May to Nicky - loosening up

 

I was going to have a word bubble on this one, The lady is pointing to the one scallop that I did last and it is squished in. I was annoyed with myself for not doing a tiny pencil dot to space the scallops nicely. Notice how I did not say *perfectly*? I do not aim for perfection. I aim for precise or nice. I did a little bit better with the items that were on the stamp. I like the shadows. That really helps ground the three things that are standing. I see more ovals in my future. That oval is starting to look like a RBG lace collar on her robe.

Here is Juliana's comment - after I wrote that my interpretation of her envelope with details wasn't very good.

I did not scrutinize the little animals. They were too cute to nitpick. I loved the color scheme also. Usually with your envelopes I just try to figure out how you stay so loose while still being so neat. Nearly 30 years of drafting have ruined me and I doubt anyone would describe anything about me as "loose."

If I can remember to do this - we might have some tips and tricks for loosening up. The longing to be loose and still neat is something I hear quite often.

On the other hand - it might be a lost cause - because I think *loose* is the main thing that people need to find when they want to flourish....and the only way to get into the groove with flourishing is to spend a ridiculous amount of time going through the motions. Easy motions at first and once you get the easy ones flowing, you gradually start working on variations and eventually. work your way into more complicated designs.

More tomorrow.

Janet knocks it out of the ballpark

 I chose that sports reference because Janet is one of those people who churns out a ton of creativity and still has time for a ton of sporting events. And she's a good cook/baker and well groomed. She's some sort of superwoman. 

Janet observed my birthday with all kinds of goodies. The envelope is much brighter in person and goes very well with the stamp. Inside is this card - with a fold on the top.

The image on the front wrapsaround to the back

Inside is a small envelope. Inside that envelope is a little booklet with J-for-Jean on the front.

That out-of-date term on the USPS stamp was issued on October 12, 1974 when it cost 10-cents to mail 1 ounce. Here is a link to see all the other 10-cent stamps.

https://postagestampguide.com/united_states/stamps/years/1974#google_vignette

I love how Janet has assembled my philosophy of life into this tiny booklet. I might have to publish it. Janet will have to send me the name of her agent to hash out the details. I suggest a straight 50-50 split.

I'm also curious about that personal favorite - Just channel your inner Mexican housewife. I did a search on the blog and I only used the word *housewife* three times and none of them are this quote. So, I suspect that quote came from something that happened last year when I tricked my 12 favorite people into devoting a ridiculous amount of time making tissue paper flowers for the Day of the Dead ofrenda. I hope the comment does not offend any Mexican housewives because at my very core, I am a housewife. It doesn't matter to me what your nationality is - if you are a housewife, we are kindred spirits. I'll be jabbering about this in a future post.

Unless I forget.

April from Frances and Troy

Frances was new to the exchange in April - but then she didn't have time to sign up in May. Maybe she'll be back someday. The greenery is so nice - clearly NOT weeds. I paired Frances with Troy - and his happy green HELLO! with a kite-string-name. That one is going in my idea file.

***

Yesterday's posted mentioned the olden days of graphic design where everything was done by hand. I was free lancing when the whole world was switching over to computers and it was at that point that I retired. I was in my late 20s - early 30s - newly married, starting a family. I did not have the inclination to learn how computers worked nor did I want to invest the money in a computer. The old school art supplies were not expensive at all. Then, when my youngest was 7 and I was 43, that's when I fell down the calligraphy/penmanship hole. I never regretted that I did not make the transition to computers. The tactile sense of working on paper with inks, paints, markers, pencils, whatever is so satisfying.

Recently, an article about the many activities people are using to keep their brains vital - pointed out that people are spending a lot of time on computer programs that challenge the brain. Puzzles and whatnot. The article also pointed out that it is silly that people are going to the computer for brain activities - and paying for programs - when they could just go out and use their brain FOR FREE.... doing things that *work* the brain. 

Duh.

 

April from Patty - graphic design olden days

A double-dog-stamp envelope from Patty - who has an adorable dog. I need to remember to ask my exchangers to tell me if they are dog-people, cat-people or both or something else.

Plus Patty made a very pretty birthday card for me. It's crazy how we are in June already and I'm just now posting my birthday mailings.

Patty left a comment on my post about *oddballs* telling us that while she enjoys both sports and penmanship - she prefers sports for spectating - not participating. That makes the Venn diagram more complicated. To me - there is a huge difference in spectating and participating - although they are both group activities. The fans and the teams. That's probably the part where I'm not inclined to join up.

My train of thought just took off on a side-track - remembering when I was an old school graphic designer. We had to do everything by hand - cutting and pasting artwork and copy that came from a typesetter - that would be photographed to make plates and  be printed. There was also a lot of tape involved. We drew things by hand on a drawing board with a T-square and technical pens.

One day I imagined the Graphic Design Olympics. Events included the T-square throw, inspired by the javelin throw. There was speed-taping - where you had to tape the lanes on the track. X-acto knives were the pointy item used with a target, similar to archery. There was an event with the kneaded eraser, but I do not recall what it was.

Ah, the good old days...working in an office....dreaming up stuff.

 

April from Renee - RBG stamps

Renee was inspired by Georgia O'Keefe. Whenever I see poppies growing in people's yards I feel inspired to try planting them. Maybe that will happen someday. I don't want to jinx things and say that I feel like I'm ahead in the battle with the weeds. They are so sneaky. My son brought home some fabulous cardboard so I'm working on some paths. I will smother the weeds with cardboard and then figure out what kind of paths to put in next spring. 

***

I'm not doing any free lance work these days - unless you are that one person who sends invitations once in a while and is so much fun to work with. She's turning 40 and a friend of hers emailed asking me if I would be willing to address invitations for Abby's birthday party. Since Abby is a lawyer, I suggested the Ruth Bader Ginsberg stamp and the person who emailed me was very excited for that stamp. 

I had a route all planned out to see if I could find them locally. After I went to three places, I gave up and ordered them online. Then my son texted me that he found someone at a substation who knew how to look up what each of the substations have in stock. That was super helpful because it gave me an excuse to drive around to one of my favorite post offices as well as one I had never been to. I was so happy to finally see that one. It's very nice.

The punchline of this story is that I found them locally and I still have the ones I ordered online that will arrive - so I'll have a ton of RBG stamps to use up. I had not purchased any when they came out - so I'll have fun with them.

While I stood in line, I took photos of greeting cards that they sell at the USPS. This one is adorable. They have it filed under *Sympathy.* It seems a little whimsical for a sympathy card. I didn't check to see what it says on the inside.

This might be my new *thing* - just taking pictures of greeting cards.

April from JeanR

It's time for JeanR and I to have our annual get together. Even though we live close - she goes to Texas for the winter - and we are both so busy when she's in DSM that we only get one visit in per season. If you are reading this Jean - text me. This is going to be a much less busy summer for me. Also - I like that style of writing on my name - what is it?

And I love the flower on your card. Did you do the drawing first and then the line - or the other way around?

I'm a little skeptical about that comment. I like the concept - but - it loses me because I just saw a guy who supposedly had the best and clearest explanation of what quantum physics is - and he sounded very believable that reality can't be pinned down to just one thing. Maybe Picasso already knew that so - he was  just covering all the bases - knowing that whatever you can imagine might be real.

Or maybe everything is real and unreal at the same time. This is convoluted and not interesting. I apologize. I will end my post writing for the day and return when I have some good topics.

 

April from Amy and Jessica - drawing balloons

Blogger made a mistake yesterday - and instead of scheduling my post for the future - it just posted it. 

The date is wrong. I don't get it.

Bear with me if we have some chaos in our future.

Balloons are harder to draw than one would think. Or at least they are for me. As you can see, both Amy (above) and Jessica (below) chose to overlap their balloons. That might be the secret to drawing balloons. I think I avoid overlapping. I wonder if I will remember to try overlapping the next time I feel like drawing balloons. Or perhaps I have had so many disappointing balloons that I don't even think of balloons any more.

I Googled *balloon line art* to see if they were mostly overlapping and they are.

Let's see what I can find on Pinterest.

Yup - they are all overlapping except this one from Getty Images - so don't be using it - it's under copyright.

The other thing that's hard for me when drawing balloons is making them symmetrical. 

Jessica's are small enough that the symmetry is hard to see.

Amy's avoid the problem because of the way she drew the lines. They are done slow enough that the asymmetry becomes part of the style of the drawing - it's veering into the world of stylized. That's another option I should consider if I feel the need to draw balloons.

 

April from Nicky - Kermit Oliver

Our printmaker pen pal Nicky carved the sweetest little kittens hatching out of pods on a tree.

Here it is on white paper. It's adorable - although the bottom kitten on the right looks like he's in a predicament.

***

Here is a printmaking related add-on. There is a "reclusive" artist in Texas (Kermit Oliver) who has been creating designs for Hermes scarves since 1980. He was also a postal worker for 30 years. It's an amazing story.  You may read about him here:

https://iconiclife.com/kermit-oliver-the-texas-mailman-who-designed-hermes-most-iconic-scarves/

Then, if you have 15 minutes, you can watch a video that shows the steps it takes to make a Hermes scarf. The process of converting original art to screens for printing is amazing.  So is the weaving of the silk and the hand work on the hem. It takes 2 years to learn how to hem and one person can only hem 7 scarves per day. 

Does anyone really need a scarf like that? Technically, no. However, the video discusses that there are people - craftsmen - who are smitten with the kind of work involved in making *fine* things. They simply earn their living doing things they enjoy doing and they do not lust after the luxurious items they produce.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KH7WXKeYcjE

This design is Kachina.

I put the word "reclusive" in quotes. Other people chose that word in their articles - I think it's fine to keep to one's self. I wouldn't even use the word introvert. I admire him for not being drawn into situations that he prefers to skip.
 

April from Lynne and Irene

This is from Lynne.

These two make a nice pair with their teal/turquoise colors. Are teal and turquoise the same thing?

<pause>

What do we think of asking our computer to answer questions? Where are these answers coming from? Is is a bad idea to ask our computers to answer questions? First we will look at the answer to teal/turquoise.

Teal and turquoise are not the same color; teal is a darker, muted blue-green, while turquoise is a brighter, lighter green-blue. Teal leans more towards blue, whereas turquoise has a more pronounced green tint.

OK, I asked the question: Is it a bad idea to ask our computers to answer questions and here's what my computer said:

It's not inherently a bad idea to ask your computer questions, but computers do not understand human language or intent in the way we do; they operate based on commands and programming. Instead of asking questions, it's more effective to learn how to use specific commands or search for solutions online.

 thetechnicalgeekery.com University of California

I'm through asking questions for the day.... hopefully.

It looks like Irene has some acrylic paint markers. The drop shadow adds so much. 

Here's Irene's birthday greeting.

Romans and flourishing - a delightful combination.

 

April from Nanski [more?]

Nanski wrapped her design around the envelope. It has a little bit of a Zentangle feel to it. I wonder if she was looking at something or just let it blossom out of her head. The soft gray-ish and tan-ish shading is very nice and coordinates nicely with the stamp.

***

Oooof. I have 14 envelopes loaded and need to talk about them. 

I'll write [more?] in the title and maybe things will come up to add to these posts.

***

OK - here's something I found when I was reminiscing about my walk in the rain with Ben. I wondered when his school was built. The school website says a wooden building was replaced in 1902 with a brick building.  The kindergartners and first graders use a door on the side of the building that has GIRLS ENTRANCE carved over the door. I wonder if anyone even notices it.

This is just a side entrance. The opposite side of the building must have had a boys entrance. There has been a gymnasium addition on that side - so no carving.

The website had lots of history and information. The school still teaches cursive. But - YIKES - they must not work on the proper way to hold a pen. Actually - I've seen worse.

 

April from Tom - June exchange sign-up

This is from Tom - a friend from way, way back. We met through the calligraphy guild.  I can't tell what he used - paint or ink? I guess I don't even know what the difference is between paint and ink. Note to self to try that gel pen hack that I posted not too long ago.

I tend to forget the J option that Tom used. This is a version of Neuland which is one of my go-to styles.

It's very versatile.

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

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

If you participated in the MAY 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 May 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

April from Kerry and Julie Ann - Ben in the rain

Newish exchanger Kerry is a graphic designer. I like the coordination of the two cloud/rain images. I love the little envelopes - obviously. This is good example of how just one color can be very effective. It reminded me of the turquoise ink that was so popular in the 50s and 60s. Back in the olden days (the mid-century olden days), we learned to print with manuscript and then learned cursive in third grade. We also learned to write cursive with a cartridge ink pen. It was a big deal to get one's first cartridge pen. Not everyone could convince their parents to buy the turquoise ink. I know I never had it. I would have liked it but I don't think it was traumatic for me to not have it. 

I need to double up some of the April envelopes. This one from newish exchanger Julie Ann pairs nicely with Kerry's. It reminded me of a favorite video I shot of my grandson when he was five. Walking home from school in the rain. He meanders along, swinging the umbrella. I couldn't get the video to upload - so all I have are screen shots.

 

April from Irene

 

Irene spent a significant amount of time on this which I appreciate. I imagine the USPS appreciated the clear address. The shimmery, pastel detail on the leaves and flowers is very pretty. Her enclosed note says that the details are "iuile color shifting watercolors." I Googled - and that's a real thing if anyone feels like indulging in some new art supplies. The horse drawing below was done with Procreate.

Irene also sent a birthday greeting. I need to let people know that they do not need to send me a second envelope during my birthday month. It troubles me that I will never reciprocate and I'm confident that nobody wants to *trouble* me. Or maybe people who send extra mail need to fill up time with a favorite activity - and I wouldn't want to suggest limiting one's favorite activity. 

No add on today because I'm not caught up on scheduling my posts.

May to Judi

As I post all the envelopes with the quilt stamps which were mailed over a week ago - I am looking at them with fresh eyes and things that bothered me previously are not bothering me anymore. I'm very happy with the mixed fonts on this. Although it looks a little sparse. I wonder what it would have looked like with an Amy-border. I wonder if I should buy another set of these stamps.

***

I'm filling blog posts that will pop up in two weeks. As previously mentioned, I started the outgoing-May envelopes prior to finishing the April incoming. Now I'm in a quandary about when to go back to April. I think we'll switch tomorrow. I do not have a good add on for today - so I'll just mention that my birthday is in April - so if you like to collect birthday ideas - get ready....

Here is my birthday greeting from MrWilson:

It's a keeper!!

If I actually end up in senior living, I'll be posting it on my door.

 

May to Patty - joining a group

 

Apparently I only did three Amy-borders. This is too bold and too sloppy. I rather like the way the name came out. Those little figures could be so much better. It's tricky to do naive or primitive styles and not make them too refined - and at the other end of the spectrum - not too sloppy.

***

Here's something a bit off the wall for the new people who have joined the exchange. Once again, I have no idea if they read the blog - but it was an interesting tidbit. It was in the newsletter from Eric Barker who wrote the book Plays Well With Others which was recommended to me by someone. After reading it, I wondered if that person was hinting that I did not play well. But, I digress.

I did enjoy the book enough to sign up for the author's monthly newsletter. Even though most of my playtime is virtual, I'm interested in being a good pen pal friend. His latest newsletter included many tips. I might post about some of the others. 

This tidbit about a possible reward from joining a group jumped out at me:

As political scientist Robert Putnam put it, “Your chances of dying over the next year are cut in half by joining one group.” An analysis of 148 studies with more than 300,000 participants basically backed him up.

I'm not a big fan of studies that make these kinds of claims. But, I also see a benefit in having some connections. I respect that many of us are not looking for actual groups. We're introverted in a nice way. So, for the new members of the exchange - I think the exchange counts as a group.

And if you don't like the exchange and drop out - that's OK. There are lots of other groups. Although this is one of the few that provides a fun experience when you check your mailbox.

May to Janet - content/process definition

 

I have mixed feelings about this concept of alternating two styles/colors. The idea goes with the stamp - but maybe the letters want to be arranged differently, not in a line. I like the style of Jackie's last name and wished I had used it on Janet's. But, I like those stars on Janet's and I don't think they would have worked with Jackie's last name style.

I forgot to fix the big blob on the bottom of the A in Renaud. Grrrr. At least Janet is local so we can meet up and I can fix it. Although she might have used it in the bottom of her bird cage so it would be awkward if I asked her to let me fix it and it is no longer available.

***

When I was closing computer windows, I saw a different link to info about the content/process topic and where it came from - and of course, I like that it mentions art:

The phrase "It's not the content, it's the process" does not have a single, definitive creator. Instead, it emerged as a key distinction in psychology, therapeutic practice, and organizational management to differentiate between what is being said or done (content) and how it is being done (process). 

• Psychology/Group Therapy: This concept is rooted in group psychotherapy and organizational psychology. Experts often use it to indicate that the underlying dynamics, interactions, and emotional states of a group (the process) are more important than the specific topics they are discussing (the content).
• Education and Art: It is used to emphasize that the act of creating or learning (the process) holds more educational or personal value than the final product.
• The "Process" Philosophy: The sentiment is often associated with the idea that the journey and the methods used—rather than the end results—are what lead to lasting success or transformation