Mail Art Monday: Autumn Edition

Did September and October run past you as well? Mine ran past in a screaming blur of school, birthday parties and yard work. Here's what's been arriving in my postbox over the last few months.

In my postbox...

Dana also returned to mail art with a lovely Bert's Bees envelope stuffed full of nautical inspired goodies as well as items with watercolour washes. I am completely smitten with her recent photos of the Praying Mantis on her Echinacea. Aren't they amazing?!

Sarah has a knack for making small envelopes full of interesting ephemera. Her Daffodil drawing was an instant hit for me and the Aurora stickers were quickly confiscated by a certain princess obsessed wee little.

I was in a state of serious Olympic withdrawal when Jill's delightful package arrived and satisfied my British cravings. We are a Lego obsessed house and Jill sent us a Mr Bob Lego. Now I just have to think of an interesting photo shoot for this little guy.

Jessica continued our postcard exchange with an island predator scene. An interesting selection of new material for my turn was included along with some cool stickers and a clipping about my town.

I have several packages on their way to my friends and I'm putting the final touches on a couple more.  The next mail art post should be all about the happy mailboxes across the country and across the ocean.

jeannine

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Mail Art Monday: Summer Edition

I looked back on my last post and could barely believe that well over a month has past since I last wrote about mail art. What can I say other than the lure of warm weather and time spent in my garden or around beaches took me far away from my computer most days.

In their postbox...

Jill had sent me a few pieces from her side of the ocean and so I sent her pieces of my garden in return. I also tucked in a few pictures from my region along with paper a postcard and a few more lovely chickens.

Sarah received a few photos from my visits (or time living in) BC, Nova Scotia & Ontario along with a few Canadian stamps. A petal from my garden, watercolour pieces and handmade stickers were tucked inside with a local postcard.

I returned Belinda's watercolour card with my fish drawings. The white circles reminded me of bubbles and so a few goldfish popped into mind when I started sketching. I returned the favour with a watercolour sheet of my own along with some handmade stickers, petals, a butterfly sticker and the twenty cents I owed her son for his lovely drawing.

Thankfully, the postcard I made for Jessica turned up while she was unpacking after her recent move.
This time I drew a fan on a scrap of paper and cut triangles out of the paper she supplied to create a colourful breeze cooling the air.

In my postbox...

Barbara spoiled me rotten with two lovely packages this summer. The first was sent during her summer holiday and included a sketch, a gorgeous flower photo, British Columbia paper clippings and the most delightful sprout bookmarks.

Barbara's second amazing package was all about waffles! My family has a tradition of having homemade waffles every Saturday morning. Not only did she create an adorable waffle pop-out illustration with a my very own logo, she went so far as to show me pictures of her own waffles... that she used for printmaking! I'm also assuming she saved some to eat.

Kimi sent me pieces of the Arthouse Sketchbook tour to me with her latest package. She was kind enough to check out my sketchbook while she was visiting (and nicking their paper ephemera for me). A print of a recent colourful and happy painting as well as a clipping of a sweet anchor dress were also included. If I ever came across this dress, I'd have a hard time passing it up!

I'm hoping that I'll post about mail art a little more often than seasonally in the coming months. The idea of spending a few hours tucked in my studio on a cool rainy day sounds like the perfect fall day.

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Mail Art Monday: A Three Week Surplus

What happens when I wait three weeks, rather than two, to post about mail art? I play catch up with an enormous post!

In their postbox...

Belinda received another colourful package which included art prints, stamped sheets made with cork stamps, paper ephemera, stamps, stickers and a few prints from my first arthouse sketchbook.

Catherine recently had her first child. I rifled through my collections and found a few paper bits that had images of a mother and child. I also included a few of my art prints, stickers and some Canadian stamps.

For my next package to Sarah, I changed things up a little and sent her mail art supplies along with a letter. Several sheets of colourful stickers and a few sheets of my kozo washi paper were tucked inside a handmade envelope.

Barbara has been sending me beautiful drawings of flowers and this time I returned the favour with a poppy painted using gouache on canvas paper and a columbine with watercolour. I pressed a small flower from our yard (a buttercup, perhaps?) and found a couple of flower postage stamps. I was finally able to print some of my photographs so I tucked those in along with washi paper, watercolour circles and a bumble bee sticker.

In my postbox...

Jessica's next postcard arrived along with a new set of material for my reply. Her nifty envelope included mini scrabble letters affixed near the address. I'm nearly finished her reply and should be able to send it off this week.

Jill's delightful package arrived with a bit of the ocean tucked inside. A piece of pottery with smooth corners, a full, tiny shell and pieces of another shell were all tightly wrapped inside a small envelope with a ribbon. Postcards, stamps, stickers, paper ephemera and drawings were also included. I will have to go on a beach combing trip to find a few small bits from my side of the pond for my reply.

Sarah is featured again! Her royal-themed package arrived in a flash. Upon opening the union jack envelope, I was greeted by a personalized, engraved jubilee medal. This girl is crazy generous. The whole family is a big fan of Wallace & Gromit and, frankly I'm a fan of the royals in general, so this package was an all around hit.

Gardening seems to be at a manageable level these days. I'm going to squirrel away a few hours this week to work on mail art, a new painting and a very exciting trade. What are you up to?

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Mail Art Monday: Decorated Envelopes

This warm, sunny weather has found me spending most of my free time outside either gardening or playing with the kids. I will be making these mail art posts biweekly for the summer so they'll each be substantial and I get a bit less screen time.

in their mailbox...

Jessica received my first postcard reply this week. I'm not thoroughly satisfied with my first contribution but I am enjoying pushing my comfort zone and the surprises that arise. This card came with a story about fishing in northern Saskatchewan with my family. There was a rush of excitement when I'd catch one but I couldn't help feeling guilty when it was on its way to be cleaned for dinner.

I also included a collection of clippings, paper and circles for her reply.

in my postbox...

Sarah may have set a record for the fastest overseas reply (in fact, she mentioned it was only three days!). I was surprised and delighted to see a sewn envelope with a nautical scene painted on one side and a small pocket with a bundle of paper ephemera on the other.

When I originally signed up for the orphaned postcard project I requested three postcards. In my first reply from Post Muse I learned that two of them had already found a home. After sending off my first card I requested two more which arrived this week. A Portage & Main city of Winnipeg card (my birth city) and a Brugge card.

Barbara has also found herself spending most of her spare time in the garden. To my benefit (and great delight) she found time to put together a wonderful package which, once again, spoiled me rotten. The envelope was decorated with a beautiful flower and inside I found a colourful collection of ephemera, stickers, paper, prints and stamps. Along with lettuce seeds, she also included a helpful clipping on how to keep those pesky cats from leaving 'deposits' in your garden. I had ungraciously announced that I hoped our neighbourhood cougars would eat our unwelcome feline visitor. These tips seem to be a much more humane approach.

Since my heart seems to be in the yard rather than the studio lately, perhaps I'll bring some elements of my garden into my next round of mail art replies.

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Mail Art Monday: Colour and Postcards

This week had a colourful package arrive to a dear friend. My first collaborative postcard and a small surprise arrived in my mailbox.

In their postbox...

Kye received the most colourful package I could gather together. I enlisted the help of my minions children to paint some cards as a thank you for the little mail art bags that Kye sent to them. I decorated a couple of small envelopes to match and tucked then inside a larger envelope with prints, stamps and clippings.

In my postbox...

The first postcard in our new exchange arrived in an intimidating timeline. Jessica's first piece shows a masterful use of materials, balance and restraint. The words on the card read "you and I the entire species represented in paintings". Lovely, right?

Her package also included a wealth of ephemera including clippings, stickers and string for my contribution.

I have been working on her reply and it appears that I may need a few rounds to get my collage kinks out. I don't seem to have Jessica's talent for balance and restraint. The fact that it makes me a little uncomfortable is a good thing. It's a challenge and it's making me push my limits a little.

Catherine put together a delightful collection of items shortly before welcoming her first child into the world. Along with pictures of boats and sheep, she included a card with her first repeating pattern.

 
My orphaned postcard from Post Muse arrived this week to my surprise and delight. I sent her an email in September and had long since settled on my email being lost along the way. This fountain in NYC holds a special memory for my husband and I. We visited the fountain on one of our two trips to New York in the Fall. On this occasion I didn't feel like battling any crowds and we spent two glorious days walking through all of central park.

 
This next week will be a mix of mail art, scanning and mailing my Limited Edition Sketchbook, and lots of gardening, if the weather permits. What are your plans?

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Mail Art Monday: Changes and Bowl Cuts

After a nice, but exhausting Easter long weekend I took a small break in my mail art posts. I'm back to normal today with a couple of great packages.

In their postbox...

I was inspired by a postcard Jessica created and decided to change our mail art exchange. I gathered a collection of odds and ends and wrote a short list of rules. A 5x7 card of any material is sent along with a selection of goodies. We are allowed 3 extras of any sort but glue is a freebie. We will send the finished postcard as well as another collection of bits back.

It turns out that this past week marked the first full year that Jessica and I have been exchanging mail art. How appropriate that on this week I change our correspondence! Perhaps we'll keep this theme for a year.

In my postbox...

Emily replied to my 'hugging' skunk envelope with a sweet kissing fish package. Inside I found a eclectic array of paper ephemera. A hello fishie card greeting me while the bright blue puff fell on my toes as I opened the envelope. I giggled at the 80s haircut (one that I may have had in my youth) in the teeth brushing picture and gazed at the moments captured in the night sky picture and dinosaur costume postcard.

One of my favourite things about mail art exchanges is seeing the paper different types of paper ephemera. Old book pages, new-to-me magazine clippings, packaging, etc. If you exchange mail art, what's your favourite part?

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Mail Art Monday: A Happy Bee

Jessica's letter arrived in a see-through envelope revealing a very happy bumble bee notebook. The rest of the delightful contents included a fox pin, an oval map sticker, architecture and holographic Animorphs trading cards, map and garden clippings and a new hunk. I smell a hunk exchange underway. One of her bird business cards and a typed postcard were the last bits. It should be noted that Jessica's package arrived so quickly I almost think she popped it into the mail the moment my last reply arrived in her mailbox.

Jessica has a jewelry blowout sale happening until March 18th at her shop. I sent one of her feather necklaces as a Christmas gift and can highly recommend them. Hurry...

The incredibly generous Kye sent me a large package full of ships and a necklace! In our exchanges she always includes a little something for my girls and this time there was a small package full of neat bits for each of my daughters. They were delighted to have interesting little gifts for no reason at all. Kye's reply package will most definitely include some handmade kids art thank you cards.

Inside the brown paper package, which was adorned with a Green Lantern stamp, I discovered two ship postcards and a boat card, a full deck of boat playing cards, a necklace nestled in a seal pup box, stickers, postcards and a vintage clipping. A personal letter on her custom card revealed some struggles she is going through at the moment. I'll be sending positive vibes and healing thoughts in the coming weeks. I'm looking forward to Kye being back at 100% as soon as she can!

Speaking of jewelry and shops, Kye has her own Etsy shop chock-full of some unique creations.

... J

Mail Art Monday: Prints and Ephemera

This week saw three packages arrive to their new homes. Two in Canada and one in the UK.

Barbara received a handmade envelope with a map of British Columbia from an old atlas. Inside she found several prints of my recent work such as my washi paper sketches and a test print of my Coneflower silhouette. Since Barbara sent me original prints and a page from her sketchbook, I sent her several small prints of my college work and dug up some college sketchbook pieces. A few clippings of gardens and flowers as well as stickers and bits of ephemera rounded out my first reply.

Barbara wrote a lovely post about my package. I'm so happy to hear how much she enjoyed my envelopes inside of envelopes.


Catherine received a letter full of Canadian ephemera. She lives in the UK and I thought she might enjoy a Sooke postcard, Canadian stamps and a cover of a Parks Canada stamp set. I also included a few prints of my recent work as well as stickers and a card.

I've mentioned this before, but I love to send Rhya random bits of ephemera to see how she might use them in her journal. This time I filled a small handmade envelope with circle punches from scrap pieces of paper around my studio as well as a few stamps and an anchor punch. Inside a robot envelope (made from an IKEA catalogue page) I put several small prints of my washi paintings and some leftover embroidery floss. A print of a colourful sketchbook page and a clipping of a gorgeous tandem bike finished off the package.

Jessica received a varied assortment of prints and clippings inside another British Columbia atlas envelope. A few of my printmaking prints from college, a skull, polar bear, cougar, Roughrider, photography and 'young loaf' clipping were included along with stamps, a washi paper heart print and a bright postcard I received from Carol Whitley.

This week should see a few more packages arriving and I'll put the finishing touches on a few more.

... J

Mail Art Monday: Sailing Ships and Sailor-Moon

Anna Jane Searle spoiled me with a surprise package, perfectly contained inside a handmade map envelope. Inside, there was a ship image with gold foil, a Victorian decoupage set, book pages, all sorts of neat bits of paper ephemera, stamps, stickers, and a set of her handmade buttons. Anna just opened a new shop for her handmade buttons. Take a peek!

Jessica Gowling also surprised me with a Sailor Moon Valentine. In college I was often called Jeannine Saylor-Moon. Actually, it was usually uttered "Jeannine Saylor-MOOOOOOOOON!!!" and it was perhaps after a few too many beverages.

... J

Mail Art Monday: Royals and Originals

Two wonderful and generous packages arrived this week. Each one was as lovely and unique as the sender.

Jessica Gowling sealed her royal adorned envelope with washi tape and clear instructions NOT to tear open, but to gently peel the tape. Inside I found medical book pages, a bee pattern print, the most adorable hippo and giraffe family cards, map stickers, a hand-typed letter and some additional washi tape. As always, Jessica chose a pair of cool stamps from her epic collection.

A sweet collection of goodies

The envelope was actually a Charles & Diana fold-out sheet with a plethora of classic 80s style and imagery. Ah, the fuzzy portraits, puffed sleeves and awkward poses. The best discovery would have to be the blue polka-dot dress which included a large, matching hair bow of a lady in waiting (perhaps?) adjusting Diana's train. 

Royal Nostalgia Bonanza!

I recently met Barbara Wanhill and we agreed to exchange mail art. I feel a tad overwhelmed by the beautiful items and her insane generosity! Upon opening the envelope I found two gorgeous bee photos, several colourful insect stamps, a watercolour specimen and several sets of prints!

I audibly ooo'd at the bee photos

A set of seeds, stickers and tea were accompanied by a sheet from a sketchbook of a coffee cup I recognize from the area. A very sweet letter on Bee stationery was included and, I must say, teachers have the world's best handwriting! I feel inspired to poke around some of my old sketchbooks to see if there are any gems I'd like to send her way in return.

Original prints!

Barbara and I connected via Jessica so it's just perfect that I received a package from both of these wonderful ladies in the same week. I hope Jessica knows that she's brought a lot of happiness to so many people. Not only by our contact with the outgoing girl herself, but by making connections to so many other thoughtful and creative individuals.

... J

Mail Art Monday: Astronomy and Owls

Catherine Stone may have set the record for the fastest overseas reply. I could have sworn she only just received my package when a brown envelope full of astronomy and stamp goodies arrived in my mail box. Catherine set me several beautiful stamps including a heart shape and moose, not to mention a book page with several more examples. A small sheep print, a pin and postcard were included along with several solar system clippings and cards.

Sometimes when I go through magazines there are certain things that scream out someone's name. In this case, the Canada Geese clipping jumped up and shook me while yelling "Jessica Gowling." My Mail Art mentor, Jessica, received my owl envelope this week. It was stuffed with a lure watercolour print, an owl clipping, a letter on brown paper, several magazine clippings including a t-shirt with a "F-cking Awesome" print, a circle garland and a hunk reply. I've noticed that I have several visits to my site under the "70s man hunks" search term. Whether the individual is sweetly surprised by this or disappointed is a mystery to me. Ha!

On that note, I'd love to know the strangest search term that has been used to visit your site. Let me know in the comments!!

... J

Mail Art Monday: Stickers and Stamps

I love to send Rhya items that I think she can use in her journal. I created some handmade stickers on a sheet of blank, white labels and included some colourful dot and star sheets as well as a gold alphabet sheet. She recently sent me a link to her wonderful journal page on Instagram. I also sent along a Christmas card a dinosaur watercolour print and a note in a shells card.

I'm so happy to hear that Jessica is back to work on mail art! My lucky mailbox was blessed with an ornate envelope that included the perfect nautical and bumble bee stamps as well as stickers. She must have the best stamp stash ever! Inside was a collection of ships, stickers, a magazine clipping, and a note using her new typewriter. A cardinal card was slightly bittersweet as I am missing the little guys this winter. While we have some pretty amazing birds on the island, cardinals don't seem to want to venture this far north on the west coast.

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If you're interested in exchanging mail art, send me an email at saylormade at gmail dot com or a message on my twitter.