Liebster Award

Just a quick update since I was MIA on Monday. It’s been a busy few days, but in the best kind of way. I won a facial from Rejuvenate Spa at The Total Women’s Show a few weeks ago, so I got to enjoy that on Friday (SO great! My face feels amazing). Saturday was box seats at the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony and drinks with friends. Sunday was my brother-in-laws birthday and a great day of spending time with family. Monday I received a surprise Chapters gift card in the mail for some volunteer work I’ve been doing (So sweet!). And, Tuesday I got some pretty exciting blog news (Hold on to your butts! I’m planning an update for next week).

So, it’s been a whirlwind of good times, and while today wasn’t the snow-day I was hoping for, I’m feeling optimistic and motivated. To add to all of that amazingness, Sarah over at Life on Virginia Street nominated me for a Liebster Award. Bro, so sweet!

It’s a cute little spread-the-love award that I am super stoked to receive and to pass along. Liebster is German and means endearing, valued, lovely, etc. This award is presented as a way to acknowledge up-and-coming bloggers and to help them be recognized for their outstanding accomplishments within design.

Part of accepting the award includes offering up 11 random facts about myself, so here you go:

1. I take high-diving lessons once a week and am pretty good at a back tuck dive
2. I am taller than I appear online… just shy of 6’
3. While I work as an editor now, I had some pretty weird jobs while I was in school, including horseback riding instructor, tree-planter, and meat department clerk
4. I love travelling but HATE it when people recline their seats on planes
5. I come from a family of six and have two brothers and one sister
6. I love school, have my MA in International Communication, a few post-grad certificates, and hope to complete my PhD one day
7. I came in third in a mini triathlon the summer before last
8. In another life, I think I would have liked to be an architect
9. I have been a vegan for over a decade, but am cool with whatever other people want to eat
10. I have a nape piercing and a couple of tattoos
11. I always fall asleep at the end of movies, just like my dad

Sarah Asked:

1. If you could move into a home on a movie set, which movie would it be from?
   I’m not sure if it counts, but I love the house in the show Up All Night; It’s open concept, has vaulted ceilings, but is also super full of life.
2. What design magazines do you anxiously await the arrival of each month?
   No joke, I have no snail-mail subscriptions! But, I’m always anxious to check out Dwell and my favorite online blogs.
3. What is your favorite social media platform?
   Hum… I have a bit of a Twitter addiction, but Pinterest makes me mellow and happy.
4. What is your go-to paint color?
   I love pale neutrals that read differently depending on the light, preferably cool tones – like a grey/blue/green/white
5. Where is your dream travel destination?
   I have been mentally planning a Mediterranean trip for about a decade: fly into France, move south into Spain, Portugal, Morocco, then east to Italy, Croatia, and Greece.
6. What is the #1 item to buy on your house wish list?
   I would really like a new rug and reading chair for the living room! *cough* *cough* Call me, West Elm!
7. What is your favorite room in your home and why?
   Probably the living room, just because we spend the most time there and it feels the most put-together; it’s loungey and relaxed.
8. Which home decor store do you feel offers the most stylish items for the best price?
   I’m a big fan of Homesense, but have to pledge my allegiance to Kijiji where I find most of my stuff.
9. What is your first decorating memory?
   I was big into organizing my room when I was a kid, but my earliest decorating memory is probably hanging cat posters I’d bought from Scholastic.
10. If you had to pick a country to best describe your design style, what country would it be?
    How can I not say Canadian? We’re a mix bag up here and I think my house is kind of like that too. Modern but cozy; full of books but nice and tidy. Also, polite, my house is really polite.
11. If you could build your dream home, where would it be and why?
    My dream home would be located on about 5+ acres of forest, nestled in the trees and totally private but also full of light. It would be in Canada, but less than a two hour drive from a major international airport for all of my dream-life jet-setting.

Here are the rules for receiving this award:

1. Each blogger should post 11 random facts about themselves.
2. Answer the questions the tagger has set for you, and then create 11 new questions for the bloggers you pass the award to.
3. Choose [5] new bloggers (with less than 200 followers) to pass the award to and link them in your post.
4. Go back to their page and tell them about the award.
5. No tag backs. (i.e. nominate new blogs who haven’t already received the award)

Super-Amazing-Blogs that I’m nominating

1. Little Victorian
2. The Brick House
3. The House of Bing
4. The House Brewery
5. North Story

Definitely take some time and check out these amazing bloggers. A few totally don’t qualify as new, but i LOVE their blog and, hey, why not let the world know! There is some seriously inspiring stuff going on in these homes. If any of you guys are ever in Waterloo, you should definitely stop by for some champagne.

Questions for the super-amazing-bloggers:

1. If you could wake up tomorrow with professional talents in one area/thing what would it be?
2. Who is your blog mentor? Whose blogging style do you aspire to?
3. The zombie apocalypse has happened. Which room in your house do you barricade yourself in and why?
4. What is your biggest fear?
5. Would/do you allow your partner/husband/roommate a free-for-all space in the house where they can decorate in any way they want?
6. What do you think is your signature style?
7. Colourful, Neutral, Simple, Busy, Sophisticated, Casual: which two words best describe your home and why?
8. What is the nerdiest thing about you?
9. What is your biggest blogging accomplishment to date?
10. What is your favorite source of inspiration?
11. Describe your dream home in 140 characters.

Happy Wednesday!