Happy 50th Birthday, Mr. ZIP!

One of the great things about working with the folks at the National Postal Museum is that when I say things like, "Oooh, what if we had a letter-writing event for Mr. ZIP's birthday?" they don't look at me like I have two heads. (They also know who Mr. ZIP is, which is pretty great.*) "Do it!" they said, and so I am.

I designed a few pieces of stationery just for the event, and you can come pick some up on Saturday, July 27th, from 11AM to 3PM in the museum's atrium.  There will also be a limited number of vintage first-day covers to use, as well as plenty of free postcards and blank envelopes to send off your missives.

The National Postal Museum is located next door to Union Station at the following address:
2 Massachusetts Avenue, NE
Washington, DC 20002

Hope to see you there on Saturday!  

*Mr. ZIP was presented to the public in 1963 to help increase the use of the newly-introduced ZIP codes and speed the processing of mail.  He's also pretty cute, doncha think?

Grant Avenue Market this Sunday!

Troll stationery! Photo by Megan of Grant Avenue Market

Come find me and 30 of my vintage and handmade-selling friends at this Sunday's Grant Avenue Market!  I'll have some sets of this fabulous troll stationery and other amazing vintage finds, as well as my usual handmade goodness. 

We'll be on Grant Avenue across from the Takoma Park Co-Op on Sunday, June 9 from 10AM to 3PM.  Come find something fabulous to start your summer off right!

Artisphere Workshop Wrap-Up

The mail art workshop at Artisphere was a success! There was a roomful of people making awesome mail to send out to friends and loved ones.

I just wanted to share some of the fun pieces that participants were willing to share with my crappy cell phone camera.

I finally got to meet @melydia, who made these two pieces among others; the envelope was to our mutual friend and fellow mail artist, Mary.

A lovely woman named Mame made short work of the above pieces. She built up quite the stationery hoard for herself in just a couple hours!

Melissa (not me) made these envelopes and cards with very precise lines before our classroom time was up.

Dan surprised me by being able to attend when I wasn't expecting him. He and Beth of Tigerflight mostly just sat in the back and made fun of each other, so I was not surprised to see that these seem to be addressed as primarily in-jokes with her. I was also not surprised to see a naked form on there.

Many thanks to the lovely folks at Artisphere, especially Katherine, who helped move the event when its first location was overrun by people from the neighboring space, and who were kind and gracious enough to have us there.

Bust Craftacular this Saturday in Brooklyn!

Are you near New York City? Come visit me this weekend at the Bust Craftacular at DUMBO!  I'll be in Brooklyn on Saturday, directly under the Manhattan Bridge, offering up my handmade prints and stationery for you. There will also be 120+ other vendors of crafty and vintage goods, and workshops offered for doing your own bits of crafty, too.  We'll be there from 11AM to 6PM. Come visit!

(Mention this blog post for a free surprise!)

Valentine workshop at the National Postal Museum this Saturday!

Have you made your Valentines yet? If not, come make a couple at the National Postal Museum's free Valentine's Day Card Workshop with me on Saturday, February 9th! We'll have tons of supplies: cardstock, pretty papers, cancelled postage, ribbon, rubber stamps, washi tape, and more.  Cards mailed from the museum will also receive a special cancellation (which I will hopefully be able to convince the postal employee to put on all my Valentines that I'm also bringing with me).

The National Postal Museum is located at 2 Massachusetts Avenue, NE, right next to Union Station. We'll be there from noon to 4pm. Hope to see you there!

(And if you can't make it to this event on Saturday, take a look at the Handmade Valentine Mart in Mt. Pleasant on the same day!)

2012 in mail, and a giveaway!

[crappy cell phone picture of some sent mail]

2012 was a record year for me in mail-sending terms. I know this because my OCD record-keeping lets me look back on my spreadsheet and see what I sent (and how much I spent on postage).

I also have piles and piles of excess stationery, and Dan and I are trying to start the new year off with less stuff and more space.

Let's play a game!

Guess how many pieces of mail I sent from January 1 to December 31 of 2012. Place your comment by January 21st at 12:01 AM Eastern time, and I'll give away two packets of assorted stationery -- lettersets, notecards, postcards, and the like from various brands and crafters -- to one person whose guess is the closest numerically (above or below the actual number is fine), and to one person whose name is drawn randomly. Be sure your comment somehow includes a way to contact you so I can get your address, if I don't already have it.

P.S. I'll give you a hint: I finished my first year of participating in MailArt365 in 2012.

Come to a holiday mail party in DC on November 26!

Click to embiggen!

I'm hosting a mail-making party in DC on Monday, November 26, from 5:30-8:30! Since it'll be the Monday after Thanksgiving, you can come bitch about your family get-togethers with us. We'll understand.

Bring your own Christmas or holiday cards to write, or make some there.  It's a way to make what can be a pain in the neck into a fun activity with friends.  Also, you can get the card-sending out of the way early in the season -- and not feel guilty when people send cards to you.

I'll have some mass-produced holiday cards available, along with supplies for making your own.  Donations are always welcomed, but not required, to use either.  (You can bring your own supplies, too, of course.)

The library is located at 3160 16th Street, NW in Mt. Pleasant, on the southwest corner of 16th and Lamont Streets.  We will be in the large meeting room, which as you come in through the new main entrance, is on the right.

If you're the sort who likes to RSVP (which I appreciate) and have this on your Facebook calendar, click here.


View Larger Map

via Metro
Columbia Heights, Green and Yellow lines. Exit the west entrance, walk 1 block west on Irving Street (past the Five Guys) to 16th Street. Turn right on 16th Street to head 1 block north.

via bus 
S1, S2, S4 - pull cord for Lamont. If coming from the north, you'll be on the right corner. If coming from the south, cross 16th Street to reach the library.
S9 - pull cord for Irving Street. Walk one block north on 16th; library will be on your left. 
42 - pull cord for Lamont. Walk one block east on Lamont; library entrance will be on your right.

via bicycle
The renovation of the library came with new bike racks. There are also places to lock up along Lamont and 16th Streets.

Coming to Brooklyn this November

I'm so excited to announce that I'll be selling at the Renegade Craft Fair in Brooklyn on November 17 + 18th!

It'll be the perfect way for NYC-area friends to come get all their shopping out of the way before the holiday season gets too crazy.  Plus, you can see the Manhattan skyline as you shop, which makes it pretty much fabulous.  If you're worried about the weather, fret not -- our shops will be in heated tents! So fancy.

(I don't know my booth number yet, but I'll update this space once I have that info so you can come find me.  Hooray!)  

Letter-Writing Social Wrap-Up

Did you ever get a pony for your birthday while you were at Disney World? Me either, but I had the postal equivalent of that on Saturday.

The letter-writing social at the Smithsonian National Postal Museum was a huge success. We had three mostly-functional typewriters, TONS of free stationery designed by yours truly, and the creativity of hundreds of people who came through and made mail. It can't get much better than that.

Our inspiration board of supplies and completed mail art.

There was also some blogging royalty who traveled across state lines to be with us. Mary of Mary Has Sound, Becky of The Snail Mailer, Bonnie Jeanne of PostMuse, and Amber of A Thoughtful Blog all came from their respective states. Plus my dear friend Bethany of TeaOlive came from South Carolina with lino blade in hand to carve rubber stamps for a lot of attendees at the stamp table.

The only photo I have of her working is this slightly blurry one.

Partially-functional typewriters.

Answer: Whatever you can make it.

The stamp table -- both the rubber and postage type.

Collage materials laid neatly in their bowls -- at first.

This soon became a huge, awesome disaster area.

Crayons, markers, pencils, and more cancelled stamps.

Some "after" photos of all these tables. Remember, messiness is the sign of a good time.

Three typewriters, three kids. Start 'em young!

A lovely mess of making.

A patron hard at work on an artful letter

An especial thanks to Erin of the NPM, whose hard work made this awesomeness happen.  She's super-supportive of the letter-writing and mail art communities, and her backing of this project is what made it so successful.

Were you able to come make mail with us? What did you think of the afternoon?

P.S. Did you know about the #showandmail topic on Twitter that @postalmuseum popularized? It's a great source of letter-writing inspiration.

Letter-Writing Social at the National Postal Museum

I'm thrilled to announce that I'm co-hosting a letter-writing and mail-making event at the Smithsonian's National Postal Museum on Saturday, April 28th from noon until 3pm! I've always thought the atrium of the museum would be perfect for a letter lounge, what with the fabulous philepistolist tile under one's feet and the exhibit of mail trucks, trains, and planes around the edges of the space. (If only we could move a couple of fireplaces and comfy couches in there, too...) From their description:

Amaze a friend by sending an artfully handwritten, paper-based message instead of the usual tweet or text. They might just write you back!
One-of-a-kind stationery, unique postcards, pretty paper, ink stamps, retro airmail labels, cancelled stamps, a somewhat functional typewriter, and mailable supplies are provided in this veritable letter-writing lounge. Postage stamps available for purchase in the museum's Stamp Store.

The "one-of-a-kind stationery" is designed by me and will be available exclusively at the event, so be sure to drop by to take advantage of it! (A little preview can be seen above.)

I know of a few of the well-known mail artists who are active bloggers will be there, too, so don't miss your chance to meet up face to face. Hope to see you there!

Crafty Bastards is this Saturday!

Remember how I'm getting married in less than a fortnight? Apparently I am not busy enough with that, because I'm also selling at Crafty Bastards this weekend!

As always, Crafty Bastards is in Adams Morgan at the Marie Reed Center on 18th Street north of California Street. I'll be in the tennis court section from 10AM until 5PM selling stationery and Gocco prints. Come find me in booth #165!

P.S. I miiiight just have a new print that will interest those of you who loved the Marion Barry pins.

Vintage Valentines

I picked these up a few months ago, intending to send them out for Valentine's Day. Instead I forgot about them until this week, meaning only one (a duplicate) found its way to anyone. To make up for it, I'm going to share them here with you.

You can find all seven designs here, available for you to download and use in any medium you like. There's a dragon one that came with these that I don't think is quite as vintage as the rest, but otherwise, they're all a similar style to this little lady. Fit four on a sheet of cardstock and they'd be perfect as last minute Valentines for a classroom -- or anyone you'll be seeing on Monday.

If you use them in your own design, please share a picture of it - I'd love to see how it turns out!

(Of course, I'd appreciate if you continued to keep them free and available and didn't sell them. That would be kind of crappy of you.)

Sunday is the Bust Craftacular!

I'm so excited about this weekend's Bust Magazine Holiday Craftacular! Not only can I barely believe I got in, there are going to be so many other amazing makers there; I'm looking forward to getting all of my holiday shopping finished up.

I know, I know, but as it turns out, when you're hand-making items for one of the largest craft shows in the country, you have very little time to get your holiday shopping done.

Also a casualty: I have left my house twice this week for periods of longer than five minutes. Yes, today is Friday.

Oh right, Craftacular. I've attended as a shopper since 2005, when it was in a comparatively tiny Polish dance hall in Brooklyn, and it is so worth a trip. My best friend and I (and later our fiancé(e)s) made it into an adventure each year, either in day trip or weekend form, and always had an awesome time. You should grab a friend or five and come visit!

I'll be on the second floor of the Metropolitan Pavilion on the left, just as you come up the stairs. Hope to see you there!

P. S. Whisper your favorite tip for cold weather bicycling to either me or Dan and get a free pin!

Well I'll be.

I was really excited about Hello Craft's Summit of Awesome when I heard about it at the beginning of the year. People who I admired? Check. Full of useful information? Check. And IN DC (coughnotNewYork)? Check!

And then, of course, I realized it was the same weekend by which I needed to vacate my house. Dammit.

So I've sadly watched teh intarwebs get all abuzz about the Summit, about how fantastic it was going to be, about what neat people they have booked to speak to attendees. While I am excited about my big changes that are coming that weekend, I was sad that it had to coincide with such a cool event. I thought about going, but I couldn't justify spending money just to purposely neglect my moving responsibilities.

This weekend, though, I saw that a one-day pass was being given away. And, well, if I wasn't paying for the privilege of not packing... I decided to toss my ring in the hat.

And I'll be damned if that doesn't work out on occasion.

See you Saturday! I'll be the one stressing over whether I've properly cushioned my china when I ought to be paying attention to marketing and branding craftgasm.

Promos? Maybe some readers can help me.

I have an entire bookshelf full of papery goodness in the form of stock photography books. These are glossy, thick, pretty books that are given to advertising firms by photography companies to entice the agencies to buy the rights to their images. This means they are perfect for collage, ATCs, and all sorts of other forms of papercrafting. A friend of mine who works for an ad agency found out his office would be throwing an entire roomful of these fabulous books in the trash, and let me and Meigh of NoPantsMcGee in after hours to cart as many away as we could carry. She had a hand-me-down SUV at the time, and we loaded that thing's cargo area and backseat FULL of these heavy books.

Unfortunately, they are not going to all fit in my new apartment. I'm moving from a large three-level Victorian rowhouse with five bedrooms, five people, and seven built-in bookshelves (three of which I took over) to a one-bedroom English basement (zero built-ins). This means I need to come up with a way to get most of them out of my house before moving to the new place.

This is where you come in.

Since they're so pretty and useful for upcycled crafting, I don't want to just recycle them -- I want them to go toward MAKING. And since I want them to go toward making, and I also make things, I want to launch some sort of viral marketing campaign about {craftgasm}, with a free book for participants, perhaps. But the cost of mailing out books individually to people would be too cost-prohibitive to manage. (Is it acceptable to ask for $3 to ship a free item to someone?)

What genius ideas have I not come up with yet? Shoot 'em to me in the comments. (Best idea gets a book!)

Happy Tuesday to me!

You may remember oohing and ahhing over the lovely little Accessories of Old shop in Bethesda that I talked about. Owner and blogger Lisa recently had a contest -- and I was ever so surprised to read tonight to find out I'd won! I hadn't been keeping up on my blog reading while trying to get everything finished for the Homespun Yarn Party, so when I clicked the article today, I was just curious as to what the winning idea was. Turns out it was mine! Thanks so much, Lisa!

I'll be receiving the little sheep figures to put theory into practice as decorative knobs for yarn baskets soon. To save Lisa the trouble of mailing them, I may just have to swing up to Bethesda and stop by the store again. Oh darn!

Lisa is currently hosting a giveaway of some seriously cute Easter-colored vintage items, and though telling you about it dilutes my chance of winning, I love you enough to do it anyway.

50+ and counting!

I was so happy to watch my hearts climb upward last night, reaching 50 shortly after midnight (Eastern time, that is). I went to bed super-excited.

So imagine how thrilled I was to wake up and see that people had continued adding me to their faves even after the goal was reached! I'm currently at 52 -- and of course, always welcome more hearts! Thank you so much for your support.

As promised, to celebrate I'm going to host a giveaway of a handmade product of mine. I have been getting feedback about the Recycled Stationery Letter Sets --people love the maps and want more of them in the package. The map envelopes are time consuming to cut, so to keep costs down for customers, I had only included one map envelope in each packet, and used reclaimed envelopes for the rest of the set. But so many people have found the letter sets while searching for maps that I am going to split the product line. There will be a set with all map envelopes and blank labels, and then a set with all reclaimed envelopes with handmade map stickers at a lower price point. This will more accurately reflect the skill and time that go into making each letter set.

I'll be repackaging all of the letter sets this weekend to reflect the change, and I'll post here once they're live in my Etsy shop. However, one lucky commenter will be able to get the very first revamped set! If you want to play, leave a comment here with either a) your re-use resolution for 2009, or b) why you like something in my Etsy shop, along with a bot-proof email address to reach you. (While not required, you are more than welcome to pimp my giveaway on your own blog, linking back to this post.) To celebrate the United States' new beginning along with the new beginning of the Recycled Stationery Letter Sets, comments will have to be received by 11:59pm EST on Tuesday, January 20th. I'll use the scientific method of putting the entries in a box on Wednesday and pull one out. The winner will be posted here (maybe along with some pictures I take at Inauguration?), so tune in!

And, of course, if you want to heart craftgasm you are still more than welcome to do so. ;)