FEB from Meg - Spencerian Ladies Hand

On Meg's previous. envelope, I wondered how she applied the white and at the time, I considered that she started with white paper and the image is digital art - but I didn't ponder that in the blog post. Meg emailed to tell me that the image is digital so the look of Kraft paper is printed onto white paper and the mouse was left white. She colors in the white images.

She also sells her designs in Australia. Here is a link to her website. On the top left corner of the website is the link to her Etsy shop. She is also starting an exchange that is similar to Pushing the Envelopes - but her exchange includes writing a note - and she has a prompt each month. 

https://youvebeensqueaked.com.au. I love the name of her website - You've Been Squeaked.

Her exchange is called The Flock Exchange.  I love that name, too. 

 

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Here is the style of penmanship that I like the best. It is a version of Spencerian that condenses the writing. Spencerian is a running hand that takes up a lot of space. The version called Spencerian Ladies Hand was intended for writing letters. You could squeeze more onto each page. 

I would tweak a couple of the letters - G and H - and I'd take the curl off the I. But, I love the look.

To compare it to regular Spencerian - here is an example.

I couldn't find a full page of Ladies Hand - maybe I can brush up on my Ladies Hand and produce an example. I have another style that I love - to review tomorrow.

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There is a bonus post today - scroll down to see it.

Bonus Post - fun birthday card

 My brother sent me a link to this article in the Washington Post - it's behind a firewall - so I will copy and paste the whole thing - because it is my birthday today - and this is right up my alley. The format might be garbled through the cutting and pasting - because formatting is not my forte.

I like that they have a section of their newspaper. devoted to *Inspired Life*

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Inspired Life

Two women have sent each other the same weathered birthday card for 81 years

“The joke is that neither one of us knows who started the card,” said Mary Kroger, 94.

In 1944, a middle school girl gave her friend a card for her 14th birthday. When the girl’s birthday came around, the friend sent the same card back to her.

“Neither one of us can remember who started it,” said Pat DeReamer, one of the two girls, who is now 95.

 

The other teen was Mary Kroger, now 94.

For the past 81 years, DeReamer and Kroger have been sending the same birthday card back and forth to each other on their birthdays, signing their names and the date each time.

DeReamer opens it every year on her birthday, April 1, then signs it and mails it to Kroger, so she can open it on her birthday, May 20. Kroger lives in Carmel, Indiana, and DeReamer lives in Louisville

“It’s been a long time,” Kroger said.

The timeworn card features a cartoon dog with a large red polka-dot bow tie. It reads: “Here’s wishing you a BIRTHDAY that really is COLOSSAL.”

The message continues on the inside of the card: “’Cause it’ll be a long, long time before YOU’RE an old fossil!”

As they’re both nearing 100, the greeting “has taken on real meaning this year,” DeReamer said.

The inside of the card has an illustration of a large dinosaur skeleton spanning both sides. The women write the years on the dinosaur’s bones, and cross out the other’s signature when they receive the card. After eight decades, it is crowded with writing.

“We’re almost to the end of the dinosaur bones, so we started writing on the card, too,” DeReamer said. They’ve also written all over the original envelope, and they’ve almost filled up a second one.

While the women sign only their names and the date on the card, they often include separate notes and birthday wishes to each other. They send the letter in an oversize envelope, along with the original envelope and replacement one.

DeReamer and Kroger met in middle school, after DeReamer moved with her family in 1942 to Indianapolis. At first, DeReamer recalled, she had a hard time making new friends.

“I was certainly a misfit,” DeReamer said. “Mary took me under her wing.”

“She asked me over to her house, and I had her over,” she said, adding that they lived three blocks apart. “We became very good friends.”

On one of their 14th birthdays, the other girl gave the birthday girl the dinosaur card, unaware she was starting an eight-decade streak.

“The joke is that neither one of us knows who started the card,” Kroger said.

The women also don’t recall ever having a conversation about making it a tradition.

“We don’t know why it kept going back and forth,” DeReamer said. “It just happened.”

After DeReamer went to college in Oxford, Ohio, and Kroger stayed in Indiana for school, they spent less time together. DeReamer then moved around to multiple states in her adult life and traveled to 130 countries. Still, the card kept coming.

“We never missed a year,” DeReamer said, noting that one year, the birthday card got lost in the mail, but her husband tracked it down.

While the women would visit each other over the years, it wasn’t until the 1990s that they spent a lot of time together again. They both had homes on Sanibel Island in Florida, and they would often have meals together.

“We always had fun,” DeReamer said.

Their families also got friendly. DeReamer was married three times — each husband died of cancer, she said — and she has seven children. Kroger has five kids.

“We always had lots to talk about,” DeReamer said.

The women — both of whom said the other is her longest-standing friendship — agreed the birthday card tradition is a big part of what has kept them close for so many years. Their families are charmed by it, too.

“We always got a kick out of it,” said Kroger’s son, Don Kroger. “It’s pretty cool.”

After 60 years of exchanging the card, DeReamer’s daughter-in-law applied for the Guinness World Record for the longest birthday card exchange. They got the title, though it was overtaken by two women in Australia who exchanged a birthday card for 61 years.

In November, they applied to reclaim the title. They are still waiting to hear back from Guinness.

“The children decided that somebody really ought to give us credit,” DeReamer said.

But the women said they aren’t in it for fame.

“We really weren’t looking for notoriety,” DeReamer said. “We’re just doing what we have done for the better part of our lives.”

The friends have not seen each other in a few years, as it’s gotten more difficult for them to travel. The birthday card, though, has been a constant in their lives.

“I’m always excited to get the card,” DeReamer said.

They said they intend to continue the card exchange for as long as they are able, and they believe their families will eventually take over.

“I’m sure if I can’t do it, my children will,” Kroger said.

FEB from Doris - Yucky Zaner-Bloser

 Doris sent this from Canada and included a nice note. She has very pretty penmanship. Notice the D in Des. It's a lovely D - which is one of the letters I've struggled with in the past. Her version is genius. Plus, I think I can replicate it. JeanR has a beautiful J - and I've tried so hard to adopt it - but have not figured it out. My solution is to sign my name with a lower case j. That's really sad. One would think that I could have figured out a good J by now. The memory of struggling with my Js, starting in third grade haunts me. 

I blame it all on Zaner-Bloser. YUK!

Zaner-Bloser

The worst style known to mankind. B-D-F-G-H-I-L-O-P-R-S-T-X-Z are the most egregious. J does not make the worst list. It's just bad. The only letters that are OK are A-C-E-Q-V-W-Y. But OK is not acceptable. There is not a single letter that I would keep. 

Zaner-Bloser is just s dumbed down version of Palmer - and while I do not like Palmer, at least it's graceful and I could live with it.

Palmer

For anyone wondering which exemplar I like. I will run it tomorrow - if I can find it.

 

Black Magic Cake

 Black Magic Cake

https://www.hersheyland.com/recipes/black-magic-cake.html

2 c sugar

1 3/4 c AP flour

3/4 c Hershey cocoa

2 tsp soda

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

Process in Cuisinart for 10 sec with metal blade

Mix together until smooth:

2 eggs

1 c buttermilk or sour milk or sour cream

1 c strong black coffee (OK to use instant espresso)

1/2 c vegetable oil

1 tsp vanilla

Pour into Cuisinart while it’s running and process for 10 sec

Scrape down and process another 10 sec

Batter will be thin

Pour into greased and floured pans

2- 9-inch rounds or a 9x13

bake 35-40 min for rounds

40-45 for 9x13

FROSTING

Process 3/4 room temp stick butter for 10 sec

add 

3/4 c cocoa

2 2/3 c powdered sugar and process 5 sec

Scrape down and add remaining ingredients

1/3 c + 1 Tbsp milk

1 tsp vanilla

Process 10 sec

Scrape down and process 5 sec or until smooth

FEB from Amy - cardboard creations

Amy's kitty in a box is so much fun. My son's cat was so fond of boxes and I have a folder full of fun ideas on making kitty condos out of boxes. Sadly, the cat took her trip across the rainbow bridge - so - my kitty condo plans are on hold. My favorite idea was to make an acetate covered geodesic dome to mimic our Des Moines botanical center - but - I'm guessing it might not be attractive to a cat since it is not cardboard. Maybe make it out of cardboard and keep the *windows* smaller.

Here's a link to my blog post with the cardboard food truck that I made for the cat. I had so much fun.

https://pushingtheenvelopes.blogspot.com/2022/04/rachaels-feb-env-bws-food-truck.html

Googling -  Geodesic Dome Cat House. Maybe just do a few triangles with windows.

FEB from JeanR - Nicholasnames

JeanR will be migrating back north for the other half of the year so her postmarks will return to the ones that are not giant posters. If we ever get these giant poster-marks in Des Moines, I'll be compelled to tailor the envelope designs to complement the postmark.  I wonder how they will look if the name of the town is longer. Although, I hardly ever see my envelopes with their postmarks -  so y'all will need to alert me if my envelopes start arriving with the poster-marks.

Here is a link to just the pictorial postmarks. I'll keep looking for more info on the poster-marks.

https://about.usps.com/postal-bulletin/2022/pb22596/html/info_006.htm

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This just in at 11:30. am today - from Mary - more postmark information

https://about.usps.com/postal-bulletin/2025/pb22670/html/info_006.htm

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This is silly - but I rather like the concept - probably because I've done it.

Maybe there should be a term for putting the y or the ie on names. I was often called Jeannie - which is Nicholasname. My favorite Nicholasname is the one the I used on my son, Hunter. I called him GuntheramaDingDong. I still call him that - or just. Guntherama. And I have no idea where it came from. He just seemed like a baby who needed a longer name - but nothing too serious.

 

FEB from Juliana. - one last AI example

 Juliana spent some time on versals. They are an inviting style which keeps drawing me back. When this arrived, I pulled out my little booklet that I used for teaching kids of all ages. I sent the booklet to Juliana. Hopefully, I will find the original and make a copy that I can post on my Jean's Exemplar blog. Yes, a new blog - with all my exemplars - not the ones with copyrights - just the rough ones that I did for my own use and for teaching in my *relaxed* style. I have not actually started the exemplar blog - but hope to.

***

There were two votes for me to just stick with my own *voice.* One local penpal and one online pen pal,

So, the tribe has voted and we will proceed with the unfiltered Jean. Although, I had the following bit scheduled to appear and I am not going to delete it.

*

At the exact same time that my laptop went through an updating of the whole operating system - my phone had to be replaced with something newer, I had a huge double learning curve to navigate. Taking AI for a spin was of no interest to me -- or so I thought. After trying it once, I was intrigued. 

 

The intrigue fizzled out after a day or two - but, I am going to share one more example of how a person who has had minimal lessons in how to write can make herself sound different. 

Here is what I wrote for the AI to edit:

This is the way I write when I am trying to explain things to people. I do not sound like I am very well educated. I would like to try AI and see if it can make myself sound more educated or maybe just professional. I think my writing is too friendly.

Here is what it offered as an alternative:

In my attempts to explain concepts to others, I often find myself employing informal language that may not convey the level of education I possess. To address this, I am considering exploring the use of artificial intelligence (AI) tools to enhance my writing style and potentially project a more professional and educated demeanor. I believe that my current writing style tends to be overly friendly, and I am eager to refine it to better suit the intended audience.

Here is what it offered when I clicked on *Concise*

I often use informal language when explaining concepts, which may not reflect my education. I plan to use AI tools to improve my writing style and project a more professional and educated image. I believe my current writing is overly friendly and want to refine it for the intended audience.

***

Thus endeth my foray into AI.

AI just looks like steak sauce with a typo to me.

FEB from Kate - to AI or not to AI?

Kate did a good job on redrawing the Keith Haring image. In a couple weeks I'll run what happened when I did a reckless version. Reckless means I thought the little guys looked easy and that I could do them quickly. She made a coordinating card, too. Black, white and red is one of our favorite color combinations.

 

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A long add-on -  skip it unless you have too much spare time.

Something popped up a few weeks ago on my Yahoo mail. At the top, AI (Artificial Intelligence) had inserted a brief synopsis of what was in the email. It felt creepy - as though *somebody* had been reading my emails. My big helpful brother offered to look for a way to turn the feature off. Before I could get around to having him do that, I remembered that during my last major update on the whole operating system of my computer, when it rebooted, it offered me some pop up blurbs to tell me how much I was going to enjoy the new AI feature.

The first one I tried was *instant editing* of photos. That is not what they call it. They call it *clean up* - a magical way to delete items from your photos. It’s very clever and I was impressed.

Then, I thought I would try the AI editing. I typed four paragraphs to someone and then put it into the AI *thing* and - again, I was impressed with the majority of the edits it made. It made a couple huge errors - so it is not perfect. But, I am intrigued. 

So - the reason I am typing all this is that I wanted to see what would happen if I put by jabbering into AI. Below is the AI version. You may ignore all of this because it has nothing to do with envelopes. Or you can shoot me an email and tell me whether you prefer the original jabbering or the AI version.

There are 3 options in the AI tool, Friendly, Professional and Concise. I’ll post all three - and I will not fix anything that varies from the original. The Professional one is bizarre sounding. Clearly, I have not had any education on professional writing. I do think the friendly version did some good editing. They changed jabbering to rambling. I prefer jabbering. 

THE FRIENDLY VERSION

A few weeks back, something strange happened on my Yahoo mail. At the top, AI (Artificial Intelligence) had added a short summary of what was in the email. It felt a bit creepy, like someone had been reading my emails. My helpful brother offered to turn off the feature, but before I could ask him to, I remembered that during my last major computer update, when it rebooted, it showed me some pop-up blurbs about how much I’d enjoy the new AI feature.

The first thing I tried was instant photo editing. They call it ‘clean up,’ but it’s actually a magical way to delete stuff from your photos. It’s pretty cool and I was impressed.

Then, I thought I’d try the AI editing. I typed out four paragraphs and then put them into the AI thing. Again, I was impressed with most of the edits it made. It made a couple of huge mistakes, so it’s not perfect. But, I’m intrigued.

So, I’m writing this to see what would happen if I just rambled into AI. Below is the AI version. You can ignore all of this because it has nothing to do with envelopes. Or, you can shoot me an email and let me know if you prefer the original rambling or the AI version.

THE PROFESSIONAL VERSION

Recently, an unexpected feature was introduced to my Yahoo mail. At the top of each email, AI (Artificial Intelligence) provided a concise summary of its contents. This feature initially elicited a sense of unease, as it suggested that someone had been monitoring my email communications. My older brother, who is known for his technical expertise, offered to disable this feature. However, before I could take action, I recalled an incident during my recent system update. Upon system reboot, the update presented pop-up notifications highlighting the new AI feature.

The initial feature I encountered was the “instant editing” of photos. Although this functionality is not officially labeled as such, it is referred to as “cleanup” - a purportedly magical method for deleting items from photos. While this feature demonstrated impressive capabilities, it also made several significant errors, indicating that it is not yet perfect. Nevertheless, it piqued my interest.

Subsequently, I decided to test the AI editing capabilities. I composed four paragraphs and submitted them to the AI interface. Once again, I was impressed by the majority of the edits it made. However, it did make a few notable errors, underscoring its imperfections. Nonetheless, I remain intrigued by its potential.

The purpose of this communication is to explore the impact of human input on AI-generated content. Below is the AI-generated version of my previous message. You are welcome to disregard this content, as it is unrelated to envelopes. Alternatively, you may respond by email, expressing your preference between the original human-written message and the AI-generated version.

THE CONCISE VERSION

A few weeks ago, AI inserted a brief synopsis of my Yahoo mail at the top. It felt creepy, as if someone had read my emails. My brother offered to disable the feature, but I remembered it offered pop-up blurbs during my last OS update about the new AI feature.

I tried instant photo editing, which they call “cleanup” - a magical way to delete items. It’s clever and impressive.

Then, I tried AI editing. I typed four paragraphs and put them into the AI thing. Most of the edits were impressive, but it made a couple of huge errors. It’s not perfect, but I’m intrigued.

I’m writing this to see what happens if I type into AI. Below is the AI version. You can ignore it because it has nothing to do with envelopes, or you can email me and let me know if you prefer the original or the AI version.