Ephemera Just Finds Me

Truly, vintage ephemera just seems to find me. Ok, I admit I am open to the possibility....I just love old paper.
Want to see some?

You can never really have too much wonderful old paper, can you?

September seems to be peak ephemera month.....There is this sale a friend puts on up in Marin and the Vintage Paper Fair (we all know how much I love that one) and the SF Public Library Big Book Sale ......

Old book parts anyone?

Tarot cards

And, let's not forget, the fabulous SFPL has an outdoor library "Steps" sale every week -- $1 for any book your heart desires. I have posted a lot of photos of these on Instagram #tornandtatteredbooks
(PamelaArtsinSF)

My favorite spot for .25-cent postcards and this year I found eight passports.
I will show you those in another post -- they are amazing. I cannot wait to alter them.

Look at these beauties! I collect them for the beautiful cursive writing, the stamps and the postmarks.

No Sharpie cancellations here.

That cursive....

This one I didn't get -- it was in a set of six called "Spy Passports" and the guy had a bunch of UK passports with all different information -- only $600.00 for you to bring home....

Peek-a-boo!
They just don't make postcards like they used to. People keep asking me where I get ephemera....
Maybe I should be a PERSONAL SHOPPER? You think?

Look around for library book sales, old foreign language dictionaries, 1950's National Geographic magazines, thrift shops, estate sales....ask your old relatives if they have any stacks of old letters in the attic......
The Big Book Sale is THIS WEEK -- Wednesday thru Sunday and everything is $1 on Sunday (always good stuff to be found). So, if you're near SF, you can go.
Anyone want to go with me?
A few more old books just might find me this week...

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J'aime les Cartes Postales - - Oh yes I do!

I have a thing about France. And postcards. And French postcards.

J'aime les Cartes Postals
I love the backs of them, the fronts of them, the vintage ones and the new ones....

The French really knew (know?) how to cancel stamps. There are often two, or even three, cancellations on each card.
(And, by the way, I could REALLY use some French mail artists to trade with if anyone in France is reading this).

And did I mention the handwriting?
The most beautiful cursive writing....

And they really know how to SQUEEZE a whole lot of cursive writing onto each little card...

Why don't we have lovely little paper bags made especially for postcards?

And look at this -- is it early mail art? Some little French kid drew on this card. Looks like a drawing of a kid riding a dog???

I also notice the hotels and tourist spots back in the day had had special stamps too....

I get endless pleasure out of my French postcards....besides admiring the postmarks and stamps and cancellations...I use them for art projects too. I found out you can get two ATC cards from each postcard. I love using them for ATC's and including some of the markings on the card into the ATC.

I spent all day last Sunday making Postal theme ATC's using French postcards as the starts...

So fun -- I got 25 ATC's -- and I'm still at it.
Want to see them all?
Let me know if you do.

Oui, it is kind of frightening, isn't it? But I work best with all my stuff out where I can see it...
I'll clean up...really I will...(someday).

I've always loved these rows of trees you see all over France...

Here's a photograph I took of French trees....same ones as the vintage postcard?

This is me in another life.
Oh yes it is!
I wonder I will come back as next time? Got to be something postal.
So, I hope you enjoyed the ode to postcards.
And, if you're going on vacation, I hope you will mail some postcards out and make some mailboxes happy.
Or, even if you are staying put, you can still pop a postcard in the mail and try to squeeze as much cursive writing on the back as those French people did...

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