Elaine at California Living was sweet enough to send me a Stylish Blogger Award. Betsy at A Plateful of Happiness was kind enough to give me one, too.

Sometimes the hardest thing about blogging isn’t finding subjects for posts or getting a really good photograph. The hardest part can be connecting with others to turn your monologue into a conversation. Kim at The Yummy Mummy Cooks Gourmet wrote a great piece called Thoughts on How to Stop Writing a Billboard in the Desert, which really puts a lot of this in perspective. She suggests you build your own tribe, rather than relying on people to discover you.

The Stylish Blogger Award is one way of doing this. Curate a list of bloggers you enjoy, let them know that you appreciate what they’re doing and then have them come up with a list of their own. Make sure you explore these lists and you’re bound to find people that you connect with. Leave comments for some of these new discoveries, start some conversations and pretty soon the blogosphere might seem a little less lonely.

Here’s how it works:

1. Thank and link back to the person who awarded you this award:

Thanks so much to Elaine at California Living for choosing my blog as one of her fifteen. I’ve enjoyed her blog so much and it’s wonderful to know that she’s enjoyed mine, too.

Thanks to Betsy at A Plateful of Happiness for choosing my blog as part of her list, too. She writes with us on French Fridays and I enjoy her posts about cooking, life and reading.

2. Share 7 things about yourself:

1. I do drink beverages other than tea. Really.
2. Some say chocolate and some say lemon. I say both.
3. Though my dog does have a jacket, I am not one of “those” people.
4. I knit and crochet, but not as often as I’d like.
5. I still have cassette tapes and the means with which to play them.
6. The only sport I’ve ever been good at is curling.
7. I think Michael Quinion of World Wide Words is always right.

3. Award 15 recently discovered great bloggers:

Play With String Crochet, knitting and cleverness
¡Me Gusta! Clever insights on architecture, music, urban issues and more
The not so exciting adventures of a dabbler… The highs and lows of kitchen adventures, with a dollop of humour
Vegan Thyme Amazing feats of recipe adaptation
Maroc Mama Food, travel and family
Miss Kris Kitchen Beautifully presented food with lovely stories
Everything But the Cake Food and knitting, PDX-style
Tammy Circeo Food and photography
Prof Who Cooks One of our newest FFwD members
The Kitchenarian Beautifully designed, full of food
The Barefoot Kitchen Witch Cooking, Gardening, Crafting and those Cakes!
The CSA Files Cooking with the bounty from an agricultural share
Lemon Tart A Vancouver Foodie
rainy day kitchen Beautiful, clean design and photography from another FFwD participant
napangel Fantastic photography

4. Contact these bloggers and tell them about the award!

Happy to and I hope that you take the time to visit Elaine and the others I’ve listed. I think you’ll enjoy their blogs, too.

Update – February 8, 2011:

Kathy of Bakeaway With Me gave me this award today. Thanks so much, Kathy! I always enjoy reading your blog. I encourage everyone to go and take a look!

Please check out everyone on my blogroll and do browse through all the participants’ blogs for French Fridays with Dorie. It’s by sharing our favourites that we can build community.