White is not really a color.

After following the Inauguration today and all the talk on civil rights I remembered something I did as a child. I could not read yet so I had to have been younger than 6. I had very little parental guidance and was over a mile from home. I had to use the restroom so I went in the bus station. There were a lot of doors and some had signs. I asked a porter what the signs said and he said "colored". Mnnnn, what does that mean? "The color of your skin". That was easy as I looked at my arm. I'm white so I go in the colored one. It was really hot out so I got a drink from the "colored" water fountain when I came out too.
The porter had several upset people talking to him and he kept saying "ask her, ask the little girl if I told her to go in there".A very disturbed woman told me the colored porter was being fired and questioned me about our conversation. I repeated my story to several perplexed people and then I cried and told them I didn't want them to fire that nice man for helping me.Then a detective came and showed me his badge and I repeated what had happened to him and told him I was so scared and didn't want to go to jail and I didn't want the man to be fired. Sob, sob, sniff, sniff. The woman wails" what do we do ? She actually used that bathroom and water fountain!" The detective told me I should go home and stated to the crowd the porter was not to be fired. That's how I learned about civil rights and prejudice-not at home, not from my ethnic neighborhood friends but from strangers in a bus station. I went home and never told a soul what had taken place, but I was afraid to go out of the house for a while.

Art Journal

Art journals seem to be the latest rage.A glimpse of art depicting my personal journey, likes, dislikes, emotions, viewpoints. Here is a page from mine.Flight 1549. I possess a gift of premonition.I have a flash of

an event that is usually a tragedy and I think "Why did I think something so terrible?" I dread them as they may concern family, friends, strangers, firemen and events I have no control of..My heart has been heavy with all the events in the world and I want to see something good happen- not this lingering plane crash that has been bothering me.The other day as I watched tv it switched to live news of a plane crash in the Hudson River. My eyes saw more than yours saw- my ears heard more than you heard.

The nearly 3000 souls from the World Trade Center saw Flight 1549s peril and sounded an alarm for help.. No! No! They would not standby to see another epic tragedy beset their city and loved ones. Todd Beamer once again yelled "Let's roll!" and the 44 from Pennsylvania were there to aid. A miracle was orchestrated and performed. Capt. Chelsea Sullenberger was one of the heroes and all the others who were timely in place. The angels surrounded them and were filled with joy. The announcer said there had to have been divine intervention.Was there ever!!! Thanks be to God!!! No I am not mentally unbalanced..

Historical Day

The world watched as Barack Obama became the 44th president of our great nation. We have hope......

Surprise!!!

On the new Yahoo group All Things Tim the moderator , Gloria asked who had not met Tim Holtz in person. ME I answered. Gloria had surprises from Tim for 4 lucky people to be given in a random draw from those who answered. What can I say -Tim is my idol. I love his style, creativity, products, tutorials, enthusiasm, and the list goes on. He made my Christmas last year when he did the 12 Holiday tags tutorial on his blog. Friday one of the surprise packages was received. , I was disappointed. No packages in the mail Saturday either. Today I received 2 packages. I was hoping to receive Tim's new Holiday stamps I ordered last week. I did receive my order from wwwcollagestuff.com . I LOVE the word keys!!!The other package was marked Surprise from Gloria. Instant tears came to my eyes. I WON!!! I won a 342 pc mixed minis plain Idea-ology grungeboard set AND a tag made for me and signed by Tim Holtz, my idol. THANK YOU TIM!!!!! Thanks to Gloria for mailing. too . I have a piece of treasure. Gratefully, Judy

Paula's Journal

My niece by marriage, Paula is going through cancer treatment for breast cancer. She starts chemo tomorrow. My daughter Laurie and their other cousin , Carla is supporting her through this. Laurie mentioned she told Paula she should journal her emotions. I scanned this before adding

any embellishments. I think I will sell these journals.Who hasn't had an unexpected journey down this road of life? I need one of these myself!

I have been heartsick because I haven't been able to help my sis-in-law, Phyl. She has been fighting pancreatic cancer and had many setbacks. A couple weeks ago she fell and broke her shoulder. Her arm was in a sling. Saturday she fell and broke her arm, wrist, ribs and hip.I will be making a journal for her and maybe her visitors and family can keep it updated.

I can't leave Mom for any length of time now. She has recovered from broncitis/flu but is extremely unstable on her feet, and very forgetful. She only has 20% of her sight and less of her hearing.I just thought I'd throw that update in for friends and family who read my blog.

Thanks for stopping by and leaving comments. judym

Write, Tape, Paint. Scrape Technique

Jean posted on the arttechniques group that she had a technique tutorial on her blog so I trekked over for a look-see. Oh my! Nice blog, Jean. I have been working on journal covers for Christmas gifts and decided to give it a try. Here is my first applied to bristol board. I used chalk ink as the base and my tape stuck badly. On the second I used mostly Lumineres

paint and it wasn't too bad but next time I will stick the tape to my clothes first. I love the look of this technique. It can stand alone nicely or be used as background. Its worth the added time and work. As time permits I will be trying some other mediums on this.Here is Jeans blog

Be sure and check it out. http://bluebirdslivinginthemeadow.blogspot.com/

I love the first sheet! It is the Luminere paint. Thanks for visiting.... judy

Fall Skinny Book

Fall is my favorite time of year. I live in the midwest and love the checkerboard of the farm fields after harvest, the beauty of the changing of colors, the nippy crispness of the air, and the fall festival celebrations.

I did alot of my work on my Fall Skinny Book pages outside enjoying the sunshine and cooler weather.I used my mist sprayd as a background on watercolor paper. I then sprayed real leaves and pressed to the paper.I then used some rubber stamps and used ink for some leaves and markers for others. My coptic markers filled in leaves and added some words. I also had to add some glitz with glitter paints, too. All are a little different and unique.I set them aside wishing I had some other color to add to them.

Last week I received a package in the mail. Hmmmnnnn- I haven't had the time to order anything while nursing Mom back to health.My art friend Faye sent me 3 bottles of Moon Shadow pearlized colors. This was exactly what my fall pages needed as a finishing touch.You can read Faye's blog at

http://hastingshall2.blogspot.com/

I admire her work so go take a peek.

My Fall Skinny Book pages are for the Arttechniques@yahoogroups.com

I'll be posting about my technique pages for the Fat Book swap soon.

What's happening in my world.

I haven't updated my blog for awhile. I was working on The Color Workshop hosted by Sherre Hulbert which I will post at a later date. I learned so much doing the lessons. My Mother, Angie, lives with me.I have a very large house and she has hrt own apt upstairs, but spends most of her time downstairs. She's 85 and has COPD, Osteoporosis, Malecular Degeneration, and has lost most of her hearing but hides it as she is a good lipreader.In Nov and Dec she had pneumonia and became very frail and unsteady, It was taking a toll on her fragile body and she became nore dependant on me. During this time she started losing her voice. After a couple visits to a specialist it was diagnosed as a tumor on her voicebox and had to be surgically removed with approval of all her other Drs. So on July 30th she had surg. and it was a cancer. My daughter and I thought she would just be balistic when told but she took it quite well. Dr Klemons said if there was a good place to have to get cancer that was it as it doesn't spread. She was not allowed to talk and had to be on a soft diet.
Sge did exceedingly well. We went back to her Dr on Aug 6th and the pathology report showed he had gotten all the cancer. She was told she could talk 1 hr a day. On the way to the Dr I had to remind her to quit singing,lol. So we went out and had a nice lunch. When we got home she went upstairs and I came downstairs to my art studio to relax and unwind from the stress of the past week. Then my phone rang and Lifeline said my Mother was upstairs screaming and had pushed her Lifeline necklace. Surely they had the wrong person but I hurried to check.Before I even got to the top of the stairs I can see she has fallen and has a compound fracture to her wrist. I usually handle these emergencies well but I was in shock and it took me a minute to get it together. Her oxygen line had caught and she yanked on it and lost her balance.My daughter Laurie is an angio tech at the hospital and they let her come down to Emergency. So back to surg Mom goes to get a plate screwed in to her bone. We lucked out and got the best hand surgeon. Rah! After telling the nurse 5 TIMES Mom needed her Predizone and a breathing treatnent that night and in the morning I left because they wanted me to. Laurie called me in the morning before work to say Mom was doing well. I called the nurse and she said Mom would be released and was doing great, had breakfast and her meds. My brother Bob called to say he was headed to the hospital so I got my room ready for Mom and got her clothes and medical equipment. When I got to the hospital Laurie said Mom was wheezing because they hadn't given her her the nebulizer treatment or Predizone. I was furious!!! Bob and I got her home and I immediately gave her a treatment. Her nebulizer treatment was taking an hr and 15 min and Apria would not replace it bacause it wasn't broke. Mom had asked many times for a new one. So I took it with us when we went back to have the Dr check her arm.Apria said they wouldn't replace it because it still worked. I looked that lady right in the eye and said Well it'll be broke when I throw it through that window. She decided she'd give me a new one.So I tell her Mom's portable tank is almost empty and I need it replaced to get her home. She tells me to pull around back and a guy comes out, puts the tank in the car and starts to walk away.He said no one told him to switch it out and stood there while my other bro John figured out how to change it. She stays with that company because she like their oxy concentrators.
So now I have a little purple people eater (both arms are completely bruised) who can barely see, mostly lip reads, can't talk.,has a very sore hip, and a broken arm and so weak she's unstable on her feet. I have a pulled muscle in my neck and just found out I'm borderline diabetic and have high blood pressure.Yes and now I have to be 2 people with very little help.I'll get us through this.... It is so hard to be a caregiver.
I have been sneaking in some of the Olympics- I love them!!! Go USA!!!
I'll be getting back to my art when I can. I can't wait to get started on my technique pages. At least I have all my supplies. Well there's more to this saga but I have a dressing to change , clothes to fold and supper to
prepare. Forgive if I missed any typos.

Summer Skinny Book

Here is my skinny book page from Arttechniques@yahoogroups.com

hosted by Sherre Hulbert. The stamps are Stampin Up.

Tutorial on creating personalized cards

I needed cards to mail my ATCs and other art swaps so I thought I'd share with you a way to show your art work and economically make a personalized card. So grab a piece of cardstock and a piece of computer paper. Gather your scraps and card size art work or collaging material. Fold your computer paper in half horizonically and vertically. You will just be using this as a visual template. In making the card your focal points will be on the right side of the vertical page for the front of your card and the back will be on the left side. You will make two cards on one piece of cardstock. So you will want 4 focal points- one for each quarter of the cdstk. I made a piece the other day using paint scrapping and added black Krylon web spray so I'll incorporate it and a scrap border after doing a visual dry layout ( no glue yet) to see how it will look.It's ok if it hangs over the edge of the cdstk.I use my template paper to find the halves and centers.

Next I fill in with more scraps and my focal points. I now use tape or a dab of glue to hold in position. Now I add an address label, my blog address, and on one my picture - all on the left sides of the quarters as they will be the back of rhe cards. I finish by embellishing. So I have used my ATCs and inchies for focal points. You can use fabric, thread,ribbon, whatever your heart desires.When satisfied with the results I take it to my local copy shop and have 50 copies made on cardstock on the color copier. It costs me .45 per page . Each copy has 2 cards on it so that woild be 22.5 cents per card. Add in a box of invitation sized envelopes from

Walmart and you gave a nice piece of mail art. I cut them in half horizonally and fold. Ready to go!!! I'd love to see your cards so email me for my address and mail me one .JudyMatheny@grics.net

All the pictures are backwards so if you start at the bottom left and work your way up you'll be able to follow my directions. I can keep my mastercopy or disassemble it by just using tape or a bit of gel to tack it together. I like making a new one each time.

I tried to turn my comments back on again- I hope it worked.

The top photo is of 4 cards folded to show the fronts and the backs .

Avon Cancer Walk Fatbook

On the HannahGrey@yahoogroups.com list Debbie Mutti is hosting a Fatbook for the Avon Cancer Walk to be auctioned by Gina, another member. My friend since freshmen in high school, Mary Kay, is now going through chemo and radiation, so my pages are dedicated to her. I wanted to make sure it was a FAT fatbook . I think you will recognize some of my background papers here. The angel above is an image from AlteredPages.com printed on a cloudy colored vellum glued with gel medium over a patterned brown on white scrapbook paper with the word angel glued on her wing. I also colored her from the reverse side with markers.Of course I had to add some dazzle with Stickles around the edges ! Thanks for viewing my art. I tried to add comments back on my blog but it didn't work. So just send me an email .

JudyMatheny@grics.net

Relatively Speaking

On arttechniquesatcs@yahoogroups.com I hosted a relatively speaking ATC swap to perfect making transfers. I was a little disappointed when only 3 people signed up. So I tried the color copy on acrylic paint and I didn’t get one to turn out!!!
While searching for another photo to take to the copiers I ran across photos I had purchased at the only estate sale I attended last year. A friend of mine was helping with the sale and ask if I knew the people. Not only did I know them I knew most of the family and had since I was a child. I also told him Flo was my confirmation sponsor. He expressed surprise that none of the nieces and nephews were interested in keeping their records or scrapbooks from their career of singing and family cabinet cards and other photos among other things. This
Family had immigrated to America from Lebanon and settled in Toulon Il and ran a grocery store. Three of the sisters sang and they were
“the Ray Sisters” on WLS radio and on the Barn Dance. Flo, the youngest, was in high school. They moved to Peoria and owned the Ideal Grocery store and a provisions company.
I came home with all I went after plus a few other treasures. Out of 6 children (only 2 had married) Flo and Ralph moved to a retirement manor. I immortalized Flo, Alvie, And Billie with my gel medium transfer. Flo was one of the most beautiful woman I’ve ever known- it’s too bad the photo doesn’t show it. Ralph has passed and Flo says she is so blessed by her great life and is just waiting for her call Home. I’m sending her an ATC too. She is now 89. One of her biggest thrills was singing “the National Anthem” at a Cardinals game. Flo's in the middle.

Paint Scrapping

Today I'll show you an easy to do technique.I just use cardstock for these.I start out with my darkest color of Golden acrylics and squirt a line on one of the edges then I use a credit card or piece of cardboard and pull it across the paper wiping any excess on the card on a paper towel. my medium hue color I squirt on the end of the cr cd and apply randomly. Use as many colors as you want using the same application making swirls and curves. Use just the edge to add some lines. I like to apply a metallic or glitter glue to add some pzazz to finish them. I love the richness of the high pigmentation of Golden paints but you can use regular acrylics also. Another way to finish is use Krylon Webbing spray lightly. You can stencil (as I did) or stamp on it if you like. Have fun experimenting. Now you wiped your excess paint on a paper towel amd continue to do the same until your paper towel is covered and you have another paper for your stash. You can now cut these into the size you want to work with. I'll be showing the red/bl combination in another post.

Purple Grackle ATCs

I love birds and this is a simple ATC that turned out to be a favorite. I used Purple Stazon ink on K& Co Paper. Being hardpressed for a place to stamp I used my Zission Cutter thus the pattern in the stamping. Of course I had to run some Dazzle around the edge in purple to glitz it up. This is for the arttechniquesatc yahoo group.

Art Journal

Mixed Media Art list had an art journal page swap. Paper, fabric, with some metal. I had found a stash of muslin and decided I would practice a little painting on it. It didn't look that great wet but after it dried overnight I liked the look .I really had another project in mind but my muse kept nagging me.This is what I ended up with. I have found I like using fabric with mixed media art. The watering can was the back of each page.

Bird nest charm

I love the charm swaps so when TheLatestTrendsInMixedMedia@yahoogroups

started they had a challege. I took some copper wire size 20 gauge and cut 2 pieces about 4 inches long and held them in an X position. I looped the end of my spool wire onto one of the four spokes and started weaving and formed the nest. I then used the wire to loop thru the top edge to finish the nest. I made eggs from polyclay following the clay directions. I used E6000 to glue the eggs to the nest and added a jump ring.I was apprehensive about my charms after being in the Big charm swap on another list and being belittled so badly.To my surprise I won the Innovative charm swap! I won a gc from the sponsor TwistedPaper.

More Zentangles

Zentangles

I have participated in several zentangle swaps. Here are a few of mine. Zentangles are addictive and can be done anywhere. Try one! You'll like it.

2z2 mixedmedia art group

Belinda had a challege creating a 2x2 canvas she supplied using paint,

fabric or trim and something metal.I liked working on the canvas.

Yesterday's Earthquake

4;37AM Yes I woke up with my bed shaking groggily thinking Earthquake . computing the fact we were experiencing a thunderstorm. too. I even gave it a rating of 4 to 5 by strength and time it lasted.
My brain even accessed the fact I wasn't suffering a seizure, stroke, or dream then I went back to sleep. Later in the morning I felt one of the stronger after shocks. Mother didn't feel either.
As a child of seven I experienced my first quake in Ca. (and have been in several since) That one scared me! I don't like going to Ca because of quakes and my Uncles don't like coming to Il for fear of tornados. Kind of silly. huh?
Back in the 80's when I was working digital cutovers for Ameritech in Cairo. Il. the experts predicted a big quake along the New Madrid fault. Cairo, Il is the confluence of two rivers.
The company had one person from each workgroup attend earthquake training . We were also given a key to the disaster trailer and learned to use a short-wave radio to communicate.
Luckily I never had to use my key.
Another thought I had when I felt the quake was I don't have a disaster trailer! My brain also worried that the 10 feral cats that live under my shed were terrified.

ATCs

amadcratersatticatcgroupa2yahoogroups.com

is a new ATC group that branched from another group I belong to.

Lyn Stonehewer (moderator) does some great videos.Here are a few of the ATC's I have swapped out