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Some of you might know that I also run the INtangible blog, an all handmade blog, right down to the text. I did some research over there for a postal item in my collection and thought I'd share it over here as well. It's all about the American Legion Airmail Roundup and what that actually was. Enjoy!
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A lot of you have been asking when we will have new member bags available. Well, it will be oh so very soon. We've enlisted Cinnamon Cooper to make this batch of the member bags, so that they are tailored to the needs of letter writers. Yes, that is right, a bag with little extras that will fit and enable your postal love.
Above is a little round-up of the teaser images we've slowly been sharing on Twitter, but now that the bags are nearly done, we figured you all want details. So, here are some nitty gritty features of the new bags:
• Custom designed LWA airmail designed lining.
• There will be two pockets under the front flap that are kept closed with tiny magnetic snaps. The flaps of the pocket? Just happens to be the exact same width as an A6 envelope. Oh, and their flaps reflect the shape of an envelope.
• Slots for pens & pencils throughout the bag.
• Ergonomically designed features. For example, check out the thought Cinnamon put into creating something as simple as the bag strap:
"The connector that holds the strap to the bag is at an angle so the strap will have less strain on the bag. A straight up and down connector works best on bags that are worn by people who are very tall, very thin, and who don't walk. Since I can be sure that at least one of these needs will not be met by the people who carry this bag, the angle will result in less wear on the bag, less wear on your coat, and ease of removing the bag."
Yep...we definitely chose the right lady to create these bags for us!
These bags will be going on pre-sale at a discount in a few weeks. Keep your eyes peeled here or on the LWA Twitter for the announcement.
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Welbeck Tiles, an English company focused on producing the "most original tiles you can buy anywhere in the world" has a new collection out called "Coastal" which features, among vintage ads and headlines, reproductions of postcards, both fronts and backs. They state that they have a wide collection of postcards to pick from, but most excitingly, they say that you can have your very own postcards printed onto tiles! Anyone doing any remodeling?
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Come one, come all! Tis the 2nd Renegade Craft Fair to be held in Austin, Texas, this weekend, the 21st and 22nd! Always wanted to be a member, but didn't want to pay shipping? NOW IS YOUR CHANCE! Plus, card-carrying members can get some FREE Renegade stationery {as seen above} from me just for coming by. We love meeting members and making new ones! The doors open at 11AM and I'll be there til 7PM each day.
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This new set of stamps is being released tomorrow. Award-winning illustrator José Ortega of New York City and Toronto depicts an abstract garden of bright flowers, a butterfly, a strawberry, and doves, interlaced with vines that run from one stamp to another. Each prominent element of the design is in the shape of a heart. The deep blue background is reminiscent of a brilliant summer sky. The word "Love" sits atop each stamp.
Ortega says, " Garden of Love depicts the abundance of life, its generosity, whose spirit is to be shared by all its creatures. Love’s definition is broader than romantic love. Love is that colorful, full feeling you get when you enjoy being a part of and sharing in the generosity of life."
To create his design, Ortega made a digital file of his original pencil and marker drawings. Then he added color, improvising until the garden took shape. Ortega, a collector of decorative arts, says tapestries, textiles, and mosaics influenced his choice of colors and patterns.
Then, for release on the 20th, we have this stamp featuring stylized artwork by John Mattos, this stamp depicts Ray Harroun driving #32, the Marmon "Wasp," the customized yellow-and-black car in which Harroun won the first Indianapolis 500 in 1911. The Marmon "Wasp" was also featured on a 17.5-cent stamp in the Transportation series in 1987.
{Info from Beyond the Perf}
Wow, two "love" stamps in a row that don't make me gag. Way to go U.S.P.S. And I do respond to the deco feel of the Indy stamp even though cars aren't my thing. These are some of my favorite stamps for the year.
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Ever eagle-eyed member Trisha sent in this heads-up about a Dinotopia mail art contest. Decorate a standard size #10 envelope. It could be any style, subject, or medium. Address it to "Envelope Art Contest, The Dinotopia Store, PO Box 693, Rhinebeck, NY 12572." The deadline is the end of the month so get to arting and mailing if you love dinosaurs as much as this girl. There's more information at the website.
Cretaceously yours,
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Some of you eagle-eyed members may have already noticed some new things lurking about in the member site. Firstly, we now have new member stationery that matches the new site look. We also have a snazy new download that goes along with the new site look: a perpetual calendar. Just download, print, and assemble at home. There are two different versions to suit all desk needs: one with the days of the week included and the other with just the month and date.
And lastly, we felt we needed to have an award available especially for awesome penpals. Let your penpal know you appreciate their response time, their words, and their continuing correspondence with the LWA Penpal Award. This handmade award is made of felt and embroidered with "LWA." It has been created just for the L.W.A. by artist (and L.W.A. member) Marissa Falco. All these things are just for LWA members, so login to get them!
P.S. You can also get them in person at the Renegade Craft Fair in Austin Texas on May 21st and 22nd!
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Lauren Fister's Random Notes of Kindness is a project to collect and distribute hand generated notes of kindness through the use of social media. There is a blog component where can view a few of the notes that she's received. The way it works is:
Step 1: Create a Note of Kindness. The note can be written, drawn, doodled, photographed etc. The note must be "kind," i.e. convey a message evoking a positive or uplifting sentiment.
The Note must be able to fit into an envelope which costs 44 cents or less to mail within the United States. If outside of the US please include proper postage.
Step 2: On a separate piece of paper include your name and address. Your name and address is kept strictly confidential and your identity shall remain anonymous. Mail this with your "Kindness Note" along with a 44 cent stamp to:
Random Notes of Kindness
Care of Lauren Fister
PO BOX 614
Norwalk, CT 06856 - 0614
Step 3: You will then receive a Random Note of Kindness from another kind, creative person! Average time to receive a Note is 2-4 weeks, although times may vary. You may also request to only send along your Note and not receive any Note in return. (We do hope you'll say yes, however and allow the kindness to circle back to you!)
Step 4: That's it, actually. No more steps. Easy as pie.
Write more *kind* letters,
P.S. Mail Art Thursday is, unfortunately, cancelled for this month, but should be back on June 9th. Hope to see lots of letter writers there!
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Intrepid L.W.A. member Erin has put out a call for mail artists to participate in decorating a shop front as a part of the First Thursdays program in New Zealand. They are using the opportunity to launch a monthly letter-writing club {currently scheduled for the 3rd thursday of the month} and have a gallery show of mail art.
If you'd like to participate, the theme is "Alphabets" in any and all interpretations and mailed media. The works will be exhibited in June and are due by the 31st of May. All artists will be credited, and the art will not be returned.
Send your alphabetic entries to: Alphabet City / P O Box 7754 / Wellesley Street / Auckland /
New Zealand /
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On-the-scene, L.W.A. member Annie Y. sent us this report from the January 2011 vintage paper fair in San Francisco. The next fair is held on May 21st and 22nd, so mark those calendars. Once you see what she was able to find, you will NOT want to miss it. ~Donovan
The Vintage Paper Fair comes three times a year to San Francisco and each time the event comes to town, I am always really excited to spend a few hours looking and buying ephemera. The fair lasts for two days and the main offerings for sale are postcards in an incredible array of themes such as animals, cities, sports and much much more. Also for sale are vintage photographs, books, posters, matchbook covers, magazines and postal covers.
In the beginning, it was easy for me to be incredibly overwhelmed by the tables full of postcards. Now that I've attended the fair many times, I am much more familiar with what vendors offer and immediately gravitate towards certain booths. The layout of where specific vendors are located the San Francisco fair is nearly always the same, though of course that isn't always a guarantee. I am always looking for inexpensive ephemera, so I quickly head over to a booth that sells all their postcards for 25 cents. It's easily the most crowded booth in the fair, which can make it hard to browse. But I stick around, find a seat by a table and find postcards that are sorted under the theme of "Inkwells." All the postcards in this category relate to letter writing, with pen nibs, ink wells and envelopes! One postcard implores, "Why don't you write? I also sort through a box full of miscellaneous ephemera, which is just a heap of random stuff, including old photos, receipts, cards and canceled checks. I find some beautiful and tiny black and white photographs of an Italian city. I wind up spending nearly an hour at that one booth, buying 33 pieces of ephemera for around $7.
If you are feeling overwhelmed, go to a booth with a theme in mind when searching for postcards. I looked for postcards that had philatelic images, letterwriting, as well as Paris postcards. I also found souvenir postcards that featured giant letters such as "Greetings From California." If you are looking for a theme and can't seem to find it, ask the vendor. I've noticed that vendors are always happy to help and are really passionate about what they have to sell. Another tip is to always look under and above the tables. Some vendors place boxes on shelves or underneath tables due to space constraints. I find that vendors will often showcase their finest, most expensive and precious items in the front of the table. At first, I only noticed those items, but as I looked closer, many vendors sell old photographs for a dollar each, same with postcards and covers. They may not display them as prominently, so just be observant.
The key to finding treasures like these is to spend lots of time searching for them, so I try not to rush! By patiently browsing, I discovered German aerogrammes, beautiful and inexpensive old photographs, fragile blueprints, cabinet cards and all kinds of postcards. Now if only I could buy it all...
Besides the fairs in San Francisco, the Vintage Paper Fair has shows in Glendale (Southern California) and Concord (Northern California) . Be sure to check http://www.vintagepaperfair.com/ for upcoming dates.
For those not in other parts of the US check out this link for a listing of postcard and paper collectible shows: http://www.seocom.com/postcard/myshowsked.html
I also recommend searching for 'postcard shows' and you may be able to find a show in your area.
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Letter Socials:
TBA
Host your own Social!
Tips on how right here.
Then email us to add your social to the LWA calendar.
Copy and paste the code to add the LWA button to your website or blog.
