The next award *Wisher* nominated me for was the Versatile Blogger Award. I actually found the web site where this seemed to originate and it’s a really cool blog that is kind of like a clearinghouse for all the Versatile Blogger Award winners. Funnily enough, the blog is called “Versatile Blogger Award”. There’s such a great variety of blogs reposted here, it’s fun to explore. Here it is:
http://versatilebloggeraward.wordpress.com
And here are the “rules” for the award:
“If you are nominated, you’ve been awarded the Versatile Blogger award.
- Thank the person who gave you this award. That’s common courtesy.
- Include a link to their blog. That’s also common courtesy — if you can figure out how to do it.
- Next, select 15 blogs/bloggers that you’ve recently discovered or follow regularly. ( I would add, pick blogs or bloggers that are excellent!)
- Nominate those 15 bloggers for the Versatile Blogger Award — you might include a link to this site.
- Finally, tell the person who nominated you 7 things about yourself.”
So… Thanks again, *Wisher*!! Here’s the “nomination” post on her awesome blog, so you can check it out yourself: http://prettylittlethingsinabox.wordpress.com/2013/08/09/award-time-part-3/
Here, then, are my nominations. 15 seems like a lot, but there are so many amazing blogs to choose from. I’m going to split it up between blogs I discovered recently and those I follow regularly (in no particular order):
1) http://bluebirdslivinginthemeadow.wordpress.com/ – I recently discovered this one. I love the photo collages she’s been making to illustrate her posts. She has a nice combination of really organic looking paper crafts and nature photography.
2) http://joyfulploys.wordpress.com/ – This is one I follow regularly. I love her art journals and it was fun to play along with her in the Index Card a Day Challenge.
3) http://ximenaxarau.wordpress.com – This is a new blog that I’m so glad I happened upon. Ximena is an amazing artist and there’s a great variety to the work she’s posted so far.
4) http://cardcrazed.wordpress.com – Another one I recently discovered. She makes really neat cards and has just ventured into the worlds of art journaling and mixed media. A woman after my own heart (the expanding her horizons part).
5) http://girlunwinding.wordpress.com/ – Dawn is definitely a blogger I follow regularly. She’s been so incredibly encouraging and inspirational, a lot of things I’ve tried recently have been the direct result of her (mandalas and making my own stamps, for example).
6) http://bitze.wordpress.com/ – Patty is another huge inspiration (and I think the way I found Dawn, above). Her art journal pages are amazing and I love the stories about her adventures- crafting and otherwise.
7) http://createdbylisa.blogspot.com/ – A scrapbooker I recently discovered through the Sketch -n- Scrap Challenge page. She’s really gotten me fired up on finally doing my wedding scrapbook (a year later).
8) http://shutupandcreatesomething.wordpress.com/ – She posts her art journaling and poetry. She has a great, irreverent sense of humor (as her blog title suggests) and is also really talented.
9) http://tracywoodsford.blogspot.com/ – My last art journaler nominee, Tracy also makes some amazing spreads. She has a nice combination of whimsy and beauty in her work.
10) http://spikescreativeside.wordpress.com/ – Spike is a card-maker that rocks my world. She is hilarious and has inspired me to start working on my winter holiday cards this summer (so I don’t have to scramble to make them all in December).
11) http://pushingtherightbuttons.blogspot.co.uk/ – Jenny makes really neat cards with all kinds of cool materials (as suggested in the “buttons” part of her blog name). I also love her moto: “A place where creativity banishes negativity.” We could all use a reminder like that.
12) http://thesimpleupcycler.com/ – A new blog that has some great ideas for relatively simple upcycling and repurposing.
13) http://lorrinbaker.wordpress.com/ – Lorrin is my amazingly talented brother and I’m pretty sure he’s not going to pass this nomination on to anyone, but I can’t help but include him. I actually joined WordPress years ago just so I could follow his photo blog, before I had any desire whatsoever to start my own blog.
14) http://sullimaybe.wordpress.com/ – Linda is a friend of mine (in real life) and kind of inspired me to get into blogging. Her blog is so much fun- she posts about neat, random things that are “news to (her)” (and usually news to me).
15) http://oatmealmusing.blogspot.com/ – And, last but not least, another friend of mine from the “real world”. Jane is an amazing poet and former English teacher (who’s probably not going to be happy that I started that previous sentence with “And”).
The last step of this award’s nomination process (which has been harder than I thought) is to tell the person who nominated me 7 things about myself. So here they are, *Wisher* (and anyone else who has read this far):
1) I am independently licensed as a mental health counselor but I don’t do therapy. I’m currently working with the human services company I work for on designing a centralized clinical intake and assessment team.
2) The hardest jobs I’ve had have all been as a teacher (1 1/2 years in elementary school and 2 years in middle school theater). Summer vacations nowhere near make up for how hard (good) teachers work the rest of the year.
3) I think my boy is the funniest, cutest, most unique kid in the whole world (not that I’m biased).
4) I think my wife is the most supportive, beautiful, and loving woman in the world (again, despite any potential bias). She’s an amazing cook who I keep encouraging to create her own blog to share her talents.
5) I was arrested for civil disobedience in college and spent a night in jail.
6) I’m a United Methodist, working hard with my church to help our congregation become “Reconciling” and fully include gays and lesbians in all aspects of church life. Working on the denomination as a whole will be the next step.
7) I really think blogging has helped me keep my sanity when life gets a little too crazy, prod me toward the creativeness that I’ve always loved and valued in myself, and made me a better mom and wife in general.
So… that’s it. Thanks again, *Wisher*, for the nomination. I think I’m going to take a break from handing these out and get back to crafting for a while. (But, I won’t give up on them… look forward to more nominations in the near future.)
And here’s a picture of a design I made in the sand on the beach, just for fun.
(Sand art on a beach in Provincetown.)
Loved reading the 7 things about you. Thank you for sharing!
Thanks for all the recommended blogs!
Sure! It was fun putting the list together. I hope you find some you like.
thanks so much! i’m honored to be included in your award group!!! jean
You’re welcome! I love your blog.
You can truly art anywhere!
thank you for your nomination. it really does my heart good to know that something I’ve done can encourage others in some way. what a great way to connect with people, through encouragement.
~Dawn
Thank you! Yours was an obvious choice! Thanks again for the unending encouragement.
wow.. thank you for the many new blog sites.. I got to check them out.. lovely.. 😀
Your welcome! I love that about these awards!