of mine to eventually be a store owner. I’d love to have a quaint little shop full of refashioned furniture and handmade decor. In the mean time it’s nice to get an idea of the kinds of things that people are interested in.

Suzy: Can you tell us a few things that most folks don’t know about you?
Andy: There’s not too much that people don’t know about me. I actually have a very hard time keeping any personal information to myself. Lol. I guess I would have to say that people may not know that I am an exceptional leg wrestler. I can beat guys twice my size. Of course I just hate to brag, but when you got it……Ha ha ha.

Suzy: Wow. I’ll be careful not to make you mad…Ha! Name a few of your favorite websites that you go to for inspiration.
Andy: A couple of sites that I find very inspiring are Funky Junk Interiors and Centsational Girl. They have fantastic pictures and fabulous ideas and insights. I also really enjoy looking through magazines, decorating books, and any DIY info I can get my hands on.

 

Suzy: Since I’m kinda a crafty blog, I have to ask. Is there a type of craft that you prefer? You, know- the thing that you get so involved in that you lose total track of time…
Andy: I don’t know if there is a type of craft I prefer. It really depends on the day. I go in shifts. If I had to pick just one, I’d say painting and refashioning furniture although lately I’m feeling a real pull towards graphic design.

 

Suzy: Since I’m also kinda a sitcom-type blog, do you have a favorite television star? Tom wants to know….
Andy: I don’t have a favorite T.V. star {{Sorry Tom}}. If I had to pick a favorite show right now it would be “Parenthood” or “Community”.

Suzy: How do make time in your day to blog? I know first hand how time-consuming a good blog is. How do you schedule it all in?
Andy: Ahhh, the balancing act question. Isn’t that something we’d all like to know how to do better? I can easily get wrapped up in my hobbies and let them rule the roost if I’m not careful. I have to consciously limit my computer and crafting time and I pray every morning that I’ll have the sense to know what my priorities should be for that day.

Andy: I heard a talk about this subject that I really liked a couple of months ago. The woman said to young mothers, “You are doing better than you think you are”. Right after that she said, “You can do more than you are doing now”. I like that idea. I think as mothers we are unnecessarily hard on ourselves, but I also think there are also ways that we can improve. What seems to work out the best for me is to avoid working during the prime times of the day that my kids will need my attention.

Suzy: I believe a crafter’s space tells alot about them. Can you tell me about yours?
Andy: Uh oh, if my craft space is suppose to tell a lot about me, I’m in trouble! I do most of my work in the office which happens to be the only room in the house that I tried to decorate according to Joe’s favorite style of decor which is industrial contemporary. It’s not too cute because that’s not my forte. Black, straight lines mostly. It also ends up looking quite junky most of the time. I have an ikea shelf that houses all of my vinyl, hooks, ribbons and all the other doo-dads.

Suzy: Be sure to stop by Andy’s website at Poppies at Play and check out her great tutorials. She is also selling her amazing vinyl designs! If you’d like to see the designs for sale, you can stop by The Market and check them out. Just in time for Christmas!

Excuse me a moment, Andy…

Hello?

Oh, just great. I’ll be right there.

Come on Andy. We have to go break up a fight. It appears that Phil said something derogatory about Jilly Bean’s tube top. Ya know, in the south, we try to be polite and I have to say that her tube top covers most of her girth and is much nicer than the stained white T-shirts that everyone seems to be wearing on Cops.  Of course, Tom and his mustache took offense.  He’s been wanting to pick a fight ever since Phil’s eyebrow walked in.  Seems he found out that not only does Phil get unlimited access to my Green Room and free Waffle House Biscuits and Gravy for life, but Phil’s eyebrow has it’s own hairdresser. That was the straw that broke the camel’s back.

Poor Phil doesn’t stand a chance…