Some People Go for the Pasta......

I though you all might want to tag along to one of the Roman flea markets we went to. We went to two, plus a postcard market, so stay tuned. Today I am letting all this old paper beauty mostly speak for itself.

It's Roma! Of course there are Prayer Cards....

This one vender was practically giving it away....be still my heart...

Lots of letters folded into envelopes with wax seals...

It truly amazes me you can buy papers written in 1858 for less than one euro....

And, there are priests....

Yes, I had to go through every one...wouldn't you?

Look at that cursive!
They really knew how to do it back in the day...

After all the thrills and excitement at the flea market it was definitely time to grab an Aperol Spritz on the go!
And, can you believe that? You can't get cocktails to go here in the USA.
I love Rome.

OK-- I went for the pasta too. And the all the food and churches and beauty and outdoor markets and desserts and museums...
There is another post coming....

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Bella Roma

Roman letters dated from the 1800's for less than a euro......was it a dream?

Yes, I am back from my latest travels and heck no, I don't want to be....but I am busy looking at my hundreds of photos, putting the finishing touches on my travel journal, printing out the zines I made while traveling and looking at my beautiful flea market ephemera.
Want to come over and hang out with me?

My wonderful husband found flea markets in all three countries and I scored! I owe him big time, especially for all the time he spend going through boxes of paper looking for things I would like...

I enjoyed seeing all the mail boxes around town too. The ones in Rome are usually covered in graffiti.

When I wasn't looking in boxes of ephemera I was looking UP a lot. Those ceilings! I really want some angels and saints painted on my ceilings here at home.

Just looking at all the beauty in the small details was so inspiring. In Rome, beauty is everywhere you look.

It is so inspiring. I came home filled with ideas of things to make...

We had cake just about every afternoon. We needed it to keep our energy up, don't you think? When in Rome.....

There is also a daily stamp market in Rome (with prints and books as well). So civilized ...I wonder why we don't have things like this in the USA?

I've got lots of collage materials to keep me busy till my next trip...

And, aren't these little tin boxes perfect for storing stamps? Italian stamps I'd say.

I have LOTS more to show you of you are interested so let me know in the comments. There is still Berlin and Strasbourg and the travel journal and zines -- but I don't know if you want to see it if you don't tell me.
Now, I think I will go and play with paper.

J'aime les Cartes Postales - - Oh yes I do!

I have a thing about France. And postcards. And French postcards.

J'aime les Cartes Postals
I love the backs of them, the fronts of them, the vintage ones and the new ones....

The French really knew (know?) how to cancel stamps. There are often two, or even three, cancellations on each card.
(And, by the way, I could REALLY use some French mail artists to trade with if anyone in France is reading this).

And did I mention the handwriting?
The most beautiful cursive writing....

And they really know how to SQUEEZE a whole lot of cursive writing onto each little card...

Why don't we have lovely little paper bags made especially for postcards?

And look at this -- is it early mail art? Some little French kid drew on this card. Looks like a drawing of a kid riding a dog???

I also notice the hotels and tourist spots back in the day had had special stamps too....

I get endless pleasure out of my French postcards....besides admiring the postmarks and stamps and cancellations...I use them for art projects too. I found out you can get two ATC cards from each postcard. I love using them for ATC's and including some of the markings on the card into the ATC.

I spent all day last Sunday making Postal theme ATC's using French postcards as the starts...

So fun -- I got 25 ATC's -- and I'm still at it.
Want to see them all?
Let me know if you do.

Oui, it is kind of frightening, isn't it? But I work best with all my stuff out where I can see it...
I'll clean up...really I will...(someday).

I've always loved these rows of trees you see all over France...

Here's a photograph I took of French trees....same ones as the vintage postcard?

This is me in another life.
Oh yes it is!
I wonder I will come back as next time? Got to be something postal.
So, I hope you enjoyed the ode to postcards.
And, if you're going on vacation, I hope you will mail some postcards out and make some mailboxes happy.
Or, even if you are staying put, you can still pop a postcard in the mail and try to squeeze as much cursive writing on the back as those French people did...

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Another Kind of Altered Book

I am quite sure the woman -- Mrs Maggie Helm -- had no thoughts of making art or an altered book when she made this.
But, in my mind, this is a beautiful altered book and one to be treasured.
I wonder who she was and when she did this. Sad to think that no one in her family wanted to keep this book.
There is no date or any information inside at all -- but what beautiful cursive writing and incredible hand sewing.
I don't think they teach either of these old school arts in schools any more and what a loss that is.
I would have guessed that this was a sewing class workbook for a high school girl but since she wrote Mrs Maggie Helm in the front I am guessing not.
I bet that 95 grade (on the button hole) in an entire book of 100's really made her mad!
But what a treasure this is.   

I am taking a couple of book-making classes at SF Center for the Book this summer and I am really looking forward to making some more books.
But there won't be any sewing like this in mine.
I can't even figure out how to thread my (stupid) sewing machine!

And, if you want to see some really cool books and tutorials, check out
this blog all about making books
(Thanks to Leslie for telling me about this)

I am especially delighted with this paris themed book
She has recommendations for good books on book-making, tutorials, examples -- have fun with this!

Sunday today and I am off to the studio to play with paper and paint and glue all day.

Have fun too, you all......

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