Chunk O' Cardboard Swap

I've been participating in the Chunk O' Cardboard swap on Swap-Bot for several months now.  Basically, you can use any scrap of cardboard and make it into a postcard.  I've been saving interesting packaging boxes like beer 6-pack cartons, cereal boxes, cake mixes, etc. and I try to personalize it as much as possible.  Here are some I'm sending out this month:

Round cardboard with retro theme that went to Minnesota.

This is the side for address and correspondence; It is a calendar page which I covered in origami paper.  The other side is an Arizona sunset.  Going to Maine.

T

Blue theme with glitter added, going to the Netherlands.

Probably my favorite outgoing is retro packaging from pantyhose.  I can't even remember the last time I wore pantyhose!  Check out the model's hairdo and false eyelashes.  So mod!

Hitched!

July 01, 2012 

Maui, Hawaii

The State of Arizona

The State of Arizona recently celebrated a milestone on Valentine's Day, February 14, 2012.  Our state is now 100 years old!  The 48th state in the union (Alaska and Hawaii were the last two states admitted). 

A new U.S. postage stamp has been released and I love it:

From the East Valley Tribune Newspaper:
Images of Sedona’s Cathedral Rock will grace letters across the country in February as a first-class stamp allows Americans to help celebrate Arizona’s centennial.
Organizers unveiled the painting by Valley artist Ed Mell this past weekend when the traveling Arizona Best Fest centennial festival kicked off in Prescott.
“I actually tried a few different directions before I settled on Cathedral Rock, which I really felt was an icon of Arizona,” Mell said in an interview Monday at his Phoenix studio.
A native Arizonan and a stamp collector in his youth, Mell said this assignment was a dream come true.
“It’s one of those things I always thought would be a wonderful thing to do,” he said.
Karen Churchard, executive director of the Arizona Centennial 2012 Foundation, said U.S. Postal Service representatives asked centennial organizers going in what they didn’t want on the stamp. Their answer: the Grand Canyon and saguaro cactuses, which they considered overused.
“We want to showcase our history,” Churchard said.
Mell said the oil painting took him about three weeks to complete. He worked in a style that combines abstract and realism.
He started by taking a photo of Cathedral Rock and developed pencil sketches before producing the final work on a 20-by-30-inch canvas.
The piece now belongs to the Postal Service, and the stamp will officially become available on Arizona’s Statehood Day, Feb. 14, 2012. A forever stamp, it can be used indefinitely to mail a one-ounce letter.
Mell, who has worked as an artist for 35 years, said he is looking forward to seeing the finished product in February.
“If you’re not enthusiastic about painting, it shows on the canvas,” he said.

Cool M A I L

I've got some groovy mail pictures to show you!

Beautiful holiday stamps from my packages from Finland.  Thank you, An-Ca!

A parcel I received from Great Britain was cheerfully illustrated by the sender, Gemma!  xoxoxo

Imagine my excitement when I pulled an envelope out of the mailbox...from THE PALACE!  As my friend Pamela says, "To get a letter, send a letter!" 

I did a swap with a lovely Brit named Laura, whose husband is a sports writer and his favorite American football team is the Arizona Cardinals.  I sent her some fan memorabilia and she sent me Royal Wedding souvenirs and later I received this pencil case packed with London souvenirs!  How cool is it to use the pencil case as the envelope?! She even stitched it to keep it closed.  I love it all -- thanks so much, Laura!

 Just one decorated outgoing envelope to show at the moment; heading to Finland:

 

Happy New Year!

 

Whew! It's been awhile since my last post and I'm happy to report that all is well.  I bought myself a new Apple computer that I definitely have not mastered yet.  I traveled a lot for work the last quarter of 2011, back and forth to North Carolina.  I traveled up until December 22, so it felt like a short holiday season for me, which I didn't like.  I really miss the Christmas lights.  Then we took a short holiday to Las Vegas in between Christmas and New Year's and we went back to Minus 5 Ice Lounge:

Then my birthday comes right after the first of the year, and I always enjoy getting spoiled by my family!

My favorite vintage New Year's greeting:

Some (older) news:  Here is a photo of our last garden harvest.  We discovered termites (!) so we had to lose the garden, as the chemicals/termite killer was very close to the garden.

Mum and I went to a flea market in the parking lot at our favorite antique mall.  Here she is, digging through vintage hankies:

Always beautiful glass and sometimes tools can be found!

I left with some nice vintage ephemera that day.


I won a kitty-naming contest for Julie, the talented artist behind the Penpal of the Week blog.  I named one of her hairless Sphinx cats as Augustin.  She let me pick a stationery set from her store, La Papierre and I chose the "Dear Jeanne" set.  If it looks familiar, it is because the image is also featured on her business cards.  It's no secret that I'm a huge fan of her stationery and postcards!  Thanks, Julie!

On Swap-bot, I tried making my first ATC's (Artist Trading Cards), golden on front and then back images:

And here are some ATC's that I received:

I'm in no big hurry to make more as I was criticized for not making them the correct size.  Apparently I used the wrong size playing card as the base!  Oh well, live and learn!  Hope your new year is off to a *b*a*n*g*

Interesting Mail

Although I'm a little behind on some of my correspondence, I have had some interesting mail come in/out lately:

Mail art surprise from Texas with pin-ups girls.  Isn't this a great handmade illustration?

 

Elvis (in the Army) postage stamp from a postcard from Guyana.  Pretty rare to get a postcard from that country, and what a super awesome stamp!!

Pink/turquoise postcard I made.  The clipping of Barbara Eden (I Dream of Jeannie) is the 
best part.

Outgoing Halloween-themed envelope to San Francisco.  Some of the paper is glittery and the (used) postage stamp has a rather peculiar cancellation mark that is a little creepy.

Anything red postcard swap (front and back).  Had to use red ink and red postage stamps!

Snowglobe within the envelope with glitter (but no water) inside.  This one is traveling south to Tucson, AZ.

Outgoing envelope for an Autumn-themed swap I participated in.  As much as I enjoy doing mail art, the puffier the envelopes are (i.e., padded envelopes), the more challenging the artwork is.  Much easier when the envelope is FLAT.

 

Opening and Mailing

Hello -- still so hot here in Arizona.  I am soooo over it.  We've had heat advisory warnings, which is basically a way to tell you to drink water and stay inside if at all possible!  It will be worth it when we wear shorts and flip-flops on New Year's Day, while much of the U.S. is under snow.  If I can just be patient enough for the weather to cool.  

Here is some of my incoming mail:



Gorgeous summer collaged envelope from Ann-Catrin Finland.  Love those mailboxes!  

Finnish stamps are great:  The Aurora Borealis and Heart Fairy.

I'm exchanging a handmade card with Erika, who lives less than a couple of hours from me, in Tucson (one of my favorite cities, I might add), and I received hers first.  Isn't this handstiched, felt fishy incredible?  I had to cut it open to read the message inside -- white ink on black paper!  Very cool.

Awesomeness from a Postcrosser in Finland!  Wedding theme and retro -- two themes on my wishlist.

I ordered a sticker set from K is for Calligraphy, and when I pulled the envelope out of the mailbox, I did a little dance!  How gorgeous is her writing?

I spend more more than I should on etsy, enjoying the handmade goods from talented folks, and I also like finding cool vintage pieces.  I got this huge vintage sewing book from 1964, printed in Russian.  Did I mention that I don't sew and I'm not exactly a fashionista, and of course I do not speak Russian (nyet).  But I really dig this book!  The illustrations are great.

And mailed out:

Emilie, AKA Winnie's Girl, who was the winner of my blog giveaway, sent me a cute postcard of thanks.  I went with a ROSE theme when mailing her the package:

 

On Swap-Bot, I participated in the "Chunk O Cardboard" swap and here are the three chunks I sent out as a postcard:  Fatboy icecream sandwiches (love the name!), Icee frozen treats and cheese fondue.

Here are other Chunks O Cardboard I sent out to postcrossers.  Skull vodka bottle and Orale beer.  We can't get this beer here in Arizona as it's only sold in Colorado.  "Orale" is slang in Spanish and means something "Right on!" or "Alright" or "OK, man."  This is the ultimate in recycling when you mail out your trash.

Here are some postcards I made:

Sports theme -- used a Playboy playing card (5 of spades) -- but nothing risque' here.

Ca$h theme!

 Asian theme went to North Carolina to visit Elle.

The Dutch postcrosser is an art teacher and she requested a self-portrait sketch and I included my engagement ring.  I am SO not an artist!

Musical themed envelope art.  I sometimes worry that people who have English as a second language won't understand American humor, but I used this comic strip anyway.  

Last but not least, true BLUE mailed to Japan.  The paper in the center is origami.  Starting clockwise at 3:00, the deer is from the butter package (trash pick!).  The sparrow is a design from an "old school" tattoo calendar.  The bride is from a vintage wedding dress pattern.  I think maybe July 01, 2012 would be a good wedding date since it's our five-year anniversary.