Blog Crushes

This is kind of a Meme challenge going around, started off by Darren Rouse at Problogger. I see that Angie Pedersen has mentioned me as one of hers, and like her I was reluctant to nominate my crushes also - mainly because I subscribe to over 500 feeds (don’t freak - not all of them are daily writers) on my Bloglines account. So, it’s very difficult to choose. But here goes -

Blogging Stars

• Darren Rouse, at Problogger, of course - and he’s an Aussie.
• Gina at Lifehacker - I adore this blog, and it’s full of kewl tools and links often.
• Andy Wibbels - another pro-blogger evangelist, into marketing with some cool tips. Plus he’s reasonably good looking, too.
• Kevin Kelly at Cool Tools - a blog about just about anything cool, but mainly featuring things like the latest MP3 players out (and the like).
• Ken Lebow - Blogging about Incredible Blogs - Ken talks pro-blogging also, and he links into some interesting blogs as he goes.

Artistic Nebulae

• The Crafty Girl ^TM Blog - author of an upcoming scrapbook idea book, but Kelly Angard is more than just a scrapbooker - take a look at her blog and you’ll find days and days worth of arty farty entries.
• Michael Nobbs and the Drawing Club  - now a contribution blog with several editors, linked in with an actual membership - the blog journal entries are just darned interesting, and I especially like the short burst of email interviews they do with several well known artistic authors.
• Danny Gregory’s Everyday Matters - another artistic blog, by the author of Everyday Matters and other books and zine series. Danny uses his blog for drawing tutorials and exercises.
• Trevor’s Blog - Trevor Romain just has the nicest blog entries. It’s another illustration blog, but he has a lot to do with children, and through Trevor’s eyes your own awaken just a little bit more each time you read him.
• Kristin Holly’s blog, Kaleidoscopic Kris, is one of the longest running blogs which I know about. Not only is she a scrapper, but she creates and discusses many other arts and crafts also.
• A1 Mail Art Archive - a blog with images of mail art. A great resource.
• On the Banks of Bay Creek - Dawn posts images of her latest art journals or glue books.

Scraplogging Supernovas

Note: I have chosen these because they happen to be people I either consider personal virtual friends of mine, or their blogs show a lot of personality, rather than just advertising of wares etc. I subscribe to and enjoy nearly 300+ scrapper’s blogs, and read them all as they come through (sad git that I am) -but when forced to choose my real blog crushes, I go for outright personality and news at any point. These are around 20% of those that I would consider listable here. For those I have not listed - it’s simply because you haven’t blogged for a while and I therefore didn’t pick up your link from recent bloglines additions. Sorry.

• Angie Pedersen - both blogs - her Blog of Me and the SB Industry News one.
• The Scrapbook.Com’s Newstand blog - sometimes a little too much about the scrapbook.com, but often has news outside of it.
• Ali Edwards - It’s interesting watching the life of a person actually making a living out of the craft I love. Ali shares a lot through her blog, including inspiration, and an often hectic schedule.
• SwampWaters - the blog of a scrapper and somebody I consider a personal virtual friend, Swampangel. We met via one of Shimelle Laine’s online classes, and I keep an eye on her blog whenever she does put up an entry. Swampangel gets around the scrapblogging world a lot also, and is often on top of some news or other.
• Scrapbooking My View Of Life - Thena Smith’s personal blog. I enjoy her digital one also, however this one takes the cake for entertainment value. Thena is well known in scrapping circles for her poetry, and as a 2Peas Pub Mother - but read her blog just to see how I want to celebrate my own retirement in a few years.
• Shabby Days - Dianne Rigdon’s blog. I admire Dianne’s talent immensely, and she posts all her new paper paks and digital creations up on this blog. But she also includes a lot towards her daily life. In a similar fashion, I always pay attention to Lyndsay Riches’ blog - Scraps of Life and Marcee Duggar’s blog, Digital Obsession and Carrie Stephen’s blog, Real Life with Carrie Stephens. Oh, and let’s not forget, Michelle Coleman’s blog, My Second Mile
• Amy Edward’s blog - she incorporates Scrapbook Bytes news and news from outside of that. This is the owner of Scrapbook Bytes, one of the biggest and oldest Digital Scrapbooking communities out there - yet she still takes time to yahoo over the latest CK Hall of Fame contest being announced, or salivate over the next digital scrapbooking idea book coming out. Gotta love that style.
• Deb F - Deb’s Mutterings - I’m always hanging around Kiwi and Aussie blogsters, and Deb provides lots of news and tidbits.
• Mo Jackson’s blog is so full of personality that some people have problems reading it. Their loss. This is so down-home southern and fabulous that Mo really should audition to be a writer for the American version of Absolutely Fabulous if it is ever written. She has a signature style not only in her writing, her digital doo dad designs, but in her 1960s glasses. Don’t miss out on this real personality, and the blog of a friend of mine (despite the virtual miles).
• Nic Howard - The Life of a Scrap-at-Home-Mum. Nic probably doesn’t know I read her, but I hang on her every word. Not only is she a Memory Maker’s Master - but she’s a kiwi, and her words and lifestyle, heck - even her kitchen renovations, remind me of home.
• Some Photography masters (or is that mistresses?) of the scrapping world whom I greatly admire, and read avidly - Teri Fode, at her snapshots blog. And Lindsay Teague, at her screen shots blog. Great photography, and journaling on their lives can be found at both.
• Renee Pearson, who is coming out with a digital idea book very soon. But her blog, Fertilepress, is now full of design tutorials well worth a read.
• Some UK scrapping bloggers which I read occasionally (well - UK based that is, although they may not have been bred here) - Shimelle Laine’s blog - this is the blog that I might have had if I were a (slightly) younger cityesque woman, full of Starbuck’s visits and journeys into mortgage land etc. Eloquai’s blog - full of trendy arty farty shots, and you get to see some of the colourschemes etc coming out at UK Ikea. Jane Dean’s Sea Breeze’s blog - this is a woman who lives scrapbooking with a passion, but brings in a lot of Englishness to the thing also. Nice landscapey photographs abound.

Heavy Light Earthly Relief

• The Mommy Blog - a little too American (hey, I’m not one, okay), but fantastically funny - even if I sometimes question everyone else’s parenting skills in a holier than thou Mummy moment myself.
• Overheard in New York  - pricelessly funny sometimes, very New York though (hey, I’m not an American, okay)
• Keri Smith’s Wish Jar Journal - full of feel good journaling to bring you back to the real life.
• Satan’s Laundromat - a photoblog of New York (do you see a trend here?)
• Call Centre Confidential - the diary of an anonymous call centre worker in the UK. Extremely funny, and exactly spot on with all my own worklife dealing with call centres, and their off-shoring to Mumbai.
• Belle De Jour - the supposed diary of a London Call Girl. It won a blog awards from the Guardian Newspaper. A little risque, but in the realms of the Celebrity gossip mags that prevail on the newstands over here. She names celebrities as clients also.
• Biz Girl Blog - this is a New Zealand blog which won an award as the best personal blog for NZ. Subtitled, An International Librarian of Mystery, the blog ended in May of this year, but read the archives - it’s kinda like a kiwi Bridget Jones. The reason it ended? Possibly because after winning the award, it was leaked out in the media that Biz Girl was actually a married male living somewhere south of Auckland city.

Comments

[kristin]

That's no unrequited crush, Michelle (thanks so much, by the way). You know I dig your blog and lust after your mad info gathering skillz. Ooops, did I just ruin it for you with my faux street cred? I could not help myself ;)

[swampangel]

***What would I do without you?*** I bet you can't guess who I have a blog crush on. I love the Jedi suit.

[Dianne]

I am so proud to be named here and in such good company - and even more exited to go check out your favs! What fun!

[kelly]

Oh my...you are too kind! I am honored to be included on a list with such talented writers and artists...but most of all, I appreciate your time and interest! Thank you, Michelle...
kelly aka the crafty-girl