June to Kate- Leon post office

 

I loved the envelope that Kate sent in June and felt bad that this is what she received in the exchange. I had a card that went inside - and I guess it was more than an ounce so I had to add the school bus. The silly little stickers were left over from the Monster stamps. I made the mistake of taking it in to a post office and handed it to a clerk who I have met up with previously. She seems like she is trying to do a good job - but she also seems like she doesn't really understand what's going on. 

Here is a post office story. My son was out doing whatever he does for the USPS at the post office in Leon, Iowa - and heard a sad little kitten meowing. He fed it and then it looked pathetic so he brought it to a vet in Des Moines - and now it's at the place that cares for stray kittens before putting them up for adoption....and he can have it if he wants it. Since he had a cat that died - he's been wanting another one....so.... I thought I would illustrate the story with a photo of the Leon, Iowa post office - and I think I already featured it in a blog post. It was built in 1936 and still has an original WPA mural. I think WPA is the right name - I'm too lazy to research.

Then I found this - is the study for the mural. 

The study is tempera paint on panel and it is at the Smithsonian.

If you look at the details - the study is so much better.

I wonder if the person who did the study did the actual painting.

It looks like they sent someone else to paint the mural.

Or - perhaps the person who did the study wasn't skilled at transferring a study onto a wall.

June to Lynne and Liz

 

I've seen some very fun envelopes where people add a body to a portrait stamp. Many of them are very clever. These are moderately cute. I didn't do any surfing to find good images or ideas. I just drew out of my head. Drawing out of one's head is probably better if one does a lot of drawing. I don't draw any more. I've taken another break from working on the blog posts and as I write this (on June 28th) I see that I'm a little bit behind - plus I should be thinking of what I'm going to do for my July envelopes. I found some very old Xmas stickers - and was thinking of doing Xmas in July. That sounds like a terrible idea. Also it is 5 pm - not a time of day when the jabbering flows easily.

***

"Other people go to pilates or take meditation classes. I like making soup."

That is a line from a video about a woman who loves color. There are plenty of unconventional features in her home. It's a ten minute tour around her home in the Cotswolds. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5gjhQwewT8w

June to Renee and Jessica - store windows

I had this one penciled in prior to stamp pondering. Then when I had so many RBG stamps, I thought the oval was enough of a connection to her lace collar. I was wrong. Perhaps I will revisit this border. Perhaps it should be larger. Perhaps I will find some better ideas.

Below is the first idea to go with the stamp. It's a warm up. Jessica gets a lot of warm ups. Certain names pop into my head because they never miss an exchange. I always feel bad about them getting warm ups - but last month Jessica got one of my favorites - so I hope that evens things out.

I already know that she will get a warm up for July and it's pretty good.

The window display guy that I posted yesterday reminded me of how much I loved the annual trek to downtown Minneapolis every year to see the Christmas windows at the Dayton's department store when I was a kid. They were spectacular. I also remembered seeing pictures of Tiffany windows over the years that were gorgeous. As the video mentioned, window decorating is becoming a lost art. It's still fun to see what small local shops do. Once in while there will be something fabulous.

A few days ago I saw a blurb about a big company that had ripped off a very specific style of *totem pole* sculpture that an artist has been producing for many years. It was outrageous what they had done. But, I do not recall the name of the artist or the store that ripped him off. Maybe it will pop up again and I can add a link. 

***

Well, that was easy - 2 clicks and I found the artist - Dustin Gimbel - and the store who had copied his totems was Nordstroms - and they have taken all of them down. My guess is that some youngster on staff was just surfing around for ideas - and some of these young people are clueless about the ownership of ideas. It's especially hard for people in the world of fashion because there are many components of fashion that do not fall under copyrights. 

Ironically - Nordstroms did all their knockoffs in cardboard - my favorite medium. 

LINK to Dustin's IG

LINK to totems for sale

$3,505 for the trio - they are ceramic. That seems like a very reasonable price considering how expensive it would be for the materials plus all the time it would take to build them - and how large they are. 

LINK to landscape design. Well, since he is a landscape designer - maybe that's how he makes a living and this is a sideline - and he has a studio where several people are producing the components. But it is still a lot of work. They appeal to me because they are not plants - but look like plants. I like sculpture yards because it takes care of itself. I have a few ideas percolating for my son's yard.

If you like yard art made out of junk - and want to see more - just Google *yard art made out of junk*

 

June to Kerry and Jackie - window display guy

I just wrote the blurb yesterday with the wire sculpture - and I thought I would be inspired to write names and fill in some colors - and then these two popped up and they are soooooo boring compared to the idea I had on the previous post. I wonder if I always do better with more colorful stamps. It probably depends on if I have markers and pens in the right colors. I'm a big fan of monochrome and muted color palettes. 

These two are so-so - veering into dudsville.

***

If you have 23 minutes to fill up and if you were ever wowed by window displays. The blurb that goes with the video is a good description.

In a story from The Current, legendary design editor Robert Rufino revisits his early career designing windows for iconic New York institutions—from Henri Bendel to Tiffany & Co.—helping pioneer the evocative display style known as “street theater.” Set across a series of 10th Street storefronts, the year-long project culminated in a week-long celebration. Captured in a short film by Joshua Charow, the result is both an ode to a lost art form and a portrait of a creative force still shaping culture nearly 50 years on.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hVUUg0UmC80

 

June to Troy and Patty - wire sculpture

Last month Troy sent an envelope with a kite and my name written in *string.* I did a variation and it's so-so. Then I did a second variation because I was using up all the RBG stamps. Another so-so.

Patty sent me a photo of what it looked like with its cancel because she knew I would like it. Very nice addition to the composition.

***

Here's a fun guy who is doing very well with his wire sculptures. I'll link to his website and if you scroll down there is a nice 15 minute video showing how his current style evolved.

https://www.jdpaterson.com/

The pice above is $22,000 and the one below is $4,000. They have moving parts.

I can feel myself being inspired to make envelopes - write names and color in some spaces

 

May from Jackie - Kutchinsky's Egg

I'm pretty sure Jackie carves linocut blocks for printing. I think there is info in this envelope. Sadly, I have chained myself to my desk and am not allowing any digression to research. I'm cracking down on myself with this system for exchanging and blogging. 

Rule number one has been to only write in the morning and the only way I can stay ahead of the weeds is to head out at the crack of dawn and attack them. Then it takes a while to clean up and get on with my day.  

I've also started a new meal plan where I only allow myself 2 or 3 minutes to make a meal. Poor MrWilson has to make his own salads. So far, he is not complaining. 

It's 4:30 pm and I am falling asleep. I think it's because I woke up at 3 am and I thought I had an audiobook that would put me to sleep - but it was the end of the story and it ended up keeping me awake because the author made it into a cliffhanger. 

The book is Kutchinsky's Egg by Serena Kutchinsky. It's a true story that covers the 3-4 generations of a family of jewelers leading up to Serena's dad who wanted to create an egg to rival the Fabrege eggs. His idea was to make a really big one. I think that's where he went way off track. Bigger isn't always better. It might impress some people - but it loses the preciousness. 

Through the process of making it - he lost everything. His family, his company - and even the egg disappeared. I don't think the book would have interested me except that I tried working with gold and silver in college jewelry classes. I found out that I am a paper person. Metal is too tough and you can mess up your hands. 

 Here is the author's IG https://www.instagram.com/serenakutchinsky/

May from Riley - Debby's graduation gig

 

Riley, Riley, Riley - you were very lucky that this envelope made it to me. It's much smaller than the minimum size requirement. Some of the rogue mail will make its way to the destination....but, I recommend sticking with the sizes that they prefer.

***

CyberScribes is a very old list-serve from before the turn of the century (or are we supposed to say the turn of the millennium?) that still has a few calligraphers posting things. I thought this was fun and asked the person who posted it if I could repost. She said -yes- and sent some additional photos. In addition to writing names they would write sayings or words requested by the graduates. I used to do gigs like this and it was So.Much.Fun.

Here is Debby's post from CyberScribes:

Merri Klar and I had a fun late(!) evening doing calligraphy for a local Safe Grad party after their high school graduation. This is my third year doing it and it is such a treat to see how much the teens appreciate receiving a custom piece of calligraphy done with their choice of words. My favorite moment last night was when a group of young men picked up their calligraphy and I heard an appreciative, "That's sick!" Brings joy to this calligrapher's heart LOL!

 

Have a great day,

debby reelitz

North Granby CT

letteringdesign.com   <that is her website if you would like to look at more of her work.

May from Mary - return addresses and flimsiness

 

Mary's style of lettering reminds me a little bit of a recent one from JeanR. I'm not sure what the extra postage sticker is. I have a theory that is at the very end of this very long post. 

Sometimes postal clerks create some issues that IMHO are not actual issues. 

There has been one episode of a postal clerk saying something ridiculous - and not just saying it....insisting that mail is required to have a return address..... and that's ridiculous - because anything you drop in a mailbox is going to go on its merry way whether there is a return address or not. A local friend (not an exchanger) was trying to mail a letter without a return address and the clerk was adamant that she had to put her return address on the envelope. 

My friend said - OK - and walked away with her envelope and dropped it in a mail box. After I heard about this, I went in to a PO and asked a different clerk - one I have known for a while - and was told that plenty of mail is handled without a return address. The reassuring clerk and I were also able to figure out exactly who it was who had been spouting the ridiculous opinion. I've had previous run-ins with that clerk. That clerk has a reputation for being ____?____.  I'm not sure what word to use. I guess we'll just go with opinionated. 

Here is another situation of an opinionated USPS clerk. It appears in the comment section which I have reposted below. It was the envelope from Lynne which had a rubber stamp (non-machinable) that did not make sense.

https://pushingtheenvelopes.blogspot.com/2026/06/may-from-lynne-wearing-usps-uniforms.html#comment-form

LYNNE'S COMMENT: 

When I brought the envelope to the PO, they said it was non-machinable because the paper inside wasn’t the exact size I’d the envelope. The space between what was inside and the top of the envelope would cause it to get stuck in their machine. I find every postal worker tells me something different!

CJ's COMMENT:

Is it possible that it was non-machinable due to the artwork? Or whoever saw it can't read cursive? Or the zip code is not in the position that the machines recognize?

Jean's comment: After discussing this with Patty, I think there is good reason to pay attention. to the *heft* of any given envelope. Patty knows someone whose invitations were not reaching their destinations. The invitation was just a folded letterhead that was secured with tape. In the past - that type of invitation went through the machines. Patty and I suspect that the newer machines are chewing up flimsy mail. 

I will keep reminding the exchangers to put *enough* in their envelopes to make them sail through the machines without being chewed up.

I'm wondering if the envelope from Mary was too rigid. I know the USPS machines will charge extra for mail that is too rigid.

See - if you go to the website to calculate a price, they ask if the envelope is rigid.

When I clicked on rigid - after clicking on a standard size and 1 ounce 

this is what came up as the price - $1.27

So - 49-cents + 78-cents = $1.27

There is more to the topic of envelopes surviving the machines - which will appear at a later date.

May from Patty and Troy - NORBAG

 

Patty and Troy both went with a flower theme in May. I'm still sitting in the automotive waiting room.  

I guess it's time to return to the stack of links. That cardboard one was so fun. For me. Maybe not for anyone else.

***

Bingo again.

There was a link to NORBAG - North Redwoods Book Arts Guild. I belonged to NORBAG for a while and had so much fun making and exchanging handmade books. Here's a link to the books that were exchanged in May. If you love handmade books - you could probably spend an entire day looking at all the photos. NORBAG began in 1997.

The theme for the month was Stamps. They have a different theme every month. You send them a book and they exchange the books by drawing names - so you never know what you will get. There is a range of skill levels. I do not recall how they handle the cost of shipping or if they have membership dues. Also - I have not found their list of rules.  If anyone is interested, shoot me an email and I will find the details.

It looks like they exchange cards in December - and maybe valentines in February.

LINK to photos of May books This is at Flickr and you may find all the books that have been exchanged since 2010.

LINK to their blog

In March the theme was piano hinge books. 

This one is by Mary Elizabeth Nelson.

May from Janet

Lots of flowers on the May envelopes. I'll add steal worthy to this one even though I do not have any tulips stamps. Recently, when looking for the RuthBG stamps online, I saw quite a few new stamps that I am looking forward to. I wonder what I would do if I did not have the exchange to use up at least 20 stamps every month. 

Janet wrote her return address on the left edge. That's a very nice option for return addresses if yours is not too long. Also, please note her very nice printing on my address. I love the little loop on the h in th. The proportion of the caps to the the lower case letters is so pretty. In elementary school they often teach kids to make the caps twice as tall as the lower case. Sometimes that looks fine - but I have a preference for caps that are only a bit taller than the lower case.

It's time to sign up for the July exchange.

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

If you participated in the June 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 June 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

 

May from Kerry - building a path

 

Kerry picked up the yellow from the stamp and went with a gothic or old English style of lettering. I'm always happy to see a nice clear address. 

Here is my current cardboard project. I hope I am not repeating myself - sometimes I forget what I write. When my son bought his first house (five years ago), he knew nothing about yards and gardening. Little by little I have educated him about finding ground covers that will choke out weeds and we've made progress.  The tomatoes and garlic are his project. I only deal with the perimeter.

Since the lawn has been overrun with creeping Charlie, I suggested a path and then eventually replace the creeping Charlie with ground covers as well hostas - since he has more than 20 hostas that are available to divide. He dug and divided ornamental grasses from my house to put along the fence in the back - and the ajuga seems really happy to cover all that ground.

It's a work in progress. 

May from Jeannette - cardboard hotel

 

Jeannette suggests eating radishes. I'd need to plant some first. I remember making a radish soufflé a long time ago. It was a recipe off a calendar. This is going to be drivel because I am sitting at a tire shop waiting for a tire to be repaired. It was a good idea to bring my laptop and get something done. It's been a long time since I have had to sit in an automotive waiting room. I don't think it's going to inspire any good writing. Just drivel. I suppose I could go look at some of my folders of stuff to share with the blog readers.

***

Bingo. I do not recall saving this to a folder - so it's fun to be reminded that there are youngsters who share my perspective and affinity for cardboard and useless items that some would consider art.

DOSSHAUS is an art collective founded in 2011 and the nom de guerre of David Connelly.   Created in response to a society saturated with social media-generated images in which reality itself seems all the more relative, Dosshaus uses recycled cardboard, paper, and acrylic to create its own highly idealized universe.  This cardboard world is at once separate from and a product of modern culture. 

https://www.dosshaus.com 

Click on installations and scroll down to Paper Thin Hotel - it is an amazing array of things made out of cardboard that have that cartoon quality to them. Tomorrow I will share my current cardboard project.

May from Irene - worms

Even though Irene thought this design looked a little bit like worms, I love it. She thought it verged on creepy. I think the happy stripes look very friendly. Most of my yard work involves crossing paths with  worms and I try to gently move them to areas that I think they will like. I even did some reading and watching of ideas to improve the worm population. I could easily get into some worm farming on a very small scale - but it involves providing a steady stream of fresh produce and I'm not sure I have the bandwidth to put feeding the worms on my schedule.

Irene made this beautiful J in a class. Maybe I should start some J's on envelopes since we are up to seven J-people in the exchange. I actually know where my leftover gold leaf is. 

***

I found these two while I was weeding - they were right under a piece of black plastic that was smothering weeds. I even shot some video to see if I could see them wriggle into the ground - but they were taking their time - so I left them alone for a while and then they were gone.

There are still a lot of oak leaves around. I'm impressed with how sturdy they are. It takes them a long time to decompose.

 

May from Renee - Icebreakers

 

This is from newish exchanger, Renee. I love lilies of the valley. Part of my tedious weeding has been pulling strands of grass out of my lilies of the valley. The grass was creeping in after years of neglect. I am helping the lilies to restore their powers of choking out everything else. It looks like actual acrylic paint on this envelopes. 

***

This will be a public service announcement even though it sounds like kvetching. If you are in need of a warm base layer and you can afford one luxury item that will insure the best warmth without itchiness or clammy-ness -  you need to invest in Icebreakers. I am a connoisseur of base layers. Icebreakers are  expensive - but also the best - and better than any synthetic. I even prefer them to silk which is nice, but scores the lowest on longevity. Skeptics do not believe that New Zealanders have figured out a way to make itch-free wool - but they have.

When MrWilson needed a base layer for his trip to Iceland, I gave him a lengthy briefing on how he needed to get Icebreakers and he needed to act fast because it was the end of the season. He had a month to get them. 

He did not listen - and tried to find them locally - four days before his trip. The local ski shop had an alternative brand. When he told the clerk that his wife had said Icebreakers were the only brand to buy - the clerk agreed.

Then MrWilson fell for the lies from Amazon that they could ship what he wanted overnight. I reminded him that I had forewarned him about the whole situation. Grrrrr. I apologize for venting here - but, maybe someone in need of the best base layer known to mankind will read this and I will have contributed to comfort and happiness. They will last forever. You can pass them down to your descendants. 

May from JeanR - despising Amazon

 

I do not appreciate the USPS making notes on my mail. Nice stamps and a pretty card inside from JeanR.  I wonder if that style of lettering is something she found or if she came up with it herself. I might have to give it a try.

***

I have five posts to fill up until June is filled. This is still the day when it's raining, preventing me from weeding. MrWilson is in packing mode. Remember when I said I liked the way the word *journey* is a bit of a catch-phrase these days. I suppose I could make comments about his preparation for his journey.

As I have mentioned, I refuse to shop through Amazon because they have destroyed so many businesses. While there are a few local stores with art supplies, the stock is very hit or miss. Worse than that - has been buying markers in blister packs that are dried up. With all the on-line shopping, local businesses are struggling and I am struggling exponentially. I'm an old person, bummed about the changes in the world.

MrWilson just had the learning experience - where Amazon takes your order for an overnight delivery and then a few hours later - they *update* you with a new delivery date which is for after you have already left on your trip. 

Could he have avoided this problem by listening to me? Yes. Is it awkward when I point out that my advice had been solid? Yes. Will we have further comments and warnings tomorrow? Yes.

May from Judi - disappearing exchangers

Judi has given me the OK to critique her envelopes. Hanging the feathers off the stamp is so nice and nudging things to the center is an idea I would not have come up with. I think it only works with my nice, short address.  

This is computer generated type - which is just fine for the exchange. Sixteen years ago, when I started the blog, it was very focused on calligraphy and hand lettering. Then with the exchange, I welcomed everything, including digital art. There has been feedback that people enjoy the variety. If we were limited to just calligraphy, we would not have lasted this long. 

Shout out to the people who do not exchange any more. While I have names and addresses of exchangers who I no longer hear from, I do not send emails or letters asking what happened. With the first few people who *disappeared* I was very curious. We'd exchanged for years - and then *poof* they were gone. A couple times I sent emails or *thinking of you* letters - but when I did not hear back, I let it go. 

Eventually, I decided that it was awkward to even send letters or email - even to say - thinking of you. I do think of my pen pals. But, I've decided to just let things go - and not be curious about what might have happened.

To the people who have dropped out of exchanging but might still look at the blog - my perspective is this:

Participating in the exchange is like having a lovely conversation with a fellow traveler. It happens and then it is over. And now - it is a warm memory. 

May from Jessica - Iceland trip

Jessica sent mountains in May - and they coordinate with the stamp - which features Colorado and the celebration of their statehood. Since the rain is preventing my weeding project and I think I have gotten myself back on track to post things in order, I'll do a pre-report on a Wilson household adventure..

In the past, I made a point of visiting my older son who always lives in the mountains. While the scenery was always gorgeous I was mostly terrified. Also, when he saw opportunities to *hike* - I would politely decline and just wait for him to go off on a hike and then return. MrWilson forgot to work visits to his son's various locales into his schedule until 2026. As I write this on the 7th of June, he is preparing to visit Skip in Iceland. Skip has been working for a heli-skiing operation in Iceland for the past 5 years. It's a seasonal job. The season has ended. MrWilson thought it would be fun to visit Iceland and have his son show him around.

I hope MrWilson survives. 

This is his offspring who will be showing him around.

My stomach does that flipping thing just looking at the photos Skip posts.

Link to the website of the Heli-skiing company

or if you prefer IG

Link to heli-skiing IG
 

***

Trip report. A wonderful time was had by all.

May from Mia - condensed writing

 

Apologies to Mia for not cropping this photo. It's a lovely *envelope* although it is a piece of paper, folded into something that made it through the mail without being sealed or glued shut or stickered or taped.

I like the wonkiness of the folding.

And maybe the photos would have made more sense in the opposite order - 

to see it open and then folded up.

Either way - it's fun - and I'm impressed that it made it without any adhesive.

***

Oh, dear. I took a break from writing posts and I thought I had written the post about my own incident with an overly disgruntled customer and how the main post office has a very large intimidating man who was summoned from the back. I don't want to repeat the story because I'm pretty sure I've messed up the order of the posts - but - that's basically the whole story. If I am going to improve my writing, maybe I should just go with minimalist writing. That would be condensing every story down to one line.  

<pause - while I search - because I'm sure someone has already done this> Yup, lots of people have done. this. I just clicked on one and I did not read any of the entries because the weeds are getting ahead of me. But, if you are looking to kill time - here's a link. There was another one where they condensed novels down to a few sentences. 

http://airshipdaily.com/blog/12092013-classic-novels-one-sentence

May from Mary - post office story

 

This is from Mary. I love Mr. Zippy. There are several add-ons already written and I am just going down the list of photos in the random order in which they appear -  so it was serendipitous that this envelope popped up to go with a post office story.

***

A friend of mine was at the post office I frequent the most. She was behind a woman who was all fired up because her carrier had left slips of paper indicating there were five packages at the post office for her to pick up. Only two of them were available to pick up. She wanted to talk to the station manager - so the clerk summoned the manager. I do not have the full conversation. They went back and forth. Eventually the manager said, "Unfortunately, with the lawsuit, it might need to be completed before delivery to your house is resumed."

By then, there were three people in line and the angry customer turned to the other customers and said these exact words, "Well if he wouldn't have said what he said I wouldn't have had to hit him."

Wow! I know how serious it is when a carrier is bit by a dog. I hadn't even pondered what happens when a person assaults a carrier.

Tomorrow I will share my angry customer story - even though I'm guessing it's appeared previously in one of the 6,875 posts. 

May from Juliana - Good Writing - a few rules

 

Juliana went with rubber stamps in May. My rubber stamps have been calling to me. Also borders catch my eye - I see them everywhere. Even the OG borders that were used on airmail letters are still around. And who doesn't love little animals posing as letters. Adorable. I have a whole collection of alphabets that are based on animals, including humans, who are posing as letters.

***

Well, the next train that pulled up to the platform is going to the library. Remember how I checked out that book called Good Writing, by Anne Lamott and her husband Neal Allen? I've been too consumed with pulling weeds to read it and it's due today.

The book has 36 Rules that Neal collected over the years and he uses his list in his teaching. I scanned through the list of rules and there are several that seem very self explanatory. Rule 7: Sound Natural. That's the one I probably don't need because all of my writing is conversational. Rule 22: Short Sells. That's my main thing when I edit - is finding every opportunity to use fewer words. 

Then we get to Rule 34: Break the Rules -and- Rule 35: Finish the Damn Thing. I don't think I need to read those. I'm good at breaking rules - I'll check the book out again and read it - and see if the book says to be careful about how many rules you break - breaking too many at the same time is a very bad idea. 

I don't need to read anything about finishing - because I have managed to finish a daily post Every Damn Day for 16 years. I think that's amazing. Just the part where I didn't miss a day - but - the writing still needs help. The writing is full of issues - but, I never claimed to be a writer.

Someone has the book on hold - so I will return it and put another hold on it - and hopefully next time I'll have time to actually read it.