Happy Wednesday aka Hump Day. Time moves along ever-faster, it seems like it was the weekend last time I blinked, now it's almost the weekend again. 😲
I took a break from the cardmaking to create an art journal page and I'm going to tell a story about it.
😊
In the Spring of 1966 I was in the 4th grade and we had a 2-week integrated unit on Wildflowers native to our state of Texas. For each flower we drew, colored and labeled its parts, learned about its history, life cycle and habitat. To get us interested, the first flower we studied was blooming just outside our classroom door and was the flower most known to us: Oenothera Speciosa - the pink evening primrose, Mexican primrose or "Pink Lady". In Texas, we grew up just calling them buttercups. We kids loved to pick them and rub ours and each others' noses in them to make them yellow with the pollen. And if we were able to pick a bunch, give them to our moms like they were a dozen pink roses. I have always remembered that study unit fondly.
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Here's a photo I took in April of the patch of buttercups that come up every Spring in a corner of our backyard.
And here's a much better photo I snagged off the internet of a patch on the side of a nearby highway. You can see the yellow pollen centers pretty well.
Fast forward years later, I ran into my teacher and had a nice conversation where I mentioned how memorable that was to me. Well, she then told me that The Federal Highway Beautification Act, which called for the planting along highways of wildflowers native to the areas, had been passed in 1965 and it was First Lady Lady Bird Johnson's pet project. She had lobbied Congress herself for it. She also wanted to add curriculum to the schools to teach about the importance of native plants and flowers, so she sought to use Texas as a voluntary laboratory for the development of that. She lobbied elementary educator groups and even provided lesson plans. My teacher decided to try it that spring, and I remain ever grateful she did. It helped me see every wildflower as a flower and not a weed. I feel that is Lady Bird's lasting legacy, because our culture has by and large eventually adopted that same point of view.
I've used part of one of Lady Bird's often-quoted remarks. Although she was so shy in high school that she deliberately let her grades slip just enough so that she wouldn't be Valectorian or Salutatorian and have to make a speech, she eventually gained the poise, confidence and speaking ability to match her inspiring speech writing.
If any of this interests you, please go HERE to this page of her most wonderful quotes and you can read the complete quote I borrowed from there. Also, learn about her life HERE. And the National Wildflower Research Center she founded, The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center HERE. It has a fabulous database if you ever need to look up an American wildflower, by the way.
Here's a close-up of my "Pink Lady".
And a final look at my page, my homage to the folklore of wildflowers and the vision of Lady Bird Johnson. Thanks for visiting today. xoxo
Supplies Used:
Digi image colored with Promarkers and glitter paint pen
Text created by me in PSE
Printed on Springhill Digital card
Old Flowered Scrapbook Paper for Base
Washi tapes
Scrapbook embellishments and collage sheet ephemera from stash
MY CHALLENGE PLAYLIST:
22 comments:
What a gorgeous page you created Aimeslee, and I love the story behind it.
Alison
I love your wildflower page Aimeslee, and your story. Those buttercups are nothing like the ones we have here, they are so pretty and pink. Ours are yellow but instead of rubbing them on our noses to make them yellow we used to hold them under our chins to see the yellow glow. Thanks for joining me for the October theme at Art Journal Journey this month Elle/Empire of the Cat xx
What a great page for Elle's challenge. I always love coming across patches of wildflowers. I think it's great that so many places are growing wildflowers now. They are so pretty to see aren't they? And they're good for all the pollinators too. I love your pretty page and I'm also glad you joined us at AJJ for Elle's challenge.Thank you for linking up. It's a great story too. Hope your week is going well. hugs-Erika
A bright and cheerful card for our challenge this week. Thank you for joining us at the Crafts Galore Encore Challenge.
Lorraine
Popping back to also thank you for entering at Passion for Markers this week too.
Lorraine
Super pretty Aimes. I loved reading your post. I'm glad you ran into your old teacher to hear the rest of her history.
I loved your story - and read it all - after I had got over the shock of realising that in the Spring of 1966 - when you were in 4th grade - I was having fittings for my wedding dress.
A lovely page Aimeslee and thank you for sharing it all with us.
Carol xx
CD Sunday Plus DT
What an inspirational post Aimes, and a fabulous subject. I know very little about Ladybird Johnson. How wonderful that her idea has been followed through. I love your page and the story.
Faith x
This is beautiful! I love how colorful and feminine it is.
Thank you for sharing your lovely project and story with us at at 613 The Avenue Create! Hope to see you again soon,
Hugs, Kate (Cards a la Kate)!
Such a pretty card, beautifully inspired by your photo. Thanks for joining us at Passion for Markers this week, good luck! Juliexx
I absolutely love your beautiful page, Aimeslee! And I especially like your story behind it, too. It brought back memories of my elementary school classes! Thank you for sharing this with all of us! Hugs, Sharon
Loved reading the background behind the making of your page - I was 10 in 1966.
Pamela
CD Sunday Plus DT.
Your art journal page is gorgeous, Aimeslee!
Beautiful journal page Aimeslee. I never knew the history of the buttercups. It was very interesting. I"m going to bookmark the database though so I can use it sometime myself.
A lovely card. Thank you for sharing with us at Passion for Promarkers. Marlene
A lovely creation and lovely to read the background to it.
Thanks for joining us.
Jo
CD Sunday Plus DT
So glad you’ve joined our challenge at Mixed Media Lovers! I just love what you’ve made. Hope to see you again next time.
Blogowner: Ine http://creaine-cards.blogspot.nl/
This is such a beautiful page Aimeslee! I'm always happy to see wild flowers. I loved seeing that your buttercups are pink. The Lady Bird Johnson wild flower centre loos to be a fabulous place! I'm so pleased you shared this at AJJ, hugs, Chrisx
What a beautiful page! I love that you shared your inspiration.
Prachtig wat je gemaakt hebt!
Zo fijn dat je meedoet bij de Mixed Media Lovers!
Marlies, DT
Very nice! :)
Thanks a lot for joining us at Creatalicious! :)
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