The Magic Mailbox: Postcards & Ephemera

Yesterday was an good mail day!

Teresa Robinson and I decided to do a postcard exchange and this is the one she sent to me. She's been working on an index card a day for some time now. You can see some of them here.

I love how the message is so serendipidous. I'm going to hang it on my inspiration board behind my desk so I can read it often! I like the part about being of service (the foundation of my life) and becoming "an evergrowing channel for the light". I've talked about luminaries several times here on my blog. It's a theme that comes up over and over in my life.

This was the stamp on the envelope Teresa sent. I am a fan of unusually shaped postage. I'll be keeping this! I'm going to peel it off carefully and put it in my journal.

The second piece of mail was a package from Jessica. A couple weeks ago, Janice of Papier Valise and Janine of Uppercase Magazine hosted a Paper Stampede in Calgary, Alberta. I emailed Jessica to tell her about it (talk about enabling!) and the lucky duck went. There were all kinds of amazing goodies to be had and she very generously sent me some of her purchases! Have a look see:

Fabric ribbons with numbers & x's and o's, a  matchbook style package of 5c hardware store tags, a foxy "Got Craft" button for my button collection, bird book pages...

...a copy of Wordbasket from 1978 (they always have the most amusing ads), a packet of 90 joss papers...

..charming letter press postcards...

...Canadiana postcards...

...two packets chock full of emphemeral goodness...

(the reverse of both packets)

I was absolutely delighted to find vintage medical labels, which I collect inside, along with some really cool film canister labels! There was so much amazing stuff to add to my journals.

And then there was this: a Canadian Land Inventory map from 1971, the year I was born. I have an affinity for old maps, especially those from Canada. I opened it up to find this:

The colours are actually more vibrant than they appear in this photo. I was delighted! I have several ideas of what I'd like to use this for. I'm going to colour copy it-it's just too amazing to cut up!

Thank you sweet friends for such a great mail day! I loved everything and can't wait to play in the studio over the long weekend. Your timing was perfect!

For The Win!

The latest issue of Uppercase, #18 has arrived! I had completely forgotten that I had a Subscriber profile included in this issue. I was flipping through, saw it on the page and had a moment of "Oh yeah!" Very honoured to have been included in such a great publication. Thanks Janine!

There is so much good stuff in issue 18-a collection of tiny chairs, (I have a wee collection of these myself) ransom note art, (I made one to submit, but sadly, it never made it into the mail-life happens) assemblages and more. Each issue is a delicious dose of eyecandy! If you're not subscribed, you're missing out!

In other news, I won a set of tickets from Stanley Park 125 for a horse drawn tour of Stanley Park! THANK YOU!! I am thrilled! I've lived here for 27 years and never actually done this. When I told my husband, he was excited about sharing that experience with me. I'd like to do it in early autumn when the trees will be turning colour-I can't think of a better way to celebrate the arrival of my favourite season! 

Horses + my beloved park + autumn = MAGIC!

Stanley Park turns 125 on August 24th-25th and I will be volunteering at the weekend-long celebration. There is going to be a variety of concerts and events throughout the park. You can find more information here. There's something for everyone! Hope to see you there!

Uppercase Magazine: Something To Love

A couple weeks ago, Meghan, who recently fulfilled a dream to have work published in Uppercase, (Yay Meghan!) was having a giveaway for a year's subscription to the magazine. For those not in the know, this is THE most aesthetically pleasing, design savvy publication for "the creative and curious" and is a Canadian publication! (Which makes me ridiculously happy.)

I am extremely pleased (and grateful) to say I WON!

Issue 16, Knot Now arrived yesterday. In addition to Meghan's great article about overcoming negative self-talk in order to embrace her creativity, there were so many things to love about it. The abecedary is about thread and stitching. There's a photographic tour of The American Can Company, a place, which judging by the pictures, I would love to spend an afternoon. There is also an article about North Woven Broom Company, which was of particular interest to me because I have family that lives on Kootenay Lake and have been to their shop (located in a lovely old barn in Crawford Bay) many, many times. In fact, my step dad trained with the blacksmith across the road from them, years ago. This same blacksmith often crafts ornamental handles for their brooms. The whole area is a mecca for artisans and makers of all kinds.

Uppercase is a magazine you can look at over and over again. I especially love all of the delicious little details and the way it's chock full of eyecandy and brain food from cover to cover. Even the classifieds (one page! this magazine's all about real content!) are presented in a way that is both interesting and classy. Oh and post cards! Did I mention postcards? Well there were TWO tucked between the pages. I am a postcard junkie from way back. 

Thanks to Meghan and Janine Vangool, (publisher, editor & designer of Uppercase) I am all set to have a year's worth of good mail days! 

That is most certainly something to love!