Still Working?

I'm still working on the Altered Rolodex Card a Day project.....whew....not easy to think up something every day but so far so good...
wanna see a few?

March 2017 -- finished!

I try to use whatever is sitting around on my work table.....that's my excuse for how messy it is....but it works for me.

February 2017
Here are a few from February....

February 2017

March 2017

I saved my favorite (so far) for the end -- just look at those tiny little envelopes!
So cute.
My pal (you know it) Monica let me use her die cut machine to make them and I knew they would be perfect to stick on a rolodex card.
Don't you agree?
So, now on to April........

A Rolodex Card a Day Project
I think I will need at least two Rolodex files to hold them since they are quite bulky after I get finished with them.
Anybody out there making rolo cards too?

Still sending out a lot of mail too.....
SEND GOOD MAIL -- GET GOOD MAIL

Glue Book

I've really been busy.
Getting out a lot of mail but still not caught up.
Making all kinds of things -- altered Rolo cards, Rolo Card a Day, greeting cards & postcard collages...and working on my Glue Book.
My friend Patti made that fabulous cover and inside the beautiful covers is a Moleskin.

A Glue Book is just a new fancy pants word for an old fashioned scrapbook.
But it does sound cooler.
You just get a book and glue stuff you really like inside.

I happen to really like stamps.

It is fun to sort stamps and I figured why not glue those little suckers into something, so I can look at them when I want?
I sort by color -- by subject -- by country.

I add some washi tape and rubber stamps and air mail stickers, all in a postal them, of course.....
the whole process is very calming.

Do you see a theme here?

Here I've curated a little art show....

A Flower Show for Spring!

This page was inspired by a fabulous workshop given by my pal Monica Lee at ScrapSF called
Postage Stamp Art.
Al I can say is, if you are in the Bay Area, sign up for ScrapSF's emails and check out the classes there and if you see this one by Monica 
JUST GO.
(I digress) Anyway, I did go and spent three very happy hours playing with postage stamps and making things and getting LOTS of ideas, this being one.

I've got a lot more pages done and a lot more ideas but I thought it was time for me to just say hello.
Plus, I know people haven't received all the mail I've sent out and I hate to ruin the surprises in their mailboxes so I have to wait to post some more photos.
Hey--it's my birthday weekend and you know what that means -- cake! And fun and fooling around.
And I am planning a mail art trip to Portland, after which there will be a full report.
LOTS going on.
And you? What is going on with all of you out there? Are you there???
Say hello!

SEND GOOD MAIL -- GET GOOD MAIL

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....

SEE YOU IN THE MAIL!!!!

The Old Fire Fighter Has Left the Building

Pasadena Rose Parade

My wonderful, 102 year old father in law, JB, passed away.
He is on the right in the vintage fire truck and he had a blast riding in that thing in the Rose Parade two years ago.
He also absolutely LOVED all the wonderful birthday mail art many of you sent him for his 101st birthday.
And a very special and heartfelt thank you to JU who has been sending him mail for the past three years. He loved it.
Mail Art is a wonderful thing. You gave him a lot of happiness toward the very end of a long life.
Thank you.
I am going to miss those boxes of avocados he used to ship me from his tree. They weren't mail art but it was darn good mail.

Why Send It Plain If You Can Send It Fancy?

I really can't seem to leave well enough alone....I've got to play......
I am loving these colors lately..

I had to mail someone some rolo cards for a swap so I had to make a little folder to send them in...just sticking the rolo cards in an envelope wouldn't be much fun, would it?

A bit of outgoing mail

Stationery from Diaso needs some extra treatment to make it more interesting.

Making some collage cards

Someone brought a bunch of old family photos to our mail art group's swap table last week. I've been having fun putting them in collages.
I wish I had a huge box of of old snapshots to play with.

Rainy Day Play
We've had a lot of rain here in SF lately and I love mono printing on a rainy day.....

I'll print on anything I can get my hands on...tags and gessoed over postcards and...

rolodex cards...I printed a bunch of Rolo cards to have ready to collage on...

Altered Rolodex Card a Day Project
I'm still at it...

Altered Rolo Cards

Today's Altered Rolodex Card
HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY Sweeties!!!!!

(back of the card)

Dorothea Lange Photo
Just look at the size of that post box! I love it -- and the two kids on top are icing on the cake.

Hope you are all out there tearing and glueing and pasting and making and having a good mail day.

SEND GOOD MAIL
GET GOOD MAIL