March/April Calendar Journal

March 2018 was a bit hectic life-wise, compared to how mundane my life normally is.  Still nothing exciting.  Some crafting fun though.

I’m surprised that I find a little something to write about everyday.  I always expect there to be lots of blank blocks.  I was so excited to stumble across that envelope closure Washi tape!  As well as a lot of other new rolls of Washi tapes.

And so April begins now.

What do you want to bet that something really exciting happens on the 12th and 19th and I’ve no room to write it.  The design of this month is definitely lacking. My first plan for the word “April” was a fail but the tree was already there.  I couldn’t just toss it out and start over.  I’m so enamored with the effects of modeling paste.  It’s such fun.

I also sometimes forget to put the date numbers on my master before I copy it to the design paper.  Then I’m punished by having to do them twice.  Argh!

  Having filled in blocks will take care of the lack of designing creativity.  It’s sometimes hard to remember that and visualize it through the entire calendar page.     

Wishing everyone happy April days!

Abstract Mail Art

More mail art...my current passion.

(Shared in Sunday Postcard Art)

This one spent 15 minutes in the trash bin.

Let me show you why...

It starts out like this.  I started with trying Distress Oxides Inks.  My first try with those inks. I tried to control those, but they would have none of that control stuff.  Plus they weren’t bright enough for me.  So I went over the inks with acrylic paints.

Not real pretty.  That darker green wasn’t the color I thought it would be.  But I hoped I could improve on it.

Then I go over the top with some white here and there.

Yeah, it’s still pretty awful.  That’s when I stopped taking photos and put it in the trash for a 15 minute time out.  Not really...I threw it out intending to move on.  But I took it out and added some darker red over the awful green, then some bright orange, then some stamping and washi tapes and finally some modeling paste.

And that’s when it turned from trash to mail art.

This next one is done with spray inks.  They’re less predictable than acrylics are but blend on their own better.  This one went out in the mail to encourage a young artist to continue to follow her art.

Happy Mail Day!

Envelope Postcard

Every week I watch the Sunday Postcard Art themes.  Once in a while they play right into my artistic play that I have happening right at the moment.  It’s what happened for this week.  The theme this week is to make a postcard as an envelope or faux envelope or add an envelope to the postcard, etc.

That is exactly what I have been trying this week.  The front of my postcard is the “envelope” side with the postage and the address.

I saw actual envelopes similar to this on Pinterest and thought to give it a try as a postcard.  I finally made an address thingy to show how my mail art might look with the address.

I was so pleased, I had to give it another try today.  

I really struggle with this sort of thing as I generally DO NOT like the piece with just the paint on it.  It’s all I can do to keep myself from wasting any more of my life on it and toss it to the trash.  But when I start stamping and adding Washi Tape, I fall in love.

Both postcards look the same on the back for now.

I can write a lot more on these postcards than I can when the address is on this side (like a normal postcard).  I’ll decorate this side more when I know where these postcards might be going.  

Thanks so much, Rosie, for this great theme.  Perfect timing so that I can play along.  It’s been quite a long time.

Art Journal Pages

Leftover paints and experiments have turned into these art journal pages.

Modeling Paste practice and trying some black acrylic paint through a stencil.

I’ve never been one to create motivational word art.  I’m plenty motivated.  I’d rather use words in other ways that help with a story or such.

But I didn’t know what else to put on the page and I was wondering what words I could make with these leftover round letter stickers.  “Try” popped right out at me while I am “trying” stuff that I’ve always avoided.

I wonder what I could do with the word “quick” or “jump”.  What other words are there that would work in art?

Next, this mess happened.

Makes no sense at all to me.  But I do see a postcard that could be cut from it.  Maybe two.  Oh, look what I forgot to do...my date stamp ran out after 2017.  Until I get a new one I’m using 2013 and turning the 3 into an 8.

In any case, I’m enjoying myself and this crazy experimenting process.  One thing is leading to another.  Fun!

From Experiment to Mail Art

Another somewhat successful experiment turned into mail art for a fellow mail artist.  Still lots to learn!  Which means I hope I end up with more mail art.

I’m sharing the back of this one to share a “nonsense letter”. Of course you can’t write much of a letter on a postcard, but you can still write some nonsense.

And add some Washi Tapes.  I get on as much as I can.  I love that tape of envelope fasteners.  Of course this one was put on upside down.  Didn’t notice the writing before I stuck it down permanently.  I put a bit of glue on each end to make sure my tapes don’t interrupt Mr. Postman’s duties.  So there was no pulling it up to turn it around.

Have you seen those fabulous new Bioluminescent Life postage stamps?  Such fun they are to add to mail!

Happy Mail Day!