Mail Art Monday: Elephants, Maps & Constellations

I was very fortunate to have some fantastic packages arrive this week. Let's get straight to them!

INCOMING

Michelle Ashton's envelope full of goodies arrived with the most adorable stamp on it. Thomas the Tank Engine!! This stamp is a stamp of a very sour looking Gordon. Notice how I placed the stamp so he looks as though he's checking out the adorable mini rubber elephant? If Gordon could see the elephant in person I know he'd stop pouting. I love this little guy and have him sitting on my desk by my mug of pens.

Also included in the envelope was another great postcard, this time with a few animal stickers which makes it look as though they're taking over the castle. There was a cat drawing piece that is a mixed media and some of the process involved bleach on tissue paper. I'm really intrigued by this process. I've bookmarked a few sites involving bleach on thick coloured card stock, but have never tried my hand at it. Perhaps I'll give it a try soon.

A map, ticket, a vintage building sticker and map stickers rounded out the package. Oh, cheeky elephant, walking through my shot. Bit of a camera hog, isn't he?


Katie Whittingham replied to my package with an envelope adorned with maps (squee! I love maps!!). Inside was a map garland (double squee), a tag with a typed "I wanted to tell you..." message with butterflies, a key drawn on fabric, a response to my button swap with a neutral colour mix, a lovely personal letter and a pink mountains clipping. I also received a lovely bug illustration which reminds me of a few things. First, of my dear friend's bug illustrations and also that I should comb through my sketchbooks and bring some new life to sketches that are tucked away. Perhaps copies sent via mail art would be nice. Lastly, a bag of Pukka tea which I am sipping on as I write this post. It's lovely.

Both Sumi and Katie have typewriters and I remembered my parents had one or two hanging around. I inquired but alas, I waited too long and they are off to another lucky soul.


I haven't received notification that my final Creative Collective Swap envelope arrived. This last one had less of a distance to travel than the other two so I'm hoping that the recipient has simply forgotten to record the arrival and it's not lost. Maybe Murphy's Law will kick in and once I post this, it will arrive.

For Elle Roberts

This was one of my favourite packages. I LOVED the envelope page and had a hard time parting with it. It was a page from my German atlas but this time it was of the constellations, rather than a map. I went with that theme and included some space stickers. I also really loved the cork stamp sheet on the kraft paper. The dark red colour worked well on the natural paper and the pattern has a nice balance.


Surprisingly, there were no arrivals this week so while my mailbox was full and happy I also generated a large to-do list of responses. That's ok. I'm having a really great time finding items and putting together packages.

... J