Saturday Spotlight: Life Behind the Blogger



Karen from Somewhat Quirky Design



 Saturday Spotlight: Life Behind the Blogger is a feature done each Saturday that introduces you to a blogger you may already know or a new blogger for you to get to know. This feature gives you a peak into the personal life of the blogger.  Getting to know the special person behind the beautiful blog.

There is so much talent and inspiration in blogland so enjoy getting to know these talented bloggers each Saturday.





This week it is my pleasure to introduce you to Karen from Somewhat Quirky Design blog.
Karen has a great sense of humor and tells it like it is.  That is what I love about her blog. What you see is what you get with Karen.  She keeps it real.  Now that I have asked her to do Spotlight I found out something I did not know about her.  She is from MIchigan right near where I grew up.  So see the fun things we learn about each other through this feature.
Grab your favorite beverage and enjoy reading and getting to know Karen.  Then hop over and introduce yourself to Karen if you do not already know her.  You will love her.








Hello!

I'm Karen and I blog at Somewhat Quirky Design.






Not that I'm quirky or anything.  And I'm not a designer.

But one or two people have said my home is quirky.


I can't attest to that, but it is a reflection of my love-hate relationship with my house and it's contents.






 


I live with a lot of things I love.

I love Mr. Quirky.


I love my cats.


I love a lot of my stuff.





 


I won't say that there are things I hate about my house, but there are a lot of things that I have to workaround and that I just try to make do about.

Like all of us do.





These are the things I blog about.

My house. The stuff I make. The places I visit. Things I think about. And cake. How's that for a niche?






 

But this little visit to Kris's Junk Chic Cottage is supposed to be about the life behind the blogger.  I'm supposed to tell you about the behind the scenes stuff.  The intriguing stuff.  Stuff that will make you love me. Hah!






 

So let's see . . .

I have 4 sisters.  Wonderful people. 





I have 2 adult children. Wonderful people. They were raised by a village and the village did good.




Mr. Quirky and I live in Grosse Pointe Farms, Michigan. 





In my most recent life I developed and implemented health promotion programs for schools, companies, communities and hospitals.  I left all that glamor for the glamor of living a happy, quite frugal existence in my quaint little neighborhood, hanging out with women who either are stay at home moms, or are retired (you know, people who have a GOOD reason not to work).

I paint furniture and do custom painting for clients to make a little money here and there.






The turn-around time on most of my home projects is about 2 years. I have at least 4,571 projects going at once. Can you say project ADHD?




Some things I love: vintage juicers, architectural salvage, hydrangeas, making anything, pretty music, trees in bloom, walking outdoors, looking in peoples windows, barn sales, other peoples junk, puzzles, wine, Jimmy Fallon, John Stewart, Karen Carpenter, and CAKE.



Some things I don't like so much: the tile floor in my kitchen, the sink in my kitchen, the faucet in my kitchen, most new stuff, big stereo speakers, hard rock, toilets that don't flush, grey skies, my hip when it hurts, weeds in people's gardens, shopping for more than one hour, and insomnia.




A few other things that might fascinate you about me:

First job (after age 16) - TG&Y - remember that?

My favorite quote - When the world shakes you up and spills you out - what comes out is what you're full of.
Favorite place to travel in the US - San Fransisco with a swing up to Napa and Sonoma Valley (and anywhere else that makes wine)
I've never owned a new couch.
I've lived about 10 miles from Canada for 7 years now and yet I've never gone.
My winter mantle is still up - glaring at me as I write this.
I love to sing. But I'm not so good at it anymore.
I watch a little too much television.
Books are important to me.
I used to dress up a lot.
I wear ugly slippers.





And last but certainly not least . . .

Actually the most important thing of all . . .


I've chosen this platform to make this rather HUGE announcement . . .





I'm leaving town, Mr. Quirky, Sammy and Sidney (the cats) for one whole month . . . 





To do something that I've never done before . . . 

And I'm so excited . . . 





 


So blessed . . .

So very happy . . .


to be going to Oklahoma . . .





to be there, wait for it . . . . . . . . . for the BIRTH OF MY GRANDSON!

I'm a granny!


So there.


Whoo-hoo!





Thanks so much for listening, guys! It's been fun chatting.

I'm off to pack now.


Make some wonderful things while I'm gone and I hope you'll come visit me soon.


There will be cake. 





I'll show you that baby!


Karen




Thank you Karen for sharing yourself with all of us this week in Spotlight. We all will look froward to seeing that new bundle of grand love!!!!!

 I want to take a minute to say thank you for all the email hugs and prayers sent to me this week as I have been recovering from my surgery.  I am slowly but surely coming to a better place of health.

Hoping this week to start to getting back to visiting all of you and seeing what you are up too.
I just still cannot sit for long periods of time at my computer so slow but sure I will get to visiting you soon.  Have a great week.
Kris
:)

35 comments

  1. OKAY, so here's what I have to say to Karen: KaBooM, you will Never be the same once you set your eyes on that grandchild...Never the same again!!!! Your blog may still share cake samples but Grand-baby will be #1 :) Congrats and welcome to the granny family!

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  2. Lots of fun meeting Karen, and can feel her passion of all that she loves to do, her family, and her excitement over her new, upcoming status, as grandma! Thanks Kris, and Karen, for a very entertaining post!

    Happy weekend to you, both!

    Poppy
    P.S.: Glad to hear you're recovery is going so smoothly, Kris.:))

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  3. Karen sounds fun and full of life. I've seen some interesting pretty vignettes and pics. Am heading over to her blog to see more. Hope you are feeling well x

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  4. Thanks for introducing us to Karen. I love her sense of humour. Off to visit her blog.
    P.S. Glad to hear you are feeling better.
    Mary @ Orphans With Makeup

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  5. I enjoyed this cute spotlight, thank you Kris for introducing Karen. Karen congrats on your Grandson's birth. I will share this one fact with you ... Grandchildren fill your heart with more love and joy than you can ever imagine. Enjoy your month away.
    Vera

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  6. Karen, I love those red flowered chairs and your style! What a fun post! Off to visit you now. Kris, thanks for the introduction!

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  7. Karen, I love reading your blog and have enjoyed getting to know more about you. Congrats on your exciting news. I hope someday to join those ranks but my children have yet to oblige me. Lol.
    Kris, glad you are doing well. Hope you continue to heal quickly. Enjoyed Karen's post very much.

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  8. Karen has a wonderful "quirky" style and anyone who loves cake is a winner in my book! It was really nice getting to know more about her and her adorable sense of humor!!

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  9. Kris, I like Karen's feature. We have some things in common too. No it's not those slippers. LOL. I like that quirky style of hers. Hope you are doing well today Kris. Blessings, xoxo,Susie

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  10. Hi Kris and thank you for featuring Karen. Loved this post and going over to visit her blog and say hello.
    So glad you are doing better Kris and each day improving since your surgery. Prayers continue for you my friend.
    Have a restful weekend,
    XO

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  11. What an entertaining read! Love it and her blog-visit it often!

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  12. Kris, thanks for the introduction to Karen. I'm off to visit her blog and leave her a little comment there. Lover her "quirky" style! Also, so glad to know you're feeling better. Hugs, Nancy

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  13. Karen is one of my favorite people although I hate when she shows off her perfect desserts and makes me feel inadequate in the baking department. And, I gain a few pounds just looking at her luscious concoctions.

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  14. This was fun! Nice to meet you, Karen! I do not envy you going to Oklahoma at this time of year because of the weather, but congratulations on the new grandbaby!

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  15. Karen is The Cake Lady. I'll call her Granny Cake Lady now. ;)
    Enjoy that sweet baby, Karen.
    Hope you're on the mend, Kris! xo

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  16. What a delightful lady. I really loved learning about her and loved her wonderful pictures. Thanks for sharing. Jo

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  17. What a fun and down to earth person. I will be following her - so I;m off to visit her.
    So glad that you are feeling better Kris - take care and easy.
    Hugs
    Mary

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  18. Thanks Kris for introducing us to Karen. Karen, be prepared to have your heart completely stolen. Instead of leaving your heart in San Francisco, I promise you it will be eternally left in Oklahoma. My first was born on March 21st and I had not idea the depth of love I would feel for my little man. Enjoy every second of Grandmahood!

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  19. I love Karen. She doesn't know it yet, but she is giving me that baby.

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  20. Karen sounds like a fun person to know and I love how she decorated her mantle in so many patina items!

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  21. Ohmygosh I LOVE Karen's blog. She usually does a random, 28 listing of her quirky things going on, and she's funny as hell. I love the ugly slippers, Karen -they sorta look like mine. ;) And for teaders who may kot knoq her, Karen's really talented with her projects.

    Another good one, Kris! Hope you're doing well this weekend and that things are looking up.

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  22. I will have to check out her blog. She sounds like a real fun person. Her life is about to change forever.

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  23. Love your quirkiness, and I could so get into your dark black wall and all your salvage. Your likes with music and TV viewing sounds like myself still jphave to stop and take a moment to pay attention to Karen Carpenter, loved ice skating in meets to her music a song bird voice caps for cake you would have to be off a bit to not love cake.

    Congrats to the new arrival and being a Grandma, happy joyful days ahead of you... I am so inspired so much so I need to loosen up my lack of quirky and get a bit more of my quirkiness on! :)

    Thank you Kris this was a really fun and different Spotlight !

    Looking forward to Vera's ...

    Xoxo
    Dore

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  24. Really enjoyed getting to meet Karen, and just love her fun unique style! It is great being able to see behind people's lives as they blog. Glad to know you are feeling better Kris!

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  25. Didn't care for yor reference to ADHD. People thoughtlessly throw that term around a lot like they do OCD. Please don't, it isn't a joke at all. I have suffered with ADD (in adults the disorder generally becomes ADD) for many, many years. It is a pressure driven life, starting 5 or 6 things at a times and then forgetting what I was doing, walking anxiously around the house because I don't know what else to do with myself, not being able to shop because I get distracted by everything around me and then of course, there is the decision making problem due to my OCD. which frequently accompanies ADD. Believe it or not, I do enjoying crafting and sewing and I am prepared to spend 3 months on a project when I begin. It's easy and funny for some to compare themselves to a behavioral disorder and I don't think you meant any disrespect. I would just like to speak for myself anf thousands of others like me and ask not ony you, Karen, but every other blogger and blog follower to avoid terms that affect so many of your readers in ways you'd never imagine.

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  26. Hi -
    I loved meeting Karen. What a fun lady!
    Glad to hear you are feeling better.
    Carla


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  27. What a fun post about you, Karen! I follow you and still didn't know some of this stuff. Congrats on the new grandbaby- your heart no longer belongs to you(rself)....lol xoDiana

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  28. Great post Kris...I loved reading about "Quirky" Karen. Wishing her all the best in her role as granny.
    XO Barbara

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  29. Hope you've read the fictional book "Eat Cake" I think you would enjoy it! Sharon

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  30. Karen's home is gorgeous inside and out...and congrats Karen on the birth of your grandson!!!...how very exciting!

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  31. One of my very favorite bloggers!

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