Oh The Places I Go!!

Time for another art trip to Portland, Or. And I am having fun driving myself crazy...er...I mean, getting ready....
Of course I have to make things. Much more fun than figuring out the clothes to pack.

I need a travel journal....
This will do. I like green and I am going to the Uptown Stamp Show to forage through  postage stamps. But, it is kind of plain, don't you think?
SEE the last trip to Uptown Stamp Show here

Hummmmmm
This is better and Portland IS The City of Roses....

I really want this Cavallini paper to line the inside covers but no one in San Francisco seems to have it, And online shipping costs as much as the sheet of paper so I hope I will find it in Portland.

A little stamp action on the cover....

Altered Book From Previous PDX Trip here

And, I needed a tin to carry some art supplies. I am going to a letter writing social at
NOUN.
You can check it out right here

So, here is my book, ready to toss in my carry-on and work on  in PDX. I am hoping I can talk my PDX pals to work on a page to add to my book too....

Isn't this fun? I was browsing the Back-to-School supplies (would you expect any less?) and spotted these cool pocket dividers and I thought I could do something with them....
I cut them down and added them to my book and I can tuck in business cards and ephemera inside.

I prepped a few pages...

I think I will add a photo to this page later on.

My newly made tin is all packed up and ready to go.  My
HAVING A GREAT TIME
WISH YOU WERE HERE
rubber stamp comes in handy at a time like this.

I really don't bring much -- my altered book and tin plus double stick tape, glue sticks, washi tape on a ring and postcard backs.
I am pretty sure my PDX pals will share their art supplies with me if I am good.

And my address book, of course!
You CAN put addresses on your cell phone but I'm analog. 

So, here you go -- all packed up and ready to go. But clothes? Not so much...
This is the fun part of packing.
So, Karen and JJ and Miss Polly and Michelle -- get ready because I am coming!
See you all very soon.
And, I'll see the rest of you in the mail or back here at the blog when I get back.
Don't forget to check my IG photos @PamelaArtsinSF in the meantime.

SEND GOOD MAIL -- GET GOOD MAIL

Taking It On the Road (Again)

Fall comes and travel beckons.....
Time to start prepping that travel journal and packing up my art kit and hitting the road.
Actually, it would be easier if I were hitting the road -- we are flying to Portugal, Spain (Basque Country) and Paris and I have to pack LIGHT.
As light as I can anyway.....

I love travel. You might have guessed that by now. The anticipation......I don't think I am going to understand a lot of Portuguese....

I picked up some cookbooks and FADO cd's at the SF Library and I've been getting myself in the mood. Ok, it doesn't take much for me to be in the mood to pack my suitcase...but, as I said, anticipation is nice.

I have had A LOT of time to prep my travel journal. Too much so, in fact. I started over a year ago but the trip had to be cancelled because of the passing of my lovely father-in-law. 

I dragged it back out of the closet and of course I couldn't leave it alone....I had to add a bunch more stuff to it..

Here's how it was....

Here's how it is now....but it will look a lot different at the end of the trip with writing and lots more ephemera stuck inside...(I will be a week in each place so I counted the pages and marked with stick-it notes so be sure I don't run out of room. But, I can add to the book if I have to.

I've tucked in bits of ephemera to add as I go...and you NOW I will be looking for papers on the ground and on walls......
nothing is safe from me.

I've added lots of postage stamps too.....

Perhaps I should study my French?

I passed this baby up -- only $1 too - at the Library Big Book sale and now I am wondering why.
I'd like to speak Spanish with no study or effort, wouldn't you?

When I see grammar like this I just freeze....I speak French like a two year old...and they don't think it's charming.

Packed up and ready to go. I always keep my travel journal with me, in my carry-on. It is my favorite souvenir of the trip. I buy those giant zip lock bags and put the journal inside.
I put my minimal art supplies in another small zip bag and I am ready to roll.
I have a couple of small books to stash in my purse when I'm out and about and I usually work on my big travel journal with coffee in the morning at the hotel....
I can't wait!

I packed a small notebook for making a collage a day. I'm nothing if I'm not ambitious.
SEE YOU ON THE OTHER SIDE!!!!

SFO TO PDX

(I get to deliver these little surprises in person.....and I can't post this until they are given out so when you read this post, I will be happily ensconced in PDX already.)

Don't you love planning a trip?
That is all part of the fun.....and I have been looking forward to this trip to Portland for months...

I am prepared -- I collected lots of .25 cent vintage Portland postcards at the Vintage Paper Fair last time I went -- so let the postcard writing begin!

I have a nice little map of the metro and it goes right to the airport....

OK, I do have a PDX map but I am horrible at reading maps, I admit it....
Luckily there is a whole mail art posse and they are meeting me and showing me around...
lucky me!
And, there's Lyft.

I paid SPECIAL ATTENTION to packing my mail art kit. I usually travel pretty light as far as supplies go...and I figure I can borrow from my PDX pals as needed...and I had to save room for a little "show & tell". And my SFCC artistamp passport is coming along too. Who knows? I may get a PDX artistamp stamped in it. There are rumors. 

Always pack a coffee kit......I am dangerous without coffee as soon as I wake up....

If I paid as much attention to packing clothes in suitcase as I did in bringing things for show & tell and little surprises for my pals, I might look better...
the clothes are always a bit of an afterthought. After art supplies.

I certainly do have lots of wonderful zippered pouches to store things in, thanks to a certain, wonderful pal who knows who she is.......

A Bon Voyage card from my pal, Monica......
Hopefully no fog delays at SFO because I've got a whole lot to do up there in PDX. Like, go to a PDXCC mail art meeting and eat Russian food at Kachka and write postcards and........well.......you'll hear all about it next time, folks.
And below are a few more shots of the tins I made my friends.....
I hope they like them.

SEND GOOD MAIL -- GET GOOD MAIL

You Can Do It (Almost) Anywhere

Making mail art in my studio is always fun. I have everything I need there (and more). But, sometimes it is nice to take it on the road...

Writing at the Library

I love to hang out at the library for a while when I have time. They have big, beautiful wooden tables and comfortable chairs and and wifi and you are surrounded by books.
And they often have flyers around that are good for using to write letters.....

All you really need is a pen!

Huntington Gardens, Pasadena CA
It is always fun to sit outside and write some postcards and the beautiful Huntington gardens  is one place that's fun to set up a writing station outdoors at a table.

Sitting out in the sun, watching the world go by and writing some postcards....

Anytime I go anywhere a part of the fun is packing up a mail art kits, either large or small....
I love a road trip when i can bring A LOT of stuff, including my small portable typewriter, but I am good with going small on a plane too....

MOTEL ROOM MAIL
Nothing better than mail art in a motel room. My favorite. I always tear up every tourist brochure/menu/map I can get my hands on and I make stuff....
What does the maid think?

Breakfast and Mail Art
Home or traveling, I like to start each day with a little art of some kind. Gets the day started off right.

What I did and what I didn't do ----
I don't really enjoy "holidays" so Thanksgiving isn't a big day around here. But I am thankful.
Thankful for my wonderful blog readers, Instagram followers, FB blog readers and real life mail art pals who are so generous with good mail.
It is a truly wonderful community we are in.
I've found my tribe!
So, thank you ALL.
I certainly didn't get involved in the so-called Black Friday marathon of excess and shopping.
Not my thing.
I am making things for friends though. I can't show you you till after Xmas but I'm taking photos for you.
I'm packing up a little travel bag for a very few days away now and you know I will be making some mail art.
And, then, back to the studio for some more art-making.

Hope you all are having a good time these days......don't let the crazy "holiday season" make you crazy. Just make things and have some fun with friends and take care of yourselves.
Have a cappuccino.....

SEND GOOD MAIL -- GET GOOD MAIL