Swan Boats & Lobsters & Postcards...Oh My!

I'm back home and I'm not that happy about it.
We sure packed a lot of fun into ten days. So much fun that the ephemera just mostly got stashed in the pages of my travel journal loosely....

But -- that's ok because I have already finished a lot of the glueing and pasting since getting home on Tuesday night. It is fun re-living my trip.

But, looking at everything is making me wish I could turn around and fly back...

Boston was really fun, even though it rained on me. Last time it snowed so rain is better...

I scored some vintage ephemera to stash inside my journal too. What would she think of all this?
I wonder.

I think Boston has some of the best postcards I've seen...I love the airmail envelope theme they've got going on...I wish all cities had such cool postcards.

In case you're wondering, the big newsstand in Harvard Square (Cambridge) had them all.

The Boston Tea Party?

Bring on the Tea Party stamps!

The rain stopped and we had a wonderful walk around the Boston Garden. I always say hello to George Washington when I am in town.
My husband refused to go on a swan boat ride with me though....

We spent the rainy day at the Gardner Museum -- a favorite. 

I recommend a visit if you visit Boston....it is near the Museum of Art so you can hit both of them on the same day. Especially if it's raining. Or, snowing. I've been there for both...

These are not San Francisco restaurants.
If you visit, I like Legal Seafoods and Atlantic Fish.

Lobster!!!!!!!
Enough said.

I wanted to cram everything in one post but it would be too long so stay tuned for for Richmond/Petersburg party of the trip next.
And, my travel journal is really rolling along so if you want to see that, raise a hand! Or, a lobster claw.

Real life. 
I prefer vacation.

What has everyone been doing while I've been gone?
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I'm Going Dotty

Hello everyone!
OK, someone on Instagram started doing this and then I started doing this.
Monkey See, monkey do.
But it really is cheap entertainment.

And FUN!!!!

So here's what you do......get out some Staz-On ink pads and some markers...

Go to the Dollar Tree if you live in the USA and get a whole bunch of little packets of DOTS.
Or, have your lovely and generous friend and a new mama to Cora, Jessica send you a bunch of them.....(thanks Jessica!)

Get out some rubber stamps.....
I know you're going to ask.....so these are from Casey's in NYC and yes they do mail order. And they only charge $4 to ship and no, Casey's isn't giving me anything but I wish they would...

I even like the out-takes.
The only tricky part (at least for me) was getting the paper surrounding the DOTS off the sheets. I found if I took one dot off I could easily peel off the sheets and then put the dot back on...if that makes sense...

So, besides making about a million DOTS I am packing my mail art  and collage kit up and taking it on the road.
I love that.

I've already put one page in the travel journal and yes, I most certainly do need a vacation.
And I need lobster.
Boston here I come. Just please please don't snow.

I am gathering up ephemera and sticking it inside my travel moleskin.....collaging will be happening...

I wonder if I will see Denise?

Moleskin and address book -- check! Maybe I should bring some DOTS.

A MYSTERY
I put this on Instagram and I've got a whole bunch of cool people trying to figure this out....and so far, no one has..
I found a secret message under a stamp on a very old postcard (not dated). I think the postmark is Vienna.
Was it a secret message during the war? Or a message between lovers?

This is very old German script and no longer used -- and it is TINY. It was under a stamp after all.
The IG crowd hasn't solved it -- how about you????
Can anybody read this?
Because I sure would like to know....

And, another mystery, does anyone know what happened to LIMNER? Her blog
Oh! Write Me has been taken down and she just disappeared. I am worried.

OK, so get going on those dots. And help me out with the mysteries. And have a GOOD MAIL DAY! And leave me a comment, please -- I miss you.
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Poisson d'Avril

SF Correspondence Co-Op meeting on Sunday -- we had poissons -- I mean, fish!

The SF Public Library (Special Collections) has acquired 770 vintage Poisson d'Avril postcards -- that's April Fool's to you and me.
We got to view them at our mail art meeting and then we made some of our own.
Read about Poisson d'Avril here
My son went to a French immersion school and on April 1 the kids tried to pin paper fishes on each others backs (without getting caught). 

If you are local, and want to see some of these funny cards, the SFPL is putting on a show  -- and newsflash -- you may see some collaged fish cards by the SF Correspondents Co-op too.

You know how I am.....I went rogue and, well.....here is some of my cards..

When 1948 yearbook meets fish this is what can happen....

Don't you just love table tops that look like this?

I know I do!

My little workspace at the library...

Besides Fish, we had some chickens at the meeting -- Maureen brought some of her collection of vintage French stamps. If you look closely you can see they are chickens -- and were used to teach little French kids how to count.

More vintage French stamps -- and another chicken.

Something about those fish showing with French people all dressed up a hundred years ago or seeing them with college students from the 40's just cracks me up.
April Fool's is coming right up so watch out for fishes on your backs.
Want to get more inspired?
Listen to my favorite Bay Area Band - Rupa & the April Fishes

So, Happy April 1 and Happy easter and Happy Poisson d'Avril and happy birthday to KSP and Missy Millie and ME -- all Aries celebrating too.

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Put a Ring on It!

What to do when you have so much good mail you don't know what to do with it?
Put a ring on it!

I love those Reader's Digest book covers -- perfect size for adding greeting cards and envelopes between the covers....

See?
A card goes right inside too...

My mail art pal Dori Singh sends me the best mail and I like to look at it -- so putting it in a book like this makes it easy to pick up and flip through and enjoy.

I just love how FAT this book is!

This works well with postcards too -- and oddly shaped envelopes. I've got  GOOD MAIL all over the place.

Now, I think I deserve a break -- a nice walk in the sunshine in Chinatown.

And, I definitely deserve a bowl of wonton noodle soup. Working on art projects makes you hungry.
Short, but sweet post from me to you.

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