CappuccinoandArtJournal

Mostly postal but art and other things of interest too.
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Showing posts with label holiday wrap. Show all posts
Showing posts with label holiday wrap. Show all posts

Tuesday, December 6, 2016

Wrap It, Send it and Here's How....

This is how things are looking around my studio......Santa's Little Workshop. Oddly enough I don't even like Xmas. But I like my friends and I like to mail them things. I like wrapping presents and making things look pretty too.
(and, of course, I LOVE getting mail)
BTW, I recommend listening to Snow Angels by Over The Rhine while wrapping gifts. Best Xmas music ever. Let me know if you like it....
I bet you've got presents to send.....
Do you know some of the best ways to mail them? (via USPS)

I'm betting most of you already know about the USPS Flat rate Priority Mail boxes......but on the off chance you don't...they come is Small, Medium and Large and no matter what the heck you stuff inside or how heavy they are there is a flat rate -- AND -- $50.00 insurance and tracking included. And there are delivered in one to three days.
What's not to like?
Ready to fill!
But how many of you now about these babies? Flat rate padded envelopes are in Santa's workshop ready to fill.
See below at the very end of the post on bow to get them. Blogger is screwy and won't let me get that photo inserted where it should be....
Santa's Notes
I had just been thinking I need to keep track of what I send to people when I spotted this little charmer in a shop in Redlands, CA. Only $4 so how could I resist?
I send out a lot of surprises and sometimes forget what  sent to whom....so this file is just what I needed. And it's really cute.
Of course, thanks to ScrapSF (and JU) I was fully prepared with with lots of cool old  3x5 cards with tabs and index cards.
I've already typed them up for this year's Xmas offerings....now if only I could remember what I gave my friends last year...
At the same shop I also found vintage tags and an unused packet of Dennison Xmas stickers for $2.50. My husband couldn't understand my excitement.... For someone who doesn't even like Xmas I was still happy -- I love vintage.
Redlands Postal Museum
My pal Monica alerted me to the Redlands Postal Museum on her blog a while back so I stopped in. It's tiny but fun to visit.
Don't you think Santa should have these USPS mail sacks to deliver presents?
I thought this was a riot!
Check out that fabulous ironwork -- do you see what it says at the bottom? So cool. I wish I'd be standing in line at that post office to mail all my Xmas boxes and envelopes.
I could gaze at that USPO for a while.
Coming home from a quick LA trip I got three days of mail on Sunday night. Yes! After a BAD mail week (three days with nothing at all) this was a happy night.

How many of you know about the wonderful Priority Mail Flat Rate Padded envelopes?
I am using LOTS of them this holiday season -- and I use them all year to mail surprises to my mail art pals. They can also be as heavy as you want and I can stuff A LOT inside.
You have to order them -- FREE -- at the USPS website right
HERE
They ship them in packs of ten -- trust me, you will use them. $6.45 to mail off with $50.00 insurance and tracking.

My secret mailing weapon.

LA was fun but  am very happy to be back in SF and settle in with my long TO DO list.
I want to get all the wrapping and mailing out of the way so I can make art and bake cookies.

Sadly, a lot of us here in the Bay Area, especially in the art community, are feeling very sad about the horrible tragedy in the artist space the Ghost Ship in Oakland.
It seems to be hanging over our whole community and there is much sadness for the lives lost and the remaining friends and families who are suffering. 
A moment of silence for all that was lost on December 2.

Take care, friends.













Monday, December 7, 2015

It's Beginning to Look A Little Bit Like You Know What

How about a nice hot cup of relaxing tea in a pretty red cup and saucer?

I had a visit the other day to the queen of wrapping gifts, miss ju. She makes Santa's workshop look like amateur hour.
I left inspired...

She's wrapping Xmas gifts for our mail art group's Xmas party fund raiser and I am going to be sure to get over to the party early to get my hands on one of these....


The gifts JU wraps are almost too pretty to unwrap.....operative word being "almost"...

So, I went home and got busy....I like to try to use somewhat unusual things in my gift presentation...it is just more fun that way...
I painted these matchbooks in gold paint...

....and I covered the tops and sides with decorative paper and put some decorations on the tops and tucked in some tiny surprises.
You can use matchbooks for earrings or stamps or milogros or charms or....well....I bet you gys can think some something little to put inside.

I have boxes and boxes like this with old Xmas balls inside...and I took out the balls and put in twelve small gifts for someone special.
Quite clever I think, don't you?
You can usually find these at thrift shops and they have a great vintage look.

And how about going to the Dollar Sore and getting some cookie tins? Sure, you can fill them with cookies but they make great little tins for mailing. This one went out already to the wonderful Dori Singh and it was filled with some PRE-Xmas cheer.

I made a little folder with pockets, filled it with some vintage Xmas tags and stuck a vintage Santa on it. Ad, that is a French muslin tea bag from Mariage Frere tucked in there too...


I am filling up those flat rate boxes! 

Now that the day is gone and I've got a good start on my holiday projects, it's time for a nice Campari -- it is certainly a lovely red color that goes with the season.
Ever since a long ago trip to Italy, Campari is my go-to cocktail. I like it with ice and a splash of white wine or in hot weather with some sparkling water -- or in a Negroni!

I'm playing along with 
Bleubeard and Elizabeth
again this week, incorporating some drinks into a post. And now I better go knock out some of the stuff on my to-do list. Things are getting awfully busy around here.
Hope you got an idea for wrapping or a little inspiration or just some eye-candy.
I have a Christmas party to go to on Friday night and a line to stand in at the post office and Xmas cookies to bake and presents to wrap....well...you know the drill.

SEND GOOD MAIL -- GET GOOD MAIL


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