Why, What A Stylish Award!

I'm feeling a little Sally Field-esque today, friends. You see, we've been awarded. Since Idle Fancy's debut in January, a few of my own favorite bloggers have gifted Idle Fancy with the Stylish Blogger Award. The idea is to share seven interesting/random/unexpected facts about yourself, then tag seven other bloggers you want to award and learn more about.

Not going to lie, I'm still a bit giddy that people even read this blog, much less would think of me for this! So, a huge thank you to Mia of Snuggly Porcupine, Katherine of Something in the Way She Sews, Lola of Girl on the Contrary, and Alana of Lazy Stitching! If you don't yet read their blogs, add them to your list. They are all wonderful reads!

Now onto the facts...

1. I'm a Supertaster. Unfortunately, this doesn't mean I'm a poison-detecting super-heroine, as the name would suggest. I just have a heightened sense of taste. It comes from, essentially, having an abnormally high number of taste buds. It also means I'm overly sensitive to bitter and salty foods. While it makes me a rather picky eater, it does give me a good excuse not to eat anything I dislike! The list of foods I avoid is rather classic for Supertasters: green tea, spinach, kale, soy products, tonic water, cilantro, alcohol (except for certain champagnes, I can't stand most alcoholic drinks, woeful as that made my college self), grapefruits, and olives to name a few.
   
2. My biggest fear is Australia. Yes, the continent. Apologies to my dear readers from Down Under, but your beautiful country scares the bejeezus out of me. Kittens, did you know that Australia has more venomous snakes and spiders than any country in the world? Or that they have crocodiles that live in salt water? Or that lurking in those lovely blue oceans are both sharks AND Irukandji jellyfish? You see where this is going. While I will hopefully travel to Australia one day, I plan on crossing some things off my life list first. You know, just in case. Because, sure, I may avoid the Funnel-Web spider, but what about the Marbled Cone snail?
3. Much like the middle-aged men most people make fun of, I'm a huge professional golf fan. This weekend, I will happily spend hours on my couch watching the Masters. I will argue with my father about who has the best chance to win and fanatically cheer on my personal favorites. The Ryder Cup is, in my book, the most exciting sports event out there. St. Andrews is one of the most sacred places on Earth. Graeme McDowell is my dream man. I am a golf nerd.
4. I've recently had a clothes-related epiphany. In the past few months, I've come to greatly prefer my handmade clothes over my RTW outfits. This, obviously, should be the goal of any home sewist, but it rather snuck up on me. After a mere six months of sewing, I've become one of those people who sees something in store and says "I could make that...only better!" While I still lust after Kate Spade and Anthropologie, I find myself browsing online fabric resources more often. Now if only I had all the time in the world to make these knock-offs come to life.
   
5. I love genre fiction. As a writer and an avid reader, my bookshelves are always at an overflow point. While I do have the requisite classics and great nonfiction picks, most of my space is taken up with mysteries and romances. I grew up reading genre fiction and, to this day, would rather read it than anything else. Good luck parting me from my Amelia Peabody set or my signed Julia Quinns. I live for the satisfaction of good whodunits and happily-ever-afters.
6. Eleanor of Aquitaine is my great-grandmother. Well, times a few greats anyway. Last year, my mother developed a genealogy obsession. We're a family of enthusiasts and can't do anything halfway, so naturally she over-zealously traced our roots back to the first century. Even better, she discovered some amazing things. In addition to Jamestown colonists and signers of the Declaration of Independence, our family tree is positively littered with Plantagenets, one of the English Royal Houses. So, one of my favorite women in history, Eleanor, is actually my great-grandmother at least five times over. Pretty neat for a history nerd like myself.
7. Last night, I made a summer palette inspiration collage. The Colette Spring Palette Challenge ended up being so much fun that I'm carrying it over another season. Having a certain color scheme to work with was much-needed practice in sewing discipline. It's also been nice having key spring pieces in my favorite colors. So, while I am going to take a few weeks to sew up some more springy fabrics from my stash, I've already envisioned a direction for my summer sewing. I'll post the collage later this week, but let's just say primary colors and I are going to become very close this season.

Now onto the really fun part! I'm tagging seven lovely bloggers whom I would love to know more about. There's absolutely no pressure to post yourself, however, as I know this doesn't suit everyone's fancy. Nonetheless, here are my stylish picks:

• Dixie of Dixie DIY
• Rebecca of Tales of a Wannabe Seamstress
• Garnet of Ruby Satin
• Sabrina of The Sewing Exploits of Sabrina Clementine
• Debi of My Happy Sewing Place
• Stevie of BeeBee's Vintage Dress
• Carolyn of Fake It While You Make It
• Alexandra of Crafts and Stuff

Yes, there are eight, not seven. Maybe one of my facts should have been that I'm a blog addict?