June complete and July ready in my never ending calendar and more for Art Journal Journey

I want to begin by saying several people have suggested the funeral I attended might be a "celebration of life" event.  I assure you, it was NOT.  It's one thing to attend a funeral of a friend who has lived a long and productive life.  It is another to attend a funeral of a young person who died all too soon, at age 24 in his sleep.  Somehow, that seems to hit even harder, at least for me.  An autopsy will hopefully reveal the cause, but we do NOT suspect drugs or alcohol.

2018 is now officially half over, and I'm no better at decorating these calendar pages than I was when I started seven and a half years ago.  I rushed this last day through because I needed to finish this and get it scanned so I could go on to other projects.  IF all goes as planned, I will be heading to the Wichita Art Museum (WAM) today.  Hopefully photos next Friday.

July is ready to be written in, but I miscalculated the date of our T anniversary party.  It's actually the 17th, but I originally thought it would be the 24th.  So much for the skills of this math major (grin). 

I know I said I was finished with this month's theme at AJJ, but my calendar pages are so wimpy, I'm once again (and finally for the last time) joining Gill at Gibby Froggett Craftations, this month's host at Art Journal Journey.  Her theme is Inspired by . . . .  I was inspired by my internet friends Erika and her Japan journal, as well as Jeanie who is sharing her Paris images.

I'm inspired to travel to Tuscany today.  Unlike my friends who inspired me with their real travels, I have never been to Tuscany.

Instead, this is an imaginary journey, which I created for my large art journal, although I should have created it for my 7 Continents altered book.

Because this wouldn't fit right side up on the page, I have rotated the image so you can read it.

Magazines are often called "slicks."  That makes them especially difficult to photograph, as this picture shows.  At least you can see the towers on the hill in the background of this picture I took from a travel magazine.

And now you can read the sentiment, although the paint pen I used to outline these sentiments and the edges of the page, had a bleed problem.

Here is a closer view of the towers.

The countryside and wineries define Tuscany.  Chianti appears to be a well-known wine and the region in Tuscany where it is produced is like no other.

In case you are as geographically illiterate as I, Tuscany is the largest region in Italy.

I discovered if I photograph the images from an angle, the glare is much less noticeable.

Tuscany is known as a nation within a nation because of its unique linguistic and cultural identity.

I realize this is a horrible photo of the page for my large art journal.  I began by cutting images from three slick travel magazines using my deckle scissors.  I backed the images with yellow copier/printer paper also cut using deckle scissors.  The sentiments and title were computer generated, cut out and outlined using a green chalk paint pen.  Everything was backed with a lime green sheet of copier/printer paper, then outlined.  I have some washi tape with trees on it that I wanted to use, but couldn't find how to add it without junking up the page.

I am truly grateful you joined me today, and I also hope to see you at Art Journal Journey where we start a new theme and welcome a new host in just a few hours. Thank you, too for not laughing too hard at my wimpy calendar.