A Public Service

Maybe you need a little bit of inspiration to feel some holiday cheer. I know I do. I am kind of a scrooge anyway and this year is leaving a lot to be desired.
California is burning. Again. And I won't even mention politics.
But, in spite of it all, I still like to look at pretty things -- and I am hoping you do too.

My friend -- who threatened me not to identify her or else -- is a fantastic and creative gift wrapper.
She wrapped ALL these beauties as a fund raiser for my mail art group's holiday party.
They sold for $5 each -- yes, there are surprises inside -- and people were grabbing them up for the beauty of the wrappings.

Who needs Martha Stewart?

My friend's wrapping?.......

Or, Martha's?

Hands down these win.....

Grouchy Cat

My friend should be in a magazine......don't you think?

Who would think to put a blinking, battery operated Xmas light on a gift?

How fun is this one? I think the box was stamped this way but you could get some plain boxes and do the same thing for a mail art lover. I am -- and I am going to add more postage and cancellations because that's just the way I roll.

I bought this one -- and, ahem, a few more....
And, I haven't even opened them yet but they have been shaken and poked.

These are some of mine.....wrapped before I saw all that eye candy....but I kind of like this theme too...I used old book pages.

I just happen to have lots of old book pages to use and that is creative reuse for sure. And once opened, my friends can use the papers for collages.
Want a couple of ideas of things to put inside the beautifully wrapped boxes?

How about a fabulous custom rubber stamp?

2ImpressShop has some fabulous rubber stamps for mail artists. I have three and I want more (hint, hint) Tell Bo I sent you, ok?

I am in love with sari ribbon

Holly is delightful to order from and the sari ribbon is beautiful for wrapping around altered books, adding to altered tags or vintage clips. Tell her I sent you.
I am getting nothing from this -- not selling -- just want to help you out with ideas and promote these two very delightful small businesses...

All packed up and already gone.....a holiday box for my sister....who has ZERO willpower and I have to put THREATS on her gifts and tell her not to open them till Xmas or else.
Santa WILL know.

Another tip -- that I am sure you all must know -- in the US, Flat Rate Priority envelopes come in three sizes and are free at the PO. No matter what you stuff inside and how heavy they are, the rate is fixed and they come with $50 insurance and tracking.
Such a deal.
That's why I could send a friend CANS of Los Palmas enchilada and chili sauce...she is in Virginia and they do not have the fabulous Mexican food we have here.
But they do have grits. And a ribs. I digress...

OK, so I hope this post inspires you to feel FESTIVE. 
I will feel a lot more festive when the fires in CA go out but I am trying....
Send California good thoughts.

SEND GOOD MAIL -- GET GOOD MAIL

What Do You Need for a Mail Art Holiday Party?

So, you ask, what do you need for a mail art party? Well.....we've had a few....mail art parties, that is...
First, you need a bunch of mail artists. 

FOOD
And then, you always need food, of course.....
And this group does like to eat.

This being in San Francisco, good food isn't too hard to find.
(and, neither are mail artists)

WINE
And you definitely need some wine.

Once you've got the food and the wine you are are halfway there...now you need some mail artists to roll in...and crank up the music.

Cookies are always good too. Homemade are the best and we have an expert cookie baker in our group (kudos to KC).

CANDY
Candy is good too.

Candy canes mixed in with some paper art...

PRESENTS
And you can also use some beautifully wrapped presents. Remember my last post that mentioned ju was gift-wrapper extraordinaire? Well, she wrapped all these gifts incredibly beautifully for the fund raiser for our group - SF Correspondence Co-Op(started almost five years ago by mail artist extraordinaire and Red Letter Day herself Jennie Hinchcliff).
I digress....so for only $5 you can pick a gift -- for yourself or for a friend -- and trust me, the stuff inside was good. Really good. And all the proceeds go to the SF  Correspondence Co-Op.
Win win...

You know you'd buy one....or two...some people -- and I'm not mentioning any names -- bought five or six....

I HAD to buy this one.....stamps on a clothesline....how could I possibly resist?

Mail Art Supplies
Mail art supplies are always good too. You never know when the urge to create will strike.

A lot of times our mail art group will make cards for a special reason..this time we made cards for kids who won't be with family for the holidays...

An art project is usually happening too....had to cut down some giant collages into postcards for mailing.

MOLLY
Yes, Molly wants food. And look at those eyes -- one blue and one brown. Every party should have a sweet dog in the mix.
SF Correspondence Co-Op Holiday Party at the SF Center for the Book.
TOO MUCH FUN

T is for TOO much fun -- and check out
Bleubeard & Elizabeth
for a little coffee and old-fashioned dishes.
Hum......I wonder how Bleubeard and Molly would like each other?

So, if you are making New Year Resolutions  yet -- or even thinking about making them -- I suggest you get yourself an ART Group if you don't already have one. 
Our group has so much fun all year - at our monthly meetings, on outings and we get together individually too...we make mail art, collage, give demos on techniques, have parties....

I'm feeling pretty good...baked my cookies and brought all my boxes to the Post Office today....now I think I can get back to making ART.
Sounds like a plan.
SEND GOOD MAIL -- GET GOOD MAIL

Mail Art Meet-Up

First mail art meet-up of the new year and a brand new artistamp in my passport!

Nothing beats a nice Sunday afternoon hanging out with the mail art crowd -- doing some cutting & pasting, some  (ok, a lot) socializing and seeing some fabulous show & tell.

The fabulous Miss Red Letter Day created the atristamp and was very dedicated in sticking them in all our passports.
I'm sure you all know about her blog but just in case someone out there reading this hasn't seen it, be sure to click that link.  She is the best! She posts when her upcoming classes are
and the SF Correspondence dates -- I'm just sayin' -- in case you are going to make a trip to SF -- you are welcome to join in the mail art fun.

We like to bring some Show and Tell to each meeting for eye candy and inspiration -- Tofu brought this fabulous piece made by Tough City Writer Adrienne Mason.
The fabulous book of collages was passed around the room and appreciated by all.
The photo doesn't do it justice. An accordion book with collages on each page -- beautiful!

Another incredible piece of work by JW of San Francisco -- an entire book of hand-stamped pages -- was a gift for one of our co-op members, SW.
Now THAT is what I'd call a birthday gift. Really wonderful. 

GinaVisione brought her pen case and let us test out her very fun (cheap) fountain pen collection.
Of course I found one I want. She also told us about the website
Jet Pens
where she buys them. Check it out -- a great resource for cheap fountains.

Of course, I brought my supplies -- address book, datebook, etc -- it is hard for me to sit still without doing anything.....

We had a special guest -- a woman who works at a post office -- she is one of the good postal workers! She answered some questions for us and brought a whole stack of the USPS templates for figuring out postage. I have been asking for one of these for years.
What a treat.

I managed to make a couple of collage postcards while I was hanging out....there is always something I can find to tear up.
I was so relaxed I forgot to take photos of the swap table and the snack table! But I did partake of both.
Of course, you know me.

And in December (doesn't that seem like a long time ago?) the SF Correspondence Co-Op had our Holiday Party -- a good time was had by all.

We all brought a few pieces of mail art received and hung them up for a pop-up mail art show.

And of course, we made things. This year we made holiday cards for  kids. We are going to make valentines too....

Russian Mailman

So, a mail art meet-up is a great way to end the year and start the year -- Portland is getting it's very own mail art group. Why don't you all think about starting up a group in your town?
Trust me -- it is a whole lot of fun and you meet lovely people.
I'm hoping to get up to PDX sometime before too long to check out the group of there.
And maybe I'll see some of you at a San Francisco Correspondence Co-Op meeting in 2015.
I don't know what the Russian mailman has to do with any of this but I just like him.
*************
I'm working on a couple of zines and playing catch-up with all the mail I owe and plotting my outing to the Vintage Paper Fair next weekend.
What's going on in your mail art work?

SEND GOOD MAIL -- GET GOOD MAIL