How Does Your Creative Process Work?

My Journey  Exploring the Creative Process

I have decided that I want to work on my (lack of )  watercolor skills!  I thought simple projects would fit the bill....and so the humble postcard it is.   I mainly get my ideas for watercolors from what's around me...or good ol' Pinterest!  Until I learn the techniques...I will need to study other works and then go from there.

These are my favorite from the last bunch that I did.  I did spray them with a water color sealer. Warning:  It takes a few weeks before the odor evaporates,  These were painted on Cotton Arches and credit goes to Pinterest.

I'm trying not to waste my watercolor paper and so I "practice up" first.  My first attempt at the study  is in my  mixed-media sketchbook.  After sketching the picture,  I work on painting it.

I do another run of the same painting in my Traveler's notebook.  

Haha...I make mistakes everywhere!   Seems I don't know how to spell "December"!

But, three attempts is not always a charm!  My post cards of my winter catus...turned out to be quite disappointing.  I totally forgot what perspective I was working on...haha!   I even  tried covering up my mistake with a label!  It's all good...I send them to my twin sister and ya know what?  She doesn't care!!! ;-)

I thought I would share with you some of the books that I find helpful for learning to sketch and watercolor techniques.  This book is definitely a keeper!  You won't waste a cent on this book.  It's also a great primer on plein air painting as well.  I am not in the practice of carrying around a sketchbook, or doing a "sketch-a-day" but I would love to start getting into that habit. What about you?  Do you add watercolor or other medium to your snailmail?  

A Sketch A Day

Will Keep

Mistakes

Away!

Pam 

Add Some Quick Mail Box Happiness With PostCrossing!

Is your mailbox sad these days?  You peer into the metal box....only to find, ugh, junk mail? Well, one way to quickly make that sad little mail box happy again is to sign on to postcrossing.com. 

Be sure to have your international postage on hand.  I have been a member for awhile, although, with long dry spells.  It doesn't matter, you can pick right back up again, anytime.  I have 8 going out right now, all heading to Germany, Russia, and the good ol' USA.  

I had to go online (Amazon.com) to purchase some postcards as my stash is still somewhere in my moving boxes...I still have not found them, but these will do for now.  So get busy and turn that sad little mailbox into a happy one!


Happy Snailmailing,

Pam

Pen Pal Kit

This Little Mail Man...Snail Mail Postal Theme

Who Wouldn't Like to receive this cutie in the mail? 

I absolutely LOVED receiving this super creative , vintage postal themed envelope and long, chatty letter. This was from a pal  I met at the DC Postal Meet Up, organized by Global Pen Pal!  Carrie is a great creative talent in the snail mail community.  You can follow her work on Instagram:  

Carriejojo212. She pumps out mail like no one's business, and ALL of it good mail!

Urgent!!!  I needed to get something out to Carrie...and I decided to  continue the vintage postal theme!  I grabbed one of my vintage children's readers and  was thrilled to find a picture of "Mr. Postman"!!   Then I had to get out my post office stamps, and vintage stamps...and here you have it!

And this cute photo  as a pair!  Yay!  We LOVE our post women AND men!

Happy Snail Mailing,

Pam

*Available In My Shop*

Pen Pal Kit

Pen Pal Letter Set

Postcrossing Is Alive And Well!

Post Crossing Happiness!!

Do you remember this from a few weeks ago?  I sent a "fistful" of postcards out to mainly Germany and Russia...  It ALWAYS pays off!

Here is some recent incoming Post Crossing activity in my mail box.  If you haven't tried Post Crossing  (https://www.postcrossing.com/) yet, check out their web site and give it a try.  It keeps your mail box happy.

I just love the cool international stamps,don't you?  I am partial to Japanese Stamps...but I love them all!

This  beautiful postcard didn't have much writing, but where it lacked in writing, it MORE than made up for it in gorgeous postage stamps!  I love the quaint little phrases in English.  I admire anyone trying to learn a new language--bravo!

You may receive more than a postcard from a postcrosser  like I did here. 

 In my Post Crossing  profile, I mention that I teach a geography class to young children, so I appreciated any cards that showed the landscape, or local landmarks.   I do take the cards in and share them with my class.  the children take turns locating the country and city on a map from the point of origin of the  postcard. 

  Because of this , the postcrosser sent a beautiful postcard of local foods of Taipei, Taiwan, along with pictures, scenes of the locality

 and then a coin.  Such a lovely experience!  I plan on sending something back to this kind postcrosser.  

Happy Snail Mailing...

Pam

Incoming and Outgoing Mail

Incoming Mail Deserves Outgoing Mail!

I have had some super nice mail coming in lately. I even got a letter from the famed: Limner over at Oh Write Me  blog.  I had been wanting to send her off a letter for such a LONG time, and she beat me to the punch!  Be sure to check out her blog for  some very artistic inspiration.

Writing letters is a labor of love!

Here is a batch of Postcrossing that is going out,  I have been rather inactive with this group  for a few months.  Time to get back into the groove.

I have been having fun with Swap-bot and having an Etsy store allows me to work on my "parceling" skills!

Two Austen Letter Writing Kits going out!

Some more yummies going out from Etsy.

Stay tuned.  I have an update on my letter writing organization that I would like to share with you soon.   I am hoping that it will help me stay a bit more organized.  What do you use that works?  I think that I am going to model my approach from Mrs. Murphy's Mailbox Magic 's system.  More on that later.

The Craftier, the Better,

Happy Snail Mailing.

Pam

DIY: Making Post Cards

Turn Your Art Into Post Cards

Do you like to make your own postcards, or have you never tried?  I enjoy postcards, and I am a member of  a great group called Post Crossing.  This is a great organization for receiving and sending postcards from around the world.  If you find your mail box more empty than full these days, sign up at : Post Crossing and get that mail box full!

DIY postcards might be better suited to Swap Bot  (another great organization), as Post Crossing usually requires purchased cards.  Whichever route you decide to take, making postcards for your personal pen pals is great fun.

When I purchase a product that I am really pleased with, I want to share it with others.  Here are the details of my most recent purchase.  I received this rubber stamp in the mail the other day from an order I placed online from Hobby Lobby. Just a side note:  I was pleasantly surprised by the online sale of 40% off which almost gave me free shipping.  It is quite large, as far as rubber stamps go.  

Here is the back side of the rubber stamp--just in case you were interested.  

I didn't have a stamp pad large enough to lay it down and stamp the ink, so I improvised and just wiped my stamp pad ,seen here, across the rubber.  It worked just fine and I was VERY pleased with the quality of the stamp.

Now these post cards can be sent out properly.  If you are one to make your own postcards, you might want to consider  one of these stamps.  I had been meaning to get one of these for quite a long time and now I am glad I made the purchase.

The Craftier, the better.

Crafty Snail mailing.

Pam

Outgoing!...Incoming :Tea Mail and Post Crossing....

Outgoing Mail

How has everyone been doing with their New Year's Resolution to get caught up on mail?  Mine is going pretty good so far.  I am enjoying making my own stationery and still working on envelopes. Here's my latest outgoing.

Don't forget the "B side" of your letter... It is nice to "pretty it up" as well.  This particular swap partner enjoys vintage...Vintage is Best...why, yes.  I totally agree!

Here is a recent incoming from a tea  swap on Swap Bot...My partner sent  2  lovely packets of tea for me to enjoy.  I loved the vellum paper she used and the 3-D stickers on the tea packets. This was her first swap...she did a lovely job!

Here are a few of my most recent postcards...most from PostCrossing...but not all!

What's not to LOVE about this card???? This Post Crosser from Russia  read my bio and realized that I was a 5th sister of Elizabeth Bennett!  (haha)

A nice Russian stamp....

That's it for my round up right now.  Don't forget to work hard and get out of epistolary debt!

Write Letters,
Write Often.

Lady Pamela

Tuesday Tea Time and Letters and some outgoing

 Late...

Well...I just looked at the clock and noticed that it is now Wednesday...does it count that I started this post when it was still Tuesday?  But I am excited to share a new man in my life...Mr. Tea!  He likes to "hang around"!

I just had to get a few pictures of this cute little guy!

I have just ordered this Spiced Apple Cider...and it was PERFECT! I let it steep quite a long time, and it never had that bitter taste...and it wasn't over powered with cinnamon flavors.  The tea is real chunky with lots of fruits and bits of cinnamon sticks...

I received my Mr. Tea in a little gift exchange we had on Thanksgiving...and my daughter received the Teatanic...super cute too.   So grab your favorite cup of  tea and join me with my outgoing!

I have some long overdue mail going out in this batch...

This is last week's winner package going out  all the way to India.  I had to mail it flat to get the "letter rate"...these envelopes are 5 inch X 10 inch .. a strange size , right?  If I would have mailed it in a small padded envelope (like I originally wanted to do) it would have become a "parcel" and the cost would have been extremely high.  So, I got my advice from Postcrossing and mailed it in two flat envelopes.  It came out to less than $4 to mail.

Got this envelope in a swap ...very cool and mod!

Off to Germany...

I thought this sticker was appropriate for German mail...

For all those Audrey Hepburn fans...

I had to put my thoughts on the back...

 And a bit of Family mail...

And a vintage letter needs...well...a Victorian boot wax seal!

That's  it for now.  Enjoy your letter writing rituals, and relax and enjoy your letter writing experience! Happy Tuesday Tea Time and Letters... even if it is now Wednesday! :-)

Write Letters

Write Often,

Lady Pamela