Spread the Sunshine

A few days ago Carolyn of Handmade by Carolyn gave me the Sunshine Award 2012.  A big thank you to her for my first blog award. No matter the weather, reading her blog always brings a ray of sunshine. Her writing is very entertaining, her sewing is fantastically creative and her photography is gorgeous. This award comes with a list of questions, so here we go.

Favorite Color:  no equivocation here, it is any shade of aqua or turquoise.  To illustrate, my favorite outdoor photo that I have ever taken (by the way, original on Kodak film not digital).  Check out that turquoise water! Location is Kailua Beach, island of Oahu, Hawaii.

and that is my Dad in the beach chair on the left :)

Favorite Animal:  as my family knows I like most animals from afar.  I do like dogs a lot, individually, but strange dogs kind of scare me.  Fraidy-cat, I know.  Cats, not so much, they make me sneeze my head off.  Birds - like to watch them explore the garden.  Fish - amazing to view on a scuba dive. Squirrels, my nemesis in the garden.  


Favorite Number:  ???  hmmm.  for fun I will say 5/8  as in a seam allowance. (it's all about the sewing, right?)


Favorite Non-Alcoholic Drink:  now we come to one that is difficult to narrow down. At different moments in the day I can say Coffee, Pepsi (not Coke), milk, pineapple or orange or guava juice, Limonata soda.  The one I cannot live without? COFFEE !  I am known to bring my own when visiting friends for the weekend due to an unfortunate incident of a no coffee household . . . OK unfortunate only to me, my friends found my distress a bit funny. COFFEE COFFEE COFFEE


Facebook or Twitter:  I shall say neither.  Facebook - I do have a profile, used only for connecting to far-flung friends and family. Useful for photo sharing in this instance. But I find it a bit tedious. Twitter, come on, there are only so many hours in a day, just don't need another web based system to subtract some minutes from my life.  Too many great blogs I would prefer to read.


My Passion:  like many reading this right now - sewing.  Although I can say that at various times it has been something else.  languages, golf, baking, scuba, gardening, skiing . . .  take a look in my garage, where lots of equipment and tools sit neglected as the fabric and new patterns pile up.  My mom recently came across this photo of me,she thinks around age 3.  So I didn't have the kiddie sewing machine, but maybe I was prepping my fabric?

Getting or Giving presents:  I do like to give presents.  Does anyone else get secretly annoyed if the recipient is not as excited as you think they should be?  Which I admit I should not be, but I can't help it.  Luckily that does not happen often.  The thrill of giving just the right thing or something surprising is very fun.  Receiving - same in reverse, a great feeling to get something unexpected that is just what you never knew you wanted.


Favorite Pattern:  An oldie but a goodie.  Something I made years ago.  Perhaps the #1 favorite dress I have made based on number of wearings and feeling fantastic in it. I wrote a post on this dress last year, it is Vogue 2470 Donna Karan pattern. Interesting that I still find the DK patterns so clever and wearable. I made in coral color wool crepe. Might have to pull that pattern out and remake.

Favorite Day of the Week:  Hmm. I will say Friday.  Who doesn't love that get out of school or work, the weekend is ahead of us, feeling?


Favorite Flower:  Another one that is difficult to narrow down.  Top favs are orchids, roses, sunflowers, dahlia, daffodils.  And the winner is,  Dahlia.  Something about the colors and they are so darn symmetrical. I love symmetry. Plus they bloom in the height of summer, my favorite time of year. Here is one of my dahlias in a luscious pink.

Favorite Celebrity Role Model:  Yes, I will say it.  Angelina Jolie. Sure she has some quirks, to say the least. Definitely a celebrity but she seems sincere about her concern for people around the world and from what I read she and her partner put their considerable money where it can potentially do good. 

And now I will pass on the Sunshine Award 2012 to these blogs that I enjoy very much. Plus it is very nice to consider these sewers are my friends around the world that I have never met ! Although Jean is actually local to me and a fabric enabler - time for another shopping trip, Jean?

Zanda of Mana Radosa Puse/My Creative Side  great dress styles and wow, her technique is amazing, also I begged her to write in English if possible because so I could selfishly get more details on her creations, and she did - so thanks Zanda.

Jean of J.Kaori Designs  OK, not fair.  Unbelievably sewer and practically professional knitter too.  Too much talent for one not so tall person.

Lisa of One Seam at a Time  love her dress choices and that she says she is a beginner sewer. Not any more.  great colorful knit top inspirations.

and a new one I just found at Pattern Review

Get My Stitch On, sewing in far-off (to me) and apparently sunny India.  Lots of cute dresses. Being wild for dresses I am always on the lookout for sewing bloggers who make the new dress patterns and then tell all.