Saturday, November 02, 2013

And the end of the week....Mail Art catch up and pumpkin time.

 I think of this as a portrait of a pumpkin. This one was small and meant to be made into pie, but instead I baked it and mashed the "meat."





Then I made it into a Pumpkin bread using the recipe that came with the new baking pan that my honey bought for me.

I'd seen it in an old magazine and he found it for me on-line. I love it and the recipe is really good. You can find the recipe on my recipe blog - here.


 Isn't this pretty? And it tasted so good, too.









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This used another Victorian scrap and a BIG question, in Español.

I couldn't get to the scanner, but then who needs to these days, I have a phone! That's one of my fave autumn nail polish colors on my nail.

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A scrap from an old French phrase book, a few dots, and a Miro sticker.
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I had to alter an old postcard - I had the urge to resurrect the Highway Beautification Project - but in a new guise, major public historic site improvement. How did the committee do on this one?

Monday, October 28, 2013

The week begins....

 Keith S. Chambers sent me two cards from his soup series. So fun! And to think that I was planning to go as Andy Warhol to a costume party! Perfect.
 During the putting together of the damaged rooms, I came across the outfit that our daughter is wearing in this photo. Our grand will get to wear it this coming spring. Cute photo, outfit, and if I say so myself, child!
 Here's Bizoo asleep on my lap. I took this selfie, awkwardly. That's my ear on the left.
 And here's our Zinn eating pasta from her Papa's bowl at Stella's. She's wearing the sweater that I made using Greek cotton yarn. Perfect for eating at a Greek restaurant.
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 Another find during the move in was this circa 1990 postcard from Polidor restaurant in Paris. I added 2 postage stamps and the "big" girl.
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I made this card for a birthday of someone who works with flowers. The Victorian scrap paired with the Chagall painting and a few words that echo the sentiment on the Victorian scrap. A few dots, et voila, a finished piece of Mail Art.

Thursday, October 24, 2013

Sleepy kitty, clouds, a couch, and of course, some Mail Art.

Okay, so our Bizoo is enormous! See how he fills up the wave scratcher? So big! 

And yesterday, we had such amazing clouds and colors in the sky. I couldn't get a clear angle to get the part with the orange but this photo, with the top of the monument is pretty dramatic, right?


We had dinner at an interesting place, a home set in a working space. When I turned to look, the couch was illuminated and looked like a stage set. There's the dog's lounging area in front, and behind, out the windows, you can catch a glimpse of part of the orange sky. This, too, is pretty dramatic. I'm having such interesting (dramatic) visual experiences, aren't I?
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I've been very fond of this little house and am happy to use it isolated like this. Random text makes things mysterious, and the flat "wall paper" underneath does, too.








Time to alter some old postcards again. I cut out lots of the little Victorian scraps so I'd be ready when the "inspiration" struck. I made some comment on how this little gal always cries when visiting the shrine. I'm sure you can come up with a better explanation.

   
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Today's Mail Art is a rondo - I used the cover from a round of President (brand) brie cheese. It's 6" in diameter and a nice color, don't you think. I'd had it awhile and am happy to use it. The big bird with the small woman is a nice scale change. She's a beautiful, Iranian actress. I didn't see the film she's in but it's supposed to be good. Now, what's the name of it? hmmm.

Wednesday, October 23, 2013

More Catching up on Mail Art, while away from home -

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 This piece was made on the train heading north. I got the image and text from the Amtrak magazine. Very minimal and I like it that way.
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This was made our first day in the city. We stayed at an Airbnb place and it was very nice. I used an image from the Amtrak magazine, a stamp I'd brought with me, and some punched out circles. Is she whistling?






Second day in the city, I used an eye from the Amtrak magazine, a stamp I'd brought and the paper that the holes were punched from the previous day. This is an "eye" series all of a sudden!









We stayed very busy all day long, so tired at the end of the day. I made my Mail Art in the morning before starting out. Here it's about the eyes, too.








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Here's another version of the eye from the Amtrak magazine. We were on our way back home when I made this one. I used the last of the stamps that I'd brought in my traveling Mail Art kit.










Some clouds. How I love looking up at the clouds, Always different. We've had some lovely sunsets. This one was taken by the Science Museum where I had a view with our overhead wires.
My son took this photo of our grand. He's a good photographer and she's a good model. Getting ready for the celebration of Halloween! What a cutie.

Catching up on Mail Art - before the little trip -

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 I was feeling kind of out of sorts before a train trip of several days, and wasn't sure if I'd have a theme for my Mail Art before I left.

I had a hand, I had some words, and then I had a kitten - okay, so it works! And everyday, I make Mail Art.
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Simple - just some torn map strips, a circle, and a butterfly sticker.











Here I'm playing with some scraps of topo maps, creating new pathways, lining up disparate roads and waterways. I added some words just because.



                       
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More map connecting. Here I didn't add any words. The map paths just were what they were.







  Bizoo is betting too big to hang around my neck and quite heavy. He doesn't know that and still wants to ride around this way. He'll be 8 months old on the 8th of November. Still a kitten, right?

I was going through old photos when putting albums back on the shelves. Here's one of my mom and her sisters. It might have been taken in the 80s. All are gone except for mom and she's the oldest. That's her on the right.

Wednesday, October 16, 2013

BLOG ACTION DAY! HUMAN RIGHTS


Since the topic for this year's Blog Action Day is Human Rights, I've decided to "talk" about the Human Rights Campaign. For over 30 years, this organization has been   focusing on the rights of persons who are lesbian, gay, Bi- or trans-sexual. It is now the largest LGBT advocacy group in the United States with over 1.5 million members and supporters.

Why do I think it’s important to spot-light this group, and this issue, when there are so many other human rights issues? Issues like asylum seeking, human trafficking, and others? Because I know many people personally who have experienced prejudice and hatred because of their sexuality. People who have had to pretend to be someone else, people who couldn't share in the rights that I have, people who have suffered emotionally and mentally because of who they are. And because of those people, young and old, who continue to suffer.

A number of years ago, my daughter Mica Scalin, worked on a documentary, Same Sex America, about the laws in Massachusetts changing to permit marriage between same sex partners. This film was so heart warming and wrenching, at the same time. Why? Why? What is the problem here with not permitting people who love and care about each other to have the same equal protection, under the law, as I have. Why haven’t they been permitted to have hospital visiting rights, decision making rights, shared legal power, and on and on.

We all need to support this basic Human Right because we all know a person who is lesbian, gay, bi or trans-sexual. Even if we don’t KNOW it, we do know them, they are our friends, relatives, and neighbors. They are our teachers, police officers, bank tellers, postal workers, students, doctors, etc.; they are us. And we all need to be equal under the law. I do believe this.

Support equal rights, support HUMAN RIGHTS.

Saturday, October 12, 2013

Some Mail Art, and the Babies!

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 Three scraps and yet so much is going on.












Here I'm using a piece that shows part of an El Anatsui sculpture. I do so love his work. Three scraps and some random type were used for this one.


Here's Bizoo resting on our comforter the other morning.



And here's Bizoo this afternoon. I let him sit on the kitchen table briefly so that I could get this photo. 
 Last night, we watched our baby while her parents were busy elsewhere. She's being her adorable self here, pleased that she's found this rubbery thing to bite on.
















She's charming me!

Postcards from the National Postal Museum

 My friend Annie, who now lives in Florida, grabbed a large supply of these postcards before moving south. She shared with me cause she know...