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

Big Book Sale

The SFPL Library Big Book sale is one of my favorite events of the year....

And, it is set in an incredibly beautiful location right on the water...

So, when you are waiting in line to get in you have a great view.  I skipped the member's preview this year and went to Dollar Day on the last day instead.
It worked out perfectly.
This was the line at 10AM on the last day but everyone got in fast and I scored lots of great art supplies....er.....vintage books.

Vintage Rubber Stamp Catalog? $1? I think I will....

I loved this cover and considered it for a Paris altered book for my upcoming trip but it was so beat up I passed it up...
what was I thinking?

I scan the tables for the most tattered, old looking books....my favorites.

How could I resist this?

It was filled with cool old illustrations....I feel a collage coming upon me.

I cannot resist old, foreign language dictionaries. Especially ones in Farsi or Russia or an Asian language with a different alphabet.
I did get about six or seven vintage French dictionaries and language-learning books...

Can somebody tell me what language this is? Copyright1884!!! It amazes me I can get paper from 1884 for only $1.

Big book with gold edges and filled with old illustrations of London...

So, I have an endless supply of old paper to make things with. I have made a bunch of collage cards with the bits and pieces already....

And, I wrapped some tiny presents in book pages for a mail art pal in NYC.

I definitely find treasures just flipping through old books  -- like this! That Postage Due stamp is the icing on the cake.

After dragging 25 books to my car, I had 30 minutes left for parking so I did a last look through and found these!
It was meant to be.

I said I wouldn't get too many but old books are like catnip to me. Can you blame me?
I'll see you next September Big Book Sale!!
I think I have enough books to keep me busy until the next day.
But then they do have a $1 Steps Sale every week....hummmmm

I was considering to making up some paper packs to sell...
anybody interested in those?

Ok, back to tearing and pasting....

GET GOOD MAIL --  GET GOOD MAIL

You Know It's Coming....

You know what's coming up in about a week(ish). You know, that day with hearts and flowers and chocolate and romantic dinners.
Who care about all that?
WE WANT MAIL!!!!!!!! RIGHT?????
So if you want good mail -- you gotta send good mail and you better get busy.

Funny thing is, I wasn't even going to make Valentine cards this year.
No Way.
But then I looked around my studio.......

We've even got Cupid cutting and pasting.....so who am I to argue?

(MY PO has TWO kinds of LOVE stamps.....)

I saw those LOVE stamps and rubber stamps and white and red lace hearts and vintage Valentine cards and, well.....you can see what happened......

Is it me or does that Cupid on this vintage card look a little demented????

(Shhhhhh......good thing my husband doesn't read my blog...hummmm and why not?)
Anyway, I made him a tiny little accordion book filled with love...because he is the BEST.

I think he's going to like it. I might have to tuck in a piece of chocolate with it or take him out for some NYC cheesecake......

What teacher wouldn't like to get this cool vintage mailbox card? In fact, probably even someone who isn't a teacher would like it. I'm just sayin'.
Valentine's Day is for EVERYONE. We are inclusive here -- no body left out.
You have a 101 year old father in law like me? Mail art pals? A great next door neighbor? A friendly letter carrier? A helpful librarian? 
Make Valentine Cards
Let's spread some love around. The world could certainly use some. I can't show you the cards I sent out because it would ruin the surprise but those envelopes are pretty too.
(I'm not even going to be here in SF on Valentine's Day so I had to start early)

I am spreading the mail art love.
You can do it too.
Everybody loves to get mail -- on Valentine's Day -- and any day.
Now, who do you think you should make cards for???

SEND GOOD MAIL --- GET GOOD MAIL