Little Red Mail Box

Altered Poetry

2012-01-25T14:02:00.000-08:00

One of the pleasures of asking people to alter cards is that you never know what you are going to get. This Dutch postcrosser transferred two favorite poems onto the card - one in Dutch and one in English. She also put her coffee mug on the card. I don't quite know how the transfer occurred (rubbing?) but the effect is very cool. She also added her pet dog on the card.

Toys for Tots

2012-01-25T13:57:00.000-08:00

Received another quirky card from Derrick D in Sacramento. Yes I remember my brother cutting his finger on a sharp metal toy. They didn't consider child safety in the same way back then. In fact, I used to buy syringes and poison each summer to kill and display butterflies. These were also in the toy section, along with the wooden stretcher bars for properly stretching out the wings. Japanese children always had insect collecting as part of their summer "homework."

Gung hay fat choy!

2012-01-23T15:10:00.000-08:00

Was surprised my post office already had these stamps on hand today. The Japanese has celebrated New Year on January 1 since 1873 but most other Asian countries still celebrate in the lunar year. I had no idea that this was the case until I moved to the States and found out my friends operated on a different time frame. I was born the year of the Dragon so I guess I had better behave appropriately.

The Lost Art of Thank You Letters

2012-01-22T15:03:00.000-08:00

Along with letter-writing in general, there seems to be a decline in mailed thank you letters. Perhaps it is because we don't mail gifts much to people these days. Most of the gift-giving is local and in-person. Nonetheless, it is a pleasure to receive a thoughtful, well-composed letter such as the above, which arrived this week. This card mentioned the received gift, something that gave the recipient pleasure from it. It was also written in script - which showed that she took the time to write the note, address the envelope, and mail it. I must say I am often remiss in sending thank you letters, and must learn by example.

Two From Canada

2012-01-22T14:50:00.000-08:00

This postcrosser filled a vintage map of California with cute fairy tale stickers. She also included two fabulous stamps of Canadian movie stars. I wonder if her vision of California is Disneyland and Hollywood?

This postcrosser stickered a stunning postcard of a farmhouse right before a fall storm. The dark sky and the sunlight on the barn and house look incredibly ominous. She also used a wonderful dragon stamp on this card.

Big Top

2012-01-22T14:38:00.000-08:00

I found this card on the street quite a while back and forgot about it. It's for a club that calls itself a homo disco circus, a party for fags, dykes and tranimals.

Postcrossing Stamp!

2012-01-22T14:32:00.000-08:00

Glad I looked closely at the stamp on this card from a Dutch postcrosser. Yes it is - the official postcrossing stamp issued in the Netherlands! It's got quite a lot of postcards mashed together so it's hard to tell but indeed it does say postcrossing on it. I went on the website just to make sure. The postcard itself is a classic windmill dairy card from the Netherlands. I quite like it!

Reminders of Cologne

2012-01-22T14:26:00.000-08:00

A German postcrosser sent this card from Cologne. I was there in September for a few days before going to a conference in Bonn. The cathedral brought back memories of my visit, which was wonderful because I was traveling with someone who enjoyed traveling and difficult because I was worried about Jacqueline's health. The bear that the postcrosser drew reminded me of a fabulous gummy bear shop at the train station. We spent hours selecting the special flavors they had there. I remember the berry flavors were rich and deeply satisfying.

Latvia Places

2012-01-22T14:19:00.000-08:00

This cool card utilizes the geographic shape of Latvia and lists all the towns and cities in that country. this Latvian postcrosser pointed out to me places to visit, places that serve her favorite ice cream, the city of residence, as well as her summer cottages. On the back she drew a topless sunbather and added a beautiful stamp of Johanna & Zanis Lipkes. Zanis, a wharf-worker and his wife rescued and sheltered Jews in the city of Riga during WW2.

Hero Astronaut

2012-01-17T17:49:00.000-08:00

Yuri Gagarin, astronaut hero for the Soviets. What a self-assured, rugged, handsome man he was all those years ago! A very cool card from a Russian postcrosser.

Smoking Cessation

2012-01-17T17:46:00.000-08:00

Here's a giant Koala shape card from a Australian postcrosser. She's an artist too, and a smoker, from the small little confession on the card.

Cliffhanger

2012-01-17T17:44:00.000-08:00

I am not sure how these folks came to be in such a tight spot. A real cliffhanger of a card from a Malaysian postcrosser.

Sleep

2012-01-16T08:31:00.000-08:00

An enigmatic card by artist Aron Meynell. Other than the butterfly, the objects are difficult to identify. The long piece looks like a wooden femur. And the lump on the side, an unraveled tennis ball. That's just my imagination speaking.

Young & Happy

2012-01-16T08:29:00.000-08:00

Two exuberant cards from WhiteWalls. The bouquet above is by Dogpatch artist Casey Gray. He uses stencils and paint in his mixed media still-lifes. The dancing card is by street artist, Above.

Happy Hairy Eyeball

2012-01-15T19:57:00.000-08:00

Show is called "Something About Everything About Something." The artist is Mark Warren Jacques. Something very postmodern Hippie about this design.

Union Jack

2012-01-15T19:50:00.000-08:00

I spied this splendid freecard at the WhiteWalls gallery the other night. It was in the corner of a window sill, too far for my arm to reach. Then a hipster guy came up and grabbed one of the nearer postcards. I looked him in the eye and asked if he had long arms. He looked a bit startled, but complied with my request to stretch his arm out and pick up the Union Jack for me. Score!

Text and Font

2012-01-15T19:43:00.000-08:00

Two postcards from different shows that feature text and font as art. The Shoplifters Beware card is from a recently opened show at the Guerrero Gallery. Andres Guerrero has a soft spot for sign painters who create amusing and nostalgic works using the basic tools of enamel paint, wood and metal.

I picked up the Everybody Loves You card at the Shooting Gallery. Nothing on the back indicates whose show this is.

Infinity & Beyond

2012-01-15T19:33:00.000-08:00

This gorgeous Eschercard was mailed by a friend of Jacqueline's, who just learned of her passing. I hope Jacqueline's enjoying her second life in an interesting universe like this.

Fairies and Angels

2012-01-15T19:24:00.000-08:00

A magical card from a British postcrosser. She forgot to add her registration ID, so I will have to ask Postcrossing to track her down for me! And guess what? Less than 24 hours later, Postcrossing found her. All I had to give them was the first name and country (guessed by looking at the stamp). Thanks guys, great job!

Moldova Doldrums

2012-01-15T19:20:00.000-08:00

I think this is my first postcrossing card from Moldova! This card depicts the ethographic and natural history museum. The writer talks about the winter being dull and cold in the winter there. To liven things up a bit, she shared a joke about someone buying me an Ipad for my birthday. I responded to her via my Ipad.

Winter Windmills

2012-01-15T19:10:00.000-08:00

I recently saw War Horse and this postcard reminded me of that film. The hazy sun imparts a chill to this wintry scene.

Punched and Be-ribboned

2012-01-15T19:04:00.000-08:00

This Dutch postcrosser's reaction to my request for an altered postcard was: "I hate doing art/craft and so on." Nonetheless she obeyed my wishes.

Dragon Card from Mom

2012-01-13T10:34:00.000-08:00

I was happy to get a New Year card from mom. She just had another eye surgery and I was concerned about its result. Looking at her handwriting, it looks like she made it through ok. She's written this card in the typical Japanese New Year card fashion: the message is written on the front of the card and the back is reserved for the address. I loved the whimsical stamp she used of a tipsy musician. The Ikuta shrine is located just downhill from our house. She did get me an ema - a wooden prayer card to write one's wishes on.

Love

2012-01-13T10:30:00.000-08:00

What a wonderful card from a Japanese postcrosser. She embellished it by adding tiny heard stickers around mother and child. Does it not epitomize ama-e - that hard-to-translate Japanese word?

Those Darned Mites!!

2012-01-13T10:22:00.000-08:00

A wonderful card arrived from Derrick Dodson, one of this blog's readers. It's a bit of icky factoid about bed mites but I love weird stuff so THANKS!!! He writes that he has started hardwriting letters again. Bravo! Please continue. I recently got an acknowledgement from a postcrosser chiding me for my illegible handwriting. She actually used the F-word!!! LOL. Actually.....Jacqueline and I always prided ourselves in our "illegibility." That's what makes handwritten letters so much fun. It slows the reader down. Forces the writer's character upon the reader. I consider handwriting a part of my "art" and being able to actually read it, is secondary. Of course, I am often annoyed with bad grammar and poor spelling. Which I tend to do more often when typing because my fingers fly too fast on the keyboard. And I am irritated by the self-correcting features of my Iphone and Pad. The assumptions made by them are often presumptuous. But then, let's not get into an argument about Apple vs PC. I am, and have been, a fan of the latter.

Addictions and Cures

2012-01-13T10:11:00.000-08:00

The addiction Incorporated is a free card from a movie theater. It's an ad for a film about a whistleblower in the tobacco industry. "Lifted" is a free card from a cafe, advertising medical marijuana. On the back it cites the law that allows for its existence: "in strict compliance with proposition 215 & sb420." Let's see if the Feds will be able to crack down on these State laws.

Why I Love Free Cards

2012-01-13T10:00:00.000-08:00

When I roll the dice with Postcrossing, more often than not, the person's profile requests "no free cards." Too bad! Some of the most interesting postcards in my possession are "free cards." I pick them up in cafes, movie theaters, bars, boutiques, even on the sidewalk. Like purchasing postcards, one has to be discriminating in one's selections. But so often the free cards are graphically beautiful, topically edgy, and reflective of the times and location. This card is a perfect example. I saw a small stack of them in the window of Mission Pie. I've not seen an "Occupy" postcard before and this one is a call to action in Spanish.

More and more postcards are replacing posters and print ads in newspapers. It is amazing that these little bits of history can be collected for free and easily shared globally via mail. No doubt these cards will soon be made obsolete by the internet. Until then, I am a magpie, swooping down to collect colorful bits of San Francisco history.

Funny Heads

2012-01-13T09:42:00.000-08:00

I think this Finnish postcrosser must have a cheery outlook on life, just based on the card she sent. The funny heads in the front were created with vegetable stamps that she bought last year. She didn't explain if these stamps were sold with vegetables or not. They remind me a bit of Mr Potatohead characters. And the stamp of the two ladies playing badminton are whimsical as well!

First Dragon Card!

2012-01-13T09:38:00.000-08:00

My first New Year card arrived from a postcrosser in Shanghai. I loved the calligraphy, which mimics the thrashing of a dragon's tail. The stamps are wonderful too!

A Walk in the Snow

2012-01-13T09:35:00.000-08:00

A perfect winter card from a Ukranian postcrosser. She chose to embellish the back of the card. She writes that the owl is the Ukranian equivalent of Winnie-the-Poo. the red ink bled through to the front, which left an enigmatic stain in the snow. She also used the UPC code on the card to make the Ukranian flag. I appreciate her sharing the various processes used to embellish this card.

Shape

2012-01-07T17:07:00.000-08:00

This postcrosser from the Netherlands sent a shape card in the form of a chunky windmill. That particular shade of blue brings back memories of visiting Delft. There was a candy store that had a zillion varieties of licorice. I had so much fun selecting from baskets of sweet and salty.

Late Arrival

2012-01-07T17:04:00.000-08:00

The card arrived this week filled with mysteries. The message on the back was all about Halloween. And I don't know what the title on the card means. I can only guess that it took several months for the card to make its way to me from the Ukrainian postcrosser.

All About the Dolphinarium

2012-01-04T09:35:00.001-08:00

This Belarus postcrosser attached to a Christmas card, a news story about a newly opened dolphinarium in Minsk. Apparently it is a "dolphin therapy center," though it's unclear whose therapy we are talking about (dolphin or people?). I imagine it is similar to the one near here in Vallejo - Marine World.

Ming Garden

2012-01-04T09:31:00.001-08:00

At first I thought the Dutch postcross had purchased this card in Asia. Turns out this lovely wall is part of the Chinese garden in Haren, Netherlands.

Family Holidays

2012-01-04T09:28:00.000-08:00

A postcrosser from New Zealand sent this lovely beach card. She included bits of what's going on in her life: a planned beach holiday with family, Barbie band-aid & stickers for her kids, and on the back - a weather forecast. She also included a custom postage stamp of her and her kids in the back.

For Real?

2012-01-03T21:52:00.001-08:00

Are these kids made of wax or are they real? A 12-year old Russian postcrosser sent me this eerie card.

Road Trip!

2012-01-03T21:48:00.000-08:00

A very interesting card from a Canadian postcrosser. She visited the garden of awakening orchids when she visited Portland, OR a few years back. The Bundle wrapper is from her stint as wood-engrave and the lucky ladybugs are from her scrapbooking stash. I love the combination!

Cyrillic Rhapsody

2012-01-03T21:41:00.000-08:00

A gorgeous card from a postcrosser in Kiev. She did not like my altered postcard request but then she said, she gave it a try. I tend to do this too - reject something weird or unfamiliar immediately, then come around to it. I think the background is a fancy paper napkin (feels like velvety fabric) and she added a mini calendar pinned with a spangle and stickers. The combination of image and text is wonderful. I wish more mailartists (myself included) did the same.

Winter Stamps

2012-01-03T21:29:00.000-08:00

Some really gorgeous stamps from various parts of the world.

Shoes Off Please

2012-01-01T18:57:00.001-08:00

A sweetly collaged card from a Japanese postcrosser. I think she used all kinds of tape to make this card. The neatly arranged shoes remind me of the requirement in Japan to take one's shoes off, arrange them facing outward in the foyer, put one's feet into slippers before walking around in the building. And of course, to put on special toilet slippers when going to the bathroom. And remembering to take them off afterwards and put back on the house slippers. God knows I've mortified many people by forgetting and wearing the toilet slippers all over the house.

Ranunculous

2012-01-01T14:56:00.001-08:00

What better way to start the New Year than with a field of flowers sent by a young Dutch postcrosser.

A Ray of Joy

2012-01-01T14:51:00.000-08:00

This happy handmade card arrived from a New Zealand postcrosser. It's cut out of a cornmeal box. I love the array of stamps that included a small trailer, windblown umbrella, Rainbow Falls, Central Otago and Whakarewarewa thermal village.

Nice Socks!

2012-01-01T14:45:00.000-08:00

I swear I had a pair just like these when I was young. A fun card from a Polish postcrosser.

From a Small Room

2012-01-01T14:19:00.000-08:00

A magical postcard of Wulingyuan, sent by a Chinese postcrosser. He started his message with "Many greetings from a small room in the east of China..." Wouldn't this sentence make a perfect beginning to a novel? The tiny caption on the card says, "Pastoral Fields on Air." Indeed, one has to scrutinize the card to realize that it's not a lazy path to the edge of a cliff but cultivated fields. The card brought back memories of my childhood in Japan when it was still safe to go exploring alone in the mountains behind my school. It was so much fun to explore wooded trails with my dogs and come upon secret vistas like this.

Cards All Around

2011-12-29T18:04:00.001-08:00

My Christmas cardholder is filled with cards. I made this holder from Internet instructions several years ago. It involves yarn wound round and round a cardboard whiskey box.

Ain't Over Yet

2011-12-25T18:37:00.001-08:00

The Year of the Rabbit isn't quite over yet. We've got a week to go and I found this card just in time. I got it in Mexico 2 years ago when I was there for the UN conference. It's based on a Pre-Columbian design and it's called "La Luna."

Peaceful Place

2011-12-25T18:19:00.000-08:00

Beautiful card of the Buitnitski Memorial Complex from a postcrosser in Belarus.

Figure

2011-12-25T18:16:00.000-08:00

Found on street: dance club postcard. I liked the green-in-the-gills dude. One Yelp review of Black Door: Meh. Apparently the club's sound was "terri-bad."

Finding Dragons

2011-12-25T12:19:00.001-08:00

My husband has been looking for dragon postcards to send out as nengajo. Surprisingly, none of the Japanese stores stock New Year's cards, even though they offer so much in the way of New Year food. Since I wasn't planning a trip to Japan in the next few days, I decided to make 24 cards for him as a Christmas gift.

Guts and Ruts

2011-12-25T11:54:00.001-08:00

My arts group will be playing games at our year-end party this coming week. Each of us will select an image and put it into an envelope. Then people get to pick an envelope at random. The image they open will be a prediction for 2012. I had so much fun creating "images" that I made several in my studio last week. This won't be the one I bring to the party but I had fun making the collage. The fortune on the side says, "It takes guts to get out of the ruts."

Abstract Poland

2011-12-25T11:52:00.001-08:00

This postcrosser from Poland has never altered a card before. I thought she did a terrific job, incorporating news stories, glitter and bits of everyday life in Poland. Thanks so much!

Oh Nuts

2011-12-25T11:50:00.001-08:00

A Dutch postcrosser living in Canada sent this fat-cheeked squirrel card. She saw her first snow recently and enjoys the cold.

The Courier's Tragedy

2011-12-25T11:37:00.000-08:00

I went to a mail art open house at the SF Center for Books last weekend and picked up this oversized postcard designed by Maureen Forys. There were lots of mail art fans there and piles of ephemera to make one's own.

Sketch Club

2011-12-23T19:30:00.001-08:00

An invite to the MFA Open Studios from alma mater, Mills College. Here's a classroom full of women and the only man is the teacher. Interestingly the list of artists in the back of the card is about 30% men. Mills is still a women's undergraduate school, but their graduate program has always been co-ed.

Wintry Rembrandt

2011-12-23T19:26:00.001-08:00

A friend sent this self-portrait of the grand master. No longer youthful, and his dark eyes reveal absolutely nothing.

Nifty Stamps

2011-12-23T19:23:00.001-08:00

Left: Stylized kanji for Dragon, the 2012 zodiac beast. Top right: three Christmas stamps from the Netherlands. Bottom right: A Finnish stamp with children and huge fish.

BOOM! cheer up

2011-12-23T18:05:00.001-08:00

A Chinese postcrosser sent this Arthur Rackham card with stamps on the front of the card. This was common in the Victorian Days, and I'm wondering if this postcrosser was trying to mimic mail from that era. On the other hand, the back of the card is all about contemporary minimalism. The postcrosser wrote in big letters BOOM!! And two words of encouragement: "cheer up."

Occupy

2011-12-23T18:03:00.000-08:00

Friend Judy sent this card, which summarizes the year for us all.

Creatrix

2011-12-23T18:01:00.000-08:00

Friends Sandy and Jude sent the Creatrix, painted by Mark Ryden. Sandy is an amazing surrealist painter. I love the surreal anthropomorphic creatures she puts up on Facebook.

Polish Papercut

2011-12-23T17:58:00.001-08:00

An old friend sent me this bright cheery card. She vacationed in Turkey this summer and loved it. Turkey is one of my favorite destinations. There is so much history there, so much excellent cuisines, friendly people and the Grand Bazaar is adult Disneyland!!

Happy Happy

2011-12-23T17:55:00.001-08:00

A nice mix of summer and Holiday on this card from a Finnish postcrosser. She notes that Finland had a lot of snow but it is now melting. She loves Christmas because of the food and long vacation. I can use a long vacation at this juncture!

A Glittery Forest

2011-12-23T17:51:00.001-08:00

The glitter balls add a wonderful icy ambience to this wintry card from friends Karen and Scott. I've had a great time collaborating on Man as Object: Reversing the Gaze with Karen this year. Looking forward to more on that subject in 2012!

Crystal Sheer

2011-12-22T19:32:00.001-08:00

Old-fashioned Valentines

Ribbons the color of Christmas candy

box of Eaton's Crystal Clear

An afternoon walk in Chinatown brought me to a shop with piles of old stationery for sale. The young shopkeeper explained that she had found them in the basement. I was looking for ang bow envelopes but ended up selecting ribbons, Valentines and two boxes of Eaton's. Crystal Sheer was my stationery of choice when I was in college. It was quintessentially feminine, with its sheer, crinkly surface, and the drag of my left hand made inky smear marks all over the paper. It was perfect for love letters, which I folded into matching envelopes and sealed with wax.

The shopkeeper asked me if I spoke Mandarin. No, but I helped her decipher a letter written in English from a woman who had come to the shop a week earlier and purchased 21 cards and 21 pink envelopes. The letter explained that the envelopes were sealed and useless. I helped the shopkeeper craft a note of apology and verified the return address. The shopkeeper's effusive thanks made me smile. I was even happier when I went into teuscher and bought the last box of marron glace. Candied chestnuts are my singular indulgence at this time of year. It was only when I got on BART that I realized I should have asked for those 21 sealed envelopes.

Ta-Da!

2011-12-22T09:43:00.001-08:00

Tanya and I have been in the habit of exchanging over-sized cards that we make up in our studios. This fabuloso card has two bee-paper medallions and a happy girl dancing in her pink winter clothes. Tanya knows I am partial to the color pink.

Wordsworthy

2011-12-22T09:38:00.000-08:00

This postcrosser from Singapore was taken by the Wordsworth poem that was quoted in film,"The Namesake." Long before that movie was made we had to memorize that poem in school. I could not imagine that many daffodils blooming in Japan - we had perhaps a dozen blooming in our garden in the spring. Many years later, I saw a field of daffs just outside of NYC and then walked among them in Daffodil Hill up at Gold Country. Even more than the yellow nodding heads, I delighted in their sweet perfume.

Puffy and Hopeful

2011-12-22T09:36:00.001-08:00

A lovely understated card from Marilyn. She was there for me when out of fatigue and utter frustration I quit the WCA board. Since then, I have reconsidered.

Mrs Grinch

2011-12-22T09:33:00.001-08:00

We received this bright & cheery card from the Fujita family. Yo-san is our favorite sushi-maker. We've followed his travels from one sushi restaurant to another all over the city. He's still following his dream of opening his very own restaurant some day. May his Christmas wish come true!

Cut & Pieced

2011-12-22T09:27:00.000-08:00

A hefty and delightful card from a Dutch postcrosser. She tore apart and pieced back to together two different cards for the front. She tied a rope on the back and added some wonderful stamps in the back. Turns out she is on the postcrossing forum on mail art, something I would love to join if I had the time. She started making an envelope for the forum and messed up. She almost threw it out when it occurred to her that she could create a repurposed postcard for me. YES!!! Thanks so much Sophie for this lovely, tactile card.

Three Little Sparrows

2011-12-16T18:54:00.001-08:00

Such cheerful Santa birds on a Christmas tree! I love this imaginative card from a German postcrosser.

HOI

2011-12-16T18:52:00.000-08:00

Hoi There! This cute winky postcard was sent by Hannie, a postcrosser from the Netherlands. She visited California last year and enjoyed her time there.

Animal Tree

2011-12-16T18:49:00.000-08:00

Debbie and Jed always send cute cards and this is no exception. An animal tree card is as close as we may get to a Christmas tree this year. Sabrina's even represented near the top of the tree!

Pride

2011-12-16T17:23:00.001-08:00

A South African postcrosser sent this amazing altered card!!! Hand-stitched, collaged, with newspaper and torn paper. What a wonderful surprise during the Holiday Season!

An Elegant San Francisco Chirstmas

2011-12-04T10:31:00.001-08:00

An urban Christmas card designed by my studio & gallery partner, Stephen. He just got back from vacation abroad and has a busy schedule exhibiting and selling at various art fairs. I love his San Francisco-themed works, which can be seen here: www.SFHQ.net.

Holiday Cheer

2011-12-04T10:19:00.000-08:00

A felt & recycled jewelry Christmas bell card created by my friend Susan. It's fabulously glittery and old-fashioned. I asked her to make me a Christmas stocking with lots of Christmas-themed felt appliques on it. That is my wishful thinking....

A gorgeous collage card in an unusual shape by my friend Irma. With the recent wind storms blowing leaves about, this card was a perfect reflection of California winter.

Frannie, Irma, Susan and I have been getting together the first Friday of every December for decades. Last Friday, we met at the Sheraton Palace for high tea under an amazing Christmas tree. In the past, we combined a sumptuous lunch, a walk around Union Square to take in the "signs of Christmas" in the shop windows, shop for ornaments, and review our New Year's resolutions. To me, this one day which we set aside for ourselves is a wonderful manifestation of the Holiday Season.

Happy Thanksgiving

2011-11-25T21:03:00.001-08:00

My friend Frannie sent me a card speckled with glitter (the best kind of card, in my opinion). The two turkeys were probably wishing that they would end up as a couple of roasts. I spent a quiet Thanksgiving with Mike and two elderly friends. Am grateful that we did not have any turducken. Today we went to see a movie about Marilyn Monroe. I'm not sure I liked the impersonation - it was a bit forced.

Yellow Cheer

2011-11-25T21:00:00.000-08:00

A warm, cheery card from a Russian Postcrosser. She's an architecture student in Voronezh. I love the color schemes of gold and green. Such happy colors!

Stone Forest

2011-11-25T20:54:00.001-08:00

This amazing postcard and stamps are from a postcrosser in China. The Stone Forest is in Kunming, Yunnan Province. It is made of karst, and erosion of limestone. It made me want to go visit this amazing formation straight away. I alos loved the stamps she affixed, the calm goddess of mercy and a verdant green forest.

Up the Tree

2011-11-25T20:39:00.000-08:00

An unexpected, bright red card arrived from Giuliana in Brasil. It's a wonderful drawing/collage of a cat up in the tree. There's a cartoon cut-out in the upper corner with justd a sliver of someone (Blondie?) looking aghast. Thank you Giuliana, for this wonderful card!

Cheer

2011-11-20T20:29:00.000-08:00

The bright flower and butterfly brought immediate cheer to me on this winter's day. This Finnish postcrosser writes, "You have warm over there. Here is autumn - cold and rainy!" Yes we did have warm until a week ago. Now we too have cold and rainy.

Mounties & Indians

2011-11-20T20:25:00.000-08:00

A rather WOW card from a Canadian postcrosser.

Embroidery

2011-11-20T20:23:00.000-08:00

Here's a card depicting beautiful embroideries from Belarus. The postcrosser pinked the edges all around, echoing the needlework of this card.

Lottery

2011-11-20T20:20:00.000-08:00

This Lithuanian postcrosser created a card with TeleLoto, Lithuania's lottery and fashion photos. She's a 16 year-old rocker and enjoys retro rock: Pink Floyd, Nirvana, Beatles and the Cure. Thanks for this snazzy card!

Little Red Traveling Journal

2011-11-16T19:56:00.001-08:00

I am initiating a traveling journal project among nation-wide chapters of the Women's Caucus for Art. 2012 will be the 40th anniversary of this feminist, arts activist organization. The journal will travel from chapter to chapter, with artists adding tiny artwork to the Moleskin journal pages. After the year is over, the journal will travel back to me (unless there is a postal mishap) and it will be auctioned off at our conference in New York City. Artists in my chapter have finished decorating the month of January with all kinds of art, including painting, drawing, printmaking, carved cardboard, fiber art and ink drawings. The front cover is an illumination created by a local artist and the puffy bookmark was created by a visiting performance artist.

Gegen Nazis

2011-11-16T19:51:00.000-08:00

A most curious postcard from a German Postcrosser. This is the Berlin Olympic stadium, built during the Third Reich in 1934. The postcrosser added a sticker against Nazis on the front and singed some cigarette holes through the card. There's also some altering on the margins with fringeing and pinking.

Halloween Party

2011-11-15T08:42:00.001-08:00

From a sidewalk on 24th Street. I picked it up around Halloween. It is gorgeously pockmarked from being trampled upon. This card uses an interesting mix of Spanish and English to appeal to all kinds of people living in the Mission District.

Desolation Angel

2011-11-14T17:41:00.001-08:00

A card from Jacqueline sent in August with a short, pithy statement in the back: "An altered angel."

Red-Haired Troll

2011-11-14T17:35:00.001-08:00

This fabulous card from a Norwegian postcrosser is altered. Can you tell where?

Summer Bathing

2011-11-14T17:31:00.000-08:00

This collage card from a Finnish postcrosser made me smile. Besides her love of animals, she really captured summertime in Finland. I love the whirlpool bath in the middle of the ocean!

Encyclopedia of the Vertically Challenged

2011-11-14T17:28:00.001-08:00

A sweet card arrived from Jacqueline's good friends, Jody and Yue. She often talked about visiting them in NYC and the wonderful dining experiences she had with them.

Fire and Ice

2011-11-14T17:25:00.000-08:00

A lovely volcano card from a Postcrosser in Iceland. I used to dream of volcanic eruptions in my home town of Kobe. There are no volcanoes there, but my dreams looked very much like this postcard. I also recall that Revlon had a wet, juicy lipstick called Fire and Ice.

Angel

2011-11-14T17:05:00.000-08:00

A gorgeous sewn postcard from Jacqueline's friend, Sandy. I am looking forward to engaging in mail exchanges with this extraordinary artist.

Alice & the Cheshire Grin

2011-11-14T17:03:00.000-08:00

A really wonderful surprise was waiting for me in my mailbox today. Here's a gorgeous Alice in Wonderland card from Anna B. I adore the Cheshire smile on the backside of the card. Thanks for making my day!!!

Black Cat

2011-10-31T08:05:00.001-07:00

My friend Frannie made this fun card using a paper napkin. I've always loved the old-fashioned Halloween cat image. My own cat, Sabrina, looks just like this.

Jacqueline

2011-10-23T21:34:00.001-07:00

Jacqueline Ruyak, my co-blogger passed away on Friday, October 21, 2011. During the course of her illness this summer, sending and receiving postcards through Postcrossing and between her friends kept her spirits alive. Our 36 years of friendship was based through the mail, after we went our separate ways post-graduate school. Letters were the primary media in which we spoke about the interesting and irritating events in our lives. That was our preference, but also necessity, because Jacqueline often lived in remote, rural villages where the Internet was intermittent or nonexistent. It is inconceivable that I can no longer pen a letter to my dearest friend or anticipate a letter written in her beautiful cursive script. I shall miss our long conversations about art, baseball, food and travels.

Luftposte

2011-09-10T18:31:00.001-07:00

As it in many places, post offices have become endangered species in Germany. Here is one I found in Mannheim. I love the bright yellow mailboxes with the twin horns intertwined.
In Koln, I was directed to a post office inside a small mall. When I asked if they had "pretty" stamps, the mail woman directed me to the philatelic counter. Quite a lot of beautiful stamps to be had there!

Light

2011-09-02T12:46:00.001-07:00

The Dom in Koln.

Postcard I am sending to Jacqueline from Cologne. The stainglass windows of this huge Dom were truly spectacular. We got there in the afternoon when the light turned the windows into glittering jewels.

tattered

2011-08-24T09:33:00.001-07:00

A 'ravishing', albeit tattered, card from PostMuse.

pills

2011-08-24T09:31:00.001-07:00

There's always grist for the mill.

prince gong's mansion garden

2011-08-23T06:55:00.000-07:00

I should do a Google search for Prince Gong but today I'm happy to let him roam in my imagination. The card is from a Chinese postcrosser.

old cars

2011-08-20T07:00:00.000-07:00

I was reminded of this vintage card, long sent away, while listening to an interview yesterday between Marty Mosco Wayne and Earl Swift, author of the The Big Roads, an account of how this country developed its interstate highway system. The book sounds interesting but the interview only seemed to confirm that the days of Jack Kerouac's On the Road are never coming back.