Liebster Award --- Part 1: 11 Things about Me. 11 Questions Answered

WOW!!!  Someone was thinking about me, and nominated me for the Liebster Award.  SO SWEEEET!!!  Yes, I am all mushy like that.  I get so excited about the smallest things!

My Wool Valley was kind enough to think of me.  So the way this works is:

I say 11 things about me.
I answer 11 questions from My Wool Valley
And then I pick 11 blogs with fewer than 200 followers/subbies and ask them 11 new questions.

Without further ado...  Let's get this party started!
This is me, as of last night...  I am pretty photogenic, no?  I kid!  I kid!  My name is Bri.

11 Things About Me:
1--  I am pretty adventurous with hair & makeup...  I love wild colors and taking chances.  For me, hair and make up are accessories like jewelry.  Style them however you want to depict your mood or enhance your features and to compliment your outfit. Yes, I am a style & beauty blog addict!  Yes, I have sold cosmetics before.  Yes, I have done makeup for proms and weddings.  I LOVE PLAYING DRESS UP!!!

Right now, my hair is a hot mess mix of colors.  It was only supposed to be purple... but staying true to my adventurous side, I have let random people cut and dye my hair.  Yup!  Just like that, on a whim.  I am NEVER mad at the results.  My favorite makeup right now is also shades of purple.  I guess to match my hair or something... Who knows.

2-  I wear yoga pants and a pony tail EVERY.SINGLE.DAY. 

3-  I text REALLY UGLY pictures of myself to my loved ones in the middle of the night.  I guess I am testing how much they love me, or something.  Like one day, they will say "Ok, Bri, enough is enough.  You are hideous and crazy.  I'm having you committed and scheduling plastic surgery."

 

Congratulations.  Anyone reading this?  You are now considered a "loved one"  Welcome to the club. 

Honestly, though, if anyone ever asks for a picture of me, I always send them this:

But you, my new friends, know the truth!  LOL. 

5--  I am NO GOOD at crochet patterns.  90% of the things I make are total MISTAKES!  Seriously.  I have a hard time reading just the words.  I also have a hard time with charts.  I need everything!  I need a chart, with written directions, a video, and a picture of the finished project.  Otherwise, I mess everything up.  Many of my projects, I have created my own way of making motifs and/or the finished project accidentally, but Luckily, came out looking well.  I try never to post the mistakes that can't be redeemed.  I need to look like I know what I am doing, right?!

This blanket below is an entire quilt made from a MISTAKE!  I couldn't understand the pattern, so I made up my own way to do it :-)  Turned out all right to me!

6--  I would love to go to Asia for a couple of months.  Beijing and Shanghai are high on my list.  I just love the Chinese language, the food, the architecture.  I feel like the history and the culture are so old and so rich.  There is so much you can learn from such an old and spiritual culture.  I would love to check out the individual styles in the city, but I am also interested in hiking through the countryside and seeing the ancient temples and buildings.

Yonghe Lama Temple, Beijing

7--  I am obsessed with storytelling!  I am all about fairytales.  I grew up with them, not just Disney, but also Fairy Tale Theatre with Shelley Duvall, and also Brothers Grimm fairytales as well.  I love to read anything that is a good story, from fiction to biographies and memoirs. 

Today, I took my Little Darling to watch Maleficent.  Ahhhhhmaaaayyziiiinng!  LOVED IT!

Check out Reviews & a trailer here.
 

8--  I love, Love, LOVE children.  I only have one of my own, but The Hubs and I talk/dream about adopting all the time.  We have both always volunteered with children.  I worked in social services for child welfare for almost 10 years.  I love it!  Children are our future, and I wish so much that people would INVEST time in our future.  It starts when they are young!

9--  I LOVE exchanging snail mail.  If you see this and you want to exchange letters with me, leave me a comment.  I love doing swaps, making my own envelopes, and other small crafts.  It's so much fun to get to know someone in this way. I have written snail mail for 4 years, and I have some of the same friends that I have never seen in person, that I still connect with regularly.  These Lovely People have become very dear friends of mine.

10--  I eat giant sugar cookies every day.  I have to stop.  The Hubs has lost so much weight, and I don't want to weigh more than he does..... but I am a true Cookie Monster!

11--  I go outside almost every day!  I love being outside.  I will take my Little Darling on walks in the rain.  I did not get cabin fever this long winter because we were out, playing in the snow just about everyday.  Also.... I walk to the bakery to get my sugar cookies every morning.  LOL

***********************************************************************************
Whew!!!!  That was A LOT!  Maybe it should have been FIVE Things? 

All right... On to the next part...
Answering 11 Questions from My Wool Valley

1--  What gave you the idea to start blogging?
Years ago, I got the idea that I wanted to sell my crafts.  I bought a book on how to sell your handmade items successfully, and it mentioned I should blog as well to promote myself and my crafts.  So that's what I did!  I actually didn't intend on this name... and I look MEAN in my profile picture because I took it late one night at work, after a co-worker sweated all over my shirt.  But, now, I love it.  It's like a virtual diary that I can share with the world :-)

2--  How did you learn to craft?
My Mom.  She taught me a few basic things when I was very young.  From then, I learned what I could on my own. The children I worked with taught me to read crochet patterns and they taught me how to do more than just a crochet chain.  I love those darling children for giving me a passion and a creative way to express myself.

3--  Who is your favorite writer?
JANE AUSTEN!

I love that she always writes such strong female protagonists.  I also love the way she depicts love.  It's not this thing that comes and goes... It's not love at first sight...  It's always something that is fought for, longed for, waited for, and grows slowly into something deep and real.  I'm in love with her idea of Love.  I am also in love with the way she finds ways for women, who were more or less second-class citizens in the 19th century, and makes find a way to persevere through their circumstances, not merely relying upon men.  Reading Ms. Austen made me rediscover the notion of true love.

4--  What are your favorite accessories?

I LOOOOOOVE earrings.  These are just a few that I have.  I don't even have them organized.  They are just in a box.  I have earrings from all over the world.  I have a few that have been sent to me by snail mail pals.  Some of them, like the piranha and the large leather triangle, aren't even to be worn.  I bought them just to have, while we were in Cancun Mexico last year.   Then, there are some that don't have a match anymore like the blue circles and pink crystals.  They're pretty, so I keep them.  My favorites are the metal teardrop earrings that my dear friend, *A* bought for me a couple of years ago and the Hello Kitty earrings from Swarovski Crystal that The Hubs bought me a couple of years ago.

5-- What is your next craft project?
I can't show a picture!  LOL!!! No peaking!  My next project are several items for a huge giveaway that I am doing in a few days.  I have a few finishing touches, but I am pretty much ready.  I am just VERY nervous about it.  Aside from that, I am also working on some thing for my dear friend, *A*, who is having her first baby!  Yaaaaayyy!!!  I love babies and I super-love making baby items. Nothing inspires me more.

6--  Where would you like to live, if you have to leave your country.
Berlin, Germany.  I love that city and I know it well.

7--  What is the hardest thing about blogging?
There are two things: One is finding the time to do it well.  I need peace, so I can edit pictures and hear my own thoughts when I type.  I only have that sort of peace in the middle of the night. So I am going back to my original game plan of posting in the night.  Two:  Not knowing if anyone is reading...  I post because I enjoy this form of expression, but I don't know if anyone cares... And because of this, it is easy for me to not make a post for weeks.  I know that a big key to successful blogging is TO POST OFTEN!  So I am working on that...  but it's really hard, when you don't think anyone is reading.

8-- What is your favorite color to knit or crochet?
RAINBOW!  I love so many colors.  It's hard to pick a favorite, but I do know that I love to use white or off-white as a background all the time.  I am slowly getting away from it, but I love to tie in all the crazy colors I use with a white background.  It calms the rainbow storm.

9-- What is your favorite flower?
Daisy.... But I am always walking around my neighborhood, searching for beautiful flowers!  I am always so inspired by nature.

10--  What would you do if you were rich?
Honestly, I would pay my debts and pay the debts of as many family and friends as possible.  I see no need to hold on to that money.  I live a full and happy life without it now, so there is no need to be selfish, I think.

11--  Where do you find inspiration for your craftwork?
Where do I NOT find it?  I am always keeping my eyes open.  I am looking at fashion, music, books, movies, celebrities, and even at furniture and ceramics/china.  I go to second hand shops. I also look so much to nature.  Nature always tells me something interesting...  Like this flower

These colors would make a beautiful blanket, I think.  I have already started to work on some of the squares!

I am also inspired so much by children.  What do they enjoy to play with and what do they find important?  I made some dolls from drawings my Little Darling made for me.  She was so proud to have these to play with because SHE designed them!

And I loved to work on pattern making and sewing!

.....  So that is it for now. I have to find 11 blogs and come up with 11 questions.  I will post that in the morning. For now, I hope you enjoyed this a little........and you aren't terrified of me!  Hahahaha :-)

Again, HUGE Thank You to My Wool Valley for nominating and sharing this opportunity with me.  You are such a sweet, darling.  Please follow the link to her blog to see her cute creations and her fun answers to the Liebster Award!

Happy Sunday.... Oh me, Oh my!  It's about to seriously storm out here!  Better take cover!