JAN to Irene and Patty

I've already predicted that this quest to explore styles and tools will be frustrated by color and stamp choices. These two stamps are not orphans - but, I knew I had to stir things up by finding some new colors and tools. The baby bobcat stamp has little leaves and was supposed to go on Irene's but I accidentally used a fox.

The placement of the flowers is off but I liked the colors. It's not the winner this month but it was heading in a good direction. These two are good to compare if you are looking at how to treat elements. A person with two 5-letter names is going to need something different from a ShortName/LongName person.

The style is growing on me. I do not expect it to grow on anyone else. The only way things grow on you is if you have to do at least 17 and preferably 20. That forces you to figure out something.

 

JAN to Jeannette, Rachael, Nicky and Renee

 

These are the first four suns I drew using alcohol markers. I liked how they turned out -  but I did not have a stamp in mind. As hard as it is to part with the round stamps, I am working really hard on getting over the hoarding of stamps. These are cute. So, I'm happy with them.

The disappointing part is that I didn't get very creative with the style and various tools. I had a stern talk with myself and eventually I loosened up a bit. 

I had so much fun making the suns that I started a spreadsheet so that those of you who did not get a sun in January will probably get one in February.

The font on Rachael's is a different one. I found 3 fonts on one page of unknown origin and none of hem have a name. I won't be able to post the page because I don't want to get in trouble for publishing something that is not in the public domain. Maybe some day I can redraw them in a way that is different enough. What is that percentage that something has to be different enough to escape being *pirated* ?

I got bouncy with Renee. I wonder if she thought I was just inept or if it looks intentional.

The rest of the Dec envelopes.

 <sigh>

Somehow these Dec envelopes decided to hide from me. Or I had some looney idea that I could divide the Dec envelopes into two groups. Apologies - you'll just have to put up with this as I forge ahead with the master plan. 

The postmark on these two (above and below) says Atlanta - so I will deduce that it is from Renee - but I could be wrong. 

As previously mentioned, I have so many exchangers from the southeastern states that I get them all mixed up. The stack of *early Dec* mail is somewhere - but, if I stop to look for it - I'll forget what I am doing here.

Below, from Seattle - it must be Kate - but I thought I already posted Kate's. Maybe I have November and December mixed up. Maybe I already posted this.

Below - I think is from Jessica - did I already post this?

And here are some innards without envelopes.

This has to be JeanR.

The cute coffee or hot chocolate card is from St Louis - so that narrows it down to Nicky or Lucy.

I do feel some baby steps of progress in how I photograph and blog - maybe someday some actual progress will appear.

JAN to Nanski and Lucy

 

I need to come up with a word to describe ideas that were tried that are less pleasing than other ideas in the series. The mission for 2026 was to choose one style and then try a bunch of different tools. How well did I adhere to my plan?

It should have surprised no-one that I fell off the wagon with those 8 script envelopes that I did when Morgan's envelope arrived.

Prior to Morgan's envelope, I had a plan to do some suns and coordinate them with orphan stamps. I had these two stamps and it seemed like a good idea. I started the envelopes in the middle of December and figured it would be easy to fill in the names and addresses.

I did four different ones - prior to doing these - that I liked a lot. I was not happy with these - but, if I started re-doing envelopes until I liked every single one of them - I would be at my desk all day every day.

The style I chose for January is something that somebody called Celtic. I have no idea if that's a good name. I was also going to try runes - but they are 100% straight lines - so this one drew me in with its random curvy strokes.

Here is a fun link to something called Celtic rune - LINK to a font  I can't imagine having fun with this. Or can I? That's an interesting challenge - to take something that is off-putting and figure out a way to make it likable. 

A Google search for *Celtic runes* yields a wonderful rabbit hole. But, I have not found a name for whatever the style is that I chose for January. More tomorrow.

***
Eventually I found. my exemplar - and it was called - New Celtic - but, I can't post it because I can't find the origin. Maybe I will..... at a later date.

JAN to Jessica, Amy, Janet and Judi

Jessica's is basically the same as the 5 that ran yesterday.

Because I have quite a few fox stamps saved up for Amy - I was happy to pull out some different colors and was pretty happy with this one. When I realized that there was no way to extend the X - I fussed for a moment and then realized that it was a perfect opportunity to put in a bordered stamp - so that saved the day.

Bordering stamps is something we see on Janet's envelopes quite often. I added confetti.

I was thinking I was nicely warmed up and first-time exchanger, Judi, would get something wonderful. Unfortunately, she has too many letters in her last name. The whole thing got overworked as I tried to doo-dad it into a better place.

It takes me a while to get comfortable with names. If Judi sticks with the exchange, I can see me referencing past envelopes I've done for Irene Blumenthal who also has 10 letters in her last name. Of course there is the queen of long names - Jessica Schwessinger. I'm not complaining about long names - I like figuring out ideas that work for the various lengths. I read recently that sometimes there is more enjoyment when the task is difficult. 

Thank you Morgan for the good idea. I had fun. If anyone uses this idea, send us a picture please and thank you.

 

Jan to Lisa, Phillip, Lynne & Mary - Morgan's outline

This was the first attempt to do a spin-off of Morgan's envelope. The marker I used on Lisa's outline is too fine and I only did one warm up which wasn't enough - the spacing is way off. 

I've had 5 or 6 new people sign up in Nov/Dec/Jan and I keep getting them mixed up. I think I already posted Morgan's envelope but I will add it here for reference. 

Oh - I see by the postmark that she's in the St. Louis Consortium. I might need a different name for that consortium because I think they have lured other people who live elsewhere into the fold. 

I am low on red markers - and the dark red on Lisa's was lucky to find that leftover Lichtenstein stamp.

Then I wisely started looking at stamps and coordinating markers as I started the January envelopes.

Both Finnbadger and Lynne have the double N - and double letters are tricky. I wish I had done a loop on the b. For anyone who had Phillip on their list - Phillip goes way back to the origin of the exchange. It's one of my favorite stories. Finnbadger is his alter ego or nom duh pen. OK - I was thinking spell check would help me out on that - but I guess we are on the outs.

Mary's is one of my favorites. She has the right number of letters, a good assortment of letters and those colors are pleasing to my eye because I can handle minimalism and neutral palettes. 

***

Finnbadger left a comment yesterday that the very clever card was his own design. He took the photo and wrote the caption. Thanks for letting us know.

 

Dec from Juliana and Phillip

This is exactly the kind of card I would choose for myself. Juliana and I must be kindred spirits - at least we are when it comes to mail.

I keep forgetting to ask Juliana if she has taken calligraphy classes, gone to workshops or conferences - or takes online classes. If she is self-taught, I'm impressed.

Below is the card from Phillip - and I love it so much. Phillip goes waaaay back with the exchange and it is well established that on the sense-of-humor scale - we click.

I didn't post the envelope since it was not an exchange envelope - but, he did sign up for the January exchange so I am looking forward to seeing what he sent. Anyone with a lot of time to kill could do a search for [Phillip] or [Finnbadger] and find all kinds of good stuff.

 

Dec from Nicky - memory bears

Nicky is a printmaker and enclosed some nice little prints and added a bear to the front. That jogged my memory that I have something to say about memory bears

 

If you look online for memory bears, especially on Etsy, you will find both patterns to make them as well as people who will make them for you. There are 2 main kinds. One kind uses outgrown baby clothes to make the bears. Many people have a hard time parting with baby clothes. So, they think cutting up the clothes and making a bear is a better option. It frees up space in closets. Personally, I think we should create something like the Tooth Fairy - that comes to your house and takes things that are precious-yet-useless to avoid having to deal with too much stuff at a later date.

The other kind of memory bear is when a grown up loved one passes and leaves behind clothing. Some people make pillows out of the clothing and some make teddy bears. A friend of mine was tasked with making 5 bears for a woman who lives in NYC. She had purchased all the materials and a very nice set of plexiglas templates for the parts but then she couldn't find anyone to do the sewing.

My friend did not call me up and ask me to help her - but she was one of the people who put in many hours on my Day of the Dead project - so when she just mentioned that she was having an epic battle with some teddy bears, I offered to help.

It's a long story --- and I won't bother with details - I'll just warn anyone who knows how to sew that if anyone approaches you to make memory bears - they are way more complicated than one would imagine. Obviously, if you want to take time to make 4 or 5 practice bears - you'll get the hang of it. But that first bear is going to be a real mutant *bear.*

It does not help when the person who wants the bear provides fabric that clashes. But, I'm sure she's perfectly happy with the outcome - as she chose which fabrics went where - and the fabrics were meaningful to her.

I get a little PTSD just looking at the photo of the bears. If they look lumpy - it's because the lady sent knit shirts - and the pattern was for woven fabric. I told my friend to use iron-on stabilizer for the knits and she did not heed my advice. Later, she agreed that she should have taken my advice.

EXTRA INFO for exchangers - Scroll down for today's regular post

There are two new posts today. This one is just for exchangers. The new envelope for today is below.

These topics have been covered in recent posts, but, they bear repeating, because I have no way of knowing who reads the blog.

1. MISSING MAIL

PLEASE take a photo of your envelopes before you mail them because there has been an increase in missing mail.

For the past 10+ years, most of the mail has been delivered without problems.

I can only recall one person who signed up and never sent anything. 

There were only a few new people each year.

Quite a few new people only signed up once and I never knew why they didn’t sign up again, but, it didn’t matter, because I had such a steady group. We’d lose a veteran from time to time - but we had new people filling the slots and we always ended up with 20 to 25 people each month.

Then in 2025 there was a confluence of more new people and more missing mail.

Were those two things related? 

When I did not get envelopes from all four new people in December, it was not looking good for the newcomers. Eventually, I found out that even MY envelopes had gone missing. So, with that - we know it’s the USPS. All four new people had sent their mail.

2. CHEWED UP MAIL

There has been more mail arriving that has been chewed up by the USPS processing machines. I know that they are installing new machines and I suspect that the the new machines are more aggressive than the tired, old machines that have been chugging along for decades.

The exchange *rules* have always stated that people could send an *empty* envelope. The new rule is that you must put *something* in the envelope to give it enough heft to withstand its trip through the machines. The *something* that you use for filler may be blank paper or recycled paper.

We will still write *empty* on the back of envelopes to indicate that the contents of the envelope is just filler and it’s fine to leave the envelope unopened if you like that look.

3. COLLAGE/WASHI TAPE/STICKERS

Anything other than a stamp is an opportunity for something to fall off and that can cause problems for the machines. My son who spent a couple years crawling inside those machines which were longer than his house - to maintain the moving parts and also vacuum out all the debris - confirmed that embellishments were not a good idea. Also, magnets can cause all sorts of problems - so don’t send magnets in your envelopes. Of course, the live birds that people mail can be a problem. There was that time a pheasant escaped from a box - but I digress. Yes, the USPS ships live animals.

We will keep chugging along - and hopefully - 2026 will be a fun year for all of us.

Thank you for reading this.

FEB exchange sign-up - Dec from Maggie

Here's the Dec mailing from Maggie - the third person in the Connecticut Consortium.

Maggie, Lynne and Irene are all masters of the pointed pen and they all live in CT - so I gave them a name. I should put the three of them on one list - and then add two more *pointy-pen-people.* Grace and JeanR are good candidates. Am I forgetting anyone? If I am - let me know - and ask to be on the pointy-pen list when you sign up. This is probably a slippery slope - to take requests for the lists. But, I'm a lot like PeeWee Herman - I'm a rebel. (That's a line from PeeWee's Big Adventure)

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

If you participated for the JANUARY 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 January 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 - there are helpful details at this link:

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

 

Dec from Lynne - Yves Klein blue

 

Blogger is giving me fits again. It wants to underline everything. I tricked it by moving down here. This is from Lynne - another pointed pen expert. Tomorrow is sign-up day. I think I have some more Dec exchange envelopes left to post. Maybe I will. post all of them and start the month with the envelopes I sent out in January. That would make me look half-way organized.

***

Here's an interesting video about a person who figured out the recipe for Yves Klein blue.

LINK to video about IKB

Dec from Irene - travel attire

Here is Irene's card and envelope from the Dec exchange. All of us, including me, are tired of hearing me say that I hope to get my nibs and ink out of storage. This is inspirational. I was tempted to save some of my Dec mail to post in Dec of 2026 - but - that doesn't fit with my new system of posting which seems to be working out.

 

***

I need to forward this to Troy because he has let me know that he likes my rants.

It has been suggested that the decline in manners both on planes and at the airport has declined and if customers would go back to dressing up when they travel that would generate better manners.

What about the fact that passengers are being squeezed in like sardines? I would never wear my nicer clothes on a plane. I've often considered wearing something that I could just throw away after I reached my destination. If I traveled overseas,  I would absolutely wear something that I could throw away which. would free up space to buy one or two new items.

I'm not saying that the airlines are to blame for the decline in manners. But, telling your customers that they are rude and poorly dressed isn't going to help matters.

I'm a pleasant person when I travel and I've seen a few people who were not on their best behavior. But, a blanket statement telling people to dress differently clearly rubs me the wrong way. I actually enjoy some of the kooky get ups. I was disappointed one time - when I couldn't stop and take a picture of an older, long haired, bearded gentleman who was also a size that would have inched into my space if we would have been seated in the same row. He was wearing bib overall cut-offs and a big cowboy hat and cowboy boots. 

OCT from Jacqueline - inspiration from trash

 

Here are the five envelopes Jacqueline sent in October. It's fun to see the different witches. I forgot to ask her if she works in watercolor or gouache - or maybe something else. As I've mentioned before, she uses very nice paper - something that I might do - s.o.m.e.d.a.y.

***

It's a little embarrassing to *out* myself as someone who will respond to click-bait that looks like this.

The guy looks wacky and the graphics are haphazard. I am not embarrassed about my *thing* for making things out of trash. So that part is fine. What tipped me into clicking was the grid pattern in the background and the notion that it was about storage for art supplies. I seriously doubted that it would have anything worthwhile, but, I had just finished a challenging teddy bear project and felt like I had earned 15 minutes of surfing.

The guy is not wacky at all. I ended up watching a few more videos and have several very useful ideas for gardening. I'll put links to the first two videos I enjoyed. His very loose style really appeals to me. It could so easily look like a pile of junk, but he pulls it all together and has a very clear aesthetic.

LINK to storage unit made out of trash

The next video I watched really spoke to me - because at one point he said, "I deeply regret...." Now that is a kindred spirit.... I am allowing myself one additional video each day. 

Once again, his goal is to use only what he has on hand. It is almost 19 minutes long and there is a very interesting part (from 7:48 to 13:27) where he keeps layering and layering until he is happy with the outcome. It did not look promising for quite a while - so I really enjoyed what he used to pull it together. And even better - all the projects relate to each other. The things he builds relate to how the garden is coming together.

From that project he goes into the one where he utters our beloved phrase - deeply regret. It happens at 14:30. I agree with him that it is a regrettable move. Once again - he layers - and resolves the situation.

LINK to potting shed made out of trash

I can see the borders and botanicals on an envelope.....

Sept from Jacqueline - Smithsonian Postal Museum

 

I had an email exchange with Jacqueline - tracking down missing mail from the Dec exchange and I asked her if she does one design for each moth or something different for each person. She kindly sent me the photo she took of these September envelopes. I already posted Charlotte's Web and The Very Hungry Caterpillar. 

The whole group is very fun.

***

Chuck sent me the link to the Smithsonian Postal Museum. I had been to their site a few years ago and then forgot about it. It's been fun to revisit it and find a ton of new information. 

The first fun item - was when I clicked on the Dead Letter Album. While scrolling through interesting mail that ended up in the museum, I found this one which was addressed to someone in Perry, Iowa which is one of my favorite small towns that is not too far from DSM. 

For 6-cents the USPS would transport a letter from Hawaii to Perry, Iowa and that's all they needed - a name/city/state.

Here's the caption:

Private John R. Rion inadvertently left a mark on postal history by mailing an envelope from Honolulu, Hawaii, postmarked on December 7, 1941, the day the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. 

On December 6, 1941, Rion dropped an oversize envelope at the Honolulu post office, destined for a friend back home in Perry, Iowa with whom Rion owned a barber shop. The next morning, the Honolulu post office cancelled Rion’s envelope at 8 a.m., the exact time that Japanese torpedo planes struck nearby Pearl Harbor and the unprepared U.S. Navy battleship force. 

Here is a LINK to the Smithsonian Postal Museum website Its to the Dead Letter Album - not the home page - which is probably where you need to go if you feel like surfing.

Dec from Nanski and Christy - USPS deciphering

 

Here is some nice clear addressing from Nanski and Christy. It was probably a good idea to put the white mailing label on the red envelope. A couple dark envelopes that arrived in Dec took a couple weeks to arrive while most of the mail was arriving in a week to ten days. Right before Christmas I asked my son how the volume of mail was this season. He had been at a station that day, asking the station manager the same question. She said, "Yesterday we had 15,000 packages and today we have 4,000."

That highlights another issue with the USPS. They have no way of predicting the volume. On a day with 15,000, they have to just forge ahead and get everything delivered. They can't hold it over for the next day - because there might be another 15,000 on the way. Shout out to Patty - that story came from Ash Creek. Is that your station? Or is yours Valley Junction?

I'm not sure if I have already posted this. It rang a bell when I watched it - so I'm sure I've seen it. It's from 3 years ago. 

I found it very interesting because I am on this campaign to get people to do scanner friendly addresses. Rest assured - it is a gentle campaign. If you love your script and you don't care how long it takes for your mail to arrive - go ahead and use your script. I imagine the people who work at deciphering addresses like their job.

I'd love to return to the days when our mail was lovingly handled by caring people - but that's not realistic. We live in an automated world. To go back to less complicated times would involve things that most of us would probably not enjoy. Dirt roads, outhouses, pot bellied stoves. 

This concludes my January first set of posts. I will be launching the January envelopes and file a progress report in a few days. Well - technically - it will pop up tomorrow - but it will be a new thread.

LINK to USPS deciphering squad a video by a journalist who got to go behind the scenes....which makes me want to become a journalist..... do you think my minor in Journalism from 1972 would open any doors. LOL