Swan Boats & Lobsters & Postcards...Oh My!

I'm back home and I'm not that happy about it.
We sure packed a lot of fun into ten days. So much fun that the ephemera just mostly got stashed in the pages of my travel journal loosely....

But -- that's ok because I have already finished a lot of the glueing and pasting since getting home on Tuesday night. It is fun re-living my trip.

But, looking at everything is making me wish I could turn around and fly back...

Boston was really fun, even though it rained on me. Last time it snowed so rain is better...

I scored some vintage ephemera to stash inside my journal too. What would she think of all this?
I wonder.

I think Boston has some of the best postcards I've seen...I love the airmail envelope theme they've got going on...I wish all cities had such cool postcards.

In case you're wondering, the big newsstand in Harvard Square (Cambridge) had them all.

The Boston Tea Party?

Bring on the Tea Party stamps!

The rain stopped and we had a wonderful walk around the Boston Garden. I always say hello to George Washington when I am in town.
My husband refused to go on a swan boat ride with me though....

We spent the rainy day at the Gardner Museum -- a favorite. 

I recommend a visit if you visit Boston....it is near the Museum of Art so you can hit both of them on the same day. Especially if it's raining. Or, snowing. I've been there for both...

These are not San Francisco restaurants.
If you visit, I like Legal Seafoods and Atlantic Fish.

Lobster!!!!!!!
Enough said.

I wanted to cram everything in one post but it would be too long so stay tuned for for Richmond/Petersburg party of the trip next.
And, my travel journal is really rolling along so if you want to see that, raise a hand! Or, a lobster claw.

Real life. 
I prefer vacation.

What has everyone been doing while I've been gone?
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Another Kind of Desktop

Budapest

I can work almost anywhere -- which is good since my studio is still all torn up. I have a plan for setting up my Gelli block in my kitchen in Saturday and letting those paints fly...or drip..or whatever.
Here are some desktops where I've worked during the last year or so....
I like the way they look.

Portland, OR

A cappuccino or coffee is always nice to have on hand. And paper ephemera. Lots of ephemera.

Prague

I actually don't pack up much to bring with me on my travels about town (or far away). I like to tear paper rather than cut and mostly I bring glue sticks and double stick tape....and madly pick up stuff as I move through the day....

Santa Barbara

St Petersburg, Russia

There wasn't as much paper around to pick up in Russia...but what I did find was super cool since I loved the way the Cyrillic writing looked.

Portland

Istanbul, Turkey

The Turkish writing is very cool too. And so was writing while listening to the Call to Prayer coming in through the open windows.....

Washington, DC

Los Angeles, CA

Palma, Italy
Sitting and writing by the fireplace in Parma was wonderful until the bug bit me!

Boston, MA

New York City

Seattle, WA

Pasadena, CA

Milan, Italy

You can always get coffee in Italy --  Grazia Dio!

Budapest, Hungary

I like taking it on the road. Packing my mail art kit is a lot more fun than packing clothes. And I love picking up every scrap of ephemera I find and tearing it up and pasting it in to my travel journals, collages and postcards.
I love the look of a happily messy desktop while on the road.

Am I alone on this?
How many of you cut and paste while traveling?
Keep a travel journal?
Make mail art?
Set up a work table in every hotel room?
Anybody taking a trip?

Tell me what your desktops look like!

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Kitted Out

A lot of you are coming to San Francisco soon and I bet you are packing up those mail art kits!

I love to pack up my kit because that means I am going someplace but it's more like re-pack the kits because I always have various pouches stashed here and there with art supplies...you never know when you might need one.
Correspondence co-op meeting?
A sudden urge to create at a cafe (having cappuccino, of course)?
You never know.

You can never really have too many mail art kits....and since I have kits for planes, road trips , cafes and co-op meetings I do need a variety to just grab and go. Besides I collect little pouches that are postally inclined.
(That's my story and I'm sticking to it).
This one is from Itchi-ban-kan in Japantown.

These Blue Q pouches have been around quite a while and I love them...
and I have actually stuck some address labels and stamps on them and mailed them off to far flung places -- like The Netherlands and Budapest. And they both arrived! Pretty cool, huh?

But it's nice to have some that are a little more unusual too....this one is from the Plumfield shop on ETSY.
I don't know if they are still available but you could check if you're interested.
Just think, if I could sew I could make some cool pouches.

And then you have to decide what to put inside your mail art kit.......I try hard to keep mine pretty simple but there are some things I can't do with...
I love my double stick tape and glue sticks. I can give up the scissors (if I have to) because I like to tear and get a softer edge most of the time.

Of course I must add my little mail art address book and some nice postcards stamps.
Always have to send postcards from the road.
And I love to look at other folk's kits -- here are a couple of inspiring ones --

Yellow Daisy Art
I love the way she put tiny things inside the decorated Atoid tin. I think I'm going to put some of my tiny rubber stamps in one. Thanks for the inspiration, yellow Daisy!
&
The Always Inspiring Red Letter Day
I've seen Jennie's red letter kit up close and personal and it is great. But then just about everything she does is pretty terrific.

How many of you long time C&Art readers remember my mail art call way back in October 2011?
What's in YOUR Mail Art Kit?????
And I promised documentation to all? Ever wonder what happened?
Well, that envelope (above) holding all the entries was lost for quite some time. I just found it behind a bookcase when moving everything out of my studio......

......and I got busy right away......

What's in YOUR Mail Arty Kit?
The zine has been made and sent off to you who sent in submissions. I hope you all enjoyed it, especially after having waited so long and so patiently to get it.

If you want to buy a copy of the zine, I am selling them for $6. Just email me through my profile and we'll arrange it.

Unfortunately I could not fit everyone in....including my own submission. So maybe I will have to do a new call for entries and make a mail art kit zine number two. Surely there is more to be said on the subject.

Just remember -- leave some room in your kit if you are coming to SF. The Japantown town
$1.50 shops have pencil cases, pouches, washi tape, double stick tape, glue, mini staplers, sushi-erasers....on and on....

So what do you think? Another zine?
Or just leave word here in the comments about what YOU pack in your mail art kit.
 Here's a little something about mine from the original post

My mail art kit (2011)

What's in YOUR Kit?
The Mail Art Kit -- Don't Leave Home Without It!!!! 

This and That...

Ex Postal Facto passbook production line at SF Center for the Book on Saturday, February 1.
Yesterday the SF Correspondence Co-Op joined forces in cutting, folding, punching, sewing, dating and stamping the passports for the upcoming XPF.
And when we all get together it's always a lot of fun.

300 passports later.....and we're done...

No cookies this time -- we wouldn't want to smudge up those beautiful passports -- but we did get the opportunity to buy an XPF rubber stamp and see the cool postcard for the show.
And we got to preview the catalog/book for the mail art show.
You are going to want that catalog if you like mail art!

BOOT SALE
And outside the SFCB one of our members set up a trunk sale or a boot sale on the hood of her car. She was selling all postal memorabilia -- including typewriters, USPS lunch box, postal themed fabric, tiny UK metal PO Boxes......
Pretty cool sale, Anna! My wallet is lighter now.

I wanted this -- but I resisted. If anyone wants to send me one....

POST OFFICE GAME
I resisted this too. I surprise myself sometimes...

That was the fun stuff...now this is the not so fun stuff....I had to empty EVERYTHING out of my studio so we can paint it and sand the floor.
I am in total chaos, working out of boxes and feeling displaced.
All for a good cause though.

My husband set me up with a temporary work space in the studio kitchen. Bless him! But he knows it was for his own good -- I would be going absolutely crazy without a spot to work on my projects.
Like that ancient 50's metal sink?
It is nice to have a window to look at while working.

At least it was easy to move these from one room to another so my stamps and washi tape are
 close by.

Working on some more Stamp Head ATC's. I am getting the hang of it more now and they really are fun. But I am finding there are almost no stamps with children's faces on them and I need some.

MAIL ART KIT ZINE
One good thing that came out of emptying out my studio is that I finally found the envelope containing the submission for the call-for-entries I had way back on October 2011 for
What's In Your Mail Art Kit?
I have been looking for them for ages and found them behind a bookcase. I immediately got busy and made the zine.
The zine has been mailed out to those who submitted entries and there will be more about it -- and mail art kits -- in an upcoming post.

CHINATOWN
Next stop -- Chinatown for the Lunar New Year Flower Market (and lunch, of course).
Will be reporting on the paper shops there soon too. It isn't always so busy on Grant Avenue. The street was closed for the flower market (as it will be for the Parade).

There is always a lot to enjoy looking at in Chinatown -- especially at Lunar New Year.
And if you are coming to town for XPF - the famous Parade will be Saturday, February  15.
I'm just sayin'......

OUTGOING

I've been busy!! Helping out with the XPF passports, moving boxes, trying to find stuff in the studio, wandering through Chinatown, sending mail, making zines, having lunch...and there is Valentine's Day coming up too.

What are you all doing these days?

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