It's a lovely day in my neighborhood!

#73

#74

#75

 Some Mail Art collages - #73 uses very specific shapes, #74 uses left-over shapes (and I do like this one a lot) and #75 is an altered vintage postcard that my friend Andrea sent to me. It's sort of Colossus of Rhodes, right?

It's such beautiful weather today that I've taken my lap top outside; where, I can enjoy the garden, and the lovely, low humidity and light breeze.

Meanwhile, inside, a chard pie was baking! Here it is. I did it without the pie crust that the recipe called for. I think it'll be good!

 Here's my lovely little garden. All hosta and ferns and other shade loving plants. The couple bird feeders are back in business attracting birds. Yay.

On Monday, I got together with my friend to finish up day 21 of #CreativeSprint. The prompt was to call someone you hadn't spoken to in awhile, and have them give you a prompt. My friend suggested that I make a map of a place we could walk to easily, so I did. We walked the map together, first to a nearby "shelf" to leave some things, then to a coffee shop to leave books.

The book is registered on Bookcrossing. I hope that whoever found it will make a journal entry.

Whatever is on the shelf is anonymous, so we'll never know who took our stuff. And someone left a miniature china cup and saucer, and I took it for our grand-girl. She loved it.

So there you go, a lovely day in the neighborhood. I hope your day has gone, is going, or will go well.

Catching up on Mail Art, again.

#68

#69

 This is an odd assortment of Mail Art, not in any series, though done on either the same day or successive days.

This one was only three bits but it needed more so I added the black square. It works.




 #70 is a collaboration done for #CreativeSprint. I was on the train headed north to Washington, DC, for the day when my friend Shelia got in touch with me about doing the collaboration for that day.

#70

We came up with a plan. I sent her some photos from my trip to give her something to work from, she photo shopped an image together, and I added collage to it, and voila, she suggested it'd be a good Mail Art piece.  It was fun to do this, as we had no idea what we'd end up with. 

#71

#72

I found that I had some Kandinsky stickers, and managed to keep one before our Grand girl used them all on her collage.
I had an idea for using it on some Mail Art and like the way it turned out.

 Here are some stamps that I bought at the Post Office in the National Postal Museum. The blossoms were no longer blossoming, so we didn't get to see them in person.

I love this part of the National Postal Museum, people getting excited about being able to take home stamps. A mother and two children, in this instance. And C and I chose some, also.

Where did the days go? It's been ages since you saw me!

#63

#64

#65

#66

 Here are a series of pieces that I've done over the past few weeks.










I feel like I went back to some on my earlier pieces, simple, only three or so bits of collage material.

Of course, a circle was added to make them a series.






















This pieces was done as part of the #CreativeSprint that I'm participating in. We were to create a piece of Mail Art and send it out anonymously, which I did.

It's like the old days for me, when that's what I always did.

#67

This one was made from some paper scraps that were lying on my table. It reminds me of cut paper stuff by Matisse. Well, sort of like that.

I've been busy posting in other locations for #CreativeSprint and for posting the incoming Mail Art for the bicycle blog.
I'm getting some nice entries for that exhibit.

More Mail Art, and more about other stuff

#59

#60

#61

 This first piece of Mail Art was done for #CreativeSpring day 5,  I think. Take something boring and make it interesting.

My honey said "that'll be easy for you; you do it all the time with your postcards!"

#62

I happen to have acquired a number of these very boring postcards from a friend. They call for alterations, they scream for alterations. So here are two of my newest.

By the way, you can still join up to get daily prompts from CreativeSprint. You'll get them starting with whatever day you join. HERE.










I used part of M's #CreativeSprint in this #61 Mail Art piece and I'm sending it to her. Don't say anything, I want it to be a surprise.










This card is going to some friends that we haven't heard from or seen in a long time. We miss seeing them and the message on the reverse is "How are you?" "Where are you?"

Maybe I'll hear from them.

 So last week, we were taking a walk in the neighborhood and came upon another "shelf!"
This one is about two blocks east of the original shelf.
Original shelf can be read about on this blog if you use the search term "shelf" or "Elflog."

The second shelf appeared on a corner at the end of my block and I know the orgins of it, as opposed to Shelf One whose origins are unknown.

This shelf is mighty nice and has a note to let us know what we're supposed to do.

"Take what you want, Give what you can!"

We had nothing in our pockets. We could leave nothing. So you can be sure that I'll be back over there with something to add.

Hopefully, this shelf will continue, undisturbed.

Carry on, neighborhood, carry on - create shelves!

Mail Art Catch up and more

#56

#57

#58

A tulip!

I've been making my Mail Art, collages, alterations, etc. and having fun with them. I haven't been posting because I've been busy keeping up with my Bicycles mail art call. HERE.
And preparing for and presenting my Slow Art Day 2015 event. It's my 4th year as a volunteer, hosting at the Virginia Museum of Fine Art, which has nothing to do with the event at all. Just me and my friends and new friends, the participants. It's a lot fo fun and happened in over 200 locations this year. Woo hoo.

Something cool! SPRINT, a daily project!

I've something very special to share with all of you! It's something you can do for yourself that will be quite fun.
It's called Creative Sprint and you can learn more about it HERE.
For those of you who have thought about a 365 project and found it daunting, here's an un-daunting project for you. Try it, you've nothing to lose.
Oh, and disclaimer, it's my kids project!
Check it out.
Let me know if you're going to do it. I am!

Some art, and a reminder about Slow Art

 A collage on an old book cover. I'll be sending this out with the address on the same side as the collage? I left room for that and yet, I'm not sure about doing it that way. I guess I can add an address label on the reverse on the book cover image. What do you think? Address this side? or leave it alone?
Advice?

My friend Andrea, of Found Art fame, sent me some things including an old postcard from Russia.  She said that I could alter it, so I did.

 Here's a photo from last year's Slow Art Day event. Folks looking at a Jasper John's painting, slowly.

So if you can join me, register HERE so I'll know you're coming.
If you don't live near me, find a venue near where YOU live. Check out the venues HERE.

Come along, bring friends, family, whomever, all ages welcome.

No experience needed, just a time to look at art slowly and enjoy.