From KathleenH It is April 1, 2020 - I am lining up a bunch of posts - but not in the mood to write the blurbs. Plus, we are in the thick of the pandemic and every day things change. So, if things settle down, I might be able to replace this with some fun words. Otherwise -- just enjoy the envelope(s) of the day. This is another one that is so pretty I can't imagine why I did not have words to go with it when I was scheduling posts. Maybe it's because I get so many pretty envelopes and I was never gifted at writing. Also, I'm not a gushy person and gushy-ness usually rubs me the wrong way. It goes against that minimalist thing that is more comfortable to me. Two things pop out at me. I like the contrast between the delicate lines and the bold chunk of color on the stamps. And then the elegant way she dropped the spot of color into the flowers.

First time exchanger Rivkah. She might have exchanged twice. I don't keep a log of exchangers - although I get curious about the numbers. This one is intriguing and it would be fun to do some variations. The pattern with the little dashed lines isn't exactly footsteps in the snow. But, the whole pathway suggestion is very nice.

sadly, i smudged this one, so it turned into a sample envelope. i like the addition of little diamonds and the double stroke on the tiny lettering. i do better on this when i draw pencil lines. it's time to make an enlargement of the original and really study the proportions. or, i might be too lazy to do that. 2015 was the year devoted to laziness (or maybe the whole millennium?)

I met Patty in classes last year. Patty had recently retired and finally had time to explore her own interests. She was tricked into filling in for someone on maternity leave - so missed the early 2018 classes. But, she did keep up with the exchange. I'm guessing it was an antidote to the exhaustion of returning to work. This one makes me want to visit a cherry blossom festival someday - somewhere...

i can't believe it took me this long to run across this article. i am thrilled to know that the USPS is appreciating mail art. http://uspsstamps.com/stories/postal-moderns and here is a link to some more mail art http://anothertheletter.tumblr.com/ there is something interesting about that hunk of black and the white triangle. i want to tip it to the right a little and make it into an envelope behind the lady....

i managed to get the jobs done today and still have energy to scan. these two go together and are examples of what to do if you are not a lettering artist. these are just geometric shapes. pencil the letters in first. if you have a little protractor you can use it as a template. then go over the pencil lines with shapes. and lines and zig zags or whatever. i see i missed a spot on the e in the zigzag spotted one.

these are sooooooooooooooo clever, i just had to post them prior to stealing the ideas. they are from the grosvenor auction in the UK

There was an envelope with splat birds on Candy's blog a while back. I do not recall if I also ran one. I still haven't figured out an efficient way to search through the images on the blog. As I mentioned yesterday - birds are so cool. I should have grouped these closer to the January exchange envelope from Smash - as it featured birds, too. Here is the one that Candy sent. It is fun to see how each person has their own variation. I'll label this one *follow-up* and hopefully will find time to do my own variation.

here is a website with templates to print and make your own airmail envelopes http://www.scribd.com/doc/98062148/Air-Mail-Envelope-Monarch-Plain

I lost count of how many hearts I did in February, but I am sure that this is not a re-run because I know I have not typed Annastasia yet. I have to mention each name in the posts so I can do searches. And Heidi - hers should have been grouped with an earlier bunch. Which brings us to Jessica who has been exchanging for a while now. I had a whole sheet of the doll stamps and was happy with this color combination, but after I mailed it and looked at the image, I realized that it would have been better to do the border all the way around. It was done with Cocoiro. I do not care for the stair stepped stamps. It would have been better to do a complete border and put the stamps over the top. My apologies to everyone who received an exchange envelope from me in April -- none of them pleased me. If you want a do-over - please let me know. You'll have to sign up for the May exchange to get the do-over. It will be inside the May envelope.

Not a good stamp to go with the flower - but it was an orphan - and I think May is getting really close to the very end of the orphan-placement project. I would have preferred to have Anthea's looser but the colors are nice. It's a juicy marker that will appear again if I find some new stamps to go with it.

this is the envelope i sent to carol to thank her for creating the DuBosch JUBILEE script style of writing. i have added my own variations to the ones carol uses and i am up to 350 different characters, including numbers. besides a broad edge tool, i use fine line markers and also a fat bullet tip marker, like the zig writer, (a 1.2 tip) to make the big fat dots (the O in carol and the dot on the A in Ave and the dot between portland and OR. WARNING: for the next 3 weeks, half of the envelopes are going to be DuBosch JUBILEE Script. i have been obsessed with it and while it may become boring for some of you, stick with me because i have also been on a harry potter binge, a handmade-envelope-out-of-magazine-pages, and finish up those 30 half-done ideas that are in a stack. once again, johnny cash is a wonderful complement.

whenever i get an envelope from christy, i feel like i should spend more time on my envelopes. she clearly puts a lot of time into her env...

Avanti Press Bulldog Pushing Bulldog Funny / Humorous Dog Birthday Card from GroupThe interior of this Avanti Press birthday card from group design reads: I'LL DO THE TALKING… Happy Birthday from all of us! The card measures 6.6x4.7 inches and is printed on recycled heavy cardstock. Includes 1 card and 1 envelope. The card has the following special features: recycled paper. Made in the USA. Printed on Recycled Paper. Inside Verse: I'LL DO THE TALKING… Happy Birthday from all of us! Card Size: 6.6x4.7 inches Includes: 1 card / 1 green envelope Special Features: Recycled Paper Paper Stock: Recycled Heavy Cardstock

i was going to write WI instead of wisconsin, leaving room for a nice zip code and i was going to actually put her real address in but once i messed up the zip, i put in a fake address and now...i rather like this one, so i may have to make another one, or a bunch of them. it was fun to make the concentric rows of red. that's white gel pen over the top.

That envelope yesterday, the one to Atlanta, GA -- took 6 weeks and 6 days to arrive. Michael let me know that it had just arrived. So, if you are missing mail or if things you sent have not arrived, I think we can assume that there is still some backed-up mail yet to be delivered. **** Catherine sent a lovely Halloween envelope in 2019. It ended up in a stack of mail that needed responses. But, that stack just kept growing. Finally, on Nov 29, 2020, I made a vow. I was not going to bed until I made it all the way through the stack. It was a Sunday. I churned out a ton of envelopes. The orange envelope and the gold wreath were inside the candy cane. Catherine had also sent some other lovely envelopes with very special stamps -- so, I owed her more than just one envelope. The bonus of sending two inside the third was so that I could put non-international stamps, since they were not going through the mail. So, did I make it through the stack? I think I had 4 to go and it was so dark and I was so tired, I just got ready for bed and when I crawled into bed, it was 6:30 pm -- oooops. That's a bit early, even for me. It made for a terrible night, because I fell asleep and then spent a couple hours from 1-3 wide awake. Note to self. Look at the clock. In addition to not knowing what day of the week it is, even knowing the hour is getting to be a challenge. Although, I am writing this on Nov 30th. Who knows. Maybe by mid-January we will be coming out of our situation. **** No rant today -- just this very cool numbering system that Chuck sent to me. Not too long ago, I had a conversation with the BigHelpfulBrother (a math major) about the Roman numerals and arabic numbers. For as clever as they were, Romans had a pretty lame way of numbering. And then there is zero. I say zero is a number. BHB doesn't exactly agree with me. I think he calls it a placeholder. But, I have to be right. Empty space has to be as important as the things taking up space. How could we survive if we didn't have the nothingness in between the stuff. Nothingness absolutely deserves to be including as one of the units used to count and measure. So, BHB, did you already know about the Cistercian numbering system? Isn't it lovely? I sorta wanna figure it out - but will refrain for the time being. Link to more info about Cistercian numerals

again, this is just a scribbly layout. i used that border across the top of the stamp and did it all the way around. this would be fun to do if i had hours and hours and hours. again, i hope chuck wants to do an example of the right way to do borders.

Add some colour to your bulletin board with these novelty push pins. This listing is for set of 5 decorative push pins imitating a hamburger. Resin pin heads are mounted onto metal thumb tack using extra strong adhesive. Shipped in cardboard box / padded envelope to ensure you receive them in immaculate condition. Dispatched via RM 1st Class/International Standard (no tracking). If you require recorded delivery please contact me prior buying. I cannot take responsibility for lost item. If any delivery problems arise please contact the delivery provider. Fantastic Xmas stocking fillers, birthday or teacher gift. ***Please note: Small/sharp objects. Be careful when removing from packaging. This is not a toy. Not suitable for children! Choking hazard. More designs available in my Etsy shop

Two of our regular exchangers. Thank you both for participating in exchanges and sending steal worthy ideas.

here is jeri's winner. jeri excels at tiny little lines and lots of them. many people would ask how long it took to make this envelope. i don't really ask that question any more because it is too complicated keeping track of time. sometimes we just sit and stare at the envelope trying to figure out if we are happy or if it needs more. sometimes we do a couple hours of layout with pencil just to see what is going to work. or maybe researching images of spider webs...that could take a couple hours... very nice jeri :-)

https://archive.org/stream/lettering00stev#page/38/mode/2up a mother lode of vintage alphabets. i could probably spend a month pulling ideas out of this book. https://archive.org/details/SpeedballTextBook the 16th edition of the speedball textbook is also available. in addition to many fonts, it has how-to-draw-a-turkey and great vintage layouts. if you want to surf around archive.org, you can find all kinds of great stuff. or you may go back to your envelopes.

another birthday greeting from janet. several of us call her *sweet little janet* because she is a very sweet person. and when i saw this, i immediately thought - "oh, this is so sweet, just like sweet little janet." it's a very nice style with the stamp. i still haven't bought any of those stamps...i need some... thank you janet

If you're looking for a fun tutorial, try out this Southwestern envelope art! You'll need walnut ink, watercolor, and a pencil + ruler to get started!

I love mail art, who doesn't? There's nothing better than receiving some good old-fashioned, hand-addressed mail, especially when it comes with art attached!

Featured: Messenger Bag by Ecolution Originally created for hard-working couriers, the classic Messenger Bag has been in circulation for several decades. Known for its long-lasting rugged durabilit…

this is an envelope that came from the art supply store. tomorrow i will post the flip side.

i couldn't find a link to any website for jacob. this popped up on pinterest and i love it. wish we could see more of his work. anyhow. it would be fun to do big shapes like this and similar lettering for one of the exchanges. i already know how i would get those black shapes...i would use the technique where you take a stamp pad and use it directly on the paper. although, i would need to do something to make the stamp pad into a trapezoid. i could also play around with other shapes. but who doesn't love an asterisk? and i think they would look nice on kraft paper.

i keep asking people to send things to post. so far...no takers. thank you to my penpal who brought these over yesterday. i don't think she really wanted to have me post them, so i would appreciate it if some of you would post comments on how much fun it is to see a variety of work on this blog. i think we all tend to go towards happy flowers and light hearted designs. so, it is fun to see something a little different. thanks, penpal, for letting me share these.

The exchange sign ups are usually at the first of the month. Since I am out of town, I had the sign up last week. If you missed it, I am sorry. February will be here shortly. If you want to exchange with me, just send me an envelope. I watch the stats on how many hits there are on my blog. For a long time, it hovered around 10,000 to almost 15,000 hits per month, but never over 15,000. Then, on Dec 23rd (which is the day I am actually writing this) I checked the stats and saw that the blog views had hit 30,000 for the month. That's very exciting. Or maybe it is a mistake.

i posted the red envelope to patti a couple weeks go. she politely reminded me that her name is spelled kommer and not comer. as usual, when i have to fix an error, i find an opportunity to improve the overall design. i like stacking double letters and this gave me a nice M for the city. i can't wait to write in the street address. it will be stacked in the space between the r and the zip code. although, i might have to post it one more time, since i think those black snow flake/asterisk things on the stamp need to be repeated on the envelope. sorry about the clashing colors. this was from the ornament series. i took off the ornament stamp and added a moose. that green clashed with the ornament stamp, too. i was playing with the galaxy markers. they are very good for scribbling. and the combination of metallics with regular colors is really fun.

does anyone know who this exemplar came from? i really should not post things that i just find in my files, especially when i have no idea where they came from. but, this is spectacular neuland. i can't resist sharing it. if i can find out whose it is, i will ask for permission to leave it on the blog. otherwise, i'll take it off. it isn't an envelope, but can't you see an address written in tiny letters in the two horizontal lines of white space? also, end the top line sooner and leave a space for the stamp and that would make the bottom two lines extend from edge to edge. or peeve the p.o. and put the stamp at the bottom. i never talk like this...but how about "p.o. the p.o." for our envelopes that do not conform to their standards. there was a bonus envelope yesterday, so, that one counts as the saturday envelope if you think this one does not count.

United Oddsocks The Sock Exchange Weekend Socks. Size UK 6-11, EUR 39-46, US 7-12. Pack of 6 odd socks to mix and match. You’ve spent five long hard days working flat out to push envelopes, think outside boxes, shift paradigms and generally make sure that your strategic direction of travel is going to deliver a win-win against budget going forwards. You must be worn out! So, come the weekend, you need to relax, refresh and put your feet up. And with Sock Exchange Weekend Oddsocks you’ll have up to 15 pair combinations to help you do it in style! These sock are made of: 79% Cotton, 20% Polyamide, 1% Elastane.

Featured: Messenger Bag by Ecolution Originally created for hard-working couriers, the classic Messenger Bag has been in circulation for several decades. Known for its long-lasting rugged durabilit…

It might be fun to post my versions of Pinterest inspiration. I'm so annoyed that I forgot to write my return address on the front. Also - I wish I had drawn a stamp on the little envelope. It's pretty pitiful how poor I am at copying ideas... And the red and blue theme is so much better.... the only thing I like better about my version is my lettering. I just noticed the little sprig under the -- open me-- I should have added that. And the dashed line on the very outer edge.

if you look closely at the cat's tails, they spell out his name. i have a very grainy image of this alphabet. you can find it on Pinterest. search *cat font*. i did a lousy job of drawing the cats and really messed up the last one. but, donald is not one to scrutinize details and will just throw it away.

someone on the flourish forum asked for people to make christmas tree calligrams. this was a quick 2 minute attempt with colored pencil. it has potential , but -alas- i probably won't have time to work on it any more...unless we get a blizzard and i am housebound. -later- had a phone call, so had time to do second version original source - http://typeverything.com/image/71302593247 artist is aron jansco it was his 2013 holiday image http://aronjancso.tumblr.com/

i finished my envelopes for the exchange and they will go in the mail tomorrow. this one is going to france, so i used an international stamp. the green was a tombo and the white gel pen worked nicely over the top. the red was a tombo, too, but the white seemed to dissolve the red and turned pink. so, i don't know what's up with that. i added gold dots and thought it looked festive. the other envelopes used the winter theme stamps which i LOVE. and a few people will get roadsters. it feels good to have them all done. now on to the uber-chore....the sifting and purging of the studio. all y'all must be ten times as sick of hearing about the sift-purge as i am of talking about it, so the only way to resolve that is to complete the task. i have a new level of resolve to actually finish..... because....cliff hanger....big news.....stay tuned.....

many of us have too many stamps. here is an idea for using them up. https://www.etsy.com/listing/97942058/stamp-lamp-upcycled-glass-jar-tealight?ref=related-0 it says you can burn a tea light inside the jar. there must be many other items that could be stamp encrusted. many years ago i made a bird house, encrusted with postage stamps, to donate to an auction of decorative bird houses - a local fund raising event. sadly, i did not keep a photo of it. other items that come to mind: picture frames, coffee table, end table, my fridge, my car, a box for storing all my stamps, a lamp shade. please add ideas in the comment section. today's post is below.

via I am so glad this lovely 1887 painting survived the post and was saved by the lucky recipient.