Sept from Jessica - stainless vs silver - part 2

 

Here's Jessica's September envelope with the US Coastguard Academy stamp. I'm glad the USPS used a wavy line cancel to coordinate with the stylized water.

***

Our comparison topic started with a search for a polite distinction between italics and the other kind of italics. We were searching for a way to describe the ones that some of us prefer because we have studied italics and prefer some subtle nuances. Scarlet suggested comparing a good quality cotton with cheap polyester.

Then Scarlet offered silver and stainless steel as a comparable. I'm fine with ditching fabrics and looking for something else. The sterling/stainless example doesn't fly with me for a couple reasons. We'll pick up that thread at a later date.

We will also remind ourselves that *comparison is the thief of joy.* We are searching for a comparison that is the exception to that rule. We are trying to find a distinction between two things that has a preference for one of them without casting aspersions on the other.

So here's the comparison that is frequently used by calligraphers and the one I should have started with. Dancing. We are not talking about the aesthetics - there are probably people who prefer the Hokey Pokey to ballet - so we won't suggest that ballet is the pinnacle of dancing. We can use folk dancing as the thing that has something to offer that the Hokey Pokey does not. It seems like any folk dance compared to the Hokey Pokey would elicit opinions that a folk dance has *something* that the Hokey Pokey does not. 

Sometimes I call that *something* finesse. But I'd be happy to find a different word. Maybe we are suggesting that the Hokey Pokey is rudimentary. Maybe the word we are looking for is a very current buzz-word - basic. I think basic has been trending as a word that says *meh* - since it seems like we don't hear *meh* as much these days.

Perhaps there is someone out there who thinks the Hokey Pokey is better than all other dances. We will respect that opinion. We might ask more questions of the people who put Hokey Pokey at the pinnacle  because someone who takes that stand might be a very interesting person with a very interesting story. Sometimes we get curious about those people who are way out on the tip of a bell curve or a spectrum.... like the flat-earthers. I bet they like the Hokey Pokey. 

Sept from Juliana - sterling vs stainless - part 1

 

It's so validating when people send me dots illustrating how joyful dots are. It's hard to mess up with dots. To me, the most egregious mistake is to be sloppy and allow more than the right amount of variance. What is that amount? Well, I guess we'll just have to put a pin in that topic and hope we remember to follow up. I see that I already have a [Follow-up] label which I have not used in ages. Maybe it will become a useful feature. Juliana's script is very nice. Of course, my favorite is the itty-bitty script on the address.

***

Back on Sept 19 Scarlet added to our conversation about comparison saying:   

Well I like, and liked your uncials! You are an inspiration.

Ever since the comparison post I've been trying to think of something better than material - but it's really horses for courses, isn't it?! And everything having a place - whether you polish your silver cutlery or stick with the daily stainless steel!

I, too, had been having the topic bubble up in my thoughts. I added a comment to her comment about silverware and stainless ware because I have a *thing* against silver. I know a lot of people like it and I do own that one silver spoon that is perfect for certain things. It truly enhances the eating experience. I totally get it, if you were raised using sterling silver for every meal, it would be a sensory experience, deeply embedded into your being. But here's my *thing* against silver. If you grew up on sterling silver, who kept it polished. If there were servants polishing your silver then I have an issue. 

Oh, dear. Have I just offended a bunch of readers who grew up on sterling silver and just take it for granted. Here I am, only half way through my morning coffee and I am on a tear. I'm going to pause here and collect my thoughts and return to this topic tomorrow. 

***

Update on youngsters who want to exchange mail - there is an article in the NYTimes about the rise in pen-pal-ing. People are finding each other through TikTok - so I can put my idea on the back burner and go back to random ideas, weed control, hoard reduction and preparing for winter.

LINK to NYTimes article - that might be free if they are still offering one free article per month

Sept from Jeannette - potatoes and navy paint

 

Jeannette featured potatoes. This is a good followup to yesterday's rambling about liking *mud* color as much as gold. Everything has its place. Even the lowly potato might deserve more respect. It was a little bit woo-woo when I pulled Jeannette's potato out of the mailbox. It happened the day after I bought a potato to bake. Weirdly, when I asked MrW if he wanted a baked potato, he said, "No thank you." What kind of person turns down a baked potato? Perhaps I should have him go for an evaluation. 

I am fully caffeinated and will refrain from more silliness and just head out to the paint store. They open at 7 am. 

The color of the potato blends nicely with the bandaid on the stamp. Jeannette did a good job of capturing the subtlety of the texture of the potato. I think I featured a giant potato previously - let's look.

Wow - there are lots of potato posts - I have not read them - so if you have other things to do - get going.

https://pushingtheenvelopes.blogspot.com/search?q=potato

Sept from JeanR - another type of exchange

 

I'm liking this new way of posting the envelopes where I post them in the order they arrive. By Sept 17th, I have only received 3. This one from JeanR has a pretty card - and the photo does not capture how pretty the gold is. It looks like mud in the photo. But there's nothing wrong with mud. In fact, our survival depends on mud which is just soggy soil. Technically, I think we could survive without growing our food in soil. I think there are people who live their entire life on water and survive on fish and the things that grow in the ocean. I don't have time to research. I'm on my way to buy Hale Navy paint. It's been a long time since I painted a room in a dark color. Wish me luck.

***

My son had a friend visiting for a few days. Matt and I had a chance to visit. We were talking about the decline of the mail service that we remembered from the olden days - which for him was 20-30 years ago. I don't think he knows anything about my exchange or blog although he probably remembers the very cute invitations and addressing that I did on the HS graduation  party invitations that I did for the two of them. Our families had a combined party. Matt did however mention that his girlfriend is very fond of real letters and real mail. Whenever I hear about people like her or connect with some of the little shops that still feature all things pens/markers/paper - I keep thinking it would be fun to start an online exchange that was not tied to me. Of course, I would figure out how to run it and also find someone who is interested in building an online presence. It would be someone who is young enough to enjoy *creating content* and doing the internet thing.

We need to maintain an option for the *quiet* people who just want to make something and don't want the chitchat. Maybe people would fill out a profile and would be paired based on whether they are *wordy* or *quiet* or *mixed bag*

If anyone has suggestions, pass them along.

It would be a *one-to-one* connection - no lists - and we would only provide an introduction and tell them to start the ball rolling. Then it would be up to them to keep it going. If people loved it, they could ask for another exchanger and gradually get enough exchange-buddies to keep things going.

We are not going to call it *pen pals* because that was always an exchange of letters. The whole point of this is to make mail art. And yes - I know there are mail art exchanges - but they are mostly like this one - where there is a call for entries - and they just want people to send mail to one place for an exhibit or an archive.

https://artistsforabetterworld.org/about/

Sept from Mary - non-senders

 

Mary's is the first of the September envelopes to arrive and I love it. I'd love to steal the idea but it seems like it hinges on having that stamp. I am writing this on Sept 14th and it is the very first to show up from the Sept exchange which is so unusual. I might post the Sept envelopes in the order in which they arrive. 

I wonder if everyone is caught in the current situation where everything is too complicated and moving too fast. Something else has happened that is a rarity and I'm saddened that I even have to talk about it. In both July and August - there were people who signed up for the exchange and apparently did not send anything. They are not responding to my emails. I only recall this happening once before. Because I am on all the lists - if I do not receive an envelope from someone, I do not assume that they did not send anything. Maybe they sent one and it did not arrive. Maybe the other four people on the list received theirs. 

Exchangers rarely contact me if they are missing an envelope. But after I didn't get the August envelope, I started emailing to see if others had received theirs and found out that they did not - which led to me emailing the wanna-be-exchangers and not hearing back.

So, I have to decide how to handle new people. So many of the newest exchangers are excellent at exchanging and have told me how much they enjoy exchanging. I guess I will ponder ways to engage in a little conversation about how to join.

I thought of asking people to send me an envelope if they want to join. I rather like that idea. But - it might be intimidating. On the other hand - it might be an OK idea. 

Aug from Nicky

This is a postcard from Nicky. She was on a trip in Eastern Europe in July and was inspired by vintage stamps. I especially like any Czech reference because my maternal grandpa was one of 9 kids in a family that immigrated from Czechoslovakia. So, I am one quarter Czech and I love poppy seed kolaches. Czechoslovakia is no more:

On 31 December 1992, Czechoslovakia split peacefully into the two sovereign states of the Czech Republic and Slovakia.^[11]

I've mentioned previously that I'm thinking of doing postcards. Maybe when I do my Nov/Dec combined mailing - I could do one side like this - just art without a stamp and the other side would have a lovely design featuring a stamp.

I love the idea of redrawing a stamp. I love the quality of your lines and shapes, Nicky. You've mostly done relief prints which are lovely - but drawing with a knife or whatever we call that v-gouger thing is a lot different than a pen or pencil. <pause> Interesting - they are called linoleum cutters.

From Wiki:

Early in the twentieth century, a group of Dresden artists used easy-to-cut linoleum instead of wood for printmaking, creating the linocut printmaking technique – similar to woodcuts^{[citation needed]}. Prominent artists who created linocut prints included Picasso and Henri Matisse. 21st-century linocut artists include Angela Harding.

Linoleum sheets were easier to carve and work with than the traditional method of wood block printing. Typically the blocks of linoleum can come mounted or unmounted to a backing such as canvas or MDF. The unmounted sheets are pliable and flexible and may be more difficult to work with for bigger prints.^[20]

August from Juliana - The Art Newspaper

 

This one ranks right up there with the blueprint Juliana did for Thanksgiving which might be in my top ten envelopes. I need to flip through my stash and see if I have a top ten. I can think of a couple that would make top ten. Although, there's nothing magic about ten. I guess it should be the Hall of Fame. There's no limit on how many whatevers get to be in a hall of fame. 

***

The add-on today is from my bulging folder of emails that I have been slogging through. It's an article from The Art Newspaper which is a digital newspaper. I don't know anything about it and now that I'm on my surfing sabbatical, all y'all are on your own to decide if you want to surf a new place or move on to other things. 

LINK to The Art Newspaper

August from Kerry - Steve Hay website

This is my favorite one, so far, from Kerry. I might have to appropriate it since I have those stamps. 

https://store.usps.com/store/gifts 

Lots of fun gifts at the merch section of the USPS website. 

I mentioned Stephen Hay a couple days ago and then forgot to add a link to his website. 

This is one of his gilded botanicals. It's probably 3-inches square. You can scroll round on his website to see other types of work.

https://www.stephenhayart.com/

I have to keep searching the blog to find one of my all time favorite stories. Steve had a commission that was very large and interesting. He worked on it for months and then at the end he wanted/needed me to do some handwriting on it. I was very nervous about doing it - and there is more to the story..... I hope I can find it.

 

August from Kate - Sign up for October

Super fun design from Kate. It's so nice when the cancel adds to the design. That circle is so perfect with the other circles. Ali's fists and afro are all somewhat circular. Kate used ModgePodge to adhere the circles which are the top layer of a napkin. She paid attention to my warnings about collaged materials surviving the aggressive USPS machinery. Enough layers of ModgePodge works. I'm tempted to buy some of these stamps - and appropriating her design. I wonder if I could tweek it into something for halloween or T-day or Xmas.

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 - there are helpful details at this link:

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

 

Sept to Liz - Grrrrrr - Steve Hay

 

The candles are a little better - but the last name should have gone the full width. That would have been better but it would still have been boring. I might give one more try on the back of the envelope and then I will be done-done-done with candle writing with candle stamps. I'll still make words out of candles - but I won't combine them with these stamps. Unless --- there is a first name and a last name made up of perfect letters that I can create something that has the right scale and proportion. The big LIZ was a pretty good start - but it needed to be a longer name. Maybe I'll do ELIZABETH and show how that name done super big would be the right combination with the stamps.

***

The day after I wrote that first pp I did flip it over and do a rough draft of a better idea. The solution to a scale problem is to make something bigger. All the candles on the first one was just too much of a good thing. The design needed some contrast. It needed something soft and loopy. This would have been so much better. The LIZ could have been filled in....but I'm writing this on Sept 10th and the month will be half over by the time this reaches her. It's amazing how fast the days go. I need to figure out my October envelopes - and then do my combo Nov/Dec mailing. The year is basically over for me.

Three stamps and the three letters in LIZ would have worked very nicely if I had started out with that idea....

***

Did I already write about Stephen Hay? A while back I pondered how every month I end up with a range of liking as well as disliking my exchange envelopes and I wondered if there were any artists who could plan and execute every piece of work so that all of it was equally satisfying. I thought of someone who I've worked with and who does extensive planning on all his projects. To me, he seemed like a person who would only produce work that was up to his standards.

I tracked him down and asked him if he was satisfied with everything he produced or if he had pieces that were not going as planned and that he would eventually toss. He thought about it for a while - and then said that he has works that are unfinished and will probably never be finished. This implies that he, too, believes there is always a way to remedy something that is not pleasing to the artist's eye.

Then we talked about the watercolorists we know who prepare stacks of 20 - 30 pieces of stretched watercolor paper on boards. With watercolor, you have to wait for it to dry so you work on several pieces at a time. We both know people who say that out of 20-30 works - they might only get 5 or 6 that they deem worthy of keeping or selling. Neither of us were ever drawn to watercolor. We also know watercolorists who paint from photographs and have techniques that are close to *paint-by-number* so they probably have mostly keepers.

Stephen works in oils - so there is endless opportunity to change things. He also does pencil drawings that are figure studies - so they are planned out and layered - and I guess he doesn't screw up on those. He also does a lot of botanical studies with gilded backgrounds. He said he has done so many of those that he can approach them knowing that they will always turn out as he intends.

I suppose if I took time to run around and have this conversation with lots of artists I'd get lots of stories - but - I'm not sure what we would do with that information. I don't even remember how I got off on this topic. Maybe I was pondering that *thing* where we commit to doing our monthly envelopes - and then we ponder whether we like what we've done. Let's stick with the theory that it's not the content that matters - it's the process. We don't do envelopes to create masterpieces - we do it to clear out the cobwebs from the obligatory activities of daily life.

Sept to JeanR - Principles in action

This one was tricky. The colors needed to be as close as possible. I thought colored pencils were going to be the best option for mixing colors to get what I wanted. It might have been better if I had more experience with colored pencils. I'm sure there are techniques that I don't know. It's a little bit staid. But, I think I achieved balance and harmony. The A and N should not be touching. That was a mistake, but it probably didn't jump out and I probably didn't need to mention it and now that I have pointed it out - I can see that it would have been better to make all the letters touching. 

When I did the two little olive branches on the right - I remember thinking - dang - I should have made the one inside the A really large - and behind the EAN - that would have been so much better. Or a curved branch behind the AN that filled up the circle on the right and then a smaller one that went behind the opening in the A and curved over to the E.  This was a scale and proportion issue. 

I should do my corrections on paper and insert them in the envelopes. Or do better layouts and work out the bugs before I do the envelopes. But sometimes - after doing a nice layout - I overwork the envelopes. Quite often, when the layout is fresh and spontaneous - and then the envelope isn't as good as the layout - I end up putting the layout inside the envelope to show that I had a good idea - but executed it poorly.

Which reminds me we have a different topic to return to.....

 

Sept to Teresa - Principles of Design (7-12)

 

Teresa is new to the exchange. I found her artwork online and it's gorgeous. I pulled out the Hipster font that I was doing a few months ago. It reminded me a little bit of some of her work - not nearly as detailed - but good enough for an envelope. I went rogue with the stamp placement. I hope it doesn't get an aggressive grease pencil slash. Maybe Teresa will send me a photo of what it looked like when it arrived. I did enough Hipster envelopes to be able to make something I like. Note to self: go through all the blog posts and find all the styles that made it into the *predictably successful* category. I wonder how many of them I will find. I wish I had penciled in lines for the address. When I bounce the name - I shouldn't bounce the address. There's a principle behind that comment - but I'm not sure which one. Maybe movement. Or harmonious movement. Or balanced movement. 

***

There are many websites with the elements and principles of design. I chose two off the top of the list. One has twelve and the other has seven.

LINK to twelve principles of design

Emphasis, Balance, Contrast, Repetition, Proportion, Movement, White space, Rhythm, Pattern, Hierarchy, Variety, Unity.  Jean asks: What about Scale? Jean says: It can be lumped in with Proportion.

LINK to seven principles of design

Emphasis, Balance and alignment, Contrast, Repetition, Proportion, Movement, White space

I agree that Emphasis and Balance are two things that should be considered on every envelope or any other work of art. Also a meal or an outfit or a garden or a room. Even though I am drawn to minimalism I do like a focal point. But, I can be satisfied without one.

On an envelope, I often emphasize the name. Other times I have something else that is emphasized and the name is understated. The stamp can be the star of the show. 

I suppose I should find examples. A recent one was this one:

When I posted this one I couldn't really articulate why I liked it so much. Now I know. It's because I was able to emphasize the stamp by understating the name and address. The principle of Hierarchy is at work in my choices of size and colors for the name and address. Also - there is some strong contrast between the name and address. I wasn't thinking about those things specifically as I composed the envelope. I intended to put the address under the name - but it would have been cramped. Those two two elements  were blah - until I found that stamp - and then voila - I loved the stamp with the name and I knew that I had to Balance the address with the stamp - over the name. Once it came together - I had to restrain myself from adding doodads, drop shadows or anything else. I had to convince myself that Jeanette would not be disappointed that I spent so little time on her name. Maybe it looks like it took very little time or thought and that I just threw it together - but it actually took time to consider options and do something with that name that created Harmony.

Why isn't Harmony on either of those lists. That's one of the main Principles. I wonder if there are others that are missing.

And -yes- we're not saying that everything should be harmonious. Dissonance is the flip side and heaven knows that there are a ton of people who thrive on dissonance and create all kinds of controversy. 

Sept to Juliana - The Design Manifesto/Principles of Design

 

Juliana's got lots of add ons. This envelope is not in the top five this month. It's just OK. I'd like to do something else with that stamp. I might even buy some more of them because they are loaded with cute details. I'm not happy with the three cattails. It's not a good use of our time to keep nit picking at all the details. It was done after I had warmed up and produced some good ones and then was on the inevitable decline.

I've lost my train of thought on the manifesto but it might pop up again. It's probably time to list the Principles of Design. A principle is a thing. Let's have Wiki help us. 

A principle may relate to a fundamental truth or proposition that serves as the foundation for a system of beliefs or behavior or a chain of reasoning. They provide a guide for behavior or evaluation. A principle can make values explicit, so they are expressed in the form of rules and standards. Principles unpack values so they can be more easily operationalized in policy statements and actions.

Did Wiki help us? I dunno. It seems like the umbrella of art principles is that nobody wants to agree on anything like a system or a chain of reasoning or a guide or evaluation or values or rules or standards. Art seems to be the flip side of everything that is orderly and principled. Entropy.

So I think my definition is the best. A principle is a thing. If you want a fancier word you can call it a concept. 

We'll post one of the lists tomorrow. There are lots of lists - it won't matter which list we use. Feel free to add or subtract and make your own list.

Sept to Jeannette - The Design Manifesto - Part 3

 

Jeanette might have thought this one was a little wimpy or unfinished. I spent a lot of time pondering options - but in the end, I was so fond of it for its subtlety. I hope she likes it. I should put a gold star on the back of my favorite envelopes so that people know they got one that I really like. I hope the USPS was OK with the address up there in the sky. I put Jeanette's address on the back - right in the middle - so hopefully the scanner would see it and send it on its way.

***

Part 1 of the manifesto said that I had found a manifesto.

Part 2 said that I was writing the manifesto.

Which is it? First I found a book - I loved the book. I might have recommended it. If not, here it is:

Designing Your Life: How to Build a Well-Lived, Joyful Life is a book by Bill Burnett and Dave Evans that aims to help readers organize themselves through journaling and design thinking. The New York Times best-selling book was published in 2016 by Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group and utilizes a series of exercises throughout its eleven chapters in order to provide others with a sense of structure in their lives. These creative and thought-provoking exercises allow the reader to reflect on their life and determine what they should do with their future.

So, it's basically a self-help book. I think I agreed with everything in the book. It seems like it was all very familiar material. While it's exactly what I would write if I were to write a manifesto - I don't think the world needs another manifesto. I totally get it. People keep writing more books to hopefully help other people with their problems. We don't need more books.

I'll just stick with helping you with your envelope problems. If you have other issues, feel free to ask for my point of view. I can usually toss out an idea with a creative and aesthetic twist. Or - I might offer one of those pithy quotes that we all love. Now I want to think of a problem for which I have no suggestions so that I can say... well, if you have a problem with *whatever* - <pause> It didn't take long to come up with the largest gaping hole in my functioning self. Participating in a group activity that is not an art project. That's pretty broad - but very accurate. This topic might pop up later.

Here's the beginning of my collection of pithy quotes. I started it during the covid lockdown - and forget to add to it. Maybe it's long enough.

https://pushingtheenvelopes.blogspot.com/p/quotes.html

I was happy to find the words that were in that little drawing I posted a while back when I said I couldn't find the author.

Apparently the NYTimes has a quotation of the day - and they posted this one.

It is from IBRAHIM ISMAIL ZAIDEN, a postman in Baghdad, Itaq.

It's something wonderful to get a letter. The paper, the stamp, the envelope. It's not just a piece of paper. It's something sacred.

Sept to Grace - The Design Manifesto - Part 2

Grace's envelope is another one I did in August and she didn't sign up. It's one of those translucent envelopes. I was thinking that my Rolly lettering was too wimpy so I chunked it up. I wish I had done the last name larger. I love that stamp - but the name and address needs to fill more space. I could have fit both names on one line if I had compressed them. Dang.

First, we have to decide if I should use manifesto or find a different word.

Here is what Wiki says:

A manifesto is a written declaration of the intentions, motives, or views of the issuer, be it an individual, group, political party, or government. A manifesto can accept a previously published opinion or public consensus, but many prominent manifestos—such as those of various artistic movements—reject accepted knowledge in favor of a new idea. Manifestos relating to religious belief are generally referred to as creeds or confessions of faith.

There's more at Wiki - but we have enough for me to make my decision. Manifesto looks perfect to me since it mentions artistic movements right up there with politics. Not that I am political and not that I am going to start a movement - but I've been filling up my blog with declarations of my views for 16 years - so I think the manifesto is written. It's just very very very disorganized. Entropy. 

 

Sept to Nicky. The Design Manifesto - Part 1

 

I did this one for Nicky in August but she did not sign up for the exchange so it was sent in September. I could easily spend more time with this style by Rolly Crump. There has been a lapse in adding my design tips to the posts. This one is a good example of fitting the name and address into a chunk that it mostly square-ish. The amount of white space is about right. I only had to balance two items. All the copy is in the square and then there is the stamp which is slightly vertical. To me, the plain black lettering with just a smidge of red is a nice balance with the stamp. The triangles on the lettering is a nice repeat of the geometric shapes on the stamp.

Repetition is something that will come up again and again. It is a design principle. I think we've talked about the design principles previously, but in Jeanland, nobody ever gets tired of looking at and pondering the options provided by The Principles. They are the guiding lights of our entire life.

Hmmmm. Was that an overstatement? I think not. I found a new manifesto. Is manifesto a controversial word? It seems like crackpots write manifestos. Is there a good kind of manifesto. Dang. I'm going to have to digress. 

Don't worry - I only have 6 posts to fill up and then we can take a break.

Sept to Janet, Susan and Mary

 Apologies for the confusion of me talking to myself during this post - if you have a lot going on - just skip this post. I think I have a good excuse - but, I'm not going to talk about it until October.

Five minutes before I left to mail my Sept envelopes, I decided to do another one for Janet because her first one was the worst of the Sept envelopes and I have such a hard time making Janet-worthy envelopes. This font had been so much fun - I figured it would work out. The NA in her last name is clunky. But it's way better than the first one which I hesitate to post. 

I like the idea, but it's a dud. Maybe if the lettering was chunkier. I'm having a serious case of deja vous. Did I already post it? [ Yes - I did - and I figured that out and edited the post yesterday] I think I do rough drafts in my head of what I am going to say on the blog and then it feels like I've already written the blurb. [ No - you did write the post - and you left it where it was after you found it ]

I have so many of those translucent envelopes to use up - and I was thinking I could write names on the Fabriano paper. But, I wanted the paper to stay in the center - so I stuck it to the inside of the envelope with some of the selvage off the stamps. Maybe I can think of a better way to stick the Fabriano paper onto the envelope. I don't think I would want it floating around. There has to be something wonderful just waiting to pop into my head. If anyone wants to send me an idea, go right ahead.

There are two ways to cover up the addresses. I can grab some of the writing and use it to cover up the address. I usually take the zip code and run it over the top of the street and house number. That's the easiest option in Preview. On the lower one, I used the clean up tool in Photos.  I much prefer the Preview method. If you are reading this, Judi, you might want to try the Preview method. If you can't figure it out, let me know and I'll write better instructions. Judi asked me a while back for tips on blocking addresses. Maybe I should cover all the options as well as tips for photographing envelopes. 

That dud of an idea might have been fine if I had just gone a lot looser with the letters and layered them.

***

I can't figure out if I already posted these two.  Later on, I discovered that I had already posted these two - but I'm going to leave my comments  here in case anyone is tempted to try this font. 

Both of the MAs on Mashman look pretty good. The MA on Mary is not so good. I think it is the proportion. Mary's name has rounds and angles and straights - too many shapes. Susan's assortment of letters makes for a more cohesive design. Three Ss, three As, two Ms, Ns. 

I should have slanted Mary's WI the other way.

Thank you to Juliana for answering my question about this font - where she found it and whether or not she used rulers and templates.

I usually just scour the internet looking for something interesting and that I'm capable of reproducing. I'm glad you like it though! The "clumping" made me think of neurographic art where you just round out all the corners. No templates, but always a ruler to make sure the address stays straight.

Sept to Lynne [Janet's clunker] not yet

 

No matter how many times I think I'm at the end of these little green envelopes - I always find more. I doubt there are any more rainbow stamps. It was very lucky that the far left stripe was a weird enough green to go with the envelope. The lettering is a little clunky - but - I'm not going to complain. The only one who got a complete clunker was Janet. It's only the 7th as I write this. Maybe I can do something better for Janet and surprise her. Janet's is such a clunker, it doesn't get its own blog post. [the clunker image has been moved to tomorrow's post]

Part of me wants to try again and just make the letters in her name bolder. But the wiser part of me says cut your losses and let it go. Then the stubborn part of me says: but you know how good it feels when you make something so bad - and then you figure out how to fix it. But the practical me responds - but we don't have another one of those stamps. And then Mean Jean says: will you two just shut up. And the other ones say to MeanJean: YOU shut up. There are more than two of us. And then my stomach asks: Are you hungry? Whiny Jean wants one of those hamster cage feeding devices and she wants it to be really delicious as well as nutritious. <sigh> 

I apologize for this rant about an envelope that you can't even see because it is in tomorrows post - this is just a space filler rant - while I adapt to the weather and the narrowing window to dig and divide 20 hostas. <sigh> We're having a monsoon - but we have not had a stroke or broken our hip so we're not going to complain.

Sept to Irene and Susan

I guess Mary's (yesterday) was not on the Fabrianno envelope - it was on the very last pale blush pink envelope that I think was Strathmore Columns. I had a whole carton of those envelopes and loved them. I miss the days of doing custom invitations when people had a budget that allowed really nice envelopes and there would be tons of leftovers. 

Susan's is Fabriano. There was a typo so I cut the bottom off and flipped it around. You can see a faint line. Susan's name probably lends itself to this style a little better. Although Irene got that Strathmore  envelope. Plus Irene's was done first - so I got better at figuring out the blurs at the corners.

 

Sept to Mary

 

This was my inspiration for a few of my September envelopes. I had to choose names that fit. The paper is some really nice Fabrianno cardstock that is scored to be used as a greeting card or a note card. I do not have envelopes that size, so figured I would just glue them shut and they have the feel of an envelope. 

Of course you lose a bit by not seeing the street address. I enjoyed doing these very much. I've been saving the stamps for a long time - and finally found something that seemed like a good pairing.

This one will pop up again because I lost track of which envelopes I have posted. When I choose one idea and use it on multiple envelopes it's often better to look at the multiples and compare them.

Sept to Mia - Scarlet's cotton comment + uncials

 

These three stamps are the lower right hand corner of the sheet of stamps with all the adorable images of postal workers. The very last one looks like the postal worker has just gotten home and is giving a hug to their child. It's so sweet. I hadn't really noticed it. I was testing markers and found a stray scroll tip - and did a test run on her name - which is one of the most challenging names. I guess Liz Williamson and Mia Massicotte are tied for hardest names. Three letters in their first names and ten in their last names. I'm not complaining. I like a good challenge. This layout is fine. I like the way there is an implied *line* from top to bottom - on the left side of the stamp, going through the i and then the flush left on the address. 

***

Scarlet left a suggestion on the post where I was trying to find an example of something where everyone would agree. I was writing about the differences in italics with finesse and the generic italics. My suggested comparison was fresh fish at a shore lunch - nobody would prefer frozen fish. Just now I thought of Rainman (the movie) and how much he loved his fish sticks. I imagine there are people who prefer fish sticks to a freshly caught fish...but I digress.

I really liked Scarlet's suggestion: Top Italic is like a good quality cotton as opposed to marker pen Italic being like cheap polyester? Or Nylon.

Is there anyone who prefers synthetics to natural fibers? I dunno. Linen is one of my favorite fabrics. It has all kinds of features that make it comfortable in various situations. In spite of the wonderful features, it is often dismissed as a terrible fabric because it wrinkles. I know the new polyesters that supposedly *wick* away moisture are popular - but they are not cheap. 

One more thing on fabrics - I've been warned by my avid skier son, Skip, that *cotton kills.* So - for any of you who are going to be trekking through the wilderness where it gets cold - you better read up on the dangers of cotton. 

https://www.merecyclers.com/cotton-kills-or-does-it-best-fabrics-for-hiking-explained/

Did anyone miss the link to Scarlet's IG? Lots of good stuff.

https://www.instagram.com/scarletti_blu/

I scrolled down and found the uncials I sent to her to see if I could get her to like uncials.

LINK to the envelope from Scarlet

Sept to Jessica. Adding a basic curve to your 3 basic strokes

I deeply regret that I did not put an orange crescent moon as the dot on the i. This was one of my favorites of the Sept envelopes. After you have mastered making an alphabet out of the 3 basic straight strokes, you can learn a couple very simple curves. 

Remember when I said - KIS and RYQ? Keep It Simple means you only need a very few strokes. RYQ means Remove Your Quirks. You are not supposed to be doing anything remotely close to you regular penmanship. Of course - the I will be a standard vertical line. But, if your regular penmanship always puts the two little horizontal strokes - one at the top and one at the bottom - rather like a serif - you simply MUST learn to question whether you need those two lines. Sometimes you do - and sometimes it will look better without. 

There is no fixed rule. It's a case-by-case situation. 

How do you start learning the curved strokes? I say, start with the S. First draw a vertical line - then make an S right next to it - and figure out what is the least amount of curve you need to make when to turn your I into an S.

Remember - letters are symbols. They have information. Remove Your Quirky way of making an S when you are just doing your regular penmanship. I guarantee your regular S is not like those two in Jessica's name. Although, I would love it if someone has a gorgeous S that they do every day. I would love for someone to send me a photo of their pretty S - and prove me wrong.

Scarlet Blue lives in England and one time she posted a comment on the Flourish Forum that she did not care for uncials so I was compelled to send her some likable uncials. Here's the post with her response.

https://pushingtheenvelopes.blogspot.com/2015/11/from-scarlet-blue.html#comment-form

I might find an image of what I sent to her ---

But first we have to talk about the comment that Scarlet left a few days ago. Stay tuned.