September Mail Art Mail Out

Well, this was supposed to be an August Mail Art Mail Out, but due to many factors I had to postpone my mail out. But now I think I have things under control, (Ha Ha), so I am putting out an invitation for anyone who would like to be put on my mail out list. If you would like to receive my September Mail Art mail out then leave your address in the comments or e-mail it to me at elle.mental@yahoo.com and I will add you to my list. If I already correspond with you then you are on my mail out list and will be receiving your mail shortly. I hope this finds you all well. Take care and I'll see you in the mail! Elle

Hurricane Irene has Passed

 Well, Hurricane Irene has moved up the coast. Here in Waxhaw we had nothing but hot night time temps and some wind. Unfortunately, in other places in NC they were not so lucky... several people died, one was an 11 year old boy who was killed when a tree ripped through his bedroom. It is so sad...
 I know that Virginia had severe weather at the beaches and the New York was flooding in the lower lying areas. Our prayers go out to anyone in Irene's path, may God bless and keep you all! Please let us know how you are...we will be anxious to hear that everyone is OK.

Earthquake!!

  Wow, I was just looking up some info about the Elenin "comet" and its affect on the earth's electromagnetic/tectonic field when I felt the floor shift and saw the walls shake and the ceiling fan sway... We felt the 5.9 magnitude earthquake that hit Richmond Virginia just before 2 p.m. today... did anyone else feel it? Mim I hope you're OK and Patty I know your live around there too is everything ok? Troy in Colorado, I know that there was a pretty big one in Colorado yesterday, did you feel it in Holyoke?Please let us know that you're all ok!
 Oh, yeah... we are also looking at a Cat 4 hurricane to hit NC by the weekend, we're probably OK here in Waxhaw, just high winds and rain (I hope... after Hurricane Hugo, circa 1989, hurricane is a bad word in this house...) but the coastline is in for a real blow...
  For now, we are making sure we have extra water and food, checking battery and candle stocks and hoping the whole mess goes out to sea!
     Battoning down the hatches in North Carolina and hoping to see you in the mail!                                                      

Summer Fun Mail Art Call

Today when I visited my P.O. Box I found the first three contributions to the Summer Fun Mail Art Call!

 Stonezebra shares her summer fun with this post card. It even has some mini letters to me!

Kimi was hangin' with the sea lions

Cathy Thompson's idea of summer fun has to do with sand and surf.

 

Please share your summer fun with us. Here is how:

Mail Art Call

"What I did this Summer".

Any size post card or envie

Deadline: September 5, 2011

Design a piece (or pieces) of mail art illustrating your summer fun and send it to me at:

Elle Mental

POB 535

Waxhaw, N.C.

28173

All mail art for this call should be marked with "Summer Fun" somewhere on the piece so I will know it is for the mail art call. All contributions will be scanned and posted to the blog with credit to the mail artist and then archived on a static page collection on the sidebar. I will send a summer fun mail art piece of my making to each contributor. There will also be documentation sent to all contributors at the end of the call so please, put your mailing address on the mail art piece so I can put it in the documentation.

All rights remain with the artist, but submitting something titled "Summer Fun", will automatically permit me to post images of your artwork to my blog and any other promotions I may do for the mail art call . Each piece will be credited to the artist who sent it so make sure your put your name or moniker on your contribution.

I am looking forward to seeing your contributions and sharing in your summer fun!

Please feel free to post this mail art call in its entirety to your blog or mention it on your blog linking to http://www.artofaletter.blogspot.com/

See you in the mail!

Incoming Mail

I have received some wonderful mail so far in the month of August. I am constantly amazed by the talent and generosity of my pen friends. Thank you all for lifting my heart and blessing me with joy in my mailbox!



A beautiful puzzle letter from Ahmet in Turkey. Ahmet has done many of these incredible puzzle letters and I am happy to say I possess several of them!





A letter stuffed with goodies, including another kind of puzzle, from Bev in California



Monique in Canada sent me this wonderful postal themed artwork by the artist Will Van Veen. I just love it, thank you so much!
What a novel idea and so cleverly done! I can see why you really like his work Monique!



A colorful and intricate post card from Chandlerguera in Arizona.

Wanda in British Columbia, sent me a charming letter, post card, a panoramic view some of her countryside, and some Bleeding Heart seeds. I adore Bleeding Hearts, I will start the seeds and set the seedlings out in my little frog pond garden. It is nice and shady and moist there. 



Super Hero sent me an invitation to a Zombie mailart call, along with some of his Zombie artworks, as well as a mail art call for "The Internet" What kind of role does the internet play in your life. Anyone interested in participating in his Mail Art Calls? If so, e-mail  me and I'll give you info.





Misty in Ohio sent me this envie with a letter and some lovely oriental post cards

Valentine in France sent me this fun take on royalty.





Letters from Angelia in Illinois and James in South Carolina



A Mutant Banana postcard from Cara in New Jersey. Cara is a member of  IUOMA
 (Internation Union of Mail Artists). If you have never been to the IUOMA site, you have a treat in store! There are many, many mail artists from all over the world, who post there and are willing to send mail to other postal enthusiasts. Check them out at: iuoma-network.ning.com/

 


Wanda sent me a note with and envie full of butterflies to cheer my day.



Limner in Texas, sent me this beautiful photo note card of one of her original photographs. It is so delicate and colorful, it really brightens my day just to look at it!

A a cheerful and newsy letter from Kimi in California. Below is a virtual gallery of lovely postcards from her summer adventures.



Well, I believe that I am now caught up on my backlog of Incoming mail photos! I hope that you enjoyed them, I know I sure have! Until next time, I'll see you in the mail!  Oh... and By the way... Don't forget about the Summer fun Mail Art Call! If you have questions  please comment me and I will get right back with you.

Letters from 1876 and a Mail Art Call

  Over the summer I have been busy with many garden and household projects, but I have also been busy with some fun and interesting mail art projects. One of them is a "Ghost Correspondence" project that my friend Country Dirt proposed on his blog www.penpalling-dad.blogspot.com/. The Ghost Correspondence has nothing to do with the paranormal, it is about being the voice for real or fictitional people from a day long past, through writing letters.
  Troy and I are writing letters assuming the role of brother and sister in 1876. The brother is in Colorado, pulling freight from the Arkansas River up to Denver. The Colorado Territory had just been granted statehood and the railway was branching off of the transcontinental railway to make new inroads to fledgling settlements throughout the west.
  The sister lives in post-Civil War North Carolina. The "reconstruction" is continuing, and southerners are adjusting to the changes. The United States was celebrating it's first centennial in 1876. As the country recovered from the ravages of war both economically and physically, many new social issues were surfacing. Minority people groups, like the Native Americans, African Americans and women were struggling to have their plights understood and to gain recognition as citizens with the same rights and priviledges as the the white man. On a larger scale the year ushered in many new life changing inventions and innovations. The world at large was becoming a smaller place due to major advances in travel and communication.
  Within the 1876 historical framework, Troy and I will write letters in the style and vernacular of the day. We will share perspectives and do research to give the letters authenticity. I have just completed my response to his first letter and really enjoyed doing the research and composing the letter. Since he hasn't received it yet, I will not give the details, but once I know he has received it, I will post my letter to this blog.
  This project can be done in many variations, the sky is the limit on story lines and many characters can participate. I think once the garden demands slow down and I am caught up on my correspondence backlog I will put begin a larger project (theme yet to be determined...) and invite you all to play! For now, I will wish you all a good mail day and look forward to seeing you in the mail... circa 2011!

  Oh... I almost forgot! The Mail Art call...
 
  Since The end of summer is in sight and back to school is at hand, I thought it would be fun to have a mail art call. So here we go:

Mail Art Call

 "What I did this Summer".

Any size post card or envie

Deadline: September 5, 2011 

Design a piece (or pieces) of mail art illustrating your summer fun and send it to me at: 

Elle Mental

POB 535

       Waxhaw, N.C.

                  28173

  All mail art for this call should be marked with  "Summer Fun" somewhere on the piece so I will know it is for the mail art call. All contributions will be scanned and posted to the blog with credit to the mail artist and then archived on a static page collection on the sidebar. I will send a summer fun mail art piece of my making to each contributor. There will also be documentation sent to all contributors at the end of the call so please, put your mailing address on the mail art piece so I can put it in the documentation.

All rights remain with the artist, but submitting something titled "Summer Fun", will automatically permit me to post images of your artwork to my blog and any other promotions I may do for the mail art call . Each piece will be credited to the artist who sent it so make sure your put your name or moniker on your contribution.

   I am looking forward to seeing your contributions and sharing in your summer fun! 

Please feel free to post this mail art call in its entirety to your blog or mention it on your blog linking to www.artofaletter.blogspot.com

See you in the mail!

                                                                                
                                                        


                                    

A Lovely Morning and the Outgoing Mail

Tagg taking advantage of the open door.

  This morning I am enjoying a respite from the relentless heat of the past few weeks. Nothing has phased the smothering heat/humidity combination, not even the uncharacteristic daily rain that we have received. The rain just succeeded in adding to the swelter.  I was out this morning taking Tagg on his morning constitution when I felt a difference in the air, it was fresh and tangy, easy to take into the lungs. The "cut it with a knife", cloying humidity and oppressive heat heat had taken a morning off! So, in celebration of the moment,  I took my coffee to the family room, flung the back door wide and enjoyed the light breeze and fresh air while I prepared the photos for this blog entry.

The vegetable garden as viewed from the deck.

The gardens have had no complaints about the weather,
normally our summers are very hot and dry, no rain from June to August, except for an occasional downpour during a thunderstorm. So our gardens have to be watered. Our French Intensive raised beds have a deep mulch and 20+ years of compost to aid in water retention, but once the really hot dry weather is underway watering is inevitable. Not so this summer! I haven't had to drag the hose around the yard once. It has rained like clockwork every evening for an hour or two, that combined with the heat make for very happy plants, (and grass....), so I am taking my que from the gardens and trying to consider this weather a blessing.

Since so many of us are in and out of each others blogs, like good friends are in and out of each others houses, I have been waiting to post the photos of outgoing mail until the recipients have had a chance to receive it. That way it is still a surprise when my pen friends find my mail to them in the mailbox. So from now on I will be doing a monthly outgoing mail post, but I will try to post the incoming mail as soon as it comes in. Here is some of the outgoing mail from July, (I did  a no brainer and mailed the rest without taking pics first, again. Sorry).

  I will be posting the incoming mail tomorrow as well as the Mail Art call that I mentioned in my last post. For today, I am going to turn my attention to the lovely day and try to make the most of it. I hope that you are all getting a break from the heat and find snail mail  happiness in your mailbox! Until tomorrow, I'll see you in the mail!