Lisbon Flea

You all said you want to visit the flea market in Lisbon with me....so, today we are going....wear comfortable shoes because it is a big one.....

I am really drawn to to the metal......shame it is so heavy....

And KEYS!!!!!!

And, I love religious statues like these....

and these......
I couldn't find any Portuguese holy cards though, except for a few vintage ones....

And, this is Lisbon so yes, there are lots of lovely tiles....

Fado? Si!!!! I loved the music and have a few Fado cd's to prove it...

Yep, stamp bundles!!!
I told you that I find stamp bundles in European flea markets......

15 euros each -- too much I think.....a photo will have to do...

Those cats again -- I think I probably should have bought them....too late now...

I want it ALL......
But, I actually didn't buy nearly as much as you'd think.......I did get four Portuguese passports and some official papers....but sometimes a picture is all I need to be happy. 
We spend hours walking around and looking at everything -- it was so much fun!
So, what would YOU buy?
If you visit Lisbon I highly recommend the flea market there....bring a bag and wear comfy shoes and carry a camera and have some fun!

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January Doings

January in San Francisco has been cold, dark and very wet. I love it! We need the rain and it is a good excuse to hang out in my studio and play.
I noticed there are a lot stamps in the studio and that got me thinking...well...about stamps.

These vintage Chinese beauties were included in a big batch of ephemera a friend gave me. I think I'm going to have a great year making collages and Rolodex cards and books and altered passports  with all the old paper....I can't wait. But, for right now, I am just enjoying looking at these.

I started noticing a lot of stamps on sheets of paper -- like these.

And like these......

 I got to thinking, it would be fun to sort some of my bags of stamps and stick them in a moleskin....
I find sorting stamps very calming.

I had sooooo many piles going.....I sorted by colors and subject.  And I stuck them in and didn't look back.
The book will be fun to flip through.

Handmade book by Christie J
This little beauty just showed up in the mail unexpectedly one day and what a delight.

Here's a look inside...

and, here's another......
Thank you, Christie! Love it.
(@christie_jz on IG)

More Good Mail
This arrived on another day from Dawn C. Also a handmade book filled with postal goodness and pages to write in.
Dawn knew I've been having some difficult times and thought I needed some cheering up.
How thoughtful!

Cheer me up it certainly did!

Thanks so very much, Dawn. I just love random acts of kindness , especially those sent through the mail.

And, speaking of random acts of kindness, a new Instagram pal, knew I have been looking for these Reader Digest covers to use for altered books and she just sent me a bunch.
I love them and I can't wait to get started making books.
Thanks, @sakameg (on IG)

Any of you make any resolutions? Art ones?

I have a list going.........
I'll tell you all soon. Happy 2017. Make all the art you can!

Altered Altoid Tins

Postal Themed Altered Altoid Tins
Finally!!! I have been making these tins for a while now and couldn't show them since the majority of them went for Christmas presents....
They are such fun to make and even more fun to fill up. One arty blurred shot and one sharper..

What tiny treasures can you put inside?
Mini stapler and tiny scissors, postage stamps, small rolls of washi tape, address labels, small rubber stamps, buttons for crafting, sewing kit.....
What can you think of?

All packed up and ready to go!

Of course I had to make a few for myself too...I have all kinds of things stored inside mine.

Besides the postal theme I go on a bird theme as well....

You have to decorate the bottoms of the tins too....no surface left untouched.

Some stamp bundles packed into this one. I'd like to get this so I hope my pal Polly liked  receiving it......I mean, really? Who wouldn't love a postal themed tin with bundles of stamps inside?

All you need are empty tins, like Altoid tins, and some cool paper and washi tape and glue....I used matte gel medium.....

I'm not the first to alter Altoid tins. In fact, my pal Dori is the one who started me thinking about doing it. She has sent me several that I absolutely love. I have one that she made me filled with earrings.
I won't put a tutorial on here because tutorials are out there all over the place. Check Pinterest.
I found doing a few at a time with the same theme worked best for me. It is much slower just doing one at a time. I found old Altoid tins at ScrapSF without that embossed top that the new ones have have. And Trader Joe's mints have good tins too. If you really want a tutorial I will do it but I think you can figure it out....

So, there you go, now it's your turn.
What will you put inside?

And you are wondering who won the 2017 planner?
(drum roll, please)
MISS IOWA
Congrats to Miss Iowa. Please send me your mailing address via the Blogger Contact Form or in a comment) I won't publish it.

I may be making some more notebooks to give away so stay tuned. Thanks for all the comments and good wishes and for the suggestions on what you might like to see on the blog.I've been blogging less and posting on IG more because it seems there is more response to IG but I enjoy blogging and would like to continue if there is the interest.
Happy Holidays to all of you out there and thank you for all your lovely comments and good wishes and good mail throughout 2016.

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Come over and I'll Show You How to Make Something....

Lately I've been trying to straighten things up around my studio. Problems are that I like to have everything on display and I also seem to work better when ephemera is out all over and I can look at it and get random ideas.
I love those little stamp bundles (above). I wonder who has the patience to put the stamps in bundles like that? Not me.

There is a special spot for my wonderful Dori Singh mail.....

Mail boxes and mail art - oh my!

Tickets always come in handy for various projects and they are nice to look at too.

I like pretty tin boxes for storage. These beauties are from France (cookie boxes).

Recently added to the vintage wooden ruler collection. Thank you to Scrap.

Hummm....I better get these plastic boxes of stamps off the floor....

$1 at the book sale -- could you resist?

Airmail envelopes and some vintage stationery from Scrap.

See that china bowl with the gold rim? If you are relatively new to the blog you might not  know I received it in the mail. Unwrapped and covered with stamps and my address written on it in Sharpie. Found on my front step - delivered by the USPS.
Coolest mail art ever.

So, you want to see how to make that booklet with no glue or staples?
Here's how I do it:

Tear five pages out of a discarded book. Or, just any five pieces of paper you have (all the same size).

Fold them in half like this.....

Cut ONE of the sheets of paper like this.

See? You cut a slot in the middle of the fold..

Then cut the FOUR remaining sheets like this -- little notches at the top and bottom of the fold.

This is totally easy to do but difficult to take a photo of....You roll the paper with the slots (one at a time) and insert thru the cut in that first sheet and then line up the folds...
then you just tuck the notched part in and the top and bottom...easy really...

I'm just pushing the paper through the slot and when the middle folds line up the top and bottom will just hook in...

And viola! A little booklet you can decorate and send out in the mail.

Go ahead and try it -- it is really easy. Or, just come on over to my studio and I'll show you.
I love company and making things with friends. I hope these instructions are clear enough for you guys to make the books. 
(Shout-out to Monica for showing me how to do it)

You could use three - or five - or seven pages, I think....I make little books and filled them with vintage postage stamps and rubber stamps and tiny collages...

So, let me know how you do, OK?
Have fun!

MAKE SOMETHING EVERY DAY!