Second on the 2nd: old 7 Continent art

My friend Erika asked me recently if my 7 Continent art had changed over the years, and I got to thinking about it.  I realized I didn't need to go back very far, only to 2014, to show both a yes and no answer to Erika's question.

For my second look, I'm sharing two different posts, both from 2014, and how I treated my 7 Continents altered book back then.  Those of you who have read my blog for years, will more than likely remember these two posts.

The first one shows I'm more or less taking a page out of traditional scrapbooking with this one from November, 2014:

Today we're taking another trip to Buenos Aires in my 7 Continents altered book (AB).  Other spreads featuring Buenos Aires can be found here and here.  An altered book post on Argentina's Iguassu Falls can be seen here.

This is the front side of a two-sided Buenos Aires spread.

I must have had a brain freeze when printing out the city.  After all, I am an Aries!


I felt so fortunate when I found two different photos of this street in two different travel magazines.  I also found this Buenos Aires entry in an encyclopedia.


For side two, these images came from two different books, one of which was a geography book, the other an encyclopedia.


This photo came from the encyclopedia that was copyrighted 1930, and I was so happy when I found it in my stash.


Some may remember I showed this Plaza before, but I used modern pictures from a travel magazine. This photo and the background information came from a geography book copyrighted 1971.


For my second spread, I'll let you decide if the art in my 7 continents AB has changed or if I have been influenced by the world around me. (Ed note: some photos have been eliminated for brevity.  All the words are the same) This is from January, 2014:


I believe I'm on a roll with my 7 Continent altered book.

Back sometime around September or October, I was out with my friend Sally when we stumbled into this construction zone.  A new bypass is being built in our area,

and my thoughts quickly went to my 7 Continents altered book.  I was so glad I had my good camera with me at the time.  I kept snapping away, thinking I might use some of the better photos in a spread that reminded me of a TV show I had seen on Hulu (Ed: before they put up their pay wall) that, at the time, was being aired on the FX network, which is aptly called

"The Bridge."  In case you aren't familiar with the show, the bridge, which is short for Bridge of the Americas, is the scene of the first grisly murder of two women, placed together to look like one.  One half is from one side of the bridge, the other half is from the other side of the bridge.  (Ed note: the series was actually based on a Danish-Swedish series called Broen/Bron.  The exact same concept was picked up later by PBS, when a French/British crew shot the series in the English/French Tunnel that meets halfway between the two countries.)

Appropriately, the center of the bridge is the dividing line between El Paso, Texas (TX) and Ciudad Juarez, Mexico.  I could not believe my fortune when I was sifting through some postcards and found these.  This spread will represent part of my North America section.

You can even see the bridge in the background, which actually contains two bridges with six lanes per side, and the only toll free bridge joining these two cities.

I should have taken a close up of the lady I cut and glued to the tag I found in my stash that reminded me of the Texas star.  Other symbolism relates to the crosses that are at the border on the Juarez side.  They signify the young women who are missing from that area.  The gist of the show is that two detectives, one from El Paso and one from Juarez, must work together to find a serial killer who kills victims on both sides of the border.

I never thought I would be inspired to make these types of spreads in my 7 Continents AB.  But I have found this seems more meaningful to me than trying to focus on the absolute beauty and purity of a country or continent, as I did with my tip-ins and first spreads I made before the book fell apart.
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I hope this answers your question, Erika.  Although my designs haven't changed much, sometimes my way of thinking has.

Now it's time to share your Second on the 2nd.  The rules are quite simple and everyone is welcome to join the fun look back.  All you have to do is bring back a post that you are especially proud of, or perhaps one you shared before anyone knew your blog existed.  Any post, any genre, any artistic endeavor is acceptable.  Then link below (direct links only, please) and Bleubeard and I, along with other Second on the 2nd friends, will be by to visit.  Please be aware this link is only open for five days, so linking on the 2nd is preferred.  And since the 2nd coincides with T Stands For Tuesday this month, if you decide your second look is a T post, please link both places.  T will be served at its regular time, as usual, later today.