In the mood for Christmas

 

Now that Thanksgiving is over, it's time to start thinking about Christmas.  It's sad, but true Bleubeard and I are hosting Art Journal Journey for the very last time this month with our themes Collage Fodder, Food and Drink, or both. 

EDIT: I am NOT stepping away from Art Journal Journey (AJJ), as some of you believe based on the comments.  My month of hosting is over today. Bleubeard and I are still two of five administrators of AJJ.  We will welcome a new host tomorrow.  Sorry you misunderstood my lead in.

Bleubeard and I are getting in the mood for Christmas with bits of collage fodder.

We've even provided a few detail photos.

Santa and child were a napkin I had in my stash.

I used a variety of vintage type holiday images.  The top left red and white paper reminded me of candies I received in my stocking when I was a child.  I fussy cut the Santa and child, the focal image of the page.  I needed one final piece of vintage paper, so I opted for the vintage sheet music.  Holly, candy canes, and tiny trees added a feeling of Christmas.  The zig zag paper seemed to match the vintage paper, so I included it.

Bleubeard and I are overjoyed you visited today and are so happy you joined us this month at Art Journal Journey.  You still have today to share your own version of Collage Fodder, Food and Drink, or both.  

We are also joining AEDM.

Kelly will provide the final Treasure Trovember assignment later this morning, so I will share that on the 3rd of December when I share my calendar pages.  And PLEASE don't forget your Second on the 2nd, where we share a post that has been published in the past.

 

T Stands For Teacup Book Week 4 and gifts from a friend

 

I'm sure you know by now that Bleubeard and I are hosting Art Journal Journey this month and our themes are Collage Fodder, Food and Drink, or both.  Further, many of you have seen the first three signatures of my new tea cup book.  Today is no different.

But first, I want to share something I received over a week ago, but never photographed.  I was supposed to share this last week, but I was sick and didn't leave my sick bed unless I was forced to do so.

What is this, you ask.  It's a wax seal my friend Kathy (in Ozarks) used to seal the envelope.  I borrowed a camera and NOTHING came out as I had hoped.  However, you can see I have not opened it yet. 

I thought a close up might be better, but that didn't help, either.

The cute sticker on the front was just as bad.  However, my smudge tool worked perfectly.  I'm sure you won't be able to read the address if you don't already know it.  Please DO NOT write it in comments if you DO know it!

The stamps were even worse.  I knew the bunny stamp was an added ounce, but I had NO idea what the flowers were from looking at the photo.  I believe it is one of the 

  mountain flora stamps called pasqueflower.  It is a forever 1st class stamp. Image is from USPS.com.  They were first issued this year.

I finally have the envelope open and I did a terrible job opening it.

Inside was a lovely hand sewn book that showcased

Kathy's eco-dyed papers and stickers.

 

I love the stamped bird on a limb.  It is fabulous.

Kathy explained the photo was taken in Yellowstone Park in 2017.  I understand that each photo card was different.  Thank you Kathy.  I am so proud of this book and card.  I will cherish this forever dear.

While I was photographing the gift Kathy sent (I took over 60 photos, most  completely out of focus,

look who showed up begging to be fed (like his fat little body needs food)!  I'm glad this turned out so well because Bleubeard has been in the spotlight all month and I think T Tuesday is a good time to let Squiggles shine.

Some saw my Thanksgiving dining room tablescape on Turkey Day.  However, by the time you read this, the cards, turkeys, and pumpkin are now gone and all I have to do is decide what tree I want to place on this table this year.  Cards from left are from Kathy (in Ozarks), 2022, Kathy (in Ozarks), 2019, and RO!, 2021.

Now for my final teacup signature.

This is the front of the final signature.

Obviously, this is the inside.

And that just leaves the back.  IF I find time between decorating my Christmas home, making my annual Christmas cards and tip-ins, creating a journal page for our December host, finishing Treasure Trovember, and making potato soup, I will try to get the cover created for this little book.  But please don't hold me to it.  I am really far behind, since I haven't even created my final collage fodder entry for Art Journal Journey, which is Wednesday.

While I take a deep breath, please share your own drink related post.  It can be gifts you received, photos, a place you visited, movies, postcards, mail art, junk mail, catalogs, books, sketches, mixed media, drawings, paintings, handmade cards, tags, scrapbooking, or other art that is digital, hybrid, or traditional, a favorite mug, cup and saucer, teapot, coffee pot, or even a wine glass. Regardless, please join us by linking below.  Bleubeard and I will gladly visit, as will other T participants.  Please link only your T post and not your blog in general.  Bleubeard would like to remind you that old photos are acceptable because they may be taken any time, not just on Tuesday and not just this year.  Please remember to visit your fellow T participants.

 

 

 

I would also be remiss if I didn't remind you it's time to dig up your Second on the 2nd.  It can be any post, any length, any genre, but it must be one that has been published sometime in the past.

Food Fodder

 

As many of you know, Bleubeard and I are hosting Art Journal Journey this month and our themes are Collage Fodder, Food and Drink, or both.   Since Bleubeard has been creating many journal pages using collage fodder, it's my turn to try my hand at Food Fodder.

I hope it's obvious, food is the focus of this journal page today.

 

I believe the image in the top left is a tool used to mash apples for applesauce.  I found the image in the kitchen tools and recipes book I am working from this month.

I found the words "Drain ME" that went nicely with the Spaghetti Strainer or Colander.

I rotated the image so you didn't get a crooked neck looking at the mold that reminded me of the Lincoln Memorial, a lovely building found in Washington, D.C. in the states.  The Lincoln Memorial is shown on a Priority Mail postage stamp.

  The stamp was issued in July, 2002.

 

In addition to various food labels I found in my stash, I have some previously borrowed Lynne Perrella stamps I resized to fit on the page.   

The visitor comment came from a museum I visited.  I combined it with a bingo card and two postage stamps.  The Burger King receipt was also in my stash.

I found these sunflowers, also in my stash, and knew I had to use them, since they are not only my state flower, but also I'm showing respect for Ukraine.

I rotated this image, too.  Charlie is the star of Star Kist.  I love albacore tuna over what most people buy.  It's an indulgence I think is worth it.

Another Lynne Perrella image I stamped, reduced to fit the size of the label, and fussy cut.  Yes, that is an avocado sticker on the lower left.

I now give you one final look at my interpretation of Food Fodder.  I'm not sure if Bleubeard is impressed or not.

I used various labels, postage stamps, stamped images, and items from my stash to make this entry.

Bleubeard and I are overjoyed you visited today and hope to see you at Art Journal Journey with your own version of Collage Fodder, Food and Drink, or both.  

  We are also joining AEDM.

Oranges (and commentary)

 

I'm sure you know by now that Bleubeard and I are hosting Art Journal Journey this month and our themes are Collage Fodder, Food and Drink, or both. 

Yesterday we looked at apples.  Today is all about Oranges.

Here are a few detail shots, although I'm still having trouble cropping my images.

Once again, I started with a calendar page.  I couldn't find too much when it came to oranges in the kitchen tools and recipes book I am using.  However, I went to another cookbook and found the recipe for the Orange Supreme Cake.  Not that I would make it.  The small "preview" page was from the back of the calendar.  Of course, there are other citrus fruits on the page, including a blood orange, grapefruit, and lemons. 

 

Bleubeard and I are really happy you visited today and hope to see you at Art Journal Journey with your own version of Collage Fodder, Food and Drink, or both.  

  We are also joining AEDM.

I've been reading a lot about what people are thankful for this holiday weekend.  I've also been reading how people are dealing with the recent events that have occurred these past few days concerning gun violence.  I'll start with that.  As of Thanksgiving morning, there were 608 mass shootings in the states.  Mass shootings involve at least four people who were not the perpetrator.  I heard the statistic on an early morning radio talk show.  Those who have been around my blog for a long time know I'm a big advocate of the 2nd amendment.  I have never hidden the fact I own two hand guns.  Both are Ruger single six. 

 

One is a .22 caliber, the other is a .38 with an interchangeable .357 magnum cylinder.  Image is from the internet.  Both my guns are secured in a lock box and one is loaded, but the other one is not.  I tell people if they think for even a millisecond that they would not be able to pull the trigger, DO NOT keep a gun in your home.  There is nothing worse than owning a gun and having it taken from you while you decide if the threat is real or not.  A single six holds exactly six bullets.  In order to remove the spent shell, you must release the cylinder and remove the shells before reloading.  I believe if I can't stop a threat in my own home with six bullets, I'm not the shot I think I am.  

However, I have a REAL problem with the assault rifles that shoot more rounds per minute than I can count as they are coming out of the rifle.  I am sure most gun owners feel the same way.  These assault rifles and their owners put a stain on gun owners who either hunt or keep a gun for protection.

Now let's talk about what happened in Colorado Springs last week.  For those who have not heard, five people were gunned down in a LGBTQ+ establishment while celebrating and enjoying a drag concert.  These people no longer feel safe in a place where, in the past, they had felt no threats to their lives. 

I'm going to shift gears for a minute.  My grandmother (grands raised me from birth) was one of four children.  Her older sister, my great aunt and I got very close after she stayed several months with my grandparents after she retired.  Of the four siblings, my aunt was left handed.  Everything went well in kindergarten, but when she got to first grade, the teacher tied her left arm behind her back and FORCED her to write with her right hand.  Granted, that practice would not be accepted or acceptable today, but apparently it was in the late 1930s.  When she was at home, my aunt said she did everything with her left hand, but at school, she had to use her right hand.  You are born with handedness, and whether you are a misguided teacher or a fool, you know that is a born trait that can't be erased or undone.  My aunt went on to be one of the first females to receive a medical doctor (MD) degree from the University of Kansas (KU) and worked at KU Medical Center in Kansas City until she retired.

Now back to the LGBTQ+ community.  It has been scientifically shown that gay people are as hardwired as my aunt was with her handedness.  One article by New Scientist provides this: 

BRAIN scans have provided the most compelling evidence yet that being gay or straight is down to biology rather than choice. Tantalisingly, the scans reveal that in gay people, key structures of the brain governing emotion, mood, anxiety and aggression resemble those in straight people of the opposite sex.

“This is the most robust measure so far of cerebral differences between homosexual and heterosexual subjects,” says Ivanka Savic, who conducted the study at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden.

These individuals are not alone.  According to The Family Equity Council, as of 2017:

LGBTQ Families: Who We Are: 

•LGBTQ. Approximately 4.3% of adults in the U.S. identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual,transgender or queer (LGBTQ). That means that there are more than 10.7 million LGBTQ adults in the U.S. (Romero 2017; Gallup Poll 2017). 

•Transgender. A recent Williams Institute Report estimates that 1.4 million adults (.6% of adults) in the U.S. identify as transgender. (Flores et al 2016). 

•Bisexual. Roughly half of the LGBTQ population identify as bisexual. (Gates, Marriage and Family 2015).

Quora attempts to answer the question "Why are LGBTQ+ people LGBTQ+? Do they choose to be it themselves, or is it genetic since birth?" and other questions people have about LGBTQ+.  

There is enough evidence out there that these people are as hardwired from birth as my aunt's handedness.

If you made it this far, thanks for reading this commentary on assault rifles and hardwiring.  Please be kind to everyone, whether they have a different sexual orientation, are left handed, have a different color of skin, different eye color, or height (no short jokes, please, since I'm only 4' 11").

 

Apples

 

You may know by now that Bleubeard and I are hosting Art Journal Journey this month and our themes are Collage Fodder, Food and Drink, or both.

Today is all about Apples.

I'm still having problems with Photoshop.  I can't crop properly and I can't find my watermark.  However, here are a few detail images.

This page started with a calendar page from a food calendar.  I added recipes from two different cookbooks.  The small image at the top is the "preview" image from the back of the calendar.  All of the tools came from the kitchen tool and recipe book I have been working from this month.  It's amazing the antique tool takes the place of the other three instruments I showed from the kitchen tools.

Bleubeard and I are grateful you visited today and hope to see you at Art Journal Journey with your own take on Collage Fodder, Food and Drink, or both. 

 

  We are also joining AEDM.