you make my day

it's taken me a week to get around to acknowledging this honor, but better late than never.....

my darling friend-from-afar, relyn, bestowed me with the "5 blogs that make my day" award.
i was {am} so flattered and a bit surprised. the company my lil' swellspring is in with the other 4 recipients was so lofty-lovely that i am over-joyed to be on the same list. the responsibility that comes along with this award is to return the favor and select 5 new blogs to give the award to.
i'd love to include relyn's gift to the blogiverse, come sit by my fire, but alas the rules require we not include the one who gave it to us. luckily there are many other fantastic blogs who make my day to choose from....actually it's a blessing and a curse because it's so very difficult to choose only 5. so please know that every blog listed on my lovely links sidebar makes my day, i've tried to select blogs who haven't yet received the award, and it's just in the spirit of the award that i'm sticking to the rules {ha ha}.

and those rules are:

1) write a post with links to 5 blogs that make me think and/or make my day {not including the one who gave it to you}

2) acknowledge the post of the award giver {overflowing gratitude to relyn!}

3) tell the award winners they have won by commenting on their blogs or emailing them with the news

the 90/10 rule ~ teri lives in san francisco and infuses her both-sides-now musings with her great sense of humor and reality-clear perspective. it's very refreshing. she has an incredible eye for fashion and is my go-to gal for all fashion related advice & information. she also is a very talented baker ~ i've had the pleasure of baking with her so i know first hand she has amazing skills. but what you might not get from reading her blog is this lady is more knowledge hungry than i am ~ she dives into things with full gusto, and has an awe-inspiring fever to learn and grow and try new things. she also tells it like it is. every time. there's no b.s. fluff in her ~ and i gotta say i admire that so much. she loves you & life so much she will paint the most dismal picture if that's what reality is at that moment. now, that is truly celebrating what's real. and there's always some humor in it too ~ she certainly can laugh at her foibles and yours, and get you to giggle along with her. as i've said before, i really really admire her.


mackin ink ~ karey lives in jordan with her 3 beautiful daughters and is one of the most talented writers on the entire internet. every single time i read her blog a fountain of emotions comes up. she is truly an artist with her pen and perspective. her relationship to her family is so wonderful, and she sees things through so many beautiful lenses. i have a feeling you'll become as addicted to her charm as i am, if you aren't already.



the froth ~ chloe lives in greece and shares her life there in such a way that i want to climb into every picture she takes. i've always had a desire to vist greece, so i guess i am a bit biased, but chloe's images can inspire anyone to want to be there too. she has a warm generous heart and bright spirit. her luscious creative energy just leaps out of her blog with every post. someday i'm going to greece and i will get to hug her with gratitude for all that she gives. someday.


hula seventy ~ andrea lives in portland, oregon and in her i feel like i've met a kindred spirit ~ well we haven't actually met, but i still imagine it this way. she lives in my home state, she's a dancer, she's crafty & creative, and she clearly has a real sparkle for life. if we get the pleasure of meeting, i already know we'd have a ton to talk about and a friendship would form so naturally and quickly it would be like it's always been there. reading her blog reminds me to pay attention to the little things, to seek beauty everywhere, and to never forget my roots.


alex.tango.fuego ~ alex is my starry-eyed surprise of the blogosphere. he's a texan tanguero who makes ladies swoon with his charm. he's multi-talented, and insightful, and aware, and open {a taoist in our midst}, so he blogs about a myriad of very interesting things ~ mostly tango-related, but there's a lot more there to enjoy as well if you're not in to tango. and if you're not a tanguera, his blog will likely make you way more curious & interested....if for no other reason than the hope of someday getting to melt into his embrace. we've also discovered quite the kindred spirit connection and my adoration continues to grow. he's my favorite man in the blogiverse, all of texas, and perhaps even beyond....only time will tell, since we're already planning a photoshoot of my babybump when he visits sf this fall.

diana:muse ~ what a design diva dream come true diana is! her blog is full of delicious eye-candy, with delightful inspiration around every corner. if i could start a partnership in a business of making people's lives & spaces more beautiful and functional, then diana is definitely one i'd want to do it with. she's got a great eye, a wise mind, and she inspires me to no end.


where's my daughter {aka jendita's blog} ~ i recently did a lengthy post for/about jenni on her birthday, so i won't go into too much detail now. but i'll just say her blog is a nice little picture of the real life in san francisco of a very active, insightful, talented, creative, beautiful and fun woman who i adore entirely. so please dig right in!

p.s. if you haven't figured it out already i'm a naughty rule breaker. i couldn't keep it to 5 ~ ooops!