Creative Blogger Award

Hello! I was nominated by MarieAshleyRaven, and Nancy for the Creative Blogger Award. They’re all avid readers and really nice bloggers; make sure to visit their blogs if you haven’t already. And thank you for the nominations, it was very kind of y’all!

thatgentmark.com

I think the usual award logo/banner is colorful but I found this pretty one created by That Gent.


The Rules –

  • Thank the person who nominated you and include a link to their blog
  • Share 5 facts about yourself (so I kind of cheated and did this info/fact dump on you guys… so sorry!)
  • Nominate 15-20 bloggers and add their links
  • Notify the bloggers you included
  • Keep the rules in your post to make it easy for everyone to know what to do!

5 Facts – 

  1. It should be no surprise my favorite animals are a dolphins but it’s ironic that my worst fear is being near sharks. Yes, for some reason I saw Jaws when I was six years old and that movie has haunted me ever since. Never do I ever want to see a live shark. Every time I go to an aquarium I hate walking under those shark tunnels. So that extreme sport where people are in underwater cages and observe sharks? Omg. /shudders/
    DAfqxQw

    Cute? Umm, no! 😮 (I went great lengths to find this gif, those bloody mouthed sharks on google are crazy scary.)

    tickle

    That is completely different from this.

  2. So I’m not sure if this is really uncommon but I dream (almost) every single day. It’s an off/bad night when I don’t dream. I often contribute this idiosyncrasy to my love for reading. I mostly read before I go to bed so I guess my imaginations just run wild at night because of it. XD So I’m that friend that always says “sweet dreams” instead of “good night” when saying bye. And another sleeping habit I have is that I talk in my sleep-and apparently in two languages. Since I’m an only child, I actually didn’t discover this habit until I was in high school when I went on an overnight trip for a competition. So yup, Summer the sleep mumbler.
  3. From my last award post for the Versatile Blogger award I mentioned that I was vegetarian so you can say I’m a very picky eater. I’m fine with all vegetables-well except for certain ones in the leek family-but desserts? I think I’ve grown out of my sweet tooth stage (if that’s possible) because I’m starting to really hate sweet pastries that I used to love as a kid. Now I’m really into sour candy. 😀
  4. I originally started this blog thinking it’d be something along the lines of me sharing my thoughts on books, music, and other entertainment hence why my WP tagline says “a blog about books and other obsessions.” These other obsessions were supposed to be about me fangirling over animations. I love watching Disney movies and cartoons in general. And I guess you can also kind of tell that I love Studio Ghibli films from my banner, huh?
  5. And it’s probably been pretty obvious that I am really into making blog headers/banners/graphics/whatever you want to call these things. I used to be really into K-drama watching when I was in middle school and I used to love the headers used on AliceChen’s World, now known as A Virtual Voyage. Making these banners is the most fun and creative thing I’ve done all summer. 🙂 (Oh and if you guys were wondering a good majority of the background pictures for the headers are not mine but I made a master post of the original artists/photographies. However, some of them including this one happens to be mine. I made this when I was taking art in high school. It was inspired by The Great Wave off Kanagawa, lol.) And I’m actually contemplating if I should create a post about making headers. We’ll see!

Nominating these creative cookies* –

As for all my awards (except for The Siblinghood (Sisterhood) of World Bloggers Award because I was nominating way to many blogs to do that), I have a little blurb for each nominee! However, now that WP has changed it’s harder for me to make link targets to create these messages only visible as text hovers (you’ll know what I mean if you revisited my older award posts!). So I just wrote it all out this time!

  • Aentee at Read at Midnight – Aentee is a fellow Viet friend I’ve recently made. Her blog is simply so gorgeous. Creative Marks: I love that she takes the extra step and creates beautiful graphics using photoshop (that program is still so difficult for me to use, haha. Kudos to you for mastering that monster program, Aentee!).
  • Analee at Book Snacks – I commend the work of all daily bloggers because the commitment and hard work is just awe-inspiring. Creative Marks: But Analee is a daily book blogger, meaning she makes book reviews, posts weekly book memes, and actually sticks to a schedule to the best of her ability. Oh and she also manages to comment back and post nice feedback on other blogs. (How do you even do it? You go girl!)
  • Carolyn at A Hundred Thousand Stories – I think our reading tastes are a tad different but we get along really well! Carolyn seems to adore The Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, bubble tea, and the California sun as much as I do. Creative Marks: I’m always amazed by her rating system. It’s unique and adds a nice, personal touch to her reviews! (It’s almost August, are you ready for our A Darker Shade of Magic buddy read?)
  • Cassandra at Read All About It – Cassandra is the first blogging friend I met on here that shared my love and admiration for Korean culture. Creative Marks: Along with books, she also talks about K-dramas on her blog. And occasionally we talk about K-pop, hehe. (I’ll get to Me Before You someday, I promise!)
  • Chooi at Read, Think, Ponder Chooi actually has a co-blogger Shingie, a blogger I haven’t met online yet but I hope to one day. Creative Marks: If you’re really into honest, perfectly paced reviews RTP is the blog for you. I know writing book reviews may not seem creative but Chooi makes her’s so that it’s original and in her own, unique voice. There’s a mature feel to her writing. I can’t exactly describe it, but visit her blog and you’ll see what I mean.
  • Cristina at My Tiny Obsessions – My fellow science nerd and Cassandra Clare fanatic friend! I’ve actually only met Cristina as well but she’s such a sweet book blogger. Creative Marks: She’s a total gifs and quotes user. I love that she uses actual quote graphics instead of just simply typing up the quote-doing that gives her blog a nice touch.
  • Erika at Erika in Bookventureland – Me and Erika started blogging around the same time, and she’s probably the first person I talked to on WP. And about what? Sarah Dessen and The Truth About Forever, an author and book I could swoon and talk about all day! Creative Marks: Erika often creates a lot of interesting, thought-provoking posts. My favorite being why you should read classics.
  • Joey at Thoughts and Afterthoughts – Joey is my fellow a cappella buddy (hold up-don’t get the wrong idea, we don’t make covers together instead we listen to great a cappella groups and flail over their performances, haha) and he’s one of the few male bloggers that I know. Creative Marks: He’s a really cool, eloquent blogger, and I’ve always found it fascinating that he divides his thoughts and afterthoughts in his posts, a really interesting technique.
  • Kelly at Dancing Through the Pages – This almost never happens but I stumbled onto Kelly’s blog via googling something. And I’m so glad I did. She’s a genuinely thoughtful and attentive blogger and friend I’m so glad I’ve come to get to know. Creative Marks: Her gifs are really specially, especially to me. She’s confident enough to use Exo gifs when I’m sure not all her readers are K-pop fans. I also really enjoyed her Scorpio Races posts. She admitted it was technically inspired by her academics but so what? Creative is creative.
  • Lauren at SERIESous Book Reviews – Another fellow blogger that’s connected to the sciences. Lauren reads a lot of genres I have yet to venture like New Adult, but we seem to share a lot of the same opinions in regards to ya books we both have read. Creative Marks: How cool is it that she reads and posts reviews by series? And definitely check out her Meme-ful Monthly Musings, a really cool monthly discussion series she hosts!
  • Poulami at Daydreaming Books – My dear, Poulami is one of the first friends I made on here and she’s just so sweet, kind, and supportive. Creative Marks: Her Daydreaming Discussions is seriously one of my favorite discussion series to keep up with and inspired me to create my own. She’s also a contributing tour host for YA Bound Book Tours and I’ve discovered great indie authors because of her reviews.
  • Savindi at The Streetlight Reader I really look up to this blogger and friend. Mainly because she is a couple of years older than me (you’re still youthful, so don’t ever say you’re old Savindi!) but also since she’s been blogging for many years. Creative Marks: She’s professional and always manages to say the right thing while being critical in the perfect dose. She recently decided to discontinue her awesome blog; I’ll miss her in the blogosphere for sure! (But I’m sure we’ll still fangirl over BTS and talk lots!)
  • Shelumiel at Bookish and Awesome – So Shelumiel’s blog name pretty much explains what he’s like in a few words; he’s really bookish in that he loves reading and he’s awesome for how he shares his love for books via his blog. Creative marks: His photography skills are always so on point. And it goes without saying that he can be super creative if he’s a fanboy of something. Evidence: The More Happy Than Not Tag.
  • Thuong at I Read Therefore I Am – Thuong is the first fellow Viet blogger I met on here and she’s such a creative person, as a blogger and outside of blogging. Creative Marks: Her reviews are always insightful (and she always has spoiler warnings) and she’s never afraid to voice an unpopular opinion. And when I mean she’s creative outside of blogging take a look at her beautiful work! She’s a total artist!
  • Trisha at The Bookgasm – I want to say I met Trisha early on in our blogging journeys and it’s been so great to get to know her. She’s a Studio Ghibli fan and a Potterhead (pretty much we’re in all the same fandoms, lol). Creative Marks: And you can clearly see this through her participation in the Harry Potter Moment of the Week blog series.
  • Victoria at Addlepates and Book Nerds Creative Marks: I only participate in two memes and my favorite is Exploring My Bookshelves, a monthly meme that was created by Victoria herself! She’s also a really nice Potterhead I hope to get to know better.
  • Wesaun at Oreos & Books – Wesaun is a popular reader and blogger among ya authors and on the Twitter platform. She’s the first person that introduced me to book swag (I literally had no idea such bookish items existed), and her meeting/collabing/talking to authors are #goals. Creative Marks: And she’s like a volunteer publicist or something (I mean that in the best way possible!), lol. I always find out about the most awesome books from her tweets/blog posts!

*And I just wanted to mention there’s a creative beast in everyone, as a non-blogger or blogger. Whether you have chicken scratch handwriting, can’t draw a straight line, or believe you’re left brain dominant. So if you’re up for it I nominate YOU if you’re just reading this, which technically goes against my rules of nominations since I usually only do the generic “I tag all” for tags and not awards. But who cares about tagging/nominating “etiquette,” I felt like this was an appropriate award to recognize all the creative minds on this planet!


Gosh, I’m sorry this was so long, but like I said WP makes link targeting a little more difficult because I have to switch to html to do that. Anyway, I hope you all have a nice Thursday and let me know your thoughts about my shark fears or anything else in this post. (Don’t even think about tricking me and linking things to shark pics/gifs in the comments!)

53 thoughts on “Creative Blogger Award

  1. Carolyn says:

    Thanks for tagging me (for the third time) LOL! But seriously, I’m constantly surprised everytime you mention me and I appreciate it so much. It just gives me a warm fuzzy feeling inside :3 and I really love your blog headers..it actually inspired me to get more creative with my headers
    I kept staring at that shark gif for all eternity o.o
    I love Studio Ghibli but I’ve only seen three ): which were Ponyo, Howl’s Moving Castle and Princess Mononoke!
    And yes I’m so ready for our buddy read!

    Liked by 1 person

    • Summer @ Xingsings says:

      I feel like a lot of bloggers have gotten more experimental with their blog headers-and I’m really loving the creativity! And omg, Howl’s Moving Castle is my absolute favorite but you MUST watch Spirited Away because it’s almost equally as good. And My Neighbor Totoro if you’re feeling up for another Studio Ghibli film. 😀 And I’m currently trying to finish a book right now but after that one I’m going to start ADSoM! And you’re welcome; after the third time (has it really been that many?) I didn’t think you’d be surprised. You deserve this award (and to have fun with the other tags)!

      Liked by 1 person

      • Carolyn says:

        Everyone tells me that I need to watch Spirited Away which appears to be a fan favorite haha. I’m probably going to read it during the first week of August for the booktubeathon. I had an idea for our buddy read! I thought maybe if we did a guest blog post on each other’s blog doing a discussion of the book or if we collaborated on two blog posts so each one of us has a post for her blog. Idk if that’s something you want to do ?

        Liked by 1 person

        • Summer @ Xingsings says:

          Spirited Away has a really whimsical feel to the storyline; you’d enjoy it! And ahh, this is a great idea!! I haven’t ever done a guest post so you’ll have to help me with the brainstorming department… I’m going to try to start ADSoM today. I’m sure we’ll come up with something as we read it. 😀 (Maybe we can discuss it via goodreads!)

          Liked by 1 person

  2. Kira says:

    I’m sorry to hear about your fear of sharks! The same type of thing happened to me but had the opposite effect 😛 But I TOTALLY relate to your love of Studio Ghibli!! While Disney has it’s merits, Ghibli’s method of storytelling is far more appealing to me. Such a neat post!

    Liked by 1 person

    • Summer @ Xingsings says:

      Thanks, Kira! 😀 I know right? I love Disney but I could talk about Studio Ghibli all day (maybe even write a Studio Ghibli appreciation post, LOL)! And oh my gosh, so are you trying to say you don’t mind sharks? I’ll make sure to take you whenever I go to aquariums and such; you could protect me. 😉

      Like

  3. Kelly @ Dancing Through the Pages says:

    The awards/tags are piling up and I haven’t worked any of them into my tentative blogging schedule for the next month o.o I’m totally screwed
    Oh man sharks. I’ve never seen Jaws except in passing when my parents would channel surf but I tend to not like horror movies. Is Jaws a horror movie? Who even knows. The shark gif you attached looks rather cute but I’ll admit that I thought it was a rubber toy before I read your caption.
    Sleeptalking lmao. I think that’s adorable, especially since you do it in two languages. Even if I’m sorta bilingual (My Chinese seriously sucks though) I don’t think I’d ever be able to sleeptalk in Chinese. Kudos to you for achieving amazing language skills xD
    And thanks for nominating me! I think what you said about me was super sweet 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    • Summer @ Xingsings says:

      You used channel surf in the same sentence as the movies Jaws, lol. (But nah, I know that’s an actual phrase.) XD And yes, Jaws is a very scary shark film-not sure if it counts as horror though. DO NOT, I REPEAT DO NOT WATCH IT-unless you’re up for it of course. And how dare you say that thing is kind of cute? No shark is “rather cute,” Kelly! (Okay, except for the ones in animated films like Shark Tales.) And thanks, it’s a very embarrassing habit since I kind of say things I wouldn’t say normally. And I’m sure your Chinese is fine! 🙂 And don’t worry about the tags/awards, take your time! 😀

      Liked by 1 person

      • Kelly @ Dancing Through the Pages says:

        Omigod that was a completely unintentional pun I swear.
        My friends are all horror movie fanatics and would probably shake me if I told them that I’d never seen Jaws. I think it’d be very gory and I’ve never been good with blood so I’ll take your advice and stay away from it XD

        Liked by 1 person

  4. Analee @ Book Snacks says:

    Oh my gosh Summer you are way too nice!! ❤ Thank you so much for mentioning me here, and for the lovely words, you just made my day (well, night) so much more brighter. (Which is saying something, since it’s pitch-black outside right now. Lol.)
    Ha ha don’t worry you’re not alone in the …unique sleeping habits! XD When I was younger apparently I would sleepwalk, lol. I don’t think I sleepwalk anymore though, but who knows? Maybe I do! Lol. And those gifs! Loving them. 😀 I love dolphins too (as I think you know) and although I’d never want to be close to a live shark, I’m not as scared of them as I used to be. 🙂
    Also, I really love your headers! They’re so pretty and creative. 🙂 Anyway, thanks again for the nomination and the kind words, it’s so sweet of you for taking the time to writing up these lovely comments. ❤ ❤

    Liked by 1 person

    • Summer @ Xingsings says:

      You’re welcome, Analee! I think the entire blogosphere agrees with what I said about you; you and your blog are awesome! And LOL, that is crazy! I’ve watch a documentary on people that had bouts of sleepwalking and I never really understood how it was possible. 😛 But it’s sounds really cool! And thank you (about the headers), Analee! ^.^

      Liked by 1 person

  5. aentee @ read at midnight says:

    Thank you Summer! I love your dedication to all the people you tagged.

    I also learned today that you love Ghibli and K-ent which move you from people I like to the people I love list hehe. I went to the Ghibli museum in Tokyo last year and it was phenomenal! I love how obsessed that country is with Totoro and Kiki haha- though my favourite is Spirited Away and Howl’s Moving Castle!

    Liked by 1 person

    • Summer @ Xingsings says:

      You’re welcome, Aentee! I really do like your graphics; I’m really looking forward to your shop and hope you have a lot of fun with it. 🙂 And haha, yes! Oh my gosh, I would love to go to that museum! Totoro is so adorable but Howl’s Moving Castle and Spirited Away are definitely my favorites as well! 😀

      Like

  6. cwreads says:

    Waaaaaah thank you for tagging me again Summer! You’re such a doll. Thank you so much for the kind words about my blog! ;_;

    I hope you can meet Shingie one day. She has been elusive (even to me!) lately, but I’ll rope her in and make sure there’s a meeting!

    It’s funny we haven’t talked about it before but WAAAAH I love Ghibli!! Which is your favourite? Mine is probably Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away, Totoro, Howl’s Moving Castle, Whisper of the Heart… bah, I love all of them, hehe.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Summer @ Xingsings says:

      You’re so welcome, Chooi! I really wished even more people would read your reviews; they really are one of my favorites! And yes, arrange that meetup. 😉 Oh my gosh, I COULD TELL! Wasn’t your display picture once of totoro?? That kind of made your blog an instant follow, admittedly… 😛 But my absolute favorites are Howl’s Moving Castle and spirited Away. I haven’t watched Whisper of the Heart, but Princess Mononoke and Totoro both have one of the best soundtracks. The Hayao Miyazaki and Joe Hisaishi team is golden. ❤

      Liked by 1 person

      • cwreads says:

        Aw, THANK YOU! ❤ :’) I owe it to you for getting me more involved with the WP book community! I never knew one existed before you approached me, haha.

        Yes it was!! It was of my little Totoro that my friend bought for me when she went to Japan! I also have a super big plush too!

        Whisper of the Heart is soooo beautiful and super sweet. You have to see it! ;_; It’s not fantasy though, it’s more coming-of-age. 😀

        Agreed!! Mononoke especially. The main theme though, hgnnnnhhhhhh

        Liked by 1 person

          • cwreads says:

            Awwww, likewise! ❤ Truly. c: AH, since I’m late to replying, you may have already watched it. I think it’s a simpler Ghibli, but it’s so beautiful in its innocence! What did you think?? 😀

            Liked by 1 person

  7. bookishandawesome says:

    But DESSERT IS FOREVER. Yeah, no. GOSH. SUMMER. What is this?! Is there something you want from me? Because. Wow. Thank you so much! This means more than I can say. ❤ And, uh, did you mention Jaws? ‘Cause that has haunted me in my childhood too! Like, crazy moments of not EVEN ONCE closing my eyes while taking a bath. Also? You’re weird. But, like, the awesome kind. I barely dream these days! And that The-Great-Wave-Off-Kanagawa-inspired feature image (or header or whatever) is seriously beautiful.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Summer @ Xingsings says:

      But, Shelumiel, dessert technically isn’t really forever since we all end up eating it? Lol, nah, I know what you meant! AND OMG, SO I’M NOT THE ONLY ONE! You know, I’ve had a bunch of nasty shampoo attacks on the eyes because of this fear. -__- And thanks (for admitting I’m the awesome kind of weird, I guess, and the header compliment)! ^.^

      Like

  8. ravenblake99 says:

    Congratulations! You really deserve this award! I like dolphins too but I don’t fear sharks as much as you do though. you’re so lucky I wish I could dream everyday too except the nightmares.I really like those cute gif’s. It’s so sweet of you to describe how you met all these amazing bloggers.Have a wonderful day and Happy Blogging! 😀

    Liked by 1 person

  9. Wesaun @ Oreos and Books says:

    I could cry happy tears! Summer, thank you so much for this nomination, and all your kind words. OMG, I’m so glad to be the one to introduce you to swag. I hope you reach your goals. ENDLESS HEART EMOJISSS. LOL, I accept the volunteer publicist title with pride. 😀

    Liked by 1 person

  10. dreamingthroughliterature says:

    I loved reading your facts Summer! So interesting 😀 My aunt is also horrified of sharks. We wen to an aquarium once and there were a few small sharks sitting on the bottom of a tank and my aunt stayed against the opposite wall, so I can completely comprehend your fear! Another funny story about talking in your sleep. I’m a huge snorer, and don’t usually actually talk or mumble. But, one time a few of my friends and I were all sleeping in one room (this was about a year ago) and I was sharing a futon with my friend April. And apparently we were two of the first few to fall asleep and we had an entire mumbled conversation in our sleep like we were actually responding to each other. My friend Nikki said it was pretty crazy. Don’t know why I thought of that story exactly, but I guess you reminded me of it haha.

    Also, you’re banners are always super cool and impressive!

    Liked by 2 people

  11. Nerdybirdy @ Daydreaming Books says:

    Thaaaaaank you so much Summer! ❤ It really means a lot to me, specially when it’s coming from you! I’m always smiling whenever I’m seeing this post, you inspire me a lot Summer. I have to say it again, I’m so glad I met you, you are one of my favourite bloggers in the blogoshere. And I love love love your banners, I have many fb friends who work wonders on photoshop and I’m just waiting for that day when I’ll have my new computer and I can start accessing photoshop, really can’t wait. Thanks once again for the nomination. 😀

    Liked by 1 person

    • Summer @ Xingsings says:

      You’re so welcome, Poulami! Thank you for always being so supportive; you’re one of the nicest bloggers I know!! AND OMG, getting a new computer is one of the best things. I’m equally as excited for you. Thanks again for all the kind compliments. Have a nice day! ^.^

      Liked by 1 person

  12. Thuong Le says:

    Great post – I enjoying reading more about you! I have a fear of sharks too – they’re just terrifying! when I was younger I loved dolphins ❤ The only time I saw a dolphin was when I was on holiday in Vietnam, which was a long time ago! The kitten gif is adorable! I am also a picky eater. I just know what I like and what I don’t lol. I really like the banners/headers you create for your blog! It looks creative and has a nice touch to your posts 🙂 aww thank you your words about my art work and for the tag! 🙂 haha I feel like I always have an unpopular opinion lol.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Summer @ Xingsings says:

      You’re welcome, Thuong! I just kind of feel bad that I keep tagging the same people. I’m pretty sure I’m the reason some bloggers get tag/award posting anxiety. 😛 And that is so cool, I’ve actually never been to Vietnam but I want to visit someday since I still have a lot of family there. 🙂 Thanks so much for the kind comment!

      Like

  13. Trisha Ann says:

    Oh my gosh! I’m so late in reading this! For some reasons (wp failure probably), I saw this notif just now. So sorry! Anyway, thanks for tagging me and for that sweet description (and with the other bloggers too. Love the effort!). You’re one of the first people I get to interact with here in wp and I’m glad we still do 🙂 Do you speak English and Vietnamese while you sleep? That’s awesome! Also, I really find your banners so cute. Especially those scribbled ones like in your TTT posts 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    • Summer @ Xingsings says:

      It’s totally okay; I honestly feel like it’s never too late to comment on a post!

      Thank you so much for all the compliments and you’re so welcome, Trisha! I look forward to reading your random facts. 🙂 Haha, yes! I speak a mix of English and Vietnamese in my sleep apparently. 😛

      Liked by 1 person

  14. Randstein says:

    A big congratulations, Summer! This was very enjoyable to learn how creative you are and to never make shark jokes in front of you or behind you. I just learned that Dreamer is an actual personality type so you have a lot of creative personality awake and asleep. Also, I enjoyed the introductions to your nominations. What a great way to help people find more bloggers they are interested in. Dream On! -Daniel

    Liked by 1 person

    • Summer @ Xingsings says:

      Thank you so much, Daniel! A Dreamer is definitely a personality, I think. Thank you! And I hope you were able to find some cool blogs through this. ^.^

      Gosh, I mentioned catching up on your latest posts a couple of weeks ago…. I’ll be doing that soon! So expect an influx of sudden Summer-y comments. 😉

      Liked by 1 person

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