This just in.....

Stranger things have happened
(I guess)
but this bowl from Superhero arrived on my front steps
without a single chip or scratch.

Click here to check out Superhero's project -

I'm a Superhero on IUOMA

A colorful envelope from Dos Fishes and that bowl again (I can't get over it). Sometimes the USPS outdoes itself -- and other times? Not so much.
I haven't received a letter mailed to me from Boston ten days ago and the envelope Mim sent me with French stamps inside never was delivered either. What gives?


(Right after I posted this, Mim emailed and said she wrote the wrong address on her envelope to me and she is re-sending. That clears up the mystery of one of the missing letters anyway.)

Typewriters all over town these days

A few going out from me....

Another typewriter spotted

Outgoing today - Fast Eyes is getting some fast eyes.......

A stop for some Vietnamese pho

Are these mailboxes colorful or just sad?
You decide.

Welcome and thanks to the new "Followers" and all of you have have been leaving comments and encouragement. Much appreciated.

Make some good mail today.

Quick Look

When mail artists get sick
it is a good chance to put pen to paper
and fold envelopes
and play catch-up.

Some outgoing on Monday
after a (boring) stay-at-home weekend.

I am usually out running around all weekend long but not this past one.

But all wasn't lost, I have been catching up on my overdue correspondence .

All of this went out today.

And who knew the Easter Bunny uses the US Postal Service?

These Easter candies arrived in my mailbox just in time and amazingly
not broken or squished.
Thanks Alice.

A look at what I have been up to this past week at Cough-and-Cold-Central!
Hopefully no germs will be going through the mail,
just mailart.

Ta Da!

The names are in the hat. Okay, it's not a hat but close enough.
Good luck everybody!

And the winner is ---- Aurora.
Congratulations.
I will get a set of envelopes in the mail to you by Monday (at the latest).

But everyone else, remember, if you send me mail you will get mail from me.
There's more than one way to get an envelope.
And, I have a couple more give-aways planned so stayed tuned.
Or logged in.

Now, out and about in San Francisco again. I really want some some of these
"Bonjour" labels -- if anyone is in France or Canada and wants to trade Bonjour labels for envelopes let me know.

Same goes for these -- I am not sure what language they are but they are cool.

What does this say?

Japan Center
Prayers for peace and good wishes to Japan.

Where else but Berkeley would you see this?
A bicycle built for two with a blind man is the backseat. Pretty cool, don't you think?

Thanks to all who entered the contest and liked the envelopes.
Hope everybody has a good mail day today.

Remember--you've got to send good mail to get good mail.

Envelope Give-Away!

I really enjoy making envelopes.
Nothing is sacred. These are from an Edible San Francisco magazine.
I read it first, of course.

These guys are from the free cooking magazine they give away at the Japanese Supermarket.

And, of course, the ever popular take-out menu envelopes.

Yes, I have been working on catching up with some of my outgoing.
These going out to Annejo in The Netherlands, Isabelle in France and to Garci.

Some lovely incoming on Monday.....

Biggest surprise of all on Saturday - a gorgeous hand sewn portfolio from Cecelia.

Here it is opened up - isn't this beautiful? 

Here's the Give-Away idea -- since I love making envelopes, I have quite a stockpile of them so  I thought I would give away a set of ten different envelopes.


Just leave me a comment and on Thursday (the 21st) I will randomly pull a name out of a hat to see who will get them.
I have menu envelopes, comic envelopes, typewriter envelopes...I'll pull one from each set.


Ready, set -- get busy and write a letter --
but don't forget to leave me a comment first if you want a shot at some of these envelopes.


Happy Mail Day.

The Pile-Up

The letters are really piling up -- just sayin'.
Not that I want anyone to stop sending me mail.

Saturday I made a fun trip to Chinatown for joss paper and lunch. I think I may have enough joss paper to last me all year.  I do share -- I have sent a lot of bits and pieces of it out into the world.

Mailart 365
88/365, 89/365, 90/365, 91/365
Outgoing collages with joss paper.
If you are interested in the 365 group, check out all the work on
mailart365.blogspot.com

Incoming mail on my desk -- from Sally in London, Alice in SF, from Germany, Tallie in Washington state, Millicent.....the list goes on...

Oh boy.
I am starting to get a little worried about catching up on my outgoing.
The lovely piece on the top is from Katerina Nikoltsou in Greece. She's in the Mailart 365 group.

From Smoke & Mirrors Studio
The Radio Post arrived yesterday.
Really good reading and images.
You can get a free copy of #1 and #2 by writing:
The Radio Post, Smoke & Mirrors Studio, Valdemarsgade 36 - st, 1665 Copenhagen V
Denmark
Send them some good mailart and include your name and address.
And, I kind of wonder why this comes from Denmark but my envelope had an Irish stamp on it.

My (handmade) weekly planner -- I think I'd better start scheduling letter writing sessions.

This arrived today from Australia from someone brand new to writing me.
Rose found me on Carolee's Good Mail Day blog
and sent a great zine-type piece about her week. 

Donovan -- the chocolate has left the building.
Sea salt, almonds and dark chocolate.
That is just too good.

$50 more broke than I was an hour ago. Just went up to my local Post Office and loaded up on the  new 29 cent stamps for postcards (in effect on Sunday) and the cool new "Green" stamps.
And, guess what?
The designer of the Green stamps, Eli Noyes, lives right here in San Francisco and right in my neighborhood and I get to photograph him for the newspaper I work for.
Do you think the USPO gave him any free sets of the stamps he designed?
I think not.
I will post a link to the interview when it comes out.

Saw this today and hope they aren't talking to me. Maybe I better get caught up on all my  letter writing and mailart by May 21 -- just in case.

My next post will be about a Give-Away so stay tuned you all.

Happy Mail.
I think I'd better go and write a couple of letters.
Bye kids.

Post It

Some more incoming -- Tallie sent photos of the mailart show she curated at Mindport -- very fun to see.  Some collage postcards and old French ones from Christine H.
Just a lot of great stuff.
Thanks everybody.

Here are some French stamps a pal brought me back from Paris. The French have such great stamps--food, holidays,animals., trains, towns and cities........

But this one cracks me up -- a stamp honoring the washing machine?
Now that's funny.

Catching up with a cappuccino and a very interesting book at the Caffe Puccini.
The Englishman Who Posted Himself
by
John Tingey

Short post today -- been busy. So busy I forgot to take pictures of the mailart I sent out.
Oh well.
Have a good weekend, everybody.
Write a letter
or go post yourself!

Another Week

Saturday Incoming - the USPS is talking about stopping Saturday delivery of mail and I am not amused. I got all this wonderful mail on Saturday and enjoyed it all weekend. Wouldn't have wanted to wait two more days for my mail.
Great handmade stamp envelope from my pal in The Netherlands, fabulous dark chocolate with sea salt from Donovan, collage card from Mim (made in Istanbul and mailed from France) plus three more wonderful collage cards.

I am inspired by La Belle France (as many of you already know) and often look through my French ephemera for ideas.
I like red too.

Mailart supplies

Paper is good - I like the real thing - no Kindles or online newspapers for me.
I love dictionaries, especially in other languages.

A little outgoing from me -- cheesecake envelope for KW, a cheesecake lover and a hint of spring for SW, plus a couple of postcards.
Love those new JAZZ stamps. But the Latin Legends? Not so much.

Spring has hit San Francisco. Flowers and sandals and sitting outside at sidewalk cafes .
Hope spring is heading your way too.

Happy Spring.
Happy Mailart.
Go write a letter,
Make an envelope.
Have some fun.