I have been awarded the Elegant Blogger Award by Belle from In My Life...! I am so excited! I've never gotten an award like this before, but it seems to be very similar to a tag, and I love tags. : ) So here goes! : )
Rules
- When you receive the award, link back to keepcalmandsparkle1099.blogspot.com and the blog that nominated you (belleinmylife.blogspot.com)
- Display the award button in the post
- Answer all of the 12 questions given in this post (do not make your own questions)
- Nominate 8 bloggers
- Notify them that they have been awarded
#1 What made you decide to start blogging?
Until last fall I didn't really know what blogging was, and I never imagined I'd start blogging myself! Then by chance my sister Sadie and I came across Old-Fashioned Charm, (I think we found it through googling an image or something like that) and I was very intrigued. I took an instant liking to dear Miss Laurie (hello, Miss Laurie, if you're reading this!), and through her blog I found many other delightful blogs which I started to read. I've never really had many friends who have the same interests or opinions as I do (or who are as ridiculously infatuated with literature), and when I began to read other girls' blogs I found many kindred spirits and lovely people I wished to know better. I've always loved to write, and when I started reading other people's movie reviews and character profiles and posts about literary characters, I thought, "You know, I could do that." : ) It took me a long time to come up with a name for my blog, but then I decided on the title of one of my very favourite hymns. Sadie and I had originally intended to share a blog, but then we each decided to make our own. (Visit her blog here.)
So that's how it all began! I began blogging in February of this year, and I have so enjoyed it ever since. I shudder when I think of some of my first posts, though! My first blog design was a horror, too, but that was because I hadn't really figured out how to do anything yet. (I've never been at all tech-savvy, so when I began blogging I really had NO idea what I was doing!) I think I've gotten much better at it, though, and I'm so glad that I started blogging!
(There is also a great deal of thanks owing to Miss Laurie of Old-Fashioned Charm for being my very first inspiration-- thank you, Miss Laurie!) : )
#2 What is your fashion style?
Well, basically 1940's librarian. : P Seriously! Of course, my favourite fashion era would be the 1910s, but one simply cannot go around looking like that in this era, it's just plain-down impractical. I think the styles of the 1940s are very practical and pretty and they suit me perfectly.
My favourite clothing brand is Land's End, because their clothes are classy and high-quality. Sorry, that sounded snooty! I mean that their clothes are not just something cheap you would buy from Old Navy (no offense to Old Navy), but they're very well-made and last a long time. Plus a lot of their clothes are vintage and 1940s style, and I absolutely LOVE their dresses! : )
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| My ideal shoes! |
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| Keri Russel in The Magic of Ordinary Days. (Good movie.) |
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| Allie Hamilton in The Notebook (Bad movie.) : P |
#3 What is something none of your followers know about you?
Um.....well, I have a stuffed rabbit named Elbert whom I have never introduced on this blog. I received him for Christmas from some dear friends when I was 2 years old, and he has become quite an iconic figure. He has a personality all his own and is quite a character, almost like part of the family. : P I'm not really sure why I named him Elbert instead of Albert, but for some reason I've always been quite adamant that it was spelled with an "E" instead of an "A".
Hmm, what's another thing? Oh, something you all know (or maybe you haven't noticed), is that I always use the British spelling of "favourite" on this blog. I'm not sure why-- I use the American spelling (oops, I almost said normal spelling!) in emails and letters, but usually in my writing I use the British spelling so I guess it's kind of an odd habit. Random bit of trivia for the day.
I don't know of anything else of interest off the top of my head. If you have a question, though, feel free to ask away! : )
#4 What are some of your blogging goals?
To be a light for Jesus and an inspiration to others. To make new friends, to be a source of humor and encouragement, and to have maybe a few more followers. : P Hehee.
#5 Where is your favourite place to shop?
Definitely a bookstore. I go ga-ga in bookstores: just ask my sister Sadie. : P I love Barnes and Noble, but I've only been to one once and there isn't one anywhere near where I live (what is up with that?), but actually I prefer smaller bookstores because they're more quaint. One thing I love about most bookstores is that they don't just have books, but also blank journals and stationary and things like that.
There's also a second-hand clothing store I've been to a few times called Gypsy Moon, and I've gotten some really nice vintage things there. As for other clothing stores, I really don't have much fun shopping for clothes, so I wouldnt' really say I have a favourite place to shop for clothes. My wardrobe is an eclectic mix of hand-me-downs from friends and neighbours and my sister Molly, things that my parents or grandparents have given me, things that I've bought at thrift stores, and some things that I just pulled out of the dress-up trunk. : P
#6 What would your ideal amount of blog followers be?
This is kind of a tough question. I love it when I see I have a new follower and I would like more, because that tells me that someone out there who enjoy my blog and that's one of my main goals, but like Belle said, when you have so many followers you don't get to know them all as well, because when you have 200 or 300 that would pretty much be impossible. So I really don't know what my ideal amount is, but I suppose it's really out of my control anyway! I would like to have many more than 14, but I really don't care about getting into the triple digits. It's the people themselves who matter, not how many of them there are.
#7 What are your talents?
Alright, I really don't want to sound vain, but since you asked.....I'm told that I am a very talented singer. I've always loved to sing and it's still one of my favourite things to do. I sing pretty much all day. : ) For a while I entertained the notion of singing with the Metropolitan Opera someday, but then the Phantom of the Opera phase calmed down some. : P It's not something I want to do for a career, but I will always love it.
Also writing, although I think I'd probably call that a gift rather than a talent, but sometimes the two are interchangeable. And I'm pretty good at imitating people, if I do say so myself. And I'm somewhat of a talented actress, although I've never actually been in a real play. Well, yes, there was that one time, but we won't bring that up. *evil wink* Really, I only act on my own or with my sisters, but that's monstrous good fun. : )
#8 Are you a leader or a follower?
To be honest, I'm really both. Sometimes I prefer leading, and sometimes following. I'm not sure that I'm by nature one or the other. Sometimes it's rather intimidating to be a leader, or if I don't feel capable, and that's when I opt to play the role of follower, but sometimes if I feel like everyone else doesn't know what they're doing I'll take charge.
#9 What is one of your favourite quotes?
I absolutely ADORE quotes! I love collecting them and I have several notebooks full of them. I think it would be very difficult to pick and absolute favourite, but here is one of my favourites:
"There is something delicious about writing the first few words of a story. You can never quite tell where they'll take you. " ~Beatrix Potter
If you've seen the movie Miss Potter (which is one of the most beautiful movies ever, I might add), you've heard that before. Quite a number of my favourite quotes are from Beatrix Pottter, actually. Charles Dickens also has some really good ones. : )
#10 Do you have a favourite book or book series?
Do I have a favourite book. Did you really just ask me if I have a favourite book? : P Hehee.
I actually have three favourites, it fluctuates depending on the season which one of them holds the honor of being my absolute favourite. Right now it's While We're Far Apart by Lynn Austin, but my other two favourites are Fire by Night and Hidden Places, both by Lynn Austin. Hehee, I'm sort of biased. : P My favourite series is definitely the Refiner's Fire trilogy, of which Fire by Night is the second book. I've read that one twice and it is definitely my favourite, but the first one will always hold the special place of being the first book of Lynn Austin's that I ever read. The third one isn't as good in my opinion, but I still would like to read it again. The trilogy is about the Civil War and follows the lives of different members of a family and their slaves, and it's just amazing. Talking about it makes me want to read it again!
Another series I love is the Lizzie Searches for Love trilogy by Amish author Linda Byler. I used to get annoyed with Amish fiction-- I still kind of do. I mean, what if they dont' want all these silly romance novels written about them? However, Linda Byler is actually Amish herself, and it only took about a half of one book--no, more like two chapters-- for me to determine that she was my new second-favourite author. Here writing is similar to Laura Ingalls Wilder, and one of my favourite things about the Lizzie books is the relationship between Lizzie and her sisters. No one who has never had sisters can write about them like that. And Lizzie is so much like me that it's just plain-down weird. Some of the things she says make me think, "that is JUST like something I would say!" She is definitely a kindred spirit and I don't think there is any literary character qutite so dear to me as Lizzie Glick.
#11 Out of all the synonyms for elegant, which would you describe yourself with (smart- stylish- dressy- graceful- dainty- fine)?
Probably fine, and stylish. Definitely not dainty, but sometimes I can be graceful. Other times, however, I'm so clumsy you would never guess I was a dancer! : P
#12 What is your favourite flower?
For a girl like me who LOVES flowers, it's awfully difficult to pick a favourite! I think probably chrysanthemums (and yes, that is the correct spelling : P), because they're such rich and sophisticated colors, and they bloom in the fall. I also love gladiolus (it's so weird to call them that instead of just plain glads!), and sunflowers because they're just so bright and happy and pretty.
Well, those are the questions! I am going to be a naughty girl and only nominate 5 people, because most of the people I would nominate have already been awarded. So I hereby award....
-Miss Laurie
-Julia
-Melody
-Maria Elisabeth
-Hamlette
To all my lovely readers, I am afraid I have been very remiss of late as far as posting goes, aside from games. (By the way, if you haven't played my Period Drama Hat Game, I'd just love it if you would!) I am hoping to post some more interesting things soon, as well as a movie review or two. I've kind of been lacking in ideas this week, so when I saw that Belle had awarded me I was so excited because it meant something to post! That's not the only reason I was excited, of course, since this is my first award. So thank you Belle! : )
I hope to post some very lovely things this fall and I have several new ideas. Oh, and that reminds me....
IT"S FALL!!!!!!!
Well, almost. Hehee. Tomorrow is the first day of September! I'm practically dancing with excitement. : )
Have a wonderful day everyone!
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