Monday Murals: Sunflower State

It's time once again to join Sami at Sami's Colourful World and her Monday Murals.  Even though it's still Sunday in my world, please be aware that Sami's mural link goes live at 11:01 a.m. my time today.

One day I was downtown looking for a specific mural

when I stumbled upon this beautiful mural called Sunflower State.

I really couldn't find out much about it, other than it was painted for Avenue Art Days

by Renee Duxler.

It was painted in 2017 and is located on the side of the Hell Bomb Tattoo Parlor at 1115 E Douglas, Wichita, Kansas (USA).  And as I've mentioned recently to others, Kansas is called the Sunflower State.  It's even on our vehicle license plates.

If you enjoy murals from around the world, please don't forget to visit Monday Murals at Sami's Colourful World.

Just a peek, a tag, and a journal entry

Some of you asked what I was doing while I had no access to my computer, I'll show you.

First, I finally got all these individual journal pages placed back to back in clear folders and added to my three-ring binder.  I wanted to add three holes using my hole punch to the pages, but decided to use clear binders instead.  Now I wish I had used my three-hole hole punch.  It would have been quicker, easier, and far less frustrating.  Now that it's finished, I will need another binder because this one is incredibly full and doesn't quite lay flat.

I've also been sewing.

Right now I'm working on a scrappy journal that will hold all pink background pages.

Although it will cover all seasons, it will honor Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Believe it or not, I have been cleaning my house.  Deep, deep cleaning.  Every room, too.  I even cleaned my refrigerator freezer from top to bottom, inside and out.  You wouldn't believe all the items I've allowed to spoil from non-use.

I've also taken time to make a tag for Valerie's theme, which is Farm Animals at Tag Tuesday.

I chose these pigs, which are red rubber wood mount stamps (very old from All Night Media) as the farm animal of choice.  Here I added ribbon and a message:

You are covered
front to back.

I colored the pigs using one of my handmade shimmering mists.  I grabbed my dye ink, instead of solvent ink, so the black ink ran when I added the mist.

Of course, I couldn't stop there,

I had to also create a page in my Challenges altered book.  It's obvious this is for Jo's theme at Art Journal Journey which is Texture, and Try it on Tuesday's latest challenge which is Scraps.

It's obvious the texture comes from

the corrugated cardboard and 

the fluffy rose fabric.  These are also scraps, left over from other projects.

Even the bits of German text is a scrap, as are the other two pieces I sprinkled on the page.

I didn't stop there, though.  The fabric ribbon I used on the pig tag is also left over from another project.

These pigs are so cute.  If only I could learn to stamp properly.

Here is more evidence of scraps.  Nothing is too small in my world.

I began by laying down a sheet of used pink printer/copier paper.  If you look closely, you might be able to see the printing on the back of the page.   I added the rose fabric to the corrugated cardboard I removed from a box destined for the recycle bin.  I added the assembly to the page, then added scraps of German text and finally, the pig tag.

What have you been working on?  Thanks for stopping by and seeing what has been keeping me extra busy these days.  I still have two more rooms to deep clean, so I'll be finishing that in my "spare" time.  I also hope to see you at Tag Tuesday, Try it on Tuesday, and Art Journal Journey.

Friday Smiles 389: More Eisenhower Museum

I want to begin by apologizing to those of you who visited last week who I didn't.  Friday during the day, my computer quit working.  I thought it was my internet again, but this time it was more serious.  I had a fried power supply cable.  Without it, I got no power, and no way for the computer to boot up.  Since it's my only way I have of getting on the internet (I have NO tablet, cell phone, etc.), I was stuck.  My sincere apologies and I will try to do better this week.

It's Friday, so let's join Annie (at A Stitch in Time) along with the wonderful ladies at Friday Smiles.

Ike looked to the future until the end.

Words of wisdom that are possibly even more important today than when they were written.

Three of the many books written by Ike are Waging Peace, At Ease, and Mandate for Change.

In the background is the Gettysburg home Ike and Mamie shared, while the painting in the frame

is Ike's boyhood home as it might have looked when he was living there.

Tributes to Ike and his final resting place.

It's time to say farewell to this incredible president.

I tried at least a dozen times to get this in focus.

Sometimes my camera just defies me.  It may be as tired as I am.

In the background is a rendition of the new Eisenhower Museum (not shown), Library, boyhood home, and pylons.

Here is a better rendition of the new Eisenhower Museum (shown on left), Library (shown on right), boyhood home (bottom center), and pylons (top left). Note the road connecting the two main facilities is now missing and in its place is the statue of Ike between and connecting the two facilities. 

It's time to find a bench and sit for a few minutes.  In the background is the Abilene & Smoky Valley Railroad.  Next time we'll visit the pylons.

Now let's head over to Annie's because she knows how to put a smile on everyone's faces.  And whatever you do, please don't forget to start your weekend off right with a few Friday Smiles of your own.  And remember, if you would like to play along, Annie would love to have you join us. 
 

Rain's Thursday Art Date: Architecture

I'm back just minutes before it is time to link to this post.  I have several posts ready in the queue for just such an event, but never expected to lose power due to a silly cable.  The first one wasn't the correct one, so I had to wait till my friend Scott was able to get one that was correct.  How nice to have next day air.  Again, I'll be by to visit as I'm able to.  I appreciate those of you who visited even when I was unable to.  Thank you beyond belief.

Today is Thursday, which means we're meeting at Rain's for her Thursday Art Date.  This week the theme is Architecture.

Granted, I have shown this before at a previous Rain's TAD, but I'm so proud of it, I had to share it again.

Here is some Tuscan architecture.

Contrast that with Cuban architecture.

Or that found in Nuuk, which is Greenland's capital.

Perhaps you would prefer some architecture from Santorini, Greece.

Perhaps you prefer the ancient architecture found in Athens.

On this side of the big pond is this cathedral in Sao Paulo, the largest city in Brazil, in the Americas, the southern hemisphere, and the western hemisphere.  The Sao Paulo Cathedral underwent a complete renovation between 2000 and 2002.  Apart from repairing the building, many pinnacles over the nave and towers were completed. The original construction plans were found inside the building, allowing for a faithful restoration. I backed the image found in a travel magazine with three pages of scrapbook paper and a yellow doily.

Next it was time to check out the architecture in Olinda, also in Brazil.
Perhaps you would prefer to visit Paraty, an old city in Brazil where no cars are allowed due to the narrow cobblestone streets.

While on our imaginary visit to Brazil, we stopped in Sao Luis, which has the largest and best colonial Portuguese architecture in Latin America.  As an aside, I created the template by hand that I used to cut the shape on which I matted the picture.  I spritzed the cut mat with my handmade shimmering mists before I centered the focal image on it.

Before we leave Brazil, we have to check out the architecture of the capitol of Brazil, which is not Rio, but Brazilia, the planned city that is laid out like a bird.  Shown in the photo is the Cathedral of Brazilia.

This is a tongue in cheek page.  I created House Dress in my Houses altered book.

Switching gears,

this Pagoda Gazebo is part of the latest garden at Wichita's Botanical Garden.

This is a lovely old church I spotted one day as I was driving through my city.

This sits near the Botanical Gardens.  I have no idea what it is, but it's definitely architecture.

Here's another church in my city.

And another.

I was surprised when I took this off my old camera.  It looked like a digital print with an overlay to me, but it's just how I removed it from the camera.

I always took two shots of everything with my old worthless camera, so here is the second shot.

I found a few homes in another part of the city that had homes similar to my 1920 bungalow.

I liked how the tree shadows played on the wall and how the wall on the right looked like someone had taken a bite out of it.

I'm not sure if this is a church or a private residence.

This building sits on the Wichita State University (WSU) campus.

It is where WSU's "home" college baseball games are played.

Found at a local museum, after attending a lecture given by Frank Lloyd Wright in Wichita in 1935, Louise Hoult was inspired and wrote the architect to inquire if he would create a "small and reasonable house" for her and her husband.   He designed Usonia, but it proved to be too expensive for middle class people in Wichita, so was never built.

Even though Frank Lloyd Wright didn't build Usonia in Wichita, he did leave his mark on the city.  He designed and built the Henry J. Allen home.  Allen owned the Wichita Beacon (a daily newspaper), was also a governor, and a U.S. senator, too.  Today the showcase house, with its original furniture also created by Wright, is a museum.

I have tons more I could share, but I think I'll stop here.  All art created by me.  All photos taken by me.  Bleubeard was actually excited because he wants to know when we are moving into that "dream home" I showed in the first photo.

Thank you beyond belief for visiting today.  I am truly grateful to you, my friends, followers, readers, and lurkers for visiting.  Please also join me at Rain's Thursday Art Date.