Lenses I've nominated for Lens of the Day

Talk about titles! I've never seen a hockey game. Sacrilege that it may be, I'm not even a sports fan, but when I saw flycatcher's title, "The Hockey Sweater," in the SquidU forum, my curiosity was piqued. I took a look, and I'm so glad I did.

What a tribute! From the utterly charming cartoon of the same name to the six minute ovation honoring Canada's cultural hero, The Rocket, I was spellbound. Finally, I get a glimpse into what makes ordinary people fanatical about a team and a player. Everyone should see this lens.

Nominated: 05/04/2012
Like it enough to add your voice? Nominate it here.

If you've been thinking about taking your carbon footprint reduction plan to the next level, this is the lens for you. LeanneChesser was already doing the basics and then some when she decided to take the one week No Impact Challenge.

During her week of learning to do even more, she discovered how far she's come, adjusted to a couple of hard knocks along the way, and made plans for the future.

She's already earned a Purple Star and front page status for her story. How about upping the accolades to Lens of the Day? Would you agree she's earned it?

Nominated: 04/30/2012
Like it enough to add your voice? Nominate it here.

If you've ever tasted eggs from range-fed ducks, you know how good they are. In Muscovy Ducks--Pets with Benefits, Mainleyhappy tells the tale of her three ducks, Elvis and his two-hen harem--the delicious eggs they provide, the fun of watching ducklings hatch and grow, how the brood keeps the yard free of pesky bugs, especially mosquitoes, and the treasures they become to the family. Along the way she gives tips on raising this special breed and shares her reasons for choosing them.

Raising barnyard ducks may seem mundane. This story is anything but.

Nominated: 04/21/2012
Like it enough to add your voice? Nominate it here.

I found one! After looking for days I found an excellent Earth Day lens [for the Earth Day LOTD quest] that also has an (almost) 250x250 pic. What a journey this has been.

Pastiches "Earth Day Crafts" is everything I love in a web page: Easy to read, fulfilling the promise of the title, providing lots of useful on-topic info, and then some.

This lens is chock full of crafts that moms, dads, uncles, aunts, cousins, teachers, and anybody who likes to play can do with the little ones in their lives. Plus Pastiche has included plenty of links to extra Earth Day craft resources and charming, fun and useful products to help us in our Earth Day crafting that we might not have found on our own.

All the while, Pastiche lets her warm, earthy personality shine through and shares tidbits about her love of the Earth and ways she's celebrated Earth Day from the very first celebration so long ago when her children were wee ones, right on through today.

I hope you (and lots of other Squids) agree that this is a top-notch lens for the Earth Day LOTD honor.

Nominated: 04/19/2012
Awarded LOTD 04/22/2012

We're all competing for reader's attention and time with every word we write and every lens we publish, so I cannot imagine a more useful page than Daniela Uslan's Top Ten Ways to Improve Your Writing (in any genre). I can tell you, she kept my attention from the first word to the last.

Dream of writing concise, power-punched prose like Hemingway? She shows you how. Want to keep your reader's eyeballs on the page from top to bottom? She shows you how to do that too.

Nominated: 03/28/2012
Like it enough to add your voice? Nominate it here.

Einar_A's title so intrigued me, I had to learn more. Now I can't wait to get into the country and find some roadside milkweed plants.

This page sparkles with clear photographs that illustrate perfectly how to recognize, harvest and open milkweed pods. There's a touch of humor when s/he tells of learning the hard way not to wait till the pods turn brown and the down fluffy to collect them.

I loved learning about the school children who collected tons and tons of the fluffy life-saving down during World War II, and Einar_A shows a remarkable sensitivity to the Monarch butterfly, who needs the milkweed plant for food and to lay her eggs. Best of all, I'm glad to know how milkweed down could save my life if ever I'm lost in the wilderness and need to start a fire.

Nominated: 03/25/2012
Like it enough to add your voice? Nominate it here.

I hope you have room for one more Valentine-themed LOTD, because brand-new lensmaster RomanticMe shows us how to plan and carry out a scavenger hunt, "a "love hunt," that's sure to wow your sweetheart on Valentine's Day. It's a beautiful first lens.

Nominated: 02/09/2012
Like it enough to add your voice? Nominate it here.

Just when we think winter is almost over, it blows in again with a vengeance. What better salve for the gloom-filled breast longing for spring than the cheery blossoms of a forsythia or cherry tree gracing the table or mantle? Micki_G shows us just how easy it is to bring spring indoors early, including a handy recipe for keeping the cut twigs fresh longer.

I hope you'll agree with me that this lens, already awarded a purple star and a spot on the home page in February, is worthy of Lens of the Day one cold, blustery day.

Nominated: 02/07/2012
Like it enough to add your voice? Nominate it here.

MysticTurtle sets the stage so well with her introductory paragraph that I had to keep reading. I suspect you will too. Take a look: "When I began my Appalachian Trail thru-hike, I thought I was just going on a grand adventure in the woods. On hindsight, it seems only logical that a trail with such legendary status as the Appalachian Trail should have mythological undertones."

Sublimely written, expertly polished, Appalachian Trail--A Hero's Journey is a journey in itself. Through MysticTurtle's illustration of the Heroe's Journey on the Applachian Trail, I understand the passages of life viscerally, in a way no book has ever illuminated. I also understand what happens when we get stuck in some part of our life and seem never to move beyond that point. More importantly, I understand how to get unstuck.

What a treasure! I do hope you agree and will give this Purple Star lens the Lens of the Day recognition it so richly deserves.

Nominated: 01/23/2012
Like it enough to add your voice? Nominate it here.

It's that time of year when we think about things we want to change in our homes--clearing clutter, redecorating. If your decorating plans tend toward the DIY type, you will find oodles of ideas and details in veryirie's "Canvas Drop Cloth in Home Decor." She shows us how to use this inexpensive, versatile material to spruce and brighten any room. From pillow covers that become colorful works of art with the help of vintage handkerchiefs to no-sew, almost instant draperies, to slipcovers that stay put, veryirie has you, well, covered!

Nominated: 01/06/2012
Like it enough to add your voice? Nominate it here.

What better time than the beginning of a new year to plan a renaissance in your life? If you're hungering for a spark to light the creative fire in you, step into "Your Renaissance Year" by RenaissanceWoman2010. She shows us how, through simple steps that refresh body and mind, we can discover what we need for a more satisfying, productive, healthy and energized year. Take a look. If you're like me, just reading the page will spark renewed hope, vim and verve.

Nominated: 12/30/2011

In a whirl of Halloween themed lenses, this page stands out. Have a great time at the office dress-up party, and avoid some common mistakes that could cost your next promotion. Don't, for example wear that slinky cat costume complete with stilettos and plush tail. Don't show off your bare abs and six-pack with that Aladdin costume either. Save them for your drinking buddies--the ones who never visit your office.

New to Squidoo, ModernChakra nails it with this lens and just may save your job. His combination of well-written content, well-placed, curated sales modules and a timely topic is not all, though. He shows a depth of intellect and compassion without being preachy or talking about it, definitely unexpected in a Halloween-themed page.

Nominated: 10/14/2011

In these tough economic times, if you've been thinking you could save a bundle and freshen your home by making your own fresh window treatments, you'll find everything you need in lensmaster lbrummer's Sew your own window treatments. When it comes to how-tos, we need clear, concise instructions that take us from start to stand-back-and-admire-our-work-Wow! lbrummer does just that. She guides us in finding just the right window treatment, color and fabric, assures we have the tools we need to accomplish the task, then takes us step-by-clear-step to finished product. I can't wait to start hunting down examples and designing my dream window covering project.

Nominated 09/05/11
Received LOTD 09/06/11

Get a taste for everyday living in first century Nazareth with goldenecho's "Nazareth - An interactive exploration." I could taste the dust. And just when I wondered how goldenecho would back up the assertions she made, she provided links to her sources. So rare on Squidoo.

Nazareth contains a depth of information equally rare on Squidoo, yet presented in such an easy to follow, well-organized format, that every bite is exactly where it should be and easy to digest. Even her recipes for lentil soup and flatbread fit perfectly and are an unexpected treat.

Nazareth is absolutely exemplary of everything an informative, well-written lens should be.

Nominated: 8/19/11
Like it enough to add your voice? Nominate it here.

Sometimes a lens comes along that heals the soul. That's how I felt watching the Moonflower bud open in real time on Stazjia's "Moonflowers - Night blooming plants."

Observing this tiny, ordinary event up close and personal, we are reminded how very beautiful is each tiny life--whether a flower's or our own--in the Greater Scheme. Our sense of awe and wonder is renewed.

Stazjia's Moonflower lens is superbly crafted, a joy to read. I hope you will think so too and give Stazjia a nod with LOTD.

Nominated: 08/27/11
Like it enough to add your voice? Nominate it here.

Another find! For a world class mini-tour of art and art history, take a stroll through AlleyCatLane's Franklin Mint curio cabinet cats lens. From the whimsical Galle, to the studious Black Basalt and the adorable Herend, the cats in AlleyCatLane's collection will delight, awe and tickle your fancy. Cat and art lovers alike are sure to enjoy this well-crafted page.

Nominated: 08/17/11
Like it enough to add your voice? Nominate it here.

Visualize this: Stewart Copeland of the Police posing for his portrait in royal Chinese garb, and looking like he should hang in gilt-framed splendor forevermore at the top of the grand palace staircase. In Paint a Portrait like a Renaissance Old Master, artist sockii takes us step by step through her process with a winning style that kept this non-painter's attention from start to finish. Not only is her lens beautiful and highly readable, but she included such skillfully wrought Amazon modules that I read every word in them as well. I hope you will give this lens the attention it deserves and award it LOTD. Serious and aspiring artists everywhere, and especially here on Squidoo, will thank you.

Nominated 7/24/11
Received LOTD: 7/26/11

I hope you folks at HQ aren't getting tired of me, but I keep running across the BEST lenses! In "A new version of 'Cinderella'--What if she had a GOOD stepmother?", _Joan_ shakes the cobwebs from an old tale and gives it a shiny, new twist that is sure to entertain every little girl and put a sparkle in the eye of every parent and grandparent. By far the most unique use of Squidoo I have seen to date, _Joan_'s Cinderella is well-written, eye-catching with its illustrations, just plain smart, and beautifully wrought.

Nominated 7/16/11
Like it enough to add your voice? Nominate it here.

It's not an easy topic, but if you know someone you fear may be contemplating suicide, you need to read "Helping someone thinking of suicide." You just might save a life. As one who has lost a friend to suicide and served on suicide watch with another, I can say this lens is spot on in its advice. New lensmaster InquisitiveOne gets right to the point and doesn't waste a minute of our time. She knows what she's talking about, and her lens is well-written in the best tradition of Squidoo.


Nominated 7/13/11
Like it enough to add your voice? Nominate it here.

Travels with Miranda is a superb example of cross-polliinating a lens and a blog, while seamlessly integrating provocative sales modules and promoting an e-book I feel I MUST have. Only Seth Godin has achieved that last, until now.

In Travels with Miranda, as on several other lenses, Rae caught my attention and kept it, then deftly directed me where she wanted me to go. Travels stands out because Rae's writing style is clean and targeted. The links to her blog, with their quick descriptions, make me want more instantly. I can't stop clicking through! I hope you feel as I do about this lens and award it a coveted LOTD.

Nominated 7/9/11
Like it enough to add your voice? Nominate it here.

I consider myself fairly well versed on the dangers in our food supply, but I had never heard of meat glue. Everyone who sees this should click through to Ravenka's lens right now and watch that video, even if you haven't time for any other part of the lens. If you DO have time, stick around. There's a heap of information you need if you care what goes into your body [and] the bodies of your children and family.

Nominated 7/4/11
Received LOTD award 7/5/11

First of all, if you're the least bit crafty, this is one of the most fun, whimsical AND practical projects I've seen in a long time. Secondly, it's very well written, with good step-by-step instructions. Thirdly, if I were searching on Google for a fun, quirky, new/old craft to do with my tweens or young teens, I'd be glad I found this page. So many Squidoo pages are badly done. This one is in the category that could boost Squidoo's reputation a jump or two--and we need it! Wish all lenses (including mine) were so well written, informative, on-topic and well done.

Nominated: 6/17/11
Received LOTD award 6/20/11

Actually, it may have been Joan's "Edible Weeds in Los Angeles". I hadn't started keeping good notes yet, and I can't remember which one I nominated now, or what I said, but both are well deserving. Joan is a lively writer, her work is clear, and her topic both unusual and useful.

Nominated 6/19/11
Like these enough to add your voice? Nominate them here.

Until this lens, I had never heard of Haibun. Now I'm hooked. If you find it as beautifully wrought as I, please let HQ know! You can nominate it here. It only takes a couple of minutes.

Nominated 6/17/11
Like it enough to add your voice? Nominate it here.

Everything you want or need to know about LOTD is right here: Who picks the LOTD? What is the criteria? When will your lens make it into the club? Okay, that one's not really answered so much as it is addressed.