Envelope Dioramas.

I have clearly become a little obsessed with all things mail these days, but seriously it has been so much fun getting back into writing letters and receiving beautiful things in my mail box each week!  Tonight I came home to my brand new postal kit freshly stamped and sent from Snap and Tumble and Send More Mail.  It is so beautiful, it's going to be hard to use it...as i just want to look at everything all together and never mark up the pages! I can't wait to post pics.

Now of course sending all of these letters had led me to stumble onto a new fun project, which i am naming 'envelope dioramas'.  The first of these 'dioramas' came into being when I was putting together a little mail art package for Jessica.

When I was looking through my things, it didn't seem like i had too much to send to her and thought it would be great to make a little themed package all about bears (as she loves bears).  The following photos are what came out of this experience.

It's sort of like a package of illustrations, which can be arranged to tell a story, or a little scene....essentially An Envelope Diorama.

I have since made a 'birds' diorama and an 'owls', both sent out to some friends who love these things.  I think my next 'envelope diorama' may need to have a wolf theme...

Cool skies...

endless rain-boot weather and daffodils running wild.  it's been a wild spring so far.

Secrets in envelopes.

Just a couple sneak peeks at some of the things that i have been sending out in the mail...i am waiting to talk about 'the bears' until the actual recepient of this package receives it, as to not ruin the surprise.  Essentially it's just a fun little project and i am excited to make more.

This is the next 'everyday adventure'.  Inspired by Tanya's lovely cards. Sending a batch out today!

If you want to go on your own adventure, just send me a message.

Zines...
So i have started doing some art mail trades, which is super exciting.  last week i got my first envelope in the mail from Jessica over at Natures My Friend. 

Mountains Made of Fur

She sent me one of her first ever zines!  Totally exciting! Ages ago, before my life was invaded by monsters I used to spend many hours making zines and books.  It was sort of how I found my way into writing, illustrating and developing a creative voice.  Along the way I also met tons of inspiring people, most of which I still am awed by on a daily basis (this is a shout out to my Tuesday ladies Lindsay and Jaime).

So tonight i dug out some of my old zines and gave them a scan...and i think i just may challenge myself to dust off my zine making skills and try another this week:

Blister:

Cover

pg. 1

pg. 2

pg. 3

Chemistry:

Cover

pg. 1

pg. 2

pg. 3

Wet:

Cover

pg. 1

pg. 2

pg. 3

Everyday Adventure #1

 

A while back i sent out some felt hearts to my snail mail buddies and sent them on an everyday adventure.  i asked them to take their heart and stick it to something that required a little extra love and then document it however they wanted, with a photo, a sketch or just a memory.  i took my everyday adventure a while back and stuck my heart in my garden...which is a full on sad mess.  yesterday though, I looked in the back and lo and behold there was something alive and growing in a small herb pot! Chives! Looks like my little love helped some.  Now i just need to conquer the rest of it.

Flurries of spring...

 just playing around with an idea for an illo of my cats...

but now it's time to sleep...curled up in extra comforters tonight to deal with a very cold spring.

Staying in the lines...

About a week ago I received an awesome present in the mail from my friend Tanya over at Snap and Tumble press.  It was my very own geometric colouring book! So tonight I finally had a chance to colour it in...I may of also added in a few of my own little flares!  Thank you Tanya, I had so much fun filling it up!

Road Diaries.

it's strange that i cannot drive and yet i love being in cars.  maybe it was those endless road trips we took as kids or all the day dreaming i did out of bus windows that makes me adore blurring fields on the horizon.  Or maybe it is all the lonely houses that stare out with open eyes, exposed on the highway, that makes me feel a longing to cure some unidentified heart ache. honestly it's hard to pin down the exact reasons for my love of the road after all these years...there are just too many.

 i took these photos after a particularly heart breaking day.  i felt like the road and i were having a conversation...yes i realize this does sound a little silly, but it really did feel that way...

at points i could have sworn it was reflecting the emptiness of the day...

and other times it seemed to be trying to cheer me up with a quiet sunset.

it was an ever changing motion and i could have stayed there...moving forever....

kitten face stationery...

so in the spirit of experimenting i made some mini kitten face stationery last night! it was so much fun putting together the designs and packaging them up.  i am planning on taking some of these designs into an actual letterpress format and doing some more robust cards and stationery if i can get my act together.  i am really enjoying this type of design right now. there is nothing like having an idea and making it into an actual tangible object.  i am also giving away several packs of the stationery, all the details are up on the kitten face blog, make sure to check it out.

One last winter blanket left on the lawn.

This image from my sketch book seemed appropriate for today as we had 5 to 10 centimeters of snow pour down onto our streets.  At the bus stop this morning with Kye, we examined the snow flakes on our jackets, something I used to do all the time when I was younger.  I love how precious and beautiful they are and of course how fragile.  It seems like a cruel joke at times that I can never just pick them up with my finger tips and hold them forever. 

I guess spring is sleeping in.  

Until she wakes up, I am keeping busy with Kitten Face and I am thankful for all the beautiful letters that keep fluttering into my mailbox, reminding me that warm days are not that far off.