A few of my favourite things from Cascadia!

Not sure if Cascadia knows I am pretty in love with night light.  I have lots of pins on pinterest https://www.pinterest.co.uk/rebeccaguyver/night-light/ on the theme.  These stamps from Cascadia have arrived at the right home! I'll pin them later!

Another wonderful set of stamps! Is the original drawing Ipad art? I have to admit to not having used a single one of the stamps you've ever sent me because I can't bear to ruin the set… but I love these and think I should share! Bets on whether I will be able to do it...

Meanwhile back in the garden… Zinnas!  I love zinnias. This year I am already sprouting three kinds... but not these, not bespoke Cascadia zinnias! When I lived in Kenya (peace corps) I had a garden and every morning and afternoon I would survey the growth.  My zinnias were rampant and I would pick them and put them on my table, drawing then and just loving the. I will plant them tomorrow…one more job before my next hot cross bun.  

Below is my Cascadia garden that has overwintered and is already coming back vigorously!  Thank you, thank you.  I have been making a bit of mail again so will try to follow through and get it in the post after the long weekend to my mail art friends who bring me such joy!.  

Tofu's ICD - Soy Mundo

The haptic quality of Tofu's beautiful Interdimensional Communication Device  is really special.  I have been meaning to photograph it during the day (so that you can feel the depth) but it gets to be that 'after-dinner-time' and I still haven't managed, so today I gave in a scanned it.  You can't really FEEL the braille of the piece, but I can and it's fabulous!

Tofu, as well as making art and mail art, you should be making earrings with your cutouts! 

This piece is very 1980s, for me.  I think it's because I used to wear primary colours, jeans and striped shirts before I became a punk. It works, too! I am travelling between time. Many thanks, Tofu.  Exquisite.

The Sticker Dude - Celebrating 40 years of Ragged Edge Press

Thomas Kerr's image of a press to celebrate 40 years suggests a workhorse and (for me) something verging on onerous.  For Joel I suspect it is a labour of love that has given him yearsof joy.  In comparing the making of art to other things we associate with ecstasy he says it all. That and stamps with James Stewart, Aurora Australis and Fulbright Scholarships put Joel's mail art into the stellar category. 

And the stuff in this mailing is another feast of ideas. 

This testimonial from one of  Joel's partners in creation, Thomas Kerr, is a must read if you don't know about the magic of Joel's work. I can concur with all that Thomas says.

an add and pass from Joel. Great stuff!

… perhaps there's a book...

the 40th Anniversary backstory is wonderful. I can hear the whirring press and imagine Joel's enthusiastic supervision. I can imagine the joy of working on printing important material and how good it must have felt to live on little and create so much. Hurrah, Joel and Diane and all you supporters and collaborators..   You've invented a wonderful life.

What are the Trials and Glories of Tractor Driving?

Having been in the garden for 2 1/2 of the past three days, I know what agricultural work is like.  The boy on the envelope I received from Herman Kamphuis is not yet jaded sitting atop his tractor. But let me tell you… caloused hands and feet, sweaty underarms, vermin and living out in the boondocks has its drawbacks.

In Kenya I didn't teach Home Science but Agriculture instead. We didn't have a subject called 'home Science' where I went to school but I reckon it's about bathing properly and how to cook a cake. I certainly needed to bathe well today after spreading manure on the transplanted plants.  Herman's delightful altered cover is the sort of thing any up and coming home scientist would likely emulate. Rub-a-dub-dub.

According to the back of this, this is Herman 'fluting'. We could use Herman and his flute here… one of the things about living on a small holding is that you are always battling vermin.  Today Patrick was prising open roof spaces to see if he could find the source of the scuffling and deal with it so Figgy will be able to sleep when she returns for Easter. I'm sure among Herman's many talents he would lead the rats out with his trusty flute.

As ever, so many ridiculous pointless jobs to do that you're better off making it all up. Fabulous doodles!

This postcard from the past has a wonderful spontaneity and cptures perfectly what it's like to live in a hamlet… I appreciate the sentiments too. 

 Meanwhile this postcard has a lot of things wrong with it.  You don't make peach jam with your feet… that's only for grapes. And Health and Safety would have a picnic with you if you mixed food with bunions! You are absolutely spot on young man.  It is a WOW. 

All those wonders were nestled in a folding envelope.  Do you dream in colour? Do you see pictures in your mind's eye? Are you a peacock?

Many thanks Herman!  It was a super mailing!