Some People Go for the Pasta......

I though you all might want to tag along to one of the Roman flea markets we went to. We went to two, plus a postcard market, so stay tuned. Today I am letting all this old paper beauty mostly speak for itself.

It's Roma! Of course there are Prayer Cards....

This one vender was practically giving it away....be still my heart...

Lots of letters folded into envelopes with wax seals...

It truly amazes me you can buy papers written in 1858 for less than one euro....

And, there are priests....

Yes, I had to go through every one...wouldn't you?

Look at that cursive!
They really knew how to do it back in the day...

After all the thrills and excitement at the flea market it was definitely time to grab an Aperol Spritz on the go!
And, can you believe that? You can't get cocktails to go here in the USA.
I love Rome.

OK-- I went for the pasta too. And the all the food and churches and beauty and outdoor markets and desserts and museums...
There is another post coming....

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Treasures from the Berlin Flea Market

One of the things that fascinates me about old ephemera like this is wondering what  happened to the people who owned the ephemera. Many of the papers were and books like this (ration book?) were dated right before WW2. There are a lot of questions and thoughts to ponder.

See what I mean about turning the postcards over? The backs can  definitely be better than the fronts sometimes. I can look at old cursive writing for hours.
And postmarks too.

I love tiny photographs like these - perfect for cutting up and putting in my altered passport project. Unfortunately the one thing I didn't find at all the flea market I went to were old passports for my project.

This is a whole notebook filled with this cool writing. I think it is a student's notebook.

After the flea market we walked around and went into (one of Germany's many)  a bookstore. I was delighted to see a wall of book spines -- old book spines were embedded right into the walls. Very cool.

And, in Germany, there is ALWAYS cake.

I promised I'd show you some of my flea market finds, so here you go!  Now I am in the process of making books and journals and collages with a lot of the ephemera I found.  
So much fun to use such wonderful old papers.

What are you doing over this long holiday weekend (here in the US)?
Well, I'm making things, of course.....and I might have some cake.

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We Are Family

For various reasons, I have been thinking a lot about family lately.
Most likely because I just lost my beloved, ancient father in law. Some families are being split apart by politics and others by a member being deported.
When you lose someone, I think you start to realize how important it is to keep your loved ones close.
Your friends, your family, your tribe.

My career and first passion has always been photography. I had a Nikkormat in my hands when when I was just a kid and never put it down.
And, I collected vintage photos, tintypes and old albums for years and years. I just took a bunch of them out to look at some of those faces.
Someday someone at a flea market or vintage paper sale will probably be looking at my old photos someday (hopefully not too soon though).

I have a teeny tintype album given to me by my step-father (now gone) and he was so excited that it was dated March 25 because my birthday is March 26. I kind of have to laugh every time I look at that -- I mean, it is a day off -- so really.....
The rest of that date is 1874 and no, that isn't my birth year.

Don't you just wonder about all these people? What were their lives like?

Another thing that got me started thinking of family and photos is that a member of my mail art group brought a lot of his own family photos to the swap table. He said no one in his family wanted them and he thought (correctly) that those of us in the mail art group would certainly know how to put them to good use.
I used the photos in making collaged postcards and sending Jerry's family members all over the world...

Jerry's family sitting on lawn chairs in Spain -- I bet they didn't expect to find themselves there!

So, now I am inspired -- I've got out a bunch of old photos and glue and scissors and Rolodex cards and passports and I am getting to work.....

I'm sending JB, my lovely FIL, on a long fishing trip.....working on his passport is a good way for me to honor and remember him.

Have passport -- will travel

Thanks to all of you who comments on my last post. Your kind comments -- and the emails and cards -- were all very much appreciated.
It's been a rough few months and I've been sad but having my tribe sending kindness has most certainly helped. A lot.
And making art helps so I'm off to my work table....

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This Time It's Japan

Hanging out in the studio on a rainy afternoon......who should I send on a trip this time?

I love passports -- have I already said that? Well, it's very true. I love the covers and I love the stamped pages even more. It's a sad passport with no stamps in it. (But no worries, I can add my own stamps to cheer things up)
This one has seen some travel.

I'm finding, with making my altered passports, a lot of the stuff I've collected over the years is coming together.
So great to find the perfect use for things.....like this old Japanese paper...

First off, I always change the passport photo to one I like better...I added in the black & white photo.

I bought an old family photo album from Japan at the Pasadena Flea Market years ago and found the perfect use for some of the photos....they pop out very easily and are moving in to their new home...

See what I mean?

I might add in some Japanese language flash cards too....you never know...

My faux passport stamps are getting a good workout  this afternoon....

I always leave the real ones alone.

Here's an almost finished page - turned out quite nicely I think.

All this Japan travel (in my mind) make me really need some ramen so I had to go off to Japan Town and get a bowl.
I wonder where I will go when I work on the Russian passport?
We do have Russian markets in SF and I bet we have a Russian restaurant too.
But first I need to finish up with Japan....

A big thank you and shout out to DD, JU and GM for giving me some passports to work on. You guys are just so great. 
I don't feel happy unless I have some passports sitting around waiting to be altered.
I am seriously looking for a French passport. I'm just putting it out there.

So, I've been busy altered passports, going to co-op meetings, making mail art, visiting Scrap hitting the Hero Arts Flash sale....

& You????
What are you all up to these days?
Do tell.

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Passing the Afternoon Most Pleasantly......

There are lots of ways to spend a pleasant afternoon.....and one of them is to go to a SF Correspondence Co-Op meeting....

You can sit around and socialize...and you can make things at the same time.....

I like to collage...and take photographs.....and inspect the swap table.

Just look at this fabulous two-tone bird made with rubber stamps from Paris....

It takes two stamps and two ink pads and look what you get....oh lala!

I packed my special mail pouches up for the meeting.....The one on the left from the fabulous Dori Singh and the one on the right from my pal CeCe in NYC.
I'm pretty lucky.

Another rather delightful way to spend an afternoon is at the Vintage Paper Fair,
some thing I did just last weekend.

How could I pass up these postcard folders for $1 each? I couldn't.
I love the old graphics and they are fun "as-is" or to cut up for collage or use in travel journals.

One seller was selling old snapshots for .25-cents each. I don't know what they go for where you live, but around the Bay Area they are A LOT so I sifted through two large boxes for a stash of old photos to use in collage and cards.

And envelopes! Oh yes please. I just love vintage envelopes. (One day OURS will be vintage!)

Old handwriting? Old stamps? Cancellations?
What's not to love?

They really new how to make good letterheads back in the day, didn't they?

Picked up a few face value stamps too...

I think these are my favorite finds. Tiny little pictures of fancy ladies all dolled up with great hair and hats.....

These are going to work perfectly in those passports I am altering...

So, now another way to spend a perfectly pleasant afternoon is to stay in my studio and make things using all these great paper finds.
One thing leads to another, right?
I have lots of ideas.

You have a favorite way to spend a pleasant afternoon?
Do tell.
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