Just in Case!

I really enjoy gift giving. I like birthdays and surprising my friends for no reason.
I'm not a fan of Christmas these days. It starts too early and I think it is too commercial.
I usually get in the holiday spirit a week before December 25th and by then it is too late to make things for my friends.
If you like to make things and get started early -- here are a few ideas for you.

Mail Art Address Book
My pal Miss Polly recently had a birthday and I figured she likes paper about as much as  I do.
I mean, we COULD have all our addresses on our iPhones but really, what fun is that?
My address book has everyone I have ever traded with ..... some folks there was only one trade and others have gone on for years. It is a nice record to have. I put little notes by each name like the date I started mailing to them, their birthday, things they collect...

Just buy an address book -- at a Dollar Store or a place like Scrap or anywhere you can find one -- and cover it with cool paper. You can add some washi tape....

....and rubber stamps on some of the pages....

I punched a hole in the back cover and added that pretty ribbon to tie a bow around the address book...

And, I added a library pocket to keep some postage stamps in. If you can't find an address book, you could make one from a plain notebook by adding tabs and rubber stamping the ABC's on them...

Another nice little gift is a six pocket origami folder. They are easy to whip up but you need a BIG piece of paper to make a nice size one. I use those Cavallini posters to make mine. Or use a nice big map.

After you fold it up (in about five minutes) the fun part is filling all the pockets with little paper treasures..
You can see how to make the origami pocket
RIGHT HERE

Little booklets are fun to make and fun to give...

I love to re-cover everything -- these are some of my datebooks from the dollar store. I cover one every year with pretty papers and save them since they are like little diaries. I buy plain notebooks and cover them with maps to places I'm traveling too....I always have a notebook in my bag.
I bet your friends would like things like this too.

Remember my coin booklet tutorial?
I love making them. This little series is a holiday one and the the little pockets are filled with vintage Christmas seals. Who wouldn't like that? You could put vintage postage inside too.
Or, make a little booklet for a friend with some small $5 gift cards in the sleeves for coffee at different coffee shops....

See? Vintage seals in tiny glassine envelopes.....

After making the booklets the fun part is filling them up..
Coin Booklet tutorial is
RIGHT HERE
Well, look at the post -- you will have to click the link within the post to find the tutorial -- but you can do it.

So, don't say I didn't give you a head's up -- if you're into the whole holiday thing you better get busy. But the nice thing is, if you aren't, these little ideas can work for birthdays or random acts of mail art kindness.
I did make one other cool thing but shhhhhhhh I can't show you till AFTER December 25.
That project will be for the new year.
Celebrating the new year is always fun too.

So, what do you think? Are you going to make things?

SEND GOOD MAIL
GET GOOD MAIL

Feast Your Eyes -- Dori Singh Mail

I get some of the BEST MAIL EVER and some of the best of the best is
DORI SINGH MAIL

It is too good not to share with with the world -- well, at least my blog readers -- her work should be in a mail art museum if you ask me.

These are pages from an altered book Dori made me for my birthday last year....

Each and every page is delightful. And varied. And creative. 

But then, everything she sends me is the same -- beautiful and creative.
Here's a tiny book with painted and stamped pages and an airmail envelope cover.

Dori Singh Mail

Inside the envelope was a wonderful sewn little folder with ephemera tucked inside....

Lots of hand painted and stamped tags show up too...

And when Dori trades ATC"s with you, you get them tucked in a beautiful sewn folder.....

Sacred ATC's by Dori Singh

Dori went on a trip which included Prague and she found this magazine...and she brought home the cover and made it into a sweet little pouch for me....
who thinks of this?

Pouch opened up....and of course, there were treats inside as well..

See? A Magazine cover......

And then there was a menu from Cafe Louvre (also in Prague) -- I suggested she go there for breakfast -- and she sewed me another folder from the large placemat on the table...

Dori Sign Mail
An inside-out security envelope -- rubber stamped and painted

Another little booklet

And another folder....Dori knows I could have a million of these and I would still want them...

Folder opened up...

Tiny Booklet

And she still sends me more pages to add to that beautiful altered book she made me...

Page added to Altered Book....

This isn't even all of the beautiful mail from Dori....Can you see why I am so happy every time I see something from her in my mailbox?
Best. Mail. Ever.
She really inspires me. It isn't easy to think up things to send her back in return ..... but I sure do try hard.
That is one of the nice things about trading mail art -- the inspiration from looking at amazing works .....

THE MAIL BOX IS A MUSEUM

That is a rubber stamp I have -- and it's so true!
Hope you all enjoy the wonderful Dori Singh mail -- and many thanks to you, Dori, for making me and my mail box so happy.

Bits & Bobs

So many people have generously given or mailed me bits of ephemera....a lot of it was sitting on my work table and I challenged myself to use it for mail art....
I had 8x8 decorative paper squares, plain library pockets, pieces of paper from India, some stickers..
(thanks to Harriet, JU, Connie, Monica and Jessica for the ephemera)

First thing I watercolored on the library pockets -- they were just a little too plain...and  after that I rubber stamped on them..

I had some library catalog cards too so I sponged watercolors and stamped those too and typed some lists on them..you gotta put something in those pockets!

I like making little bundles of things to mail off...

I folded up that 8x8 paper into little folders and put letters inside. Tucked them into the library pockets.
I'd like to get this in the mail, wouldn't you?

I tucked everything into envelopes I made from paper I got at the Co-Op's swap table and off it goes to cheer up some mailboxes.

I confess - I had to keep this little cutie for myself. I love the colors and the roses and I think it would be perfect to tuck some stamps into and put in my bag.....

And now I've got to get back to making things....see you....

More Rubber Stamps -- and Stamp Heads

Here is the second stamp post....Starting off with a box of vintage stamps I bought at the flea market years ago...

I haven't really used them much but they are really fun.

And you can tell by this price -- $8.00 for the whole box -- that I got them ages ago.  I doubt  we would be that lucky now.

With my studio all cleaned up and new cupboards and drawers I've been having a good time getting myself organized. I have several drawers of rubber stamps all organized.....
(but I am still not cleaning my stamps....)

I like these rather shallow plastic containers with lids that I buy over in Japantown  for storing my stamps. I put them in the boxes, loosely organized by theme, and because the plastic is clear I can see what I am looking for pretty easily. I just stack these boxes in the stamp drawer.

I put the very small stamps together in a smaller box. 

THE SECRET
Well, maybe not a secret to all of you - but if you don't know about
100 Proof Press
you really, really should. This is my go-to catalog for stamps, as you can probably tell by the stick-it notes. And if anyone asks me what I might want for a gift....well...I know where to look.
Anybody want to know?

Page after page of deliciousness......

Casey's in the East Village, NYC

I just keep an eye out for stamps everywhere I happen to go. If you are in N YC, check out Casey's and The Ink Pad. Look in thrift shops, flea markets and centers for creative re-use. Teacher's supply sites online (or in person) often have interesting stamps. I got my days of week and French language stamps at a teachers supply.
And, if you are a traveler, it is really fun to pick up rubber stamps in other languages. I have some fun ones from Russia and Turkey.

I love my days of the week stamps -- just wish I knew where I actually got them.
I know it was a website for teachers.
The red MAILED stamp is a little find from Scrap.

Assembling pages for Planet Susannia.
These aren't finished -- but I got out my rubber stamps to work on them. I have started  getting custom made stamps too -- like that mailman you see there.
If you have a good image for a rubber stamp, you can get them made at
Rubberstamp.net

Top -- by me
Bottom -- by the wonderful Cleo Allen

Besides playing with rubber, I have been doing lots of other things -- like making envelopes....

Large and Small
Outgoing mail -- one oversized interoffice envelope and a tiny little one that is the minimum size for mailing.

Making a box of my photo cards as a gift for someone who especially loves them.

And I have been back it it -- yup, making more stamp heads.
Somebody -- stop me!

Stamp Head Postcard

Stamp Head Postcard
Come on...admit it..this is funny...

Stamp Head

What can I say?

Stamp Head
Now George is playing cards with himself.

Stamp Head in booklet
Made two little booklets -- one for Vizma and one for Planet Susannia.

So.......playing with stamps, making Stamp Heads, a zine, two booklets, photo cards...
and this afternoon I hung artwork ion my studio....busy...busy...

So, I shared -- now how about YOU guys????
What web sites do you get your stamps from? Inquiring minds want to know.
I am looking for postal related stamps -- anybody have a good source for mailman stamps?
And has anyone ever seen a woman mail carrier stamps?
Come on, I know you are out here, share the love -- where are some more places for good rubber stamps?
I keep seeing stamps on mail I get that I can't find...I know there there are some mailman stamps out there waiting for me to find them and give them a good home.