It’s that time of year again - The annual Quilting Bee Blog Day. This is where I get to reflect on being a member of the “first and original pixel trading club.” The Quilting Bee website is where I spend approximately 95% of my time online. Where should I even start?!

I joined The Quilting Bee on August 6, 2006. I can’t believe I’ve been a member for over a year now! It seems like I’ve been a member forever, but then on the other hand, it hasn’t seemed very long at all! If I am being completely honest, the thing that primarily attracted me to The Q*Bee was all of the adorable, colorful little quilts and patches I was seeing all over websites. It looked very cute and fun, and I wanted to be a part of it all. I was a little nervous about joining because I am not really what I’d call a “pixeller.” I thought only people with fantabulous pixel skills were accepted into the club. I finally decided I’d give it a try though, and lo and behold - I was accepted!

Hey, why not check out my Quilting Bee Quilt, or take a look at these member patches I have made over the course of being member #267.

I was one of those newbees who was super excited about everything. I wanted to trade with everyone. Get “all” the patches. Win awards. Participate in every contest/activity. I quickly learned that there is way more to it than all of the pixel goodies. The Quilting Bee is a community. It’s more than just trading patches, winning contests, and even more than hanging out in the BBS. The Quilting Bee is a place where you can make friendships that will hopefully last forever. It is a great source of support and not just support for how to pixel better or how to make a website, but also great personal support. We share laughs, jokes, pictures, patches, but also real-life stories. It’s a great place to have to go to when you just need to talk about something, anything really! Someone is always around to talk to usually.

I have been very privileged in winning several awards and holding several staff positions. It does make you feel good when you win an award or when you mark momentous occasions in the club. I became a Princess Bee on February 27, 2007. I was really surprised and honored when I was asked if I’d like to become a Princess Bee. I have always been a bee who loves to help out any way I can. Becoming a Princess Bee was very exciting for me. I’m also a WorkerBee (bees who check member websites/quilts), HoneyBee (bees who vote on newbees), BBS Moderator, and I am the head of the Welcoming Committee. I send emails and welcome patches to newbees along with Arien. I am also the Rejected Bee Liaison (doesn’t that sound fancy, thanks Jem!). This means I email potential newbees who were not accepted and work with them to make changes so that they might apply again and be accepted. This is probably one of the most rewarding things I do. I love to help people get accepted and really be with them throughout the whole process.

If you have a website with a decent amount of content and personal information about yourself, consider joining The Quilting Bee. I really don’t think you’ll be sorry you did. You have nothing to lose, and lots to gain.

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