You're IT!

Okay, I don't know who started this, but I was always really bad at games as a kid. I don't run fast, so I can never get away quick enough, which mean I always end up getting tagged.

Some things don't change. Like a bad nightmare from my childhood that haunts my waking life, I have been sucked into a game of tag only to find out that the minute I am in it, I am also "IT." Holy smoke, no wonder I started smoking cigarettes in fifth grade.

Anyway, maybe I'm a little older and a little wiser and ready to get in the game. After all, it's nice to find out a little bit more about my fellow bloggers and discover there are other crazy, cheap, crafty people in the world like me who seem driven to make something out of nothing. And maybe along the way we can discover something about some other kinds of writers too.

On the other hand, my answers to the tag questions posed to me by the generous and gifted Patty at Patty's Pretty Things might just reveal that nothing has changed and I am still the scared little awkward slow-poke on the playground.

So here are the rules to this game of tag.

1. You must post the rules!

2. Answer the 11 questions the tagger posted for you and then create 11 new questions to ask the people you've tagged.

3. Tag 11 bloggers and link them to your post.

4. Let them know you've tagged them.

Here are the questions posed to me by the lovely and talented--have I mentioned she's talented!--Patty at Patty's Pretty Things.

1. Why did you start blogging? I'm a writer and editor by education and for the last 20 years I've been writing other people's stuff. It was finally time to start writing for myself again.

2. How did you come up with a name for your blog? Well, I have two blogs actually. The first blog is a memoir blog called Fifty in my Fiftieth, which I started in order to commemorate my fiftieth year on the planet. The name evoked the tag line: fifty posts in fifty weeks in my fiftieth year. Crazy Thrifty Crafts was something my older sister Sally and I brainstormed about. My family loves to make fun of how cheap, frugal, thrifty I am. Plus I love to make stuff. So we put those two things together and came up with Crazy Thrifty Crafts.

3. How did you learn how to blog? Self-taught mostly. My sister Sally has helped a lot cuz she's much more up to speed on social media than I am. So I'm still learning. Sally's also my editor and advisor, and I'm trying to talk her into being my literary agent. Of course, I don't think she'll be able to quit her day job on my dime, but who knows what the future holds, right?

4. What do you like to blog about? Since I have two blogs currently I get to write about a variety of things. The memoir blog has blossomed into what I like to call "A Practice in Gratitude." It's about looking back on my life and giving credit to those who have mentored me, taught me stuff, or just stood by me. And on Crazy Thrifty Crafts, I get to reveal my crazy side, which I love.

5. How do you come up with ideas to blog about? Are you kidding? I am floundering around constantly trying to figure out what to write about. I have tons of crafts that I want to do but don't have time to do. I could do endless posts on the unfinished projects at my house. I'm trying really hard to keep a sense of humor and give my readers (all two of them) a break from the usual fare.

6. How did you decide which blog hosting service to use? (Blogger or Word Press or...)  I have one blog on Blogger and one on Wordpress. Which, of course, makes it harder for me to really learn how to do any of the tech stuff. Not too savvy with that stuff yet. WordPress was the first one and I only chose it by default. I think it's the only one I really knew much about, but it seemed that most bloggers had a literary bent to them and since that's my memoir blog, that seemed fitting. Then when I started the crafting blog, it seemed like Blogger was the more popular ne oso I thought I'd give it a try.

7. What kind of camera do you use for your photos in your blog? I'm too embarrassed to tell you. My editor and literary agent has informed me that I have the worst photos this side of the blogosphere. She is going to help me upgrade so I can at least attempt to compete with the pros.

8. Does your family mind if they are included in your blog posts? Oops, you mean I'm supposed to ask them first? You know the old saying, if they can't take a joke, f#*! 'em.

9. How do you feel about having ads on your blog? I'd love to have ads. But I probably need more than 2 readers before anybody will want to buy ads from me. I'm thinking about adsense but would really love some feedback from other bloggers about it.

10. How often do you blog? I'm trying to stick with twice a week on Crazy Thrifty Crafts but it is not always possible. The memoir blog doesn't get that much attention. Writing really personal stuff like what's on my memoir blog seems to take longer and takes more soul searching, etc. I really want it to be honest and respectful. But I still want it to be readable. So, I don't know. Maybe some of you will go check it out so I can get some feedback about it: Fifty In My Fiftieth.

11. What advice would you give to new bloggers? I'm sooooo new at this myself, I wouldn't have a clue what to tell other newbies. I can't even take a photo worth a crap. I need to figure out how to make my own banner for cryin' out loud. It was all I could do to figure out how to put somebody's button on my page when I got featured. I have so much to learn! The only advice I would have is the same advice I give my voice students, "Don't be afraid to take up some space in the universe!"

My list of bloggers I'm tagging will take some of you crafters outside of the crafting world, perhaps even outside your comfort zones. So hang on tight! It's gonna be a bumpy ride!

Okay, TAG YOU'RE IT!

Made in a Day

The Traveling Spoon
The Stirring Place
tete-a-tete with Subhakar Das
Ladybug Creek
Twigg Studios
Imperfect Patina
Decorate with a Little Bit
Post-It Scribbles
Stories About My Life, 92% True
Nobody Knows What a Red-Headed Mommy Can Do


And here are the 11 questions I'm posing to my fellow bloggers:

1. What is it about blogging that you enjoy?
2. How much time do you spend blogging and all the other activities associated with blogging each week?
3. How old were you when you first fell in love and how did it happen?
4. Who was your favorite teacher in high school and why?
5. What kind of geek are you?
6. What is your favorite instrument to listen to?
7. What is your favorite food?
8. What profession or vocation, besides the one you are in now, would you most like to try and why?
9. What profession would you never want to try and why?
10. If you could choose to live at some other time and place in the past, when and where would it be?
And finally . . .
11. Boxers or briefs?

Thanks for TAGGING ME, Patty. It's been a lot of fun!