Postcrossing Outgoing to USA

Vintage linen card of the Lancaster Public Library
Sent to Texas

Lancaster County Amish corn harvest
Sent to Washington

Dining room at Wheatland, home of James Buchanan, with added stamps
Sent to Minnesota

I thought I would have a little more time for making and sending mail since two of the three kiddos are in school, but for some reason it hasn't worked out that way yet. I finally got back to sending some Postcrossing cards. I tend to wait until I can send four or five at a time, and the last batch of addresses I received were all new members. It was fun to choose cards to welcome them to Postcrossing. I hope they continue to send Real Mail and enjoy many happy mail days!

#5 More Art, Less Craft?

I often have trouble calling my card-making Art, especially when I base the design on someone else's sketch. I recently read an article about this very dilemma, and the author wrote something to the effect that if you make a technique your own, own the work, put your own spin on the design, it is Art. If you are simply following directions or recreating from an example, it is Craft. Even the cards I make completely from my own brain still feel like Craft. I suppose I aspire to be an Artist. Maybe someday I will arrive.

I created this in the past month as a wedding card. It is 5x7 inches, larger than most cards I make. The background is a page from a 1930 play script called "Oh, Promise Me!" Scraps of cardboard, sheet music, mulberry paper, with large button, twig, and linen thread comprise the focal point. Machine stitching and letter beads frame the collage of textures.

Mail Art Sent

I am so far behind in my posting here, but remember, that means I've been busy creating and sending! I will try to post all the lovely mail I have received recently, as well as some more I've sent, but be patient with me, as I am trying to be patient with my children who are now home on summer break! For tonight, I hope you will enjoy these few images.

Four pages of a 16-page letter-book sent off to Carolee in reply to some of her amazing zines

Shadowbox of mounted paper butterflies cut from a 1950's children's book inspired by this INtangible blog post and sent off to the lovely Donovan

Postage Patchwork on vintage linen Lancaster PA postcard sent off to Angie & Snooky of IUOMA in reply to Corgi Feet

Dimensional postcard? Sure! Actual colored pencils glued to cardboard and mailed off to Emma (I hope this one arrived safely!)

Vintage Linen Card Collages

So instead of creating anything new last week, I finally cleaned up my workspace. I would almost call it Spring Cleaning, but I didn't go crazy and scrub the floor or anything. Although I am pleased to say I can now see my floor! So for the moment, supplies are put away, projects are organized, and I am trying to finish some of the things I started who-knows-when.

Here are a few postcards I sent last month but that never made it to the blog. I love Anne Taintor, and these are my mail art tribute. I created them with vintage linen postcards, lovely ladies trimmed from a 1952 pattern book and captions typed on my Smith-Corona Corsair Deluxe, a Christmas gift from my husband. He's so kind to put up with my paper habit, sometimes he even encourages it! I'm afraid I lost a few images of others in this vintage card series as we switched to a new computer. (I didn't realize it was a temporary folder--oops.)

Sent to Douglas Galloway of IUOMA 16 April 2011

Sent to Brent of IUOMA 16 April 2011

Sent to Emma of Postcrossing 28 April 2011