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!

A PO in Poland

The Post Office in Krakow -- I think I'll have to go inside.
Want to come along?

Guess what? I could take photos at the Main Post Office in Krakow, Poland.
Yes!
Poland and Russia are postal-photo friendly.

Want to come inside with me? Looks promising, doesn't it. And I have a couple of secret weapons. I took my Postal Love zine with the Polish translation asking to get airmail stickers (for free) and buy local stamps. But just in case that didn't work.....
A very special friend of mine lives in Krakow and she escorted me to the PO and was my official translator.

OooOoo this was a really nice post office, as you can see...there was a special section for postal supplies and a whole room for philatelists.  I explored the whole place.

You just take a number and wait your turn....

We didn't have to wait for very long. US Post Offices would do well to have you take a number and have a place to sit to wait. I just stood in a very long line waiting to mail some Xmas boxes here in San Francisco.

Poczta Polska shopping bags? I might need one. 

Actually, I just might need two or three....

Besides buying the regular, local Polish stamps there were displays of special stamp-collecting stamps to ogle. And of course there were all those free postal forms I like to load up on for booklet-making and Postal ATC's. I think you knew that already.

This Polish Postal worker really didn't know what hit her when I showed up. At first she was kind of mystified but with the help of my zine, my pal's translations and of course, my charm, she really got into the spirit and started pulling out stamps for me to buy. And she let us tear up the sheets to get however many I wanted (picture that in a USA post office). And she gave me a bunch of (free) air mail stickers -- in Polish. Maybe she'll see this post. Wouldn't that be nice?

She didn't seem to mind me snapping photos like crazy. And she took my zine!

Thank you to my special friend. You know who you are.

This is the old main post office right down the street....I kind of wish they kept that one but the new modern one is pretty nice too.

  

And, here is another little PO right around the corner from our hotel.

Post a letter and buy a Pretzel -- one stop shopping.

If the day wasn't great enough already, after the PO tour and stamp excitement , my friend gifted me with her childhood stamp collection album.
How lucky am I?
I will certainly treasure it and think of her every time I page through it.

I think these are stamps commemorating the Polish Postal Service --  with post office building on them.

I have lots of happy Postal Memories from Poland!

SEND A LETTER --  GET A LETTER!