Coffee First & Cocktails Later

Last week I took the Larkspur Ferry with some friends to Marin to see an Altered Book Show
at the Marin Museum of Contemporary Art...an annual tradition. 

With a Peets coffee in hand and a view of the Golden Gate Bridge it was a great start to the day...

When I got to the show, I had to laugh, because it sure looked a lot like my studio....

At the show...

See? This is my studio.......

I really liked this piece and...

I found the description quite touching....worked on in a hospital waiting room....I have spent some time in hospital waiting rooms and the last thing I could do was make any art. I think it is very impressive and inspiring that this artist could.

Another piece I liked...

I got to attend the show with one of the artists, bottom right is the very cool work of Punkie Ebert. She wrapped some poems around those spools....

Just bits that caught my eye....

You KNOW I have lots of books that book like these....

My studio

And, of course, there was lunch. A wonderful group of six artists and I'd love to put a photo of us all but I know they would kill me so.....here is what I had for lunch. Blackened salmon salad....delicious.

And, Barcode Barb brought little handmade presents for us all -- vintage matchbooks with her charming drawings inside.
Aren't they cool?

The view on the ride back to San Francisco wasn't bad either....every time I take the ferry I wonder why I don't take it more often......good question..

Well, it is Memorial Day Weekend coming up here in the USA. What are you all doing to celebrate.
It is the official start of summer but here in chilly, foggy, windy SF, I may have to have a nice gin & tonic by the fireplace.
I can live with that.

I'm thinking a movie and dinner date with my guy, some work in the studio, the farmers market....things along those lines.
What is everyone else planning on doing?

SEND GOOD MAIL -- GET GOOD MAIL

Anybody miss me?

It's been a while, hasn't it? Funny how things get busy. And I seem to enjoy posting to Instagram these days.
But I thought I'd pop in to the blog and say hello and tell you some of the things I've been up to.
Grab a nice cappuccino and have a visit.

Since my last post of our mail art meeting, there's been another mail art meeting. We had some new visitors and all the usual fun of stamping artistamp passports and making things and finding treasures on the swap table.

There has been A LOT of hanging out and making things in my studio. I have been making lots of little origami folders and decorating them and filling them and mailing them off. It is really fun to make them. I even cleaned up and for a few days you could actually see the top of my work table. See?
Maybe not now though....

Of course I have been playing with stamps....

And, playing with rubber stamps too...

I stamped twenty pages for a FeMail rubber stamp art call and my ink pad ran dry..
By the way, anyone have a recommendation for the best stamp pads? I seem to buy cheap ones or even (gasp) pick them up at Scrap, and they really aren't any good...but no way am I paying $10 for a stamp pad...
What do you all use?

I have been sending out a lot of mail, if I do say so myself...

I made a pal an altered book a while back..(here are some pages). And, I have started a couple for myself. So many ideas...

Driving around San Francisco exploring all my favorite neighborhoods. Or walking. Or taking public transit.
Places to go and people to see.

One place I went was SFmoma - a favorite hang out of mine. If you are ever visiting San Francisco, don't miss it. Always something good to see there.
I loved the Walker Evans show and it made me wonder about the state of fine art photography these days. I went to the SF Art Institute and got a degree in Fine Art Photography but I wonder if people are still doing that....and if there are people like Walker Evans who spent his entire life following his muse and making wonderful photographs.

Lunar New Year is BIG in SF and I love it. I mean, who can resist all those lucky red envelopes and the outdoor flower market and the lion dancers....not to mention Chinese food? Not I.

There was Valentine's Day -- and a week later, our wedding anniversary. I still am crazy over my guy.  I was a child bride. Ok, maybe not....but I was very young...

Lots of flowers all around our house. Those plum blossoms are from our own tree in the backyard.

You all know me, of course there have been lots (and lots) of lunches,. I can't help myself. And a mail art pal from the east coast flew into town and we met up for lunch -- how fun.
And next week another mail art pal is coming and a group of her correspondents are meeting up for lunch at the The Slanted Door. I love when mail artists meet up.

You know it.

So, art and mail and romance and SF and food and fun ..... watching the figure skating at the Olympics too. Did you know I am married to a former figure skater?
I didn't think so. There are many mysteries still to be revealed (or not).

So, that's the news that's fit to print. Yes, there is bad stuff and average stuff too but no need to write about that. We all know about some of it and we all have some of it.

What have you guys been up to? I hope you are all well out there in cyberspace -- and making mail art -- and having good lunches.

XOXOXO
See you in the mail? Or in the comments.

With A Little Help From My Friends....

Happy 2018!!
I really do hope your new year is starting off better than mine.....my sweetie got the flu,  my very old car died and went to car heaven, some personal family issues......not the best start to year.
But - I had fun on Sunday at the first Mail Art Meet-Up of the New Year.
We get by with a little help from our friends, right?

We came, we stamped, we talked, we made things....
(and thanks to Margarete for bringing the cool vintage USPS stamps to play with).

Just being around busy hands and a creative mess cheers me up.

We played with lots of postage stamps thanks to Margarete and Brianna.....

We made Valentine cards.

We pawed over the well stocked swap table.

I had my eye on Barb's postal pouch....

We made cards....

These are some that I made....

We got our artistamp passports stamped (thanks JU)

No idle hands here...everyone was making something.

Here's a blank card for YOU. What would you like to make?

If you are thinking of starting up a mail art group ( NYC peeps I'm talking to you!) I say get busy and do it! It is wonderful to share supplies and inspiration with like minded people.
Now, I'm just hoping my 2018 starts improving. 
Fingers crossed.

How is your new year so far?

SEND GOOD MAIL -- GET GOOD MAIL