spreading the (blog) love

Funny story about starting this blog. I probably worked on the layout/look of it for over two weeks before I ever wrote a single word. (You have no idea how indicative this is of my personality.) When I finally sat down to write, I was so unsure of what I wanted to say that I think it took me like three days to publish the first post. THEN, it took me a couple posts after that to work up the courage to tell people I had even started a blog.

The point is, this is my little piece of the world. It's personal, it's important. So when it finally hit me that people were reading (and what's more, actually enjoying) what I had to say, it was incredible. I get so much joy from sharing my life with you guys and showing you what crafty little things I cook up. And I couldn't be more grateful for those of you that comment with your feedback and encouragement.

Which brings me to the purpose of this post. A friend of mine, Aubrey, that I worked with at my first job in Durham, North Carolina, has bestowed upon me and my little blog a wonderful honor called the Liebster Blog Award. For the meaning of the award, I'll take it straight from Aubrey herself. (Lord knows I'm an expert at getting things lost in translation.) 

"The Liebster Blog Award is given to an up and coming blogger who has less than 200 followers. Liebster is a German word meaning dear, sweet, kind, nice, good, beloved, lovely, kindly, pleasant, valued, cute, endearing, and welcome. To keep this award going, pass the award along to 5 other new deserving bloggers who have less than 200 followers."

The rules for the Liebster Blog Award are:
1. Thank the giver and link back to the blogger who gave it to you.
2. Reveal your top 5 picks and let them know by leaving a comment on their blog.
3. Copy and paste the award on your blog.
4. Have faith that your followers will spread the love, too!


I can't tell you what an awesome surprise it was to have Aubrey mention me as one of her 5 Liebster Blogs. Hopefully I can keep writing and keep this blog worthy of such an honor! That said, I'm now excited to pass this award on and tell you about some of my favorite blogs. But first I'd like to thank Aubrey and tell you about her little spot on the internet.

Aubrey is one of the few from NC that I have stayed in contact with (thanks mostly to Blogger and Twitter), and she's one of those people that just seems to enjoy life and live it to the fullest. She's got a great sense of humor and her home-making skillzz definitely have me taking notes. If you like food, crafts, and adorable slice-of-life posts filled with humor and charm, check out her blog, Those Darn Eckersons. Oh, and she's got a pretty hilarious husband too, and they are too cute for words. Thanks, again Aubrey!



Now on to my 5 Liebster Blogs!

Young Alumni / Sierra Kelly

Sierra and I went to school together at the University of Florida and were both in the advertising club there. She is AMAZINGLY creative and her blog is what mine wants to be when it grows up. She posts regularly (even daily, I think) and has a wistfully romantic and effortless writing style. I admire her discipline in continuing to exercise her creativity and I'm hoping I get to see her later this year when Jas and I head down to West Palm Beach. Check out her blog for amazing photographs, great recipes, and beautifully written posts you can get lost in.

Pink Kale / Margaret Kelsey

Margaret is one of my best friends from college. In fact, I would go as far to say that she's the one friend I met in college that I feel like "gets me" the most. She has an old soul at times like me and a thirst for adventure that I totally relate to. Her blog is mainly focused on delicious recipes (she treats food like an art form, which it totally is), but more recently it has been about her cross-country road trip with her equally adventurous boyfriend, Chet. She doesn't get to post all that often, but when she does, it's totally worth it. I love her to death and her blog is one that inspired me to start my own.



Carbohydrates and Conjugations / Allison Markow

I've actually never met Allison in person. Her husband and my boyfriend, Jason, met in the Austin airport two years ago and have become great friends. It's amazing how you can feel a friendship or connection with someone without ever really talking in real life. I think she started her blog around the same time I started mine, and I always enjoy reading her posts. The thing I love about her writing is that it is 100% real. She tells it like it is and pours her heart out honestly in her writing whether she's feeling worried, inspired, funny, (or hungry! The girl loves great food and I like that about her too!) Allison and her husband, Jason, are coming down to hang with us in December so I can't wait to chat her up and talk about bloggy things... and maybe have her teach me a thing or two in the kitchen!




Incantare / Bridget Kennedy

So... I technically haven't met Bridget in real life either. (I SWEAR I leave my house. Swear.) But again, she's one of those people that I feel like I know already. I pretty much enjoy anything she tweets about and I like to live vicariously through her adventures in advertising in Chicago (love that city.) One of these days Jas and I will head up to the Windy City and Bridget and I will talk celebrity gossip and ad strategy over a couple of cocktails, but until then I'll continue enjoying her blog.

Muses Fled / Aliera Peterson

Aliera and I work together at the Dalton Agency, both as Social Media Managers. Before ever meeting, we were casual Twitter friends, and after working together for almost a year, I can honestly say she's one of the most interesting people I know. She has so many different interests, bits of knowledge, stories to tell. Her blog is relatively new but I have no doubt it will soon be filled with an array of different things. She's a great writer and has super eclectic taste - social media, comics, anime, art, literature, science fiction, fantasy, video games, and crafts to name a few - so if you check out her blog there's no doubt you'll find something unexpected.




Well those are my five and I look forward to what each of these people have to say every time a post goes up. I hope all of you will check out their blogs, and I hope they continue to pass along this award to let their readers know about their favorite blogs! Enjoy!