Why Send It Plain If You Can Send It Fancy?

I really can't seem to leave well enough alone....I've got to play......
I am loving these colors lately..

I had to mail someone some rolo cards for a swap so I had to make a little folder to send them in...just sticking the rolo cards in an envelope wouldn't be much fun, would it?

A bit of outgoing mail

Stationery from Diaso needs some extra treatment to make it more interesting.

Making some collage cards

Someone brought a bunch of old family photos to our mail art group's swap table last week. I've been having fun putting them in collages.
I wish I had a huge box of of old snapshots to play with.

Rainy Day Play
We've had a lot of rain here in SF lately and I love mono printing on a rainy day.....

I'll print on anything I can get my hands on...tags and gessoed over postcards and...

rolodex cards...I printed a bunch of Rolo cards to have ready to collage on...

Altered Rolodex Card a Day Project
I'm still at it...

Altered Rolo Cards

Today's Altered Rolodex Card
HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY Sweeties!!!!!

(back of the card)

Dorothea Lange Photo
Just look at the size of that post box! I love it -- and the two kids on top are icing on the cake.

Hope you are all out there tearing and glueing and pasting and making and having a good mail day.

SEND GOOD MAIL
GET GOOD MAIL

A Little of This and Some of That....

Incoming
Some lovely incoming mail with Valentine themes and Typewriter themes.....

Fabulous Valentine mail from Dori Singh, mail artist and pal extraordinaire!

Bet you didn't know there is another mail artist in my family -- my sweetie! He hand lettered this envelope and made the heart out of torn chopstick wrappers -- what a guy!

From Tough City Writer I got a fabulous tri-old card with tattooed and half dressed guys inside!

More Valentines.......love that bikini gal on the card from Garci and the heart made of cancelled stamps she tucked inside.
Maybe next year I should make some Valentine cards....since everyone was so creative in the ones they made for me. 

A-mazing mail from Liz in New Zealand. I know some of you don't like FaceBook but I really have fun with it. Liz posted on her FB page that she was sending out 49 pieces of mail art -- no strings attached -- to the first 49 folks who asked for it. Well, of course, I asked -- and got this fabulous piece of sewn, painted, stamped, collaged mail art a couple of weeks later.
And inside were two little sewn pouches with tiny books inside with watercolored pages.
Now that is the true spirit of mail art -- just send it out and make someone really happy.

Here's the back of the envelope -- i would sure like to know how she did it -- it seems like she gessoed paper ??? Liz -- feel free to leave a comment and tell all.
Check out
Book Art Studios
to see some of Liz's work. And if you happen to live in New Zealand you can go see the art exhibit Project 49.
She is on Facebook too --
facebook.com/BookArtStudios
VERY cool -- many thanks, Liz and I will be putting something in the mail to you very soon.

Another surprise in the mail -- from Sharon. Sharon reads the blog and saw the post about the Vintage Paper Fair where I was drooling over the Japanese First Day Covers I couldn't afford to buy..she emailed me and asked if I would like her to send me a little packet and of course I said yes!
She sent a whole set of wonderful First day Covers postcard from Japan with drawing, a stamp and beautiful red cancellations of them.
And this one is of Japanese postal workers.
How cool is that? What a fun surprise to get in the mail -- just because someone was being nice and generous. Many thanks, Sharon.

A creative Valentine mailing from Niko who does bad things in the name of art --
see for yourself
Philatelic Atrocities
He started the PDX Mail Art Group too, just so you know. He set three different sheets of artistamps he made.....

OK, now this is what I'm doing......
Vintage Book
Have you seen those little secretive nooks for "Free Books" tucked away in your neighborhood?
There seems to be a movement going on of sharing books -- and I like it! I found this old book tucked into a little nook today and figured it is just what I needed to make an altered book like the one my pal Barb showed at the last co-op meeting. I loved that cover of the woman cooking. I kind of like to cook myself. When I'm in the mood. And, when I'm not busy with art projects. I think it is Swedish.....(anybody?).

I buy those cheapo sets of ABC stamps at Michaels and store them in a box. They aren't the greatest stamps. The rubber falls off sometimes. But hey -- they are cheap and fun to mix and match and sometimes sort......

I finished up some little RAM booklets and a NYC book....just puttering at the work table...

And I've been making some nice origami folders for friends.....you remember, I did a tutorial on how to make them a while back. The tutorial on how to make the origami folders is right here on "Most Popular Posts". I actually saw an online class on how to do it and you had a PAY. Mine is free! 

I made four....and one for me too....

I love the way the look all stacked up and filled with little surprises. They are six pockets in each one that you can fill....

Put a Bird on it!

OK, kids, that's it for now. We are having crazy warm weather in SF right now. It feels like summer and I am not liking it at all.
So I have to go in my studio and make stuff to cheer up.
I know...I know...those of you in the snow (Hello Boston) probably think I'm crazy but I just don't like 75 degrees in February. I don't like snow either.
But I do like mail art!

Many thanks to all of you who have sent me great mail lately. If you don't see yours here you might see it on the blog's FaceBook page.
I enjoy and appreciate every piece of mail I get.

And if you want to see Cappuccino & Art on FB look HERE

Hope you all are having a good day and making some good mail.
No Mail Monday = No Fun

But at least it gives me a chance to catch up. What are you all making? Sending? Doing?

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Little Joss Paper Booklets

Joss Paper Booklets

My love for various Asian paper continues. (Actually I love all paper but you probably already guessed that).
I made up a few little joss paper booklets and sent them out into the world.
Thought you all might enjoy seeing them. They are all a little different.
I had to keep one for myself of course.
These are totally easy to make and a lot of fun to write in -- or share with friends.
I'd rather get something like this for Halloween than candy.

Talk among yourselves and keep those comments coming (even if they may be slow on appearing on the blog..... they'll show up....)

You know what they say -- do something creative every day!

A Little Bit Rock & Roll

Back from a road trip with loads of paper to cut up and play with....and a good thing too because I've been busy working on a guest blog post...shhhhh.....you'll have to wait a tiny bit to see it
but I hope you will like it when you do.

CALIFORNIA
Driving home on Highway 101 through the Central Valley. Yes, those are grapevines. And, yes we did buy some Central Coast wines. And stop at Garlic World.
I love my beautiful state.

Canter's Deli in LA
It is a tradition to go to Canter's and have a (half) pastrami sandwich and buy dill pickles to cart back to SF in a cooler. yes, even if it is 85 degrees.
Which it was but after we left the temps shot up to 100.
Thank goodness I'm back in the cool, gray city. Which actually is cool but not gray at the moment.

OK. MAIL.....
I am feelin a little sorry for myself because I got NO mail today. Zip. Nada.
That is very rare for me and I don't like it at all.
But I have a feeling you won't be sorry for me when you see what I did get recently.
Oh! the Dori mail....upper left...is so wonderful. She gelli printed and rubber stamped a manila folder and mailed it to me with gelli papers tucked inside. The stamps didn't even get cancelled. It was
stitched together so I very carefully unstitched it and I can use it for a file file.
LOVE. SWOON. Thank you Dori.

And from The Suburban PenPal (check her out on Flickr) another fabulous clear mailing with a collage inside as well as a letter. And those stamps weren't cancelled either.

Here's the back -- isn't this cool????

More Mail
From Vizma Bruns in Australia came a fabulous handmade booklet and from  Dori the wonderful mailer came a tiny little green sewn case just right for holding stamps....
and from S Wurlitzer a terrific little booklet...ok, you aren't feeling sorry for me, are you?

Vizma's booklet

Yeah, Viz -- come on over and we'll break out the California wine and hit the work table and play!

Vizma's  booklet and Postal ATC (top)

S Wurlitzer's book (detail)

Postal ATC's Received
Top left from Andria and top right from Connie Rose and the two bottoms ATC's are from Dori.

Karenann sent me these a while back and got the whole thing started. I loved them and wanted to make some to trade. She not only made the ATC's but she made a little origami folded and painted case to go with them

Karenann's ATC's

A little surprise I sent out yesterday. There's a vintage silk scarf inside that vellum. But don't tell.

I have sent out a whole lot of good mail this week so I'm pretty sure my mailbox won't be sad and empty much longer.
But there is no mail on Thursday to look forward to.
Happy Independence Day to all my American readers out there.
Keep safe and stay cool and have fun.
Happy Birthday to our country.
Now let's get busy and save the US Postal Service.

What is everybody doing on the 4th?
(I recommend a listen to It's Almost Independence Day by Van Morrison, written when he lived here in the Bay Area. A classic.)

SEND GOOD MAIL TO GET GOOD MAIL.