Recent Mailart Call

  The Summer Fun Mail Art Call is over and the contributions are archived on a static page on the right side bar if you want to look at them. I really appreciate the participation and enjoyed all of the Summer Fun mail I received! Thanks to all!
  Now it is time for me to do my part! I will be sending out my own Summer Fun post card as a thank you. I would also like permission from those who participated to include your mailing info in the documentation to the other participants. Let me explain why I include documentation... In the mail art community it is standard proceedure to send out some form of documentation at the completion of a mail art call. It usually includes the names (or moniker) and addresses of those who contributed, and possibly a photo/scan of each contribution. The reason for this is that mail art's roots are not in the internet, so the way broaden your mailing possibilities and meet new like-minded people was to participate in a mail art call and then use the documentation to find new friends to mail to. But since many people in this particular day and age are more reluctant to share their info, I will ask for permission before sending out documentation. If you mailed something for "Summer Fun", please leave me a comment or e-mail me at elle.mental@yahoo.com and let me know if you are OK with me sending out your info. If I don't hear from you, I won't include anything but you name on the documentation.
  For those of you who are waiting for my September Mail Art Mail Out, I am assembling them today and will be mailing them out very soon. I hope that this finds everyone well and having a good mail day! 

Under the Weather...

Hi all!
  The end of summer has come and with it...Ragweed. Our air index has been in the red for most of the past several weeks. UGH!  I don't suffer much with Spring allergies (much...), but Fall with ragweed and molds, is a different story. The weather is delightful, sunny with crisp mornings and warm afternoons and I am stuck inside hiding from from airborne allergens and hugging a tissue box. I don't feel like doing ANYTHING, which is just not like me. I wish it would rain so that I could have a days reprieve and be able to enjoy the outdoors and feel like being creative.
  I am trying to get envies made so I can mail this big pile of letters I've written, but if I don't start feeling better soon I am just going to put them in regular envelopes and mail them so the recipients won't think I've forgotten them. If I owe you a letter... it will come.
  Anyone else suffer from Fall allergies? If so chime in and we can be miserable together. Y'all take care and hopefully soon I will see you in the mail!

A Heartfelt Thank You

  I just wanted to write this post to thank you all for the wonderful letters and cards that I have received. It has been such a blessing to receive mail from so many amazing, generous and talented people! I have been so encouraged and uplifted by your stories, the thoughts and glimpses of your lives, have been a joy to me.
Thank you so much!
  I have written many letters that are waiting for me to get to my art table to decorate envelopes, and have many more to write. I hope to get some time this week to finish up and get all this grateful correspondence off in the mail. Until my letters reach you I will hope that you are enjoying the cooler weather and having good mail days! See you in the mail...soon! 

August Outgoing and Most Recent Incoming Mail

Outgoing Mail

 This is my most recent mailing to Sirpa. If you want to see what was inside, check out her blog: www.sfimail.blogspot.com  she has done a blog post on my package to her...Thanks Sirpa!

I made a border for Kimi's letter by stamping with various objects on my art table... a wine cork, and a cone shaped piece of carving medium left over after a recent carving project. The address label is from a new set of stationery items I am designing.

                                

Limner likes bees so I used Marjolein Bastin tissue paper to add some lovely fat bees to her envie and made a fun little air mail sticker to help get it on its way.

                                                                                

Here are a few of the postcards I made and sent out recently. I sent out a bunch of others but they were in a stack of letters and postcards that I mailed without photographing them first. I am bad about doing that.

                                                            Incoming Mail

                                                                              
  Mailart and letters from penfriends Misty, Kimi, Sharon and Bev.

                                                                                
        I received postcards from Douglas, Misty, Chandlerguera, and Kimi.

A letter from Linda and one from my new penfriend Courtney in Australia.

                                                                
  Another beautiful puzzle letter from Ahmet in Turkey. He also sent me the wonderful gift posted below.
                                                                             

                                                                                 
Ahmet received my Summer First Day of Issue Stamp and asked if he could reproduce them, (on occasion he showcases other mail artist's stamps on his envies and puzzle letters, crediting them for their work of course). He sent me some of the reproduced stamps when he sent me the latest puzzle letter. They even have real perforations! Thanks so much Ahmet! What a generous and cool gift!

I also have received a whole stack of letters from penfriends  Angelia, Super Hero, Troy, James, Patty, Marion and Limner.

                                                                              
Last but not least, I have a Summer Fun Mailart contribution from Bev Sykes. I will also be posting this on the side bar showcase for the Summer Fun Mail Art Call. The deadline for contributions is September 5, so there is still time if you want to send something in! I will be sending out my thank yous,  return summer fun post card, and documentation after the end of the mail art call on the 5th. Note to contributors... normally documentation is sent out with a list of names and addresses of those who participated, if you do not want your name and address to be sent in the documentation, please let me know!

Oh nertz... I posted a couple of letters that I had already posted in another blog post... since I am all but done with this post I think I will just leave things as they are and admit to the mess up! So, I think I am caught up on posting incoming and outgoing mail, now I need to get busy and reply to all this lovely mail! Until next time, I'll see you in the mail!