Making

Good Morning
Greetings from windy, rainy, cold San Francisco. I'm loving it. Perfect time to stay inside and work at my studio work table.
After coffee and breakfast and admiring some vintage flower postcards.....

It may be messy but it is where I am happy making things for hours and hours.
I've been busy at this table trying to catch up with my outgoing mail.
But, we never really catch up, do we?

On January 1 I started my Rolodex Card a Day project and so far so good. Of course, it is only January 22 so I have a long way to go...but I am enjoying it..I have posted more photos of them on IG. And we all know I have endless amounts of paper ephemera to work with...

INCOMING
I have had some lovely incoming mail so there is a lot to catch up on...

I decided to "reprint" some of my older zines and send them to my newer mail art correspondents.

And, being me, I had to make little folders to put the zines in.....I do love a good presentation.

OUTGOING to Cuan in South Africa

OUTGOING to Virgo in Russia

Collages for Virgo

It always feels good to have a stack of outgoing mail.....

Rolo cards for Michele C

....tucked into a little folder....

The start of a mail art book.....more about this later....

PROJECTS: Mail Art book, a Rolodex Card a Day, Altered Passports,  Collages

It is raining AGAIN but that ought to keep me busy for a while....you think?
What are you all working on?
Remember, ART SAVES LIVES

SEND GOOD MAIL -- GET GOOD MAIL

Hangin' Out a Little

I love hanging out in my studio....last night I was working at dusk and noticed what a lovely glow the room had from the very late early evening sun...

Maybe I am enjoying it a bit more since I actually  had to clean up  because newish pal was stopping by for a visit and I didn't want to horrify her with my usual clutter.

Sometimes I slack off from making things and just read magazines and books on mixed media techniques.... always relaxing.

I worked on my newest little zine....

Sorted some stamps that needed to be mounted on wooden blocks...I am looking for more heads and faces these days...

I have to be honest though, I hate mounting stamps on wood....but you gotta do what you've got to do...

Been playing around a lot with watercolors.....very relaxing....

Punched a whole lot of holes in a whole lot of postcards and hung them on a ring....got this idea from my pal Leslie. My second ring of mail hanging in my studio.Much nicer than storing them in a box where no one can see them. This way you can just flip through the cards for a hit of inspiration.

My old books, all ready to be torn and sorted and played with. I ran out of room on the bookshelves so these guys have to be stacked up on the floor. I love to see them sitting there just waiting for a project.

Some vintage postcards....ready for another project that's coming up....can't tell you yet.

First thing tomorrow I'll write.....she tells him....

and

(he says) One thing will lead to another.

Ain't it the truth? Every time I hang out in my studio, one thing does lead to another. I get ideas and inspiration all the time.
And today, in SF, we had lovely and wonderful rain which is making it a perfect day to stay inside and play with paints and stamps and paper.
We are in the middle of water rationing and a very serious drought so the rain today is most welcome.
And seriously delightful.

I am settling in for a lovely, rainy afternoon of making things and reading books and having some tea and cookies.
Why don't you come over and join me?

Can't Seem to Stop

I'm still in Lunar New Year/Joss paper mode and I can't seem to stop.

On Friday I took two of my mail art pals around Chinatown for a personal tour of my favorite joss shops.
One of my favorite spots is closing and I was sure to pick up some of the vintage papers they had sitting around....last call.....like these old and charming tiny red envelopes...
and a whole pack for .70 cents?
I don't even have to feel guilty.

I do have a rule though...if I buy stuff I've got to use it....

I added a few finishing touches to my little zine....I definitely think the face on the cover is a nice addition...

Worked on making more cards using my photos....

OUTGOING
Lots of mail going out. And not much coming in.
Ahem.

OUTGOING
Some collaged postcards...

I am getting lots of use out of my postage template from the USPS...

Yup -- this envelope makes the cut -- passes the minimum size test.

OUTGOING
I had twelve outgoing today and another thirteen went out on Friday....

I picked up this vintage Chinese ruler on Friday too....so cool. It is printed on cardboard.

The Studio Worktable
As soon as I clear a spot to work, it gets filled again...oh well....long as I am making things I guess it's all good.

I mean, really....how can I resist?

I break for cappuccino -- of course!

Next time I will post about something other than joss paper and lucky envelopes but I have a feeling I'll be playing with these papers for a while.



Oh -- and the name that got pulled out of the hat? That would be (drumroll)
cjsrq
Please leave me a comment with your address on that previous post (I won't publish it) and I will send you your copy of the zine.
Thanks and Happy NewYear to the rest of you too.
Some of you I already trade mail with and you'll be getting a copy too.

Now....what shall I work on next, I wonder?
Any ideas for me?
All you folks on the east coast (of the USA) stay warm. Looks like an awful lot of that white stuff you've got back there. 

SEND GOOD MAIL -- GET GOOD MAIL

What's On the WorkTable (and Other Stories)

Things are busy this time of year, aren't they?
I like to be working on art projects more than doing holiday stuff. But sometimes you can combine the two.

There's always outgoing mail on the table.....

Why send it plain if you can send it fancy?

Zine-making
I had fun making a zine for my pals who went on the Portland-Seattle Art Trip in October with me.
It seemed like a long time ago since I had that other big trip right on it's heels.
But I promised to make a zine -- and I always keep my promises.

I used 11x17 paper for this zine and it was 99 cents to copy it at the  copy store. Not bad and the larger size was more fun to work with....
I copied tourists brochures from the places we went and attached real wallet sized photos to the pages. A Seattle pressed penny went in there too.

Kind of a good Xmas idea for some friends I think....Did you do something fun with your friends this year? A party? Weekend getaway? Outing for lunch and flea market? You could make a zine to commemorate the fun.

It was fun tucking things into the zine like extra photos and business cards and it is a nice reminder of the fun we had.

OUTGOING
Don't you just want to laugh when you see those cats? I sent them to two cat-lovers I know.
Hope they got as much of a kick out of those faces as I did.

Interesting note - one cat lover in Virginia got her Grumpy cat envelope right away but the other,
which went to Connie Rose took almost four weeks to arrive in Fortuna, CA.
As Connie suggested on her blog post, maybe the cat walked there...
Don't you wonder where that envelope was for so long?
I sure do.
But at least she got it -- I am having some bad postal karma lately. Nesting dolls bought in Russia and sent to a friend are "Delivered" accordIng to the USPS tracking but she never got them.
Another friend in Budapest hasn't gotten the mail I sent her weeks ago and I am still waiting for Virgo's postcard collage from Russia.

OUTGOING
This postal pencil case went out to Monika Csete in Budapest and happily that is one thing that got delivered. Read her blog post about our meeting at the Stamp Museum in Budapest.
(more about that visit soon)

OUTGOING

OUTGOING to Vizma in Australia.

OK, here is yet another piece of mail that has gone missing. Vizma in Australia still hasn't received this envelope -- which was mailed before Thanksgiving. Four weeks ago!
I think maybe I should call this post
WHEN GOOD MAIL GOES BAD

Another holiday-ish project. Working on some cards using photos I took on my recent trip. A present for someone who doesn't read my blog (gasp!) so the secret is safe.

Ok, I am kind of a scrooge but I actually do enjoy wrapping presents.  Good thing too because Christmas is getting awfully close. Maybe too late for starting any holiday projects this year.
But there's always next year, right?

Remember, if you are really running late, you can do as the French do and send New Year's Greetings. There is still time for that.

Merry Christmas to All (who celebrate) and to all a Good Night!