Mail is a Gift

Recently I have been gifted with some really wonderful mail. The blue berd of happiness has visited my p.o. box from Texas where my dear pen friend Limner lives. Limner's signature blue "berd" never fails to bring a smile to my face. Her art and her letters are frequent visitors to my mail box and I always feel like it's my birthday when I see something in the mail from her. She just has a way of making me feel special. Thank you Limner, for your generosity and for knowing just when I need a fix from Texas!

Sirpa Roos my talented and generous pen friend from Finland shared her vacation to Gran Canaria with me by sending me sand from the gigantic sand dunes there. She actually made a second trip back to the dunes to collect sand for me! On the bag of sand was a photo of Sirpa on the dunes, which was a great idea and really connected me with her experience!  Accompanying the sand was a lovely watercolor painting of eggs and nest that Sirpa painted. It evokes such a sense of peace.... just beautiful! Thank you Sirpa!

In case you are wondering why Sirpa was sending me sand... I have been collecting sand for many years. I have it from a variety of places around the world. I always collect sand from the beaches I go to and even though I only take a modest amount of sand, I usually have enough sand to share. If you have a trip planned to the beach, or like me, have a sand collection, I would be delighted to trade sands with you! If you send me a couple of tablespoons of sand for my collection I will gladly share something from I have collected from my travels... How about sand from the 16 story sand dunes at Jockeys Ridge, North Carolina, (a few miles from Kitty Hawk where Orville and Wlibur conducted their flight experiments), or maybe some sand from the black sand beach at Playa Tarcoles in Costa Rica? If you do send me sand, please label it so that I know what beach it came from. I would also love to hear about the your trip to the beach!

I hope that you are having a lovely day! See you in the mail!

A New Artistamp

I have been playing around with ideas for a set of four artistamps. The set will have a stamp to represent each of the four seasons. I have two done and have two more in the works. I am not sure yet what date I will set for a First Day of Issue, but for sure it will be after I get the other two artworks finished! I will make an announcement when I have set a date for the First Day release, so you can get on my mailing list if you want to receive the First Day cover.

In the meantime I will show you the most recent stamp. It was intended to go out on all my holiday mail, but in the end only a few people received one, since I was sick all through the holidays and didn't mail much out. If you would like to receive the individual stamp then leave a comment or e-mail me at elle.mental@yahoo.com with your mailing addy and I will be glad to mail one out to you.

                           Until next time, I'll see you in the mail!

I.U.O.M.A

 More than 10 years ago, while looking for pen pals on the internet, I ran across one of Ruud Jansen's websites, the TAM Rubberstamp Archive. One of several sites that Ruud had on the web at the time. That site opened a door for me into a whole new world of postal delight... Mail art.
  It was through the archive site that I learned about I.U.O.M.A. The International Union Of Mail Artists is a brain child of Ruud Jansen, a native of the Netherlands and long time mail artist. He originally started the "Union" in 1988 as a joke, but it has grown into a virtual world where more than 2000 mail artists come to interact with other mail artists. There are forums, members can post scans of their sent and received mail, join various interest groups and can even have their own blog on the site. If you haven't ever visited the site, you should give it a peek, there is a lot going on there. It is a great way to meet mail artists from around the world.

Ray Johnson The Father of Mail Art

  Ray Johnson was known as the "Father of Mail Art". He  connected with others through art and mail for many years, spurring others to follow suit and send their own little pieces of postal art out into the world. He created the New York Correspondence School as a platform from which to launch many Mail related projects.

One of Ray's bunnies. 

  Cracker Jack Kid, a present day Mail Artist, created a blog as a tribute to Ray Johnson, who tragically committed suicide in 1995. He had this to say about Ray and his contributions to the world of  art: "...The New York Correspondence School was established in the early 60's, it was singularly the most important contribution of Ray Johnson to the history of art, a point missed by leading newspapers and art magazines reporting Johnson's death. It was Fluxus and Ray Johnson's NYCS that birthed mail art, the largest international art community and movement in the history of art. Membership into NYCS was bestowed upon anyone Johnson chose to correspond with, and the exchanges were wonderful, intimately engaging verbal and visual play. Throughout the 1960's and until his death, Ray Johnson was the conduit, the server, the proto-internet Dada daddy, surfing the mailstream, invading mailboxes everywhere with bunnies, imaginary fan clubs, and correspondence wordplay. Mail artists around the world embraced Johnson's notion of making ordinary mail and art of extraordinary wit and beauty..." 
  Ray's bunny is to the mail art what the EverReady bunny is to batteries. The symbol of something that just keeps going and going....

Incoming Mail

Well, I think I have survived the illness that kept me down for almost a month! I am now back to the business of writing letters and getting caught up on blog posts. So here are some of the things I have received and not posted.

This card with a special cancellation was sent to me by Kimi in California

Post cards and note cards from Ellie VG in the UK, Kimi in Ca., Tom in Mo., and Eunice in Wales

Limner in Texas has been very creative and generous to me with mail. She made sure there was mail in my POB waiting for me upon my return from Costa Rica. Thanks Limner!

Wanda in British Columbia sent me this letter packed with good news and stories!

Monique in Ontario sent me snowy mail to brighten my day.

Pen Thief in Ohio sent a nice, newsy letter and a splash of color.

Linda in Virginia sent me a great letter and some wonderful ephemera. I adore S&H Green Stamps!

Super Hero sent me an invitation to participate in a couple of different mail projects and a really cool post card!

While I was in Costa Rica I received mail from two new pen friends, James in the Philippines and Impeccable=M in California

Ahmet in Turkey sent me one of his lovely and unique Puzzle Letters.

Ahmet also sent me several sheets of my artistamps that he reproduced for his mail art project Puzzleposta. Thank you so much Ahmet they are awesome!! What a generous gift and such a surprise!

Then last but certainly not least, Ahmet sent me this wonderful 2012 calendar featuring one of his many beautiful puzzle letters. 

It never ceases to amaze me how blessed I am to have such generous, interesting and talented pen friends. My life is much richer for all of you! Thanks so much!

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!

 

One Very Happy Mailbox_ Incoming Mail

I have had some wonderful mail days recently! I have gotten mail from many of my regular pen friends and have had some new pen friends write as well. What a blessing! I have been working my way through the pile of letters to writing returns, and as usual, I mailed a bunch out without photographing them. Sigh... But I did get some photos of the last round of letters I wrote. I will post them after I post the incoming mail. So here we go!

Post cards from Susanna, Pamela, Super Hero, Bev, Sharon, Patty, Post Muse, Mim



The front of a very intricate and fun card that Limner sent me.

The back of Limner's card. There was a teabag attached as well, but I used it! Thanks Limner! I love tea!

A really cool envie made from a nautical map (nautical map made of Tyvek, what a wonderful idea...waterproof and virtually indestructable!). Linda is a new penfriend and finding her letter in my mailbox was a very pleasant surprise. She also enclosed a packet of goodies to use on my mailart!

A post card from Genevieve, a letter from Angelia, the letter from Kimi has vintage postage on it.

I recieved a letter and this postcard from Pen Thief. The post card was quilted by her mother... it was very nice of her to share her mother's talents with me... Thanks to both of you!



Wanda sent a lovely letter and some of her photographs. Isn't the hummingbird photo awesome!



A nice note from Bev and a vintage seal and send from my new pen friend Eunice.





 

A card from my new pen friend Chris. The photgraph is by Chris, isn't it beautiful?





 This letter full of mailart goodness is from my pen friend in Finland. She and I are both fans of Marjolien Bastin, she sent me two great MB cards to add to my collection. I adore the pink gingham check on the inside of the envie!


Sirpa's letter was charming as usual, but this one was especially so since she decorated it with watercolor paintings of her new kitten Sissi. She is very talented!

Sirpa also shared her garedn with me through a really fun garden journal.

There were many pages of colorful photos and descriptions of her gardens... It sounds so beautiful! I wish I could see it in person!

  Wow, I am just amazed by all the wonderful mail I've gotten! I was going to post it all in this post but I think I will post the rest in my next blog entry since this one is getting kind of long.

  It is really great to be connected with so many lovely and generous people. I am constantly amazed by the interesting and creative people I have come to know through the mail. Thanks to all for making my mail box a happy place to visit! Until next time I'll see you in the mail!  Elle

 




 





A First Day of Issue for June

One thing led to another and before I could stop myself I had designed an artistamp to go out on my June mail art mail out. So now I will be doing two mailings, one for those who asked for my coneflower stationery and one to celebrate the first day of issue of a new artistamp. The stamp was really fun to make and I think it will be just the thing to finish off the stationery mail out! 

I Did it Again...

I mailed a stack of letters and mail art without photographing them... I am beginning to make a habit of that...sigh. Well, since I don't have my outgoing mail photos to post, I will post a photo of a vase flowers I cut from the garden instead. I hope that everyone is enjoying a good mail day!

June Mailart Mailout

Handmade envies and stationery inspired
by flowers from my butterfly garden. 

  While working in the garden the other day I was pondering what I might do as a June mail art mail out. I try, (not always successfully...), to design something new for a general mail out each month. Since my trip to Costa Rica is still fresh in my mind, I thought I might do something tropical or Costa Rica themed, but then my garden muses changed my mind. As I worked pulling weeds out of my butterfly garden, I was struck by how pretty the purple coneflowers were and decided to do something with them instead.

  The Coneflowers are early this year. They usually start to bloom about the same time the blueberries start to ripen, the first or second week of July. But these have been blooming since mid June; the blueberries are early as well. 

  So this months mail out will be stationery and envelopes from my drawing of the coneflowers. If you would like to be on my June mailout list, leave me a comment with your mailing addy or e-mail me at elle.mental@yahoo.com See you in the mail!

Incoming and Outgoing April and May 2011

Here are the photos of my incoming and outgoing mail for the months of April and May. I was gone for a couple of weeks on a trip and the garden has been a demanding task master so I don't have much going out, but I did get some really great mail from my pen friends. I hope you enjoy them as much as I have!


Outgoing Mail

A beautiful mail art tryptic from
Ahmet Demir in Turkey

An interactive collage from Janine in Switzerland.
This card has doors that open to reveal mini collages inside.

A humorous sewn postcard from
Lindsay in Canada

The back of Lindsay's post card.
As far as I can tell this postcard made
it all the way from Canada with no postage at all!

Much of the mail I receive is from people who I correspond with,
not so much on the mail art side of things.
 I don't want to leave them out of my postings
since their letters are a joy to me,
but I think I'll keep their letters to myself...
Many of the letters generously include little gifts of postal
cheerfulness, like Troy's gift of ink cartridges
and a wonderful selection of vintage stamps from
Tom M. in Missouri and Angelia from Illinois.
Thanks so much for all the interesting letters from my pen friends
and for the cool stamps, too!

Until next time... I'll see you in the mail!