Important holiday and dates today

  

You surely know by now that Bleubeard and I are hosting Art Journal Journey (AJJ) this month.  Our theme for the entire month is Anywhere, Anytime, Any Place, with Anyone.

Be aware please, even though I read each post you link through AJJ, I can't leave comments on any blog, including my own.  I believe it's a blogger problem.

And because I have a ton of media, I'm also joining Creative Artiste and their 123rd Challenge (their theme is always Anything mixed media goes), even though I can't leave any comments to my visitors from their blog, either.

This is an important day, culturally.  Both Mardi Gras and Chinese New Year (CNY) land on this date in 2026.  Details are below.

 

I began by adhering Joss papers to the 8.5 X 11 inch (21.59 X 27.94 centimeter) 110 lb. cardstock.  I adhered the NOLA (New Orleans, Louisiana) court house and statue to the page.  I glued the Mardi Gras masks in place.  I then adhered the lanterns, which are German scrap.  Next, I added the sentiments and the date.  

 

Pancake Day, or Shrove Tuesday, is the day before Lent begins, traditionally celebrated by eating pancakes to use up rich ingredients like eggs and milk before the fasting period. There is a famous celebration in Olney, Buckinghamshire, England and Liberal, Kansas (USA).  The friendly competition between Liberal and Olney, with women running 415 yards down the streets of each town flipping pancakes, has been going on for 73 years.  It is still the only race of its kind on the planet.  As of Pancake Day, 2025, there have been 42 wins for Liberal and 31 for Olney.

 

For the bottom half, I adhered the 60 symbols Joss paper which doesn't contain any gold or silver.  As an aside, Joss paper is also known as incense paper.  It is meant to be folded and burned.  Joss paper is traditionally made from coarse bamboo paper, which feels handmade, although rice paper might also be used.  Traditional Joss paper is cut into individual squares or rectangles.  Never burn these papers, even though they were meant to be burned.  Joss paper emits toxic components from the gold or silver.  This causes health risks because there is a significant amount of heavy metals in the dust, fumes, and ashes.

 

For the center of the Joss paper, I included a Chinese coin to which I added a piece of wood which I wrapped in fabric.  I then added the red envelope, which is traditionally given to children on CNY.  To the envelope I adhered a Chinese yen coin.  Finally, I added the sentiments.  This is the year of the male (yang) red Fire Horse.  Today is also the start of year 4723.

 

Bleubeard and I are incredibly delighted you stopped by on this holiday, and hope to also see you at Art Journal Journey and Creative Artiste (even if we can't leave you a comment) with your own interpretation of Anywhere, Anytime, Any Place, with Anyone or Anything mixed media goes. 

 

 

Presidents' Day in the USA

 

I'm sure by now you are tired of reading I am unable to leave comments on any blog, including my own, even though I visit each and every link left at Art Journal Journey (AJJ).   It's true and frustrating.  Even Google AI isn't able to help me.

If you live in the states, today is a Federal holiday. It is a celebration of George Washington's birthday, but has been changed to Presidents' or President's Day.  It is always celebrated on the third Monday in February.  

Originally it was intended to be a three day holiday for Federal workers, but has turned into a weekend of commercialism, with discounts of big ticket items such as appliances, furniture, and especially mattresses.  This is so retailers can clear their inventory by taking advantage of tax season. 

Today is Presidents' Day in the USA.  And what better way to recognize it than to visit Mount Rushmore.  Details are below.

 

This is the first time I noticed I was running out of toner in my black-only laser printer.  It became obvious when I printed the Mount Rushmore image.  

I colored part of the sky with a blue watercolor pencil and the trees with a green watercolor pencil.  I outlined the sentiment in black dye ink.  Note the mistake in the first paragraph.  I didn't until it was already glued in place.

Bleubeard and I are incredibly pleased you stopped by on this holiday, and hope to also see you at Art Journal Journey (even if we can't leave you a comment) with your own interpretation of Anywhere, Anytime, Any Place, with Anyone. 

 

Valentine's Day

 

As you probably know by now, Bleubeard and I are hosting Art Journal Journey (AJJ) this month.  Please be aware, however, I am unable to leave comments on any blog, including my own, even though I visit each and every link left at AJJ.   

Today we are celebrating Valentine's Day. Valentine's Day, also known as Saint Valentine's Day, is celebrated annually on February 14. It originated as a Christian feast day honoring a martyr named Valentine. Over time, it has evolved into a cultural, religious, and commercial celebration of love and affection in many parts of the world.  Details are below.

 

 I began by stenciling the hearts which are punchinella, also known as sequin waste, over the entire 5.5 X 8.5 inch (13.97 X 21.59 centimeter) cardstock using red dye ink.  I then stamped and fussy cut both stamped images. I stamped the larger Tim Holtz stamp which is by Ranger (Stampers Anonymous) several times, to no avail.

 I believe I got such a good deal on this stamp which was originally $11.99 (USD) because it had been returned to the store defective.  I didn't use any green ink or paint on the stamp.  I bought it that way.

 

Thank you so much for visiting today.  I hope you will join Bleubeard and me at Art Journal Journey (even though we can't leave comments) with your own interpretation of Anywhere, Anytime, Any Place, with Anyone.   

  

 

It's Martin Luther King Jr. Day

 

Martin Luther King Jr. Day is a federal holiday in the United States, observed on the third Monday of January each year, to honor the civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. and his contributions to racial equality and social justice. 

 

According to Britannica:

Almost immediately after King’s death, there were calls for a national holiday in his honor. Beginning in 1970, a number of states and cities made his birthday, January 15, a holiday. Although legislation for a federal holiday was introduced in Congress as early as 1968, there was sufficient opposition, on racial and political grounds, to block its passage. In 1983 legislation making the third Monday in January a federal holiday finally was passed, and the first observance nationwide was in 1986. The day is usually celebrated with marches and parades and with speeches by civil rights and political leaders.

 

September 11

 

   

  

 

  

 

       

 

 

   

 

   

 

  

 

  

  

  

 

 

 

  

 

  

 

  

  

   

   

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

Statistics provided by CNN in 2017 (found here)

19: Hijackers of four fuel-loaded U.S. commercial airplanes bound for West Coast destinations

2,977: People killed in New York City, Washington, D.C., and outside Shanksville, Pa.

2,753: People killed at the World Trade Center (WTC) site in Lower Manhattan

343: New York City firefighters who died in the initial attacks and subsequent collapse of the WTC towers

23: New York City police officers who died

37: Port Authority officers who died

2: Age of youngest victim

85: Age of oldest victim

184: People killed when hijacked American Airlines Flight 77 crashed into the Pentagon

40: Passengers and crew killed when United Flight 93 crashed near Shanksville, Pa.

1,641: WTC victims’ remains positively identified as of August 2017

$500,000: Estimated amount of money it cost to plan and execute the attacks

$123 billion: Estimated economic loss during the first two to four weeks after the WTC towers collapsed in New York City, as well as decline in airline travel over next few years

$60 billion: Estimated cost of the WTC site damage, including surrounding buildings, infrastructure and subway facilities

3.1 million: Hours of labor to clean up 1.8 million tons of debris

$750 million: Total cost of cleanup

22: Governmental agencies rolled into a single Department of Homeland Security, including the Customs Service, the Immigration and Naturalization Service, the Coast Guard and the Federal Emergency Management Agency, after 9/11

Statistics provided by NY Magazine on the anniversary in 2002 (for NYC only)

The initial numbers are indelible: 8:46 a.m. and 9:02 a.m. Time the burning towers stood: 56 minutes and 102 minutes. Time they took to fall: 12 seconds. 

• Total number killed in attacks in New York: 2,753

• Number of firefighters and paramedics killed: 343

• Number of NYPD officers: 23

• Number of Port Authority police officers: 37

• Number of WTC companies in the towers that lost people: 128

• Number of employees who died in Tower One: 1,402

• Number of employees who died in Tower Two: 614

• Number of employees lost at Cantor Fitzgerald: 658

• Number of U.S. troops killed in Operation Enduring Freedom: 2,343

• Number of nations whose citizens were killed in attacks: 115

• Ratio of men to women who died: 3:1

• Age of the greatest number who died: between 35 and 39

• Bodies found "intact": 291

• Remains found: 21,906

• Number of families who got no remains: 1,717

• Estimated units of blood donated to the New York Blood Center: 36,000

• Total units of donated blood actually used: 258

• Number of people who lost a spouse or partner in the attacks: 1,609

• Estimated number of children who lost a parent: 3,051

• Percentage of Americans who knew someone hurt or killed in the attacks: 20

• FDNY retirements, January–July 2001: 274

• FDNY retirements, January–July 2002: 661

• Number of firefighters on leave for respiratory problems by January 2002: 300

• Number of funerals attended by Rudy Giuliani in 2001: 200

• Number of FDNY vehicles destroyed: 98

• Tons of debris removed from site: 1.8 million

• Days fires continued to burn after the attack: 99

• Jobs lost in New York owing to the attacks: 146,100

• Days the New York Stock Exchange was closed: 6

• Point drop in the Dow Jones industrial average when the NYSE reopened: 684.81

• Days after 9/11 that the U.S. began bombing Afghanistan: 26

• Total number of civil rights complaints reported to the Council on American-Islamic Relations nationwide from 2002 to 2008: 12,962

• Economic loss to New York in month following the attacks: $105 billion

• Estimated cost of cleanup: $600 million

• Total FEMA money spent on the emergency: $970 million

• Estimated amount donated to 9/11 charities: $1.4 billion

• Estimated amount of insurance paid worldwide related to 9/11: $40.2 billion

• Estimated amount of money needed to overhaul lower-Manhattan subways: $7.5 billion

• Amount of money granted by U.S. government to overhaul lower-Manhattan subways: $4.55 billion

• Estimated amount of money raised for funds dedicated to NYPD and FDNY families: $500 million

• Percentage of total charity money raised going to FDNY and NYPD families: 25

• Average benefit already received by each FDNY and NYPD widow: $1 million

• Percentage increase in law-school applications from 2001 to 2002: 17.9

• Percentage increase in Peace Corps applications from 2001 to 2002: 40

• Percentage increase in CIA applications from 2001 to 2002: 50

• Number of songs Clear Channel Radio considered "inappropriate" to play after 9/11: 150

• Number of mentions of 9/11 at the 2002 Oscars: 26

• Apartments in lower Manhattan eligible for asbestos cleanup: 23,000

• Number of apartments whose residents have requested cleanup and testing: 4,167

• Number of Americans who changed their 2001 holiday-travel plans from plane to train or car: 1.4 million

• Estimated number of New Yorkers suffering from post-traumatic-stress disorder as a result of 9/11: 422,000

 

Don't forget today is

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

I hope this reminder means you won't forget, either.   

I'm also sharing this with Nicole and Friday Face Off because there are a lot of faces in this post.