A Roman Holiday

Rome
Beautiful, unruly, dirty, ancient, historic, modern...

Beauty is all over -- looking up, looking down, on walls, ceilings....so much art inspiration.
The Romans have been doing this for a really long time.
Lucky for us.

What I wouldn't give for these milagros. But these are in a church and not for sale.

Lemoncello
Now this you can buy! Or make. I have my big batch of lemencello started and it will be ready soon.
I'm part Italian so it's in the blood...

Still life with artichokes
We have loads of artichokes here in California but they don't look like Roman ones.

Dressing for the flea market looks a little different in Rome....I covet that skirt!

Si -- we may need a gelato.

This one is a little out of control....

I think you can guess what is sold inside this cool looking shop...

yep....the selection of sausages and cured meats and pancetta and prosciutto is incredible.
Free samples too.

And the dolce........mamma mia.......
We had cakes and cookies and canolli every day. But we walked it all off.
Ok, ragazzas and rigazzos.......that's a wrap for Roma. I'm home in SF and I can still remember every wonderful minute.

I have been making lots of things. I'll have paper to show you next time.
Ciao Bella

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PDX Altered Book

This post has A LOT of photos so grab an adult beverage, or any kind of beverage you want (Smith Tea in PDX is suggested as well) and settle down for a look at the finally complete Portland altered book.
Maybe I should have broken this up into two posts because there are a lot of photos but....I didn't.... and I am not showing all the pages in the book (nor are they in order)..

I took photos in PDX (of course!) and I'm not one to just leave photos on my  phone. And I picked up lots of paper ephemera while there thinking I'd use it in my altered book....The vellum above is from some large sheets I bought at ScrapPDX -- and it is maps of Portland. Love the pages I made with that...
I cut up various file folders from ScrapSF to make pages like the pink one. I love TABS, either on the side of the book or up top.

I like my altered books FAT and this one almost doesn't close. I will either punch a hole and add sari ribbon to close it or use a wide, arty rubber band I got at Daiso.

Background on this is a paper bag....

I just folded the Kachka menu in half and added it in....(highly recommended  if you visit PDX).

Happily I didn't need any Pickle Juice, either at Kachka or on my trip to Russia.

I also added some Portland travel ads from 1950's National Geographics. Gee, if I took that Domeliner from PDX back home to SF I could have bought more stuff.

Hotel deLuxe

I love room service!

I made several pages with little pockets......I love tucking things inside...

Another pocket with an Oregon postcard tucked inside....

Here I added a vellum envelope with some mail art from my PDX pal Karen...

Miss Polly!

Night out after the PDXCC meeting....

Another night out and another place I recommend...

PDXCC Mail Art Meeting
I added quite a bit of mail art inside the book from the Portland folks....

YOU BET I WILL!!!!!

Fabulous visit and it's nice to have this little book to pick up and look at and remember all the fun I had with the lovely people in PDX.
So, pick up an old book and tear off the covers. Punch holes -- add rings and you are good to go.
It is fun to figure out all the different things you can use to make pages-- maps, bags, file folders, vellum....You can make a book from a weekend away or a longer trip....it is fun.

Are you going to do it?
Sorry this was so long but I wanted to show you some pages.....Is that drink gone yet?
The better get busy making...

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You Better Sit Down

Yes, these are ALL Stamp Books. There must be thousands and thousands of stamps in this room. And, if you are anything at all like me, you must feel a bit faint.
Go ahead, sit down.
Niko Courtelis graciously invited a bunch of us (mail art and stamps nerds) to a private showing of stamps at The Uptown Stamp Show in Portland.
All I can say is, if you are ever in PDX, you have GOT to go there.
Trust me.

There are lots of stamps for serious collectors.......

BUT
There are books and books and books you can browse through and pick out any and all the stamps you want for ten cents a stamp.
TEN CENTS!!!!!

I honestly thought I'd died and gone to heaven.....well, almost heaven...it was a little bit of hell not being about to grab as many books as I could carry and run off with them...

I got a wonderful selection of stamps from Russian....

I love Postage Due stamps, don't you? WHY didn't I get these????

Who do we have here?
Miss Polly -- I know some of you you trade mail art with her. Doesn't she look happy?
There was a whole lot of swooning going on....

Niko (standing, at left) was totally outnumbered by women going a little crazy...
The plan to go out for lunch went flying right out that window. We stayed for hours but we did bring in some deli sandwiches for the energy to sustain us for more swooning...

LOTS of stamp head potential in those albums too.

And look -- is this the old way of what we all hate? The black Sharpie cancellation?

We were all invited to add a stamp to the wall to mark our visit.

By this time I was planning on ditching my plane ticket home and renting a car....

There was a teeny bit of competition over postal themed stamps. Niko was there to break up any fights.

But, no worries, we all left smiling and very happy with out stamp treasures.
(Karen, JJ & Miss Polly from the PDXCC and Pamela from SFCC)

Thanks to my Portland mail art pals for arranging this wonderful visit and special thanks to Niko for unlocking the doors for us on his day off.
Here's the link to the Uptown Stamp Shop website
Looking at it will make you crazy. Maybe you better wait till you are heading up to Portland.

And you KNOW I will be heading back up to PDX at the first chance I get.
Anyone want to meet me there?

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