A Big Drawing, A Liebster and a Versatile Blogger

Because these kind (and highly intelligent, certainly discerning, deeply perceptive and invariably beautiful and undeniable talented) women thought of me while casting about for nominees for the Liebster and Versatile Blogger awards, it's more than high time for me to thank them. By tardily-but-sincerely responding ... as much as I'd like to send cash.

Anyone reading this, please click over to their respective blogs because they are always excellent reading.

Sue at A Colorful Canvas  ... "Orange Crush"

Veshoevius at The Taxonomy of My Wardrobe ...  "Flamenco as Fashion Trend"

(Where, by the way, you can see them interpret a very difficult color in two entirely different but seriously successful ways via their current posts! What a great serendipitous collaboration that morphed into a tutorial!)

So, without further ado, and in chronological order ...

The Liebster 

Sue honored me with a Liebster Award back in February ... and part of that is to answer some questions. They were:

Katharine Hepburn or Audrey Hepburn?
     Impossible question! I'm physically like neither, but admire both for similar reasons. Kate had a highly individualized, often boyish style of dress, Audrey was the ultimate lady but could wear anything. Both were highly talented and prolific women. Slight advantage to Audrey because she was married to Mel Ferrer, on whom I bestowed my first childhood crush when I was about 8, just after seeing War and Peace.

Summer at the beach or winter on the slopes? 
     Neither. Grew up at the beach, so been there, done that. Don't ski well, so that's out. The ideal summer would be spent traveling in Europe with huz Dan ... that has yet to happen, but anything is possible. Yes. I believe that.

If you could be any character from a Disney movie, who would you be?
     Another deceptively difficult question, Susan. Disney has a character for every cultural archetype imaginable, in every possible variation! But I'd have to go with Tinker Bell from Peter Pan. Who wouldn't want to be a delicate fairy creature, immortal, whizzing around Never-Never Land? Truth is, though, I'm much closer to Jesse the Yodeling Cowgirl from Toy Story 2.  Ouch.  Sigh.

What is your perfect Sunday afternoon?
    Champagne-loaded brunch with my huz at somewhere wonderful, a little shopping and an art museum or two, ending with dinner with the huz at the best Japanese restaurant in the world. Not much to ask, is it?

Chocolate or Lemon?
Chocolate always, except for fish topping and in iced-tea.

Are you content to sit in traffic, or do you feel compelled to find a jam-free route?
    We don't have traffic in Arkansas. Arkansans think we do, but we don't.

Would you rather read a book or watch a movie?
     Reading, by a length.  I must read every day, and have at least one book going (it's a compulsion) but I don't get to watch as many movies as I'd like ... I'm an old movie buff, and love the new ones.

If you could travel back in time, what era would you choose?
      Almost any era could be fun, but I'd have to be rich as Croesus. It's not fun to be poor in any era.

What did you have for lunch today?
     One slice of whole-grain, flourless bread, spread with hummus spiced with red-pepper flakes and topped with red bell pepper slices. And diet ginger-ale. That's my lunch most days.

What is your idea of a perfect picnic? Food choices and location please?
     Cold lobster, prosciutto and sun-dried tomatoes in cold pasta salad, real hard-crust French baguette and cold, hard butter.  Two bottles of a really good Red Zinfandel, dark, dry and peppery as sin.  At the Shakespeare Garden at the Huntington Library in San Marino, Ca.  And a chauffeur to take us back to our hotel.

If you went on a trip and had to utilize three different methods of transportation, which three would you choose?
     QE2 ( this is fantasy, isn't it?)  horseback in Provence,  ending with the Orient Express. To the end of the line, of course.

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Here are the Real Rules for the Liebster.

Thank and link back to the person who nominated you

Write 11 random facts about yourself

Answer the 11 questions written by the person who nominated you*

Nominate 11 other bloggers

Write 11 questions for the other bloggers to answer

*Instead of doing that precisely, I'm going to suggest that anyone who is interested in playing along with me should just step up and have some fun. Let's put it this way ... if you're reading this, you're nominated.

(For those of you who are scoffing right now, remember that participation makes for a great Blogger's Block cure to keep in your bloggy arsenal. Just for that day when you cannot think of another thing to write about. If you do not have Blogger's Block now and again, then you are a better woman than I am, no arguments.)

My questions for you are (and I really want to know...)

1. Do you like your fashion/style media delivered via internet-to-tablet, internet to email in-box or post office-to-mail box?

2.  If health, comfort or expense were not issues ... Doc Martins or sky-high Manolo Blahnics?

3.  Who's you favorite Doctor Who?

4.  On the same theme .... favorite Captain of the starship Enterprise.

5.  Game of Thrones or Game of the Week?

6.  If you could have pick one public figure (living or non) to be a regular reader and of your blog, who would it be?

7.  Favorite guilty-pleasure band, any era.

8.  Dog, cat, or both? Or neither?

9.  If you could have any sound wake you up in the morning, what would it be?

10. What did you want to be when you grew up?

11. Considering the current economy ... what is your fantasy choice for your post-retirement, second career?

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The Versatile Blogger 

The delightful Veshoevius honored me with the Versatile Blogger Award and the rules for this are somewhat less complicated:


Nominate some other new bloggers, I'll leave the number up to you. (Or, as above, if you are reading you are nominated!)

Let them know you have nominated them. 

Share 7 random facts about yourself (feel free to share more or less as you see fit.)

Thank the blogger who has nominated you.

Add the Versatile Blogger Award to your post.



 Please let me know if you decide to play, and know that I am really interested in what you have to say! Feel free to just leave a comment here, or put your answers on your blog.  But gimme a shout.  I'm nosey.

My seven Random Facts

1.  I'm a California native.  That makes me an official Daughter of the Golden West.  I've always thought that was cool.

2.  I just bought silver patent leather, pointy-toe pumps, and they are some of the most comfortable "work shoes" I have for the restaurant.  I swear to whatever Gods claim me.  

3.  My favorite object in the whole world (besides my wedding rings) is my Kindle Fire 8.9.  If I lost it I would implode.  

4.  I prefer unpolished toenails in summer.  On me.  I just do.

5.  I have an unusually small lower mandible, and unusually large teeth.  This, as you might imagine, has been problematic.

6.  My husband is the first person, always, to read my blog every time I post.

7.   I write most of my posts on my laptop, sitting on my "command central" chaise lounge, sitting cross-legged with a black toy poodle, a white chihuahua and a hair-challenged Westie.  And sometimes one of the twin herringbone tabby-cat girls.  Not sure which one until I look carefully.  

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And finally, below you'll find one of my avatar drawings that was inspired by Jess at Animated Cardigan and Salazar at 14 Shades of Grey ,  the wonderful young mistresses of their Style Imitating Art project.

The inspiration source that Jess chose was a painting by Gustave Caillebotte:

And here is my response. "Janime" ( "Javitar"?) is wearing an illustration of my own dress, with a slight alteration of the actual print to better respond to the painting. Sadly for me, I was too late to get this in with the rest of the responses (the very kind Jess may well be able to patch me in later. ) But I was really inspired by this week's project, and I got carried away.

(Know it's huge, but the second largest was too small.  Sometimes, size does count.)

Finally, I'm linking up with the beautiful and ultra hospitable Patti at  Visible Monday . She is, in fact the source of all this inspiration, so join us all there to see what's going on with many more of her fans!

Please drop in for a chat ... I try hard to get to every comment.  Love to hear what you're thinking!