Oh The Places I Go!!

Time for another art trip to Portland, Or. And I am having fun driving myself crazy...er...I mean, getting ready....
Of course I have to make things. Much more fun than figuring out the clothes to pack.

I need a travel journal....
This will do. I like green and I am going to the Uptown Stamp Show to forage through  postage stamps. But, it is kind of plain, don't you think?
SEE the last trip to Uptown Stamp Show here

Hummmmmm
This is better and Portland IS The City of Roses....

I really want this Cavallini paper to line the inside covers but no one in San Francisco seems to have it, And online shipping costs as much as the sheet of paper so I hope I will find it in Portland.

A little stamp action on the cover....

Altered Book From Previous PDX Trip here

And, I needed a tin to carry some art supplies. I am going to a letter writing social at
NOUN.
You can check it out right here

So, here is my book, ready to toss in my carry-on and work on  in PDX. I am hoping I can talk my PDX pals to work on a page to add to my book too....

Isn't this fun? I was browsing the Back-to-School supplies (would you expect any less?) and spotted these cool pocket dividers and I thought I could do something with them....
I cut them down and added them to my book and I can tuck in business cards and ephemera inside.

I prepped a few pages...

I think I will add a photo to this page later on.

My newly made tin is all packed up and ready to go.  My
HAVING A GREAT TIME
WISH YOU WERE HERE
rubber stamp comes in handy at a time like this.

I really don't bring much -- my altered book and tin plus double stick tape, glue sticks, washi tape on a ring and postcard backs.
I am pretty sure my PDX pals will share their art supplies with me if I am good.

And my address book, of course!
You CAN put addresses on your cell phone but I'm analog. 

So, here you go -- all packed up and ready to go. But clothes? Not so much...
This is the fun part of packing.
So, Karen and JJ and Miss Polly and Michelle -- get ready because I am coming!
See you all very soon.
And, I'll see the rest of you in the mail or back here at the blog when I get back.
Don't forget to check my IG photos @PamelaArtsinSF in the meantime.

SEND GOOD MAIL -- GET GOOD MAIL

Places to Go & People to See

Collaged NYC Postcards on windowsill
I try to visit my second home every year. This time I picked a doozy of a weather week to visit but, of course, it was all worth it.
Frigid cold, rain, slush, snow, winds.
I may not be as tough as a New Yorker but I'm still here to tell you about it.

The High Line
I have walked the High Line a few times before but this was definitely the coldest  (& shortest) walk. It ends - or starts - right at the new Whitney Museum and I highly recommend a visit to both.

Yellow Cabs
I have a thing about Yellow Cabs and I love seeing them out at all hours of the day and night.
But I take the subway.

The Ink Pad
You know I've got to make a stop at the Ink Pad every visit. I met my pal CeCe there on a bitterly cold morning.
I nearly froze to death taking this picture.
No kidding.

Among other things, the Ink Pad is a great place to pick up some NYC rubber stamps to decorate your postcards and travel journal.

Next up - Casey's Rubber Stamps. Also in the West Village. Just step down and into a very fun world of stamps.....

Out front is always a table with some stamps you play with.....I stamped some mail I had with me and a little travel notebook.....

Casey's has got a great selection o stamps too and don't forget to look thru the catalog they have there because they will make up any stamp you want from it right on the stop.

JAM Paper & Envelope
This was a new place for me that CeCe took me to and fun to browse the shelves. My find?
Some really great very large airmail envelopes
that you can get by clicking right here
(I wouldn't share this info with just anybody but you guys are special....)

But, you don't have to BUY things in NYC, there is plenty to pick up around town. I scour every Subway station for those cool Metro tickets to pick up. They are getting harder to find because New Yorkers are getting neater and also, as my NYC pal Harriet says, they cost a $1 now and they are reloadable. But I did find quite a few. And Subway posters. Yes, a few did find their way into my possession. (I only took them when there were multiple copies -- don't want to screw up the transit system)......menus, blue coffee cups....all kinds of things to tear up and stick....

I worked on my travel journal diligently every day.....(more about that soon).

City Bakery
I met Harriet at City Bakery where we had cappuccino and hot chocolate and treats and talked about mail art and NYC.....City Bakery was having a month of hot chocolate -- a good time for it when the temperatures were hovering around ZERO - and on the day we went it was Hot Fudge Hot Chocolate with a giant homemade marshmallow....

Harriet gave me a big bag of fabulous Russian candy -- she knew I had been wanting them so I could use the cool paper wrappings in collages...eating them is kinda fun too.

OUT my hotel window. I loved looking out there. But when it was snowing I didn't like it....See that little red door right across the street?????

Well, this is what we ran out and picked up from there and got cozy in our hotel room one night with Chinese food and a bottle of wine.
Sometimes you've just got to do what you've got to do.
We saw plays. We went to museums. We ate out. We even saw Hamilton the Broadway musical with the BUZZ. And the hip-hop.

Valentine's Day
And I found a sweet little Valentine on the desk one morning....

AT MOMA
HOY (Tomorrow) -- by Torres-Gracia 1919
I also liked seeing artists Henry Darger and John Houck
I spent a delightful few hours with Ester K Smith (How To Make Books) at MOMA looking at art.
A really good idea when it is is snowing.
Which it absolutely was.

Junior's
Why yes, I did go to Junior's. Twice, in fact. And I'm not sorry.  You just cannot get this in San Francisco.
And the cheesecake....

More outgoing collaged postcards

So, I was trying to post about the travel journal but I just had to share some of the NYC fun I had with you guys.
I didn't put links to everything since I have posted about the places on previous  trips but you can just google them if you are lucky enough to be taking a trip to the
BIG BAD CITY.
And a BIG thank you to my friends CeCe, Harriet and Esther who really added a lot to my travels but spending time with me and being such interesting and charming friends.
 I leave you with this ---

"We were happy to be in a city the beauty of which was unknown, uncozy and not on a small scale" -- William de Kooning on NYC

I am sorry I left because things have really been hitting the fan since I got home.....

SEND GOOD MAIL -- GET GOOD MAIL
(and sometimes you just gotta hang on till things get better)
See you all soon!

Taking It On The Road

Taking it on the plane first...and then on the road...I am flying to Seattle to meet up with some of my fabulous mail art pals
and, after exploring and eating our way through Seattle, we are road-tripping to Portland
for a workshop.
We got a "class list" of supplies -- right in the "Back to School" mode!
Here are some of my supplies.....

And here are some more....old checks and foreign currency...This is going to be fun...

FACES
It was suggested we bring some "faces" and I seem to gravitate  towards the vinatge ones..
Here's looking at you, Kid.

Vintage papers and envelopes and papers and stamps.....pas de probleme.

Two little books to record the trip.....it ain't a trip without a travel book....

Some vintage maps and those faces packed in my nice flat, lidded box from Diaso.
I like a plastic box with lid to protect my papers from getting banged up and crushed in my suitcase..

KIT
All the usual suspects....glue sticks, scissors, cutters, double stick tape....

FACES
Once I got started cutting out faces I just couldn't seem to stop.....no matter how I arrange them they always seem to look very cool.

See what I mean? Cool, huh? I can't wait to see what I actually use them for....

Don't you just love collage and art supplies?

Tear and Paste material

I have to pack all this? I don't usually take so many things but then I've never taken a workshop before either....

A tiny bit of show-and-tell material. Brought along a couple of mini zines and a couple of little booklets in case anyone is interested....

Meeting up with a bunch of my mail art friends, going to the MOA (Museum of Artistamps) in Seattle and a reception/opening for a very interesting looking show at
Paper Hammer Gallery
It's Only a Paper Ghost -- intriguing name for a show.
And you know there will be food. And drink. I'll fill you all in later.

SEND GOOD MAIL ---  RECEIVE GOOD MAIL