Things I Made

It is a cold, dark and rainy day in the new year now (which I love) and Santa has delivered all his presents -- and mine too -- so I can show you some things I made for  some pals (other than those altered Altoid tins).
I got some great Cavallini paper at the sale and I especially loved the typewriter keys paper.
(You know how I love typewriters)
So, I folded some of my large origami six pocket folders and then I "lined" the unprinted parts of the folder with pages from the Gregg Typing book.

A whole lot of my special mail art pals also like typewriters so I decided to whip out a few....they are so handy to have with six pockets for stashing papers and ephemera.

In the same theme, a little Gregg shorthand/typing HS class collage  went in to one of those pockets of one of the folders.

Pages for Dori's Altered Book
I got busy and made some more pages for my pal Dori to add to the altered book I made her last  year....and I had to put them in something so they slipped perfectly into the pockets of an origami folder...

I used a vintage envelope to make a pocket on this page and put in a stamp collaged postcard.

I also scored sheets of postage stamp papers at Cavallini and made a few stamp folders too.
You KNOW my friends like stamps.
And, I used pages from an old stamp album as liners over the plain paper sections....
You can never have too many postage stamps!

Here's an open folder -- what treasures did I tuck inside? Vintage stationery? Vintage cards?

A typewriter origami folder with a sheet of vintage Photography stamps tucked inside for Monica the Artful Recrafter (who, in another life, was and still is a professional photographer).

A Mail Art Pouch for my pal The Artful Recrafter! An oversize, heavy canvas one  -- pretty cool.
Before you ask, I found it on Amazon....it is larger than it looks in this photo...

These six pocket folders are so fun to make -- and so useful.If you don't have access to the wonderful Cavallini sale to get the papers cheap, you can use large maps or maybe brown, heavy Kraft paper that you rubber stamp....
Where there's a will there's a way.
I sure hope my friends liked the presents.

So, there you have it -- Altoid Altoid tins (previous post), large origami folders, mail art pouches, vintage postage....I love a handmade Christmas....
and my friends do too. I received some of the most wonderful and amazing handmade Holiday gifts from my incredibly talented friends. I'll show you some in a post soon.
I love a Handmade Holiday.
What did you make this year? I could use some more ideas of things to make for next year so do tell.

I am starting off the New Year in my studio -- I started the 2017 Rolodex Card a Day project and I've been working on my planners and having a good time tearing and pasting...
Hope you are able to do some of the same.
Happy 2017!!!! SEND GOOD MAIL -- GET GOOD MAIL!!!!

Altered Altoid Tins

Postal Themed Altered Altoid Tins
Finally!!! I have been making these tins for a while now and couldn't show them since the majority of them went for Christmas presents....
They are such fun to make and even more fun to fill up. One arty blurred shot and one sharper..

What tiny treasures can you put inside?
Mini stapler and tiny scissors, postage stamps, small rolls of washi tape, address labels, small rubber stamps, buttons for crafting, sewing kit.....
What can you think of?

All packed up and ready to go!

Of course I had to make a few for myself too...I have all kinds of things stored inside mine.

Besides the postal theme I go on a bird theme as well....

You have to decorate the bottoms of the tins too....no surface left untouched.

Some stamp bundles packed into this one. I'd like to get this so I hope my pal Polly liked  receiving it......I mean, really? Who wouldn't love a postal themed tin with bundles of stamps inside?

All you need are empty tins, like Altoid tins, and some cool paper and washi tape and glue....I used matte gel medium.....

I'm not the first to alter Altoid tins. In fact, my pal Dori is the one who started me thinking about doing it. She has sent me several that I absolutely love. I have one that she made me filled with earrings.
I won't put a tutorial on here because tutorials are out there all over the place. Check Pinterest.
I found doing a few at a time with the same theme worked best for me. It is much slower just doing one at a time. I found old Altoid tins at ScrapSF without that embossed top that the new ones have have. And Trader Joe's mints have good tins too. If you really want a tutorial I will do it but I think you can figure it out....

So, there you go, now it's your turn.
What will you put inside?

And you are wondering who won the 2017 planner?
(drum roll, please)
MISS IOWA
Congrats to Miss Iowa. Please send me your mailing address via the Blogger Contact Form or in a comment) I won't publish it.

I may be making some more notebooks to give away so stay tuned. Thanks for all the comments and good wishes and for the suggestions on what you might like to see on the blog.I've been blogging less and posting on IG more because it seems there is more response to IG but I enjoy blogging and would like to continue if there is the interest.
Happy Holidays to all of you out there and thank you for all your lovely comments and good wishes and good mail throughout 2016.

SEND GOOD MAIL -- GET GOOD MAIL

What's On the WorkTable (and Other Stories)

Things are busy this time of year, aren't they?
I like to be working on art projects more than doing holiday stuff. But sometimes you can combine the two.

There's always outgoing mail on the table.....

Why send it plain if you can send it fancy?

Zine-making
I had fun making a zine for my pals who went on the Portland-Seattle Art Trip in October with me.
It seemed like a long time ago since I had that other big trip right on it's heels.
But I promised to make a zine -- and I always keep my promises.

I used 11x17 paper for this zine and it was 99 cents to copy it at the  copy store. Not bad and the larger size was more fun to work with....
I copied tourists brochures from the places we went and attached real wallet sized photos to the pages. A Seattle pressed penny went in there too.

Kind of a good Xmas idea for some friends I think....Did you do something fun with your friends this year? A party? Weekend getaway? Outing for lunch and flea market? You could make a zine to commemorate the fun.

It was fun tucking things into the zine like extra photos and business cards and it is a nice reminder of the fun we had.

OUTGOING
Don't you just want to laugh when you see those cats? I sent them to two cat-lovers I know.
Hope they got as much of a kick out of those faces as I did.

Interesting note - one cat lover in Virginia got her Grumpy cat envelope right away but the other,
which went to Connie Rose took almost four weeks to arrive in Fortuna, CA.
As Connie suggested on her blog post, maybe the cat walked there...
Don't you wonder where that envelope was for so long?
I sure do.
But at least she got it -- I am having some bad postal karma lately. Nesting dolls bought in Russia and sent to a friend are "Delivered" accordIng to the USPS tracking but she never got them.
Another friend in Budapest hasn't gotten the mail I sent her weeks ago and I am still waiting for Virgo's postcard collage from Russia.

OUTGOING
This postal pencil case went out to Monika Csete in Budapest and happily that is one thing that got delivered. Read her blog post about our meeting at the Stamp Museum in Budapest.
(more about that visit soon)

OUTGOING

OUTGOING to Vizma in Australia.

OK, here is yet another piece of mail that has gone missing. Vizma in Australia still hasn't received this envelope -- which was mailed before Thanksgiving. Four weeks ago!
I think maybe I should call this post
WHEN GOOD MAIL GOES BAD

Another holiday-ish project. Working on some cards using photos I took on my recent trip. A present for someone who doesn't read my blog (gasp!) so the secret is safe.

Ok, I am kind of a scrooge but I actually do enjoy wrapping presents.  Good thing too because Christmas is getting awfully close. Maybe too late for starting any holiday projects this year.
But there's always next year, right?

Remember, if you are really running late, you can do as the French do and send New Year's Greetings. There is still time for that.

Merry Christmas to All (who celebrate) and to all a Good Night!