Spreading the Love

As a serial non-compliant chain letter receiver, I have mixed feelings about the blog awards that make the rounds periodically, but at the end of the day, I am thrilled that a fellow blogger has noticed my blog enough to say... "I'm thinking about you and want to let others know about you too".

And I really do sincerely want to thank fellow sewing blogger Sarah, who writes Musings of a Seamstress, for bestowing the Liebster award on my little blog.

The Liebster Award is meant for new bloggers who have less than 200 followers – it helps get the word out about them, so go check out Kacie’s post for other great blogs!

With the award, there are a few rules: 1. Answer the 10 questions that were asked by the person who nominated you. 2. Nominate 10 new bloggers that inspire YOU.  3. Ask those bloggers 10 questions.

Well, not sure I qualify as a "new" blog, but I have been hovering just below the 200 mark for eons, so there you go. Click on Sarah's blog name in my "thank you" paragraph to discover other inspiring blogs.

Here are the answers to Sarah's questions:

1.  Why did you decided to start blogging? Oh, that's complicated. I started a blog when I opened my etsy shop to, you know, promote. Then I discovered sewing blogs, and I changed the name of my blog and shifted my focus to sewing with a side of Etsy and non-sewing life.
2.  What are your goals for your blog?  To document my sewing, but also to share some of my life experiences as a post-stay at home mom/now full-time bridesmaid consultant, and, well, anything else that pops into mind.
3.  Do you gravitate towards fabrics with texture, pattern or solid colors? Yes? That's a tricky one for me... while I gravitate to fabrics with pattern, I often find my solid color creations more wearable.
4.  What is your favorite season to sew for? Probably summer. Probably because it's my favorite season, period.
5.  What is your favorite fabric store to shop? No real favorite... depends on what I'm looking for.
6.  What do you call yourself (sewcialist, sewer, seamstress, sewist…) and why? I call myself "someone who sews a lot". Maybe sewist or seamstress. Never sewcialist (that's a new one for me) or sewer.
7.  Yes or no to sewing for others?  Why? I have to answer this one with "it depends". Mostly on what they want me to sew for them and if I have time. I do make sewing gifts for others though.
8.  What is your favorite garment sewn thus far? Why? I've had many favorites over the years... that's too hard to answer.
9.  What is one thing you hope to sew this month? A dress to wear at my daughter's graduation from graduate school.
10.  What is one thing in your must sew list for this year? Nothing at the moment is a "must sew". *see full-time job mention in question #2.

Go discover these 10 blogs:

Vacuuming the Lawn

Sew, Incidentally

Biblioblog

Helen Made

Irene's Studio

Young, Broke and Fabulous

Made by Trisha

Sew a Musing

Tales from Team Awesome 

Sew Here We Go Again

Finally... 10 questions from me:

1. How much time a week/day do you spend on your blog?
2. Do you feel like you need to explain yourself if you don't blog for awhile?
3. How much time a day to you spend READING other people's blogs?
4. These awards posts can be time-consuming. Do you cringe a little when you get these kinds of awards? ;)
5. Besides reading blogs and writing on your own blog, do you spend a lot of time on the computer?
6. Is sewing your primary creative outlet?
7. What are some of your other creative endeavors?
8. Do you join sew alongs?
9. Do you participate in other types of online challenges (sewing or otherwise)? What are they?
10. Do you usually complete these challenges or sew alongs? Why or why not?

Not all the blogs I listed are primarily sewing blogs, but they are all inspiring! Thanks and y'all have a great week!

Two More Awards!

I've been given 2 more awards which is always exciting! The first is actually a repeat award, the Liebster Award, this time given to me by KC who write over at The Sewcratic Method. Thank you!!!

The rules of the Liebster Blog award are:
1. Thank you Liebster Blog award presenter on your blog. Yep! Thanks, KC!!
2. Link back to the blogger who presented the award to you. Done!
3. Copy/paste the blog award on your blog. Done! and now in the sidebar, too, so y'all will all see it.
4. Present the Liebster Blog award to 5 blogs (with 200 followers or less). Um.
5. Let them know they have been chosen by leaving a comment. Um.


I confess that the hardest part for me is passing the award on, so I am going to take the lazy  democratic route, and award this to anyone with less than 200 followers who hasn't already received it!


The second award is the Versatile Blogger award! Many, many thanks to Denise, the Blue Gardenia herself!


This one has some rules, too... let's see what they are:

1. Display the Versatile Blogger logo. Done!
2. Say thank you to the blogger who presented me with this award. Thanks, Denise!
3. Link to Denise's blog. Well, that's done, too!
4. Nominate 15 more bloggers for this great award. Um.
5. Share 7 things about yourself.


So, if I'm ever going to get this one done, I'm going to award this to my blogging friends that don't have it yet.


But I will share a few things with y'all. I mean it's the least I can do.

1. I have 2 amazing children and 1 amazing son-in-law. Laura, who is married to Thomas... they live in Alexandria, Virginia. Kyle lives in Macon, Georgia.
2. I have 2 really weird rescue dogs. Look for them in pictures! Danny, the short, yellow one loves being in pictures. Teddy, the black one, must think he soul is being sucked out, and runs when he sees the camera. Did I mention they are weird?
3. I almost always watch TV every evening. Favorites right now include the Amazing Race, Mad Men, Dancing with the Stars, and American Idol.
4. I have voted for American Idol contestants.
5. I'm doing an online art journaling workshop, and have discovered that I love painting with watercolors. I've never really painted before.
6. I hate to cook.
7. I'm kind of a slob and a packrat, which is totally different than a hoarder. Really. I can throw and give things away. Just not the Friday uniform saddle shoes I wore in high school when I was on the drill team. 

I do reserve the right to come back in and actually award the awards, but this was kind of hanging over me, and I just didn't want to wait too long to acknowledge the awesomeness!

It's An Award!

It appears that it's Awards Season for the sewing bloggers, and I've been presented with one! A huge thank you to Sarah from her Musings of a Seamstress blog for the Liebster Blog Award!! The wonderful thing about these awards is that it brings other great blogs to my attention.

The rules of the Liebster Blog award are:

1. Thank your Liebster Blog award presenter on your blog
2. Link back to the blogger who presented the award to you.
3. Copy/paste the blog award on your blog.
4. Present the Liebster Blog award to 5 blogs (with 200 followers or less).
5. Let them know they have been chosen by leaving a comment.

One thing you don't have to do, like you do for some other awards, is answer any questions about yourself, but I'm just going to share, that I have way too much angst over who to award this to. But it's supposed to be fun, or at least I think it's supposed to be fun, so on that note...

I'm passing this award on to these 5 blogs, some I've known for awhile and some are new to me, too. Check them out!

1. The Blue Gardenia blog
2. Rainy Day Art
3. Tales from Team Awesome
4. Meg The Grand
5. Miss Crayola Creepy

Enjoy!

Award Time -- 10 Things About Me

The blogging awards are making their rounds, and earlier this week, Julia presented me with the Beautiful Blogger Award. Thanks so much, Julia! The rules are to post 10 things that you don't know about me, and to pass it on to more bloggers. First, on the passing it on... lots of the sewing bloggers that I read have already gotten this award, so I'm going to branch out, and pass it on to the Etsy group that I'm a part of, The Daily Sweets, and to those girls that have blogs.

Now, on with the 10 things:

1. Julia (yes, the one that gave me the award) and I are practically related! Let's see. My daughter, Laura, married Thomas who is from Julia's hometown, and Julia is married to Thomas' aunt's cousin. Or something like that. We've met once, but a proper meeting, where we both know who we're actually meeting, and not realizing it later is definitely in order!
2. I've been in the Etsy group I mentioned, The Daily Sweets,  for about 2-1/2 years now, and several of us are meeting up for the first time next month in California! I can't wait!
3. I'm addicted to certain reality TV shows, especially the kinds that have competitions. Project Runway, the Amazing Race, and So You Think You Can Dance are my favorites.
4. OK, so I'm also addicted to other TV shows, but I rarely turn the TV on until later in the afternoon, and then it's CNN.
5. I like it completely quiet when I'm sewing, but occasionally will turn on some music, or CNN, when I want a little "company."
6. I really like hot weather, and am secretly thrilled that it still feels like summer outside.
7. I don't like to go fast, as in when you ride a jet ski, or ski downhill, much to my children's dismay.
8. There are no teenagers in my house anymore. Both my kids are now in their 20s.
9. I recently killed my son's pet fish. Who knew that betas really thrived on neglect?
10. I love growing avocado trees, starting them from seeds, though I have only done it once successfully. I do have another seed trying to get started now though.

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

If you've made it this far, how about a Lady Grey update? I've decided to make another muslin from the changes on the first one, and I'm retracing the pattern with the changes, and I'm going to use fleece, which feels way more like the thickness of my wool than the muslin does. Pictures tomorrow (hopefully).

An Award Today

I got an award today! One of my new blogger friends, Julia, from Julia's Sew Sweet and Special blog gave this to me, and wrote such sweet things over on her blog. She always has such nice comments, too. She makes adorable things for her grandkids, and I love her Fat Fighting Friday posts (I can really relate)!

Only one requirement for this award... it must be passed on to 5 other bloggers. I'm passing it on to:

Design Inspiration and Fun by Kila Rohner. Kila is one of my good friends that I met on Etsy, and she makes beautiful earthy and beachy inspired jewelry.

a simple thought or two. My sister, Susan, writes this blog, and she is so artistic and crafty, you just never know what she's going to come up with next.

Rainy Day Art. Melissa is also one of my Etsy friends who knits and spins, writes knitting patterns, and also loves to try new things. Besides being artistic and creative, Melissa is a pilot, which I think is very cool.

Ophelia's Apothecary. Written by my friend, Deb, a multi-talented and VERY busy lady. She makes the most amazing bath and body goodies, but is never content to rest on her laurels, and has branched into vintage.

The Magpie's Daughter. Rachel is another jewelry maker and vintage jewelry seller, and she is currently on her honeymoon (congratulations, Rachel!!). A lovely, sweet girl from England who always has a kind word and snuggle for her friends.