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

Postcards and the Snow

Postcards from Boston!
They sure do have some cool postcards in Boston -- I loved these.
Can you see some have vintage stamps and airmail stripes on them?
I also got Boston Baked Bean, Clam Chowder and Lobster postcards.
Beantown is a good postcard town. Sorry this photo is a little blurry but  I think I was shivering from the cold.

Ok--now here is my question--how many of you would leave a nice, warm hotel room to go out in this?

And step over this slush?

And almost get hit from flying crud from THIS?

Just to get to this?
I would.....In fact, the miserable weather gave us an excuse to spend hours at the wonderful
Boston Museum of Fine Arts
The museum has a wonderful new wing and the collection is huge. Three cafes to choose from
and the postcard show.

Vintage French Postcard from the show showing a postcard shop in Paris. What I wouldn't give to be able to go back in time and shop there. My idea of heaven.
Just look at all those beauties.

There is a catalog available to buy of the show but sadly many of my favorite postcards aren't in the book.
Still, it is worth buying or getting from the library.
Postcard Fest
Now that would have been fun to go to......

Kind of nasty, don't you think?

If you are anywhere near Boston I highly suggest you get yourself to this show. There are over 500 cards in the show. It is really wonderful. And the museum is lovely and huge and you can easily spend most of a day there.
Especially if it is snowing.

Boston Outgoing Postcards
I got myself back to the room and had fun tearing and pasting and collaging on the backs of the postcards I bought.
No, I really can't leave well enough alone. Besides, it's fun.

OUTGOING Collaged Card
Here's a close-up of one...

Do I have to go back out AGAIN??? To the post box?? On the icy sidewalk?
Just to mail the postcards?

A certain person enticed me with the promise of a lobster dinner so it was well worth the trek
in the cold and snow.
This is not something I get to have in San Francisco.

This is the dress I wore out to dinner. How do you like it? Rather fetching, I'd say.

Next stop washington, DC and the Postal Museum.

Coffee and Mail

Hello from San Francisco -- drinking my morning coffee and reading my mail.
Back from my travels and happy to find a lovely stack of mail waiting for me.
Thanks to all who sent me something.

Incoming Mail
Beautiful, isn't it? Almost makes coming home after a vacation worth it.
Almost.

The Day Before
At the airport -- I travel a lot but I continue to be amazed at how quickly we can roam all over the world. Even if it does take hours in a cramped airplane seat.
Seriously, it is so lovely be in a completely different place so easily, relatively speaking.

I've got lots of share --- the fabulous postcard show at the Boston Museum of Fine Art.

The SNOW.
Perhaps the less said about that the better. It wasn't all bad though. I cancelled the plan for walking in the afternoon and spend hours at the museum enjoying the postcard show and lunch.

   

The Postal Museum in Washington, DC
Very interesting place to visit and lots of free ephemera to pick up and mail off.

Working on some outgoing postcards in the hotel room in Boston.....(the day before the snow storm)

.....and working on more postcards in the DC hotel room.....

Boston collaged card -- I'll show you some more in another post.

Various Post Offices were visited.

And yes, there was food....

and more food......
Fabulous regional food is a close second to mail art....

Just wanted to check-in now that I am back.

I will work on posts  about the postcard show, Postal museum and various postal and mail related stories but I just might be lazy tomorrow since it's my birthday.
I plan on having too much fun.

In the meantime, I'd like to hear from all of you.
What are you sending out in the mails?

Send Good Mail -- Get Good Mail

Seeing Red

So many tomatoes, so little time.

And there's these:

And, of course, these:

And, last but not least, these:

I guess I know what I will be eating all week long. Hope you made it to the Farmer's Market today too!