Oct to Irene

 My first Oct envelope is to Irene. There is some foreshadowing of things to come. I forgot to turn the green *I* into a Frankenstein. Did Frankenstein's story happen during Halloween? Or did he just get lumped into the holiday because there is an element of creepiness to his story?

Even though this is pretty simple - I like it a lot. Even though the *e* is not very convincing as a skull, I'm OK with it. Even though that pumpkin is anemic - it's OK, too. The candy could have been better. Maybe the only letter that is just fine is the R and yet - it didn't get to be anything.

And what's with that stamp? Well, to be honest - the fact that it is lettering made up of little pictures and colorful is why I figured it would be fine with this design. Plus - I did something that has never happened in the history of the exchange. Twenty-five people signed up and I started the envelopes around 9 am. I hardly ever do 25 envelopes in one day. Maybe that's happened. But, I always set them aside and do the return addresses and find something to put inside (usually just blank paper) on the following day.

But this time - I disciplined myself and finished every single one. I even redid one that was dreadful. I credit the ofrenda project with giving me a whole new level of discipline. It's one of the scariest deadlines I have ever faced --- and I'm not really afraid - I'm close enough to having something that's *good enough* - but there are little details that are calling to me. 

***

Here's a wonderful add-on. A woman (Debra Rapoport) who loves cardboard as much as I do.

The link should take you to a video on another IG account. https://www.instagram.com/p/DP-Sr2qCURr/

And this link goes to Debra's IG https://www.instagram.com/debrarapoport/

The nichos are almost done - and it feels like I need to make a lot more after my 2 weeks in Chicago. 

Oct to Nanski -- post offices

In a couple days, I will be jabbering about the October exchange envelopes that I did. I was going to post them in the order that I did them -and then I discovered that I had missed Oct 19 - so I back-tracked - which becomes *fore-shadowing.* 

This was the last of the candy series. I meant to do the whole name - but was interrupted after the N and by the time I came back, I realized that I am in a *git 'er done* mode - in all areas of my life. So Nanski's went out the door with some quirky script and quirky manuscript - two of my favorite ways to write.

***

Here are 10 charming post offices to admire - if you are interested in post offices. 

LINK to 10 post offices

Oct to Alex and Ben

This is mail for my grandkids. It's been a long time since I picked up a pointed brush marker. Whenever I do, I recall that pointed brush was the tool that drove me into my addiction. Since my routine is to combine my Nov and Dec mailings - I think I will do pointed brush on the inner envelope this year. The pointed brush markers are not waterproof so that's a good reason to use them on the inner.

As I write this on Oct 7th, we can deduce that I had a wave of panic when I realized that I only had 11 posts scheduled. I thought I had filled up October. So - yesterday when I said I was going to stop jabbering about the ofrenda - that was written a couple weeks ago - and now - on top of the monumental task of building 24 nichos - I have to fill up October. I think I edited the blurb that said I was going to stop talking about the ofrenda.

The only envelopes I have photographed are the ones I mailed yesterday - I can jabber about them - but the posts for the the next couple weeks might be short. 

 

Sept to Meg

 This one might have been the last one I did in Sept. Technically, it is another Hipster style - after I said we were done with Hipster - but - it's so different. I tend to leave the international addresses to the end and then either I have a great idea or I've used up my creative juices. 

I deeply regret the wimpy red. I kept thinking it would turn into mud if there was too much layering. 

If the title of this post starts with (NEEDS MORE) - that means that I know this is short but I have to go work on the ofrenda. It is 6:10 am and I have been trying to get started each day by 6 am - and depending on how things go - I might not get back to this to add anything. 

*** 

Here is some more - 

Yesterday (Oct 15th, I invited the art museum employee who is tasked with running the Day of the Dead event to pop in for a private viewing of the nichos - since most of them are nearly done. I am happy to report that she was delighted with what she saw - so Janet and Patty should be reassured that all their contributions will be a big hit.

Sept from Christi

 

If I had time, I would do a search to see how many times I have said that I am going to try my version of Christi's versals. After I say that, I direct you to her blog where she posts pages from her sketch book/journals. I have a link to it on my blog and while she does not post very often, I always look forward to seeing what's new in her journal. 

Christi was one of the people who responded to my poll asking if I should skip the October exchange due to my ofrenda project. As I write this - it is only a day after the poll ran in the blog and I mostly heard from people my age who nudged me towards taking the time off. 

A younger person suggested that I leave myself off the list and just send a response envelope to anyone who sends me an envelope. That's a good idea and I've wondered what the response to that would be. I think there was one month where I did not put myself on the all the lists and that's always an option.

The whole crux of the matter is this: is taking time to make envelopes a chore or is it an antidote to the complications and overload of daily life?

It is only Sept 23 - so I have a week to decide what I am going to do. My instinct tells me that I will use up those square orange vellum envelopes that are in the stash because I'll feel so good that I am dealing with the hoard. (Real time update: those orange envelopes were gone. I think I used them up in 24 or 23)

Question for Christi - what's the largest you have ever done that style? I have a feeling I am going to give it a whirl and use a much bolder pen/marker - and see what it looks like LARGE. Do you ever do it in other colors? It seems like you stick to red - which goes along with the historical aspect.

Sept to Mia

Surprise! These are the assembly line flowers - done well after I did the first batch and this is a one off - but I like it a lot. I love the colors I found. Sadly - I am all out of those stamps - and only had two - so I stuck that lady on there --- thinking her colors were close enough. She was not happy with the situation - but - I let it go  --- it's crunch time on that ofrenda. This is the longest crunch time I have ever been through. I guess my daughter's wedding was a longer set of crunches --- but that's different. 
 

Sept to Chuck and Amy

 

Chucks was fun to do. Maybe I will assembly line that idea for October. It takes a while to take that many caps off - it seems like doing several envelopes at one time would make it worth the time it takes to remove and replace caps.

Apologies to Amy for a ho-hummer. My lists are always alphabetical by first name - so I often do Amy's before I am fully warmed up. I do like the little details of the comb and the brush and the bowl full of mush. Or rather I like the idea -  the first name should have been a lot bigger - 

Sept to Lynne and Jessica

I wish I had done a better job on the little detail of the houses from the stamp - that I added just above the last name. I like the little moons. My favorite part is the border around the stamp. Janet does a lot of nice stamp borders - and I try them - but they are always a little off - until this one - which is so pleasing. I hope I remember to use it again.

Seems like Jessica's envelope needed something else. It would have been so nice to have done the same thing I did on Lynne's - but I did Jessica's first and had not had my brainstorm yet. And -yes- I spelled her name wrong. It takes a lot of work to alternate colors - so - getting the letters in the right order can be a challenge.....

 

August to Gracie, Hadley and Patty and Maggie and Cindy

Gracie is another new exchanger. The letters in her name worked out really well. But, I'm not a fan of the slant. The slant conflicts with all the up-right-ness of the image on the stamp. It's fun to have an exchanger in Ames. I love to address to Ames, Iowa -- short and sweet - but - not that fun if it's one of those looooong street names. Ames has one of the longest street names I've ever seen:

George Washington Carver Avenue.

He was a student at Iowa State University in Ames. The street is on the outskirts of the town - so not too many homes got stuck with it as an address. 

These are the last two of the assembly line flower designs that I did. I ran out of flower stamps and used the blue stamp convention stamp on Patty's. I added more blue to her envelope. I love those stamps.

There were actually two different sets of these assembly line designs.... I should do a variation on this with all blue. There are days when I think I could be one of those *blue* people - with a wardrobe and home that has tons of blue.... but probably not as long as Mr Wilson and I cohabitate. He made a very snarky comment about something that was blue - and while I just let it go - it has stuck with me in a way that causes me to wonder - how can I live with someone who says something like that about blue? He's fine with blue clothing - but why would he attack blue in another context? It's unsettling.

Oh, I guess I can run all of them....I was going to skip the last few assembly line flowery envelopes.

 

Sept to Nanski and Mary

Here's another one that's just like all the others only it has a different stamp.

Below is a detail from the envelope I did for Mary.

I spent soooo much time on the border and then kept adding things that had something wrong with them - and kept thinking that it would eventually be cute - and it never got to the level of so many problems that it turned cute. My last ditch effort was to put myself in pencil, peeking through the curtain - but that's not as cute as some of my pencil sketches. Or maybe it is. It's hard to be objective about self-portraits. That it is so poorly drawn is probably an appropriate way to portray myself. The deeply regret comment is the only cute thing on the envelope. We have Rachael to thank for that. 

I couldn't even remember to leave room to write *this hot mess is for* - grrrrr - I had to squeeze in the *is for*

I probably shouldn't point out a problem that is probably not that noticeable. I colored in the three scallops on the east coast of the envelope - then I switched to the straight edge all the way around - which caused stripes. Grrrr at myself. And the frame around the stamp is dreadful. It should have been scalloped. And I need to stop with the templates.

 

Sept to Janet -- the poll results (if I remember)

I couldn't decide which photo to use - I thought the scalloped edge on the envelope looked like the blade-things on the back of dinosaurs - so I did a better version on a piece of paper and put it in the envelope. My September envelopes were not as good as August - I enjoyed doing them. I'm concerned that October's envelopes will be awful. Maybe I should take the month off. I hardly ever do that --- I wish I had thought to run a poll. Maybe I will  go back and add that to the blog.

Yes - I will do that - and then hopefully - I'll remember to come back and post the results of the poll here.

***

I had quite a few people encouraging me to take the month off because they are so appreciative of all the time I spend running the blog and the exchange. I went back and forth - and then - when the 4th rolled around - and I had made up the lists - I was in need of a day off from the ofrenda. Plus, I had stumbled across a fun halloween inspired font - so I figured I could throw something together. It was fun to do them and I'm glad I took a day off. 
 

Sept to Susan, Riley and Christy

I should have put some gold sparkles on Susan's. This is a tiny gold envelope and I should just use all those envelopes on the nichos. I could cut them up and make flowers. I have both 5x7 as well as 3.5x5 - and they do not take ink well. I need to be rid of them. 

Once upon a time, I put out a call for random paper stuff. I do not know why in the world I would have done that - but I did. People sent me a bunch of fun stuff. Susan sent the red bordered envelopes. I've enjoyed using them. Somehow they did not all stay together - so every once in a while I run into one more --- these might be the last two -- or maybe not.

 

Sept to Jacqueline (ofrenda update)

Jacqueline also received an envelope that looked like it was from Nancy, but it was from me. After I saw the envelope that Nancy received - I felt like Jacqueline might be disappointed in these - her's is spectacular. But - I make it clear that this exchange is open to all skill levels - so if you only want to exchange with uber-talented scribes -- you'll have to find a different group --- and while there are some exchanges that are specifically for serious scribes - I've never known any of them to be monthly - and for sure - none of them have been running for 10 years straight --- I have to check - the blog is 15 years old. I always forget when the exchange went to monthly. It's been quite a while.

No add on - I'm leaving space to do some updating on the ofrenda.

***

Hahaha. There will be no update today. There will be a few later in the month. 

All I can do for now is do a quick proof read before the posts pop up to maybe catch typos.

 

Sept to Lucy

Three of the new people signed up at the very last minute - after the lists were all made - I had used up the names of people who offer to be on two lists - so I needed one more person to be on one more list. I put my sister-in-law's name on the list - and then I did a second envelope to those people. If Lucy is reading this - I did the envelope that looks like it is from Nancy.

That Ben-Day dot pattern is a little wacky - but LUCY is a very good name to go with this idea.

 

Sept to Nicky

Nicky is one of 5 new people who signed up in September. That is a record. I think the most new people in one month has been two. I'm so curious about how people find the blog and the exchange. I've pondered asking for more information when people first sign up - but, it's very unusual for me to change how the exchange works. It's been plugging along with roughly the same number of people for so long - I don't want to mess with the system. 

I needed 3 stamps with red and green a few weeks ago - to write thank yous for a friend. Recently she told me that one of the recipients of the thank you had asked her if she was a calligrapher. She laughed. She acknowledges that she has terrible penmanship. I wonder what people think when they find out that someone used a calligrapher to write a thank you. Seems like a good idea to me - but maybe there is another way to look at it.

After sending Finnbadger his reminder to start his holiday mailings - I can't stop thinking about my own. Once again - I will be putting them inside the December envelopes. 

These were supposed to be issued on Sept 12 - I have forgotten to look for them. Maybe I'll do my Dec mailing in Nov - and put the November envelope inside. I am very fond of these designs. I might not use the amaryllis - it's not that Christmasy. 

 

Aug from Nancy Hills - DOD jabbering

 

Here is another dreamy design from Nancy Hills. If you have never done a search for her envelopes put it on your to-do list. They are inspirational.

Here's a random photo of some nichos in progress. Nichos are like shadow boxes or niches. If you Google *nicho* or do a search on Pinterest - there are a g.a.z.i.l.l.i.o.n. They are usually handmade or homemade. They are not like Faberge eggs or Tiffany windows. They are charming and home-spun.

I often save big sheets of brown wrapping paper from framing jobs. This one still has my name on it. I pondered positioning my name somewhere on the nicho. This one will have a small niche attached to the front. A lot of the nichos start with a basic box and I wanted a few of them to be wildly different.

Below is what the ofrenda looked like in 2010. There were 4 tombs made out of cardboard. I featured the crosses and will add garlands of paper marigolds and some other tchotchkes. I'm mixing cultures, using that word - but, I'm hoping none of you turn me in. 

Real time add-on - here's the nicho with the flowers - I still need to add tchotchkes.

The little tomb is made out of an egg carton, decoupaged with tissue paper and Elmer's School glue - the most humble of art supplies. 

***

I have lost the source for this photo - it is the floor of a post office.

Sadly, I have not found a way to incorporate mail or stamps or envelopes into the nichos.

August from Lynne and Christy -- Burning Man

These might be the last two August envelopes. October is historically a rough month. It's the beginning of the end of gardens and crops. It's the beginning of the holiday (frenzy) season - at least in the stores. It seems like there is a fair amount of grumbling about holidays. I'll refrain from adding to the grumbling. I have enough to grumble about - adhesives and the logistics of building 24 art projects at the same time. Luckily I have people helping - but my skill at managing a team is rusty. Everyone is being polite - but I wonder how they really feel about the whole project. Feel free to tell me. You may leave an anonymous note in the comments.

 ***

Let's talk about Burning Man. I have been following it for years. In my 40s, I was even interested in attending - after I found out that there was a theme camp which was a Burning Man Post Office. I loved everything about the event - how it was born out of random creativity and grew into something that almost got too big and trendy. I spent way too much time reading through all the different camps and their themes. The large art installations were a.m.a.z.i.n.g.

Mother Nature stepped in a couple years ago and dumped really bad weather on them - and I think that has  deterred some of the wanna-bees. This year started out with some serious rain and mud. I'd been watching daily updates posted by a person who was literally stuck-in-the-mud. 

And then - on Saturday - there was an item all over the internet that a woman who did not realize that she was pregnant had a surprise baby in her camper. Fortunately, as her husband realized what was happening, he was able to round up an obstetrician and a nurse before the Burning Man medics even arrived. According to the article - the obstetrician was in his underwear..... and then, here is my favorite line in the whole article:

The medics drove the baby to a medical tent, and Mr. and Ms. Thompson, along with the OB-GYN in his underwear, followed behind in the back of a random pickup truck, Mr. Thompson said.

Maybe by the time this blog post pops up, the ob-gyn will have been a guest on all the talk shows so we'll get his perspective on the whole event.

And we need to know what the Thompsons named their baby girl. Bernice? (Burn-eece - get it?)

In some ways, I've turned my ofrenda project into a bit of a burning man event - something that brings like minded people together for artsy stuff.

Sept to Jacqueline, Leslie, Juliana, JeanR - Reminder to Finnbadger

 On Dec 15th, Finnbadger left a comment that he liked this idea of doing one's holiday cards extra early and he hoped to have time to do something similar *next year* - I replied that I would remind him in October - so here you go - a reminder to get some envelopes and gel pens (or any kind of marker) and start your holiday mailing.

However, I do not recommend red envelopes. Many of us have experienced serious delays when using red envelopes. If you already have them - perhaps you can come up with a design that incorporates a white mailing label.

***

Two weeks ago I discovered that I only had two weeks of posts ready to go - so it is 4:45 PM - not my most functional time of day. I will attempt to load all the August exchange envelopes that I sent. I did about 20 of them with some flowers inspired by this design. And I even found a link to the source: LINK to the image

It was a lot of fun to make abstract flowers. I found a variety of stamps that looked nice.

August from Sharen and JeanR - chair making video

Here are a couple black and white envelopes that arrived in August - from Sharen above and JeanR below. I don't think I've seen any black and white nichos. Everything is colorful - and high contrast. The white skulls and skeletons often have some black details. But the setting is always colorful. Bright colors. 

Here's a 15 minute video of person who makes chairs by hand. He is a craftsman who is happy doing the same set of things over and over - for decades. It reminded me of my thing for paper - and how the ofrenda project has morphed into a giant paper project. 

I've had lots of fun researching Day of the Dead paper products. The main one is papal picado. I've seen videos on how these are made. They have a whole stack of thin paper and the cuts are made with a hammer and chisel. There might be other ways - and I'm guessing many are produced by machine.

This picture appealed to me and after I posted it - I realized that it probably reflects my more subdued aesthetic. There's no red or orange. 

The chair making video is HERE

 

August from Amy - a couple books

Amy's flowers would be welcome on a nicho for the ofrenda - but she would have to add some bright colors. I love her watercolor of fireflies - although, I'm not sure I can work them into Day of the Dead.

I do not have a pre-loaded add on for today. When I get into monumental projects, like my Day of the Dead ofrenda - I make a point to have some good *escape* activities. Escape isn't the right word - but I can't think of a better one. When I am engrossed in a project - I have to take time and do something different. It's not like resting - it's more like using a different set of brain cells. 

Luckily, my name came up on the wait list for the book, Mailman. I can't even begin to tell you hoe much I am enjoying it. The author is a graduate of the Iowa Writer's Workshop which is well known in literary circles. He lost his job at the start of the pandemic lockdown - and ended up at the post office - on a rural route. I've just barely started and it's soooooo good.

***Real time add-on: while I loved the book - you might need to know a postal worker to appreciate the in depth details of every single thing there is to know about handling and delivering the mail. It's a lot of detail - and might be too much for some people. But - it's fun to see how the experience gave the author a new perspective on several things.

https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Mailman/Stephen-Starring-Grant/9781668018040

I am also listening to Brave the Wild River by Melissa Sevigney. I'm not far into it - but it's a very interesting story about the two women, botanists, who decided to travel by boat down the Colorado River all the way to the Grand Canyon. It was in the 30s and they knew how dangerous it was - but they were obsessed with plants. 

That is a pitiful description. But, I am in the midst of one of those obsessive *adventures* and the writing for the next few weeks is going to suffer.

 

August from Maggie - October Sign-up

Maggie made. a beautiful border and I sure wish she lived in my neighborhood so that she could embellish one of the nichos. This design is so versatile - it could go with almost anything. 

It's time to sign up for the October exchange

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

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

Send your sign-up 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 a September list - or if you 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

If you are new to the exchange - here are some helpful details:

https://pushingtheenvelopes.blogspot.com/p/rules-of-exchangement.html

***

There was a very kind offer yesterday - from someone offering to make a nicho. My response was that the specs keep changing - so, we need to keep everything local - but I encouraged them to make a nicho on their own. I'll probably be yakking about nichos for a long time - because they are so much fun. I've always wanted to make one - so now that I have made about 20 - I will know what I'm doing when I make my own.