Seeing Red!

RED
It seems to be that time of year -- no, not Christmas -- think Red Hearts and lots of chocolate,
maybe some champagne or a bottle of wine by the fireplace....
you know...

RED
I am in a Valentine swap with members of the San Francisco
Correspondence Co-op.
(if you're in the swap -- don't look at the rest of this post or you won't be surprised!).
I was having a little trouble getting inspired but once I set out the
sheets of red and paper paper and the vintage heart doilies and those
cool old vintage hearts I started getting in the mood....

Vintage photos
A pal gave me a box of old photos that were inspiring too.....

RED

RED/PINK
I got busy and cut the paper into postcard size pieces....using my vintage, deckle
edge paper cutter...

RED
Check out those edges!

Et Viola!
The finished edition of 2012 Valentine postcards...fun to make and (I hope) fun to receive..

Vintage Valentine Cards
I think these old cards with a kid typing and a postman are quite charming.

PINK
Looking out my back windows I see -- PINK! Even nature is in on this.

Yes, someone has been playing with her apps....

Now if you haven't already made some Valentines, better get busy.
Valentine's day is coming right up, February 14.
If you don't want to make an edition, make just one for someone very
special to you --  your mom, grandma, best friend -- make someone happy!
You won't be sorry.


And take at look at Red Letter Day (on the left). Jennie H is very inspiring for Valentine's Day too...


Have a sweet one!

What Came First? The letter or the envelope?

Handmade Envelopes
I've been on an envelope-making binge lately.
It's so much fun to cut and fold and paste.

Many times I design an envelope around whatever it is I am mailing.
But sometimes it feels good to have a big stack of
cool envelopes ready to go.

OUTGOING MAIL
Handmade envelopes heading out into the big bad postal system.

Handmade Envelope (with vintage stationery)
I like to try to match the stamps to envelope if I can...
silverware stamps on this food envelope and bird stamps on the bird envelopes.....

Handmade Envelope
This one is sitting on my mail-scale. A necessity for a mail artist in  my opinion.
I weigh 'em all and so far none of my envelopes have been returned "postage due" (knock on wood).
This scale started off as a food scale but I find it much more useful to weigh my envelopes.

OUTGOING
More handmade envelopes

OUTGOING
The postal workers at my favorite PO are so incredibly nice -- they let me
photograph my outgoing right at the counter after they stick
all the various labels, stamps and customs stickers on.
I'm sure the people in the line aren't as thrilled as I am. I make it very quick!

OUTGOING
This is a surprise for someone!

Lunch!
A country drive on an incredibly beautiful day here in the Bay Area. Yesterday I went to
Point Reyes Station.
Oyster Po Boy for me and chili for my pal.
We will most likely pay for having this mild winter weather and no rain
so we may as well enjoy it.

INCOMING
The fabulous mail from Alice S just keeps on coming. She is too much.
I need ideas on what to send to her.
Anybody?

INCOMING
Another extremely cool idea from Carolee GW .  

Post Boxes

Make someone happy today -- make some envelopes.
Send some mail art!

Next Saturday (February 11) is the Snail Mail Social at ARCH
from 1-4 PM.
See any of you there?

Mail Art Highlights This Week

Thursday Night
January meeting of the Correspondence Co-Op.
Kelly P -- see anything familiar on the table?
And, for those of you who have asked, yes there are guys in the group too.
They seem to be a little camera shy but three were there on Thursday night.

Thursday Co-Op Meeting
There is always lots to share and then there is show-and-tell
and food....and a little wine..
not a bad way to spend an evening.
In fact, many of us look forward to this  every month.

Thursday Night
Miss JH--Red Letter Day and the fabulous Alice S sharing a moment.

FRIDAY -- the Tables of Content show opened at the Berkeley Museum
with a noon talk by Robert Warner.
A bunch of the Co-op members trooped over to hear the lecture
and look at all those tables of content...

FRIDAY
The thirteen boxes Ray Johnson gave to Bob Warner filled with all kinds of  things...

Some think Ray Johnson was the father of mail art
Ray Johnson

...including loads of envelopes he worked on and saved...
and mail Johnson received...

Bob Warner (left) with a table of contents of boxes...can you see all those envelopes?
And there is JH herself on the far right....I understand she will be writing a blog post on this event so check her blog Red Letter Day in the next week or so to see it.

FRIDAY
Warner with audience and some of the contents of the boxes on the tables.
Very interesting talk - I was told a video of Werner's talk will be posted on the museum website so you can see it for yourselves....
Berkeley Museum

SATURDAY
(that would be today)
WHO would ever think of deconstruct an airplane and MAIL THE PIECES?????

SATURDAY
Claire Healey & Sean Cordeiro: Par Avion (American debut)
This was really amazing -- I have never seen anyone mail pieces of plane before.
And from Australia to San Francisco. They mailed them directly to the gallery.
Frey Norris Gallery

They are selling the whole set of mail art plane pieces if any of you want to buy them!
I'd sure like one but you have to buy the entire set.

SATURDAY
I read a review of the show in the newspaper this morning and also read it closed today.
I raced right downtown because this I had to see. What a shame I didn't know about this earlier and pass the word to my mail art pals in SF.
At least you get to see the photos!

WHEW!!!
I need to sit down with a cappuccino and relax after seeing all this mail art this week.
I have Incoming and Outgoing Mail photos to post but I think I will save those for the next time.
If you live in the Bay Area, check out the Berkeley Museum show.

Send some Mail Art this week.

Dragon Mail

OUTGOING MAIL
I had fun sending this out to Kelly P. and it was a huge hit at the post office from
where I sent it out. The woman working at the counter loved the pouch and wondered where
she could get one. She told me with the postage sticker she put on it, it didn't have to be cancelled so it would go through better than using stamps. Here it is on the
PO counter in San Francisco waiting to wing it to Chicago!

OUTGOING MAIL
A typewriter inspired envelope went out for the MILK Gallery's  mail art call.
Hope someone there likes it.

OUTGOING MAIL
Some birds on this handmade envelope to Shelita W.

This wall inspired these cards...........

OUTGOING MAIL
Some Lunar  New Year mail going out....and today's the big day...
Gung Hay Fat Choy!

Yes-- darling -- what WOULD the post master say?
What will those crazy mail artists think up next?

INCOMING MAIL
OoooOOoolala last week was a good one! Wonderful letters and postcards and a fabulous painted
Altoids box/collaged card from Karen (who does some amazing things with paint and imagination)
and a funny box with a great surprise inside from the Kelly P (once again).
Thank you everyone.

INCOMING
The painted Altoids box with cool clips stashed inside.

INCOMING MAIL
And finally -- after two long weeks traveling -- the handmade envelope from Annejo in the Netherlands with the
Post Crossing stamps! So cool.

OUTGOING MAIL
I sent out three things this afternoon -- a surprise for GinaVisione and two Lunar New Year
envelopes. Marjorie has been VERY patient waiting for me to respond....hope she isn't disappointed.

DRAGON COOKIES -- outgoing!
Dropped this box of Ginger Cookies off to the people who work the counter at my favorite
post office (shout-out for the Diamond Heights PO here in San Francisco!)
They are so friendly and nice and deserve a treat, don't you think?

Wishing you all a happy Year of the Dragon  and hope your mailboxes are filled all year long!

Re-Visiting My Mailbox

Incoming Mail
Since today is another no-mail Monday, I thought I would
revisit the mail I was lucky enough to receive this week.
Check out this great mail -- and that handmade envelope from the fabulous ----

Ms. Kelly P!!!
I am so very happy to be on her mailing list.

INCOMING
And another fearless and wonderful mailer -- Ms. Alice S. --She sent a beautiful calendar and book by a woman artist from Japan - Makiko Azakami - who  makes amazing art out of paper.
And I just happend to be at a party at Alice's last Friday night introducing the
artist.
Domo arigato.
Here's Makiko's website -- Paper Toy

INCOMING
Yes, there is even more...from Red Letter Day, Miss JH herself as well as Sally W, CJ and Shelita.
Do you think I need to get busy and send some mail out?

LUNCH
Yes--I do--but first some lunch. Ramen in Japan Center always works.

OUTGOING
Getting busy -- a looooooong letter to Kelly P.

OUTGOING
.....Stuffed into this envelope ....

OUTGOING
They aren't going anywhere quite yet but I worked on a bunch of collaged
postcards over the weekend.
These are pretty time-consuming with having to wait inbetween layers for the paint and ink to dry.

OUTGOING
More collaged cards -- by now everyone knows how much I love all the papers from Chinatown. My dry-cleaner gifted me with a Chinese Calendar and I am loving ripping it up and using all the pages.

Do you even have to ask?????
Of course I do! And I bet all of you do too if you are reading this blog.

Cappuccino and Art has a Facebook page.
If you're there on FB, check out the
52 Weeks of Mail
page too. There are a lot of letter writers, mail artists and postally inclined people like us
out there.

Some of you are waiting patiently (I hope) to hear back from me.
I seem to answer various people as the spirit moves me so I appreciate your patience.

Keep the Post Office busy!