The One with the Liebster Award

Whoa!  Thank you so much Kelly Jean over at Things About Stuff for nominating me for the Liebster Award.  This is my first award and it just gives me warm fuzzies for even being nominated!

So, this award is very special for those of us bloggers that LOVE to share a little bit about ourselves and various passions but may not have too many readers.  The idea of this award is to connect other readers and bloggers to your blog.

I did a little more research on this award and came across this blog post by Lorraine Reguly.  She compiled a list of the different sets of rules for the Liebster Award along with a little background into its origins.

Here is how it works (according to Lorraine's blog post):

If you have been nominated for The Liebster Award AND YOU CHOOSE TO ACCEPT IT, write a blog post about the Liebster award in which you:

1. thank the person who nominated you, and post a link to their blog on your blog.

2. display the award on your blog — by including it in your post and/or displaying it using a “widget” or a “gadget”. (Note that the best way to do this is to save the image to your own computer and then upload it to your blog post.)

3. answer 11 questions about yourself, which will be provided to you by the person who nominated you.

4. provide 11 random facts about yourself.

5. nominate 5 – 11 blogs that you feel deserve the award, who have a less than 1000 followers. (Note that you can always ask the blog owner this since not all blogs display a widget that lets the readers know this information!)

6. create a new list of questions for the blogger to answer.

7. list these rules in your post (You can copy and paste from here.) Once you have written and published it, you then have to:

8. Inform the people/blogs that you nominated that they have been nominated for the Liebster award and provide a link for them to your post so that they can learn about it (they might not have ever heard of it!)

Eleven Random Facts About Me

1. I hate wet hair.  I don't like the way it feels.  I can't lay down or lean my head against anything when my hair is wet.  I don't like it when it touches my neck when I'm getting dressed.  I'm cringing just thinking about it...
2. I was born in California, but only lived there for 3 months.
3. When I was younger (teenager-ish), I used to read 6 books at a time, reading a chapter a day in each book.  Such a dork!
4. I always try to read the book before I see the movie.  
5. My husband owns more shoes AND clothes than I do...at least three times as many in both categories.
6. I like fruity candy and sweets more than chocolate.
7. I like the idea of a clean house more than I like to clean my house.  Sometimes I say I love to clean, but it's not entirely true.
8. I moved in with my now husband 3 months after we met.  (I know, right?!  Unbelievable, but we knew we were meant to be.  Cliche, I know.)
9. My favorite food is nachos.  I will eat the hell out of some nachos.
10. I'm beginning to realize I like blogging and crafting more than my day job.
11. I have an Etsy shop!  Which hasn't been updated, but it's on my to do list!

My Answers to Kelly's Questions

1. Why do you blog?  Well, I actually wanted to blog originally because I saw a design team post for Citrus Twist Kits back at the end of 2012.  One of the requirements was to have a blog.  I knew then that my goal for 2013 was to start my own blog.  Now, it's not just to apply to design teams (although that is a dream of mine), but to meet people just as passionate about papercrafting as I am.
2. What is (are) your highlight(s) of 2013?  Let's see...I don't think anything significant happened in 2013.  I mean, it was a great year.  I learned a lot about myself as an adult, an individual finally done with school, a wife, a sister, a friend.  Michael and I decided on some serious life plans.  I met some great new friends.  I embraced my hobby.  I focused on being happy.
3. What hobbies do you have?  Besides playing with paper, I love to read.  I'm trying to like yoga.  
4. What is your favorite dessert?  I don't know if I have a favorite...I think it would probably be cheesecake.  Any kind of cheesecake.
5. If you could go anywhere in the world, where would it be?  Italy.  I'd love to do one of those 21-day tours that take you all over the country.
6. Did you have pets growing up?  Yes, mostly cats.  When I was really young, before the age of 4, we had 2 cats, Midnight and Boo.  After my brother was born, we had to give them away because of his allergies.  Sometime while I was in middle school, we got a dog and my sister snatched a kitten from a field by my uncle's house.  The dog, Mikey, we gave to some friends with a farm a year later.  Our house and yard wasn't big enough for him and we didn't have time for him.  The cat, Stripes, is still alive and kickin'.
7. What is your favorite thing about yourself?  I'm less high strung and more down to earth than I used to be.  I really like that.  As for a physical feature, my eyes.  I've been told I have really pretty eyes.
8. Do you like sports?  If so, who do you cheer for?  I'm a die hard St. Louis Cardinals fan, as well as an Illini fan.  I like the Chicago Bears, but not as much as the Cardinals and the Illini.
9. What is your favorite season of the year?  Why?  I go back and forth between spring and fall.  I like those milder temperatures.  I like being able to wear jeans, boots, and a top with a lightweight sweater or blazer.  
10. Do you have a piece of jewelry you wear everyday?  Yes, I wear my wedding and engagement rings.
11. Name three things on your life bucket list.  Go to Italy.  Go white water rafting.  Go to a vineyard.

Now for my nominations...

Emily Adams:  Mrs. Crafty Adams
Ange:  One Person's Scrapping Compulsion
Christine Cieri:  Christine Cieri
Molly Frances:  Look What I Made
Cristi Wuenschel:  Dysfunctionally-Functional
Jen Schow:  Things That Matter
Kait:  Cafe et Papier
Brittany McLeod:  KraftyBuns
Mary:  Me, With My Head in the Clouds
Holly Ford:  Fordward Moving Mommy
Kaylea:  My Scrappy Life

***I apologize if I didn't stick with the less than 200 followers.  I based these nominations on blogs I like and the amount of followers (if visible on their blogs) for each blog.

My questions for the bloggers I nominated

1. Describe your ideal day.
2. If you could remodel/redecorate any room in your home, which room would it be and what would you do with it (you have unlimited funds)?
3. What is your day job?
4. What did you want to be when you "grew up?"
5. What is the number one thing you want to accomplish in 2014?
6. What do you like about blogging?
7. Do you enjoy cooking or baking more?  Why?
8. What is your favorite TV show?
9. What is your favorite food?
10. What talent do you wish you had?  Why?
11. List three things on your life bucket list.

Writing this post was really fun!  Thank you again Kelly for the nomination.  I'm looking forward to reading the answers, facts, and questions from the bloggers I nominated as well as discovering new blogs!

xoxo,

Heather