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| Well, as you can see, I still have a ways to go in cleaning up my studio.... I'm in it for the long haul. Amazing how you can just put stuff out on the sidewalk in front of your house and as if by magic it just disappears. Everyone likes something for free. (Especially me which is exactly why I have too much stuff) |
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| I am getting to the really hard part now....at first it was easy to just toss out the junky stuff that even I agree could go.... but my Chinese tins? Nooooooo -- they are staying... |
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| The painting stays....and the old, dried lei from a long ago trip to Hawaii....that stays too... |
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| And -- mais oui -- the French stamps stay.... |
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| Hummmm.....but what about this? I went through a serious phrase of collecting all kinds of religious items a while back.....should Our Lady of Guadalupe stick around? |
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| And what about this? The 3D inside the body book? I had it in the toss box..... |
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| ....but then I took it out....what do you think? Should I keep it? It is pretty cool...It is getting really hard for me to decide about some of these things..I'm in the throwing out mode but i don't want to regret anything later on... |
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| Consolation The one consolation to all this cleaning is the fabulous incoming mail I have been receiving... The very generous Mike Dickau sent me a(nother) sheet of his fabulous Snail Mail artistamps. Don't you just love them? |
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| INCOMING And today -- all the way from Budapest -- a fantastic envelope with a great collage inside. I think the Levi's collage was inspired by me living here in San Francisco. From Torma Cauli (check out the cool mail art blog). And since I am going to visit Budapest this fall maybe we can meet up? Now that would be really fun...... |
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| INCOMING Another amazing book made by Planet Susannia -- one of my most favorite mail artists to exchange with. |
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| INCOMING Another page in her handmade, collaged book.......swoon..... |
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| INCOMING And from the wonderful and generous JU (right here in San Francisco). Check out the great envelopes she makes....a pleasure to receive every time....and... |
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| ...they are always filled with such lovely things. She made me a set of envelopes from old National Geographic magazines...aren't these great???? I don't think I can bear to mail them off. I just might have to keep them for myself... |
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| INCOMING And Dori Mail! Another favorite...she sends the most interesting and creative mail. Lucky me! |
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| INCOMING Today I also got a bunch of shelf-lining paper from Sarah -- with vintage French postcards all over it. Sarah thought I might like to make envelopes out of it...oh yes, I certainly would like to. Merci. |
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| WHEW....I think I was entitled to a day off, don't you? Lunch...outdoors...one of my most favorite summer treats. Rare here in SF because summer here is chilly and windy but I took the ferry over to Marin county to meet a mail-art pal and we had a wonderful time. Brought some show-and-tell (zines, a book I made and ATC's) and lunch outside. I have been posting my OUTGOING mail on the Cappuccino And Art Facebook page so I won't post any here this time. I'm running out of room. And I got more great mail that also wouldn't fit here that I'll post on the blog's FB page. Saturday is our July SF Correspondence Co-Op meeting and I have three bags of stuff to put out on the swap table! What should I keep? What should I toss? And who wants to come over and help me organize? SEND GOOD MAIL -- GET GOOD MAIL (I have six huge boxes of mail art I am trying to figure out what to do with too) |
oh, the pain of purging....
ReplyDelete"I might need this someday"
Exactly!!
DeleteWhat a tough situation to be in!! I remember an item that would be perfect for an envie, begin searching for it, and after an hour of being on the hunt I suddenly realize I trashed it during my last reorganization :< My vote is for you to keep the 3-D body book and the snail mail artistamps are fabulous...lucky you.
ReplyDeleteHappy Mail Day -- that's it all right -- I couldn't find things. I am still missing a few things but hope they will turn up as I continue. I think I will keep that 3D book. And I love Mike's Snail Mail stamps too. Thanks for stopping by!
Deleteif I lived nearby, I would be strolling by your house to see what you put out by the curb!
ReplyDeleteDori -- I wish you were strolling by my house.....you'd have to stop and come in for coffee...
DeleteThose Chinese tins are beautiful.
ReplyDeleteI'd say, open a Mail art Museum!
TomoyoHime -- Thanks. I love those tins too.I go through the markets in Chinatown looking for beautiful ones and buy them -- no matter what's inside! I wish there was a mail art museum to donate to....I am going to display my favorite pieces in my studio.
DeleteI bet several libraries have mail art collections. Here is one that I know of: http://libraryguides.saic.edu/jfabc
DeleteThanks, Carter!
DeleteI cleaned and purged my studio about 3 years ago... and it was HARD. What I did with the stuff I wasn't sure about was to put it all I a box together. If I used something from the box it went back into circulation. Everything left in the box after a year went to Goodwill.. WITHOUT looking at it again!!! BTW... I collect Our Lady of Guadalupe stuff... so if you purge her, you can send her to me!!! VBEG!!!
ReplyDeleteEmie
Emie58 -- thanks for commenting! That is a really good idea to store stuff and wait for a year. In SF it is pretty easy to find Our Lady of Guadalupe stuff like candles and plates. Hummmmm that gives me an idea......
DeleteGreat mail as usual! I would tear out your favorite pages from the body book and toss the rest. I used to love those transparent overlays (when I was doing altered books....)Your lunch looks yummy and the garden you are in is a lovely backdrop for lunch.
ReplyDeleteFor the first time in my life I am going to have a studio space of my very own! My husband has been saving his pennies to surprise me with funds to purchase the furniture I need for the studio. I am so excited!! With the help of IKEA our guest room will now be my studio. I will be posting photos on my blog in the near future:)
Elle Mental -- congratulations on your new studio space. How wonderful. You will enjoy it I'm very sure. Thanks for stopping by!
DeleteIt's taken me a week to fill a single trash bag. Purging is as uncomfortable as giving blood. I know it's a good thing to do but I never know when my knees will buckle. :)
ReplyDeleteMy studio furniture is from IKEA! Goodness, but you've made me miss being able to use it. It's the hottest room in the house during the summer but that's no excuse. I'll put the rest of this in a letter. :)
Limner--hello! Yes, do put it in a letter. Try and stay cool. And yes, i know, the tossing out is killing me......painful isn't it? And the progress seems slow...off to a mail art meeting all afternoon so no sorting today.
DeleteYou always sneak that food in there don't you!!! LOL Nice incoming. Purging is so hard, but it feels so liberating and makes space for the new. Hope you finished up over the weekend. xox
ReplyDeleteOh yeah....I always sneak in some food, Corrine....and noooooo.....I am not nearly finished with the purge.....
DeleteBoy, I'd love to sit in your room with you as your organize, looking over all of those treats and treasures. (And, of course, I would be happy to take anything off your hands that no longer suited your purposes...) You have some wonderful incoming mail and booklets...I can see how easily your room would become full. Good luck with the tidying!
ReplyDeleteThe company would be delightful, Andrea....
DeleteGreat posting, Pamela. You have pinpointed the crux of the whole matter of being a creator of art. You want/need the inspiration so you are always accumulating the things you love. However the process of creating needs space so you can't be a hoarder. One visualization I use is that "It" is a big river from which I have plucked beautiful things. Now I am gently placing these things back in the river for them to go on down to the next lucky gleaner.
ReplyDeleteGood for you keeping your head above the water!
CJ--that's it -- the objects do inspire but also can add up so you feel like you are hoarding. I brought three bags of stuff to my last mail art meeting and I loved that others took things and created with them. It was fun seeing my stuff go out and be used by others. I've even been mailing things to others when I know someone would like it (but the postage gets expensive). Thanks for the encouragement.
DeleteI am excellent at organizing other people's things, but terrible at organizing my own. If you come here and pack up and purge for my upcoming move to a new studio, I'll come there and help you purge and organize.
ReplyDeleteNow, if we only had money for plane tickets...
Melissa -- what a terrific idea! Let's do it....at least in our minds. Aren't you in Japan? I have visited Japan once and loved it -- and I could sure use the help in my studio.
DeleteHooray, the French postcard paper arrived! I like to monitor your blog so I can keep an eye on just this kind of thing. Good luck with the rest of your studio clean up/out!
ReplyDeleteCarter -- yes it did and thanks so much. I have already made some envelopes with it.
DeleteI just love your blog, seriously, I found it today and completely fell in love!
ReplyDeleteCorelay -- thanks so much. Welcome. Nice to know someone out there is enjoying the blog.
DeleteI'm with Corelay! I love your blog!
ReplyDeleteAnd...Indigo...a big thank you to you too for stopping by the blog and commenting. Comments really help keep me going....
Delete