Blue postcards part 4

It's official:  The blue swap is our most popular swap to date!

56 postcards have arrived so far, beating out last year's black & white swap.

Here are the latest cards to grace my mailbox.

Three expressive drawings from Barbara:

Five fabulous cards from Gina, including one of her original lino-cut monoprints.

 These next three beauties are from Jo:

 

 Judith created this Matisse-inspired window card.  She has suggested this theme for a future swap and now that I see her card, I'm in agreement!

First time MMSA swapper Lilia sent this wonderful winter tree.

Welcome Lilia!  So glad you found us.

Tammy's card has me yearning for a winter spa getaway.

Thanks for playing, everyone.

Good mail chases the blues away.

Collage sheet postcards - part 2

I am so totally loving this collage sheet challenge.

Each person has created something so different and unique with the same set of images.

These two are from Carlene:

 

These next two are from Katie:

 

and these three are from Jo:

I like this challenge so much, it gave me an idea.

What if some of you created collage sheets, emailed them to me for posting on the blog, and we could run a challenge like this once a month (or every two months) with different people's collage sheets?

Anybody like this idea?  Anybody want to create a sheet? 

Mail call for a good cause

Derrick (of I Still Write) tipped me off to this worthy mail cause.
A radio station in California is collecting valentines to give to hospitalized children.
They need the cards by February 6th.

You can find all the details here.

Head Swap - February 25th

Many thanks to Chris (aka Parabolic Muse) for suggesting this swap idea.

For this swap we will create an original head-shaped piece of art.  Something flat – not a sculpture.  It can be made from any materials – paper, fabric, wood, metal.  It can be embellished and textured and “lumpy”.  It will be mailed in an envelope to your swap partner so no worries about sending it “naked” through the mail.

It can have a face, or no face.  It can be human, animal, mythical. 

Glasses?  Hair?  Hats? Jewelry? Mask?  The possibilities are endless.

It can be realistic or surrealistic or abstract.

Here’s what we don’t want:  a head glued to a rectangular substrate.

Whatever you send must be in the shape of a head. 

No bodies.  Neck and shoulders okay.

Minimum Size:  3 inches between any two points

Maximum Size:  5 inches between any two points.

I will make every effort to re-use the envelope you send me.

It will travel, along with your art, to the lucky recipient.

POSTAGE:

·      Within the US:  Please go get your package weighed.  If it costs you $2.00 to mail it to me, it will cost me $2.00 to mail your art to someone else.  So before you seal up that envelope, stick the proper number of stamps or amount of cash into the envelope.  Or, if you prefer (or forget to stick it in the envelope), paypal me the amount it cost you to send the package.  (paypal address is iamrushmore@gmail.com)

·      If you live outside of the US, email me so we can figure out a suitable postage amount.  It’s a little tricker with parcels, because I won’t know the weight of what I’m sending you until all the swapping has been done, so I don’t know how much it will cost me to mail this unknown item to you.  But we can definitely work something out, so don’t let it hold you back from swapping.

Be sure to sign your work!  And include a note or business card for your partner so that they know more about who the artwork came from and are able to contact you and thank you.

Also let me know if you want me to link your work to your blog, website, flickr, etc.

SUMMARY

·      create a head

·      pack it in an envelope

·      include a mailing label with your address.  I will stick this to the package I’m sending you.  If you don’t have any labels, just send a label-shaped piece of paper with your name and address on it and I will tape it to your envelope.  By including a label it saves me the time of writing everyone’s info by hand, and keeps me from making mistakes when I decipher your handwriting and copy your address.

·      Include a note/contact info for your partner

·      If you live in the US include postage or cash (or use paypal to send me the money)

·      If you live outside of the US, email me at iamrushmore@gmail.com to discuss rates

·      Get it in the mail by Monday February 25^th

·      Send to :  Karen Isaacson, PO Box 532, Shrewsbury, MA 01545 (United States)

Under the Sea Swap - February 18th

Many thanks to Untingly for suggesting this idea:

Create an original piece of art related to the theme “Under the Sea”

Size guidelines:

minimum size – 2.5 inches between any two points

maximum size – 7 inches between any two points

This means you could create an ATC (Artist Trading Card) which has the traditional dimensions of 2.5 x 3.5 inches.

Or you could use the common dimensions of frames (4x6 inches or 5x7 inches)

Or create something square, or round, or oblong.

It doesn’t matter as long as the work is within the above dimensions.

Substrate:

Create your work on something sturdy – heavy water color paper, or cardboard, or canvas board.  I’m not limiting what you use, but I’m suggesting something sturdy and attractive enough that your recipient could proudly and easily display your work.

Media/Style:

Anything goes!  Painting, drawing, collage, mixed media.  Whatever inspires you and makes you happy.  How you interpret the theme is up to you as well.

Postage:

Within the US:  Put your work in a suitable protective envelope and calculate the amount it will cost to mail to me.  Include that same amount of postage or cash inside the envelope so that I can mail your piece to your partner.  You can also send me postage money via paypal (iamrushmore@gmail.com)

Outside of the US:  It’s harder to calculate postage since I don’t know the size or weight of what I’ll be sending back to you.  Email me at iamrushmore@gmail.com and we can discuss an appropriate amount based on where you live and the average cost of getting a large envelope from the US to  you.

Summary:

·      Create a fabulous original piece of art.  (No prints please)

·      Sign your work and include a little note for your partner with your contact information so that they may thank you.

·      Put it in an envelope with postage (see above) and a label with your name and address on it.  I will stick this to the package I’m sending you.  If you don’t have any labels, just send a label-shaped piece of paper with your name and address on it and I will tape it to your envelope.  By including a label it saves me the time of writing everyone’s info by hand, and keeps me from making mistakes when I decipher your handwriting and copy your address.

·      Get it in the mail by Monday, February 18^th

• Send it to :  Karen Isaacson, PO Box 532, Shrewsbury, MA 01545 (United States)

Yellow Post Card Swap - February 11th

Everyone seems to be enjoying the monochromatic postcard themes, so let’s bring some warm glowing yellow to my dreary cold February.  You can paint, draw, cut, glue, and/or embellish.  It’s okay to include a bit of black or white, or a small accent of another color, but keep the dominant color yellow.

These postcards will be mailed without an envelope to your partner, so keep that in mind if you are gluing and embellishing.

SWAP DETAILS:

•  Create your postcard - any dimensions, just make sure you include the proper postage for the size.
• Include your name and contact information on the back (address and/or email and/or blog) so that you partner can thank you or find out more about you.
• Write a little note for your partner – a greeting, a quote, some info about you or where you live, or info about how you created your postcard.
• Write MMSA somewhere on the back of the card as well.  (I don't know about you, but I get a lot of mail, and it's sometimes hard to figure out if it's part of an organized swap or just personal mail.)
• leave the address section blank
• Stick it in an envelope with:
• a stamp (don't adhere to the postcard in case I need to send yours to someone out of the country).  Keep in mind the maximum size card you can send with the post card rate stamp is 4x6.25 inches.  If your card is bigger than this, or oddly shaped, or excessively rigid or lumpy, it will need more postage.
•  a mailing label with your name and address on it (I will stick it on the card I mail back to you.  This keeps me from having to decipher handwriting on the envelope you send me, and saves me time when swapping everything and mailing it back out) 
•  mail it to me no later than February 11th

             Karen Isaacson
             PO Box 532
             Shrewsbury, MA 01545
             United States

• Feel free to make more than one ( you can send them to me in the same envelope).  You'll get back the number of postcards you create.  Make sure to include a mailing label and stamp for each post card.
• If you live outside the US, don't include stamps, but send me $1 for postage via paypal.  email: iamrushmore@gmail.com
• I will post your work to the blog when I receive it.  If you would like your image linked to your blog, or flickr account, or facebook page, or etsy shop (or whatever) just send me a note telling me how you want it linked.  (this is a great way to meet other artists and make lots of new friends)

Blue postcards part 3

Here are the latest batch of blue postcards.

Carroll clearly doesn't have the blues out of her system yet, she sent in two more postcards with lots of great stitching on them:

 Katie also added stitching to her wonderful cards:

 Polly sent three lovely watercolor cards.  The scan does not do the subtle beauty of this first one justice:

 The last of today's cards came from Leslie:

 

Another wonderful batch of mail!

blue postcards - part 2

These first few beauties are from Amy.  The two in the middle feature sun prints - so perfect for this theme.

 

The next five come from Carlene.  They are a wonderful variety of techniques and materials, not to mention all those various shades of blue.

Corrine could have sent these anonymously and I would have recognized her fabulous use of washi tape and corrugated cardboard anywhere.

I got another envelope from Cynthia today, who couldn't resist adding this card to the five she sent earlier this week.

 Some gorgeous paper weaving and haiku from Ellen:

 

 

 Some dreamy mixed media from Kathy.  That heart feels like fabric or felt and it's stitched on top of the postcard.

 Luscious layers of paint from Tina:

And Terrie shared 4 of her 365 collages in 2013: