More Mid-week Mail Art +

#36

#187

 In this image you can see how my moving car photo captures the moving lights of other cars, but I have no idea what made that line in the sky! I had such fun with this series. Now I'm having added fun because of adding the inlaid circles.

#186

Here you can see more that this is the turnpike in that the road sign in the middle distance is clearer.











My favorite thing is when the lights create a lot of movement. The lights in the distance are a natural gas refinery, I think. This has turned out to be a fun series. Not serious, like the vintage paper series. What do you think? More playful, right?

 Here's the small Dalek confronting an unknown object.

This is a very cool chart from the Letter Writers Alliance, explaining the change in USPS rates.

Wednesday, already?

#184

#34

 These are the last of the vintage paper and map cards, for now. I followed my own rule and started to make a new series on Monday.










I used quotes from the Dalai Lama XIV and was happy with the reception when I posted them on Facebook.

The quotes have nothing to do with the images, totally unconnected except in the way that we make connections, ourselves, in any randomness. Know what I mean?



New stamps! I'm so happy that my new international forever stamps arrived in the mail, followed a day or so later, by the new postcard stamps - apples, illustrated by one of my favorite illustrators: John Burgoyne.

I don't mind the price hike. Still inexpensive for the service provided, getting my mail art out into the world.

185

When Monday arrived I had NO idea what to do for my next series. I pulled out a portfolio from under my work table and found a bunch of prints of my moving car photos - taken along the New Jersey turnpike several years ago.

#35

Okay, what can I do with these? I remembered how much I like the mail art card I received that had inlaid circles in it. I'd try that. I punched out circles in different sizes from the print. I then punched out circles of different colors and set them into the print. Very cool, inlaid circles. I like it. To get the full effect, one needs to see these in person. On the screen, hard to tell what's going on.

Here's the big salad that I made for dinner a few days ago. This is one of our favorite things to eat. 

More on Saturday, Mail Art plus

#181

 The quotes on the reverse of these cards are from the Dalai Lama XIV.

They have been very satisfying for me and seem to "resonate" with people.

The Lama surely knows what he's talking about!

#183

#182

#32

#33

For instance, the quote on this one:
"If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion." 









And this one: "Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible."













The source of material for these cards is an old Paris guide book, VERY old, and old receipts for goods, that are also VERY old. I add the rubber stamp image, reproduction post marks.








With this one, I got daring, I broke the grid and angled the paper. It give the composition more action.

 This is a treat from my friend Dean, in Paris. I joined his banana group. I'm not sure what I'll do in the group but it's got to be banana related. Dean made this digital collage for me. How perfect that he lives somewhere that there are Mim stores.

This past week, I got a wonderful surprise. Mary E, a mail art buddy, sent me this gorgeous tiny tea cup, and an extra tiny saucer. It's just so gold and blue. I love it. Thanks, Mary!

Saturday - Mail Art and more

#29

#30

#31

 My 365.3 series started the 1st of 2013. This week's series was made using very old paper, VERY old paper. I'm anxious to see if they'll survive their journey.







I've sent out a couple of them, but I'm waiting for the new postage stamps. I've used up all of the old denominations, adding 1cent stamps, but now I've no postcard stamps or any to make up the new amount. 33 U.S. cents. My branch post office had no new stamps. grrrr.








I'm hoping that the stamps I ordered via the internet will arrive today. I'm eager to send these on their way. Also, I've ordered a set of vintage post marks. I'm happy about that, since I've enjoyed using the ones I already have. They add such an old time-y look to the cards. Right?

 On Friday morning, I did volunteering at a nearby elementary school. It was first Friday reading day. I picked this book to read, purchased it at the local children's book store, and it was a winner! The kids loved it. I donated it to the school library. Don't you love the expression on the dog's face? The kids did.

This is just a sweet little image - these birds are salt and pepper shakers and I mostly forget that's what they are, so they sit on the shelf above the sink, looking sweet, near the bunny, waiting to get shaken.

Jane's Post Office, and mail art update

#178

 So far this week, I'm making Mail Art using old paper - receipts from France dated 1902 and an old Paris map book dated from early in the last century I'm sure. Very fragile paper which I'm hoping will make it through the postal systems.

#179

 All of the quotes on the reverse of these are about travel.





SAVE A POST OFFICE- how about writing a note, or sending a postcard to help save a tiny post office. It's a simple thing to do and costs very little in time or money.  Read on -

#28

Jane owns the post office in her small town in Vermont, USA. It's at risk of being closed. You can help by sending mail there as the volume of mail handled counts for keeping a post office open.

You can send mail to: Jane Davies, PO Box 45, Rupert, VT, USA o5768
To see more about this, click HERE.
She'll send mail back to you.

#180

 I added the rubber stamp to each of these cards. They are facsimiles of old stamps, which I really like very much. I wish I had more of them.

 I've added this image because it's also a facsimile/replica of an old time-y apothecary set. Actually, it's kind of old time-y as we got some of it a long time ago, from a dear cousin, and some we purchased. So cool. We took it off the shelf to dust it, while our bathroom was being repainted. It's quite nice, and fits with the vintage of the Mail Art, don't you think?

A Mail Art project

An artist, who has taken my Mail Art workshop, has just completed a Mail Art project with a group at her church. They have decided to do a Mail Art call of their own. This is how I posted it on the Mail Art Projects site for them. If this interests you, please participate. They'll be delighted to receive your Mail Art, and the cause is a good one. Thanks for reading on:

 

 

 

 

 For 30 years, Second Presbyterian Church, Richmond, Virginia,
 has provided transportation for relatives to visit loved ones,
 who are incarcerated in prisons where no public transportation is available.
On the return trip, the church serves a meal to the families.
This service, our Prison Project, is provided at no cost
to the families.

All participants' Mail Art will be exhibited in a show
at the church in April.

 Viewers will be allowed to purchase the cards
with sales going to support our Prison Project.
We hope that you will help us to help these families stay
connected to one another.

Theme: Family Ties


Standard postcard size
Any medium
No Jury/No Fees/No Return
Family friendly content, please.

Send art work to :

Family Ties
Janice McMurray
1514 Westwood Ave.
Richmond, Virginia
23227

Deadline
March 31,2013

Include your e-mail address so that you can receive documentation that your work has been received.

More circles!

365.2 #177

365.3 #27

 This morning's Mail Art for my two 365 projects. I'm putting away the circles, unless tomorrow I can't think of NOT using them. They are so satisfying in so many ways.









I found a new way to toss the circles onto the background. I put one or two circles on top of a big one, and while holding it, flick my wrist up. Voila, the circles pop off and land. Fun! Does that make sense? Maybe I need to do a video, ha ha ha.






This is the way they looked before I glued the pieces down. It was hard to do the tiny circles. I used a blade to pick them up. Then the background would move. I needed to glue that first but didn't want to take the circles off and reposition them. yikes. I ended up using a bit of Washi tape to hold it in place. Lesson learned. Glue background down first then toss circles. As you can see, I didn't exactly get the circles back into their original drop position. Oh well.









We had a party yesterday. I rediscovered my old, vintage, "pump pots." They are thermos jugs that keep hots liquids hot for a looong time. One has coffee and one tea in it. Notice the floral design? My parents gave them to us - one year we went to Los Angeles and they gave us the first. We brought it home on the plane. My honey didn't like the pattern on it. The next year, we visited them again, and they gave us a 2nd one! Oh no, same pattern. We brought it home on the plane. They ended up getting a lot of use over the years but I usually tied a black napkin around them to hide the colorful pattern. Then I stored them away.  This time, I left the old pattern showing as it's SO vintage. Right? I love them. And they are so useful.
Today is our actual wedding anniversary. My honey and I have been married for 46 years! Amazing. We always tell people that we got married when we were 10. Do they believe that? For sure!