Cancelled Postage

They aren't just for collecting!

 

Cancelled Postage Stamps

are for art too! 

 

I love postage stamps and mail art.  Some family members collected postage stamps in a previous life, so there are lots of cancelled postage stamps nearby that I've been rather afraid to touch.  But, amazing what you're willing to do while wearing brave girl panties.

 

I wanted to first make a red bird postcard with red stamps.  I am shocked at the minimal number of red stamps I could dig up.  Well, I didn't want the first project to wreck up the only red postage I could find.  And there were plenty of blue stamps, so I made a blue trial bird first.

 

 

Oh boy, was that fun!  So on to the red bird.  I found the pinkish purple Happy Birthday stamp for the wing because I was going to send him as a birthday wish to Carol.

 

 

Oh, but I love him so!  And with only two more red stamps found so far, I could not let him go.

 

Then there came the butterfly.

 

 

And then came some postage people.

 

 

For me, these represent the child in all of us, no matter our age. 

 

 

This idea came from another artist.  I struggled to figure out how to blend the stamp with the body, and shear determination got me to where I wanted to be.  The other artist did not seem to be willing to share her secret, so I worked out what works for me...finally.

 

The technique needs some practice, but it's been great fun adding adult heads to children's bodies by way of postage stamps.   And some famous heads at that! 

 

Gosh, I sure hope I don't glue, chop, color or sew a rare $100,000. valued postage stamp.....yikes!

 

 May today be a Good Mail Day!
Annie

Altered Dictionary - M

This fortnight the letter is M for The Craft Barn's Alpha Challenge.  But there's a twist this time.  Our word must be chosen from only words beginning

 

Ma-Me

 

You know I had to choose Mail don't you.  I like to search out less common words, but my love for mail art and Good Mail Days wouldn't let me get past the word.

 

 

"Private Mailing Card" rubber stamp and colored pencil, "Cancelled Post Mark" rubber stamp, Zip Code postal stamp, Par Avion Letecky stamp, typewriter image and my Dear Friend letter is hand written on tracing paper.

 

It was challenging though.  This junior dictionary is so full of illustrations and sometimes they get in the way of art.  LOL  I had to camouflage a man wearing chain mail (armor) and hide a large ear of corn (food mainstay).

 

 

 

Have a Good Mail Day!

Annie

 

 

Art Calendar Journal - March

My art calendar journal for

 

--- March ---

 

is ready for me to document the pleasantries of my days.  And no unpleasantries if I can help it.

 

 

I originally planned for this first year, to go with all the traditional colors and holiday themes for the months.  But I struggled with March so much, that I have completely switched horses for most of the rest of the year.  Because this project needs to be enjoyable.

 

 

Needless to say, I will be happy to move on from these traditional designs.  But I still LOVE this project!

 

February is all filled in.  It was a month that was surprisingly overfull of fun crafting for so many days of the month.  That did not make me unhappy at all! 

 

 

 I could stand a bit more variety of fun, but this satisfied me well enough for now.  I decided to write in the blocks with "mostly" only red, pink and violet pens.

 

Have a lucky March!

Annie

Altered Dictionary - H

This time for the Altered Dictionary Alpha Challenge at The Craft Barn the letter is H. 

 

I have chosen the word

Haberdashery

 

I have been worried what I would do when a letter gave me no clue to what word I could choose to depict art-wise.  That's what happened this time.  I looked through a lot of H words the first couple of days.  A week ago my father asked me to get him a pair of suspenders the next time I was near the haberdashery.  Although I knew a haberdashery meant retail, I did not know to what extent. 

 

My 1935 dictionary says it's men's wear.

 

 

However, a modern Internet search reveals haberdashery to be practically anything sold retail.

 

The word Haberdashery is from a clip art advertisement.  I tinted the white printer paper with chalk.  The line of men are a scrap of fabric printed to paper and also tinted with chalk.  The portrait is printed from an Internet search and the umbrella man is a Tim Holtz rubber stamp.

 

I like this word; haberdashery is fun to say.  But I struggled to figure out how to illustrate it.  In the end I think I found a fun way to depict my word and alter my dictionary page.

 

xxx

Annie

 

 



SPA - Key to my Heart

This week on Sunday Postcard Art, the theme is

Key To My Heart.

 

but mine had to be

KeyS to my Heart

 

 

I can't figure out things like photoshop or digital collage or anything to do with techy computerized creations.  So I'm really happy that I can buy cool scrapbook papers to use as backgrounds for cut and paste and stamping to create my postcards.  Although I think the digitally created works are fabulous looking, I really love the hands on creating.  I think my style is rather basic tho.  Kind of like less is more I guess.  The important part is that it's just plain fun to play!

 

xxx

Annie

Pillow #8

Moda Candy Bar

Pillow

 

 

 

A very sweet online friend, Rachel, was overly thankful and sent me some awesome Moda Candy Bar packs as well as a few fat quarters.  I finally decided to break into the Breakfast at Tiffany's pack for a pillow.

These candy bar pieces are half the size of a charm square.  I have struggled with a design and an Internet search did not help.  So I just made it up and added some white.

 

It definitely needed some added interest, so I decided to begin the quilting with a glitzy metallic thread.  Too heavy for the machine needle, so it would have to be done as bobbin work.

 

 

I pin basted from the back side of the pillow top, did my best to find the center and marked it.

 

 

I set my circular guide attachment on my machine, starting with the smallest available circle point...

 

 

 

...poked my circular guide nail through my center marking...

 

 

...placed the little protective rubber thingy over the very sharp nail...

 

 

 

...and began sewing the circles.

 

 

I think it still needed more quilting, so I began a continuous spiral with regular thread from the top side.

 

 

And that is how pillow #8 rolled.

 

 

I ended up a tad large for the pillow, so I lost the narrow teal strips at the far edges.  I'm ok with that...sorta.

Rachel, THANK YOU!

 

xxx

Annie

 



Altered Dictionary - E

The Alpha Challenge Letter this fortnight is

E

and my word is

Exude

 

 

 

 

Cut and paste.  The stylish lady is cut from a Stampers' Sampler magazine.  Isn't she fabulous?!  I was trying to keep track of names for art credit, but they are mixed up and misplaced.  The words are stamped.

 

I already enjoy browsing through this dictionary and finding the altered pages. 

 

 

This Alpha Challenge is hosted by The Craft Barn 

 

 

XXX

Annie

 



Sunday Postcard Art - Circles

This week at Sunday Postcard Art its all about

 

Circles

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

 

The wheels on these bicycles caught my attention for the theme.

 

 

They're much too intricate to cut out of fabric, so I decided to give an all papercraft postcard a try.

 

The card is a sandwich of decorated cardstock paper, plain cardstock and copy paper for the postcard back. 

 

 

The border is a regular weight scrapbook paper folded over the edges then stitched through all layers.

 

 

I have 3 postcard styles prepared on a single sheet of paper that I photocopy on 24lb weight copy paper, then cut apart to use individually.

 

The bicycles and birds are glued to the scrapbook paper with a glue stick.  I am not sure that's the best idea, but I'm not a glue expert, so I wanted to be sure a papercrafted card could survive a trip through the mail, so I gave it a coat of Mod Podge Matte finish.

 

 

This was a little scary because I did this after the card was completed. I wasn't sure that was the best idea either.  I've worked with Mod Podge before, but I really didn't know how the three layers would react.  Of course the top layer began to warp.  All I could do was hope it would flatten back out when it was dry.  Just like magic all was well in the end.

 

 

I could not be more pleased!  Well that was bunches of fun and I've been missing my daughter, so I set myself to making a postcard to send to her.

 

 

This one is just stamped and colored.  I can cut and paste and sew, but that's the extent of my artistic skills.  My coloring even needs help!   But I give it a go anyway.  No wonder I prefer fabric.

 

 One of my other postcard backs.

 

In any case, I'm having fun. 

 

xxx

Annie

Art Calendar Journal - Jan/Feb

January

is complete!

 

I so cannot believe how this project slowed time for me.  Someone commented that it was because I was being more in the moment.  I know for sure I was present each and every day, all day long.

 

 

You won't find too much in the way of real life in my journaling.  I am attempting to make note of some real life, but mostly it will be the thing I found most pleasant during that day.  And some days were a struggle what part to use. Like the 14th and 15th then the 16th.  I haven't sent in the PCH thing in years and years!  Some days I had nothing and found that was a good day to call a friend to chat.  One day I needed something so decided to make an inchie art.  That was kind of a struggle.  I hope I don't have to do that too often because it's not at all easy to make art in a 1" square.

 

But this was total fun!  So on to February I go!

 

 

Hoping there's some fun in every day!

Annie



Sunday Postcard Art - Coffee Time

Heavenly Morning!

 

This week's theme at Sunday Postcard Art is Coffee Time.

The background is 7gypsies scrapbook paper printed to fabric, the cup is cut from a package of fun size m&ms, the bird is rubber stamped (no identification on the stamp).  I wrote the words with a Gelly Roll Fine pen.

This would be an ideal morning, wouldn't you say?

xxx
Annie