Annoucing a winner... and awards...

Drum roll, please... This lovely ideal of Scottish beauty, as imagined by a French photographer, has an announcement to make.... Out of 117 possible entries, a random number generator chose the number 78 from my excel list...

This means that the winner of my first, Franco-Scottish giveaway, is Olga, of the excellent blog 'Where are you, Olga?' The 'Scottish' lovely above is the extra vintage photo I said I'd add - she has some 'English' and 'Irish' friends on the same photo... So, Olga, congratulations and please email me your address, and I will get posting!However, Olga and everyone else should keep reading, because Melanie, of A Country Dream, has very kindly given me this award. Thanks so much, Melanie - you have a lovely blog yourself! I need to pass it on to 10 other blogs I think are lovely – only 10? That’s always the problem, when there are so many wonderful blogs and kind bloggers around…
But I have managed to narrow it down to 10, so here are some blogs I would recommend to all, each with a very charming and friendly blogger:
*
Olga, whose blog ‘Where are you, Olga?’ is an almost daily glimpse into an amazing part of the world or an inspirational art form. Olga is Polish and wonderfully well travelled! (I have to tell you I wrote this bit this morning, so I had no idea that you were going to be a double winner today, Olga!)
*
Fleur, from Marble Rose – what entertaining things she finds and makes! I’m also currently envying her piano stool…
*
Mandy, from Live, Laugh, Love – you can do all those things by following Mandy’s blog – it’s lovely to keep up with her family and her vintage news…
*
Stacey, at Polka Dot Daze (I like the pun in the title), who is an incredible crafter, making wonderful things for her charming children, and blogging about everything so sweetly.
*
Sarah who loves Red Gingham so much that her blog is both named after it and full of it! I love reading about her family and her crafting activities in New Zealand (Stacey is in New Zealand too – the world seems smaller through blogging!)
*
Lululiz, who can be found in Lalaland (!?) and has some seriously good vintage shopping finds at car boot sales. She also makes soap and has a cottage in France which she can’t currently visit… read her blog to find out more…
*
Julia at Vintage Heaven – just looking at her blog title pictures makes me smile; I don’t even have to get as far as the beautiful posts before I’m grinning…
*
Joe, at Josie-Mary, another really friendly blogger who you just feel at home with when you read about her crafting, shopping or life…
*
Beck, at Dandelion, who is a country-dwelling Australian who has taught me more that I ever thought I’d learn about organic garlic farming, and generally about living the Good Life, Australian style!
*
and last but by no means least:
*
Jeannette from Sans Soucis, who has one of the first blogs I ever read – it is a beautiful inspiration for calm vintage style (as opposed to my own) and has the added treat of letting you see everything written in Dutch as well as English, which is fun.
*

I realise that awards can be a burden as well as an honour, so if you have time you are asked to pass this award on to 10 more 'Lovely Blogs', but if you don't have time, please just relax and know that I think you really do have a lovely blog - surely that's all you need to know...

*
I am going to take a day off from the computer tomorrow (Wednesday) so if you find me sneaking a look at your blog and leaving a comment after this evening, tell me off!