Mail Art from Jessica Gowling

Jessica was super quick in replying to my last package to her, however I have not been super quick in blogging about her lovely package (or in putting together a reply for that matter!). The envelope included a typed note, postcards, stickers and some sand and a seashell from a recent holiday. Unfortunately the shell didn't survive the trip, but everything else did! I am especially fond of the deer postcard and the blue patterned circle (which is actually a round playing card, very cool!). 

ps. If you haven't checked out Jessica's Etsy shop 'Nature's My Friend' lately go have a look. She's been on a major makeover mission and has come up with something pretty special. Wonderful photos that complement her products and make a clear statement about her 'brand' - an inspiration to any of us selling online, I think!

Mail Art from Saylor Made

Running a little bit behind with my mail art posts... Here's a wonderful reply I received from Jeannine of Saylor Made a little while ago. She always puts together such thoughtful packages. I especially loved the two handmade mini envelopes - isn't the origami paper just gorgeous? The camera watercolour is fantastic too; I love the juxtaposition of man made and organic, of precise and random.

(ps. Notice the Korean masking tape on the envelope in the photo above? That's because it was opened! I wander what Mr Postman and/or Mrs Customs Official thought of it all?)

In other news - I'm planning some time to work on this months 'Collecting Colour' collection tomorrow. The theme is white which I'm finding a little intimidating! I've got a few ideas as to how to tackle it, so we'll see how it all goes. Will you be playing along this month?

Kickstarter is Ace : Part Two

Back in this post I mentioned that Kickstarter is ace because not only do you get to play a role in making great ideas become a reality, you also get things in the mail! Really very cool things too! Here's a bunch of things that have landed in my mailbox over the past few months, all from Kickstarter projects I've backed in the past half year or so. 

First up is the very ace 'Intergalactiphant' from Bunny With A Toolbelt's Elephabet project. He is every bit as great in real life as you'd think. The rather exciting news is that there's an Arfabet project kicking off soon, and I imagine there'll be a fair few doxies up for grabs!

I love card games, so Creatures grabbed my eye - I haven't played it yet but it looks like a lot of fun and I really love the drawings and design, it has a kind of retro look don't you think? The aim of the game is to create creatures with your cards and battle it out in a survival of the fittest type scenario. 

And lastly, I think I mentioned before that I'm a sucker for a documentary and Death in Arizona seemed an incredibly poignant project to back. I knew nothing about director Tim Dirdamal at the time, but his video for the project - which documents a year of heart break in Bolivia - was beautiful, bleak and captivating. Part of the reward for this project is a set of striking block prints made by Tim's mother, they are quite stunning.

Kickstarter is Ace

I know I've mentioned Kickstarter before but here's the thing - it really is ace!  Because I've realised that not only do you get to back and spruik projects you love (thereby playing a role in making them actually happen), and not only do you get that warm and fuzzy glow that comes from doing whatever you're able to do to help someone else and make them happy, but you also get things!  Real, actual, super special things!

A few months ago I backed a bunch of projects, felt happy about their success and then kind of forgot about them.  But then a bunch of things arrived in my mail box - awesome things no less!  

Up top is a set of gorgeous recipe cards from the Oma and Bella project.  I backed Oma and Bella because I am a sucker for documentaries, and I love the story of hardship and friendship and recipes and really loud floral clothing that it hopes to tell.

Then down below is a bunch of awesome from Regretsy's Big Book of Fabricated Folktales from Finland project.  Yep, I helped fund April's visit to Finland.  And why not?  

Regretsy has given me so much joy over the years - as much as I adore Etsy it does all get a bit 'put a bird on it' at times, and Regretsy is the perfect antidote to that.  And contrary to popular opinion Regretsy has a big, happy heart at it's center (like all the best things do).  Also, after finally reading the Regretsy book, I think April may be one of the smartest young women on the planet.  There's something very honest and true behind all the shenanigans.  Plus, I got a woven badge with a Finnish swear word on it, hurrah!

Mail art to Kimi Kobashi

Quite some time ago I sent my second ever mail art package out to the gorgeous Kimi and now I am finally blogging about it!  I had emailed Kimi beforehand to get some ideas as to what she might like, and the result was a package that combined three themes - femininity, fashion and Seoul life.

I included a fair few magazine clippings (including some from the rather whacky Cracker Your Wardrobe), some postcards and gift tags made from a gorgeous page I found in Paper magazine, and three little envelopes with various bits of Korean-ness in them (including scraps of beautiful handmade Korean paper).  But my favourite thing to make and send was the accordian book which you can see in the top photo.

ps. If you want to see Kimi's ridiculously cute rabbit checking out the package I sent, have a look here.

Mail Art from Saylor Made (+ one minor panic attack)

Holy cow my mail box has been happy of late.  First there was the stack of handmade greeting cards, then two dresses that I can see myself living in all winter from lyptis, then a package from my Mum which included two bags of twisties, a great book and a cute doxie card.  And now a mail art reply from Saylor Made!  Hurrah!

My favourite part?  That would have to be the handmade envelope featuring two skunks 'hugging' (wonder what Mr Postman thought of that?).  Followed closely by the three mini envelopes, each with little treasures in side.  Consider the envelope-within-an-envelope idea 'borrowed', Ms Made!

On a completely unrelated topic, I'm writing this from the sterile confines of Incheon Airport, where I'm being tortured with muzak versions of 'Bridge Over Troubled Water' while waiting for my flight to Hong Kong.  

I'm about to embark on a somewhat crazy trip, which goes a little something like this: Seoul, Hong Kong, Melbourne, Geelong, Melbourne, Sydney, Jenolan Caves (near the Blue Mountains), Sydney, Melbourne, Seoul.  And in all that madness I'm going to be seeing the Nick Cave tibute concert; avoiding being gored by a rhino; celebrating my Dad's birthday; having an early xmas dinner where my family will meet some of my husband's family for the very first time ever (including, quite possibly, the husband's ex-wife); hosting a weekend away with us, our friends, my Mum, my Step-dad, my sister and nephews...all in 10 short days.  

Excuse me while I go and breath heavily in to a paper bag.

Handmade Card Bonanza!

I think I may have mentioned this before, perhaps once or twice or possibly more, but the Etsy Greetings Team really is very ace.  Team member Susan, from Killam Creative, recently organised a card swap amongst the team and so it was that my mail box had a bit of a handmade card bonanza the other day.  I think these pretties just might be playing a role in my 52 Weeks of Mail!

  1. Unflappable Productions   2. AJ's Designs   3. Elves in the Attic   4.WyNotArts   5. PaperMoon's Designs

Mail art to Saylor Made

Last week I wrote about the lovely mail art package I received from Saylor Made.  Well, I now know my reply has made it to her safe and sound so I can show you now as well!  I sent her a package themed around blue, birds and maps - three things that I spy on her blog and in her art on a regular basis, so I hoped it was all to her taste.

The package included: some mini bunting I made from street maps of Hong Kong and Korea; a print of one of my favourite photos from our recent visit to Dubrovnik; some 'Jorpins' owl stickers; a cut out of a seagull from a Korean magazine (a Busan seagull, no less!); three notecards featuring bird pictures from an old 'Book of How'; plus a few other bits and bobs.  You can see more on Saylor Made's blog here.

Mail art from Saylor Made

Look!  This is the amazing mail art package I recently received from Saylor Made - isn't it all kinds of wonderful?  I really love the way all the bits hang together so nicely, and I especially like the gorgeous floaty fleeting watercolours.

She included: a 'bonjour note card (with a lovely note!); two gorgeous water colour prints; a magazine clipping of some wintery red berries in a hand drawn frame ('for the birds'); a print of some of her favourite stamps (love this, great idea that I just might pinch...); an etching of a maple leaf from her nature collection; googly eyes; my initials in fuzzy felt; and last but most definitely not least - a 'blarg' print, which I can very much relate too.  All encased in a handmade envelope of perfection:

I am itching to show you my reply, but I'll hold off until I know my package has been received.  To be continued...

Creative Collective Snail Mail Swap

What seems like a lifetime ago I took part in the Creative Collective Snail Mail Swap and I'm so glad I did because I got some really wonderful goodies!  A bit late but here's a little peak at the packages that made their way to Seoul.

First up, from the always amazing 74 Lime Lane a gorgeous collection of prints and other papery goodness.  I'd actually spied Kellie's post about her snail pail packages, and had left a comment saying I really hoped I was one of her swap partners, turns out I was!  So yes, I was pretty excited to pick this envelope out of the mail box.

And then there was this package of perfection from the mysterious Nancy.  A gorgeous hand written note, the best little notebook ever, cute envelope decorations, plus polka-dots - I adore every bit of it!  

Being part of this swap and soaking in the wonder of Saylor Made's Mail Art Monday posts has made me greedy for more!  There is so much thought and care taken with all of these wonderful packages, and I am absolutely brimming with ideas for more snail mail goodness, so please - if you are keen to start a mail art 'conversation' do get in touch.

ps. This month the Creative Collective project is all about photography - are you joining in?  I am rapidly running out of time but I do have a little something to contribute, if I can pull it together by the end of the month that is...

ps. I'd also like to say a great big heartfelt thanks for all your kind and thoughtful words over the past few weeks.  I've truly appreciated each and every one of them.  It really makes all this blogging and tweeting and on-line connecting mean so much more, so thank you.

Super Stationery Swap Surprise!

A little while ago I signed up for the Calico & Co Stationery swap.  It was organised by the fabulous (I think I use that word way too much, but I always mean it, I do!) Amanda Fuller who, by the way, has just launched her own fresh stationery line (you can have a look at her Etsy shop here).  Amanda has got to be the best swap host I have ever encountered, seriously - she gives great information and clearly cares about every participant and wants them to have a fabulous swap.

So the other day I was a wee bit excited when my swap package from the wonderfully talented (I'd say fabulously talented, but I'm rationing myself here...) Melinda arrived.  Melinda has her own line of fabric greeting cards (under the lovely name 'Here We Go Loopy Lou') and I am now the lucky owner of some!  I adore them!

Hello Inside Out!

I am a certified magazine junkie.  Love them, collect them, tear pages out them, get inspired by them.

I've mentioned before that good cheese is rather pricey in Korea - well, compared to English language magazines, cheese is a bargain!  You can pay over AUD$20 for a stock standard fashion mag from the US here - yikes!  The good thing is that this has prompted me to get organised and set up subscriptions to some of my favourite Australian magazines - AGT, Frankie and Inside Out.

And it was a rather lovely treat to get the September/October issue of Inside Out in my mailbox and see my ridiculously talented sister featured!  Being on the other side of the world I can feel a bit isolated from my friends and family back in Oz, so something like this - complete with beautiful photos - is a nice little connector for me, and strangely reassuring.

I am the younger sister, and like all younger siblings I'm sure I was a total pain at times growing up.  I went through jealous phases and uncertain phases and my gosh - sometimes the fights we had were just so brutal...

But, despite all that, I think we have always been close.  And although having families of our own and living on opposite sides of the world makes it hard to always find that common ground, that link, I think we still do try to find it.  And that is so very important.

I was always in awe of my sister's creativity and talent growing up, and I still am.  Especially now she does it all with two children and a million distractions (including emails from me asking for blog banners and the like!).  Always inspiring.  In fact, seeing the photos of her house has inspired me to play around with some of my collections and displays - to play with size and scale a little more.  I might even do a post on it!  x

  

[you can see more from the article on Beci Orpin here, and also on her blog here]

Little Clouds = Awesome

If you haven't guessed already, I love getting things in the mail.  And I love buying stuff on Etsy.  And yesterday I got a package from an Etsy seller that was so full of ace, it made me squeal a little.

If you haven't visited the Etsy shop of awesome that is little clouds yet, you should. Go have look, ok?  Her stuff is fresh and fun and fabulously well made.  I really love the tea bag pin cushion, and the travelers notebook too, don't you?

And yes!  That is a yawning cat wearing leg warmers on the envelope. Awesome, no?

ps. And she has a lovely blog too!

ps. Oh, and anyone who tells me I'm cool gets a blog post written about them. Promise.

Meet Me At Mikes: The Envelope Project

 

Have you heard about the most awesome Envelope Project that Pip is running over at Meet Me At Mikes? 

Basically you take an envelope, decorate it, stuff it with bits and bobs and post it to Pip.  The envelopes will be used in the window displays at Meet Me At Mikes, and some lucky person will also win all the goodies inside all the envelopes!  

 

Here is a look at the envelope I'll be posting today - I've filled it with lots of fun paper craft stuff, some photos of my dogs (taken with my new toy - a Fujifilm Instax mini!), pretty envelopes and note paper and a few other random things.  

Due to the vagaries of the Korean postal system I have to put my decorated envelope inside another envelope - hope you don't mind Pip!

The Envelope Project is simple easy fun - you should join too!