The Doodle carousel comes around again!

Morte fun and a different transformation on its way to you tomorrow!

Celebrating the banana 2014

So many thing passed me by before I joined IUOMA and got involved with organised mail art.  I see swaps as organised mail art - who knew there was a banana day and that so many people thought it important enough to celebrate…

This year Jen reminded the group that it was time to swap and I was one of the first putting my hand up to take part. It just feels good to hone in on the banana and for someone like me, intrinsically serious and prone to over - intellectualisation, it's probably even a bit important for me.

I think I sent to more people than I've received from, but making more than ten of anything takes time and I'm sure the banana day is a moveable fruit salad, or something, so if any others trickle in I will post them here. 

What I notice as I look at my banana booty is how varied what I got is! Each one is  treasure in its own rite and I am delighted to share them with you. 

In no particular order…

Banana Boat by Jen Phillips(Stimpdawg):

Biologique banana collage by Adrienne Mason:

Tape transfer chimp by Alicia Starr:

Banana book reply from David Stafford:

 Banana acceptance speech by Dean Marks:

 Banana joke, stamps and collage by Katerina:

 Banana  tesselation by Lynn Radford:

 Banana statue annotation by Mathom House:

 and my banana book (photo courtesy of Katerina):

Katerina never misses a birthday!

 A birthday on the 28th of December is troublesome.  My family have found a way to make it work for us.  I cook all day and we have a ton of family friends over.  That ensures that I get at least a few cards but it's unclear whether the work/happiness ratio is absolutely right…  Katerina couldn't have missed a single birthday this year.  She was and maybe still is in the midst of birthday mania. You may remember that I was the recipient of Seurat, Picasso and others - terrific to learn the dates, now to remember them.  Guido sent me a calendar but I just can't get organised. So, now you know when my birthday is.  Maybe next year I'll get a few more cards? Thanks Katerina for giving me opportunity to self-publicize!  I'll just go and check your birthday…  Could it be February 7th?

Ruud Janssen is collecting stamps

 I finally sent him some!

I also sent Ruud a little book.
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B3g5q7Qjx55QbURpUG1JTGVmWEk/edit?usp=sharing

Mailart: conversation or catalyst? Incoming and outgoing - SImon Warren

Simon is sending me imagery. 

I am sending simon imagery back.  

When we write are we hoping to shift, find our own understanding, connect or simply to see what happens?

No Mail on Cranberry Island...

But Patrick says upon his return from Capetown that most of the mail was mine, so look for blogs when I get back to Suffolk: after a ferry to the mainland, a little plane from Bangor, a seven hour lay-over in Detroit, arrival in Schipol including a mad cap search for a hidden postcard, a hopper to Norwich, and a drive through East Anglia and finally to the farm.

outgoing for The Encyclopaedia of Everything

Using Cheryl's technique for creating a cover, I have very loosely responded to Cheryl's book call with Tree Time, an altered book poem.

A set of Battisford Brushes for you

For the month of February I have been taking photos of each letter of the alphabet from the natural world and the built environment and making mailart with them.  Yesterday I turned these letters into brushes which I have placed in a google document as a set. You should be able to download and use them.  The above is what they look like at about 150 px in an array of colours.
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B3g5q7Qjx55QRVJVTlUtMlZ4ZEU/edit?usp=sharing

Posters from Cheryl and RCBz arrive!

Last summer when I returned from Cranberry Island I had a request from RCBz to participate in an international poster collaboration for Cheryl's Mail Art Makes The World a Town exhibit in Durban.  Wow.  I was so exited to be part of THAT. 

The posters I was altering had been arranged by RCBz and featured a Marie Wintzer image! I sent two altered posters back to Cheryl (top) and then I got one back that TICTAC had altered.  I have never had a TICTAC stamp before, and love them.  Cheryl's folded note had more words but to be honest I was so tired from scanning that I decided that the two I've included would do!

In case you haven't seen Marie's latest MinXus publication you can find more of her work here: http://minxuslynxus2.wordpress.com/2013/02/01/minxus-lynxus-publishes-empress-maries-marie-wintzers-a-linea-circle-visual-poetry-collection