Ikuta Shrine in Kobe

My mother sent this retro postcard for Christmas. The Ikuta shrine is located in downtown Kobe and is still active today. The city has grown up all around it and no rickshaws are in sight, even for touristic purposes. The big mountain looming in the background must be Mt. Maya. It is considered one of the oldest shrines in Japan. Love the hand-coloring of this reproduction postcard. 

Christmas Tree

A simple embossed card from friend Geoffrey. Made by Austin Press at Hunter's Point. I must go check them out sometime.

Gollum Maxi Card - Altered

A fabulous maxi card from a New Zealand postcrosser. She added a messy mop of hair on top of Gollum's head. Actually he looks like a surfer dude with that hair. 

Christmas Beauty

Here's a lovely winter card from a postcrosser in Belarus. She illustrated the back of the card with floral decorations. The front is my favorite kind of card - lots of glittery snowflakes and snow-covered trees. I don't know why I love glitter so much. It is such a magical element, particularly in the winter. 

Het!

A fabulous Soviet-era anti-drinking postcard from a Russian postcrosser. I can't imagine anyone saying "no" to Stoly, however. Even I drank a glass or two when I visited Vladivostok back in 1999. I loved my trip to the Russia Far East. riding the overnight train to Khabarovsk and driving along vast stretches of highway with nothing but snow and pines.   

Red and White

An elegant Christmas card from Audrey. I got together with her and several other writer friends for a fun tapas dinner a few weeks before Christmas. This group has kept together for many years now over a play or simply a fun meal somewhere. We met at a writers' circle but few of us are still writing fiction. However, this is a great group to get reading lists of interesting novels.

Handmade Christmas Cards 2014

Susan quilted a vintage, repurposed Christmas card. Note the use of photo corners - something that seems to have disappeared along with photo albums.

Irma painted the remaining FIPs partners with knitting in the background.

Tanya created a lovely abstract card that incorporated staples.

Yuriko used silver and gold joss paper, and bits of paper scraps for a festive card.

I promise to get back into creating Christmas cards in 2014! In fact this is part of my New York resolutions. 

Lady Pumpkin

Friend Susan made this lovely Halloween card of seemingly random scraps of paper. I had to rub my fingers over the pumpkin - it looks like fabric. There is actually a ribbon tied on the pumpkin stem. Went to Half Moon Bay and picked out a pumpkin but never had time to carve it. When my niece and nephew visited over Thanksgiving, I did my annual pumpkin toss - a big heave-ho down to the garden from our second floor deck. 

Madonna Open Studios

Work has consumed me. Time has passed and I am just now getting around to posting some interesting cards. Here's an October Open Studio card from Paul Madonna. His pen & ink drawings and stories are quintessentially urban...it's a snippet of conversation you might overhear while walking around a San Francisco neighborhood. This one reminds me of the financial district, where I used to work in the 1980's and 90's.