happy blogiversary, or it’s all about me

warning: self-centered post chock full of funny facts about me ahead!

more than a few weeks ago i was tagged by four fine bloggy friends and asked to reveal several random/quirky things about myself, as well as tell you what i sites i personally enjoy visiting. i have put this off for a while for a variety of reasons, i think mainly because i don’t think i’m very interesting. but once i realized that not being very interesting could count towards one of my revealing facts, i decided to take the plunge…

- i am a freak about spelling and typos. i frequently see misspelled signs, and tell myself (or others that are in the car with me) that “somebody paid cash money for that sign” aloud. i think my favorites signwise were the “newspapars” sign i saw in philadelphia once, and the “best tacos in tawn” here in chicago, where i reside. in grade school i got 100 on every single spelling test up until the 4th grade, when i received a 95. i was quite beside myself and indignantly went over to fellow classmate megan quinlask, who had been assigned the dubious duty of correcting the tests. when i pointed out that she had made a mistake in scoring my test, she pointed at my paper and said “you got one wrong. fourty.” fourty! fourty! i will never forget that. especially because that is how old i became this past may. stupid fourty. ruined my record.

- on my business card, i describe myself as a raconteur and bon vivant. i don’t weave tales out of the air, i tell it like it is, and usually it sounds like something someone would have made up, because sometimes nutty things happen, you know? i started describing myself this way after i heard gene rayburn introduce charles nelson reilly on the match game this way.

- this month of june that just passed marked my one year blogiversary. hurrah! i have gone through regular periods of burn out and elation writing almost every day. it has been a lot of fun and it hasn’t stopped yet, so i will continue to hunt and peck and dig up as much original content as this space can hold. i love all the friendships around the world that have come out of this website. it is a strong positive thing and it powers me through the down times when they come sweeping through around here.

- my love of reading was cultivated by my parents when i was a child, and continues to this day, although i read more online than in books these days, and i have the dry eyes to prove it. i have carefully selected the sites in my blogroll for the quality content and sparkling writing. these people have a point of view or style i thoroughly enjoy. please pay them a visit when you have time, and you won’t be disappointed!

- out of all the myriad ways to express oneself in an artistic way, i like photography the best. i have always been attracted to and inspired by slightly askew, out of focus, beautifully composed photographs, so without further ado, i am nervous and happy and pleased to announce the grand opening of my own digital photography shop on etsy! i have been working hard on this for months and months and months, shooting, editing, re-editing, trashing, researching, biting my nails, and ultimately taking the plunge. nothing would please me more if you were to head on over there and take a peek. i am starting out slowly so there are only a handful of images right now, but there are lots more to come. let me know if your philosophy about photography is similar to mine, and i hope you enjoy them if you have a look!

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tooting and thanking and wishing - in that order

gather round kids, i’m going to tell you a story now. it’s only been about six months, but as blondie says i am always touched by your presence, dear: nearly 150,000 lovely people from all around the globe have flitted and flown and swooped and graced and reflected and laughed and ultimately created the fabric of this little blog, this little creative endeavor of mine that is so precious to me. and you have no idea how profoundly meaningful that is. well, now you do. in the short time that i have been powering up my own creativity, and hunting and pecking around the interweb for noteworthy art, craft and design to showcase, i was awarded a rockin’ girl blogger award from christina of paris romance, a bloggers with integrity award from john of the homeless family blog, and also learned from reuben miller that i am in the top 200 design blogs ranked by alexa, which is a popular website ranking service. thanks to christina for being so encouraging, to john for such an incredible honor and to reuben and yael for taking the time to compile the data for all of us on this list. i was a girl scout and i love badges!

looking back on this space as the calendar days have flipped away leaves me filled with a tremendous amount of contentment and joy - but not just because of these accolades. it’s also due to you fabulous folks who are out there: lurking, reading, reflecting, expressing yourselves here. whether you have revealed yourselves through the comments in these posts, or have preferred to observe from the edges, i want you to know that i feel your positive energy! and i try to reflect it outwardly, with each tidbit i put up in here. i want to honor you by sparking your curiosity, engaging your sense of humor and creating a eclectic, adventurous place where you can soar and reach and wander into the corners of your mind, even if you only have a minute of time to do it. this isn’t brain surgery by any means, but it is a vehicle to make lots and lots of people happy - especially me!

i would like to wish each and every one of you a most happy, healthy, inspiring, colorful, humorous and meaningful new year. i just know 2008 is going to be terrific!

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cool thank you card round up

if your holiday was anything like mine, you’re probably going to need a slew of thank you cards tout suite. i found some very pretty, contemporary and cool letterpress stationery on etsy. please enjoy!

single stems from amy lowrey’s posy press

elegant metallic from bridgette and mike’s earmark invitations

simple and bold from california’s green chair press

day of the dead cards from chicago’s little pretty

debossed card from san diego’s lizard press

pretty thanks from chicago’s orange beautiful

fun set from louisiana’s pressa russa

graphic style from pittsburgh’s sapling press

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