I Forgot..............Again!

I forgot two things actually. First, I forgot to scan the envelope before I addressed it and so had to cover the address. Then, I forgot to rotate the photo and so it is oriented the wrong way. I'm not starting over, so you have a few options.

1) Imagine it is rotated.
2) Turn your head sideways.
3) Rotate the computer screen.
4) Embrace imperfection.

A Couple of Fold-Ups

 

Surfing the web is always fun. Look what I stumbled upon the other day. Printable letter fold-ups!

Print out the design. Write your letter on the other side. Fold along the dotted lines. Address, stamp, and mail.

What could be easier!

Origami Wreaths

My Christmas tree isn't up. My shopping isn't complete. Not a single present is wrapped. The stockings are not hung, even carelessly.

But, do I look worried? Do you see me dashing around in a frenzy? No way. I'm sitting quietly at the dining room table, looking out at the snow, cutting rectangles from assorted junk mail catalogs, folding origami wreaths for Christmas cards, and thinking all is well in my little world.

Should you wish to make your own little bits of happiness, you can find the folding instructions here.

Gecko Greetings: Flotsam & Jetsam 21

Am I the only one who thinks the gecko is way cool? I love using this little guy in my art journal pages as well as on my mail art.

Speaking of which, if you generally toss your Geico gecko junk mail into the trash (perish the thought), would you consider saving him for me? My address is at the top in the righthand sidebar. I'm also collecting the image of the money with the googly eyes if you want to toss those in as well. I've got an idea for a project, but I need lots of images. Thanks so much.

Yoohoo... Free Uhu

Hi Everyone!

Check this out. Who knew Uhu had a free Sample-of-the-Month feature?

Not me. But now I do, and you can bet I'll be a regular visitor. To get these free items, you must live in the USA or Canada, have a blog, and promise to do an honest review of the products you receive. How easy is that!

I've seen a couple of decorated clipboards posted on the site, but I have a different idea for mine. Stay tuned for a future posting. Details for the samples are here: http://www.gluewithuhu.com/

Get Those Big Feet Movin'

Even Bigfoot has pen pals. Who knew!

This is how I decorated the back of one of my inside out security envelopes. It is all ready to go out in tomorrow's mail.

Keep an eye on your mailbox.

Flotsam & Jetsam 18, 19, 20

For those of you who may be new to Just Letter Rip, these Flotsam & Jetsam cards are made using postage paid reply cards for a base. (In their new forms, regular postcard postage is required, of course.) To those cards I glue whatever flotsam and jetsam has washed up on my desk space and mail them off. Who knows? One may be headed to a mailbox near you.

My New Mantra

Lizbeth's latest letter to me came in this cool inside-out envelope which she then hand colored. She keeps telling me she didn't do well in math classes, but her geometry looks pretty awesome to me.



This is the back of the envelope and it made me laugh. Her letters are always so much fun. I may just have to adopt the saying as my new mantra.

Not Blogging =/= Not Writing

As this post title says, and many of you might attest to, not blogging does not equal not writing. I have been keeping up with answering mail, but not so good at posting about it.

School has been kicking my can, I seem to have developed a chronic case of insomnia, and I generally feel like crap most of the time. The list could go on, but I like y'all and will spare you.

If I owe you a letter, it is in the mail. Or soon will be.

Single-handedly

This card comes to me from my younger daughter, Heidi. My mail carrier has commented once or twice about the volume of mail I send and receive. I may not be keeping the Crockett P.O. open single-handedly, but I'm quite confident that I bring the average up on the number of mail items per day. Heidi is one of the super organized people of the world who (gasp) throws away her junk mail. I was so proud to see she made her card on a magazine subscription reply card.
Normally that sucker would so be in the trash.
As far as something shutting down once school started, that would be my blog. I'm determined to do better though. It's the normal readjusting period, the getting out of summer mode and back into the Yeah-I-really-have-to-go-to-school mode. In a week or two, I will stop looking wistfully out the window and resign myself to my fate.

Mail from Mashpee

Lizbeth Meredith, Calendar Girl Extraordinaire, sent these two items a couple of weeks apart. Yeah, I'm behind. Hence, the doubling up on the photos. The two are quite different in tone and content. The handmade butterfly card is so pretty and so serene. I love it.

The second piece gives a nod to "the spirit of Just Letter Rip" with the letter written on the back of some scrapbook paper she didn't like. Plus, the Number Nightmare envelope is an inside-outie. I love it, too. And, it's okay. Not everyone has to like numbers. Some of us don't care for turnips much either.

Kalakazam, Kalamazoo

Peter Biggerstaff sent this card from Kalamazoo, but I can't reciprocate with mail because he didn't leave a return address. So, if you read this, Pete, and would like a card in return, then send your address to my email, stardust4821@yahoo.com.

Do I see a theme here?

These two cards come to me from Barb, a new penpal in Texas. Aren't the poochies cute? I'm guessing she loves dogs. That's part of the fun of continuing correspondence, learning about the other person a little at a time. Each new card or letter brings another piece of the puzzle and you see the person emerge bit by bit.

Postcrossing Update

First up, Minsk. That's in Belarus. I know because my postcrossing pal told me so. This card shows the city in winter. It looks lovely, but isn't that what postcards are supposed to do?

Next up, Mulheim on the Ruhr, Germany. Again, a very lovely, picturesque town the writer says is one of the smallish cities.

Lastly, the British consulate in Taiwan. I just realized that I don't know the difference between a consulate and an embassy. Dang, I'll have to look it up unless one of you know and care to leave a comment. Hint, hint.

2nd Place

Congratulations! You have won 2nd place in a beauty contest. Collect $10. Remember that Monopoly card? Well, what's better than that? Winning 1st place? .

NOPE. How about winning second place over at the recent contest at Everyday Correspondence! Thanks so much, James. Imagine my surprise when I opened the envelope to read his letter and find seven, count them, seven sheets of his cool stationery. Woot. Thanks for making my day.

The Incredible MOBOT

This cool postcard, The Incredible MOBOT, comes to me from Ralph Thomas. He has a delightful series of cards featuring inventions every kid wishes he could order. What kid wouldn't want help with homework, chores and bullies!

Printing the postcard on an actual cereal box lends an authentic touch to the card, making it seem to be a genuine offer from General Mills.

Lonely Thank You Card

Of all the graduation gifts I sent out this year, I received a lone thank you card. I'm pleased to say it comes from my granddaughter in St. Louis who took the time to write a personal note inside the blank card. I'll have to remember to tell my daughter she has done a good job raising her. My reasoning is that if she got the little things right, then the big ones would have automatically taken care of themselves.

Postcrossing Love

This card comes to me from Rundle Mall, Adelaide, Australia. The sender writes that besides the pig sculptures shown above, the mall also sports a sculpture made of two spheres stacked atop each other, known locally as the Mall's Balls. I wish the postcard showed a picture of those as well.

This slick, oversized postcard comes from Taipei, Taiwan. It shows Taipei 101 which is the tallest building in Taiwan's business district, and, if I am not mistaken, tallest in the country. If Taiwan is a country, that is. China seems to think not.

Next is a card from Tampere, Finland. This writer says Finland is known as the land of one thousand lakes. Do you think maybe it looks a lot like Minnesota?

And, lastly, we have this lovely card from 8-yr-old Martin in Great Britain. Martin writes that he has visited the USA only once and that he loved it. He's also a big Spongebob fan.

Flotsam & Jetsam 16, 17

These F & J cards are so fun to make. Anything goes. No pressure. No cost. No problem.

And for those of you who think I have no artistic talent at all, I will have you know that I, personally, with zero art lessons, drew the rooster's feet.

More Flotsam, More Jetsam 12, 13, 14, 15

Dinnerware
Frogs
African plains animals
Ladies wear

What's the common thread?

They're all cuts from catalogs that now grace the latest F&J cards.
Is one headed your way?

If you can't think of any way I could possibly have your address, you have a few ways to contact me. You could leave a comment with your email address and I could get in touch with you if you'd like to keep your address private. You could contact me via my email, stardust4821@yahoo.com or you could write to me first via snail mail. My address is at the top of the sidebar. I will answer.

Geckos <3 Snail Mail

It's been about a week now since I learned the symbol for heart, <3 , so it's high time I used it. And where did I pick up this little tidbit, you ask. Where else? In a tweet. I was confused when I first saw it, but wasn't about to ask. I sure was glad when someone else did though. It makes perfect sense the way it was explained. "Lean your head over until your right ear touches your right shoulder, then look at it sideways."

So, now you've learned two things. The tweet symbol for heart and that geckos <3 snail mail.

Flotsam & Jetsam 8, 9, 10, 11

Whew. Finally, this post brings me up to date on the comings and goings of recent mail. Above are the four latest in the Flotsam & Jetsam series of postcards. These have already gone live, so maybe one is headed your way. I used reply cards for the backgrounds again. I almost threw away the last one because I've seen about all the Hannah Montana merchandising I care to. Then, I reconsidered and kept it. Glad I did. It is now winging its way to a 10-yr-old little girl in Germany. I hope she likes it.

My First Postcrossing Card

Recently I joined Postcrossing and mailed out my first five cards. After six days of traveling, my first card arrived in Germany. That meant I was then eligible to send out another card, which I did. But more importantly, it meant that I was eligible to RECEIVE my first card. So, then the wait began. The wait was worth it. I got my very first card from Michele (Michael) in
Venice, Italy.

Surely Venice is one of the most beautiful cities in the world and I'd love to visit there some day. Until then, I will have to be content visiting via The Travel Channel and postcards. Ciao!

What Goes Around

When this letter showed up in my mailbox yesterday, you should have seen the smile on my face. Melissa wrote that she got inspired from my Never Buy Another Envelope post and wanted to try it herself. And so she did. Don't you love the paper ric-rack she used for borders?

Melissa has started a new blog as well called We Love Snail Mail. She is actively recruiting members, so be sure to click on the link.

Fun Monkeys Sans Barrel

Melinda, aka GirlZootZilla, sent me the fuzzy monkey card and envelope. Those mischievous little primates scampered willy-nilly everywhere. But her letter was definitely more fun than the proverbial barrel of monkeys.

Oh, Happy Day!

Jacqueline, of Little Red Mailbox fame, sent me this fun card. She writes that she made it for an altered card workshop she co-taught this spring. I feel so lucky to get this one. Woot!

Chicago, Chicago, That Toddlin' Town

More mail from Send Something. This one comes from a bona fide, born and raised there, Chicago girl, Monica. Chicago is another of the many, many places this country gal hasn't visited. It's on my list though. I'd really like to go in December when all the department stores have their windows decorated.

Considerably South of the Northern Lights

Not a sight one sees much in ole Crockett, Vee Aay. This neat postcard comes to me from Jackie Flaherty of Letters and Journals. Check out her blog to stay up to speed on the progress of her new magazine.

Sticker-Doodle-Do

This letter came to me from Cathy Thompson via Send Something. She decorated her envelope with a combination of, you guessed it, stickers and doodles. I could just tell by the envelope there would be a great letter inside, and I was right! Thanks, Cathy.

Flotsam & Jetsam 6, 7

More debris washed up onto my desk, so that led to F&J 6 and 7. This flip-flop card is traveling to London where hopefully I will soon see it on Andy's wall. Check out Andy's blog, My Real Wall. Way cool!



Number 7 is a birthday greeting for my daughter Sharon in St. Louis. I hope it made it there on time. It should have. You may have spotted these two cards in my last entry.