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Thursday, March 29, 2012

Sharon's Little Sunbeam Award


A little while ago Diane from Always Crave Cute entered a post in which she said with regret that she would not be participating in awards or link ups in future.  Diane expressed what a lot of bloggers seem to feel - that there is nothing more exciting and thrilling than being nominated for an award, but that the conditions attached to accepting are often complicated and time-consuming.  Often people are also a bit uncomfortable offering up some of the personal information that the questions attached to the award ask.

Most awards also require the recipient to nominate a list of other blogs to pass on the award to.  I must confess that when I've done this in the past I'm never sure if my invitation is a pleasant surprise, or cause for irritation.  
One of the comments left on Diane's post mentioned the idea of a personal award kept permanently on the blog sidebar.  The award is given once a month and there are no requirements or strings attached in accepting.

I thought this was a lovely idea and so I have decided to adopt it in my blog.  The recipient does not have to answer any questions or pass the award on.



It is, instead, my way of acknowledging the other great people who make up my bloggy world.


As my blog is not a very big or influential one I have decided to call my award 'Sharon's Little Sunbeam' and I will shine it on a blog I feel enhances my blogging experience.  As Diane was the inspiration behind the idea her blog is the first recipient.

After Diane I am in a bit of a quandary as there are a handful of other blogs that I would like to give the award to simultaneously for different reasons.  Because of this I have decided to change the recipient once a week instead of once a month - and for the first few weeks please be advised that the blogs I'm choosing are all held in equal esteem!


I have one question that I'm hoping everyone will give their opinion on.  I don't know whether to contact the recipient on each occasion (bearing in mind that the whole thing is supposed to be hassle free and low-key on both sides) or leave it as a surprise.  The people I'm choosing will, on the whole, be regular visitors to my blog.  Would you think it a nice surprise to see your blog nominated when you pop in to visit, or would youi feel uncomfortable with a link to your blog that you were not aware of?




All illustrations in this post are by Libico Maraja (1912-1983), taken from the story of 'Sleeping Beauty' in 'The Splendour Book of Ballet'.

11 comments:

  1. Sharon your idea is wonderful and I love the name you came up with! Sharing your "Little Sunbeams" with others is going to make everyone's day a bit brighter! ~ Diane

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  2. I am always thrilled when I find a link to my blog. I'm equally excited when I find an email about it. Good idea on this.

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  3. This is a lovely idea Sharon. I may have to be a copy-cat and do something similar on my blog...
    I like an element of surprize.

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  4. Oops! I just realized I didn't say "Thank You Sharon". You are so sweet! Sending hugs across the ocean to you...." ~~Diane

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  5. Surprises are always nice and I think it is great for new people to view my blogs. I love making new friends! What a cute name.

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  6. This is such a lovely idea! I may have to borrow it (if you don’t mind).
    I think it would be nice to send an email to the recipients, just so they know you appreciate them. You could always make it very clear in the email that they don’t have to do anything at all. They don’t even need to visit your blog if they don’t want to.
    I love the illustrations you’ve used in this post.
    Congratulations to Diane at Crave Cute.

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  7. What a lovely idea! It's wonderful to have an award with no strings attached. Some of the other awards can sometimes feel a little like chain letters.

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  8. I think it's a lovely idea Sharon, and I agree a whole lot less work for people :) I'm sure people would love to get an email from you saying that they had been the recipient of a reward. It would be more than flattering to anyone I would think. Great post and I also thought it was very well-written.

    Megan @ Storybook Love Affair

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  9. Thank you to everyone who took the tine to comment - I'm so pleased you all thought the idea was a good one - and I think it would be great if anyone else wanted to use it as well - that to me is what blogging is all about - sharing ideas (and after all I 'borrowed' the concept myself in the first place!)

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  10. Hi Sharon. I think this idea is wonderful. I love the idea of simple and not having to do anything. I love it! As soon as I am able to blog again on a regular basis, I'm hoping to adopt your idea too. If that would be ok. I hope you have a happy week. ~ Alicia

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  11. Although I haven't totally understand what are you asking, I have to say that I love Libico Maraja!!!

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