Elegant Blogger Award

I have been awarded the Elegant Blogger Award by Hamlette at Hamlette's Soliloquy.  Thank you Hamlette for nominating me!

Rules:

- When you receive the award, link back to keepcalmandsparkle1099.blogspot.com and the blog that nominated you

- Display the award button in the post

- Answer all of the 12 questions given in this post (do not make your own questions)

- Nominate 8 bloggers

- Notify them that they have been awarded

1)  What made you start blogging?

It was about a year ago that the idea of starting my own blog dawned on me.  I wanted to write about period drama films, because I had a lot to say about them and I wanted to express it somehow.  I discovered Blogger through the blog Crispin's eclipse, the first blog I ever followed, and the blog that inspired me to be a blogger, too.

2)  What is your fashion style?

I am still in the process of developing my own style.  There are different styles I like, but usually they don't really go together, so at times I end up having one style one day, and a different contrasting style the next.  My fashion style is very inconsistent.  Mostly I just wear whatever goes well together, style-wise and color-wise.  I like cool and pastel colors, and various shades of green and blue.

Below are the different fashion styles I like.  As a warning, I love talking about clothes, so this will probably end up being a very long-winded answer, which it already is...

Gothic - I don't mean hardcore Gothic, but something more like Amy Lee's style.  I think she tends to balance a Gothic style with other styles well, and makes it her own.  I've never really thought of her style as completely Gothic, but a lighter or less emphasized version of that style, sometimes with a hint of Vintage (like in her music videos for "Lithium" and "Good Enough") and maybe even Celtic influences.

I don't exactly wear a Gothic style of clothes myself, but I like dark colors as well as light, leather (not real leather, I don't believe in killing animals for clothes, and it appalls me that this is still being done), and black high-tops and boots.  I like wearing skinny jeans, preferably black ones, although colored ones are nice too, depending on the color and shade.

I aslo like Joan Jett's style, but my impression is that her style is more like Punk and Rock, not Gothic.

Celtic - I love Celtic jewelry, like rings and ear cuffs and necklaces, and jewelry with fairy or elvish designs.  Oh, and plaid skirts, coats, hats, and anything else with a plaid design.  Lots and lots of plaid.  My great grandpa, whose parents came from Glasgow, liked plaid so much that he used to wear two or three different tartans together.

Vintage - I like clothes that seem slightly old-fashioned, or are influenced by a particular time period.  I like lacy tops and dresses, and shoes that have a 1930's or 1940's look.  I also like tall boots that lace up.

1960's - My mom's family were Hippies during the sixties and seventies, which has influenced my taste in clothes and shoes.  I like "flower power" and Hippie chic, which was popular in the late sixties and into the seventies, and earthy colors like brown and orange, which were everywhere during the seventies.  If I had clothes that fit these descriptions, I would wear them, but sadly, I don't, so I don't really get to dress in this style, however much I'd like to.

Fleetwood Mac, which formed in 1967.  The women in this band wore classic '70's outfits.

3)  What is something none of your followers know about you?

I have never broken any of my bones or twisted either of my ankles, and I have never gotten stitches.  I sometimes wonder how I managed to avoid this happening to me, because as a kid I was frequently running, falling down, biking quickly down steep hills, exploring creeks, and climbing trees.

4)  What are some of your blogging goals?

To finish all of the posts I plan to do this month, for both of my blogs.

5)  Where is your favorite place to shop?

I like to shop at Nordstrom for shoes, and I like Banana Republic, Etsy, and Anthropologie.

6)  What would your ideal number of blog followers be?

I don't really have an ideal number of followers, so long as there are people reading my blog.  There wouldn't be much of a point to blogging if no one read my blogs.

7)  What are your talents?

Mostly things in the artistic and literary area, like sketching, writing, and analyzing books, art, and films.  Oh, and I'm good with children and animals.  That can count as a talent, right?

8)  Are you a leader or a follower?

I am usually a follower.  Although, I think I could be a leader if I needed to be, if I got past my shyness and boosted my confidence.

9)  What is one of your favorite quotes?

"Do you wish me a good morning, or mean that it is a good morning whether I want it or not; or that you feel good this morning; or that it is a morning to be good on?" - The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien

10)  Do you have a favorite book or series?

My favorite book is Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery.  I love all of the Anne books (with the exception of Anne of Ingleside, a book L. M. Montgomery was pressured into writing, and everafterward regretted having written).  My favorite series would be the Emily series by L. M. Montgomery, which includes Emily of New Moon, Emily Climbs, and Emily's Quest.

11)  Out of the synonyms for elegant, which would you describe yourself with? (smart - stylish - dressy - graceful - dainty - fine)

Well, I'm smart in some ways, and I'm graceful (a result of all the ballet classes I've taken in the past), although I am kind of a klutz sometimes.  I'll just go with smart.

12)  What is your favorite flower?

Daffodils have always been my favorite flower, ever since I first read the poem, "I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud", by William Wordsworth, when I was little.  I associate my childhood with that poem, so Daffodils are a very nostalgic flower in my eyes.

These are the bloggers I am nominating:

- Leah K. Oxendine at Apassionata

- Esther Romaine at Like Reading Trivial Pursuit

- Gina at Beauty From Ashes

- Magdalen Aithne Arkwright at Marcmire
- Miss Elizabeth Bennet at Elegance of Fashion
- Lucy at Stuffed Shelves
- Elizabeth at The Endless Road
- Sarah at How to Watch A Movie