Take a Class!

Hello everyone! I'm back from vacation, rested and ready to get back to work. I'll post some photos soon for you to see, but first I wanted to share some news. I will be be teaching classes through Leisure Learning Houston starting in July. These classes will be affordable and I'll be teaching you how do make some of the items I make and post right here.

The first class will be called Snail Mail Therapy and is a combo class. The first half of the class will be an art therapy session where you will create art cards from scratch that you can send as post cards. This is my favorite part of the class because we will be getting a bit messy and crazy! The second half will consist of creating your own artistamp, which is actual postage just like you get at the post office, as well as your own rubber stamp and you'll learn several ways to create personal and artistic pieces of mail.

The second class will be bookbinding. That's right, I'm going to teach you how to make books just like I do. You'll come with nothing and leave with a book handmade by you...from scratch!

So if you live in the Houston area and you are interested in joining a class, you can click on any of the links within this post or go to www.llu.com and sign up in the arts and crafts section. I hope to see you all there!

The "NO PINK!" baby book

I wanted to share a few photos with you guys of a book I just made for my friend Elizabeth. She wanted a baby book for a friend that is having a little girl, but she didn't want any pink. So, it was a bit of a challenge to figure out how to make a feminine baby book without pink. So, what is cute and cuddly and says baby girl and isn't pink? Birds...that's right, birds! Enjoy. (yes I know I am in great need of a manicure, hence the chipped nail polish. no wise cracks please!)

A Train Wreck

As some of you can tell my blog is somewhat disheveled at the moment. Some of the images originally used were lost. I don't know how or why this happened. I'm just trying to focus on what I can control in this situation. I'm doing my very best to get it back up and running in top shape again. This is gonna take me probably a week. Why? Well because I have to dig into code that I don't entirely understand to find the problem. Then after hours of doing this and not finding what I'm looking for I'll get frustrated.....swear...a whole lot....and then give up for the night, only to start again the next day. I've also lost posts that were sort of attached to the old code. Basically, I salvaged as much as I could and the rest is starting from scratch.

So cross your fingers, legs, toes, anything that you can cross, that I can fix this with minimal pain and swearing. See you soon with an update!

Crazy 3 weeks

I know I haven't written in what seems like forever. It has truly been a crazy couple of weeks here. We had two ice storms right after another and now a week later its so hot i went swimming today! So to update yall on what I've been doing I've got a few pics.

This is a fountain that froze over during our crazy week of cold here in Houston. This is about a block from the corner of Shepherd and Kirby.

Spring is here so I went to Sally's and bought enough supplies to give everyone in my apartment building a hardcore pedicure. Ok so...I got a little excited...but now I have pretty feet!I also started my spring herb garden. The only place I could find anyone that had gardening supplies already out was Walmart. God bless Walmart! The first picture is a grown rosemary plant. At first I thought they didn't any seeds so I bought the actual plant, only to get home and discover that I had indeed picked up rosemary seeds as well. So now I'll have enough rosemary to last me awhile. The second picture is my seeding greenhouse. In about 6 weeks I should have sage, lavender, dill, basil, and thyme!

This last picture is the packaging for my monogram stickers/envelope seals. These went to Italy. They come in a handmade envelope, wrapping in baker's twine and parchment paper.

In addition to all of this, we have also planned our cruise! We have decided that we will pick stops in the Cayman Islands, Jamaica, and Cozumel Mexico! All we need to do now is pick out our excursions. I'll post some of our options later and maybe yall can help us pick!

Letter folding

This past Monday I had off from work for MLK day so I decided to take a break from my work here at home too. I keep promising my friends that I'll send them some art mail, and I never get around to it. Too many excuses and a lot of laziness on my part is how nothing ever gets sent. So Monday seemed like a perfect to get started.

I wanted to send a letter they way they used before envelopes were used to send mail. A letter was written on a single page or two pages and then folded up to act as the letter and the

envelope. The address was written directly on the back of the paper containing the letter and was then sealed, usually with a personal seal, to ensure it would not be read by anyone else.

So I've done just that. I start with two plain pieces of paper. I busted out my markers that are collecting dust and drew all over the side that would have the address on it. Then I got busy writing my letter. Back in the day...yes again I'm referring to the days before we had email.....people wrote about the mundane. What happened during their normal daily routine? They passed along gossip, riddles,

and notes about small personal triumphs. These days we don't do that any more, do we? Something has to be important to warrant an email...and then..what about snail mail?! When is the last time you sent snail mail?

After finishing my letter the folding began. I used a simple letter fold which you can find here along with a few more complex folds. One end of my letter folds into the other end creating a closure or catch. Once my

letter was folded, I sealed it with sealing wax and a personal seal.

FInally the letter is ready for an address,

stamp (always make sure you have enough postage when you send any kind of mail art.....the more the better) and to be sent on its way.

To find vintage mail supplies and folds please see the links provided above in the article.

New Product Monday- January 17th

Did you miss the sneak peek earlier this week? No problem! Check out the newest items available from LPD.

Colors for the Custom Monogram Stickers/Envelope Seals

For some reason Artfire isn't accepting some of my photos in this particular listing. I've tried several different variations to get it to work...no success. So I am listing them here with the color options available and whole alphabet so you can get an idea of how each letter looks.

Enveloping

Watching 'Julie and Julia' and cutting out about a million envelope patterns. Watching a movie about a blog has inspired me to share more of the process of things that go on here on my sofa. Ok so...not everything that goes on on my sofa! But nevertheless, whether you want it or not, welcome to my process. The scissors have left imprints on my fingers....battle scars from a night of hard work. I've traced the patterns on paper from a role though. So as you can imagine...I'm cutting and its curling up and I'm trying to cut along the lines, and like a little kid of course I can't do it lol. I'm thinking....if only I had a machine to do this for me....but wait...no...that's what makes little guys special. I touched every single envelope (for better or worse!) and doing my best to make it look like it was a machine that did all the work. How ironic.

Another plus to cutting my own envelopes: the cats keep jumping into the scraps like they're a pile of leaves. They are having a blast.

Gummed Stamp Paper

Ask and you shall receive. Seriously....thank God for the internet. I don't know what I'd do without it sometimes. I'm looking to create some of my own Artistamps. These are stamps that can be posted on envelopes but cannot be used to pay actual postage. There is a whole subculture of artists that work with no other mediums but gummed stamp paper and a printer to create tiny works of art seen only by the postal service and the recipient. Some of these artists have even been suspected for federal fraud because their stamps so closely resemble real postal stamps issued by the US postal service. However, since creatingyour own Artistamps is becoming a more widely recognized form of art, there is no danger in creating your own....just make sure you also pay postage!

Click here to visit a site that specializes in tools, stamps,

and ....gummed stamp paper. Enjoy!

Current Projects for January

I wanted to share with yall some of the things I've been working on the past few weeks. Most of them will be available for purchase by the end of this week! I'm very excited...my brain has been buzzing with ideas and I haven't been able to turn it off!

20,000 Leagues: This is a set of cards with matching black envelopes.

Each print comes on an 8.5x11 sheet. Perfect for writing letters. Each page is about the thickness of a regular piece of notebook paper. This will make it easier to fold and fit into envelopes. Look for matching envelopes to come soon too!

These stickers are all customizable. The monogram letters will be available in a variety or bright colors and the crowns will come in muted colors. Each set will be available in a variety of quantities as well. You can ever mix and match if you like!