I Miss Mail Art!

I recently had the opportunity to look through my rather sizable collection of mail art, in search of a few pieces to use in a current project. It's been a while since I was an active participant in the mail art community and seeing all that postal goodness again really made me miss the good old days.

The days when the most fabulous, fun, creative, odd, and intriguing items would randomly show up from parts unknown.

The days when the simple act of opening the mailbox was the highlight of my day. Nowadays--not so much.
 

This piece made me smile. I created a series of postcards called "operation lost and found" and asked artists to send me items that they found wherever they happened to be. I guess it's not surprising that years later I would name my blog Lost and Found.

So what prompted this little trip down memory lane?  The new class that I'm taking called "Thinking Inside the Box." We are examining the box as an art form and building our own boxes from the ground up as part of the process! I've never built anything before in my life, so this has been a totally new experience for me. Our first project is a box with a hinged lid.

I'm not sure if I should feel extreme pride or embarrassment posting this photo of my little pine box in progress. I have a whole new appreciation for woodworkers and I'm beginning to understand why people feel so attached to the pitiful birdhouses, shelves, and benches they made in high school wood shop.

I'm planning to fashion my box after the fluxus fluxkits of George Maciunas and fill it inside and out with mail art from my collection. This week we're going to start building our second box which will be a glass-fronted shadow box similar to those of Joseph Cornell. For the next few weeks I'll probably be working on both projects simultaneously. Maybe after that I can find the time to work on a little mail art.

Finishing Up the Post Cards--Or Not

Remember these paper/fabric collage post cards I made recently? I decided to spend a little time this weekend finishing them up--in an effort to reduce the number of unfinished projects hanging around. I thought I would just sew them onto some watercolor paper and be done with it. Of course, it wasn't quite that easy.

Starting with the card in the lower right corner and working backwards:

1. First I fused the card to watercolor paper and used a zig zag stitch around the card twice. Yuck...HATE IT!

2. I changed the stitch and liked it only slightly better but hated the way it looked on the reverse side of the post card.

3. I changed the stitch again and sewed around the card first before fusing it to the watercolor paper leaving a small white border. I liked this a little better but thought it would be more interesting if the stitch attached the post card to the background.

4. I stitched this card to a gold wallpaper sample and was just about to trim it out and then attach it to watercolor paper...

...when I remembered some black mattes that I found ridiculously cheap at the close-out store about six months ago. So ridiculous in fact that I bought up every package they had. There were a few other colors, but black is classic, right?

I took the cards where I didn't like the stitching I had done and put them behind the black mattes.  Problem solved! Now I can call them mixed media collage ready for framing.

The Question of the Day

List It Tuesday

The wonderfully talented Aimee over at artsyville has declared today as the first "list it Tuesday."  I love lists! I couldn't survive without my lists! While scanning a stack of Good Advice postcards, I realized that I had a list in there somewhere. I think I would call this the three most important accomplishments of my day...or any day for that matter.  Hop on over to this artsyville post and read the comments section to check out even more lists. Then start planning your contribution for next Tuesday.

IF - Spooky

There's nothing spookier than the unknown. When our eyes can't see what's out there, our minds conjure up the most terrifying things imaginable lurking in every dark corner. Hideous monsters. Ferocious bears. Ax murderers. Most of the time our imaginations are far scarier than any reality. When we shine a light in the direction of our fears, we usually find out there's nothing there. The same is true for anything unknown to us. The future. The economy. The security of our retirement savings. Don't you wish you had a flashlight that you could shine into the future and be reassured that it's not as spooky as you think? Well, you do. It's called faith.

“When you come to the edge of all the light that you have and are about to step off into the darkness of the unknown, faith is knowing that one of two things will happen: either there will be something solid for you to stand on or you will be taught how to fly.”

Take that, spooky!

IF - Old-Fashioned and Good Advice

Here's a little good old-fashioned advice for you on this fine Friday. You just can't go wrong with old-fashioned advice. I guess that's why it's still around generation after generation.

IF - Immovable

I know a few people who have mastered this bit of good advice. You can call them stubborn, relentless, tenacious, determined, or unyielding. But one thing is for sure--until they get what they want they are IMMOVABLE!

IF - Atmosphere

I know that for me, the atmosphere of a blog has a lot to do with how often I visit. My favorite places on the web are written with a sense of humor and are lighthearted, fun, inspirational, uplifting or all of the above. I hope you enjoy some of those things when you visit here!

Time for a Change

Today I'm taking my own advice and making a few changes here at Lost and Found. I decided it was time for a new look. Something a little lighter and brighter. I switched to a wider template and changed the background color to white. I'll probably continue to tweak things a bit until it feels right. Your feedback is welcome!

IF - Artificial plus Good Advice

Avoid an artificial life. Be original. Dance to your own drum. Pursue your passion. Do what makes you happy. Ignore the disapproving looks and the comments from naysayers. You're the only one who knows what your authentic life should look like. Why be an artificial version of yourself when the real you has so much to offer? Forget about fitting in or following the crowd. Steer clear of fakes, posers, and wannabes. Be yourself. Be original. The real deal is always better than something artificial.

Good Advice - Round 9

I hope you're having a lovely summer--or winter--depending on where you live. My time for making art has been limited lately as I'm trying to focus my time and energy on some long overdue house projects. There's a whole lot of cleaning, purging, and painting going on. But, as usual, I have a little bit of good advice to throw out there until I get back in the studio. Enjoy!

IF - Breakfast and Good Advice

I always enjoy the challenge of combining the Illustration Friday prompt with a post card for the Good Advice series. With a word like breakfast the advice seemed pretty obvious. I'm sure children all over the world have heard these words at one time or another. I guess what constitutes a good breakfast is different for everyone--personally, I think chocolate cake is the best breakfast around!

Good Advice - Round 8

It's been a little while since I last posted a trio of Good Advice post cards. Here's something to think about as you begin a new week. I hope it's a good one!

I'm Feeling a Little Scrap Happy

Lately, I find myself skipping happily down the scrap trail. It all started a few months ago when attempting to control the chaos in my studio. I came to the conclusion that I need to "use up" a lot of my supplies. (Notice I didn't say "get rid of" or "give away.") It was also about this time that a number of blog artists were taking this online class and posting amazing photos of the results. This looked like the perfect way to pare down some of the stash.

I didn't sign up for the online class though because my poor, aging computer has a problem with videos. Still, I was eager to give it a go and decided I would just dive right in. I dusted off my sewing machine, pulled out a drawer full of scraps, and got to work. After a fair amount of trial and error, I found a method that works for me. I currently have a couple of unfinished journals because I haven't quite figured out how to bind them. I guess that's where the class would have been really helpful.

It occurred to me one day that the journal pages I was making would also make interesting post cards. So, when I made the travel fund savings bank that I posted about here I also made a bunch of post cards to go with it.


I got a little scrap happy and made about a dozen cards.


The central image on each one was cut out of a travel brochure and sewn together with miscellaneous paper scraps from my stash.


Some of my favorite papers to use are maps and recycled wrapping paper.


I kept the cards a bit simpler than the journal pages because I knew the recipient would be more interested in the travel image than the rest of the collage.


The back side of each card is collaged as well, including some plain paper for addressing.



Isn't he cute?



I hope you enjoyed this little jaunt to far-off lands. Happy trails and happy scrapping!

IF - Ripple [Plus Good Advice]

Based on the following quote from The Tao of Leadership by John Heider, these two little words seem tremendously appropriate for the Illustration Friday theme of RIPPLE.

"The Ripple Effect"

Do you want to be a positive influence in the world?

First, get your own life in order. Ground yourself in the single principle so that your behavior is wholesome and effective. If you do that, you will earn respect and be a powerful influence.

Your behavior influences others through a ripple effect. A ripple effect works because everyone influences everyone else. Powerful people are powerful influences.

If your life works, you influence your family. If your family works, your family influences the community. If your community works, your community influences the nation. If your nation works, your nation influences the world. If your world works, the ripple effect spreads throughout the cosmos.

Remember that your influence begins with you and ripples outward. So be sure that your influence is both potent and wholesome. How do I know that this works? All growth spreads outward from a fertile and potent nucleus. You are a nucleus.


Now go out there and be the most positive nucleus you can be!

There's a ripple effect,
In all that we do.
What you do touches me,
What I do touches you.

--- Author Unknown

Good Advice [From Lori]

Today I offer you a bit of good advice inspired by my bloggy friend Lori over at elvie studio. Not only is she talented, sweet, generous and funny...she's also a pretty smart cookie. A chocolate cookie to be exact. Thanks Lori for the inspiration and the reminder to listen up when the old ticker starts yakking.

IF Trail PLUS Good Advice

It makes me happy when I can combine an Illustration Friday theme with the Good Advice series. I feel twice as productive! I hope you're having a wonderful weekend and maybe blazing a few trails along the way.

Good Advice - Round 7

I can't believe I'm up to round 7 of Good Advice with no end in sight. Wouldn't the world be such a lovely place if everyone followed these suggestions? Have a wonderful Memorial Day and let me know if you hear any snippets of good advice while hanging out at the family cookout.

Good Advice - Round 6

It's time to share with you another round of good advice. I tend to work on these postcards in batches and I'm just about to start making a brand new batch. The watercolor paper is cut. The borders are drawn. Tonight I'll start lettering while I'm watching/listening to a little television. The painting takes the longest and will be done over several nights. Last comes the addressing and stamping. This is a good project for the evening when I'm usually too tired to do much else. The small size lets me feel like I've accomplished something--even if its just a little postcard.

Good Advice - Round 5

I hope you enjoy the latest installment of good advice. There's plenty more to come!