House Warming Pot Luck Blog Hop

Welcome to my house!  Come on in and around back to the garden:

I'm assuming you're here as part of Deb's House Warming Blog Hop Pot Luck?  If not, you may want to check out Deb's post here to find out what's going on.  But, you're welcome to stay, regardless of how you got here!  Have a seat on a garden bench while I get you a drink:

I want you to enjoy a real, authentic California Margarita.  Not something made from a mix, but something made from actual ingredients.  Here's what you'll need:
Ice
Limes (one per drink- look for thin skinned, juicy ones)
Tequila (100% agave - silver is usually best)
Grand Marnier
Agave Nectar (look in the sugar and sweeteners aisle; available in grocery stores in the US)
To make the margaritas:
Place ice in a shaker.  Squeeze the juice of one lime for each drink. Add one shot of tequila and 1/2 a shot of Grand Marnier per drink.  Add one large squeeze of agave nectar per drink.  Shake well.  Pour into glass over ice.  Float a little more Grand Marnier on top.  Taste and correct sweetness as desired.
I usually serve these with tortilla chips and guacamole, but I also like to offer pistachios or spiced nuts, as well. Emeril Legasse has a good spiced nut recipe at this link, but be sure to read the comments for some hints on following it. Martha Stewart has a healthyish recipe here. 

You're welcome to stay as long as you like, but please don't give any tequila to Gypsy, no matter how cute she looks when she begs:

And when you're done, click on this link to hop on over to see Beverly in North Carolina, USA.  She's got a yummy appetizer waiting for you!
If you get lost along the way, here are links for the entire blog hop:

Drinks/Appetizers

Deb @ PaperTurtle – http://paperturtle.blogspot.com

Rinda @ Gallo Organico – http://gallorganico.blogspot.com/  (This is me!!! You are here!)

Beverly @ BE glorious - http://beglorious.blogspot.com/

Soups/Salads

Alison @ Life in the Slow Lane – http://alisonslife-in-the-slow-lane.blogspot.com/

Fiona @ Staring at the Sea – http://fiona-staringatthesea.blogspot.com/

Amy @ Over at our Place - http://overatourplace.blogspot.com/

Side/Main Dishes

The “Not So” Small One @ From High in the Sky – http://fromhighinthesky.blogspot.com/

Jacky @ Scrappy Jacky - http://scrappyjackylive.blogspot.com/

Deb @ Deb’s World – http://debs14.blogspot.com/

Ginger @ Ginger’s Life of Spice - http://gingerslifeofspice.blogspot.com/

Karen @ Tales from the Scrapheap - http://talesfromthescrapheap.blogspot.com/

Karen @ Random Reflections - http://kbwalker.blogs.com/random_relfections/

Ruth @ Everyday Life of a Suburban SAHM - http://suburbansahm.blogspot.com/

Desserts

Stephanie @ La Dolce Vita - http://dreamingladolcevita.blogspot.com/

Ruth @ Chatty Crafty Arty Pig - http://chattycraftyartypig.blogspot.com/

Margaret @ Finnegan Begin Again – http://margaretfinnegan.blogspot.com/

Becca @ La Jolie Fleur Rouge - http://lajoliefleurrouge.blogspot.com/

Rhona @ Life in General - http://rhonacs-lifeingeneral.blogspot.com/

Cheri @ Scrap Dreams - http://cheriandrews.blogspot.com/

Carrie @ Rosalind Revival – http://www.rosalindrevival.com/ 

pink butterfly

My dear friend Deb of Paper Turtle is hosting a gathering of butterflies for The Butterfly Project, a remembrance of the children who perished in the holocaust. You can read Deb's post here. Deb's plan is to gather 51 butterflies by May 1. I'm making two butterflies - one in pink and one in blue. Here's the pink one. It's made of corrugated paper, decorated with flowers on the top.

And stamps on the bottom. Deb's butterfly was made of fabric, but I am not a seamstress! So, I chose this sturdy paper and doubled it for good measure. My other butterfly is being made out of plaster. I'll be sure to post it when it's done.
I hope you decide to join in the butterfly project. It's destined to be one of those amazing blog happenings. I can just tell. The serendipity became apparent to me when I read the comment from my cousin Irene (in Houston, Texas) that she works down the street from the Holocaust Museum and will definitely be participating.  I wonder if she will be able to make a stain glass butterfly (that's her media of choice) or if that won't work for the display.  Will you be participating in the project? What will you make your butterfly out of?

Liberate Your Art Postcard Swap Blog Hop

I was lucky enough to participate in a wonderful postcard swap organized by Kat Sloma of Kat Eye Studio. The theme was "liberate your art," and each participant sent in five postcards featuring their original art and received five postcards in return.  I previously posted about the first two post cards I received (click on this link). Today, I'm featuring the rest of my wonderful returns. The lovely digital creation in the upper left, titled "Window of my Soul" is from Carolyn in Idaho (hi Carolyn!), and the thought provoking photograph on the right is from Ashley Sisk from North Carolina.  Her postcard included this quote from Tom Ang:  "One of the joys of photography is that you never know what will come at you from around the next corner."

Wendy sent the postcard with the gorgeous gate and perfect depth of field.  Finally, Kat was nice enough to send all the participants a postcard as well - I received the beautiful blue door. Want to see more amazing "liberated art"? Go to this link and check out the entries from other blog participants. I sent out a postcard with my mixed media collage "Wings," which is featured on the left column of my blog. I'm off to see if I can find where my postcard landed!

Counterfeit Kit Blog Hop: Summertime Birthday Party

The Counterfeit Kit Challenge Blog is hosting a blog hop that should provide you with lots of inspiration.  You can check out the CKCB main page at this link.  Each of the posts in today's hop will tell you about a favorite web site/manufacturer and will create a project using inspiration from that website.  I chose Club Scrap because it remains my all time favorite paper arts producer.  Even though my counterfeit kit doesn't feature Club Scrap product this month, their website is full of inspiration.  If you go to the main Club Scrap site and click on the "Inspiration" tab, you'll see galleries based on their collections, a video archive and lots of other fun stuff.  Within each collection, there are sample cards, layouts and projects.  I based my Houston Memory card (see explanation here) on a card I found in the "Lotus Pond" gallery.  Here's the link to the card which inspired me.  It was made by a very talented Club Scrap member named Farley:

I almost forgot . . . the inside of my card reads, "During the summer which Cordelia and I spent in Houston, our aunts and uncles decided to throw us a birthday party since we were never in town for our 'real' birthday.   We were both born in March. I only ever had one summertime birthday, and it's one I will never forget."
I hope you have fun perusing Club Scrap's website for inspiration, as well as the other websites in the blog hop!
{As with most blog hops, it's possible that blogger may have problems or the timing of posts may be a bit off. So, if things don't go smoothly right away, check back in later}
To continue on the hop, click on this link to go see Jennifer.


And, if you get lost along the way, here's a complete list of the participating blogs:

Counterfeit Kit Challenge       http://counterfeitkitchallenge.blogspot.com/

Emily http://aplaceformyscraps.blogspot.com/

Ashley         http://papercatnipcupcakes.blogspot.com/

Patty                 http://pattycakescreations.blogspot.com/

Lisa J                                   http://thesimplelifewithlisa.blogspot.com/

Julie Ann         http://julieannshahin2.blogspot.com/

Milissa http://millermall.blogspot.com/

Jennifer G. http://jennifersjumbles.blogspot.com

Lesa         http://cutescrapbookingideas.com/

Tricia http://scrapquilt.blogspot.com

Karen http://icouldbescrapbookinginstead.blogspot.com/

Lisa A.         http://dreamingofcreativity.blogspot.com/

Glinda         http://razzledscrapper.blogspot.com/ 

Rinda         http://gallorganico.blogspot.com/

Jennifer C. http://www.mypair-a-dice.blogspot.com/

Christy                 http://myscrapbookevolution.blogspot.com/

Michelle         http://creativeoperation.blogspot.com/

Bethany                                   http://inspiredscrapper-bethany.blogspot.com/

Enchanted Forest (AJ page) and Blog Hop Winner

ETA:  I took down the previously displayed art journal page because I received the following email from the artist:
"Hi Maria,
I came across your blog and the collage containing an image of one of my paintings.
While I am flattered you like my work and promote my website through your blog, I am displeased the image was used to make another piece of artwork and broadcast without my permission.
My images are protected by copyright laws and are my intellectual property.
I am requesting the image be removed from the internet until express written permission is granted from my attorney.
Thank you for your cooperation.
Sincerely,
Brian McGuffey"

Who knew any artists read my blog?  And, as I said in my email reply to him, I certainly did not mean to cause him displeasure or to do anything wrong. I treated his postcard the same way I treat other found objects in my mixed media work. I do not make any money off his image, and I gave it proper attribution.  I thought that was sufficient, especially since the image is visible on his website and promotional material.  Oh well, live and learn . . .

********************************************************************************Thanks to everyone for stopping by my blog as part of Mel's smashing Alpha-Numeric Blog Hop! I especially appreciate all the insights people shared about the artists in their family.  I used the random number generator to select the winner for the assortment of Clara cards, and its: Mariana! Congratulations! Since I already have your mailing address, I'll get them out to you soon.
On Sunday, I taught an art journal class on "finishing those pages."  It was about taking the wonderful backgrounds or half-finished pages of students and moving them to completion.  I made the page above, titled Enchanted Forest, with journaling that reads "She wandered in the Enchanted Forest and encountered the magical beings within her soul." The focal image is from a postcard by an artist named Brian McGuffey that I picked up at an art festival last year.  I love his work, which you can check out on his website here. Have you discovered any new artists lately?

Alphanumeric Blog Hop: Grandpa's Wishing Well

Welcome to my post today, which is part of an Alphanumeric Blog Hop put together by the wonderful Mel. My post is brought to you by the letter "W."  
My post was inspired by an email I got from one of my cousins, on my mom's side of the family, who reads my blog.  When she saw the collage I posted here, she felt compelled to let me know how much she liked it.  She also said, "With such an interest and talent for art and photography,was there anyone in your family that you know of with a talent for the arts?  Did you know that our grandfather Manuel Luna was known to be a very excellent blacksmith along with popsicle art, I guess now known as folk art." And that got me thinking about the artists in my family . . . 

I did know my Grandfather was quite a craftsman.  I love this picture of him working for the railroad.  And I also treasure this one of him working in his garage on Cochran Street (Houston, Texas) on a set of doll furniture for my older sister, Cordelia:

One of my all-time favorite family heirlooms is this Wishing Well, which my Grandfather made out of Popsicle sticks:

I kept it in my room as a child and recovered it sometime after my  mother passed away.

I love all the little details:

I know I've seen a popsicle stick purse which he also made, but that never called to me the way the Wishing Well did. There's just something special about the magical possibilities inherent in a Wishing Well, don't you think?  I'm so glad my mom kept it and that I was able to inherit it.

My mom's artistic talents ran more to sewing (a family trait I did not inherit, as I described in this post) and ceramics.  She made this adorable angel which lives in the laundry room, along side the Wishing Well, keeping me company as I go through my day.

If you've read this far, I think you deserve the opportunity to win something.  How about an assortment of cards featuring artwork made by my very talented daughter?

To enter, simply leave a comment noting whether an artistic nature runs in your family.  Although my daughter dabbles in painting, printing and mixed media, I think her passion really lies in sculpture, like the pumpkins and nest she created.  I think my Grandfather would have particularly liked the flower she sculpted out of toothpicks, featured on the card in the upper right hand corner.  It makes it seem like his art has come full circle.

Edited to add:  Congratulations to Mariana on winning the prize.

************************************************************************

Speaking of coming full circle, if you're ready for the next blog on the hop, just click on this link to go visit Ginger at Ginger's Life of Spice.  If you ever get lost along the way, here's a list of all the blogs participating today. 

I Speak Melsh: http://ispeakmelsh.blogspot.com/
BE Glorious: http://beglorious.blogspot.com/
Captured On Film: http://mrsbeee.blogspot.com/
Chatty Crafty Arty Pig: http://chattycraftyartypig.blogspot.com/
Creating Room: http://creatingroom.blogspot.com/
Curiouser and Curiouser: http://journalofcuriousthings.blogspot.com/
Daily Life - Bits and Pieces: http://www.melissagross.blogspot.com/
Deb's World: http://www.melissagross.blogspot.com/
Den's Crafty Diary: http://deecie.blogspot.com/
From High In The Sky: http://fromhighinthesky.blogspot.com/
Gallo Organico: http://gallorganico.blogspot.com/
Ginger's Life Of Spice: http://gingerslifeofspice.blogspot.com/
Handmade By Kirsty: http://handmadebykirsty.blogspot.com/
Havoc and Mayhem: http://www.havocandmayhem.com/
Heather's Scraps: http://heathers-scraps.blogspot.com/
Helena's Creative Maven: http://helenascreativemaven.blogspot.com/
Holaday's Happy Hearts: http://holadayshappyhearts.blogspot.com/
Jeant-Jinnag: http://jeant-jinnag.blogspot.com/
Just Jimjams: http://just-jimjams.blogspot.com/
K's Crafty Corner: http://kscraftycorner.blogspot.com/
Life...As I See It: http://jillconyers.blogspot.com/
{Life Behind The Purple Door}: http://www.lifebehindthepurpledoor.com/
Lisa E Design Blog: http://lisae-design.blogspot.com/
Living Life One Blessing At A Time: http://livinglifeoneblessingatatime.blogspot.com/
Mary's Musings: http://craftycreation.blogspot.com/
Michelle Loves...: http://michellelovesallsorts.blogspot.com/
Obstinate Pursuit: http://obstinatepursuit.blogspot.com/
Over At Our Place: http://overatourplace.blogspot.com/
Paper Turtle: http://paperturtle.blogspot.com/
Peonies and Pennies: http://peoniesandpennies.blogspot.com/
Random Reflections: http://www.kbwalker.blogs.com/
Rosalind Revival: http://rosalindrevival.blogspot.com/
Scrap Dreams: http://cheriandrews.blogspot.com/
Scrappyjacky: http://scrappyjackylive.blogspot.com/
Scrapworthy Lives: http://www.scrapworthylives.com/
Staring At The Sea: http://fiona-staringatthesea.blogspot.com/
Surefiredaisy Says: http://surefiredaisysays.blogspot.com/
This Kalil Life: http://www.kimberlykalil.com/
This Little Life Of Mine: http://tracyscraftycorner.blogspot.com/
Xnomads' Blog: http://xnomads.typepad.com/blog/
 Note: If any of the posts aren't up yet, please bear with us - the different time zones and the peculiarity of blogging platforms when it comes to autoposts may mean that one or two posts don't appear on time! If that's the case, come back to this list to pick up from the next blog, but do please pop back and try the other link later, when the post should be there for your enjoyment.

Thanks for stopping by!