Art Journaling Quotes

I'm celebrating quotes this week on my blog.  I have a few listed in this post where I am soliciting more and offering a cool prize for those who add to the list.  Go check it out!  But before you go, check out this page which I made to illustrate one of the quotes. I particularly like how a little gold paint pen and black journaling pen were able to make both the bird embellies and quote pop off a very dark and busy background.  Will definitely use that technique again. Now, go enter the contest!

A Wedding Postcard

I always check out but very rarely enter the challenges at "Sunday Postcard Art." I decided to finally pull the trigger this week. The theme is weddings, and I made this simple postcard. I titled it "La Novia," which means "The Bride" in Spanish. I like how the simple design and title make it feel like a loteria card to me (that's a bingo-like game played in Mexico).  The picture is of my Aunt Vera.
I'm wondering if you've ever check out or played along with Postcard Sunday?

Family Connections through Blogging

I have lots of cousins. How many? I always thought the number was 51 first cousins! The other day I sat down to list them and found to my surprise (and shame) that I couldn't remember all their names.  So, I'm working on putting together a list of them.  They mostly live in Houston, Texas, and I don't see them much, so it's harder than I thought. 
Luckily, I have reconnected with two of my Houston cousins this year (one on my mom's side of my family and one on my dad's side of the family), and I have sent them emails to see if they can help. The funny thing is that I have reconnected with them through this blog! I started my blog in a Shimelle class and my main audience has always been folks from that initial class.  Over time, some of my local friends and immediate family have started to follow and stop by occasionally. And I am thrilled that some of my more distant cousins are now in the mix.  My favorite recent discovery (courtesy of my cousin Rose) is the identity of the little girl in today's art journal page.  I use her a lot - you usually see her standing on a chair. I always assumed it was someone not directly related to me - someone from my Uncle's side of the family.  But it turns out it's actually my cousin, Buggie (Okay - her real name is Antoinette. Can you blame everyone for calling her Buggie? By the way, it's pronounced with a long U vowel sound and with a southern accent, so it sounds more like boogie.)  And that's her father, my Uncle Tony - my mother's eldest brother - standing next to the car.  I always knew his identity, and now I get to connect the two!  That makes me really happy. Have you connected with any distant family through your blog?

Summer Reading (colorwash technique)

Continuing with my celebration of quotes for this week, here is a great one from Cesar Chavez.  The whole quote reads:  “Once social change begins, it cannot be reversed. You cannot uneducate the person who has learned to read. You cannot humiliate the person who feels pride. You cannot oppress the people who are not afraid anymore. We have seen the future, and the future is ours.”  But I have always loved the one sentence on today's art journal page best because it contains such a strong, basic truth. To join in the celebration of quotes and have a chance to win a prize, check out my post here.  I made the page when I tried (and failed miserably) this technique from Dina Wakely.  But, while trying it, I did find that I loved dipping a fine point paintbrush into Adirondack colorwash inks and painting with them! 
It's a childlike page, but I thought it went with the quote and also thought it worked for a post about summer reading lists.  My book group doesn't meet during the summer, and during our last meeting before our break, we share suggestions for summer reading.  Here's what I've got to offer so far:
Lincoln Lawyer by Michael Connelly (pure fun lawyer fiction);
Bangkok 8 by John Burdett (spies in Thailand; more pure fun);
Into the Beautiful North by Luis Alberto Urrea (recommended by Karen - a novel of Mexican immigration and its effects on Mexico; I might also pick up Urrea's The Hummingbird's Daughter, fiction based on a Mexican curandera);
Swim Back to Me by Ann Packer (two novellas and a few short stories about parenting and beyond set in Northern California; by the same author as The Dive from Clausen's Pier);
The Lace Reader by Brunonia Barry (set in Salem, gothic-ish, possibly about witches);
Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks (ok; I bought it last summer and never go to it); and
Still Missing by Beth Gutcheon (from Sian's pass the book project).
{In the started and may return to this summer pile, I have The Lacuna by Barbara Kingsolver; Lark and Termite by Jayne Anne Phillips; Fieldwork by Mischa Berlinski; and Await Your Reply by Dan Chaon.}
What's on your summer reading list and any suggestions you want to share?

Four People Twelve Times (16th Birthday Edition)

Starting last Mother's Day, I have been trying to take and post a family portrait once a month. The project was developed by Tara Whitney, and you can see all her photos and read her posts by clicking here.  I did pretty well through 2010 and even took a picture in January, 2011, but I have missed the last few months.  Last night, we took DS Henry out to celebrate his 16th birthday at his favorite Chinese restaurant, and my friend Molly snapped this nice picture.  I'll take another picture on Mother's Day this year and then post them all together.  It will be interesting to see how much we've changed over the year. If you want to see the other pictures in the series, you can click on the label "4 people, 12 times" below.

A Quote Contest for Monday

I made this background in my art journal about a year ago, and I finally found a way to use it.  The quote from Mark Twain reads:
"Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry and narrow-mindedness.  I am off traveling and photographing the world and sending prejudice far, far away."
Here's a couple other quotes I have found lately that I really like:
"Live in the sunshine.  Swim the sea.  Drink the wild air." Ralph Waldo Emerson, featured in a digi kit from Ali Edwards.
"Be who God meant you to be, and you will set the world on fire." Catherine of Sienna, found on the Beauty of Different blog.
Besides quotes, I also love stencils and masks.  So, I thought I'd run a little give-away today.  Post a comment with a favorite quote, and I will enter your name in a random draw for a Tim Holtz mask and a few Club Scrap stencils.  I'll pick the winner next Monday.

Storytelling Sunday: The Helms Bread Man

Before sharing my story for Sian's Storytelling Sunday (discussed here), a few words about the design inspiration for my art journal page (you can click on it to enlarge it and see the details).  The yellow and grey color scheme was inspired by U.S. First Lady Michelle Obama's Easter dress, discussed in this blog post.  And the houses were inspired by Dina Wakley's post here.  The journaling reads "A man walked into their village and they could never guess the secrets he held."  Now, on to the story.
I've written before about the neighborhood in which I grew up. . . a group of houses built in early 1960's Southern California to hold the families of World War II veterans employed in the aerospace and related industries.  House after house filled with kids, ranging in ages from newborns to 21-year olds.  During the summer, we all hung out together. . . listening to music, going to the beach, playing football and baseball during the day and hide-and-go-seek after dark.  
Often the highlight of our summer days was the appearance of the Helms bread man.  A surly man in a hurry, he drove a truck through the neighborhood selling fresh bread, eggs and milk to the households. Families could run a monthly tab and count on him to deliver life's basic necessities. This picture is from a great page about The Helms Bakery and the Helmsman, though our bread man was not as kind as the one described in the article. 

The Helmsman had donuts and candy.  When we had spare change, we would stop him and survey his goods. He hated that.  He would scowl and rush us to make a decision, growling that he was running late.  One summer, one of our neighbors got a ping pong table and we spent hours playing our new game.  I remember one afternoon that summer when we heard the Helms Man going by, and we ran outside, ping pong paddles in hand to buy candy.  The Bread Man noticed our paddles and stopped in his tracks. He asked if we had a ping pong table, and when we said yes. He said, "Let me show you something."  With a bit of trepidation, we led him to the garage where he barked at us to go to the other side of the table. 
And then he performed magic with the paddle and ball.  He could make the ball spin and dance.  Apparently, he had been a world class ping pong player in his earlier days and never lost a taste for the sport. He was unstoppable as a ping pong player.  He rolled up his sleeves and he played for what seemed like hours, a smile which we had never before witnessed, gracing his face. We were dumb founded.  And the next day, he was back to his surly self.  I think he did stop and play once or twice more that summer, and it was always a shock to see the complete transformation he underwent when he came out from behind the truck and stood behind the net with a paddle in hand.
I recalled this story because DS Henry has a birthday on Monday and this year he asked for a ping pong table.  I can't wait to show him what I learned from the Bread Man.