It's All About the Stamps!

It's All About The Stamps!
I could play with them for hours....

....and I often do...

I just love looking at them. Tiny little works of art. I sort them into piles of the same colors...or subjects....like air mail or flowers or states...

Or HEADS -- for Stamp Heads. There are sure a lot more men on stamps than there are women. I'm just sayin'.

Here's a Stamp Head now -- hello George.  Did you know he enjoyed playing cards?

Sometimes you just find the perfect stamp to fit the body (but it's hard!).

A nice couple, don't you think?

These red, white & blue flag cards might be good for a 4th of July mailing.

I scored some cool Japanese stamps...

These were all stuck on one envelope...someone cut them out. I think it looks kinda like a collage..

The postmark is very cool too -- I have never seen such a long one before.

Some more cards I made featuring stamps -- both postal and rubber.

Stamp Inspiration...
On the right is a vintage book a pal sent me about making little pictures using cut-up stamps. Quite charming.
And, on the left, an article my pal Monica, the artful recrafter, passed on to me (via her sister who sent it to her).  It has some great ideas for using cancelled stamps but sadly there is absolutely no trace of what magazine it came from....and believe me, we tried to figure it out. We think it was written for a parenting magazine because it seems geared to kids. 

Here are some vintage stamp craft cards I picked up at an antique shop...right after my friend gifted me with that vintage stamp book. It was kismet. 

And, here are some cards from that article I mentioned. I think these are very cool, especially the Eiffel Tower.....
anyone want to make me one?

And these two are cards made by Monica -- aren't they cool? I took photos of a whole bunch of photos of cards she made she made using cancelled stamps and I have been been bugging her ever since about doing a post on her blog (link above) about making them. She finally told me I could show you these on my blog -- probably to shut me up. But I bet if you go over to her blog and comment and ask very nicely we might be able to talk her into a blog post about what she does with stamps.

I'm not actually a stamp collector...well, not the type who just sticks them in a book and looks at them....I like to do things with them...but I do have a few books of stamps I picked up at flea markets in my travels...I'm only human...

I love triangle stamps.

From the mysterious article....

Stamps just look cool!

These guys probably thought they looked cool back in the day too. But, I've gotta say, not so much....
Stamp Heads here I come!

There is so much more to say about stamps -- storing them, collecting them, soaking them off envelopes....
So what are you all doing with your stamps???
I know there have to be some ideas out there that I haven't thought of.
What else can we make?

PUT A STAMP ON IT!!!!!

Damn right I had fun!

The more art field trips I go on, the more I want to go on...and my mail art pal,  Leslie
invited me to take Bart to the end of the line and go visit her in Tracy, CA.
It is a long way from SF and it was made even longer buy the fact Bart broke down for five hours in the middle of the day while I was in Tracy. Happily I didn't know!
One Woman's Hands
Check out her blog -- there was some show & tell of the pieces in her post here.

After riding to the end of the line, Leslie picked me up and there was a quick stop for coffee and then on to the thrift shop she has been torturing er....telling me about for the past year...

Everything I heard about it was true! We scored big time. Books to tear up and re-purpose.
Collage books. A typewriter book. All kinds of great stuff. Did I mention I had to carry all my scores 100 miles back to SF?

Can you see those prices?
.50 cents for a hardcover? .20 cents for a paperback?
The next best thing would be free books and oh yes -- there will be a post coming up about free books soon too.

Leslie scored this charmer -- an ancient cookbook with bits glued in and making the whole book even more cool.

After all the excitement at the thrift shop (and there was no fighting over the books...really...we agreed to share)...there was show and tell in Leslie's studio.
I love to see what she she is working on and there is always a lot to see.

I love these pages she made (she talks about them on her blog).

And this envelope! She actually sewed bits of fabric and that little flower design on there. Is that my type or what? I love it and it would be very nice if she mails it to me. (I can try).

More Show & Tell -- besides what she makes, there is always a treasure trove of cool stuff she has found in her travels around town. I swear Tracy has more cool stuff to find than SF.
Too much competition here in SF.

You know lunch if always involved. Yummy deli sandwiches taste better eaten on those vintage
plates....surrounded by ephemera....

Looking around her studio is always great fun too...

Collage by Leslie

Some artwork by Leslie and her mail art friends -- I spied one Postal ATC by me!

More of Leslie's art....

I could have stayed all day but I had to head back to SF about 5:30PM.  Major Bart delays so I had had a lot of time on the train to think about what a terrific day I had. Totally worth the trip!
And I am already invited back.
I must have been on my good behavior.
Seriously, I can't think of a better day than spending it with someone who loves all the same things you do. We speak the same language.

Go ahead, set up an artist playdate with a friend. You won't be sorry!

So, what are you guys all doing for fun these days?
I want to hear about it.

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and
It's Spring -- go out and play!

A party -- and You are Invited!

What do you need to have a party?
Well, for sure you need some fabulous, homemade cupcakes (by master baker KC). And you need little postage stamp flags on top of each one!

You need artistamps.....

...and a passport to put them in....

And a swap table always adds to the fun...

We do know how to put on a good swap....

Cancelled stamps floating around are always good too.

You need wine.

And, of course you need some bites to eat.....you can't live on cupcakes and wine alone.

You need party guests...preferably ones (like these two) who are creative and friendly and fun.

A typing station is always good too. (Thanks to Monica for bring two of these beauties).

Just making sure you saw those ZIP Code stamps on those yummy cupcakes.

You need a raffle and a lovely pal who wins the raffle and gives the box of rubber stamps she won to you -- thank you so much, Angelique.

Happy Birthday to the SF Correspondence Co-Op!
Started by the wonderful and talented Red Letter Day herself --
Jennie Hinchcliff -- we have had four years of fun and art and events and swaps and trades and zines and mail and artistamps...
Now going strong into our fifth year as a group, we are still having a little too much fun.

You can come to the party -- if you are in San Francisco you can come to one of our meetings. 
Or, you can start up a group of your own.
Trust me, it will be worth it.
I found my tribe.

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