SPOTLIGHT * SarahRooftops

I can't quite remember how exactly it was that I stumbled across her blog, but I do remember what caught my attention. It was this post right here. Since that day, I have been determined to own a purple coat. "When I am Young I Shall Wear Purple" are wise words to live by.

I truly enjoy her blog and all the photos of her travels and if you check it out, I bet you'll love it too.

Spotlighting the one and only:

SARAH from SarahRooftops

Do you dream in color?
I do! I've been asked this so many times before but I've never been 100% certain either way. Then just last week I had a dream that I was getting married and, rather than the usual white or ivory frock, my dress was a wonderful emerald green ballgown. In fact, it was a vintage emerald green ballgown which I already own in real life, which I bought on eBay for just £5 ($8) and which I've never had the occasion to wear...

What was the last movie you watched?

Just ten minutes ago I got home from seeing War Horse. It was ever so long and I could sit and pick holes in it but the important thing is probably that there were tears rolling down my cheeks more than once. It's a great big whack of emotion.

What do you do in your free time?

I watch a lot of films. A LOT of films. I also read heaps, blog more and more regularly, do a bit of Other Writing on the side and I've been sewing for about a year now. I also love meeting up with my friends for a chat and I spend a lot of time waggling shoelaces in front of my cats.

Do you parallel park or just say forget it and drive around the block again?

I'm thirty-three years old and I still can't drive. I know! It's something I'd like to learn some day, subject to having the money and access to a car. But I have done nine lessons over the course of my life. I couldn't change gears without stalling. I couldn't turn a corner without wanting to cry. I couldn't bring myself to drive over 9mph. But parallel parking? Parallel parking I could do. Must have been my excitement about getting the big scary car to stop...

Have you ever met anyone "famous"?
True stories: I once shared a house with Princess Diana and the Princes William and Harry; my dad was in that episode of "Friends" where Rachel turns thirty; and Bruce Lee's best friend was a member of my step-family. Not a word of a lie.

www.sarahrooftops.co.uk

Don't forget to enter the *Giveaway*

SPOTLIGHT & *Giveaway*

What! My first ever giveaway. Aw, proud blogger moment... *tear*

Sweet Bhrett, from Lost in Relocation, is sponsoring my first ever GIVEAWAY here at Ballistic Gypsy!

To thank her, I asked a ridiculous amount of questions and she actually answered some. So for that, she is today's SPOTLIGHT lady!

This is Bhrett:

"I'm a wandering soul.  My husband and I have just relocated for the fourth time in a year.  Living the hand-made, fair-trade, thrift store-raid kind of life is what we do.  I hope you'll hop on over to my blog and join our gypsy wagon as we seek out our path through this life." 

What is your favorite four legged creature and why? I have a precious pug named Dharma, and I love her so.  I got her in 2010 from a shelter than rescues pugs from puppy mills.  Needless to say, she's stolen my heart and the heart of everyone she meets.  She even stole the heart of the Life is Good staff when they featured her on their Fuel page (where you can read her story). 

Do you enjoy rainy days or snowy days more? Snow is what I live for.  We even spent our honeymoon in Alaska going on various adventures such as ice climbing.  I love to spend my winters knee-deep in fresh Colorado powder.  Unfortunately we're easterners for now... 

What do you do in your free time? Among other things I enjoy a good book, crunchy living, cuddling with my love, a cup of tea, buying local and handmade, traveling, fresh air, spending time with family, farmer's markets, yoga, microbreweries, cooking/baking, all snow sports, fair-trade shopping, foreign films (specifically Spanish and German-language), The Colbert Report, Netflix, eating raw, thrifting, pugs, bicycling, mountains, camping, and shark week.  Oh, and wine.  Lots of wine.  I don't like canned vegetables or sand between my toes.  

Have you ever met anyone "Famous"? I'm not sure if this is interesting to people that aren't obsessed with Incubus, but here it is:  At my cousins wedding I met the mother of Brandon Boyd, Incubus' lead singer.  She was the officiant of the wedding.  That's not all though.  Right before Josh and I got married, Josh got in contact with my cousin and asked if he still had a way to contact BB's mother.  He said yes, and Josh asked if they would be willing to ask her to get a signed record for me.  Next thing I know, I'm opening up a wedding gift that is an Incubus album signed by three of the members of Incubus, saying something to the effect of "Hi, Bhrett." Yeah, I was very excited .  Okay, maybe it's not that interesting, but I think it's cool.  Best wedding gift ever!  My one year anniversary present to Josh was a set of tickets to an Incubus concert. [link]

What are three things on your "bucket list"? Adopt a child, see Incubus at Red Rocks, visit my host sister in Austria or the Netherlands [link]

blog/facebook/twitter/pinterest/instagram: stitchkitsch

Now, on to the *GIVEAWAY* 

I've been a knitter for some six or seven years.  One of my favorite projects has always been these traditional dish cloths.  It's not because the knitting is fancy or special.  It is just because they are so useful and they work quite well.  I'm sure you've seen some like this before.  After all, every house seems to have at least one.  When I was thinking about what to make for the giveaway, I thought what better thing to giveaway than the tried and true granny's dishcloths! These aren't the dishcloths that your granny made though.  They are in beautiful colors to bring a splash of summer to your kitchen- Bhrett

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Collecting is fun

Two 'new' cameras added to the collection!

So that brings my collectable camera total to a whopping four. (not counting DSLR's, of course)

1. Yashica
2. Kodak Instamatic
3. Kodak Brownie Hawkeye
4. Foldex 20

(I cant wait to redo this little built in shelf thingy.. DIY's!)

More SPOTLIGHTING coming up!

More answers to ridiculous questions.

Oh, and guess who is both hosting a giveaway 

& having a giveaway at another blog. 

Thats right, yours truly.

Be on the look out.

*****************

SPOTLIGHT 5

Its that time AGAIN! Spotlight Spotlight Spotlight.

Today we shall spotlight my favorite Welch pixie.  The one and only Polly from This Enchanted Pixie. She is a doll with a creative soul. You should check out check out her shop, you wont be sorry. Go show her some love and warm her sweet heard, we all know how cold it is over there right now. Poor thing. Polly- I'd trade you my desert climate for yours if I could. xoxo

• Do you ever count your steps while walking? sometimes. i kinda like things to be symmetrical, so sometimes i’ll count to make sure each leg gets to take the same amount as the other – is that weird?!
• What is your favorite four legged creature and why? Horses. I grew up riding, from being a tiny tot, I used to compete when I was younger too – infact i was tipped to be a professional horse rider when I grew up. But then my teens came... and i discovered the joys of partying. oops!
• Say you had to change your name, what would you change it to? actually, I already have. I was born ‘Elizabeth’ and I always HATED it. No real reason why, just it never felt like me. My lifelong nickname of Polly always stuck, so a few years back I changed it legally.
• Do you enjoy rainy days or snowy days more? rainy days – so long as I can be snuggled inside on the sofa, with a good book or a musical to watch.
• What are three things on your "bucket list"? Emigrate. Play Roller Derby. Swim in the Dead Sea.

SPOTLIGHT 4

Shining the light on the gorgeous Ashley Marie from Chickaddette. 

I sent out a list of random questions and asked her to pick five to answer and let us all learn a little more about her. 

• Do you dream in color?
• Do you ever count your steps while walking?
• What is your favorite four legged creature and why?
• What was the last movie you watched?
• Say you had to change your name, what would you change it to?
• When was the last time you played the air guitar?
• What is your absolute favorite food?
• Do you enjoy rainy days or snowy days more?
• What do you do in your free time?
• Do you parallel park or just say forget it and drive around the block again?
• What is your middle name?
• Do you believe in psychics?
• If you were to get a new tattoo, what would it be and where? Have a picture?
• How stoked would you be if you were able to meet Adele? Seriously.
• Have you ever met anyone "Famous"?
• What are three things on your "bucket list"?
• What desert describes you best?

I totally dream in color... and vividly too. I lack an imagination so my dreams are always so true to life.

 
I do count my steps when I walk because I'm horrifically OCD... but only when it comes to counting. I count everything... bites, blinks, cars in parking lots, etc!
 
I certainly prefer rainy days! I try to use rainy days as an opportunity to focus on music and inspiration that comes from music. I can't play a thing or sing a lick but I often experience an emotional release ranging anywhere from a happy thought to a cloudy memory. The beat of the rain is therapeutic to me! Snow is just pretty!
 
I parallel park in two steps like a bosss.
 
I feel like the only girl I know who is completely unimpressed with Adele. I'm not one for female artists though... it's nothing personal but I can't stand the drawn out notes. I am, however, impressed by her talent! So as far as meeting her, I could take it or leave it.

Now rush over to her blog and follow along, soon Miss Chickadette will have a wee-one of her own xoxo Congrats, Ashley Marie. This is such an exciting time!!  

SPOTLIGHT 3

The SPOTLIGHT today goes to...DRUMROLL, Please...

Miss Amie from Completely Unfinished. 

WHAT? Is her blog named after me? ha, no, but it sure could be. Creative blog by a creative girl. While you take a peek at her beautiful blog, don't forget to check out her 25 BEFORE 25 list. Notice that she has Roller Derby on her list as well. Girl after my own heart.

Thank you, Amie, for taking the time to pick 5 random questions to answer. In case you any of you have forgotten or would care to see the list of questions again, you can do so here. 

how cute is she?! :)

Do you dream in color?  Yes I do.  Most of the time it's shades of blue for some reason...hmmm..

Do you enjoy rainy days or snowy days more? I'm not a fan of winter or rainy days, but i'll take a pretty sunny snowy day over rain :)  The rain always puts me in a yucky mood, unless i'm at home snuggling in bed or something. 

What do you do in your free time? I design away on my computer, sew, take photos of everything, and play roller derby.  Oh, and I make lots & lots of lists!

what is your middle name? Lynne. Funny story--both of my college roommates and I had the same middle name but spelled differently.  It's a pretty common name but I still thought it was funny :P

What desert describes you best?  Probably that vanilla/chocolate swirl ice cream...because I can't easily make up my mind! 

Come back tomorrow to see where else the SPOTLIGHT is shining.

SPOTLIGHT 2

The SPOTLIGHT shines bright on Jessica from Sweet Green Tangerine. 
This chick is not only my bloggy bestie, but my real world bestie as well. We have been through a lot together in our moderately short friendship. In five years, we have endured multiple deployments each, friends coming and going, and every emotional roller coaster you could imagine.  Birthdays, anniversaries, holidays and other special (and not so special) occasions spent merging our two families together as one. 
If something was to happen, I know without a doubt, she is the kind of friend who would rush to my house, empty my nightstand and delete computer history, no questions asked.  Good friends are hard to find. After both of our husbands came down on orders to pcs, and we are both starting fresh in different states, I am learning more and more every day how hard it is to find a good friend you can connect with and count on.Thanks for being that friend, Jess! XOXO

1. When was the last time you played air guitar? Just the other day actually.  Why?  Because my 6 year old said he wanted to take air guitar lessons.  So he received a 5 minute private lesson from yours truly.  I think he meant real guitar lessons, but I had fun with it.

2. Say you had to change your name, what would you change it to?  I'd love to be named after a song.  Like Prudence or Cecilia.  Technically, there is a song called Jessica by the Allman Brothers, but I kinda hate it.

3. What was the last movie you watched? Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close.  It was Extremely amazing and Incredibly awesome.  I cried like a baby.  Tom Hanks & Sandra Bullock are two of my favorite actors and even they were upstaged by that little boy.  Incredible all the way around.  Two thumbs up.

4. Do You believe in psychics?  Yes. Unfortunately I never had the chance to see one with my friend (ahem) even though we kept saying we would. It's on my bucket list.

5. What's on your bucket list?  I have split up my bucket list & created a Year List of things that I can/will actually do this year.  As much as I do want to kiss the Blarney stone, I have to be realistic.  On the 2012 list is...1. Eat Sushi...2.Read The Hobbit (before the movie comes out)...3. Go to Bonnaroo (or any music festival will do).  

SPOTLIGHT

I picked a few bloggers to spotlight. These are bloggers that I enjoy and pretty much think they rock. Creative minds. Talented. Inspirational. 

I sent them a list of fun questions and asked that they picked five to answer.

• Do you dream in color?
• Do you ever count your steps while walking?
• What is your favorite four legged creature and why?
• What was the last movie you watched?
• Say you had to change your name, what would you change it to?
• When was the last time you played the air guitar?
• What is your absolute favorite food?
• Do you enjoy rainy days or snowy days more?
• What do you do in your free time?
• Do you parallel park or just say forget it and drive around the block again?
• What is your middle name?
• Do you believe in psychics?
• If you were to get a new tattoo, what would it be and where? Have a picture?
• How stoked would you be if you were able to meet Adele? Seriously.
• Have you ever met anyone "Famous"?
• What are three things on your "bucket list"?
• What desert describes you best?

Today I am shining the SPOTLIGHT on two fab tab bloggers. Both, I adore and enjoy interacting with on Twitter. Ah, Twitter... such a useful tool for bloggers to get to know each other on a more personal level. It makes me smile... and sometimes cringe.

Now without further ado-

Crissy from Whimsical Poppy

[twitter]

What is your favorite four legged creature and why?

Well, I love my pup and my kitty and I could never imagine life without them anymore, but my

favorite four legged creature is the HORSE. I have been a horse lover since I can remember. My mom used to take 

me and my sister to a meadow full of horses when I was about 2 years old to feed them apples. When I was old enough 

I started horse riding and when I was about 20 years old me and my sister even got our own horses...they don't live anymore, unfortunately, but

we would love to get one for our daughter and I!

How stoked would you be if you were able to meet Adele? Seriously.

Adele, ah, ADELE!! I love her! Her music is amazing! Been hearing it since day one. I love her attitude and her looks, she is super pretty even though (or probably because) she doesn't look like a Barbie! Lot that about her! I would LOVE to meet her in person and talk to her...I would love to have her as my BFF!! 

Do you parallel park or just say forget it and drive around the block again?

Well, I do tend to drive around the block once more to avoid it, but after that I do park parallel if no other lot is free.

What are three things on your "bucket list"?

I really, really want to try sky-diving one day!

I want to ride in a hot air balloon!

I want a tattoo!

If you were to get a new tattoo, what would it be and where? Have a picture? 

I want a tattoo on my foot. A feather or the word BELIEVE. I have been wanting to get one for about a year now, I even went to a tattoo shop last summer, but they didn't have anyone available to do it right there, right then and so I never went back, because the people there seemed really unfriendly. I did find a place here in Germany and I will get one as soon as I can wear flip flops for it to heal better!

 ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

Pocky from Living Apockylypse

[twitter]

1. What is your favorite four legged creature and why? This is easy for me...lion! Some would think it's because I'm a Leo, but I'm really not all that into the zodiac stuff. For as long as I could remember, I've just been mesmerized by them. Their beauty. Their strength. How majestic they are. Every time I go to the zoo, my trip isn't complete until I've spent time observing them. If I had it my way, I would spend an entire day at the zoo admiring only them.
2. What was the last movie you watched? Well since I'm answering this before I go to see 'The Woman in Black', the answer is Beauty & the Beast. I'm a sucker for a good fairy tale & have always loved the Disney animated movies. I got so excited when they decided to bring it out in 3D, so I took my teenage SIL to see it as a 'sister date'. We went in princess style (finally got more use out of my tiara I bought for the wedding).
3. What is your absolute favorite food? This is a toughie for me. There are two dishes that my husband makes where I usually eat myself sick & then get sad when I can't finish all the food on my plate. If I had to pick just one, I would have to say his Smoked Chicken Alfredo.
4. If you were to get a new tattoo, what would it be and where? Have picture? My husband and I were just talking about this the other day because his uncle is an amazing tattoo artist. I can't really say a new tattoo because I've never gotten one yet. I'm a little too chicken to do it, partly because of the needle & partly because I want to be 100% sure I will love it for the rest of my life. I don't have a picture, but what I came up with ties my love for gaming & crafting together: a knitted 1-up mushroom with an X made from knitting needles (kind of like a skull & cross bones).
5. What do you do in your free time? A quicker answer would be what I don't do in my free time! LOL! I game. I make things. I blog. I geek it up with learning code or blog design. We do a lot of family fun time, with games (video or board) & movies. And when I need to really wind down from a hectic day at the zombie job, I love veggin' out with my husband & pups to watch one of our favorite shows.

((Cheers))