Blog Love - Five favourites

I popped in to check my blog comments and discovered that Nadine has awarded me some Liebster Blog Love. According to her, I dispense practical advice with a great sense of humour. It's humbling to have someone tell you that your results are spot on to your goals!

If you haven't visited Nadine's shops, you're really missing out. In addition to glorious quilts with all the colours of springtime, modern paintings and 3-d paper art, she makes these charmingly ridiculous cuddlies:

Nadine got the award from Sami, who got it from Giles, who got it from - wait, I do need to get on to the day job at some point, but follow the links and you'll get there too!

The point of Liebster Love seems to be very simply to go out of your way to say thanks to a blogger you enjoy who has fewer than 200 fans, which I think is a worthy way to spend your time. There are so many bloggers whose efforts are worthwhile to me, but I may not tell them as often as I should, so here goes, in no particular order:

Gone Aussie Quilting: Quite frankly I am surprised she has fewer than 200 followers, all though just barely. I'm grateful she still qualifies, however briefly so I have the chance to point out a brilliant modern artist and great person. She has a brilliant sense of play and the way she makes a cacophony of colours and prints play well together is a pleasure to see.

Soul Soup Soap: Izumi is one of those moms who could inspire envy if she weren't so darn human inside her perfect house! Her blog and flickr stream are full of the most delightful lunches and dessert treats imaginable; and how freely she shares her recipes and adventures is inspiring. If you may not have a chance for a holiday of your own this year, pop over and take a browse - you may find your vicarious adventures to the seaside, farms and street festivals with the denizens of chez babykins as enjoyable as I have.

Namoo: I am regularly flabbergasted at the amount of completed objects put out by these two. Insung's quilts regularly show modern quilting in the best light, with a combination of textured fabrics and stitches that make a beautiful quilt a treasure. And the hand-printed design accessories are nothing to be sniffed at, either!

AnneCentral: Anne is one of those truly humbling people who builds up those around her and occasionally makes you wonder what you've done to deserve such a friend. She's riotously funny, warm, witty and takes no guff from anyone. Even if you haven't had joy of meeting her in person, I think a good bit of that comes over in her writing and if you need reassurance that humanity is not doomed, you should pop over and read some of her adventures.

The Broken Needle: Morganskye cracks me up on a regular basis. She's a costume-making, make-up wearing, cross-stitching bucket of fun by night and a closeted accountant by day. Her blog is full of randomness - whether she's turning out a cross-stitched hand grenade or giving Brent Spiner a clay carrot (it's not as bad as it sounds), she's always worth a visit.