And To All A Good Night!

You've been wondering what I've been doing? Well, I know some of you have because I've been getting emails. You might want to grab a cup of tea...or coffee...or wine because this one is going to be long.

"The Holidays".....you know how busy it is and I don't even do that much....I did take a day off to play tourist in my own town. San Francisco is a great place to do that. Isn't the Palace hotel pretty?

And Chinatown....always a favorite spot of mine. I have been roaming around the streets and alleys there for years but I had never been to this place. I passed it by lots of ties thinking it was a tourist trap and it kind of is BUT it just looks so cool...
The Far East Cafe on Grant Avenue

And I can recommend the wonton/noodles/BBQ pork soup for sure.

Another favorite spot to hang out is my studio. One of my happiest places to be and there is always so much to do there...
and, I like company too, so come on in.

My pal Margarete brought me some great boxes of stamps and I spent quite a lot of time happily sorting them and playing with them...

I wrapped quite a few presents in my studio too...

And I made a bunch of Christmas accordion fold books but having gotten into the holiday spirit too late I still have them all. But the good news is they are all ready for NEXT Christmas. If I can remember where I put them.
I just don't get in the mood for Xmas till about a week before. As I was making things I was thinking what a good blog post it would be to show you but by then it was too late...
DOES THAT HAPPEN TO YOU?

I worked on finishing up my NYC travel journal. I had fun making tabs and then sticking stamps on them..

Don't they look cool? Well, I think so...

I made a very small, almost square altered book for a good friend  who loves Japan.

Also busy making envelopes and sending out some good mail.

Yes, another lunch out - this one in Japantown. 

Spend some nice time by my pretty Christmas tree....read a lot of books, baked a lot of cookies and made pies, took packages to the post office, worked, cooked, went to our mail art group's Xmas party.....
OK, SO here's what I want to know from YOU --
What would you like to see on the blog? What interests you? Just Art? Food? San Francisco?
I need to know if there is enough interest to continue and what you'd like to see more/less of.
And, c'mon  -- you can post anonymous comments easily - I know because I get A LOT of spam comments. You can do it!
Let's start the new year together.

In the meantime, if you are looking for me, I'm having a cocktail.

Happy Holidays and Best Wishes for a Very Happy 2109!
SEND GOOD MAIL -- GET GOOD MAIL

Let's Do Lunch

Lunch in Chinatown on Stockton Street
Mailartists have to eat too.

Clay pot and Shanghai noodles on Balboa.
And, you can keep an eye out for terrific take-out menus to make mailart with.

Tortilla Soup in the Mission District.
You know you want a tortilla chip.

Coconut Chicken Curry Soup at PPQ.
And, course chopstick wrappers and cartes de visite and take-out menus are good ephemera for mail art.

Dim Sum cart at City View on Commercial.
There is no city view there but you won't care.

Lots of great places for Mexican food in SF
I like tostadas best myself.

Caffe Puccini lunch in North Beach
(try the carbonara)
and go for a long walk afterwards.
A very long walk....

Sanruku at the Metreon downtown for a Japanese bento.

Delfina Pizza
Try not to miss this one.

Middle Eastern food right near Golden Gate Park
(you can walk to the Japanese Tea Garden)

Chicken, leek, carrot, and pan fried noodle PHO at Turtle Tower
on Larkin Street in "Little Saigon" (also known as the TL).
Near the SF Main Library.

Ramen at SUZU
Every kind they make is delicious
(in Japan Center)

Save room for cappuccino and writing some postcards......

San Francisco is a great place to eat and these are only lunches.
Dinner?
I recommend going to the Zuni or Absinthe late (if possible), after a concert or movie.

People are always asking me about what to eat and where to go in SF so I thought I'd do some random posting on my town for your visitors out there.
Of course I should have posted this in time for Ex Postal facto but I didn't...

Come to San Francisco and have fun with food. And mail art.
Hope you enjoy the pix!

I am so busy these days I've had no time to post so I thought I'd tempt you with some eye-candy.
My studio is coming along but it has been so much work. And I am trying to squeeze in art when I am not organizing and tossing and shelving....you will see photos soon, I promise!

So, what are you all doing these days??????

SEND GOOD MAIL ---- GET GOOD MAIL

Postal Playdate with Red Letter Day

Meet Jennie Hinchcliff -- Miss Red Letter Day herself ! Jennie is the co-author of the mail art book
Good Mail Day.
I'm sure most all of you reading this already have a copy . She is also the organizer of the
Ex Postal Facto Event coming up here in San Francisco
February 14 - February 16
2014.
Jennie ( and I) are hoping to see lots of you here at XPF in SF.
 I asked Jennie what she's especially excited about --

--- I have to say that one of the things I'm most excited about, in relation to the Ex Postal Facto weekend is the fact that so many of my postal friends will be in the same place at the same time. There's something really special that is generated, when like-minded folks get together -- especially mail artists! Ex Postal Facto will be one of those events that people look back on and say to themselves "I was there, I was part of it all."--JH

I recently had a chance to spend a wonderful day in the RLD studio with Jennie and I asked her a few questions about the upcoming three day mail art event.
I know you are going to enjoy seeing some of her studio and hearing a little about Ex Postal Facto.

What inspired you to organize the XPF event here in SF in February?

--my main inspiration was 2012's AARPEX (Artistamp Artists Reunion & Philatelic EXpo) event in Seattle, organized by Carl Chew and Robert Rudine. It was a two day event and featured many of my mail art/artistamp heros together in the same room! E.F. Higgins, Ed Varney, Cascadia Art Post, Teesha Moore, Bugpost -- they were all there, and it was unbelievable.  Everyone was so kind and generous; Carl and Dogfish (Robert) were gracious hosts. During the course of the event, folks were asking me why a mail art event hadn't happened in SF (the last big thing to happen here was 1997's Pacific Rim Artistamp Congress). I didn't really think anything about it at the time. But once I arrived back in SF, it was the ONLY thing I could think about! After that, everything started falling into place: the venues, the exhibition, different speakers...it's all come together in this very magical way. -- JH

Three days of mail art events sounds wonderful. Can you talk a little bit about what will be going on each day of the event?

--absolutely! On Friday, February 14th the SF Center for the Book will host an opening reception for the "mail/art/book" exhibition. Ex Postal planners have put together some fun events for the party, such as a mail art creation station and a postal cancellation window, where you can hand over items created at the opening reception. On Saturday, February 15th there will be a vendor expo held in downtown San Francisco at the historic Elks Lodge building -- in a perfect bit of synchronicity, the address for the Lodge is 450 Post! Vendors will have a variety of wares related to mail art, letter writing, and faux postage -- a little something for everyone! On Sunday, February 16th the weekend will wrap up with two different correspondence art/artistamp lectures at the SF Public Library. There are also a handful of satellite events in the works, but I can't quite talk about them yet...--JH

What do you say to those who absolutely can't get to SF for the event?


--Even if you aren't able to attend Ex Postal Facto in person, I would encourage you to follow the blog. I'll be updating regularly and encouraging people to upload photos, documentation, etc. from the weekend. My hope is that the Ex Postal blog becomes a "document" for the weekend itself, but also a way for people to connect and share their experiences.--JH

 Will you be making any artistamps for XPF? 

--yes, indeed! There will be a special issue of Red Letter Day/Barbary Coast Post stamps for the event, which I'm pretty excited about.

  One thing I'm excited to share with C&AJ readers is the news that we'll have a specially issued passport for the Ex Postal weekend. Designed by Happenstance Type-O-Rama, these passports will be a great way for attendees to collect and share artwork and artistamps -- the hope is that by the end of the weekend, each attendee will have a beautiful souvenir! Each day's event will have a special Ex Postal "passport cancel" at a passport stamping station; attendees get their passports stamped for each event they attend. Passports will be available for sale via the Ex Postal Facto website, as well as at the opening reception at SFCB.--JH

 What would you say to encourage someone who is "on the fence" about buying a plane ticket and making it to SF for this?

--San Francisco in February is a lovely time to visit! :-)

   If you're contemplating whether or not you should attend, I'd have to say "yes!" (and I'm not just saying that); the Ex Postal weekend is going to be a great mix of both old school and new school mail artists and artistamp folks from across the country (and a few from the other side of the world!). It's an amazing feeling to be in the same place with artists you admire, people you've only "met" in the mail -- there's nothing else like it. The people I correspond with are like extended family; when I'm able to meet many of them in the same place, it feels like the best kind of family reunion.--JH

I was recently emailed by a blog reader who will be visiting SF for XPF and she wondered about shops that might be really interesting for paper/washi tape fans.
I'm going to write a short post with some ideas for you out-of-towners so watch for that coming up very soon. You know I know the good places to go!
And we can also guarantee if you come to SF in February it will not snow!

SAVE THE DATE
February 4 - 15 -16,  2014

Who's coming? Come on, you can tell us. Any questions for Jennie? Leave a comment and she just might answer.
I am planning on being around for the three days so I look forward to seeing you guys here in SF.
And remember, stay tuned to Jennie's Ex Postal Facto blog for all the exciting updates and information.

A three day mail art event? Special artistamps? A XPF cancellation for your passport? Sidetrips to Chinatown? Venders all day Saturday? 
What's not to love?

(PS I would love it if you would all comment on the blog rather than send me emails or just comment on FB -- then  I'd have everything all in one special place! Many thanks)

Vintage Paper Fair -- My Favorite!

My favorite event is happening right now here in San Francisco --
The Vintage Paper Fair

If you live in the Bay Area there's still time to get yourself there.
It is still happening tomorrow in Golden Gate Park.

If you aren't local, I suggest getting on the email mailing list and start planning your 2014 visit.
It is definitely worth the trip for mail artists and paper ephemera lovers.
Check the web site for other California locations as well.

One of my favorite vendors is always in the same spot, right as you walk into the paper fair......

And here she is now -- Michelle Lutsky is part of the team who makes this whole thing happen and she always has a lovely smile to welcome you as well as an amazing array of wonderful
things I guarantee you will want.

For example....there were several boxes of wonderful old snap shots for only 25 cents each...
I managed to limit myself to 50 of them...
Oh...fun with collage....

And there were boxes of really terrific 25 cent postcards as well.......
another 50 or so purchased...
And guess what? I got about 30 vintage postcards of post offices!
Swoon...

It is just such fun to sit and sift through all those postcards.......I heard a number of people say "I could stay here all day long"....and some probably did..

After I finally tore myself away from Michelle and Hal's tables I came across some other wonderful  papers as well....

And right around the corner was a vender selling beautiful vintage stamps at face value -- don't mind if I do....
He let me sort through his folders and pick out what I wanted...
I wanted these...

and I do believe I wanted these too...
Well, wouldn't you?

So much lovely paper ephemera and so little time..Actually I did have the whole morning to drool...er..look at everything.

The lovely thing about the paper fair (besides being surrounded by lovely old paper) is there are many great things to buy at very reasonable prices. Postcards and photos for 25 cents and face value stamps
and....

an entire box of lovely old wedding photos.....

Yes, you really could spend the day looking.

What better than a visit to the paper fair in beautiful Golden Gate Park? And right up the street are loads of great places for lunch only about a block away. And coffee places if you need a little jolt to keep you going all afternoon..
Who's going to meet me at the next SF Vintage Paper Fair in 2014?
You know you want to.

Postcards are calling your name...
I'll show you what I bought on the blog next time....or you might see some of it in the mail....

Vintage Souvenir Scarf

This caught me eye but I really had to GO HOME. I stuck to paper and stamps and went back home a very happy mail artist.

I don't have any association with the Vintage Paper Fair, other than just loving to go every time it happens in San Francisco. Hope I see some of you next time.
We can all say hello to Michelle and go out for a great lunch in between paper shopping.

SEND GOOD MAIL -- GET GOOD MAIL