FEB to Janet - brown series - USPS 24-hr PO

 It was tempting to add something to this - and it sat on my desk for a couple days and then it went to the post office. I used a Sharpie marker - one of the big chisel tipped ones. Hopefully the address was bold enough for the scanners to read it. On all the brown envelopes I put a white sticker with the recipients address on the back rather than my own return address.

Immediately after doing this one, I reminded myself that lower case letters seem to be more pleasing. So, the next one in this series will show some improvement both in the lettering as well as filling in the background in a way that was inspired by Nina Tran. This one was not inspired by Nina Tran - it's just the versal shapes that are stuck in my head

Brace yourselves for a whole series of envelopes without much variation. I might switch to scheduling posts where I alternate between the ones that arrive and the ones I send. 

***

LINK to the largest 24 hr post office

This post office is gorgeous. If you have time, the comments that people left are interesting. My travel-to-NYC days are over -- unless one of my boys gets married and has a wedding there - and that would be a very unlikely happening.

And if you have even more time -- there are many other fun posts.

FEB to Amy - Not a graduate of Sticks

 

This one needed something else but I never figured out what. I was inspired by Nina Tran's work. She calls her style Sketchy Stunt Roman. Clearly, that pattern of straight lines would have been perfect with this stamp - but - I had not planned out how the February envelopes were going to go, so we ended up with a pitiful hodgepodge.

***

I saw this at the Staff Exhibition at the museum in. my back yard. I thought the person might have worked at Sticks prior to working at the museum - so I enquired - and nope, she did not. Jenny Mally is her name and she has a website and Etsy shop. She actually started painting in this whimsical style back in the 20th century at the same time that Sticks was just starting - so, it's a whimsical, naive style - and it might be the inspiration for my March envelopes.

Here is a link to her Etsy shop

LINK to Jennifer's Etsy. shop

FEB to Troy - History of Sticks

Troy received something kookie in February. I thought it was festive and might remind him that we enjoyed his report on Mardi Gras last year. Since it's coming up - maybe he'll have some more fun stories. This is a vellum envelope and I had spent way too much time coloring in parts of the paper but I never had a stamp that looked right - until I spotted the green knot. 

***

Continuing the story about the faux-Sticks project...

I should probably give Sarah a shout out for featuring her company - so, "Hey, Sarah." You can read about how she launched the company here:

LINK to history of Sticks

When Sarah started out selling painted wooden angels and chess sets in a folk art style, she was a young mom with three little kids. Our paths crossed at the schools our kids went to as well as the art museum where we both taught. Sarah's business really took off and I know she had to take people to court (all over the country) for appropriating her style and selling knock offs at art fairs. 

The business grew by leaps and bounds and she was able to design and build a custom factory for production of the pieces - which grew into custom furniture and a whole lot more. They can design. entire rooms and one of the pediatric wards here in DSM is all *Sticks.* 

The Sticks *factory* includes a pretty atrium that they rents out for events. They employs a lot of young *starving artists* who are fresh out of school and need to pay rent. I'm not sure sir they still do this - but at one time working at Sitcks included a free lunch every day - made in the kitchen at the new building.

Within the past ten years, at least one of Sarah's daughters has moved into the role of managing the business. I often call Sticks - *the MacKenzie-Childs of wood* - even though MacKenzie-Childs has wooden furniture. M-C is a larger company with manufacturing in several places. The tiles are made in Mexico. All of Sticks is made right here in DSM - and sold in high end shops around the country.

So, Sarah, if you are reading this - my friend who wanted something along the lines of your growth chart did not want it to look exactly like a Sticks piece and hers is different enough that I don't think anyone will mistake it for a Sticks piece.

I did notice that there is a second style of growth chart that has the ruler running up the center and a series of peg holes - so you move the peg up as the kid grows. But there is no space to record the height. I came up with the idea of making a little metal plate each year and tacking it to the board. I think that will be very cool. You can buy a set of metal embossing things (dies?) to make the metal plate or tag.

FEB to Kate - Knock it Off

 

Here's an idea that failed. That is not the stamp that was supposed to be paired with the lettering. However, the intended stamp would not have saved it. I tried colored pencil.  Epic fail. I pondered layering something else - and didn't want to make it worse. My new plan of attack is to allow myself two days to get my exchange envelopes done and then I have to get back to the master To-Do list. Below is one of the things on my list. I don't want anyone to think that I only allow myself 2 days of creativity per month.

***

Many years ago, I wanted to open studio where I taught people how to knock off their own versions of whatever they wanted but for a variety of reasons could not just buy off the rack so to speak. I was mostly thinking of artwork - and maybe a little sculpture - depending on what it was. Of course, I couldn't participate in the knocking off - I would just consult with how to mimic styles and figure out the materials and methods. And people would have to understand that they were only knocking things off for their own enjoyment - no selling of knockoffs.

Last summer I had that sign project that I shared where a friend wanted a sign for his garden and he already had one of the Painted Peace signs - so we created something that was inspired by those signs. Obviously, all my work at copying the motifs was donated. I didn't charge for anything and I explained to the friend that it is only OK to do this if you are doing it for your own back yard. 

I enjoyed coming up with the drawing and he was so happy to paint it in on his own.

So, flash forward to Feb 1st when I dropped in to admire a friend's granddaughter. The friend and I met during the nursery school years when our 44 year old daughters were 4. The girls are still friends and our 40 year old sons are still friends as well. We were Odyssey of the Mind coaches and went to world finals twice - so we both know our way around crafty stuff.

The granddaughter would be celebrating her first birthday on Feb 26 and the grandma wanted to make something a bit like this Sticks growth chart. Sticks is a local company so I've seen a lot of their original work. They employ local artists and craftsmen to transfer designs, wood burn the lines, paint in the design beautifully and seal it perfectly. The amount and quality of the hand work is reflected in the price. 

This growth chart is 7' tall and 12" wide - and costs $1,080. They suggest that you record the height of the kid with a ballpoint pen or a permanent marker - which they specify is *not included.*

The sign is 7 feet tall and that space for the writing is 4" wide - and I can't imagine why you would want to devote that amount of space to writing in the numbers unless you could match the style. Even though the lettering looks like a first grader did it - there are a lot of things to know about achieving that naive look.

This is getting too long. More tomorrow.

LINK to the Sticks website

FEB to Patty - Bic Intensity Fine

 

This was one of the last ones I did in February and it has all kinds of problems. I had run out of the magnified stamps - and I kept thinking grrrrrr - so the tiger seemed like a good option. It was annoying to make so many mistakes because I had worked out the whole name on scratch paper. The quality of the paper was very nice - so I was enjoying that part. I have no idea why I kept messing up. Maybe I'll give it another try with different paper and different colors. The concept is fun. 

There is a huge learning lesson coming up -- if I make myself try several times, I often make progress. So this style might be worth trying again. I didn't look at any fonts - I just worked it out in my head. Maybe it wants to be less regimented - maybe it wants to be wonkier.

I put a special note on the back for the West Des Moines postal workers who have returned way too many envelopes to Patty as well as to people who are trying to send mail to Patty. There is a weird force field around her address. 

***

Well, this is strange. I was at OfficeMaxDepot making some enlargements and at the little work station I found 3 random markers - Bic Intensity Fine - So, I tried all the colors. They felt as nice as a Pigma. I checked the price and they are cheaper - so maybe worth a try if you are not already a marker junky with too many markers as am I - $7 for 10 Bic markers vs $14 for Pigma Micron - although prices vary and shipping could change things.

Whilst looking through the Intensity options, I spotted this - temporary markers that are safe to use on skin. When my kids were little I used to write on them once in a while and it never crossed my mind that one should not use permanent markers on skin. There are some other sets with different colors.

Here's what the Bic Intensity fine markers look like. Interesting - they have gray - but no yellow which I think is a good choice.  

FEB to Christy - March exchange sign-up

I used up the 10 brown envelopes and some of them are redundant but only one or two were deeply regrettable. I also used up the microscopic stamps. Even though they are black - some of them were perfect with the gold Sharpie. Outlining is always a pleasant activity. I hope the USPS likes the BIG BOLD address.

***

It's time for the March exchange sign-up.

Today through March 4th is the window to sign-up. Lists are sent on the 5th.

If you participated in the February exchange - just shoot me an email that says: SIGN ME UP - you do not need to retype your address and info.

Send to PTEnvelopes-at-aol-dot-com

Let me know if it is your [Birthday] month or if you are willing to be on [2 Lists].

If you were not on the February list - or only sign up occasionally - or are a new exchanger - please send your information in the following format:

Jane Doe

123 Oak Street

Ames, IA 50010

janedoe@aol.com

[Birthday]  [2 Lists]  -- if those items apply

Send to PTEnvelopes-at-aol-dot-com

LINK to more details about exchanging

The dark envelope problem - - beautiful invention

Yesterday I said there would be orphans - but when I opened the post, I saw that I had not covered up the return addresses on the photo and they were both from someone who only exchanged twice - and then I couldn't find the images to cover up the return address - so I'll have to post something different.

Remember when I told Patty I would work on the problem of using up dark envelopes and finding a way to have the address on a white address label? Well, here are two attempts. Neither of them are successful, but we are going to keep trying. I buy the full sheets of label paper that you can cut into any size you like.

I thought using my scissors that make a postage stamp edge might work. The biggest problem is that the sticker paper is very temperamental. Most of the permanent markers smear - so I am stuck with Sharpies. If I could make a yellow background, they might look better with that stamp - but that is too complicated. The tiny writing on Valerie's says that I deeply regret the lack of space between the sticker and her name. I should have done her address in one straight line. 

Then on the Zeleznik's, I stacked the name and thought the sticker might work - but there was too much empty space so I added the last name - and turned it into a hodgepodge. 

On both of them, the proportion of the address label is egregious. 

What to try next? Maybe I can find some more friendly sticker paper. That would be ideal. I'm also wishing I could print out the address labels. But then I'd have to find the right font and that might be impossible.

I should also try something that is less regimented - and you know what that means? --- not rectangles. And you know who is begging for non-rectangle address labels? Those round stamps. That's who.....and those stamps should be wonderful on dark envelopes......

***

Here's a fun little video with the title:

The most beautiful invention of all time.

Warning: there is some math involved.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KW_bvB33kBc

JAN from Connie and Sharen

 

So cute --- from Connie. She had to take a break from exchanging because of the postal workers strike in Canada. She mailed this one when she popped over the border in January.  She went all the way to Grand Forks, ND - where they have the same BIG CANCEL that we get on our envelopes from JeanR in TEXAS. Note to self - look into these new jumbo-tron-cancels. I'm tempted to start drawing mushrooms - cuteness breeds cuteness. 

And this one is the last one in the folder of January envelopes. It is from. Sharen and it is trapezoidal. She used the stamp for non-machinable mail. 

Maybe it is a good sign that my folder of photos came out even with the pre-written blog posts. Of course I can always make things come out even by putting more than one envelope in a post. This reminds me of my daughter who got so fussed up because she could not get her shampoo and conditioner to run out at the same time. She was a teenager at the time. I need to remind her about that as she prepares for her life with teenagers, coming up in less than 2 years. 

***

I deleted the original add-on that was just a drivel about filling up February. I wrote something different. Now it is 3 days prior to this post popping up and once again, I have deleted the drivel. 

Let's get out there and have productive days unless we need quiet days of respite.

2024 from Valerie - Cups video

 

I hear from Valerie every January. She includes a postcard and a nice bookmark to keep me up to date on which moon is arriving. This year she included a nice note about her love of all things celestial which I really enjoyed. I'm thinking of assigning essays to people so we can get to know each other better. But - I'm not sure anyone wants me to share person info on the blog - so - I'll just let that brilliant idea wander off to the kitchen and see what's the easiest thing to eat.

***

Did anyone think that I would sneak one more dance notation video in? This is not dance - but it is a video - and I thought it would be fun to have my granddaughter learn it. She takes both voice and dance - so I thought it would appeal to her. It's from the movie Pitch Perfect - where Anna Kendrick is auditioning and she does a very fun percussion piece with a cup to go with the song.

On my last trip to Chicago, I pulled up the video and showed it to my granddaughter and asked her if *we* should learn it. Her eyes lit up. We had lots of fun. 

If you have grandkids (or kids) this is a very fun song (and *dance*) to learn. There are many tutorials on YouTube - and some fun ones where a whole group of kids do it in a circle at a table.

LINK to the song in the movie - 1:15 min

LINK to a bunch of kids  this one goes on for a while - the first 30 seconds are enough.

LINK to older kids this one is just 4 people - but they are really good. There are a gazillion CUPS videos on YouTube - both performances as well as tutorials.

JAN from Susan - Last dance notation post

 

This is from Susan and I love it. I spent just enough time on a farm/ranch with a grandma, grandpa and uncles to have an appreciation for all things farm related. I love the lady in the spotted dress. It looks just  like my Aunt Donna - she had that exact polka dot dress. Although the glasses look like mine - so maybe it was supposed to be me? Even the bar code is nicely placed. I just love it.

***

I promise - this is the last of the dance notation - but this is exactly what was in my head when I wondered how choreographers could make notes on how a particular dance should go. There is so much to dance that is 3D - and with an infinite amount of possibilities - how do they communicate the specifics.

Here is a video that illustrates one system. I love how the word *gibberish* is included.

LINK to video

The calligraphers will remember Pendance studio - maybe it is still around. Also there was that unbelievable beautiful dance performance that appeared in several places - maybe I can find it - and repost it. I'm pretty sure it's been mentioned on the blog - but it would be a looooong time ago.

***

I found it - and will add it to a post at the end of March.

JAN snake from Rachael ---- more dance notation

 

Rachael's snake goes nicely with the dance notation. And the card inside is so cool. I wish I had someone here to shoot a video - maybe I can do one and add it.

***

So yesterday when I wrote that I had uncharacteristically forgotten to ask Google when I was wondering how dancers wrote down specific dances - did you all know that I'd be doing that and subjecting you to what I found?

So. Many. Styles.  Such a deep rabbit hole.

Here's part of the blurb that goes with an article I found.

Nowadays, when video recording enables to capture each movement, dance or dance performance, the verbalgraphic style of dance notation can be perceived as dated an ineffective. However Latvia’s experience shows that contemporary dance teachers and choreographers have not yet abandoned the traditional notation system.

I did not click on the article so you are on your own from here. I'm guessing this is just one of those odd topics that goes in one eyeball and out the other. Googling *dance notation* might be more fun - it shows many different styles.

LINK to article

JAN from Patty - Dance notation

 

***

Patty enclosed a note expressing a bit of disappointment in how the label turned out. I have been having the same problem. I did several dark envelopes with white labels that I did not even take photos of. Both Patty and I are tired of dealing with the dark envelopes and inks that won't stick - and lack of contrast that the scanners won't read. 

So, this has inspired me to tackle the problem like a professional. I always remember what I liked about Project Runway. It was all about throwing problems at designers. And sometimes, the designers would make some choices that backfired big time. Sometimes they would crash and burn - but other times, the layer of problem after problem would inspire them to come up with a wildly exciting solution. 

So - that's my mission. Figure out something that works on dark envelopes. Stay tuned.

***

Well, this is funny - it is still Jan 26th -- so the add-on blurb below was written before I wrote this one.

I have come around, full circle to the 6 add ons that I did this morning. I filled up February - and then I went back and photographed the January envelopes.... and it is almost 4 pm. I have taken breaks to do laundry and fix food - but this is probably the longest I have ever spent on the blog in one day. Hopefully they aren't full of wacko stuff that I have to replace...

***

As I write this on Jan 26th, and see that I am less than a month ahead on scheduling the posts - I could do 6 posts in row during my morning coffee and maybe they will be OK. I'll start with random items that I email to myself at my storage unit email. It's my version of hoarding.

Clover sent me a link to an archive - which I have already posted (the one about snowmen) - but here it is again:

LINK to public domain images

This is one of the books that jumped out at me - not for the title - it was the image. And I was delighted to find that it is a book of dance notations. This is the first line in the blurb about it:

First published in 1701, Choregraphie details an early dance notation system invented in the 1680s at the court of Louis XIV. 

I was so excited to see it - because several years ago, I was with my grandkids and met one of their baby sitters. She was so interesting - and her main gig was dancing. She was about to leave to work on one of those cruise ships for. a year. I had never met a professional dancer and I remembered asking her if there was some kind of system for writing down dance moves. She said, "No, we use videos." I didn't probe further - but wondered what people did before video taping. I was also not on top of my research game and forgot to Google the questions. So, it was fun to find the answer to a very old question. 

I saved a couple images and thought I would use them on some envelopes. Then, I deleted them because I have too many ideas. Maybe someone who has a leftover dancer stamp will try this. 

LINK to the book

Scroll down at the link to see more pages - like this one - which is interesting - but too much for an envelope. Many of the others would work for a border.

JAN from Mary -- mailman photo

 

This very fun envelope arrived from Mary. It's the second one from Mary in January - I guess she was stuck inside with the sub-zero weather we had in the middle of the month and spent more time on envelopes..

It's so cute. You might have to open it on something larger than your phone to read the fine print.

Even the back is adorable.

Inside was another tiny envelope.

Another tiny star on the flap of the tiny envelope

and then the enclosure in the tiny envelope....

....and the description on the back.

 LINK to information about Hi-Ho soda. Plymouth, WI seems like the quintessential little midwestern town. I had fun surfing around their website. 

LINK to a whole lot more -- Antoinette, the cow statue, a children's museum, the Cheese Counter and Dairy Heritage Center just to name a few -- and many camps.

***

This was lost in the downloads - Chuck sent it a. while back.

JAN from Mary - snowmen from archive (from Clover)

Mary gets all her envelopes ready ahead of time and then gets them in the mail promptly. Her horse theme with barbed wire lettering is adorable and the lettering is surprisingly easy to read. I like the little horses. It's such a pretty stamp. She enclosed a postcard from Great Sand Dunes National Park. I had to look that one up. It's in Colorado. 

I'm testing my Big Helpful Brother to see if he still reads the blog. If you read this, please text me and tell me if you ever went to that National Park - please and thank you. Or you may leave a comment in the comment section.

***

Clover sent me a link to an archive back in January. It arrived as I was re-adjusting to my return to Des Moines and the weather was cold so I had a good excuse to surf around the archive. The snowman archive caught my eye. Here is one from Iowa in 1918.

LINK to snowman archive

LINK to main page of archive  in case you are not curious about snowmen

Here are the first few lines from the article:

What did the first snowman look like? And who rolled it? In the early 2000s, Bob Eckstein, the world’s foremost (only?) snowman historian, went searching for an icy Adam and its mittened creator, and arrived, four years later, on an illumination from a late-fourteenth century medieval book of hours: folio 78v of MS KB, KA 36, held by the Koninklijke Bibliotheek in The Hague. 

***

Jean's comment -- I think the snowman historian(s) should have clarified that this is only researching the first recording of the making of snowmen.

The Venus of Willendorf is 30,000 years old - give or take a century.

If people were carving little stone images, I'm sure they were sending their kids out to play in the snow and the kids were making snowmen. For people who did not take art history - I'll add the Venus below.

Berlin, 1913 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venus_of_Willendorf

Who's tempted to make a snowman replica of this?

How about I get some friends and we put one up in the front yard of the museum in my back yard?

Coffee too strong?

JAN from Lynne and Maggie --- Blot printing

Lynne went with some celebratory fireworks in January and wrote JEAN in blue - and Maggie has a reference to blue jeans from a Neil Diamond song -- so that's 2 more people who did something blue-jean-ish. And Maggie must remember how much I like coffee.

*** written in Chicago in mid-January

It's still 0° - here's someone else with some inspiration to try something new - or maybe you have already tried it and want to try again. Blot printing.

LINK to blot printing

They can be either abstract or representational.

LINK to more ideas  from Laura Denny - if this looks interesting or if you need to fill time while dealing with the maximum chilled weather.

 

JAN from Juliana - Handmade broom

 

I put Blue Jean as an option for my name on the January lists. Juliana was the only one who addressed to Blue Jean. The idea came from the clever Blue Jean envelope from Mary. Juliana enclosed some fun snowflake ornaments that her kids had made. 

I wonder if her kids would be into making brooms (that's the add-on). I used to dream of having kids who wanted to make things with me. Then I thought the grandkids might be into making things. Nope. just a bunch of gross motor people. It's OK. I have enough playmates my own age who will get together for making things.

***

February filler. The making of a broom. I still like brooms although, the part where you have to deal with the pile of whatever you swept up can be a problem. My dream house would have some kind of trapdoor where you stepped on a pedal and then swept the stuff into some kind of receptacle. This is a step up from my dream house for kids that was entirely tile with a hose and a drain in the middle of the room.

Can anyone tell that I have been left in charge of 3 kids? (written while I was in Chicago in January)

LINK to hand made broom