pushing the envelopes
decorated envelopes, mail art, lettering ideas
Wednesday, November 6, 2024
Sept from Sharen - pause or end of the design topic
Tuesday, November 5, 2024
Sept from Janet - more art talk
Monday, November 4, 2024
Sept from Hadley - 50 States Song
Sunday, November 3, 2024
Sept from Leslie - Zonkers assignment
Saturday, November 2, 2024
Sept from Leslie
Friday, November 1, 2024
Sept from Irene - November exchange sign-up
Holy cow - this is spectacular. Irene signed up for a class with Kathy Milici. I've met Kathy a couple times - long ago at conferences. It's been fun to watch her presence in the calligraphy community grow. From time to time I have conversations with people who started in traditional calligraphy and now find it difficult to loosen up. I always forget to mention Kathy as someone who seems to have figured out how to do it. She's also skilled at teaching it. LINK to Kathy's Instagram
Time for the November exchange sign-up.
If you are new - here is a link with details about how the exchange works.
Thursday, October 31, 2024
June/July/whatever - from Janet and Carolyn
Sept from Mia - testing Blogger feature
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https://www.pinterest.com/slaporte425/calligraphy/
https://www.pinterest.com/slaporte425/calligraphy/
This is a test for me. The top one was just a simple copy and paste. The bottom one is the same info plugged into the feature that inserts a link into the blog post. I'll figure out if they do the same thing.
If you go to the link you will see a random pin-board off Pinterest with tons of pointed pen examples. Also some pretty watercolor flowers.
Wednesday, October 30, 2024
Sept from Mary - that student's painting
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My post yesterday, talking about encouraging Janet to make a painting herself rather than looking for something to hang in her home reminded me of a favorite story from my teaching days. While I enjoyed the calligraphy classes - my favorite class was Art for the Intimidated. I've talked about it before. It was my own idea to offer a 7 week class to people who were intimidated by the studio arts program and to introduce them to a wide variety of mediums. By the end of the class most people were no longer intimidated and many went on to enjoy all kinds of classes.
One student who was enjoying all the different things we tried was inspired by my suggestion that if you liked abstract art it was pretty easy to buy a canvas and some paint and do your own version of pretty much anything you saw that you liked. Towards the end of the series of classes she shared something with the whole class. She was in the process of getting a divorce and her husband had shown up at the home where she was living with the kids - to pick up the kids for his time with them. He came into the front entryway and saw a large painting that was new. He made a snarky comment about the soon-to-be ex-wife spending money on art -- and she smiled as she told us how she let him know that she had done it herself - and it only cost ?? - I do not recall how much - but it was a modest sum.
It was nice to see how happy she was. I always enjoyed hearing from people who took my suggestions to *just make it yourself.*
Tuesday, October 29, 2024
Sept from C - Ann Miller's gallery
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This will conclude my links to Ann Miller. I hope this link takes you to the page with her gallery - where you will find 14 sub categories. She does a ton of stuff. Everything from silk scarves to books to murals. It's hard to choose which example to post....
Monday, October 28, 2024
Sept from Patty - Ann Miller's classes
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Here is the link to Ann Miller's online classes. It looks like they are offered through Stanford. It keeps referring to *Stanford* - so I'm guessing that's Stanford University. But maybe not. She has Zoom classes scheduled for 2025. I do not do classes anymore - but if I did - I would be taking this 8 week class based on runes. My impression of runes is that they were done so long ago that I can just put on my clothes made out of animal skins and pretend I'm a rune-person. Yes, that makes me sound like I am somewhat uneducated - and to be honest - when it comes to runes - I am. But - IMHO - that's what's fun about messing around with the oldest shapes - they seem very welcoming to the *simple* folk. And that's the good kind of simple.
Sunday, October 27, 2024
Sept from Rachael - Ann Miller
I have posted a couple things by Ann Miller previously. She's a fellow old-timer - we crossed paths at calligraphy conferences. She's still doing beautiful work and teaching. There is so much good stuff that I might post more than one day.
That is a link to her blog - which isn't actually useful in terms of finding out where she is teaching - but there are some good images. Like this one. It's so simple - but so pretty. I'm thinking I should use the idea for a set of exchange envelopes. On any given month - these are the initials that show up regularly.
A-C-G-I-J-K-L-M-P-R-S---and sometimes T
Saturday, October 26, 2024
Sept from Christy and Lynne --- cool photos
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Some pretty photos - from the olden days - when people just took a picture of something and didn't use digital magic to enhance it.
I'm very drawn to the ones that feature trees - but there are so many others that are beautiful.
Friday, October 25, 2024
Sept to Susan and Patty
Thursday, October 24, 2024
Sept to Mia - Sharpie Creative Markers
This is the last one I sent in September and it made me very happy to figure out something for Mia. I've struggled with her name - and the international postage can throw a monkey wrench into the process. This time, the stamps were perfect inspiration and scattering 6 buttons is so much fun. It would take a lot of research and test runs to figure out a perfect way to replicate the styles and colors. These are pretty rough and were my first attempt - so, I wouldn't give this one a 100% - but it gets a solid 90%.
And with that -- we conclude the September envelopes that I sent. Next we will run the September envelopes that arrived. It looks like I am back on track - but, the minute I say that - chaos will return....so why did I say that?
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I keep referring to the *new Sharpie markers.* I don't like to recommend new products because it's impossible to predict how much other people will like the stuff I like - and I know for a fact that there are some very popular products that I can't stand --- but --- if you are an art supply junkie - you might as well give these a try.
I have both the bold tips - bullet pointed and also the finer tips which have some of the flexibility of a brush marker - but *brush* is an overstatement. They are somewhat pointed and somewhat flexible.
https://www.sharpie.com/markers/new-creative-markers/
At the link above - you will see the product - and then you can click to the right - through several different images - and at the end there is a 50 second video - which you can click on and it has many fun examples - and bouncy music - to make the markers look like a whole lotta fun. I can't find a way to link directly to the video.
I do like that they do not bleed through paper. They are supposed to be wonderful on all sorts of materials - but, I have not tried them on anything other than paper.
Here is a random person showing 10 things to do with the markers. Her skill level is nowhere near what they have in the Sharpie video - which is to be expected. Sharpie will have a big budget production to make everyone feel like an artist. This link is more realistic - LINK to random person's video
OK -- here is a direct link to 15 seconds of big budget Sharpie promotion
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PW6RlvIFdWk
and.....if you have a ton of time to kill - here's the main page with all kinds of Sharpie videos.
https://www.youtube.com/@SharpieUS/videos
Wednesday, October 23, 2024
Sept to Irene - USPS podcast
On the Sunday post, there was a quote from Janet's envelope and I couldn't find the author - and then - voila - it popped out of my stacks - It was from Christoph Neimann's manifesto for artists.
Tuesday, October 22, 2024
Sept to Alex --- Lego motor scooter
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I don't like to link to anything that is going to take 30 minutes unless it relates to envelopes and mail art - but this one is delightful - if you like Legos.
I want to know if anyone is working on life size furniture. I know I've seen plenty of things built out of Legos - but 3D printing has made the manufacturing of parts so much easier.
LINK to 30 minute video which includes showing Matt Denton riding it.
Monday, October 21, 2024
Sept to Maggie and Mary -- garage door.
This isn't a very good image and I can't remember whose garage door it is. It's something that I ran across about 30 years ago. Then I ran across it again while trying to figure out how to organize the photos on my laptop. So this is just a test to see what it looks like.
Sunday, October 20, 2024
Re-runs to Faye and Susan - quote from Janet
This quote was on the back of Janet's July envelope. I set it aside to figure out a way to *keep* it and I won't have time to letter it myself in the near future. However, I realized I have a tab on the blog just for quotes. I forgot all about it - because I started it in May of 2020 - which was during the lockdown and we all had so much time to get ourselves organized. LOL.
I'm just happy that I discovered my good idea - 4 years after I had it ---- more LOL ---
I did a search and did not find the quote associated with anyone. There might be more mis-attributions on the internet than correct attributions. So, we don't need to dig any further. What we DO need to do - is heed the words. I found it -- it's from Christoph Neimann's manifesto. LINK to the first time I posted it
Don't count the hours.
Art is not efficient. Sometimes a good piece is born in minutes, but even then it is usually surrounded by days of seemingly fruitless poking.
Accept this and you will be much happier.
Saturday, October 19, 2024
Sept to Leslie and Madison + an oldie
Friday, October 18, 2024
Sept to Juliana - musing
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There was a rant here that wasn't lighthearted so I removed it. 99% of the time I review my posts a few days before they pop up to see if I have maintained my strict (LOL) rules.
I don't actually have rules - maybe guidelines. KISS - Keep It Simple Shnookums is one.
Don't get bogged down in things that are heavy or depressing. I like that rule - but, I also know that from time to time we all have to slog through things that are really difficult. I have no quick and easy suggestions for how to slog. Slogging takes time and effort.
Which is worse - the slog itself or the realization that you can't speed it up and/or make it easier?
Maybe we are supposed to take comfort in knowing that we're all slogging together. And if we are currently in a zone of blissful comfort without a care in the world - rest assured, this too shall pass.
Thursday, October 17, 2024
Sept to Lynne -- teapot gas station
Wednesday, October 16, 2024
Sept to Hadley and Rachael
Here is a re-run of the one from Rachael.