Liebster Award

A week ago I got nominated for the Liebster award by M.E. Sew lovely. If you do not know her blog you should check it out! She made this stunning dress and also this very creative game. M.E. sew lovely, thank you very much for the nomination.

In case you are a reader of Flemish sewing or German DIY blogs you probably know the Liebster award. In case you are not, the Liebster award is originally a German invention with the goal of promoting smaller blogs by getting to know the person behind the blog a bit more. The rules of the game have changed a bit over time (for example small used to be less than 3000 followers and now 200).

The rules of the game:
1. Thank the person who nominated you and put a link to her/his blog in your post
2. Answer the 11 questions that you got from the one that nominated you
3. Nominate 5 to 11 other bloggers with less than 200 followers (this is not an exact science just focus on blogs that could benefit from this extra promotion).
4. Create 11 interesting questions for your nominees to answer.
5. Do not nominate back the blog that nominated you.

I got a great set of questions, I hope you enjoy my answers.

1.What is the origin of your blog name?
The name Inspinration refers to the fact that (until recently) most of my inspiration came from pins (from Pinterest). I turn out that the name Inspinration is a bit confusing for google (they really think you misspelled your search if you are trying to find this blog). Google now seems to be coming around a bit. If you type inspiNration Google still shows you inspiration, but does ask you if you might really wanted inspinration. Google seems to be warming up to me.

2. Why did you start a blog?
I have had a blog for a few years, but didn't post much. I started the blog while I was mostly crocheting and me and a friend decided we wanted to make a blog where we could store our projects. The original idea of the blog was that we would write posts to each other, mimicking a shared diary. Unfortunately my friend never actually started posting (she is warming up to posting her projects online now a days) and the blog was rewritten to be mine alone. Last August (2014) I decided that I wanted to give the whole active blogging another chance. I started to post at least one a week, and recent posts are 95% sewing related.

3. What frustrates the hell out of you?
My most regular frustration now a days is when I can't find something, knowing I put it somewhere "safe" makes the whole thing even worse.

4. What is the most shameful thing that ever happened to you?
This question has been troubling me for a few days. It seems that fortunately I am great in forgetting the shameful events in my life. I regularly have a shameful moment but somehow the only one that really stuck is one from when I was little. I was about 8 years old and we went to the zoo on a school outing. My daddy went with us to chaperon, and I was so proud to have him with us. I kept close to him during the day but one time when I grabbed his hand I noticed him wearing a ring that I had never seen. Staring at the ring I asked him how he got it and he said from is wife. I looked up and saw that this was not my father. I looked around and saw my father and my class 10 meters behind me watching the whole thing. With hindsight this could happen to anyone and I am sure I have done more shameful things, but somehow these childhood memories made a huge impact.

5. What is your biggest inspiration source?
For long it was Pinterest, hence the name of my blog. Now I would say other blogs, I love to see the creations of others and reading the background story behind them. Fabric is also definitely a part of my inspiration. When I open my closet where I piled all my fabric I usually get tons of ideas what I want to make with them, now, immediately, yesterday...

6. For what things do you make time?
I like to make time for sewing, obviously, but I also like to make time to read to my kids, do something creative with them and watching a movie or series with my husband on the couch. I am a homey type of person, having people over for dinner and playing a board game afterwards is one of the best ways to spend a Saturday evening

7. Do you like to read, if so what is your favorite book?
For long I considered myself a reader, but I am doubting that now a bit. I realized a few years ago that when I read I prefer to read something not heavy, no true literature. I am a Hunger Games, Twilight, but also Game of Thrones kind of girl. I need a clear story, not an atmosphere, when reading  I need to be entertained the whole time. I want a likable main character because I automatically relate to them. My husband is a true reader and at the start of our relationship we exchanged many books (this is when I realized that I am not a true reader). My favorite book ever was one of those exchanged books, it is 100 years of loneliness from Marquez

8. Describe yourself in three words.
Impulsive, creative, thoughtful

9. What keeps you up at night?
I usually sleep well and if I am wake it is because one of the kids has something. I often fall a sleep thinking how to solve my most recent sewing challenge.

10. Which blogs do you love?
Most of the blogs that I read are from Flemish sewsters ( I am from the Netherlands myself). I feel that the Flemish blog community is huge and very social. My own blog is in English because I would like to have an international audience. I am an autodidact sewist, I learned almost everything from blogs around the world. By writing in English I hope to inspire back the world

11. What do you miss in your life?
My life is pretty perfect. I have great husband the four healthy kids we hoped for, a lovely home and great friends. I am in the finalizing stage of a PhD and in my case I would love to have more inspiration and a higher writing quality.

I hope you enjoyed reading my answers. I know that not everybody likes to participate in this type of chain mail. I selected blogs which are worth checking out if you do not know them already. The sewists behind them are (like me) trying to make a name for themselves. If you check their blogs out, my goal is succeeded. I would like to nominate the following blogs in alphabetical order:

1. Beth being crafty: A blog I came across while sewing along on Project Run and Play. The blogsters lives in Tokyo!
2. Giddy ants: If you love dresses and tunics for little girls, check this blog out
3. Huisje boompje boefje: Great in upcycling and using the same pattern to create different looks
4. Jurken en shirtjes: blogster that sews boy, girl and woman clothes.
5. La vie en Roos: besides lovely little girl clothes she also crochets (like me)
6. LL Handgemaakt: This blogster has made many adorable clothes for her (until that moment unborn) son. She gave birth at the end of January and I am curious how all those lovely clothes will look on a life model
7. Mijn spiegelbeelden: Besides girl clothes she also recently discovered the joy of making bags.
8. Owl Laughing: This blogster is making lovely clothes for women
9. Sew not perfect: The title alone already makes me love it, my sewing is also far from perfect and I do not mind. She organizes a great sew along, still running for 10 more months, join in!
10. Skirt fixation: A joint blog of a mother and her daughters about their sewing endeavours. I love the idea of transferring love for crafting to your kids. Skirt fixation organizes the hilarious skirt awards
11. Vera Luna: This blog you have to check out, she uses so many cool techniques, she was a contributor on KCW last time so you probably know her, but still, go!

To the blogs I selected I want to say, do not feel obligated to take the stick. If you are on the list and would like to join, please answer the following questions.


1. Which of your own blog posts (the project related to it) are you most proud of?
2. What sewing technique secretly still frightens you (a bit)?
3. What is your guilty pleasure?
4. What blog should we read which you couldn't  nominate due to too many followers
5. What is the story behind the fabric that has been in your closet the longest?
6. What is your favorite tv show
7. What would you buy yourself now, immediately if money was not an issue
8. What frustrates the hell out of you?
9. What is your most happy memory?
10. What kind of new hobby would you like to learn?
11. What is your favorite app?