So Much to See part 2

Hello, hello!
You can see I have been a busy girl writing every body back!  My stack is down to 4 letters to reply to! Yay!

 Postcrossing from the Ukraine.

 Postcrossing from the USA.  I really enjoyed this card!

 A nice hand made card from Anne.  I'll be seeing her this fall when we get the annual letter writing social together.

 A free card that was recycled into mail from a new pen friend on sendsomething.net

 Jarielyn writes on some eighties kitten stationery!  Mark Twain had several quotes about cats in his writings. I liked this one best. "One of the most striking differences between a cat and a lie is that a cat has only nine lives."

 A thoughtful knitted wash cloth from MC.

 JD is moving.  Anybody into non GMO foods?  I can forward the list to boycott.  It's very eye opening.

 Another great note from Malyss.  Look at the beautiful French Riveria!

 A postcrossing surprise - a magnet from Amsterdam.  The sender was hoping to trade, so I popped one in the mail for her.

 A great Stamp Tramps hand made card.

 From Troy.  He usually only writes on paper made for fountain pens, but this was a nice departure.

 A postcrossing from Japan.

 A send something reply, only I couldn't decipher the name  . . .

A Polish postcrossing.  It was very nice despite my cameras inability to capture it.

Will I have enough for a third post???  Wait and see.
-Becky

Make Something Monday: Be a Film Star

Hello all!
If you remember, a few weeks ago I went north to the Adirondack Mountain to visit some friends.  While I was there we decided it was too wet and cold to do much outdoors, so we opted to head to the local movie theatre for the latest Star Trek which lead to a whole Star Wars/ Star Trek debate, but I digress.

While at the show I heard that Hollywood is requiring everybody to switch to digital regardless of the size of the theatre.  In rural areas, the movie theatres are a great escape during the winter.  Unfortunately the switch comes at a huge cost and may make many of the small independent theatres go under. Check here for more info.

Sorry about the food stains, things happen when there are piles on the kitchen table.

The Strand Theatre we were at was selling off its old film rolls of trailers.  I snagged Cats Vs Dogs 2 and AstroBoy.  I am pretty sure if you want film, you could write to the group and ask. At $3 a roll it was very reasonable.  I figured that would give me enough materials for a long time to come and I felt like I was donating a bit more to the cause.  Here's a link to their main web site in case you want to contact them to purchase some film of your own.  P.S. They also had movie posters for sale, but I had no chance to browse them and they aren't my thing, but maybe they are yours?!

I attempted 2 ways of using it.

First a see through postcard.
I punched a square hole in the top of an index card and found an image I wanted to peak through.  Sorry no pic of the punch.  I thought I took one . . .

 This shows me gluing the strip down.  The glue runner works best for this.  I glued a second thin sheet of paper to the back of the first.  I liked it so - so.

 I then punched 2 holes through 2 pieces of index cards and aligned the images I wanted.

 Here's the pieces glued together.  Unfortunately I could not come up with anything catchy so this ended this card, but I think I may write my friend with 2 toddlers a note on it.  And yes that is a cat in a rabbit suit on the bottom.

For the other single punch, I came up with this busy collaged card.

Secondly I borrowed this idea from Tara at Hello Life.
I just used strips to enhance a collaged envelope.

Unfortunately I didn't have much luck thinking of other uses today, but I am going to keep the see through thing in mind. 

Good luck and keep creating!
-b
 

So Much to See

Hello folks!
How is the season treating you?  I have been very busy with travel, but travel also provides moments for writing.  Over the next few posts I will try to get caught up with the incoming mail.  Partly to get the big pile filed away and no, I have no real filing system.  I throw everything into a beautiful box!  But I currently have a great memory, so at least I know which box to reference for a letter.

 From Melissa at Craftgasm

 From Emilie at Wiinie's Girl.  I believe it to be very sensible

 Jeanne and I have been writing for awhile.  She likes to make colored copies of her works and write letters on the back.

 Above and below are fun letters from TMC. Along with a mini zine already for embellishment.

 A collaged postcard from KDJ an IUOMA member.  She was encouraging me to join but I've been a hold out mostly due to a lack of time.

 A great letter from Malyss.  She hoped I could use it as decorative : )

 Cheap stickers?? Actually the back is a letter from Patricia at Letter Rip.  You too can send stickers without an envelope if you want!  This is the third set I have received.

 Daniel DJ sent me these high color postcards.

 A Matthew special.  If you know him, wish him a happy birthday!

 A great package and shoe from Jean.  It is really nice people share so much, when I only need a letter in reply.

 A postcrossing from China.  I had some difficulty taking it, but it was a beautiful foggy morning in a smaller city.

 A tourist card from a Taiwan postcrossing

 These are not burgers folks.  The postcrosser said they were some kind of Chinese dish, similar to a hamburger. Maybe the Hamburglar needs a girl friend?  What do you say McDonalds?

 A Taiwan postcrossing

A nice note sent in a clear envelope sent from a friend, not to far away.
That's all for today, much more coming and soon!
May your mailbox be full of correspondence!
-becky

Make Something Monday: Postcard Double Duty

Hello, Hello! 
I kind of skipped last Monday's Make Something post.  I literally blame it on the traffic.  I-80 was a parking lot and added 2 hours to my return trip that I was not anticipating.  I was hoping to use those hours to do some random projects.  Anyway, let us move forward and I will post the 2 ideas I had last week on this post instead.

Firstly I want to apologize for a lack of pictures on this first part.  I wanted to do this technique I had seen where you use crayons to color the background. 
1) Color it heavily so that the paint does not adhere to the paper.

2) Paint over it in a solid color.  Black is the most commonly used hue.

3) And then scratch out designs.

 

I did not really enjoy this project.  The paint did not scratch off well and was very messy.  The colors were not as vibrant as I had wanted, but I used recycled chipboard instead of white. I ended up with a few postcards that turned out so-so.  None I was particularly fond of.  Try it and tell me how it worked for you.


Second project:  Chalkboard Postcards
I used the same scrap cardboard and painted it with an acrylic.

I followed the instructions for the chalkboard additive which required 2 coats.

Let dry and then use chalk to write on it.

These were a lot of fun!  I enjoy chalk work and hope to make more in the future!

Both projects should be finished with a clear gloss or matte sealer before mailing.

Consider making some today!
-Becky

Adirondack Visit and an Announcement

Hello all,
Can I be honest here?  I have been back to home over the last week.  My trip to the mountains was short, but I enjoyed taking some time off from blogging.  I also honestly think I may have to go down to only 2 posts a week over the summer.  Why you ask. Well, (taking a big breathe before blurting):  gardening, preserving the goods, cleaning, yard work, house maintenance, working on my artsy projects, traveling, longer work hours, and enjoying the patio on the cooler nights.

With all that said, I also know the views go down during the summer for many of the same reasons listed above, so you won't mind will you???

Anyway photos of the trip and some exciting news.

 This is where we spent most of our trip.  It was cold up there!  Some of the higher elevations got several inches of snow and our cabin was not winterized.

 The old train!  We were going to hop a ride but no Internet and limited phone service meant our best guess at departure was off by 15 minutes.  Oh well!  PA has many trains, so I will have the opportunity again.  P.S.  Their postcards were cheap!

 The cabin tucked on the side of the mountain and below is the lake it looks over.

 My best companion, Sparky surprisingly enjoying the dock!  He hates the water, but he was happy to sniff every square inch of the dock.

And finally the great news, my best bud is engaged.  Her man waited till the day I left to pop the question!  I love this pic of the 2 of them goofing off.  This was our last visit before she moves to take a 1yr education course in Oklahoma. 

I hope this finds you all well and happy!  I will get back to posting the mail.  I wrote so many letters by the fire, that I only left with 2 that still needed a reply!  And I did a lot of collaging and mail art.  Good friends let you do what makes you happy while visiting with them!

Here, here to friends and mail!
-b