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.

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Kitted Out

A lot of you are coming to San Francisco soon and I bet you are packing up those mail art kits!

I love to pack up my kit because that means I am going someplace but it's more like re-pack the kits because I always have various pouches stashed here and there with art supplies...you never know when you might need one.
Correspondence co-op meeting?
A sudden urge to create at a cafe (having cappuccino, of course)?
You never know.

You can never really have too many mail art kits....and since I have kits for planes, road trips , cafes and co-op meetings I do need a variety to just grab and go. Besides I collect little pouches that are postally inclined.
(That's my story and I'm sticking to it).
This one is from Itchi-ban-kan in Japantown.

These Blue Q pouches have been around quite a while and I love them...
and I have actually stuck some address labels and stamps on them and mailed them off to far flung places -- like The Netherlands and Budapest. And they both arrived! Pretty cool, huh?

But it's nice to have some that are a little more unusual too....this one is from the Plumfield shop on ETSY.
I don't know if they are still available but you could check if you're interested.
Just think, if I could sew I could make some cool pouches.

And then you have to decide what to put inside your mail art kit.......I try hard to keep mine pretty simple but there are some things I can't do with...
I love my double stick tape and glue sticks. I can give up the scissors (if I have to) because I like to tear and get a softer edge most of the time.

Of course I must add my little mail art address book and some nice postcards stamps.
Always have to send postcards from the road.
And I love to look at other folk's kits -- here are a couple of inspiring ones --

Yellow Daisy Art
I love the way she put tiny things inside the decorated Atoid tin. I think I'm going to put some of my tiny rubber stamps in one. Thanks for the inspiration, yellow Daisy!
&
The Always Inspiring Red Letter Day
I've seen Jennie's red letter kit up close and personal and it is great. But then just about everything she does is pretty terrific.

How many of you long time C&Art readers remember my mail art call way back in October 2011?
What's in YOUR Mail Art Kit?????
And I promised documentation to all? Ever wonder what happened?
Well, that envelope (above) holding all the entries was lost for quite some time. I just found it behind a bookcase when moving everything out of my studio......

......and I got busy right away......

What's in YOUR Mail Arty Kit?
The zine has been made and sent off to you who sent in submissions. I hope you all enjoyed it, especially after having waited so long and so patiently to get it.

If you want to buy a copy of the zine, I am selling them for $6. Just email me through my profile and we'll arrange it.

Unfortunately I could not fit everyone in....including my own submission. So maybe I will have to do a new call for entries and make a mail art kit zine number two. Surely there is more to be said on the subject.

Just remember -- leave some room in your kit if you are coming to SF. The Japantown town
$1.50 shops have pencil cases, pouches, washi tape, double stick tape, glue, mini staplers, sushi-erasers....on and on....

So what do you think? Another zine?
Or just leave word here in the comments about what YOU pack in your mail art kit.
 Here's a little something about mine from the original post

My mail art kit (2011)

What's in YOUR Kit?
The Mail Art Kit -- Don't Leave Home Without It!!!! 

Seen Around the Studio

SEEN AROUND MY STUDIO

It is too hot to do too much of anything so I wandered around my studio and took some pictures for you.
Come for a visit, ok? We can drink iced drinks and maybe tear and paste.

Happy September!

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