Love It Or Leave It

Friend Tanya has vacated her studio in our Folsom St building. She announced her departure several months ago and spent the time leading up to her move going through her large art supply stash and making some hard decisions. As a mixed media artist, she has accumulated much in the way of paper and objects. Her "Love It or Leave It" project entailed her making decisions on the spot by creating a piece of art and sending it off to someone she knew. If nothing came to mind right away, that ephemera got recycled to SCRAP or the blue bin. I received a cool collage in the mail yesterday of a Barbarella-like woman with an arsenal of sharp brushes behind her. Tanya's work delves into feminist story-telling but with no explanation enclosed, I can interpret it freely. Girl Power.

Beam Me Up Kitty!

A wonderful spaceship card from Brazil. This postcrosser was inspired by Tinker Bell and fairy dust - she sprinkled glitter around the flying saucer and kitty. My black cat Sabrina was very impressed with this card!

Happy Meal

What fun cards! The top card was made by a Malaysian postcrosser from a McDonald's Happy Meal box. The stamp was lovely - it had glitter on it, which was a surprise. The lower card is an altered New Year card from Hong Kong. 

Color Transparencies

A Dutch postcrosser made this delightful card with all kinds of tape. I love the layers of colors she achieved with tapes of different opacities. I am personally addicted to tape and have a drawerful at home and in my studio. Thank you for this wonderful composition!

Black & White Cards

A card from a German postcrosser with many personal touches. I especially like Spike!

A lovely hand-drawn dove by a postcrosser from Vancouver. It's fabulous considering it is the author's first handmade card. 

Glittering Horizon

Half of the knife came off in transit but the glitter in the horizon stayed put. The Polish postcrosser drew a friendly sun. On the reverse side the writer drew a series of fish scales, keeping with the ocean theme. 

Overpopulation

A beautiful card titled "Overpopulation" from a German postcrosser. She punched holes on the sides and had her children sprinkle glitter over the card. 

Bones for Lace

Received this lovely card of bobbins fanned out for lace-making. Susan explained that bones are purchased at the butchers, boiled, then carved into these intricate shapes. I somehow doubt I would ever make it as a lacemaker, as I an abject failure at crochet. Knitting, I can do. But I can only knit socks.

Red Circles

A lovely partially embroidered postcard from a young Chinese postcrosser. I don't know what it is about red threads, but many of my women artist friends as well as I include red thread in our works. I wonder what it means?    

Full of Critters

Here's a colorful card from a Belarussian postcrosser. Again, the miracle of altered postcards making it through the mail! The postal worker had no trouble finding my mailing address amidst all the stamps and stickers.

Distressed

 No messages on the horticultura card from a Portuguese postcrosser. She used staples to further the distressed look.

 The Finnish postcrosser created a collage card from 2 old postcards and added a TV listing from her newspaper. She added the word "ystarvalle," which means "to my friend." Her daughter added hearts. Delightful! 

Handmade Birthday Cards

My two FIPS friends and I celebrated my birthday by going to a delightful diner in Palo Alto. The top card was made by Susan, inspired by Ezra Jack Keats' drawing. The card below it is an abstract painting by Irma. I see a green elephant in it. Both fabulous cards. We have so much fun doing our FIPS thing!

Tiny Pieces to a Puzzle

This German postcrosser cut up her card into tiny puzzle pieces and encouraged me to have fun. I prefer its desconstructed state - very cool!

Birthday

A red balloon card from Michael. Refers to the balloon sculptures I'm working on.

A frog card from Susan. Refers to my prior incarnation.

National Opera House

 

A Ukrainian postcrosser sent this card of the lovely yellow National Opera House. Apparently she sent a prior card to me that never arrived. I am appreciative that she sent a second one. The Kiev opera group housed here is the third oldest in the Ukraine. The original burned down due to an unattended candle in 1896 and with the building, one of Europe's largest musical libraries went up in flames. A new opera house was rebuilt in 1901.

Cars are the Stars

A bright yellow VW beetle from a postcrosser in South Africa. I love the rhino stamp and the soaring bird airmail sticker on the back too. This writer said he was at work so couldn't do much alterations "on the job." Still, he drew quite a sweet stick figure and bubble head driver.

A Fiat ad card made extraordinary by the paisley squiggles and decorative doodles drawn by a Russian postcrosser. This is a great example of someone creating something beautiful out of some ordinary ad card. I love it!

A hidden Ticket

This postcrosser from China altered the back of the card. There's an invitation to tear off the pretty flower-printed tapes to claim a subway ticket but I prefer imagining the ticket sealed inside. I've often felt that the wrappings and ribbons around gifts were more beautiful and pleasing than the contents.