A Whole Lot of Mail (101 Card Campaign)

Isn't this a good spot to read all your birthday mail? My 101 year old father-in-law thinks it is.
And, boy, did he get a lot of great mail to celebrate his birthday during the month of October.
You guys are GREAT. Thank you all so much, everyone who contributed.
He says he got 130 cards in all....from all over the country and the world.

Virgo in Russian sent him a great big envelope with three terrific birthday cards written in Cyrillic .
How cool is that?
I am a little jealous.....

And Virgo included one with Congratulations from President Putin...
I am still laughing over that one...

JB also got a fire fighter hat mailed just like what you see in the photo, He was amazed,
Also a message in a bottle all the way from Finland and avocado socks from someone special in SF.

This was on the bottom of the fire fighters hat -- now that is pretty wonderful birthday mail, don't you think?

Fire Fighter postage stamps from Germany....

Pretty great Dori Singh mail.

There was a very strong fire fighter theme running through the mail and both JB and I want to send out a big thank you to the fire fighters who sent him mail.

Miss Polly from Portland kept it going...
And a shout-out to the Portland Correspondence Co-op for sending out some mail art to him.

Some excellent Canadian postage stamps with a great postmark from Adrienne...

And the card she made was even better.......(I love this one).

Tallie picked up the avocado theme....

I am coveting this Russian postage stamp...

There was so much fabulous mail that I didn't even have time to look at it all while I was visiting him so I took it home to SF so I could fully inspect it..(don't worry, I am sending it back to him).

Got out my trusty punch and some binder rings and set to work putting all his cards on a couple of rings so he can hang them up and flip through them when he feels like it.

Looking pretty good!
I can tell you he got a whole lot more cards for his birthday than I ever did....

JB and I want to thank you ALL who sent him birthday mail. I wish I could send each and every one of you a thank you but I just don't have it in me to send out 130 thank-you's....so I hope this blog post will do to thank everyone -- the folks in Canada, Germany, Finland, Russian, Poland went above and beyond and all of you who made him collages and mail art -- it is so very appreciated.Thank you to both the San Francisco Correspondence Co-op and the Portland Correspondence Co-op.
He told me he is kind of sad now that he isn't getting mail anymore and he wishes he "would mail mail like that all the time".  (We all would like that, wouldn't we?).
If you didn't send him a card and are inspired to after seeing all this cool mail, his address is:

JBF
1575 E WASHINGTON APT 530
PASADENA  CA
91104

And, speaking of thank you's, your many comments on my last blog post are very much appreciated.
If I always got that many comments I would be a very happy camper. At least now I do know people are actually out there reading my blog. I always love to hear from you about what you like (or don't like), if you want to see more or less of something or just a hello and telling me what you are making on your work table. It was terrific to get so much feedback from my question "Is Blogging dead?".
From all your responses it seems as though it isn't.

SEND GOOD MAIL -- GET GOOD MAIL

(and please keep those comments coming)

T is for (Mint) Tea

Breakfast  on the roof overlooking Fes....
A great way to start off the day before heading out to the medina (or souk) and exploring.
Mint tea is the drink of choice in Morocco but I managed to avoid it.
The riad we stayed in served really good coffee (maybe because the owner is from Italy).
Mint tea...or coffee....but good luck finding anything alcoholic to drink ion Morocco.

Today I'm playing along with
Bleubeard and Elizabeth
with a T is For.....post. It is kind to have a little theme -- well, besides mail art of course -- and the theme for the Tuesday posts are to include a DRINK.
Being that my blog has Cappuccino in the title, that is no problem for me. 

I set out every day in Fes keeping my eye out for things that interest me...and you know....being a mail artist and all....I like mail slots..

And, I love post boxes. This one is sitting in a rather exotic (to me) locale but I am wondering what that message is on the post box?

Here's a cleaner version of a PO box....no graffiti on this one...

LETTERS
In two languages....French is the wide spread second language in Fes...not English. My pathetic French came in handy since both my Spanish and Arabic is limited to saying thank you.

I rather like it when I can't read anything....

I picked up quite a few earrings in the souk -- going to remove the ear wires and try to use them as charms in my travel journal. I love the Fatima's Hands ....

I got Henna stencils of the hands too...I just know I am going to think of something interesting to do with those...

Here's another lovely spot to catch up on working on my journal. I took the photo before messing it up with all my art supplies and paper ephemera...

Now, here is a BIG QUESTION for all of you out there -- Seth Apter -- a wonderful artist whom many of you already know -- posted a question on his blog's FaceBook page and asked "What is your preferred platform (to follow) -- Blog? Facebook? Instagram? Pinterest?"
The results showed Facebook and Pinterest and Instagram all more popular than blogs....
sigh...
But, I think, since Seth asked the question on FaceBook the results were skewed toward FB .... so, now I am asking YOU GUYS the question (and so is another wonderful artist and blogger)
Caterina Giglio
Inquiring minds want to know -- do you want to see this blog continue? Or is everyone on to FB, Pinterest and Instagram.
Blogging takes a lot of time and effort and what most bloggers want from that is just to know that there are like-minded folks out there actually reading the blog.
The best way to let me know, is to leave a comment.
But maybe you are on to other things. Personally, I don't care for Instagram much...and really don't look at Pinterest much either...I do like FB but for me, it doesn't replace reading wonderful blogs like Elizabeth's, Seth's and Caterina's....

So, something to ponder. Please do let me know what you think. And I hope you enjoy this post with some mint tea or coffee or adult beverage of your choice...
See you all soon....well, maybe...
and
Happy Thanksgiving if you celebrate.

Travel Journal On Location

At the ready -- wine, Spanish peanuts, mineral water, glue stick,  travel kit (made by Dori) and journal....

I managed to make a few postcard size collages too.....

I picked up some charms like Fatima's Hand in the souk and I'm adding those to the journal pages too....

Some bits of posters torn from walls...

Working with my morning coffee....

Some papers picked up from the alleys in the medina in Fes.

I also found these spools of silk thread just lying in the alleys....so pretty, don't you think? And unusual to find something like that discarded...

Also from the streets of Fes....
(I was told the proper spelling is FES not FEZ -- that people thought it looked cooler using the Z rather than the S...I don't know if that is true but I am trying to spell it the way the locals do...)

We are on the go so much on our travels that it wasn't always easy to fit in the time to work on the journal...but I did pretty much keep it up -- in the morning with coffee, the afternoon with tea and cookies or at night with a glass of wine.

I just try to get my writing done about each day and leave space to add in photographs, paper ephemera, stamps etc
Part of the fun for me is continuing to work on my travel journal when I get back home. Kind of prolongs the trip....

On a rooftop in Sevilla..
This was about my favorite spot to work on my journal...sitting outside on a roof in Seville overlooking the city. A lovely warm afternoon -- with gathering clouds and a heavy downpour of rain later that evening.

A lot of you know my great love for Paris and France and I just have to say how terribly sad I am for the horror that happened very recently in Paris.
My heart goes out to the families of all the people who were killed or injured there.
This is not a political blog but I must say how sad it is there is so much war and ugliness in the world. All over the world, not just in France.
IMAGINE PEACE

So, I will continue to work on catching up on my mail and finishing up the travel journal and I will hold Paris in my heart.
Next I'm off to see that frisky 101 year old in Pasadena and check out all the birthday greetings he got from all of you -- he says there are 130 cards there!
I will photograph them....and work on more blog posts of Spanish post offices and the finished journal.

What's everybody else doing this Sunday afternoon?

Welcome Home!

Back home -- and lucky to be here. Lufthansa strike when we were in Madrid the day before we were scheduled to fly home -- our flights cancelled!
Luckily we got re-booked on Delta and made it home without too many problems but thousands of other people were not so lucky.
Returned to SF in time for a wonderful thunder and lightening storm and lots of good mail.
Sad the fantastic trip is over but if you have to go home San Francisco is a good place to be.

From Virgo in Russia (blue envelope) and under that, mail from Cuan in South Africa.
I love international mail.

My pal PLH sent this little pretty....

...with these inside. So lucky to get such good mail.....Spain and Morocco stamps to stick all over my travel journal.
I tried buying Moroccan stamps in the souk and they were 5 euros for three stamps.....
I don't think so.....

Several envelopes from Monica Lee (The Artful Recrafter). She sent this cool school form from Hong Kong --- I think that photo would look really good in one of my altered passports, don't you?

Welcome home stamp-heads from Monica....

And VIZMA Mail from Australia -- always a treat.

Some matchbox art inside from Viz....

Stamp Head postcard from Connie Rose

Postcard from Miss Millicent

Mail from SK -- a lovely surprise from a blog reader whom I hadn't ever heard from before -- a wonderful handmade/collaged book.
Things like this keep me going with the blog....
(thanks SK)
(And thank you to Dana who also is a blog reader who sent me mail for the first time)

Postcard from MC

Dori Singh Mail
A handmade book using vintage Spain ephemera from Dori....

(front cover)
The book is sewn into a handmade envelope with a string tie...so cool....but then everything Dori sends me is cool...

Pretty mail from Miss Olive Cinnamon

More stamps from PLH- she knows I love Chinese ephemera....

SEND GOOD MAIL
GET GOOD MAIL

Delightful and wonderful mail from so many talented mail artist/friends.
But it just dawned on me, now I have a whole lot of catching up to do in responding to all that good mail.
Uh oh....I guess you know where I'll be this week.....catching up on mail and working on my travel journals and blog posts about the trip....and ordering photos....I've got LOTS of photos -- food (and more food), Post Offices and PO boxes, the souk in Fes, flea markets, ancient ruins and modern day, the travel journal "on location".....will try to figure out what you all might want to see.

I couldn't photograph everything I received but many thanks to everyone who sent me mail while I was away. All much appreciated.

Anything you guys want to especially from the trip? ..Let me know because I will be working on blog posts.....