Author Willa Cather‘s never before seen letters were recently published as a book. Javier Jaén Benavides used the 1973 Willa Cather postage stamps to create a simple but perfect illustration to accompany the write up in the New York Times Book Review. These stamps were included in my postage stamp inheritance from Grandpa Sidney. Nice to see them revived, in remembrance of an American treasure like Cather.
So far I have received three Holiday cards by post- a promising sign. Even though Holiday cards can feel like one more obligation in a season of over-extension, Buck Up!
Meanwhile my cards are not yet made OR mailed. So how’s that for practicing what I preach? I did, however, buy Hanukkah stamps, Kwanzaa stamps, and Christmas stamps for this Saturday’s MAKE MAIL! card making workshop for kids. So I’m just half a hypocrite.
Are you sending Holiday cards this year? Give me a pep talk, people!
This Saturday I am hosting a Make Mail! workshop, creating THANKS postcards. With collage, colored pencils, markers, and rubber stamps we’ll make postcards with the word THANKS and send them out to our favorite people, just in time for Thanksgiving. And to add to the experience I am currently making a music mix of songs with the words Thanks and Thank you in them. Its so fun! Any suggestions?
In anticipation of sending out valentines to my loved ones I am planning to buy some stamps online. The only overt LOVE stamps are the “king and queen of hearts”, which I used last year and the entirely unappealing, “pansies in a basket”. So I have narrowed things down to these two options. Which ones should I purchase?
1. Julia de Burgos, who was a Puerto Rican poet and activist. Those two pursuits require passion, so maybe appropriate for Valentine’s day?
2. The Chinese New Year stamps. Those kumquats might just make some people have, um, loving feelings?
Oy vey. I haven’t posted in quite some time. And that Mother’s Day card that I said I was going to mail to my mom? Its still sitting in an envelope on my desk, addressed but not sent because its big and requires a trip to the post office. My new gig as a mother of 2 has made both a trip to the post office and writing a blog entry seem insurmountable. But I LOVE sending mail and posting here. It ain’t easy to find the time but I’ve got to make it happen, even when I am mostly always a tired mess. So I am re-committing, taking baby steps. I hope you’ll join me. Viva Snail Mail!
To kick off the inspiration, here are some photos by the lovely and talented iphone flaneur, Remy Steiner.
Well readers, its been a busy time here at Viva Snail Mail. Please excuse the infrequency of my blog posts- I have a new baby and she is the cutest parasite ever. While she sleeps I want to write about my favorite holiday- Valentine’s Day. I love it because I get to make homemade valentines and mail them to the people that I love. Not just my husband but my grandparents and my friends get homemade love testimonials via the post. But this simple pleasure requires some time so here’s your tip. Start now! Valentine’s Day is a month away.
Over the years I have hosted valentine making parties at my house. Sometimes we have had combination superbowl/valentine making parties, since I have zero interest in football but love to cut paper hearts. Here’s me with the aftermath of one of these parties, sometime in the mid 1990′s. Don’t let this photo dissuade you. You can be tidier than this if need be. I like to really spread out the collage materials for optimal sharing with my guests.
So break out the glue stick and scissors. Start collecting colored paper from the recycling bin. Find your paper hearts. Order some stamps from usps.com. If you scan and email me your homemade valentines I will post them on the blog. Send them to melissa@vivasnailmail.com. Viva Valentines!