DIY Postcards Challenge from iHanna

I love Mail Art and have just signed up for the spring Swap at http://www.ihanna.nu/postcard-swap

Last year I joined in the iHanna postcard challenge for Autumn (in Sweden).

Participants make and post ten hand made postcards and hopefully receive ten back!

My ten postcards came from Canada, USA, Switzerland, New Zealand and Germany.
Love them all - thanks Hanna for the opportunity!

A Birthday in Shanghai and Hand Made DIY Postcards.

To celebrate my 65th birthday in a positive way, not only did I make 65 collaged postcards and send them to arty friends and family - but I also went to China. We spent most of our time in


Yu Gardens

Shanghai - and had the day of my birthday - 31st October - walking around the traditional Yu Gardens and Market; Xintiandi, an area of Shikumen Houses restored as shops and restaurants and Tianzifang, an area of local craft and art galleries in narrow alley ways and restored Shikumen houses.

Xintiandi



Tianzifang on 31st October

That evening we stayed at one of the "coolest" hotels on the planet! The Indigo - on The Bund - amazing decor and facilities. Loved every minute I was there!.



Daytime view of Pudong

Night view of Pudong.

Our room.

Then, when I got home, a week later I had 3 week's worth of mail delivered! Some gorgeous arty postcards for me! Continuous birthday celebrations - love it! There are cards that have been painted, collaged, textured, sewn, glossed, stamped, coloured, watercolour, crayons, inks, acrylic, shim, recycled, repurposed, washi tape, packing tape... Receiving so many mixed media creations has amazed and thrilled me. It's been an interesting and creative experience and wonderful to now own so many mini works of Art from creative friends.
I've been fortunate enough to "meet" like minded creative people through my participation in the Lawendula's Paper Swaps, the 21 Secrets online class, Daisy Yellow's Index Card A Day and Daily Paper Prompts challenges, and Ro Bruhn's workshops.

Thank you Marleen, from Delft, Netherland.



Thank you Sabine, from Melbourne, Australia.



Thank you Wendy from Ontario, Canada.



Thank you Marlene, Albuquerque, USA.




Thank you Manu, from Berlin, Germany.



Thank you Laurie, from Glendale, USA.



Thank you Marianne, from Castlecove, Ireland.



Thank you Ro, from Melbourne, Australia.



Thank you Denyse, from Sydney, Australia.



Thank you Anne, from Melbourne, Australia.



Thank you Wendy, from  Western Australia.



Thank you, Carlene, from Nashville, USA.



Thank you Lee, from  Alberta, Canada.



Thank you, Marg, from Melbourne, Australia.



Thank you Lynn, from Ontario, Canada.
This one lost a phrase in the mail ..."made up of" is floating around some mailroom somewhere!





Thank you Betty, from Washington, USA.



Thank you Tammy, from USA.



Thank you,Tina, from Sweden.

Thank you Marie, from Melbourne, Australia.



Thank you, Evelyn from Ohio, USA.



Thank you Hanna, from Sweden.



Thank you, Sylvia, from Melbourne, Australia.



Some cards came in Mail Art envelopes too!
I have received a few more since starting this post and have a few more promised so I'll do another post again in a month or so.

MY JOURNALS

I love making journals from "Junk" mail, catalogues, old envellopes - I gesso or paint pages, stamp and paint the pages with templates, hand sew them together then have great fun, relaxation and "art therapy" using these journals as travel diaries, "Smash Books" or "Glue Books" and yearly diaries.

I first heard the words Smash books and Glue Books from a Lawendula Paper Swap friend Melodie and these links give more information.

About glue books, Smash Journals or Junk Journals....go to

www.bluebirdpaperie.blogspot.com - and search "Glue Books" or Mary Green's blog www.greenpaper.typepad.com

This one started life as a stapled catalogue ( 14cm x 21 cm) from a dress shop and I used all those bits and pieces that are too good to throw out so I keep them until ...

 

This next one started as an empty biscuit box cut to a small size ( 10 x 15 cms) as a little book to use on holiday, with words and images added from places we visited.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I make larger journals with strong manila folders ( 24.5 cm x 35 cms) - filling them with "junk" papers from my HUGE collection and adding ephemera and words in a weekly entry.

The next Journal was a collage and word diary type.

I attribute this idea to Nicole Austin at http://kinueko.blogspot.com.au/ (in 2011) so I tried it in 2012 and loved doing it.

I decorate the covers usually with scraps of papers then collage pieces of single ply from serviettes.

Below is my 2013 Journal/Diary - and this time I used mainly plain papers with some junk papers, and painted and stamped and decorated them with washi tape before I sewed it together. I am writing short weekly entries, sometimes in point form, this year.

 

 

 I do have separate "smash" journals happening at the same time - and am making smaller travel journals for our trips this year (17 cm x  24.5cms). These have been featured in an earlier post (2012).

As I love making these types of journals, let me know if you'd like one and we can talk about postage costs etc. depending on where you live.

I was inspired to write this blog by a lovely friend Jacqueline from Stockholm, whom I met on Marney K. Makridakis' Artella's Annual Mystery Muse Project for 2013 - and wanted to know how I make journals. I sent her a small journal from me - her mystery muse.

 

I have now enrolled in my first ever online art course called 21 SECRETS - and know that my year is going to be a very enjoyable one artistically as there are so many wonderful classes, with notes and videos included.