If I knew I'd get so many prezzies I'd go on vacay more often (NOT) - And look who's making banners!

THANK YOU for everyone who voted my Vamp Willow icons 1st PLACE in "Themes: Guess Who?" (Let a Smile Be Your Umbrella) and 3rd Place Set for "Category: Same Picture" in Round Two of btvsats20in20!  This is my very FIRST first-place award in anything fandom-related, and my first awards in a 20in20 comm! And for Vamp Willow, not Buffy, icons? The world is a strange and, occasionally, wonderous place.

I never thought that "Let a Smile Be Your Umbrella" would win anything. I made it literally the night before I finally submitted my entiries - two days behind schedule - exhausted and up too late, cursing the html tables and in a weird zone where it suddenly hit me as funny and I didn't care if no one else "got" my humor.  What was the worst that could happen? No one would like it, big deal. This is VERY unexpected. And as an artist I'm super-proud of the Category Set I produced this round (and the alt versions of them). At the risk of sounding arrogant, I think I did good, solid work here and I'll still be proud of these icons down the road. And I've already earned my Willow Posse Seal of Approval, so it makes this award so much sweeter. I'm really grateful for everyone's votes and more importantly the feedback, advice, tutoring, support and friendship y'all have given me along the way.

Congratulations to all the other winners: starry_night, iconsoleander, rua1412, federica74, teragramm and sweet_lyri! So many wonderous icons to chose from, such sweet, sweet pain being forced to chose. For this round your banner-maker is...YOURS TRULY! Another "first" to add to my list.

20in20's are a bit different to  icontests with fewer entrants overall (slayerstillness , otherworldlyric, btvs_hush etc) in that there are so many winning entries that the winners have to request a banner if they want one made. Personally, half the fun of winning an icontest award is the banner, so if you're one of those folks I've already named above and you think the way I do, go over to the Winners Post and place your order. teragramm and iconsoleander have already done so. Here's a sample "spec" banner, using starry_night's lush and lovely "Hairporn" winner, to give you an idea of what to expect:

You like? You want? You know what to do. And then you can sign up for Round 3; starry_night has posted the rules and themes.

The rules of this contest do not provide for a Banner Maker's Choice, but I will post my traditional and customary Meta in Praise of the Overlooked Worthies once the banners are finished. As I am wont to do. (*cough* oh_cheezit and how I secretly hope she does an Anya set this time around because her recent OMWF icons were superb & why debris4spike's "First" entry with Buffy and Cordy brings me to tears when I look at those two little girls and think about what could have been and what's to come and it makes me want to get all meta on your asses and I know teragramm isn't lacking in awards love but in my heart of hearts her Sorrow icon KILLED. Just sayin'. Why aren't there more icons of that scene from Helpless? ("You stuck a needle in me?") *cough*) .

*Please note that the excess bold font isn't my fault. Blame LJ.