My first award!

I logged in to blog tonight and discovered I got an award from Cindee from Cindee's Garden. I am so happy she thinks my blog is a nice place to visit! I've never received a blog award before, Cindee! Thank you so much!

A little background info: In order to connect with other gardeners I began searching the web for garden sites. It gets frustrating for me. I live very far from my friends and family (we're a military family), and I don't know very many people here, let alone people who garden. Most people pass on by, paying no mind the rose that blooming. I wanted to share my blooms with someone who cared. I found Blotanical, a site where garden bloggers go to find other garden bloggers. I've only been a blotanist for awhile, but I've found some great blogs to learn from and enjoy. It's like getting to visit other folks gardens everyday, an online 'town' where everyones gardens. such a nice treat. That's how I found Cindee's Garden.

Her comments always make my day; it's so nice to know when someone's enjoying your hard work, or when someone simply "gets" why gardening makes you so happy. Likewise, I love looking to her blog for ideas- she is one crafty lady for sure. Everytime I view her blog I want to walk away and create something. I especially love her shoe & beach gardens... so creative. Please visit her site and see for yourself!

So the award she presented me with is called, "The Arte y Pico Award" which means, "the peak of art." I like this title. :) The creator of the award states, "This prize has arisen from the daily visits that I dedicate to many blogs which nourish me and enrich me with creativity. In them I see dedication, creativity, care, comradeship, but mainly, ART, much art. I want to share this prize with all those bloggers that entertain me day to day and to share this prize with those who enrich me every day. Doubtlessly, there are many and it will be hard to pick just a few. The people I will name today deserve this prize, as do the very long serious list of bloggers I also enjoy to read. But I will name the first 5 and leave the rest of the work to all the bloggers that visit other's blogs and are nourished by them."

Doesn't that just sum up what garden blogging is all about? Yup. Nice award.

Here are the rules:

1. Choose 5 blogs you consider deserving of this award for their creativity, design, interesting material, and contribution to the blogging community, regardless of the language.

2. Each award should have the name of the author and a link to his/her blog to be visited by everyone.

3. Each award winner should show the award and put the name and link to the blog that presented him/her with the award. (I know it says this is a rule, but I also know that not everyone likes to do this. I won't be hurt if you don't!)

4. The award winner and the one who has given the award should show the Arte y Pico blog so everyone will know the origin of this award. Translated, it means "the peak of art."

5. Show these rules.

Some of the garden bloggers I'm finding have been doing this for years! They've forged friendships and relationships with their readers. I'm so new at this, and have only read a handful of blogs, so I don't feel qualified to really present this award, if you know what I mean? I the spirit of gardening as art, though I do think I would like to pass this award on to a few of the blogs I revisit as often as I can. I haven't even commented on some of them yet. Go check them out, it'll be well worth your time:

1. Pam at Digging has some of the most incredible pictures I've seen; viewing her blog made me want to create one myself.

2. Carol at May Dreams Gardens is so witty, you're sure to be entertained.

3. Hoe and Shovel is full of pretty things!

4. My local Rotary Garden blog is very useful for me, as I learn what works in my neck of the woods.

5. I really like the theme of The Eden Maker's Blog, and find the landscape pictures very inspiring.

On a not-completely-unrelated note, I wanted to share a picture of a treasure I found inspired by Cindee and her garden blog! Awhile back Cindee posted a picture of her Cake Pan Flowers. I was about to run out and find some cake pans, which I might still do, but I found someone selling these:

Now, I was raised in Los Angeles and we don't have a lot of farms or tractors there, but I'm pretty sure these beauties come from the farm in some way. Never mind their past, their treasures, and soon they will be made into "flowers" for my garden. I'll share when we get to it. :) By the way, it were $25 for all 6 wheels. Not bad.

Happy blogging everyone!