More Welcomes, and Awards!

Hello and welcome to the newest followers to my humble blog!

My dear friend, Alice over at Double Purr, has finally clicked the "Follow button. ;-) She makes extraordinary cards and is a miniaturist. Currently she's working on the Greenleaf Spring Fling building (which she blames/credits me for).

Kathi at Beautiful Mini Blessings is a miniaturist who is currently renovating a dollhouse. She also just made her first mini sofa. And the music on her blog is pretty sweet. ;-)

Hanna at Hanna and Leijona who makes the most fantastic felted animals. I could spend hours looking at all her creations. They are just so wonderful.

Please pay these lovely ladies a visit when you can. You will be happy you did.
****

And now for the awards which I'm awfully tardy in accepting.

The first award that I've caught up with is from dear Rosanna. Thank you. Rosana!

For the Reader Award you must grab the nearest book, turn to page 161, and copy the fifth sentence.

When you consider that the computer desk is right next to a bookcase, that becomes a difficult task. Add in the fact that the easiest shelf to reach is covered in books printed in other languages, mostly Russian, and it becomes more entertaining finding a book who font can be reproduced on the blog. ;-)

The next shelf down is our religion, philosophy, and spirituality section. I grabbed a book from that one. It's called "My Road to the Sundance" by Manny Twofeathers.

"That's why the Spirits told me at the Sundance the year before that I had to dance and pierce every day for my children."

This one is so much fun. I'm going to pass it onto anyone who wants to play along. If you do, pop back and let me know so I can come see what book you chose. :-)

****

The second award comes from Rosanna, Casey and Mary. Thank you ladies! :-)

The text that went with it goes,"This award was designed by Ces for her friend Bella. Ces wrote:- I designed this award to celebrate art in the blogs and to honour the value of friendship, sisterhood, sharing and caring. It is to be awarded to the gifted, accomplished, eloquent and talented blogger, whose friendship and influence inspire us to do our best. That I named it after Bella Sinclair is because she epitomises all of these things."

Along with the above text, these wonderful ladies included the following sentiments:

Casey: "She is a miniaturist, needleworker and history buff. And she manages to make all of the things that she writes about interesting."

Mary: " I pass this award to a few of those in the 'hood whose creations, stories, thoughts, or photos add a spring to my step."

Rosanna: "Minikat,whose ability in sewing and stitchings makes me envious but with whom I'd really like to share a choco mint cupcake."

To make my head and heart swell even more, I took Casey's suggestion and went over to Ces' blog to read her original entry, and then onto Bella's own blog where I shed tears.

Wow. To be given this piece of friendship is an honor and I thank you ladies very much.

There are many dear friends who have already been given this award, so I shall pass it to others who haven't received it.

Michelle at Boulderneigh

Alice at Double Purr

Sharon at In Stitches

Leigh at Leigh's Fiber Journal

Christine at DandelionFair DollHouse

Katie at Katie's Clay Corner and Let's Make Lemonade

Heather at This Little Dollhouse

Julie Campbell at Bellabelle's Blog

Julie Kendall at Jackdaw's Attic

and Savannah at Miniature Mumblings

There are so many more people I would pass this award onto, but then I would spend the next few days trying to list them all.

Witchy Poo!

Thank you, Kat!! I had been behind on reading blogs for a while and I just found this adorable award. It made my day a bit witchier. ;-)

An Illuminating Award

Wow! Casey and Katie have both given me this cool award!

The rules of this award are:

1.-To complete the following phrase: I AM A LIGHT AND WANT TO ILLUMINATE...

2. - Link the blog from where the award came from and leave a message informing that person it has been received.

3.- Link and pass the award to five blogs that, in your opinion, are blogs of light.

What would I want to shine light upon if I was an ethereal being possessed of large quantities of electrons? Hmm... Well I suppose my jaded heart would want the chance at one last piece of hope. So...

I AM A LIGHT AND WANT TO ILLUMINATE: any place there are still good people attempting to do good things for other people and/or animals. It doesn't matter what they are doing or how they are helping. It only matters that they try.

Now the really hard part.

1. Michelle at Boulderneigh because she believes in helping where she can.

2. Miss Kitty at Educated and Poor because she rescues animals in need and gives them a safe place to be.

3. Karen at Karen's Shetlands because she has opened her home and heart to aging equines that just need a warm place in the sun, food, shelter, and love for the rest of their lives.

4. Heather [and Jazzy too!] of This Little Doll House because she still gets up in the morning when she hurts.

5. Marsha of Sassy Mini Dolls because she has a heart whose size rivals the globe.

6. Jayne at Tallulah~Belle because she pushes herself to try new and more difficult things.

7. Kat the Hat Lady because she keeps going as much as she can, even on bad days.

An Award from Julie!

I learned today that I brighten wonderful doll artist Julie Campbell's day regularly. To that end she's given me this beautiful award. Well I suppose that's fair given how often she brightens mine. :-)

Actually not only does she brighten my days, but she inspires me to ponder sculpting the dolls floating around in my head. I keep thinking about it, and then turn into a right wuss over it. But Julie's dolls are gorgeous and fun... and she's got such a nice tutorial for the scary bits (hands). But I digress... ;-)

Thank you, Julie for brightening my day even more than usual. And thank you for being inspirational. Bet you didn't know that, did you?

So now I will pass this onto to a few blogs that both brighten my days and inspire me.

Pamella Terry and Edward at From the House of Edward - they remind me that art is everywhere. :-)

Casey and Tessie at Casey's Minis - they reminded me how to actually play again instead of just creating. :-)

Kat the Hat Lady - is responsible for the idea of a witchy department store just to show off my hat collection. ;-)

Marsha at Sassy Mini Dolls - has taught me pink can be fun in small doses. ;-)

Katie at Katie's Clay Corner - helps me smile even when I hurt. :-)

Michelle at Boulderneigh - reminds me to take time and be thankful for the wonderful things in my life.... like my friends. :-)

Thank you again, Julie. I hope I've passed the bright spot on to others.

Another Award!

Thank you NikNik for warding me with the Butterfly Award for having a cool blog. I'm very happy that you enjoy your time here. :-)

I've already passed this award onto the ten blog that are so cool I make my husband read them. ;-) So I'm going to pass it along to the rest of my followers, since they are all in the list of blogs I think are cool!

An Award from San!

Today San presented me with this lovely award! It's cool on many levels: 1. It's got a purple butterfly on it. ;-)
2. Apparently I have a cool blog.
3. San says I'm, "the coolest paleontologist I have ever come across."

Wow! I might have to open the door to let my swelling head get out. San you have a way of making people feel bigger than life. And you brought me a smile today. Thank you very much.

Now it would take me all day to list the 200 or so cool blogs that I love reading. There are just so many out there. So I think I will have to go with my top ten. Undoubtedly there will be repeat awards, as I know other people in the world will agree with me for a few.

So here are the ten blogs that are so cool I even make FH look at them. ;-)

Doreen's Project Blog doesn't get as much attention at award time as her "regular" blog. But I love watching the rooms come together. http://doreensprojects.blogspot.com/

Ara's Addams Family Mini Mansion's creepy and kooky, mysterious and spooky! Hehe couldn't resist. So's what a geek I am. http://afminimansion.blogspot.com/

Jayne's breath-taking flowers... I can stare at them and drool for hours! Did you all catch the foxglove saga? If not, got read her archives. http://tallulahbelleoriginals.blogspot.com/

The Whittaker's lovely spooky houses. I actually tell people who don't "do the internets much" to go see this blog. Have gone so far as to type in the web address myself and sit them in chairs. http://whittakersminis.blogspot.com/

Michelle's sheep and lamb stories... gotta love the lamb races and all the fiber! http://boulderneigh.blogspot.com/

Jean Day's mind-blowing micro minis! Not to mention all the gorgeous printies and kits! And let's not forget that Jean's just a lovely person. http://jdayminis.blogspot.com/

Christine's quarter scale bears and dolls. Still trying to figure out how she can see to carve that small.. http://dandelionfair.blogspot.com/

Katie's clay adventures already has been awarded... so I'm going to go with the blog that makes me get up and keep moving on days when I don't want to. Lemonade anyone? http://makingthebestlemonade.blogspot.com/

How many people will do a second version of a project just to show us beggers, whingers, and whiners how to do it? Not many. But Casey will, with Tessie's help! (Zar and Spike too!)http://caseymini.blogspot.com/

And last, but certainly not least, is San herself. Now I know she's already got this award. But there are only ten blogs I make FH read over my shoulder. And her's is one of them. So there! ;-) http://sansdollhousediaries.blogspot.com/

A Very Special Award

Marlene at Somerset House, A project is celebrating the creation of her daughter Felicity's new dollhouse blog, Mini Vintage Home. To that end she has given me this lovely award as a thank you for visiting her blog and to let me know how much she enjoys visiting this little corner of the interweb.

Thank you, Marlene. You've made my day more better than you my realize. :-)

Oh and like I said, Felicity is a new blogger, so let's all make her feel welcome.

Awarded again...

This award appears to be making its rounds through the miniature community again. I have been given it this time by Casey at Casey's Minis.

I'm going to pass it onto nine new mini bloggers whose blogs I really enjoy:

Wendie at WendiesMiniWorld

Julie at Bellabelle's Blog

Marlene at Somerset House, A project

Mommylion at In a Tiny House

Christine at Dandelion Fair

Ara at Addams Family Mini-Mansion

Deb at Deb's Minis

Mags at Mags-nificent Miniatures

Heather at This Little Doll House

More Welcomes! and A Thank You!

Hello and welcome to Tiffany and Debie, the two newest followers of my humble blog!

Tiffany showcase both miniatures and fiber art at her blog called Mini Mischief. She is currently working on San Fran dollhouse, which is really cool in my opinion because one of these days I will be able to work on mine as well.

Debie is a miniaturist new to the blog world. Her blog is called Piskies and Poppets. There are some adorable pictures there to see and a link to her website.

As always please go over and say hello. :-)

And a thank you to Tiffany for awarding me the Proximity Award again! I think this is one of the best awards to receive because of the meaning behind it. Thank you so much, Tiffany. You brightened my day.

An Award, A Smile

Jayne at Tallulah~Belle Originals and Mary of Sunny Sunflower Miniatures have both awarded me with the I Love Your Art Blog Award. Thank you ladies, for the smile today. I needed it.

Now I'm supposed to list seven things I love:

1. FH
2. Our pets
3. Chocolate
4. Being alive
5. Popcorn
6. Real Mexican food
7. Miniatures

Next should come the list of seven blogs to pass it onto. But given the way things are right now and the fact that the award has flitted around to many, many wonderful bloggers today already. So what I'm going to do is give this award to everyone.

Cop out? Possibly. But given the talents of the people who visit my little corner of the web, I think it's well deserved.

I've Been Awarded!

Casey at Casey's Minis has awarded me with the "Proximidade Award!"

This is the blurb about the award:

"This blog invests and believes in the PROXIMITY-nearness in space, time and relationships. These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in prizes or self-aggrandizement! Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers!”

Wow. I am honored. Truly I think this is the best award to receive from anyone, especially someone who I admire.

Now to pick eight bloggers to pass this onto. No mean feat when you follow 150. The there's trying to pick someone who hasn't been awarded that same thing already. Hmm... here goes:

1. Doreen http://doreensminiatures.blogspot.com/

2. Michelle http://boulderneigh.blogspot.com/

3. Mz Minka http://mizminka.blogspot.com/

4. Mary http://sunflowerminis.blogspot.com/

5. Karen http://karensshetlands.blogspot.com/

6. Leigh http://leighsfiberjournal.blogspot.com/

7. Jean http://jdayminis.blogspot.com/

8. Sharon http://sagecreekfarm.blogspot.com/

These wonderful ladies are caring, thoughtful, funny, talented, and most of all friendly. It's up to you now, ladies. :-)

Awards abound!

I think Jayne and Casey knew I was baking with chocolate or something, because when I got back to the computer they both had given me this lovely award. Thanks, ladies! If I could send you mint chocolate cupcakes in the mail I would. ;-)

Some the rules are I have to list seven things I love and then pass it along to another seven "Kreativ Bloggers."


So here it goes:
1. FH and our "fuzz patrol"
2. the desert, specifically the White Sands Desert where my mother's family lives
3. chocolate, the darker the better
4. real Mexican food; I cold eat it 24/7 for the rest of my life and never get tired of it
5. miniatures
6. books
7. fibers, especially baby alpaca, angora rabbit, and merino

Now for seven bloggers:
1. Doreen at Doreen's Miniatures
2. Michelle at Boulderneigh
3. Leigh at Leigh's Fiber Journal
4. Nikki at Witch and Wizard Miniatures
5. Loshcosh at Oh Mini of Mine
6. Tara at The Dollhouse at Pooh Corner
7. Tiffany at Mini Mischief

So there we go! Keep it going, folks.

More Award Fun!

I came home to discover I have be gifted with an award by two wonderful miniaturists, Casey, Doreen, and Brenda. This really made my day, ladies. Thank you very much.

The rules connected to the award are thus:
1. Put the logo on your blog or post
2. Nominate at least 10 blogs which show great Attitude and/or Gratitude!
3. Be sure to link to your nominees within your post.
4. Let them know that they have received this award by commenting on their blog
5. Share the love and link to the person from whom you received your award.

Hmm... now who to chose.
1. Ana at http://alltinydelights.blogspot.com/
2. Shannon at http://shannonsminiblog.blogspot.com/
3. A. Wright at http://everylittlethingakw.blogspot.com/
4. loshcosh at http://ohminiofmine.blogspot.com/
5. pussman at http://pussman.blogspot.com/
6. Sasha at http://sashasminiworld.blogspot.com/
7. Sam at http://minimakingmum.blogspot.com/
8. Sans at http://sansdollhousediaries.blogspot.com/
9. Tarapiglet at http://dollhouseatpoohcorner.blogspot.com/
10. Minka at http://mizminka.blogspot.com/
11. Michelle at http://boulderneigh.blogspot.com/
12. Karen at http://karensshetlands.blogspot.com/
13. Sharon at http://sagecreekfarm.blogspot.com/
14. Alice at http://doublepurr.blogspot.com/
15. Leigh at http://leighsfiberjournal.blogspot.com/
16. Maia at http://maiastwinkleminiatures.blogspot.com/

And there we have it. Let's keep the sisterhood of creating going. While we're at it, let us not forget the brothers in art that we have as well. There are not as many men in the fiber and miniature arts, but those that I know are wonderful people.

Awarded again!

Thank you, Rosanna, for awarding me the Premo blog award!

Instead of coming up with another list of 15 blogs to pass it onto, I will instead direct folks to the right-hand side of the screen. There is an extensive list of blogs that I follow on a regular basis that are all incredible.

Please go pay them a visit if you do not already.

Another Award!

Brenda has gifted me with this lovely blog award. It will serve as a reminder to me to keep laughing through the pain until we get things figured out somehow. Thank you, Brenda.

Now I need to find 15 blogs to pass it onto. This might take a bit of thought. I follow several blogs, as I've mentioned before.

I will add to this post until I have all fifteen listed. Given that I'm blogging from bed and the light in here isn't conducive to play with minis or fiber, it shouldn't take me long to get started.

****

1. After a bit of thought I decided that I should start with The LawDog at The LawDog Files. His blog is what started "Little Thoughts" even though he doesn't know it. Until FH said, "Hey Babe! Read this," and I laughed until tears streamed down my face I didn't know people with brains and imagination were on the internet. Strange but true. Somehow that fact had completely escaped me as I only sat in front of a computer to play games, read the news, and read comics. Thank you, LawDog, for opening a new world for me.

2. Once I began reading The Law Dog files regularly it did not take me long to find AD. AD is short for Ambulance Driver and his blog is appropriately called A Day In the Life of An Ambulance Driver. Wow. The stories he tells swept me away on roller coasters of emotion. Some are fantastic, snarky encounters with people who allowed their own stupidity to get them into whatever mess AD had to come get them out of. Some are heart wrenching and make tears pour out of my eyes.

3. From the gentlemen above I found my way to the lovely Phlegmfatale at Fatale Abstraction. She has brought bright spots into my life since I started reading about her adventures with the pups, her jewelry making, the shooting adventures, and shoes. I cannot forget the shoes. I'm not really a "shoe person," mainly because I have very little balance to begin with and the pretty shoes always seem to be high heels. That and I spend all my spare cash on miniatures, fiber, and craft supplies. So I live vicariously through Ms. Phlegm. Firearms and fashion sense... ye gods what a wonderful combination!

4. The CrankyLitProf came next. When I started reading Cranky Epistles I was treated to some of the best imagery and word play I had seen since I left campus. In fact, she's better as expressing verbal frustration, wit, and snark than anyone else in the blogosphere. Heck, I'll go far enough to say I wish I was able to actually take classes at her campus. Of course having a student who actually follows a syllabus and reads the assigned work might cause her to question reality. At least that's what it seems like for the majority of her posts relating to work.

5. From Dr. Cranky I migrated over to AngryBlackBitch, by Shark-Fu. I will admit I was intrigued from the moment I saw the link on Dr. Cranky's blog. My actual thought was, "I'll bite." Has anyone ever talked with a person who not only possesses book smarts but also a heaping amount of common sense? Roll that into a person who actually cares about the state of affairs in this country and the world, but it also willing to fight for it. That is a fraction of Shark-Fu. There's a bit of kinship for me when I'm in her blog. We both grew up in St. Louis, MO and love Blues hockey. I would love to have a drink with Shark-Fu one of these days.

***

Once I created Little Thoughts, I figured out there was a way to find people interested in the same things I was. I wandered around and found fiber people and then shepherds. The number of amazing blogs by wonderful people that I read daily literally doubled at that point.

***

6. Michelle at Boulderneigh is an absolute joy. Critter stories, fiber (oh ye gods, the fiber!), beautiful landscape photos, pictures of the beauty around her. There's also something to be said about a person who looks past a label of religion and sees instead goodness.

7. Sharon at In Stitches always posts gorgeous pictures. Usually of the area around her home and her fiber projects, but also pictures of the wonderful places she visits. For me though, it's the pictures of the desert she lives in that make me remember home. They always take me on wonderful mental journeys.

8. Karen at Karen's Shetlands has a lot of critters around her place that end up on camera, and subsequently on her blog. Wildlife flocks to the bird feeders. Sheep frolic. Aged equines live in peace and comfort. And of course there is fiber. Tactile junkie that I am cannot resist it.

9. In her Fiber Journal, Leigh shows the world her exquisite creations from wheel, needles, and loom. Not to mention the tales and pictures of her two cats Rascal and Catzee, told from their own perspectives. Leigh is a delight to know, even just through comments back and forth. I look forward to each new post to see what "strings" she's playing with.

10. LSW at Woolgathering not only plays with fiber and had an interest in miniatures, but also tells great stories about her pets, genealogy, and the sites in central Texas. There is always a post worth reading at Woolgathering.

***

Now to finish this monster post so I can perhaps get some mini work done as my back is a bit better than this morning. And frankly I'm tired of laying about. I have quite a few projects that need tending to.

These last five are blogs that I found my way to by chance or because they found me.

11. I nominated Alice at Double Purr for a different award before. But Alice sees things I cannot. Somehow she uses paper and ink to create little pieces of art. I do not understand how it works. Paper is not a media that can creatively use on my own. Each week there is generally a new card that she's finished and sometimes a bit about her cats. Sometimes there are even miniatures. It's always a surprise.

12. Miz Minka found me. I'm still not sure how, but I've been delighted to make her acquaintance via the blogosphere. I can generally find either a smile or something to ponder at Miz Minka's Musings. Retraining my brain to read some German doesn't hurt my feelings either. I've spent too much time neglecting that bit of my education.

13. I've mentioned the beauty painted by Pamela Terry before. From the House of Edward always takes me away to some other place where serenity, contemplation, and introspection rule. Places I may never see come alive in my mind whenever I read her blog.

14. Jen at Cake Wrecks finds the most hideously wrong and perfectly sweet pictures of cakes from all over. Her blog never ceases to amuse or inspire me. Of course there has been confusion, but generally that's from me trying to figure out what the decorator responsible for a cake was thinking when they were turned loose with icing.

15. Jean Day is an accomplished miniaturist who I have always admired. It was by chance that I discovered her blog, Jean Day Miniatures one day. Hers was the first minis-only blog that I came across. Through her blog I was able to find many of the wonderful miniature blogs that I now follow.

And there is my completed list of fifteen wonderful blogs. There are so many more out there, but these were the first fifteen that I ever read so they will always be special.

Award!

I've been given the Fabby Blog Award by Debbie at Tiny Treasures and Doreen at Doreen's Miniature Projects! Thank you, Debbie and Doreen.

The rules are: 1. I must list my five addictions...only 5? Eek. Hmm...
and 2. I must pass this on to 5 fabulous blogs. Again, only 5? Hmm...

As for the addictions:

1. Dollhouse miniatures. I can't stop thinking about projects and new ideas.

2. Natural fibers. Especially baby alpaca, camel, Angora rabbit.... oh the list is endless.

3. Mexican food. Real Mexican food, not Taco Bell or other fast food places. I want real tripitas, linguitas, flat enchiladas with a fried egg on top and lettuce and onions... eek I'm hungry now.

4. Chocolate. Really any kind of chocolate, but I do have a preference for dark chocolate. Especially dark chocolate covered, candied ginger.

5. Popcorn. If I smell it, I crave it. Movie theaters are a hazard. So is the shop in town that makes fresh popcorn, caramel corn, chocolate corn.... you get the idea.


Now for the five blogs. The true list of fabulous blogs that I read is closer to 100 than to 5. But here are five fabulous blogs that I haven't seen get the "Fabby Blog" award. That was the only way I could even begin to narrow things down.

1. Phlegmfatale at Fatale Abstraction

2. Maia at Maia's Twinkle Miniatures

3. Miz Minka at Miz Minka's Musings

4. Leigh at Leigh's Fiber Journal

5. Pamela Terry and Edward at From the House of Edward

5.11111111. Alice at Double Purr

What? There are still only five blogs listed. There are larger values of five in the world. Just ask any mathematician or scientists. Or in this case, any smart-aleck graduate from an engineering school.

There are another 80+ blogs out there that I believe are fabulous. You can find them by clicking their most recent posts on the right hand side of your screen. Please do so when you have a moment.

Sweet Kitties of the World

I have been awarded the Lemonade Award by Rascal.


It's a wonderful pick-me-up after everything that's been happening with my sister.

I would like to pass it onto Fuzzy Husband and The Sheep Geek.

Thank you so much, Rascal! :-)