If you have state-related art, stories and inspiration to share or if you made art inspired by this blogpost, LINK US UP BY USING THE INLINKZ TOOL AT THE END OF THIS POST. Inspiration for you to use as a jumpstart to get creative is at the end of the post.

I am looking for GUEST BLOGGERS to blog about different States in America (find the list with States and schedule here.) These guest posts do not have to be as extensively written as mine and preferably give more personal and artsy insight and info about the state/region. Info that is interesting for an artist to know, like pointing out local art shops and little galleries et cetera. Also, I will be available to help you with tips, search for images and add extra inspiration if you need me to. Email me at bigroadtrip[at]maritspaperworld[dot]com if you’re interested!

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“Georgia, Georgia,
The whole day through
Just an old sweet song
Keeps Georgia on my mind”

~ Ray Charles ~

You all know Ray Charles, don’t you? Did you know he was born in Albany, Georgia? That explains why he sang that song and why I have it going through my head all day… I’m heading for Georgia!

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Now I could have taken the “Midnight Train to Georgia” but I didn’t…
I stood by the Savannah river – a major river forming most of the border between South Carolina and Georgia – and decided to swim!

… and look who stood on the other side to welcome me to her state…

Brigita – or Gita – from Gita’s Corner!

Now look at her smile – what a warm welcome!

~ Guest post by Gita ~

Hello Marit, nice to meet you.
Glad you could come for a visit to Georgia, the “Peach” state.

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Why don’t we take a drive down south and visit the Okefenokee Swamp. There are over 400,000 acres of canals, moss draped cypress tree and lily pad prairies providing sanctuary to hundreds of species of birds and wildlife. We can go for a canoe ride….

see some alligators…

or just enjoy the beauty in nature…

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Once we are done here we can drive back towards where I live which is south of Atlanta. Nearby is the Callaway Gardens. We can go for a hike and see the world famous resort known for its azaleas.

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Or go for some adventure and try zip lining. It’s alot of fun!!

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Once we’ve rested, we could head near Atlanta and take a hike up to the top of Stone Mountain for some views of downtown and the surrounding area. Let’s hope it’s nice and clear out…

Stone Mountain is the largest piece of exposed granite. There’s a carving of 3 southern generals – Jefferson Davis, Robert E Lee, and Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson.

We can stay until dark and watch the laser show.

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Are you tired yet?
Well, we’re done with all the hiking and will head to the World of Coca-Cola.

Did you know Coca-Cola was invented right here in Atlanta in 1886? Yup.

We can also taste all sorts of different sodas from across the world…

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Have we had enough? Well, before you go we can visit Margaret Mitchell’s home, which is on the National Register of Historic places.

She wrote her book, Gone with the Wind, here in Atlanta.

She’s also buried nearby at Oakland Cemetery..

I hope you enjoyed your stay here in Georgia.
Have fun on the remainder of your BIG tour. Take Care!!!

Brigita

…

Thank YOU Brigita – for showing me around! You showed me places and pointed out facts that I would never have found on my own. (Coca Cola invented in Atlanta?! That is a fun fact to know!)

I think plenty of inspiration can be taken from the photos and facts Brigita showed us – but I will list some inspiration tips and add – as always – songs + lyrics to spark your imagination even more. If you create something inspired by this post, or have something else Georgia-related to share, please let me know or leave your link with InLinkz at the end of this post!

So… what has Georgia – and this blogpost – to offer that you can use as jumpstart to get creative?

• Rivers and rocks

• Swimming

• Peaches

• Swamp / Canoe / Alligators
  

• Gardens / Azaleas
  

• Zip lining / adventurous or dangerous sports
  

• Mountains / Reliefs / Carvings
  

• Coca Cola / Soda

• Gone with the Wind (book, film)
  

and for the music…

• Songs about Swimming
  

Nightswimming – R.E.M. (lyrics)

Swimming Lesson – Eels (lyrics)

Dive In – The Hours (lyrics)

Front Crawl – Frank Turner (lyrics)

Swim Until You Can’t See Land – Frightened Rabbit (lyrics)

Swimming Into Deep Water – Don Rosenbaum (lyrics)

Don’t Cross The River – America (lyrics)

• Famous musicians from Georgia

A number of notable musicians in various genres of popular music are from Georgia. Included is Ray Charles (whose many hits include “Georgia on My Mind”, now the official state song), and Gladys Knight (known for her Georgia-themed song, “Midnight Train to Georgia”).
Rock groups from Georgia include The Black Crowes and the Allman Brothers.
The university city of Athens sparked an influential rock music scene in the 1980s and 1990s. Among the groups achieving their initial prominence in that city were R.E.M. and the B-52′s.

Legendary musician Otis Redding, Jr., has been immortalized by a life-size bronze sculpture, depicting him sitting on the pilings of a dock strumming a guitar with his famous song lyrics on a pad beside him.

The statue graces a riverfront park next to the Otis Redding Memorial Bridge, within walking distance of the Georgia Music Hall of Fame and historic Downtown Macon.

I made  this art journal page years ago inspired by the Otis Redding song
(Sitting on) The Dock of the Bay (with lyrics)

• Songs about Georgia

Georgia on My Mind – Ray Charles (lyrics)

Midnight Train to Georgia – Gladys Knight and the Pips (lyrics)

Rainy Night in Georgia – Brook Benton (lyrics)

Devil Went Down to Georgia – Charlie Daniels (lyrics)

Georgia Rain – Trisha Yearwood (lyrics)

Moon over Georgia – Shenandoah (lyrics)

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If you have a State-related blogpost to share, or if you have art to show that is inspired by the State or by this blogpost, feel free to leave a link. Please leave a link to a specific blog post or image on flickr, rather than a general url. To avoid spam, I will view each link before it gets approved. No linking up to travel agents or advertisements please. Thanks!

Book title haiku for Haiku My Heart Friday

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The Chronicles of Marit – Week 18

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Card for my mom

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Tammy “Daisy Yellow” Garcia is on a mission to share the love for bloggers.

I think it is such a great idea to share links to fellow bloggers and/or blogposts that got our attention or had us in awe and aah. We all love it when visitors find our blog, read our posts and leave a comment isn’t it – so why not pay it forward?

Here are the links I want to share this Friday – the first link is to an artist and dear blogfriend I know for quite some time now, the other’s link to blogs/artists I recently discovered. Enjoy!

• ~*~ Patty at Magpie’s Nest   (Oh, and Patty added links at the end of my BIG Road Trip post – North Carolina here – those links/posts are worth wile reading!)
  

• It was Patty who brought Conny at Piaroms Art Blog to my attention. (You’ll find some awesome video’s of her working-process on her blog too!)

• Molly‘s  Buddha Doodles – which she publishes daily – make me smile, cheer me up when I feel down or teach me a lesson (and sometimes her doodles do that all at once!) And if you know me or saw the header of my facebook page, you will understand I especially love yesterday’s doodle.)

• Heather aka Head Krazy at Kookaburra Laughing Productions: colourful, open and honest art journaling – that’s how I like it!

• Vicky from In My Head Studios – especially her gelli prints grabbed my attention.

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Thanks for stopping by and have a great weekend.

Wednesday, really?
Is it Wednesday again?
Allrightie… into the studio we go then!

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As always to start with: the golden oldie layout – lifted from one of my old scrapbook albums.

(I don’t create ‘traditional scrapbook layouts’ anymore but every Wednesday I dive into my albums and lift a ‘golden oldie.’ The layouts I pick are random, YOU – blog readers – name the number of the album and layout to show. Let me know in a comment which album you want me to open next week and what layout I should show… )

This week’s request came in via my facebook page where my cousin Mirjam asked me to open album 5 and show layout #15.

Is it a coincidence that I find yet another layout with my friend Lena on? Or are all these random chosen layouts where Lena keeps poppin’ up lately trying to tell me something? Shall we get together soon ‘meis’??

I can't seem to get the colours of this layout quite right 
on the photo ... it looks brighter in real life.

This layout was created in 2007 (?) and I am surprised to see flowers on it – I hardly ever used flowers and although I am a child of the sixties, I still am more drawn to the ‘power’ part then the ‘flower’ part of that era.   The black and white photo – showing Lena (with sneakers) an me (with high heeled sandals that I really could walk on. I was a pro in walking on high heels! Now that I’m older, I choose comfort instead – but where am I going with this story – oh yes, the photo…) must be  from the early eighties seeing the clothes we wear and yes, Lena and I are friends thát long (even longer.)

…and look at that HANDSTITCHING!
I use the sewing machine all the time lately but I cannot remember when I hand stitched for the last time. Maybe it was on this layout? Here’s a detail photo.

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Fast-forward to this week… Instead of working on index cards, I created an art journal page in my ‘Zeeuwse Ziel’ journal for Glue it Tuesday. This hand-bound journal has pages that fold, so here’s three photos from the same pages… (You may have seen the right page already in last Friday’s post – the left page is new.)

Left and right pages (same size)

… with right page folded open

Here’s the left page ‘all on its own’

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WOYWW #206

Last but not least – a photo from my workdesk for What’s On Your Work desk Wednesday.  The headquarters of this event can be found on Stamping Ground, home of the lovely Julia, where you can also find more explanation about woyww if you have no idea what I’m talking about.

I show a peculiar desk today as it has my beloved’s black jeans on… he asked me if I could repair the holes that were in his pockets… HA, now that I type these words, they sound rather funny, ambiguous…  but you will understand there were REAL holes and I CLOSED them.

.

What is on your workdesk today?
I’m gonna make me a pot of tea and start nosing around on everyone else’s desks… see you!

If you have state-related art, stories and inspiration to share or if you made art inspired by this blogpost, LINK US UP BY USING THE INLINKZ TOOL AT THE END OF THIS POST. Inspiration for you to use as a jumpstart to get creative is at the end of the post.

I am looking for GUEST BLOGGERS to blog about different States in America (find the list with States and schedule here.) These guest posts do not have to be as extensively written as mine and preferably give more personal and artsy insight and info about the state/region. Info that is interesting for an artist to know, like pointing out local art shops and little galleries et cetera. Also, I will be available to help you with tips, search for images and add extra inspiration if you need me to. Email me at bigroadtrip[at]maritspaperworld[dot]com if you’re interested!

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“Sweet Caroline.
Good times never seemed so good…”

~ Neil Diamond ~

Yeah, right, we keep on singing that same ol’ song because we are still in Carolina…
we’re entering the South now. Here’s the map of South Carolina.

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“With over 360 championship caliber golf courses, South Carolina is truly a state
that is made for golf.”
?
OK then… hmmm… well, I don’t play golf myself, but I take this fact as an opportunity to cross the border in a golf cart.

Come along – let’s enter South Carolina in a parade of golf carts and see what this state has to offer…

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Shall I point out some facts first, before we move on to the more cultural and artsy things? Right! Here’s what I found and think is worth mentioning:

Nickname: The Palmetto State

Motto: “Dum Spiro Spero” – While I breathe, I hope

Capital (and largest city): Columbia

Skyline of Columbia from Arsenal Hill

Highest point: Sassafras Mountain 3,560 ft (1,085 m)

State beverage: Milk

State Spider: Carolina Wolf Spider

Haha…so now I picture a South Carolinian sitting on top of a mountain, drinking milk and staring at the spiders around him. Tough people they are!

If you like to know more fun facts about this state – here are some links:

History, Geography, Demographics, Economy, Government and politics can all be found on this Wikipedia site

Quiz, fun facts, all sorts of worksheets – educational site for students about South Carolina

Official South Carolina Tourism Site

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On to the cultural and art side of the trip… and there is definitely art to find in the
Columbia Museum of Art.

“The 25 galleries of the Columbia Museum of Art in the capital city of Columbia are home to Botticelli’s only fresco that resides outside of Italy, as well as work from Monet and art glass by Tiffany — it’s truly one of the most impressive museums in South Carolina.”

I would love to visit the exhibition: Picasso: Master Prints

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From the list of museums, I also pick the Cherokee County History & Arts Museum. This Museum houses nearly 8,000 sq. ft. of permanent exhibits ranging in topic from Native Americans and the American Revolution to Geology and Moonshiners.

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And to explore the smaller galleries and artists – Here is a list of art galleries

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Last Month, in Lake City there was a festival called ArtFields.

“ArtFields is a first-of-its-kind, Epic Southern Artfest Competition and Celebration to be held in the historic community of Lake City, South Carolina. (…) Selected artists will be invited to exhibit their work in one of the historic downtown Lake City venues, from a museum to a barbershop for ten days. Art competition winners will be determined by popular choice and juried panel votes.”

The winning artist was Kirkland Smith, and I share this article with you:

“ArtFields has a new People’s Choice winner
It seems the entire state has been holding its breath since the announcement that the ArtFields People’s Choice prize had been suspended after the event closed last week. We were all thrilled when Facebook, Twitter and every other social media platform lit afire with the news that Kirkland Smith of Columbia had won the newly designated $25,000 prize.

When I was in Lake City on the first day of the art festival, the streets were buzzing with comments about “Steve Jobs,” her portrait of the former Apple CEO that is made entirely of Apple products and parts.

Smith’s use of recycled materials has been a theme that has gained a large following in South Carolina. People are constantly waiting to see what she will come up with next after having created portraits of Marilyn Monroe, Mayor Steve Benjamin, Audrey Hepburn, Bob Marley and more.”

Kirkland Smith’s art is inspiring indeed!
Find her art on her website: www.kirklandsmith.com

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Moving on to a last fun fact, before I bring you some extra inspiration to get creative… ’cause South Carolina talks about one inmate these days that has become famous: American Idol finalist Candice Glover is a native of St. Helena Island.

Here’s on youtube: Candice performs “Lovesong”

The finale will be Candice Glover versus Kree Harrison. The two-part extravaganza FINALE will begin on Wednesday, May 15 with an hour-long episode beginning at 8 p.m. ET. Then on Thursday, May 16, the two-hour long grande finale will kick off at 8 p.m. ET, and a new American Idol winner will be crowned.

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After all this fun facts about South Carolina, do you feel like you want to get creative but you can still use some extra inspiration? Here’s some tips (and of course songs + lyrics!) that you can use as a jumpstart to create – and if you do create something related or inspired by this post, please let me know or leave your link with InLinkz at the end of this post!

So… what has South Carolina – and this blogpost – to offer that you can use as jumpstart to get creative?

• (South) Carolina – the woman’s name as well as the state

• Golf

• Palm trees

• City Skylines

• Milk

• Spiders

• Picasso

• Native American art

• Assemblages

and for the music…

• Songs about Golf (there are only a few)
  

I Love To Play – Jake Trout and the Flounders

Donald the Dub – Frank Crumit (lyrics)

Straight down the middle – Bing Crosby (lyrics)

• …and songs about Grass (HA! I find it pretty smart of myself, extending ‘golf-songs’ with ‘grass-songs’ )
  

The Green, Green Grass of Home – Tom Jones (lyrics)

Night of the Long Grass – The Troggs (lyrics)

The Grass Is Blue – Dolly Parton ft. Norah Jones (lyrics)

High Hopes (The Grass Is Greener) – Pink Floyd (lyrics)

Greenfields – Brothers Four (lyrics)

When the Grass Grows Over Me – Conway Twitty (lyrics)

• Songs about South Carolina

Hickory Wind – Gram Parsons (lyrics) (one of my faves!)

South Carolina Low Country – Josh Turner (lyrics)
A native of Hannah (near Florence), Josh Turner has made it big in the country music scene. The album this song is on went double-platinum in 2006, and Josh was inducted into the Grand Ole Opry in October of 2007. His latest album concludes with South Carolina Low Country, one of only a few songs that specifically mentions South Carolina instead of just Carolina. It’s worth listening to as well!

Carolina Girls – General Johnson & the Chairmen of the Board (lyrics)
A favorite among shaggers and beach music lovers, this song’s popular refrain declares Carolina Girls are “the Best in the World.”

My Carolina Sunshine Girl – Jimmie Rodgers (lyrics)

• famous South Carolina musicians

(I found the following info on South Carolina’s Information Highway)

Groovin’ High – Dizzy Gillespie
Born in 1917, John Birks “Dizzy” Gillespie grew up in Cheraw. He taught himself to play trumpet at age 12 and began recording at the age of 20. (…) He played a major role in the rise of bebop and modern jazz, which he also popularized with his likable personality.

I Got You (I Feel Good) – James Brown (lyrics)
Even though Georgia repeatedly tries to claim Brown for its own, The Godfather of Soul was actually born in Barnwell County. He spent the last 30 years of his life on an estate in Beech Island, near Aiken. Along with Dizzy Gillespie, he is South Carolina’s most famous and widely-renowned musician.

The Twist – Chubby Checker (lyrics)
Hailing from Spring Gully (near the Georgetown / Williamsburg County line), Chubby Checker (aka Ernest Evans) was born in 1941. Mostly known for his 1960 summer hit The Twist, Checker was instrumental in changing the way people danced to music.

Heard it in a Love Song – Marshall Tucker Band (lyrics)
The Marshall Tucker Band formed in 1972 in Spartanburg. The origin of their name is attributed to a rehearsal in an old warehouse, when one of the band members looked at the key tag to the building which read “Marshall Tucker.” Marshall Tucker was actually the name of a blind piano tuner that had rented the building before the band. Heard It In a Love Song was #14 on the 1977 Billboard “Hot 100″ singles list. For more info, visit Marshall Tucker Band website.

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If you have a State-related blogpost to share, or if you have art to show that is inspired by the State or by this blogpost, feel free to leave a link. Please leave a link to a specific blog post or image on flickr, rather than a general url. To avoid spam, I will view each link before it gets approved. No linking up to travel agents or advertisements please. Thanks!

Good morning and good Friday you all!

Last week, my book title haiku was in honor of our new King. This week I have again a Dutch
‘event-related’ haiku. May 4 & 5 are “memorial days” in The Netherlands. On May 4th, our country memorizes the victims of war (WW II as well as all other wars) and “V-day” (‘victory in Europe’ or ‘freedom day’) is celebrated on May 5th.

First, here’s my booktitle haiku.

* "Short American" is a phrase that was used for a certain haircut
that became popular in the fifties - it refers to the type of haircut
that American soldiers/allies had.

This haiku is submitted to Haiku my Heart Friday. Go to Recuerda Mi Corazon to find a link-list of all the other haiku lovers.

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In my former post I left you with a cliffhanger, remember?
I promised to show you my latest Chronicles art journal spread and the scary photos I used on those pages.

I did work in my Chronicles journal a bit, but I spend most time yesterday on playing with the gelatin plate that sat in the fridge unused for over a week… so there are all kinds of half-finished pages laying on my desk today. It looks like this.

… and yes, I glued the ‘scary photos’ on the art journal page… and I don’t mean the photo of the new king and queen

I mean these:

See… that’s my son up there on the roof!
EEEEECKKKK! What did I tell ya?
Is that scary or what?!

We discovered a big water-stain on the bedroom ceiling some time ago, and when we stood in the garden and looked at the roof, it seemed as if some tiles on the roof had shoved. We were not sure if that was causing the problem though. My beloved is afraid of heights (acrophobia) and I am not much of a hero either… but my dear son was anxious to get on the roof when he heard of the leak! I know he is not a reckless guy so I let him, but still I felt it in my stomach when he went up there! The neighbours were kind enough to open their roof window so he could climb through there.

“… and is it fixed?” you might ask now. My son did not manage to get the tiles straight but he made pictures with his phone, so we could at least have a look at the problem ourselves and still keep our feet on the ground We then called a professional contractor who put the tiles straight and that should do it. It has not rained much since then, so we are not sure if it is fixed, but the weather report predict some showers in the next days so keep your fingers crossed please!

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More water… in my Zeeuwse Ziel art journal

I dreamed of water and floating through a river the other day and I made the next art journal page inspired by that dream.

There is some collage-ing on this page (the ‘blobs’ are cut out of aerial photos from a swampland.) I also used dylusion spray ink, water-soluble crayons and black and white posca pens.

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And that’s it for today. [Sorry, no link love... I'll make that up to you next week.] This afternoon I intend to ‘dive into Facebook’ to find out why it is that I have a facebook page but don’t see a timeline. Neither can I become ‘friends’ with other people. I guess that all has to do with the fact that I do not have a ‘personal account’ (only a ‘page’ account, which probably is seen as ‘business’…) I hope to figure some things out so I can finally and officially ‘like you’ and become your ‘friend’! Ha!

Well, FRIENDS, may you all have a nice weekend.
Don’t forget mom!

I am a little late with my Wednesday blog post because my beloved and I decided to go for a long walk this morning. Later today, the weather will change and it will get colder and rainy – that is what the weather station predicts anyway – so off went and we had a nice hour-long stroll.

But I am back in the studio now with the usual: a golden oldie, collages and a picture of my work desk, so come on in!

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As always: the golden oldie layout – lifted from one of my old scrapbook albums.

(I don’t create ‘traditional scrapbook layouts’ anymore but every Wednesday I dive into my albums and lift a ‘golden oldie.’ The layouts I pick are random, YOU – blog readers – name the number of the album and layout to show. Let me know in a comment which album you want me to open next week and what layout I should show… )

This week’s request came from Sara Jansen who asked me to open album 4 and show layout #7.

I found this really old spread! I made it way before I blogged. I suspect in 2006 because I knitted my “Bay City Roller Tartan Sweater” that year – see this post. I never dated my layouts back then, which I now regret. Also, this is a layout spread and the odd thing is, that in my early years of scrap booking I mostly made spreads (or even ‘double spreads’ which is four 12 x 12 inch surfaces!)

This is me and my friend Lena on the telephone. It is a rather simple layout – there’s not much techniques and/or embellishments used. The ‘telephone line’ is a plastic cord and the lettering was done with a template (I still have that template. It is a rather cute letter… maybe it would be fun to use it on an art journal page?)

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On to the new art work… collages on index cards for my Box of Longing.
I submit these collages to Aimee’s Glue it Tuesday – week #8 at Artsyville.

Looking through my collection of  cut out texts, my eye suddenly caught all kinds of ‘city related texts’. I also came across a pile of old Sassafrass cards… the cards were part of a RAK/give-away that I won years ago and I did not know what to do with them at the time. Now I am glad I kept the cards in my stash because it was fun to look for matching designs with the phrases.

Looking For The City Center?

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City On The Rise

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Love Among The Ruins

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And of course you were looking out for this photo…

WOYWW #205

Welcome to my desk beneath the roof of my house in Eindhoven, the Netherlands and a big HELLO to all desk hoppers – old and new – who came over from the woyww headquarters at Stamping Ground.  I show you a rather messy desk today (more messy than you are used to see from me anyway!)

I did not clean up last time I worked on my desk (hence the dirty water! I do am glad indeed not to find a brush standing in it too…!)  Yesterday I visited an old friend and artist and I brought some of my hand bound journals (all different bindings) with me to show him. When I got home later, I put the journals on my desk and went down the stairs to cook supper. I had not been back to the studio after diner, so the journals still lay there this morning.

Oh, and those photos to the right? I know you cannot see what is on it now but I can assure you, those are scary photos. I intend to use them in my Chronicles art journal and I will show that spread (and the photos) on Friday. Tadaaa… now that is a cliff hanger, isn’t it?

Sooo… I guess I see you all back on Friday then
Enjoy your week!

If you have state-related art, stories and inspiration to share or if you made art inspired by this blogpost, LINK US UP BY USING THE INLINKZ TOOL AT THE END OF THIS POST. Inspiration for you to use as a jumpstart to get creative is at the end of the post.

I am looking for GUEST BLOGGERS to blog about different States in America (find the list with States and schedule here.) These guest posts do not have to be as extensively written as mine and preferably give more personal and artsy insight and info about the state/region. Info that is interesting for an artist to know, like pointing out local art shops and little galleries et cetera. Also, I will be available to help you with tips, search for images and add extra inspiration if you need me to. Email me at bigroadtrip[at]maritspaperworld[dot]com if you’re interested!

..

“Sweet Caroline.
Good times never seemed so good…”

~ Neil Diamond ~

Yep, I’m heading to North Carolina and although Mr. Diamond probably sang about a woman, I do have that song in my mind now. (There’s more ‘state related’ songs at the end of this post to spark your creativity.)

I had no idea what to expect or what to find in this state, so I started with studying the map.

My eye catched the river/lakes/waters on the border of Virginia and North Carolina and I decided to check that part of the region out… so I cross the border walking this time while exploring the John H. Kerr Reservoir.

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“Kerr Lake (officially John H. Kerr Reservoir, also known as Bugg’s Island Lake) is a reservoir along the border of the U.S. states of North Carolina and Virginia created by the John H. Kerr Dam.

The dam construction started in 1947 (…)and was finished in 1952 to produce electricity and to provide flood control. It is the largest reservoir in Virginia. (…) It is located in parts of Vance, Granville, and Warren counties in North Carolina, and Mecklenburg, Charlotte, and Halifax counties in Virginia. At its maximum capacity, it’s one of the largest reservoirs in the Southeastern United States. (…)The lake is named for Congressman John H. Kerr of North Carolina, who supported the original creation of the lake.

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While walking, I come cross all kinds of odd signs or plaques with names and information on it.

I haven’t seen those before and when I explore this phenomenon, I discover that the signs are put there by the North Carolina Highway Historical Marker Program

“This state program is an effort to standardize the practice of marking sites of statewide historical significance. The silver and black markers have become a familiar part of the state’s landscape since the first one was put in place in Granville County on January 10, 1936. To date over 1,400 state markers have been erected. At least one stands in every county.”

There’s indeed a lot of those markers… I found a map.

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I find out that North Carolina is a very good state if you love hiking. They have all kinds of hiking trails so if you love walking in nature, you are in the right place.

You can find all sorts of information about trails, traveling, getting around NC and more on the government North Carolina site – with this blogpost I focus on art and culture so I choose the North Carolina Arts Trail and I am highly surpised to find this:

“Historic Happy Valley ~ Immortalized in the world-famous ballad, “Hang Down Your Head, Tom Dooley,” brought to life in Charles Frazier’s award-winning book, Cold Mountain, and recalled in tales of frontiersman Daniel Boone, Historic Happy Valley is a legendary home to the arts, storytelling and living traditions.”

TOM DOOLEY??… my-oh-my… that was the first (and only ) song I learned the chords from on my mother’s guitar! Yep, boys and girls, I sang that song a lot when I was approximately twelve years old: “Hang down your head Tom Dooley, hang down your head and cry….”  So he came from North Carolina then? Gotta check that out!

“Thomas C. Dula (June 22, 1845 – May 1, 1868) was a former Confederate soldier, who was tried, convicted, and hanged for the murder of his fiancée, Laura Foster. The trial and hanging received national publicity from newspapers such as The New York Times, thus turning Dula’s story into a folk legend. While the murder happened in Wilkes County, North Carolina, the trial, conviction, and execution took place in Statesville.

There was considerable controversy surrounding his conviction and execution. In subsequent years, a folk song was written (entitled “Tom Dooley”, based on the pronunciation in the local dialect), and many oral traditions were passed down, regarding the sensational occurrences surrounding the murder of Foster, and Dula’s subsequent execution. The Kingston Trio recorded a hit version of the murder ballad in 1958.“

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Enough of the murders and walking trails… let us now take a look at the culture and arts that North Carolina has to offer. Are there, for example, interesting museums? Since I don’t know any artists living in North Carolina who I can ask, I hop on over to the The Official Travel & Tourism Website for North Carolina. (If YOU are an artist living in NC and you have extra info or know fun adresses or places that are fun for artists to visit, feel free to add the info in a comment or link us up with Mr. Linky)

There’s this ‘promising’ text on the Tourism website, saying “Arts & Entertainment Tucked in every nook and cranny of the state are artful surprises. Filmmakers on the coast, bluegrass in the mountains, pottery in the piedmont and outdoor drama everywhere in between.”

Lets start with museums… a long list with all museums in NC can be found HERE

There is a museum for everyone: local history, natural history, maritime, military, mining, biographical – to name a few – and of course art museums. I pick one out that seems interesting to me: The African American Atelier in Greensboro. I spend quite some time on that website, I love to view the galleries with different art pieces. So many styles, techniques and themes. I fall in love with the work of self-taught artist Synthia SAINT JAMES 

and I also found Sythia’s website for you.

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Curious by that phrase on the tourist website about ‘filmmakers in North Carolina’ I google ‘films in North Carolina’ – and you never believe what I found! HA, there must be a wikipedia page for the most bizarre everything!

Now I am not a big film-watcher but I couldn’t help myself and went through the list to count how many of these movies I remember seeing (29 – that I can remember when I read the titles – and mostly on television – YOU??)

I also know for sure now, that they sell fast food in North Carolina, ’cause this documentairy was shot there.

North Carolina is a state that has a lot to do with (making) movies, so it shall be no surprise that there are all kinds of film festivals during the year. Interested in visiting? Here’s a LIST.

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Now there is a lot more to say about North Carolina (State Parks, Mount Mitchell, Blue Ridge Parkway) but I call it a day and leave it to you to add extra information if you have some. Feel free to email me, leave a comment or link us up by using the InLinkz tool at the end of the post. (Last week, Pat left a link to her blogpost that she wrote about Virginia with all kinds of extra photos, fun information and a wonderful painting she made.)

Feel like you want to get creative but have a lack of inspiration?
Here’s some that you can use as a jumpstart to create – and if you do create something related or inspired by this post, please let me know or leave your link!

What has North Carolina – and this blogpost – to offer that you can use as jumpstart to get creative?
Here’s some topics followed by, as always, a bunch of inspirational songs/lyrics. Enjoy!

• (North) Carolina – the woman’s name as well as the state

• Walking, Shoes, Hiking

• (Hiking) Trails

• Plaques (for instance, make your own, historical, plaque)

• Tom Dooley (or history, murder balads, hanging…)

• African American (or Sythia Saint James’ ) art (colours, shapes)

• One of the movies from the list

• Fast food

or

• Songs about Walking

Walk Like an Egyptian – The Bangles (lyrics)

These Boots are Made for Walking – Nancy Sinatra (lyrics)

Walking After Midnight – Patsy Cline (lyrics)

I’m Walking – Fats Domino (lyrics)

Walking on Sunshine - Katrina and the Waves (lyrics)

Just Walking in the Rain – Johnnie Ray (lyrics)

Walk the Line – Johnny Cash (lyrics)

Walk this Way – Aerosmith (lyrics)

• Songs about North Carolina

The Old North State is the official state song of the U.S. state of North Carolina. (lyrics)

Oh My Sweet Carolina – Ryan Adams ft. Neil Finn and Janis Ian (lyrics)

Wagon Wheel – Old Crow Medicine Show (lyrics)

Carolina on My Mind – James Taylor (lyrics)

Chapel Hill – Sonic Youth  (lyrics)

Gone to Carolina – Shooter Jennings (lyrics)

Greensboro Woman – Townes Van Zandt (lyrics)

Carolina in the Morning – Al Jolson (lyrics)

Sweet Caroline – Neil Diamond (lyrics)

• and a bonus track

My son pointed out this song and artist from Durham, NC

Call Him Daylight – Hiss Golden Messenger

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If you have a State-related blogpost to share, or if you have art to show that is inspired by the State or by this blogpost, feel free to leave a link. Please leave a link to a specific blog post or image on flickr, rather than a general url. To avoid spam, I will view each link before it gets approved. No linking up to travel agents or advertisements please. Thanks!

For the ones who missed the news and/or my last blogpost this week: The Netherlands have a new king.

Why do I tell you that – again – you ask?
Well… my book title haiku for Haiku My Heart Friday is about the king this week!

Each Friday I join the circle of haiku-lovers. I add my name to the list and I go say hi to all my fellow-poets, especially to our hostess Rebecca who generously opens her blog Recuerda Mi Corazon for all haiku lovers on Fridays. YOU are very welcome to join too.

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I haven’t showed you any pages from my Chronicles art journal over the last couple of weeks. That is because I had a difficult time and I did not create any art journal spreads, I only wrote a couple of sentences on the pages and I like to keep those for myself. Last week, I picked up the creating again so here’s the latest spread.

The Chronicles of Marit – Week 17

The collage on the right is a card I received from my neighbour… lovely, isn’t it?!
Thanks Miriam!

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I visited Sara Jansen’s blog Adventures in the Fun Room this week and my-oh-my… it was SNOWING where she lived! Eeeckk… I am glad to say we finally left winter beyond and today is bright, sunny and colourful… this is how my front yard looks!

I cut some branches from the tree in our garden to put in a vase…

Spring is in da house!

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April is over but Tammy “Daisy Yellow” Garcia continues her mission to share the love and link up to fellow bloggers.

I think it is such a great idea to share links to bloggers and/or blogposts that got our attention this week. After all, don’t we all love it when visitors find our blog, read our posts and leave a comment?

Sooo… I continue to share some links on Friday in May.

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• I named Sara Jansen in snowy Alaska already – here’s the link to her blog Adventures in the Fun Room

• I found Sara through “WOYWW” (What’s On Your Work desk Wednesday) – a fun ‘event’ that is hosted by the lovely Julia on her blog Stamping Ground You can read all about woyww here.

• I discovered a blog from a creative and – most of all – brave lady. Candace took a deep breath, a huge leap and changed her life around. Now that is some woman! Us Three By The Sea

•  I made me another gelatin plate yesterday – it’s in the fridge right now and ready to be taken from the pan. I definitely will show you the monotypes I make with it and then I also link the post to Carolyn Dube and her May’s Colorful Gelli Print Party! so stay tuned for a ‘monotype blogpost’ next week!

• I ‘know’ Glenda for quite some time now (four years?) and I LOVE her journal pages. She is a host at ‘A Year In The Life Of An Art Journal’ and I am a fan of her fun and quirky art work! View her latest art journal page in this blogpost that is called Coffee Rocks  – I’d say: Glenda Rocks!

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Hope your weekend is sunny and bright and filled with pink blossom!

Another Wednesday, another Tale from the Studio – and of course I show you my desk.

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To start with, the golden oldie layout – lifted from one of my old scrapbook albums.

(I don’t create ‘traditional scrapbook layouts’ anymore but every Wednesday I dive into my albums and lift a ‘golden oldie.’ The layouts I pick are random, YOU – blogreaders – name the number of the album and layout to show. Let me know in a comment which album you want me to open next week and what layout I should show… )

There was no request this week, so I decided to take today’s date and opened album 5 to show layout #1.

When All The Laughter Dies In Sorrow

This is a rather ‘heavy’ layout, but it is dear to me.
You can read the poem and see details of this layout in this old post HERE.

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Yesterday was a special day for The Netherlands. After 33 years on the throne, Queen Beatrix signed the abdication deed and her son, Willem-Alexander has become the first king of the Netherlands since 1890, following the abdication of his mother.

Here’s the news and a photo gallery on CNN website

I watched the ceremony on television but I also visited one of the many flea markets that were in the city, and found myself some ‘treasures’ for a bargain! One of my finds is an Atlas, which I used to make collages later that afternoon.

The collages are made on index cards that go in my Box of Longing and I submit them to Aimee’s  Glue it Tuesday at Artsyville.

A Zillion Lights

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The Right Place

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Wondering

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WOYWW #204

Of course I end this post with showing you my workdesk for What’s On Your Work desk Wednesday. Here’s how I found my desk this morning…

Do you like sneaking into other’s studios and peek at other artist’s work desks? Then I recommend you hop on over to Julia’s blog, where you find this week’s list with links to other work desks around the world.

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And that’s it for today sweeties.
See you again soon.

If you have state-related art, stories and inspiration to share or if you made art inspired by this blogpost, ADD YOUR LINK TO MR. LINKY LIST AT THE END OF THIS POST.

I am looking for GUEST BLOGGERS to blog about different States in America (find the list with States and schedule here.) These guest posts do not have to be as extensively written as mine and preferably give more personal and artsy insight and info about the state/region. Info that is interesting for an artist to know, like pointing out local art shops and little galleries et cetera. Also, I will be available to help you with tips, search for images and add extra inspiration if you need me to. Email me at bigroadtrip[at]maritspaperworld[dot]com if you’re interested!

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I made a change in the BIG Road Trip blog series – see above text!

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“Come on, come on down, sweet virginia
Come on, honey child, I beg of you…”

~ Rolling Stones ~

While packing my suitcase you can hear me humming this song… oh yes, I’m heading to Virginia next and I’m looking forward to travel with a form of transportation that I’ve always had romantic ideas about…

… a GREYHOUND BUS

“Founded in 1914, Greyhound Lines, Inc. is the largest provider of intercity bus transportation, serving more than 3,800 destinations with 13,000 daily departures across North America. It has become an American icon, providing safe, enjoyable and affordable travel to nearly 25 million passengers each year. The Greyhound running dog is one of the most-recognized brands in the world.”

This text is from the Greyhound website and they are right when they say the logo is famous… even here in Europe a lot of people recognize that running dog.

… soooo, a Greyhound bus will take me to Virginia this time. Pack your bags if you want to come along, and I’ll meet you at the busstation…

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While on the bus, let’s take a look at the map of Virginia.

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Oh, hey, look, there’s the welcome sign at the side of the road already! It employs the state bird, the cardinal, and the state tree and flower, the dogwood.

Now that we crossed the state border, let me tell you some facts about Virginia.

Virginia was given the title “Dominion” by King Charles II of England at the time of The Restoration, because it had remained loyal to the crown during the English Civil War. The present moniker, “Old Dominion” is a reference to that title. The other nickname, “Mother of Presidents”, is also historic, as eight Virginians have served as President of the United States*

*Ha, I see a little quiz here: can you name all eight presidents that
came from Virginia? The answer can be found at the end of this post.

Now I won’t bother you any further with all sorts of historical facts, if you are interested in that, you can find a lot of information on Wikipedia or on www.virginia.org The latter is a website I loved poking around and I found out that the title of that website also is the State slogan – don’t you love it?!

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Next, I explore the cultural and artsy side of Virginia… what has the State to offer when it comes to fine and performing arts?

“Though rich in cultural heritage, Virginia ranks near the bottom of U.S. states in terms of public spending on the arts, at nearly half of the national average” I read. Now that is disappointing, isn’t it? I figure the state must have SOMETHING to offer so I hunt down some more information.

I am surprised to find out the state has some sort of opera tradition. In Norfolk we find the Harrison Opera House.

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I also found the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in Richmond.

The exhibition called “Pop Art and Beyond” sounds interesting but the museum also houses a permanent collection of more than twenty-three thousand works of art from almost every major world culture, including Art Nouveau, Art Deco, French Impressionist and Post-Impressionist art,  British sporting art and Modern and Contemporary American art. I guess there’s something for every art-lover!

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Also, right now, The Virginia Arts Festival is taking place. There is a lot to read on that Festival website but strange thing is: I cannot seem to find where (in which town) the festival is. Anyway, I had to giggle when I read  “Unforgettable Tattoo Experience” and these kind of images came to mind…

… but it turned out “Tattoo” referes to this…

(In Dutch “taptoe”) So it had nothing to do with ink and needles after all.

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Next is a photo of the theater/podium in the Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts
The park is located in Vienna and it is the only national park intended for use as a performing arts center.

Lots of performances and concerts are given here and I would love to walk through the park, sit in the Spring sun and listen to music. Do I sound like a flower-power-child already? OK. I confess. I am. Anyway, you can find all the info about upcoming events  HERE

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Now that we are somehow in a flower power mood anyway: I was very surprised to find a town called MANASSAS on the Virginia map! To me, Manassas has nothing to do with a town and all the more with music. If you are from the flower power era, you will agree and probably recognize this album cover too.

A band and a town in Virginia with the same name… now that got me curious – so I went online and surfed the Internet again. Aha!

“The band christened itself Manassas after Stephen Stills, who had an interest in American Civil War history, orchestrated a photo shoot for them in Manassas, Virginia, the site of the First and Second Battles of Bull Run (1861 and 1862, respectively). The band’s first album Manassas, a double-LP sporting a cover photo from the shoot in Virginia, was released in May 1972.”

This album is one of my favorites and I found the full album track on youtube.
1:12:25 – and so worth listening!

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The state of Virginia is also famous for it’s flowers – there’s blossoms and bluebells all around in Spring and I cannot leave without naming it and linking you to the official website for the CHERRY BLOSSOM FESTIVAL

When it comes to photos of the Blossoms and Bluebells, I know an artist/friend in Virginia who happens to also be a huge nature lover: Patty Szymkowicz ~*~  who blogs at Magpie’s Nest

Patty pays the Bluebell forest a visit every Spring and has also written posts with photos of the Cherry Blossom Festival. Click the links to be directed to blogposts with photos that will have your jaw drop.

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As you see, even though Virginia does not spend much money on art, it still has a lot to offer and it seems like a very inspirational State to me! Let me give you some hints to start…

When you see the ‘inspiration logo’, it means that there will be some tips to spark your imagination and get creative.

Soo…  what does this Virginia blogpost bring that you can use as jumpstart to get creative?
Here’s some topics followed by, of course, a bunch of songs/lyrics. Enjoy!

• Virginia - the (girls’) name as well as the state

• Transportation – Greyhound Busses

• (Welcome) signs and/or symbols

• Presidents

• Opera / Opera houses / Theaters

•  Tattoos (both kinds )

• Manassas (town – rock band)

• Flowers – Blossom – Bluebells

or

• Songs about (greyhound) busses

Bus Stop – Hollies (lyrics)

Greyhound – Married Monk (lyrics)

Greyhound – Harry Chapin (lyrics) (I’d never heard of this musician
before – he sounds a bit like John Denver and I happen to like it…
ha, am I a “flower-power-country-cowgirl” then?!)

Greyhound – Bullets to Broadways (lyrics) (Very short PUNK song,
only 0:38 – that’s enough for me though!)

Backseat Of A Greyhound Bus – Sara Evans (lyrics)

Liquor Slicked Highway (greyhound busriding man) – G.G. Allin (lyrics)

and one last bus-song… BEWARE, this one stucks in your head…

The Wheels On The Bus (this is an anonymous United States folk song
dating to the mid-20th century. It is a popular children’s song, particularly
among pre-teens, in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom and
is often sung by children on bus trips to keep themselves amused.)

• Songs about Virginia

Virginia is for Lovers – Jordin Sparks (lyrics)

Meet Virginia – Train (lyrics)

Sweet Virginia – The Rolling Stones (lyrics)

Virginia Bluebell – Miranda Lambert (lyrics)

Virginia Moon – Foo Fighters ft. Norah Jones (lyrics)

Virginia Plain – Roxy Music (lyrics)

Only The Good Die Young – Billy Joel (lyrics) (“Come out, Virginia.
Don’t let me wait. You Catholic girls start much too late.”)

Who’ll Stop The Rain? – Creedence Clearwater Revival (lyrics)
(“I went down Virginia, seekin’ shelter from the storm”)

* Eight presidents that came from Virginia:

1st - George Washington 1789-1797 (2 terms)
3rd - Thomas Jefferson 1801-1817 (2 terms)
4th - James Madison 1809-1817 (2 terms)
5th - James Monroe 1817-1825 (2 terms)
9th - William Henry Harrison 1841 (he died of pneumonia 
a month after his inaugural address - shortest term in office)
10th - John Tyler 1841-1845 (1 term)
12th - Zachary Taylor 1849-1850 (16 months president, died 
after illness, second president to die in office)
28th - Woodrow Wilson 1913-1921 (2 terms)

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If you have a State-related blogpost to share, or if you have art to show that is inspired by the State or by this blogpost, feel free to leave a link.  Please leave a link to a specific blog post or image on flickr, rather than a general url. Each link will be viewed before it gets approved. No linking up to travel agents or advertisements please. Thanks!