April from Kate - Wanda Gág

 

Kate did something that I've been doing - putting the stamp a little bit low so that the cancel only hits it across the top. I like how she did the state above the zip. This is an A+ layout if we want to make things clear for the scanners. As I've said before - I think the scanner just looks for the zip and the street address. 

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I wish I had the bandwidth to establish a list of exchangers and know whether they are a fond of dogs or cats or both in equal measure or neither. I'd use the list when I had something with animals in the add-on.

This is a 16 minute video that I loved - here's the blurb:

Wanda Gág was one of the earliest 20th century illustrators to create picture books for children, where the images were dominant over the minimal text. She was also significant in that almost all her work, whether art or illustration, was created as monochrome.

Video about Wanda Gág

Title page of the book, Millions of Cats.

Odd little tidbit. Nearly fifty years ago, at a wedding reception, I found myself at a table with strangers. They introduced themselves as John and Mary Gag - and then during the awkward phase that they must have learned to deal with because people would repeat the word "Gag?" because they thought they must have mis-heard the name. The couple laughed - and said - "Yes, Gag. The only good thing about the name is that nobody ever forgets it." And they are correct. I do not recall their first names. It was fun to learn of another Gag.

April from Amy - Anne Lamott

 

OK, it took a half hour to load all the photos I have of the April envelopes that arrived. I have the posts filled up through May 24th, so at the very least you'll have something to look at. It's 6 am - and I'm caffeinated. But, I'm feeling really iffy about having anything to say. 

I like this envelope a lot. It's tempting me to do that thing I keep thinking I will do where I use the previous month's envelope to inspire my envelopes. If I do that, should I repost the inspiration? Decisions. Decisions.

Yesterday I watched an interview with Anne Lamott. I have enjoyed some of her books. She and her husband who is also a writer - co-authored a book called Good Writing. I believe it is 36 tips for writing. I hope my library gets a copy so that I can possibly absorb some tips on how to make my writing better.

Towards the end she had advice for people who want to be writers. It was the typical thing that people who are wildly successful say to people who would like to have a career in whatever the successful person has been successful at. They always have some yada-yada-yada - that tries to soften the reality that there is no way to know if you can be successful. They often refer to the amount of luck that might be involved. They mention the amount of work that is involved and how work can be a real chore. 

The point I am making is that I am sure glad I never wanted to be a writer. I'm glad I only wanted to *write.* But, I found a way to write things where I don't have to come up with the words. How cool is that?

April from Hadley - California sign painter

Hadley is one of our college student pen pals. From the postmark we can see that she's in Maine. I like the stamp placement and am pondering doing something similar. It was a shock this morning when I discovered that I only have 3 days of posts scheduled to pop up. I'm writing this on the Saturday that just happened. Let's call it Scary Saturday. I need to fill up the rest of the month but I also need to do my May envelopes. On top of it we are in weeding season. I'm sure we will muddle through. The sun isn't even up. 

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The Society for Calligraphy, the Southern California guild is having a guest speaker at their annual meeting. I love the story of how she got into lettering on walls. Somehow I ended up on their email list even though I am not a member. Here's the blurb about the speaker followed by a link to her website.

In this talk, Perla will share how lettering moves from design to wall, 

focusing on scaling methods like pounce patterns, layout, and on-site 

execution. Through process and experience, she offers a practical look 

at what changes when letterforms leave the page and are built at scale.

After many years of appreciating super market signs and even the hand 

lettered Home Depot signs, Perla Gallegos stumbled upon a "Paper 

Signs for Grocery Stores" workshop with John Downer.  She had always 

assumed they were signs created by talented employees and that it wasn't 

an actual JOB. She instantly fell in love with the craft and took another 

workshop with Australian sign painter John King. Shortly afterwards 

she took the leap and enrolled in the renowned Sign Graphics program 

at Los Angeles Trade-Technical College (LATTC ), where she was 

mentored by legendary instructors Doc Guthrie and Carlos Aguilar.

After leaving her career in architectural design, Perla launched 

Superlative Signs to focus fully on sign painting and beautifying 

business facades throughout Southern California. Specializing 

in traditional, custom hand-painted storefronts, murals, gold leaf 

gilding, window lettering for businesses such as restaurants, 

retail, hospitality, creative spaces and everything in between!

https://superlativesigns.com/home where you will need to surf to see her work.

Here is IG - which I prefer - https://www.instagram.com/perla.g_lettering/

It was really hard to chose an image - there are so many styles. Even though they are mostly wall and window size, I see many that look like envelopes. These aren't even favorites - if I had time I would go back and change this photo - but - it's weeding season.

 

Another stack of mail that popped up

 

These deserve their own posting - but - I have a situation on my desk that necessitates this group posting....

This is from Starla - I really hope I remember to use this layout. The Lucy stamp makes it extra special. I have something similar. I can't wait for June - thanks, Starla, for the idea.

Below is the one from Judi that I was going to show how I'd adjust the spacing - keep forgetting to get that done. <sigh>

This looks like Jessica's above and JeanR below.

It's a very fun square card - which coordinates with the design on the envelopes.

I like the question - and I don't think I see a specific answer.

It's more fun that there isn't an answer.

There might be lots of answers.

That's Janet's below - maybe it's already been posted?

It is nicely non-cancelled at the top. 

The cancellation looks much better at the bottom.

Very clever to coordinate a shamrock with a snowflake.

And Jackie's below. So cute. Also - that Forever stamp is one of my all time favorites.

The other stamp is also an all time favorite.

Below, Irene learned how to decorate with paisley patterns from Cecelia Boschi.

Irene wrote that she was not that pleased with her Roman capitals. 

They look fine to me. I know how hard it is to do Roman caps.

Amy sent a fun chicken popping out of an egg in March.

April to Julie and Cliff

These are the last two of the May envelopes and it's been a while since I loaded them. I load all the photos at once with the idea that I won't miss any - even though I may miss a few. I do feel like these were more pleasing to my eyes than some of the others. They are both newer exchangers - and with new names - sometimes it takes a while to get into a groove. Sometimes I wonder if I've *burned out* on the names that I've been doing for many years. 

How many years has it been, you might ask? The exchange started in Nov of 2013. It took a couple years for it to settle into a routine where sign up is on the first of each month - for four days. I just spent a couple hours flipping through the 2014-2015 blog posts and found all kinds of things that I had forgotten. The thing that was most surprising was that I did not start sending to everyone who signed up during the first year. It was my friend Jan who suggested I send to everyone.

I've had quite a few people whose names start with C and C has been a hard letter for me. I also have trouble with double letters - like gg, nn, tt (Maggie and Patty). Cliff was brand new in April and I was thinking I might have a hard time with the c and the ff - but - I was pleasantly surprised that this one was splashy and fun. Cliff must have liked it because he signed up again. I'm still in Chicago so I have not seen what Cliff sent from Mississippi. Having an exchanger in Mississippi will give me an opportunity to re-run some of my ideas for turning that state into a design element.

I wish I had put some red hearts on this one.....

 

April to JeanR and Maggie - Postcrossing stamp

 

Once again, these two clash and I do not want to see them too close together so I will be writing a big long blurb to fill in the space between them. JeanR's is one of the series where Jean gets an envelope with each of the round envelopes. I already mentioned how happy we are with the tall skinny Barbie stamps that are coming up. We are also wildly ecstatic about some triangular stamps that are coming. Maybe I won't fill up this space with extra jabbering...and I'll just add the triangular stamps that are coming below.

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Postcrossing got its own stamp. I was pretty surprised that the USPS honored them. They are deserving - but who, exactly, are *they.*  I do not have time to do the research. All I know is that they have been around for a really long time, in *internet* years. People exchange postcards for the sake of exchanging. Maybe that's why the USPS honored them - because it promotes the buying of stamps. 

The colors are fabulous. I might have to buy some Astrobright envelopes. Or maybe get some neon colored markers. I had some neon highlighters a long time ago and they were fun.

April to Patty, Kate and Renee

 

I'm getting a queasy feeling that I over-did these big scripty names and that people will be disappointed in the postings and the blog is not providing something fun with maybe even a touch of inspiration. Sometimes I'm writing these blog posts to specific people. Other times I have my teacher hat on and am re-spouting the things I say all the time. 

Speaking of re-spouting, someone made a list of the things I spout and assembled them into a little work of art. I am so looking forward to sharing it with all y'all. Maybe I can work this into a cliff hanger. 

Renee is a newer exchanger - so I haven't done that name many times. Kate and I had an actual discussion about the two options on envelopes. A - is when the name itself becomes the focal point. B - is when there is a focal point and the name and address are filled into a face where any name and address would fit.

We pondered if people have a preference. Do people love the ones where their name is the focal point more than where there is some art - and the name is basically a functional portion? If anyone has a feeling or strong preference - it would be fun to hear from you.

April to Juliana and Hadley

There has been a lengthy break in my post writing between yesterday's post and today's. I'm writing this on May2nd which means I am only 6 days ahead which is like having my car stall on the railroad crossing and I can hear a train coming. It's 9 am. I've had coffee. How is this going to go?

First I'll discuss these envelopes. They're part of that series where I did edge-to-edge and used up those pretty stamps. As I recall, Hadley's was done first and Juliana's was towards the end. I have a fondness for the looser one. I can see ways to improve Hadley's lettering but I like the balance of colors. 

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The USPS saved the day in terms of me having something to write about - they just announced that there will be 10 Barbie stamps issued this summer. The tall skinny shape is going to be so much fun. And I think there is another new stamp to talk about tomorrow.

 

April to Sharen, Nanski and Jacqueline

This stamp has a very fun color combo. On my chart, it looked like these three people had not received a coast-to-coast script. I hope I don't de-volve into an endless stream of casual script since they are so much fun to do.

Amy sent photos of the envelope I sent to her and while I thought I had adequate stuffing - the machines chewed on it and wrinkled it.

Here are a couple envelopes by Mary that I found in my download folder. 

For me, virtual folders are much more difficult to organize. I think it's because I have trouble naming the folders - plus there are so many different ways to categorize things.

This one is similar to one Mary did a while back and I spent a fair amount of time trying my version. 

I'm tempted to try again.

Here's another one that is tempting to try. I'd make the shape of the border for the name and address a little wider although it would not be as cute if it was a rectangle. Maybe I can find a name that would fit into a square. I'd love it if Amy Fox moved to a shorter named street or better yet, a PO Box would be ideal.

Yup.

I had to research the cost of a PO Box - there are many different options.

This is just a rough idea.

If you’re paying month-to-month, expect to spend around $5–$10 per month for a small box in a low-demand area. Medium boxes in the same location usually fall between $10–$15. In major cities like New York or San Francisco, small boxes often start at $20–$30 per month, while medium or large ones can reach $70 or more, depending on demand.

 

April to Mary, Jessica and Kerry

Here are three that are OK. I liked the ideas - but they were one-timers. I wonder how long the USPS is going to use the love bird cancel? I wonder if they ever post cancels. I like a good cancel but not enough to do a deep dive in how often the come up with new ones - who designs them - etc. Or maybe I am curious. This post is popping up on the 7th and I get home from Chicago on the 5th - so maybe I don't need to be pushing myself to fill up posts.  

OK - I was curious enough to go look - and it's a whole *thing* so I guess you'll have to put up with me talking about it. In answer to the question, who designs the cancels - there are some that are just functional or mechanical - the wavy lines. Then - there are these:

• Art Directors and Stamp Designers: For specialized cancellations like First-Day-of-Issue, the design is often handled by the same professional art directors and artists who created the corresponding stamp.

 

April to Irene and Liz

These were fun to do. I penciled the spaces because I am old and (somewhat) wise and have messed up my spacing on these coast-to-coast names many, many times. I think Irene's was prettier in person and didn't photograph very well. Mostly - it's hurting my eyeballs to see these two together because the colors clash. But - neither of them are strong enough to get their own post. 

I suppose I could fill up this space between the two of them so that they never fit on the screen together. I like that idea a lot except for the part where I am just filling up space by talking about doing that. It's like when the people in a movie *break the 4th wall* - OK - you know I'm going to be curious about when the term *breaking the 4th wall* was invented.  <pause>

The concept goes back to the Greek theater even though they didn't use the term. Shakespeare used the concept. There were some early silent movies where characters turned and faced the camera and then.... drum roll... we should all be delighted to know that Bugs Bunny gets credit for being the first (or one of the first) to  turn and talk directly to the camera. I guess the animators get the credit - or the people who wrote the scripts.

I was not liking the idea that I would fill up the space between the two envelopes with drivel and while this is not important info - it's a fun bit of trivia. 

 

April to Nicky and Janet

 

Here are two more variations of Christi's versals. I used a big chunky paint pen on Nicky's and resisted the temptation to outline the whole thing. I'm not wild about it - but I think it looked better in person.

I think Janet's was better. I outlined with a gel pen and then filled in with patterns using paint pens. I liked how the style went with the quilt stamps. I love-love-love the quilt stamps - but I think the JANET should have been larger. I had to make the strokes slowly or the gel pen would skip - so that limited the size. 

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I'm not sure what this person has in mind.

At the top of her IG account she has this:

Artist and illustrator, sharing daily art and experiments in art #calicobrush
Do not copy!

Then she has pages and pages and pages of fun watercolor illustrations that include step-by-step instructions. Not all of them - but a lot of them. If she doesn't want people to *copy* why is she providing instructions. 

Maybe she doesn't want the images copied?

I'll just type out the name and if you are interested in simple watercolor illustration - you can check it out.

instagram(dot)com(forward slash)calico(dot)brush(forward slash)

Four wild ones (inspired by Christi)

 

These are all inspired by Christi's versals. I could work harder to make my versals more like Christi's but her style is so personal that it would feel more like forgery to try to write exactly like her. So, I did what I always do - I went looser. I also used more color. Amy's was the first and it's tighter - which might be a good thing or maybe the looser ones are better? I think it might be a sheep/goat situation.

***

A couple days ago when I was writing about the minimalist lifestyle that Juliana should not be thinking about - I wondered - when did the word lifestyle become *a thing.*

I also want to know when did saying *a thing* become a thing? But, I don't feel like researching that. I did ask TheSoCalledKeeperOfInformation to tell us when lifestyle became a word and it was first used in a journal titled Mind in 1915. Then in 1929 Alfred Adler used it:

Alfred Adler coined "lifestyle" (originally from the German Lebensstil) to describe a person's unique way of striving toward goals and coping with their environment. In this context, a lifestyle was considered "fixed" by age six and included a person's self-concept and world view.

But - that's not how we currently use it -- in the 50s and 60s it turned into a term used in marketing - which was the slippery slope that we've been dealing with our whole lives - if we are a boomer. 

More lost and found

These are all fun - and were having a good time hiding from the other stack that is organized.

Mike Moore shoots beautiful photos - makes then into cards and then sends them in envelopes with dreamy Spencerian penmanship. The vintage stamp was on the envelope which was inserted in the clear envelope. 

Finnbadger sent this for New Years.

This is from Irene - and should have been posted with her envelope - but it's being rerouted to my stash of illuminated letters.

Troy's been saving these special vintage stamps just for me - I get verklempt when I see them because once upon a time I had all of them. 

And this one from Grace cracked me up. I think she might have signed up in December and then didn't get her envelopes done until Feb - which is fine -- and there was a note inside referencing bananas and the circus stamp --- as in going bananas and the way we sometimes call chaos - a circus.