One Lovely Blog Award

On Thursday, I finally visited a blog or two. I was not at all surprised to discover Kim at Wisdom with Needle and Thread had been nominated for the One Lovely Blog Award. However, I was very surprised to see my blog listed with her nominations. Thank you, Kim! You are entirely too sweet.

The purpose of this award is for bloggers to nominate fellow, mostly newer, bloggers that they wish to recognize. The goal is to bring attention to blogs that we think are "lovely" and enjoy reading. We hope others will enjoy reading these blogs also.

In order to accept the award, the nominated blogger must follow these rules:

• Thank the person who nominated you & link back to them in your post
• Share seven facts about yourself
• Nominate 10 other bloggers for the award 

Here are my seven facts:

1.  I am married to my best friend (this year will be our 22nd anniversary) and we have two amazing boys. If you ever wonder why the url for my blog is monkeyandmutt.blogspot.com, Monkey is my 18-year-old's nickname and Mutt is my 15-year-old's nickname - though his is only used on my blog.

2. My love of crafting was inspired by a dear family friend. During middle school, my younger sister and I became "littles" in the local Big Brother Big Sister Program. Our "big sister" was Diane. She ran the program for several years and my sister and I were incredibly blessed to have her in our lives. Diane and her husband, Dick, made an effort to introduce my sister and I to experiences we might not have otherwise had. We went to a photography club meeting, the county fair, a ballet performance, miniature golf, etc. Diane taught me how to knit. (I made a scarf in high school, but have completely forgotten everything I learned!) And, she taught me how to cross-stitch. My love of embroidery has only grown over the years, and I doubt I would crazy quilt now without the foundation Diane built when I was a teenager. She also gave my sister and I a sewing machine. The one rule was that we use it. My sister was not horribly interested, so my mom and I gave it a great workout. The motor finally gave out a couple of years ago, but I still have it and intend to have it repaired.

3. I love Christmas decorations and I love snowmen. I created the button snowman below on a block for Lynne F. in MA.

4. I love to read. My non-fiction tastes include books on gardening, personal finance, autobiographies and crafts. (Cookbooks used to be my biggest passion, but with my dietary restrictions now, most recipes will not work for me - lol!) My fiction tastes include mysteries (Mary Higgins Clark and Elizabeth George), romances (Jane Austin and Sandra Brown), young adult (Stephenie Meyer and Suzanne Collins), and my guilty pleasures are science fiction/paranormal/horror stories (I am embarrassed to admit that pretty much anything with a vampire or telekinetic abilities will intrigue me. Why embarrassed? Who knows - lol!)

5. I love Halloween decor and fabrics. In fact, I met Kim at Wisdom with Needle and Thread through her 1st annual Halloween Ornament Exchange in 2014. The ornament I created is pictured below. (I will be sharing another Halloween themed block tomorrow!) 

6. Handmade gifts are my favorite to give and to receive.

7. My mother crochets beautifully. I have never had the patience to learn. However, this summer I think I would finally like to try. 

This is the hard part. There are sooo many wonderful blogs that I follow. Only selecting 10 newer blogs is not easy! (Going with newer blogs with less than 200 followers might make it easier... I hope!) I hope you enjoy a visit to these lovely blogs as much as I do!

Shell - Little Orphan Stitch

Queeniepatch - Queenie's Needlework

Diane - A Focused Journey

Christine - Patchwork Allsorts

Pamela - Hokkaido Kudasai

Mary - Crazy Quilting in Texas

Annette - Crazy Quilt Passion

Ann - Colourful Cross Stitches

Carrie - Crafting Paws

Anita - Quilt in a not-Shell

Thank you so much for visiting!

Renee