mail art | kimberly ah

Jul 01 2013

#30DOC Week 4

Thirty Days of Creativity is all wrapped up and I’m happy to say I finished, thanks to a little bit of help from July 1st. Even though I was behind pretty often throughout the month, I am convinced that I would have finished on time if we hadn’t been traveling (And if I hadn’t been so unorganized about getting ready to travel. My original intention was to bring some embroidery supplies to work on during the flight and during down time. I didn’t get my supplies together in time, and as it turns out, there was no down time and flying makes me feel too gross to craft on the plane.) I didn’t achieve my original goals of finishing more art projects for our home and stretching myself artistically. I mainly stuck in my comfort zone (mail art, cocktails…) But, I had fun creating…creating for no reason other than the mere enjoyment of it. Here’s a look at my last projects (including a bonus one!)

6/23 Vesper martinis, 6/24 letter set made with resist embossing & a tie-dye technique, 6/25 galaxy (for a future project), 6/26 artwork celebrating the end of DOMA (a joint project with Naoto who did the calligraphy), 6/27 patriotic mail art (completed on 7/1), 6/28 a perfectly packed bag (my packing skills deserve their own blog post) & a mini summer celebration in an envelope (completed on 7/1), 6/29 another patriotic mail art (completed on 7/1) and 6/30 a stack of Boston postcards!!

That’s everything, and one big thing crossed off of my Summer Manifesto. I’ll be back tomorrow to share more of a manifesto update before I talk about Boston. It’s such a beautiful day out today and I’m anxious to see how our garden is growing!!

Tagged cocktails, crafts, diy, mail art, rubber stamp, snail mail, summer, washi tape

Jun 25 2013

3 Comments

crafty adventures, snail mail, summer manifesto

#30DOC Week 3

This week was another “catch-up” week. It’s like I lost all steam. But the end is near, and it would be silly to quit now! I was tempted to count my new tomato as a “creation” but let’s be honest…it did that without much help from me. Besides, it’s bad enough that I’m counting cocktails!

From the top: 6/16 Letherbee gin & tonics (recommended by Kathy & Chicago-made), 6/17 popsicle themed mail (I stayed up super-late writing letters & had so much fun making these!), 6/18 more mail art, 6/19 birthday card (made at work), 6/20 pun card (made at work…I love a good pun), 6/21 another pun card (I’m not proud of these), 6/22 notecard

If I create something tonight (which I will), I will be all caught up. And, even though we are traveling over the weekend, I’m hoping to remain on track and finish strong.

Tagged cocktails, crafts, diy, mail art, snail mail, summer, washi tape

Jun 17 2013

1 Comment

crafty adventures, summer manifesto

#30DOC Week 2

This week was a lot harder to manage because life got in the way…in a good way! We had some unexpected get-togethers with our neighbors last week, which is always a good thing in my book. I used my Sunday afternoon to catch up on a few days, but now I’m back and ready to stay on track this week. I have a few projects planned, so that should help with the “what should I make today?” dilemma. This is what I created during week 2:

From the top: 6/8 etagmai practice, 6/9 somen, 6/10 handmade business cards, 6/11 sun tea, 6/12 Father’s Day mail art, 6/13 rope plant hanger (using this simple tutorial by Elise) 6/14 glittered bomb pop stationery, 6/15 glittered neon stationery (I’m clearly in a glitter mood! Both glittered stationery projects used the Sakura Quickie Glue Pen from my Little Red Toolbox.)

Tagged crafts, mail art, snail mail, tea, washi tape

May 06 2013

3 Comments

Forest Park, Oak Park, gardening, homemaking, snail mail, what's for dinner

Scenes from the Balcony

Last week spring hit…hard. One could argue that summer hit because we had temperatures in the 80s and I got a little sunburn from enjoying breakfast on the balcony. (I need to be more careful!) For two whole days, I did nothing but sit outside and write letters, read gardening books, eat breakfast, lunch & dinner and enjoy the fresh blooms on the trees. It felt good to soak up some Vitamin D and breathe in the spring air. This week, it’s supposed to be warm and sunny again. But this week, instead of sitting around dreaming about gardening, I will be weeding out the garden plot, finalizing the planting plan. And that sounds just right to me.

Tagged coffee, food, forest park, garden, gardening, home, homemaking, mail art, snail mail, summer

Apr 11 2013

The Latest in Letter Writing

I wrote two and a half letters at the Letter Writers Alliance/Pieritz Bros letter social last weekend. Two went out in Monday’s mail and the other is waiting to be finished. The social was FUN but as usual I forgot to take pictures–I was too busy typing and listening to stories about old typewriters. But Pieritz is the perfect setting for a letter social: a selection of office supplies close at hand, a collection of vintage typewriters throughout the store and an enthusiastic shop owner who is interested in all things paper, pen and type. (If you’d like to read more about Pieritz, The Well-Appointed Desk paid them a visit here.) I monopolized Donovan’s Sans Serif typewriter (AKA the Cold War typewriter). I didn’t mean to linger, but the machine types like a dream, plus I love the purply-blue ink!

Donovan, as usual, made some “commemorative” stationery to use during the social. I always bring my own paper with the intention of using it, but I love sending a letter that shows it was written during the social. The Pieritz Bros stationery was an especially good one–I love those stamp illustrations!

In other news, Naoto had his endoscopy today to see how things were healing & he looks good to start eating a FULL range of foods next week! We are over the moon about the good news, and counting the days until next Wednesday when the ban is lifted. Now we are in full party planning mode for the eating celebration next weekend…

Yay for good mail and good news.

Tagged adventures, mail art, office supplies, rubber stamp, snail mail

Apr 09 2013

10 Comments

crafty adventures, little red toolbox, Office Supplies

My Little Red Toolbox | StazOn Ink

My Little Red Toolbox is back–this time with the one ink I cannot live without–StazOn ink. StazOn is a fast-drying solvent ink and it works on plastic, metal, glass, ceramic, laminated paper, coated paper and leather. Overkill for regular paper and envelopes? Maybe, but I stamp on glossy things like shimmery envelopes, labels, photos and washi tape all the time, and who needs a variety of black inks lying around? (Not me.) StazOn dries almost instantly, which helps when I stamp my return address on a stack of mail and it doesn’t smear all over the other envelopes.

I bought these notarial seals at Pieritz Bros during the letter social last weekend. They are shiny and gold. Normal ink pads would take a lifetime to dry, or never dry on them. The StazOn ink dries almost immediately so I can use my homemade seals (created with this By Pigeon stamp) right after I stamp them. Instant gratification.

I have StazOn inks in Blazing Red (such a solid, true red) and Teal Blue (a perfect peacock blue), but the black one gets the most use by far. The only downside with StazOn is that it stains your stamps, so if you frequently use different colored ink pads, you’ll need the StazOn cleaner on hand to keep your stamps ink-free.

We’re only about halfway through the Little Red Toolbox, so look for another post soon!

*For more about my little red toolbox, go here.

Tagged crafts, diy, little red toolbox, mail art, office supplies, rubber stamp, snail mail

Apr 04 2013

5 Comments

adventures, crafty adventures, Office Supplies, snail mail

Packing for a Letter Social

On Saturday, the Letter Writers Alliance is hosting yet another letter social and this time, it’s right in my neighborhood (sort of) at Pieritz Brothers in Oak Park! I’m embarrassed to admit it, but I lived a mere three blocks from Pieritz for two years (eleven years ago!) and I’ve only been in the store a handful of times. It is a Chicagoland treasure, and I plan to make up for my absence this year!

I’m packing my letter writing bag for the social and I thought I’d share what supplies I bring along to a letter social. Of course, you really just need a pen and paper and a letter recipient in mind, but I like to bring a few extras to spice up the mail experience.

Every time I go, I take a slightly different variety of things. For instance, in March, since the social happened just before St. Patrick’s Day, I brought a bunch of green stuff–shamrock stickers, tapes, pens and labels. This month, I’m going with more of a spring variety. I keep everything in separate little bags so I can take out what I need as I work and I’m not spreading out all over the table and taking up too much space. I have my pencil bag, a pouch for supplies and an air mail pouch for my stationery and letters.

In my pencil bag, I always carry a few different pen styles. This time, I have my favorite Pilot Frixions, my Pilot Varsity and a Le Pen or two. I’m very moody about what I write with, so I like to have a few options to choose from. I also carry a tiny stapler and tiny scissors along with a tape runner and a glue pen in the bag just in case I want to add mail art bits to the envelope.

In my little red cat pouch, I carry a small variety of rubber stamps, washi tapes and one ink pad. I usually have a color scheme to work from–this time it’s mainly pinks and blues and yellows for spring.

Finally, in my Air Mail pouch, I carry the rest of the mail essentials: letters to be returned, postage stamps, labels and stickers, my Letter Ledger (to track my outgoing letters), a few business cards (in case I meet someone new!), my mini address book, and paper and envelopes. This month I have spring flower postage–the cherry blossoms and Lady Bird Johnsons–along with some spring-colored labels and chick stickers.

Donovan & Kathy always offer a nice supply of paper, envelopes, rubber stamps, inks, washi tapes, pens, typewriters and even have postage on hand, but I like to bring some of my own things because there is no shortage of paper around here and because I enjoy theme-y stacks of mail.

Did I miss anything? Would you take more, or would you just show up with a pen ready to go?

Tagged adventures, crafts, diy, forest park, mail art, office supplies, rubber stamp, snail mail, washi tape

Apr 01 2013

4 Comments

crafty adventures, Office Supplies, snail mail

Jet Pens…Why Did I Wait So Long?

Last month, I placed my first order with Jet Pens. I’ve always held off ordering from them because we go to Japan for office supplies (oh, and to see family, of course!) but since we didn’t go last year and we won’t be able to go until the summer or fall this year, I decided it was time to treat myself. To be honest, it was the realization that Jet Pens sells Midori cat paper clips that sealed the deal. The rest of the stuff…it was just cart filler for the $25 free shipping. (I’m only slightly kidding.)

In addition to my beloved paper clips, I ordered two new Frixion pens in turquoise and blue-black. I talked about my love for the Frixion pens here, and having them in two more colors has made calendar keeping and letter writing even better.

And, after reading this LWA post, I wanted to try etegami, so I added the postcards, a waterproof pen and a water brush to my order. (I already have plenty of watercolors, otherwise I would have bought this.) I’m excited to try etegami this week–if anyone needs a dose of wabi-sabi in her life, it’s me!

Everything arrived from Jet Pens quite quickly, and although it’s not quite the same as going to Japan and spending six hours in Itoya or Tokyu Hands, it’s a nice treat to get some fancy pens and paper clips in the mail every now and again. Wouldn’t you agree?

Tagged crafts, mail art, office supplies, snail mail

Mar 20 2013

3 Comments

homemaking, in my library, Jell-O, snail mail, what's for dinner

J-E-L-L-O, the Vintage Way

Letter Month is over, and my letter writing has slowed down quite a bit. I have letters that came in during the first week of March that still need to be returned. I’m slowly making my way through the pile before I go to bed each night. Thankfully, my outgoing mail timing has been good, because some amazing mail has been trickling into my mailbox.

Last week I got this amazing vintage Jell-O pamphlet from Donovan. It was printed in 1928 and it has all sorts of Jell-O recipes and many of them are featured in Jell-O molds. It makes me wish I had a Jell-O mold! (Confession: I spent an hour on Ebay last night checking out my vintage Jell-O mold choices!)

My favorite part of the booklet is the line: Jell-O is like the princess in the fairy tale: it is as good as it is beautiful. So true! I remember being so excited when I saw a bowl of Jell-O in the fridge when I was little…my favorite has always been Lime. From reading through the pamphlet, I learned that lime must be a “newer” flavor, as the only five flavors listed in the pamphlet are Lemon, Orange, Strawberry, Raspberry and Cherry.

I am completely enamored with the illustrations of the fluffy Jell-O desserts and the perfectly shiny Jell-O molds sitting atop beds of lettuce or whipped cream. Everything in the first half of the booklet is expected–Jell-O with fruits and whipped cream served as molds or in stemmed dessert glasses. So pretty!

Then there’s the second half of the booklet–the Jell-O salads. Back here, we are mixing up Jell-O with tuna and olives and cabbage and horseradish. I was really excited about the Shower Salad…Strawberry Jell-O with pineapple, apple and maraschino cherries?? Sign me up! But then, I read the last line: Garnish with Hellman’s Blue Ribbon Mayonnaise. Hmmmm…ick. I guess I shouldn’t knock it until I’ve tried it…but quite frankly, I think if I made the Shower Salad, I’d be garnishing it with Dream Whip! Little did I know that the Shower Salad is probably the least offensive salad in the section…tuna and lemon Jell-O…eeks! It all reminds me of that Friends Thanksgiving episode where Rachel makes the traditional English trifle (and accidentally adds meat!)

Have you made anything interesting with Jell-O lately? Have you ever had it with olives or meat or other savory bits mixed inside?

Thanks, Donovan, for the sweet ephemera and for feeding my Jell-O obsession!

Tagged food, homemaking, Jell-O, mail art, snail mail

Mar 11 2013

3 Comments

adventures, celebrations, Forest Park, Oak Park, holidays, snail mail

The Everybody Loves a Parade Weekend

I’m a little sad that the weekend is over. Naoto & I both had Saturday and Sunday off…that’s a rarity around here. This weekend was the perfect balance between activities and lazing…and cooking–I made a tasty zucchini and cheese omelet for Saturday’s breakfast and Naoto made a delicious soy-glazed salmon for Sunday supper.

On Saturday we walked a couple of blocks to Madison Street for the Forest Park St. Patrick’s Day Parade. It was our first time seeing this parade and my first parade in a very, very long time. I was glad to see the usual characters like the Shriners, clowns and a guy on stilts (both awesome and creepy…but not as creepy as the clown! I found myself avoiding eye contact so he wouldn’t come talk to us!) The bagpipers were my favorite part…

On Sunday I went to another letter social with the Letter Writers Alliance. It was a fun time as usual, but not a super-productive one for me (I spent more time talking!) since I only finished one and a half letters! The picture at the top is of my letters and supplies hanging out on the table.

Today I am trying to tidy up the kitchen. We have been buying a lot of new food to accommodate Naoto’s diet and all the new food is making me realize that it’s time for a pantry clean-out. And maybe an entire kitchen clean-out. But let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves…the spare room is still a mess!

Tagged adventures, celebrations, food, forest park, holidays, home, mail art, rubber stamp, snail mail