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.

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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!