Tag: friends

Sunshine Blogger Award

The Sunshine Blogger Award is an award given by bloggers to other bloggers to award our peers. Each blogger nominated for the award is asked to nominate 10 other bloggers that they admire or are inspired by. It’s an honor to be recognized, and a wonderful opportunity to encourage others to keep doing what they love.

I was nominated by Amelia from https://youcanalwaysstartnow.wordpress.com,  Who is not only a friend but a fellow blogger. Thank you Amelia for nominating me.

RULES FOR THE SUNSHINE BLOGGER AWARD

  1. Thank the person who nominated you and then provide a link back to their blog.
  2. List the Sunshine Blogger Award Rules and display the logo on your site.
  3. Answer the Sunshine Blogger Award questions given by the person who nominated you.
  4. Nominate 10 other bloggers and ask them 10 new questions.
  5. Notify the nominees of their nomination.

Questions Amelia posed to me.

  1. Favorite comfort food. Apple pie(homemade of course)
  2. Favorite place you have visited. I think Stone Henge.
  3. What TV show you are currently binging on – or maybe you don’t watch TV. Hand of God on Prime
  4. Favorite book and why? The Secret Garden  as it contains powerful truths just beneath the surface. There is always a level at which the story is telling children about more than just events; it is telling them about the nature of life. That is what Roger Ebert said about the movie but it is true for the book as well.
  5. What is the meaning behind your blog name? I was trying to find something catchy that was personal :0)
  6. If you had a superpower what would it be? Flying
  7. How do you go about getting blog post ideas? As I am a vintage buyer and seller and I am a Chalk Couture Designer, a lot of my post ideas come from repurposing or revamping some of those items.
  8. If you wrote a non-fiction book what would the title be? Henry’s Haven (my deceased dad and my favorite place where we use to hunt for sea glass together).
  9. Do you have a goal you want to accomplish before the end of the year? Host two Chalk Couture workshops.
  10. What is on your playlist? Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit because I have tickets to see them in September.

My nominees are…….

https://www.bestofthislife.com/

https://justinecelina.com/

https://www.awalkandalark.com

https://fancypaperblog.com/

https://taunieverett.com

https://mountainmodernlife.com/

http://love2upcycle.blogspot.com/

https://recycledcrafts.craftgossip.com/

http://upcycledstuff.blogspot.com/

https://petticoatjunktion.com/

Questions for my nominees.

  1. Do you ever shop at thrift stores?
  2. What is your best childhood memory?
  3. If you had a chance for a “do-over” in life, what would you do differently?
  4. If you could only keep five possessions, what would they be?
  5. How do you spend your free time?
  6. Why did you start blogging?
  7. Are you a coffee or tea lover (or both)?
  8. Could you live without the internet?
  9. Do you have a goal you want to accomplish before the end of the year?
  10. What is your favorite time of year and why?

Love Day Blog Party

Welcome to my ” Love Day” Blog Party.

love-blog-party-invite

If you didn’t get a chance to partake in my Winter Blog Party on November 27, 2016, I hope you can stop by on February 12th – 2017 to share something about Love Day a.k.a.Valentine’s Day.  Please feel free to post anything that conjures up a feeling of love for you. Be that a good book, a cup of coffee, your dog, your kids, a craft, an idea – well you get the point.

I am looking forward to curling up in front of my computer with a nice big box of my favorite chocolates (dark chocolate sea salted caramels – hey I know you were wondering) and a hot cup of tea (or three) and checking out your posts and blogs. So read the rules and I look forward to partying with you on February 12th.

For those of you who have never participated in a blog party before, here are the rules:

1. Choose your favorite post from your own blog, instragram, twitter or your facebook page. The subject of the post can be anything you like just try to incorporate Love in there somehow 🙂 Post as many as three but only one post at a time and be sure to spend time visiting others who post, but don’t start posting until February 12, 2017.

2. Copy the URL

3. Paste the link in the comment section of this post.

4. Blog posts only please (or something of your own from twitter, instagram, facebook etc.) No Amazon pages, YouTube, Spotify or Etsy promotion – I will delete these and any further links from anyone who ignores this.

5. Enjoy! Relax, pull up a chair and meet new people! Find new blogs, comment on their posts, be polite, courteous and respectful and don’t forget to follow, reblog, tweet, pin and share.

This is a really useful way of discovering new blogs. A good rule to follow is to check out at least two or three other bloggers for every link that you leave.

Please feel free to invite your friends and you can reblog this post!

Hope to see you there!

love-blog-party-invite

You can also follow me at all these lovely places:

You can also find me on Twitter @awandafulthing, and don’t forget to check out my Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/awandafulthing/ my Pinterest page https://www.pinterest.com/awandafulthing/and my Instagram page https://www.instagram.com/awandafulthing/

Part of my story and the things I’m grateful for…

I started this post almost a year ago but didn’t know whether I should share it or not or if anyone would really want to read it but I decided to update and finish it and take a chance and do this for me!

Please bear with me as I pour my heart out.

BUT if you really don’t want to read the whole thing, just skip to the end where I summarize and tell you about my lessons learned!

  • got fed up with life early in 2013 – needed a life change
  • ended a relationship that we both really tried hard to figure out
  • moved 5000 kms away from everyone I knew and loved in October 2013
  • had no job for the first four months, cleaned apartments to have a roof over my head
  • the people (friends) who you thought would support your decision didn’t – OUCH!!
  • Christmas of 2013 was the lowest point I had reached in quite sometime (a year after the death of someone I held very close to my heart and still miss). I had none of the “usual” things surrounding me that I took for granted – started to think I made a mistake and was contemplating my place in this big wide world
  • eventually found a job in a similar field to what I left behind but I was miserable almost every single day and the commute was 2 hours 20 minutes per day -ugh!
  • found new love and started a new life BUT nothing seemed easy (much turmoil in this relationship but that’s for another day)
  • one of the people who kept in touch (and still does almost daily) is a true inspiration and encouraged me because she told me she admires me and believes in me – POWERFUL WORDS that I needed and I don’t think she realized just how much – this I am forever grateful for
  • I had some very bad luck with my health for what seemed like almost an entire year (mid 2014- mid 2015), a surgery that went wrong, three trips to hospital by ambulance, two that resulted in overnight stays and another surgery
  • I needed to take charge of my life and get things back on track and find things that made me happy
  • thanks to the encouragement of my dear friend I started blogging again after a long hiatus – changed the name to be more reflective of who I am today
  • when I moved I liquidated most of the things I had collected, then when I got settled into my new life I started missing some of those things, especially the things that bring back good memories
  • I slowly started to collect vintage items again, it sort of turned into an obsession, which turned into an on-line vintage FB and Etsy selling business
  • I changed jobs after 15 months and it was the best move for me, my commute now is only 17 minutes each way

Continue reading Part of my story and the things I’m grateful for…

Summer spaces!

Hello, I have commandeered Wanda’s site as she is on vacation and asked me to guest post on overflow for summer spaces.  I have been thinking about shaking things up at my place.

I have a small balcony that measures 12 feet x 4 feet and have been very busy lately checking out ideas, online.  You can also find some pictures I have posted on my own site www.youcanalwaysstartnow.wordpress.com of options for small balcony spaces.  I love the use of rugs, cushions and extra storage (I won’t say for what but you’ll see when you check them out).

While looking around for balcony ideas I came across a few for larger areas and thought why not share over at Wanda’s as she is working away on her yard and always likes to check out new things.  So have a look and let us know what you think or if you have any ideas please share.

large2 large area large 5 large 4

So let summer begin with outdoor living, BBQ, good weather and fun friends!

I know Wanda will think it is A Wandaful Thing!! 🙂

“One-Uppers”

How to make your life easier in a world of “One-Uppers”....

Everyone has one in their life. Don’t try and deny it. You know who I mean. That one friend or that one co-worker or that certain parent of your child’s teammate- the ONE UPPER. That wonderful person , whom no matter what amazing or drastic events happen in your life, they can top it. If you found a loonie on the way to work well they found a toonie and (gasp) they know someone who found a gold doubloon. If you had a flat tire well they had two flat tires and they know someone who had five flat tires (the spare of course). Trust me, there is no way to beat them, you must learn to accept them. They will always try to find a way to inject themselves before you. So stop trying to fight it and make a game of it like I do!

I know that my life is great and I am determined not to let anyone deflate it. So, I have started to purposely talk about the awesomely positive things that happen to me. I do this while in the presence of my “ONE UPPERS”. In order to top me, they have no choice but to be even more wonderful. It’s a win-win situation. All that positive energy floating around can only attract more. You should try it!

Until next time… the Surly Mermaid.