Blogger Recognition Award

16th August 201915th August 2019 | Suzi Tench

I was gifted this award by the lovely Ami who blogs over at Undercover Superhero and am delighted that she chose me as one of her nominations, Thank you so much, Ami!!! Ami has a fab blog that is all about superheroes, living with disability and is a blog full of positivity. Please go and say Hi and have a read of her blog!

There are some rules that go along with the nomination. It is by no means required to make a post if you are nominated, but here they are!

Thank the blogger(s) for nominating you and give the link to their blog!
Write a post on your site, displaying the award, that describes why you started your blog.
Write 2 pieces of advice you have for new bloggers.
Nominate (and notify!) 15 more bloggers that are awesome.

I started this blog as I had begun to miss blogging. In the past, I had a few different blogs that were very niche which I updated in a very ad-hoc manner. Because the blogs were so niche, and because of the names of the blogs I felt that I couldn’t add other topics into them and over time I just stopped blogging. I realised that I had started to miss writing and the whole blogging community, I wanted to write about my life, art and craft, DIY, fashion, tips and other things that I found interesting and so this blog was born.

In the time that I have been blogging, I have learned a few things and my 2 key pieces of advice to anyone on their blogging journey would be…

Never compare yourself to any other bloggers. I know that this can be hard when there are some brilliant bloggers around, but, if you start to compare yourself then it will not just affect you, but your writing as well. Don’t get sucked into being envious of others because of the number of followers, likes or comments that others get, and don’t be jealous of another blogger for the content or images they share. If you find that you are starting to compare yourself then see if you can learn from what you are envious of, whether it be how to take better photos, write better and more engaging content or think of ways you could improve your blog to attract more readers.
Never be afraid to try something. If you have an idea, then try it out and see what happens. You will never learn or grow if you are afraid to try new things. The worst that can happen is that the thing you try goes unnoticed and doesn’t go as planned. You can work with this and think of ways to improve on your idea. At the very worst, there is a delete button.

My Nominees…

Rory of A Guy Called Bloke

Carol Anne of Therapy Bits

Kriti ‘s Blog

Tatterhood

Sadji of Keep It Alive

Giggling Fattie

Simon of Beyond the Infinite

Ashleyleia of Mental Health @ Home

The Confusing Middle

Salted Caramel

Mel at Decor Craft Design

Beckie’s Mental Mess

Riya of World Of My Thoughts

Cyranny’s Cove

Mystery Blogger Award #3

30th July 201928th July 2019 | Suzi Tench

I have been gifted the Mystery Blogger Award by Uniquely Cass who runs a brilliant blog about all things she is interested and passionate about. If you haven’t checked out her blog, please pop over, check out her blog and say hi!

I love receiving awards and am always honoured to have been chosen as a recipient for them. I love answering the questions posed as I feel that it let you guys get to know me better, it’s a brilliant networking tool and I really enjoy asking questions for others to respond to. So thank’s Cass for the award and the opportunity to share with others!

What’s the Mystery Blogger Award?

“It’s an award for amazing bloggers with ingenious posts. Their blog not only captivates; it inspires and motivates. They are one of the best out there, and they deserve every recognition they get. This award is also for bloggers who find fun and inspiration in blogging, and they do it with so much love and passion.”

OKOTO ENIGMA

Rules

Put the award logo/image on your blog
List the rules
Thank whoever nominated you and provide a link to their blog
Mention the creator of the award and provide a link as well
Answer the 5 questions you were asked
Tell your readers 3 things about yourself
You have to nominate 10 – 20 people
Notify your nominees by commenting on their blog
Ask your nominees any 5 questions of your choice; with one weird or funny question (specify)
Share a link to your best post(s)

Cass’ Questions

What’s your all-time favourite book? Creepers by David Morrell
What book series was your favourite growing up? Mallory Towers by Enid Blyton when I was in Primary School then the Point Horror/Point Romance books.
What is your go-to song right now? Dare – Gorillaz or Strange Attraction – The Cure
(Funny Question) Who is your celebrity crush? Samuel L Jackson or Richard E Grant.
If you could travel to once place for the rest of your life, where would you go? Somewhere quiet, warm, sunny, that had easy access to a beach and had beautiful views.

About Me

I really love green tea, especially Sencha Kyoto Cherry Rose tea!
I have some really weird fears including pipes and toilet cisterns.
When I was younger I had dreams of becoming a teacher or a card and wallpaper designer.

Best Blog Posts

My Nominations

My Questions

What is the weirdest thing that has happened to you?
What is your biggest accomplishment?
What are you most proud of?
(Weird/funny) If you were to be arrested, what would it be for?
(Shameless self-promotion) Would you like to be featured as part of my Saturday Shout Out series?

Sunshine Blogger Award #2

19th July 201919th July 2019 | Suzi Tench

The Sunshine Blogger award is given by bloggers to bloggers who inspire positivity and creativity in the blogging community.

I was gifted this award by Ami of Undercover Superhero, Ami is a truly amazing blogger with an equally amazing recovery story. If you haven’t visited Ami’s blog then pop over and say hi! Thank you, Ami, for this award, I love that you have gifted me with this, not only for what the award stands for but also for taking the time to share it with me and posing really interesting, thought-provoking questions!

The rules of the Sunshine Blogger Award are as follows:

Thank the person who nominated you and links back to their site.
Answer the 11 questions asked by your nominator.
Nominate at least 11 more bloggers for the award and write 11 new, creative questions for your nominees to answer.
Notify your nominees via social media or by commenting on their blog.
List the rules and display the Sunshine Blogger Award logo on your site or in your post.

Ami’s Questions

What movie title best describes your life? The Good, The Bad and The Ugly.
If you were to create a single item of stationery, what would it be called and what would it include? Hmm…some kind of storage device that could hold all my stationery and make it easy to transport it all by shrinking it all down into a small little box that could fit into your pocket. It would be called the “Statio-shrink”.
What are you most likely to become famous for? Doing or saying something completely ridiculous!
What is the most heartwarming thing you’ve ever seen? Any act of kindness, especially the small things that go unnoticed in day to day life.
Where would you spend all your time if you could? At home with Roxy! But Id move my home to the coast so I could spend time on the beach too!
What amazing thing did you do that no-one was around to see? I did a handstand once because my friend dared me, via text…I’d had a few gin and tonics at the time and I didn’t even remember to video it.
What was your favourite board game growing up? I had a game called “Beatrix Potter Race Game” which had figures of the animals (Jemima Puddle-Duck, Peter Rabbit and others) that you had to race around the board but there were cards you had to take if you landed on certain squares which could either help you along your way or scupper your progression.
What is the best thing about you? That I can listen, offer advice, and am loyal.
What is your favourite smell? Anything rose. I’m currently loving Yardley English Rose. I also love perfume from Lush called Lust.
What was the best compliment you ever received? Hmmm… that’s a hard one… probably, on days when I am not feeling too good about myself, what I’m wearing or how I look then the best compliments are people saying that I look nice, they seem to be the most memorable ones.
Who are the most important people in your life? My parents, brothers, their families and my friends. And Roxy!

My Questions

Where is the best place you have visited?
If you could re-live any age, what age would you pick and why?
What was your favourite subject in school?
If you had to choose one outfit to wear for the rest of your life what would it be?
What is the best piece of advice you could give to younger you?
What is your favourite colour?
What pets have you had?
How would you spend a perfect summer day?
What is your favourite film?
Do you have a skincare routine? What are your favourite products?
Would you take part in my “Saturday Shout Out“? (Sorry, shameless self-promotion there)

My Nominees

Mystery Blogger Award #2

5th July 20193rd July 2019 | Suzi Tench

I am really touched to have been gifted with my second award for the Mystery Blogger from Rory who blogs over at A Guy Called Bloke and K9 Doodlepip. I really love receiving these awards and am always really touched that someone thinks that I’m worthy of such an award! I love that these awards exist, for me they give me the motivation to continue to blog and I love being able to share these awards with others too!

So? What is the Mystery Blogger Award?

“Mystery Blogger Award” is an award for amazing bloggers with ingenious posts. Their blog not only captivates; it inspires and motivates. They are one of the best out there, and they deserve every recognition they get. This award is also for bloggers who find fun and inspiration in blogging; and they do it with so much love and passion.
– Okoto Enigma

Award Guidance

Thank whoever gifted you and include a link to their blog

Mention the creator of the award and provide a link as well

Tell your readers 3 things about yourself

Answer the questions from the person who gifted you the Award.

Choose 3 – 5 bloggers that you wish to gift the Award to.

Ask 5 questions of your choice with one weird or funny one

Notify those you gift the Award to.

3 Things About Yourself!

When I was younger I had an imaginary friend called George, one day we had an argument when travelling home from the beach, we were driving over the Severn Bridge at the time. I wound down the car window and threw him out and into the river from the moving car, and that was the end of my imaginary friend.

When people meet my brother and I they always assume that he’s the oldest but in truth he’s 27 months younger than me!

Since starting this blog I am amazed daily by how much I really enjoy writing and creating content, thinking and planning and am a little bit proud of where my blog has come in such a small amount of time.

Rory’s Five Questions

Which is your least favourite mode of transportation?

I don’t think I have a least favourite mode of transport, though the short distance busses that transport people around the local area were never particularly pleasant at one point and I’m really glad that I can drive rather than rely on them!

Why, oh why why why did the chicken cross the road?

He didn’t like the path he was on.

What is the stupidist thing you have ever done – voluntarily?

Used de-icer on the inside window screen of my VW Polo to defrost the window. It used to leak in the rain and come winter the condensation would freeze to the inside of the screen and it took agars to clear. The de-icer ran down into the air vents which, when turned on, turned the de-icer to vapour which I breathed in…. please don’t try that at home kids….

When you have left this planet, as in your life ends, what do you think is next ….?

I don’t know if anyone has seen The Good Place but… well, that. I’m sure I’d be Eleanor Shellstrop!

At what age do you think you actually became an adult?

Ummmmmmm…I’m still waiting to find that one out myself… the answer is a mystery!

My Five Questions

What is the biggest lesson you have learned in your time blogging?

If you could travel to any planet which one would it be and how would you get there?

Do you ever give your cars (or other transportation) names?

What’s your weirdest habit?

What are your 3 desert island must haves?

Gifting The Mystery Blogger Award

Simon of Beyond the Infinite

Barb of Bipolar Barb

Ami of Undercover Superhero

Aaron of Confusing Middle

Trina of Its Good to be Crazy Sometimes

Mystery Blogger Award

9th June 20192nd June 2019 | Suzi Tench

What is the Mystery Blogger Award?

“Mystery Blogger Award” is an award for amazing bloggers with ingenious posts. Their blog not only captivates; it inspires and motivates. They are one of the best out there, and they deserve every recognition they get. This award is also for bloggers who find fun and inspiration in blogging, and they do it with so much love and passion.
– Okoto Enigma

The Rules of the Mystery Blogger Award

Put the award logo/image on your blog
List the rules
Thank whoever nominated you and provide a link to their blog
Mention the creator of the award and provide a link as well
Tell your readers 3 things about yourself
Nominate your favourite bloggers (*I changed this from 10 – 20 people…)
Notify your nominees by commenting on their blog
Ask your nominees any 5 questions of your choice; with one weird or funny question (specify)
Share a link to your best post(s)

My Award

I was gifted this award by Mel who blogs over at Decor Craft Designs. Mel’s blog is chock a block full of crafty ideas and inspiration for fun projects, if you haven’t visited her blog then head over and take a look!

I love these awards as they give me an opportunity to share snippets about myself with you guys and also to ask some questions of my own! I am really touched that Mel has gifted me the Mystery Bloggers award and that she thinks my posts are ingenious, my blog captivates, inspires and motivates! Thank you so much, Mel, for the Award!

Three Things About Myself

I’ve recently gotten into gardening and have loads of ideas and plans for my garden! I’m excited to see how they all come together!
I used to love a night out on the town, coming home in the early hours and not going to bed until the morning but now that is my worst idea of fun!
I’m forever thinking of things to do and my list seems to be getting longer and longer! I am blaming Pinterest for this as I get inspired by so many things on there.

Mels questions

Do you have a kid’s toy you still love to play?

I have a lot of my old toys from when I was a kid but I don’t play with them anymore, they serve more as being ornaments now than toys. I do still have my watercolour paint set from when Iw as a kid and still play around with that though!

What is your best character?

My best character would have to be Eeyore, even though he is pretty sad much of the time he always is included in what his friends are doing.

Which city/country you can’t wait to re-visit?

London! My brother and his wife along with their children live there and whenever I visit they take me out to visit lots of different places! London is such a fab city and there is so much to do and so much history there!

What part of your home that you’ve been dying to renovate?

At present, my garden, though I am working on that! The other place I’m dying to renovate is my spare room though I am still undecided on what colour to paint it or what to do with it.

What junk food do you love so much?

Crisps and ice cream, though not both together!

My Questions

What is your favourite colour and why?
What one thing do you wish you had known before you started your blog?
What is your favourite time of the day?
If you could do anything for a day, what would it be?
What is your most favourite uncool clothing item?

My Favourite Blog Posts

My nominees

Thank you again, Mel, for nominating me a Mystery Blogger Award! Hope you like my answers and my best posts!

For those who are nominated, I hope you read your nomination and accept it, congratulations!

The Versatile Blogger Award

22nd May 201911th May 2019 | Suzi Tench

Award Guidelines

If you are gifted, you’ve been awarded the Versatile Blogger Award.

Thank the person who gave you this award.

Include a link to their blog.

Gift and notify 3 bloggers for the Versatile Blogger Award that you’ve recently discovered or follow regularly.

Finally, tell the person who gifted you 5 things about yourself.

Thank You

A Big THANK YOU to Rory who blogs over at A Guy Called Bloke for gifting me this award. I am always really touched and honoured to receive blog awards, and this one is no different!

If you have not been to Rory’s blog then please do check it out! Rory is a brilliant writer and covers a whole host of different topics, from stories to gardening tips, blog interviews and other fun things! Rory is always kind and welcoming and I really enjoy all that he posts about!

My Notes

I will be gifting 3 other bloggers this award at the end of this post.

I really like Rory’s take on this Award, he says that…

l have opted to handle these awards differently – this is not meant to be seen, read or interpreted as derogative towards the creators of these awards themselves as that is not my intention.

I no longer use the term nomination, l only use the term ‘gifting’, this is because these awards are not nominations, but stand-alone awards.

You are under no obligation to respond, there is no need to further gift the VBA out to others should you not wish to. Please simply accept my gift to you as the compliment it is.

What is the Versatile Blogger Award?

The VBA principally is about supporting other bloggers, it’s about community and if nothing else – we can all agree that WordPress is about community, about the freedom to express ourselves through our craft, our skill and our talent.

When you consider gifting a fellow blogger for the Versatile Blogger Award, consider the quality of the writing, the uniqueness of the subjects covered, the level of love displayed in the words on the virtual page. Or, of course, the quality of the photographs and the level of love displayed in the taking of them.

Honour those bloggers who bring something special to your life whether every day or only now and then.

5 Things About Me

I’m not a fan of spiders, so much so that I will even ring my Mum to come and remove them for me (and I’m in my 30’s).

When I was a kid I always dreamed I would be a wallpaper designer or create greeting cards…

I like to have a plan for everything! I have blog plans and plans for each day, what I am going to wear, what I am going to eat and what I am going to do. It helps with my anxiety.

Learning to drive is one of my biggest and proudest achievements. I never really wanted to learn to drive and didn’t really see any need to drive when the bus service was sufficient for me, but it has been one of my biggest life changers and has enabled me to do so much more in my life!

I like to set myself daily goals, whether it is to write 3 blog posts, take 10,000 steps or to drink more water. Goals help my day to go quicker and if I meet the targets I have set then I feel like I have been productive!

I am gifting the VBA to the following bloggers….

Ami of Undercover Superhero

Giggling Fattie of No Luv For Fatties

Candace of Revenge Of Eve

Sunshine Blog Award

15th May 20196th May 2019 | Suzi Tench

Introduction

I really like Rory’s idea of the Awards being seen as being gifts rather than nominations, and as Rory explains so well himself, here is his explanation of award gifting…

I use the term ‘gifting’.

These awards are not true nominations, they are one stop awards. Now this means, that if you are gifted, you are under no bound obligation to pay it forwards or gift it forwards yourselves and can simply accept them as the gifted compliments to your blog that they are.

You do not have to answer any of the questions unless you so choose to do so, you do not have to further gift out if you do not choose to do so either.

Whilst there are many variations of TSBA doing the rounds – there is always a mixture of the original rules. Whilst l will always answer the questions asked of me whatever the number, l will ONLY ever ask 5 questions maximum of those that l gift to, as l think that is a much fairer number.

Rory Matier

A BIG Thank You to Rory who blogs over at A Guy Called Bloke for this gift of the Sunshine Blogger Award! I am really thrilled to receive it! As is stated below, the award is for bloggers who are creative, positive and inspiring and I am truly honoured that someone would think that I am deserving of such an award! If you have not been to Rory’s blog then I can assure you that it is worth checking out! Rory is a very fun blogger and is kind, welcoming and warm-hearted, he has a fantastic blog about all sorts of different things, from gardening, eco-matters, blog games, stories and so many other interesting things, there is sure to be something that you will enjoy! You can find his blog here; it’s definitely worth checking out!

What is the Sunshine Blogger Award?

The Sunshine Blogger Award is an award for bloggers who are creative, positive, and inspiring – people who spread “sunshine” to the blogging world!

Award Guidance

Thank whoever gifted you and include a link to their blog
Use the “Sunshine Blogger Award” logo on your post and display the Guidance.
Answer the questions from the person who gifted you the Award.
Choose 3 bloggers that you wish to gift the Award to.
Ask 5 questions of your choice.
Notify those you gift the Award to.
Answer the Questions

The Questions

If you could do something a bit naughty every day and not get caught, what would you do?

I think that I would become a modern day Robin Hood of sorts and steal food from supermarkets and donate the items to local foodbanks so that the poorer people of the community would have access to more products.

What are the unwritten rules to blogging?

This is a hard one given that there are so many different blog posts about blogging, the do’s and don’ts, guidelines and books that give so many different rules. My personal unwritten rules are to always be true to yourself, have confidence in what you write, have fun with your blog and if you have any ideas then try them out and see what happens!

What kind of cult would you like to start?

I’m sure I am already a member of the blogging cult and, as a stationery obsessed woman, I seem to have fallen into some kind of cult with that! The cult I would really like to start is one where everyone is nice to each other and gives each person the respect that they deserve, helps each other and doesn’t judge another because of their background, beliefs or actions, rather understands where those things came from.

Is a HotDog a sandwich, a roll or an overheated K9?

Definitely an overheated K9!!!

What is the most creative, inventive and imaginative insult you can come up with?

Blasphemous peanut headed twit warbler.

My Questions for my Giftees

If you had to choose one job to do for the rest of your life what would it be?
What is your favourite way to unwind after a long day?
If you could dance like no one was watching, what dance would you do and to what track?
What is your favourite word and why?
What is the hardest thing about blogging?

Gifting

I choose to gift the Sunshine Blogger Award to …

Giggling Fattie

The Pretend Grown Up

Peckapalooza Peckapalooza

The Real Neat Blog Award

23rd February 201923rd February 2019 | Suzi Tench

This morning I awoke to several notifications on my phone from WordPress…Nothing unusual there, but one of them was from My Quirky Friend who had nominated me for The Real Neat Blog Award! Thank you so much!!!! I’m so touched to have been considered for this award and, just like them, this is my first blog award!

The rules:

Although a blogger doesn’t really need to participate in any award nominations, I don’t mind as it gives me a chance to show my appreciation to other bloggers. Plus, it’s free exposure should you wish to participate. Now, for the rules:

Put the award logo on your blog.
Answer 7 questions asked by the person who nominated you.
Thank the people who nominated you, linking to their blogs.
Nominate any number of bloggers you like, linking to their blogs.
Let them know you nominated them (by commenting on their blog, etc.)

Answers to the questions I got asked by My Quirky Friend

What inspired you to start blogging? I was inspired to start this blog as I wanted to start writing again. I had a few blogs in the past, and really enjoyed creating content and posting to them though they were a bit all over the place – I never blogged regularly and the blogs were too niche in topic to fully write about everything. While I was off from work I decided that I would like to start writing again and so, this blog was born!
What’s the weirdest food/dish you enjoy eating? I love so many different foods but I think that the weirdest is strong cheddar and strawberry jam sandwiches (using white bread)!
What is your favorite topic to blog about? I don’t really have one kind of topic that I enjoy writing more about than another, all of the topics I write about on this blog are ones I really enjoy writing about!
What do you like to do in your down time? In my down time I really like to curl up on the sofa with a blanket, my dog Roxy, a glass of wine and watch Gilmore Girls on Netflix, read, work on my blog or do a jigsaw puzzle.
Are there any other writers/bloggers in your family? No, but they are all pretty creative in their own way, my Mum is an awesome knitter, my Dad is really good at painting and drawing, my one brother are really good at technical things like fixing computers and cars and my youngest brother is good at cooking.
How close do you live to the town/city you grew up in? I live about 3.5 miles from the town I grew up in and my parents still live in the house I grew up in too.
What’s the best advice you have for other bloggers? Post regularly, interact with your followers, write about things you love, your hobbies, interests and what you have a passion for, don’t ever get disheartened by stats – they are there to guide you. And most of all, have fun and enjoy the process!

My Questions to You…

If you could be invisible for a day, what would you do?
What is your star sign, and do you show any of the signs traits in your personality?
If you had £1000 given to you, how would you spend it?
What is your favorite season and why?
What is your favorite quote?
What is your biggest dislike?
If you could live anywhere where would it be?

My Nominations…