Finishing up the year.

I suppose this will be my last post of the year. This past year has been a doozie for most of us, I am sure. It seems like it has been a long slog through media feeds and navigating toward some sort of 'normalcy.' It was unfortunate to make the difficult decision to forego attending a letterboxing event this year - I have hope that the next year may bring more confidence in gathering. 

I must give a special shout-out to Mudflinginfools (Kathleen) for the Year of Giving project; I am so grateful for the positivity and acceptance of that group of sweet-spirited, generous letterboxers. I had the pleasure to give and receive - often at times when I really needed a lift. It has resulted in many sweet spots of friendship through the months. And, who doesn't need that?

Carving and creating has always been a delightful respite from real-life pressures - I just wish I had more opportunity! You may have seen in my last post that I was fussing about a missing calendar grid - I am wondering now if I just cut it off the original stamp and tossed it - ugh! And, I had carved a few of the months as well, but was lamenting over the thickness of the lines. I have been diligently working on getting finer lines, and practice is affording some progress. During our last excursion (yes, I travel with my carving kit), I carved the rest of the year, so to speak.

all these stamps are less than 2" across
and carved on Tan-Z

Since I use the pencil-transfer method, the thought occurred to me that I was making the lines too thick even before transferring - no wonder the carved results looked thicker! Fine drawn lines equals fine transferred lines equals fine carved lines! 

To go with the months, I had fun playing with other images. 

holly scroll is 2" x 1" and the pumpkin is 1.25",
carved on Tan-Z

But, the real fun part is making them into LTCs. While I was enjoying playing with the stamps and ink, I let myself meander through past postals and LTC rings I have enjoyed, and all the letterboxers I have met and loved. I remembered the first LTC swap (Maiden Voyage) and how many LTCs have been created since. Nothing was better for me than getting a crazy idea for a swap, posting late in the evening to see who might wanna play, and then filling a tracker with with friends, old and new. I will always hold dear those years of frenzied creating and interacting with the AQ postal and LTC community. 

I probably remember it fondly because I felt accepted, respected, and liked - I felt like I belonged. Those feelings seem to be few and far between these days. Now, I generally stay away from the general AQ boards, and the facebook group is good for lurking and liking, but not so much for commenting. Even posting on my own personal facebook page can lead to conflicts and such, which makes me sad. It seems that strangers cannot agree about anything anymore, not even the weather.

some of the calendar LTCs I am playing with;
all one-of-a-kind

But, I digress. I want to end this year on a positive note, so I will quote the indomitable Wil Wheaton:

"... the only thing that ultimately matters in our lives is choosing to be kind. The world is a cruel place full of awful people. Don't be one of them. Be one of the people who lights up a room with their kindness when they walk into it."

Yes. Try to be that person, and I will try to be that person, too. And perhaps we will feel less compelled to push our opinions and judgments on others to make ourselves feel more important ... perhaps we will simply feel better because we feel accepted and respected. That has been my intention as far as I can remember, and it is still my intention for 2022. 

Hold your dear ones close. Hold to your boundaries closer. Watch that identity-building, it's a trap. Stay humble, and be generous with your patience and smiles - for you don't know the battles others are fighting and your smile and generosity could be the best part of their day.

Happy New Year!

Quisps!

newly minted!

I had to refresh my memory - what was a quisp again?

quisp

Sometimes, for letterboxers who enjoy dabbling with postals or LTCs, they’ll find a small, unexpected stamped image (usually hidden under the address label of the envelope they received). These small surprises are called a quisp. The name derives from the cereal Quisp, when Blue Box Girl mailed a Quisp shrinky dink under the address label as part of a Quisp cereal postal. Mystic Dreamer first started calling it a quisp, and the name stuck. (source: Atlas Quest)

Oh yeah! I had some 'official' quisps in my logbook from when I was doing a lot of LTCs and postals, come to find out. With a couple of packages going out this week, I thought I would up my game a bit and send along some fun. :)

I decided to add the AQ letterbox number on the back for easy logging. I have never done that before, but then again, there were just not that many LTCs and quisps floating around a decade ago! Now there are a bazillion or so!

So, just for the record: If you are sending me anything, I will be expecting a small gem under the address label! And mea culpa for any packages that went out recently without this small token of letterboxing-love. This mistake will not be repeated!

Rejects

Thought it would be fun to post a little set of rejects from the latest inchie project.  Rejects in the sense that as I design my contribution, there always ends up being attempts, tries and goof-ups lying around that just don't make the cut.  These particular ones have been gathering dust on my desk for a few weeks, and will now be relegated to the trash bin.  Or perhaps the quisp envelope for future use.

Just sayin'...

There is a new phenomenon amongst the LTC swappers on my favorite letterboxing site.  For a couple of years now, we have been happily joining swaps and exchanging theme-based artist trading cards that feature a hand-carved rubber stamp image.  Somewhere in the midst of our fun, our beloved webmaster added a tool called a tracker to our fun which made it so much easier to organize our obsession.  These trackers not only listed participants and their cards, but also made it possible to post notes, pithy comments and updates that would go to all the participants.  Cool, eh?  Hosts and participants could more easily communicate and clarify the theme, give ideas or inspiration or alert to problems or delays with the swap.

Well, it would seem that some artists think they need to update the group when they are sending in their contribution for the swap.  Is this really necessary?  I don't think so.  But this trend is picking up speed as the newer of the participants think this is how it is done; learning by example, I suppose.  The result is that I'm getting a boat load of messages that look like this: "Just finished my cards last night!  They are in the mail in the morning!  Woohoo!"

Do I really need to know when everyone is sending their contribution?

Nope. Only the host needs to know that.  This is becoming a pet peeve of mine, I'm afraid.

When I participate, I may alert the host to watch her mail for my contribution.  Hopefully, she will either let me know that they arrived safely through a message or by logging them.
 
When I host, I log the contributions when they arrive, thus giving notice to the artist that their cards have arrived safely...to the artist, not the whole group. As a host, I don't really need to know when the cards are sent as long as they are prior to the deadline. (And if they are not, I give a one week grace, then sort & send. Everything received past that date gets sent back. It's pretty simple, actually.)

As a participant in a swap, I do not need to know that all the cards have arrived on time - that is the concern of the swap host.  I will find out soon enough when I get my cards; if I get extras returned, I can safely guess that everyone did not get their contribution in on time.

Oh, and just for the record and because I'm a bit of a stickler:

A swap is a group of people that agree to create themed LTCs to send to a swap host to sort and redistribute to all the participants.

A tracker is the tool that Ryan created for the swap host and participants to use to 'track' the swap.  (Thank you, Ryan!)

I don't join trackers...I join swaps.  Sometimes.

Just sayin'...

Art from a Galaxy Far, Far Away

OK, so you already know I love, love, love Star Wars, right? And it just so happens that I have quite a few friends that love it, as well. Does that surprise you?

It shouldn't.

32,000 Star Wars fanatics paid the admission price of $145 for the four-day Star Wars Celebration V held in Orlando, Florida. That's right...32,000 people who feel exactly the way I do about the saga. It was worth it to them to fly, pay for hotel and event, eat at spendy restaurants and ship their costumes from all over the country. And why, you ask? Because Star Wars rocks, that's why!  Oh, and they get to hang out with all the other Star Wars 'geeks' for four days; four days of nothing but Star Wars - celebrities, panels, workshops, fan films, costumes, autographs, sneak-peeks, artists and collectors, etc., etc.  The thought is almost overwhelming!

just some of the Star Wars stamps I have carved over the years (actual size 8.5" x 11")

Below is the latest artwork from a few of my Star Wars-loving friends - they are so wonderful, I definitely wanted to share.  I'll start with my oh-so-fun 'swap book' featuring the amazing card by my very own Padawan.  I will be honored to share this collection of art with my Star Wars friends at conventions and gatherings.

"An Honest Politician", by Padawan

"George Lucas" by Mn8X, (lettering carved by Maude)

"Chewie is my Co-Pilot", by Craftymouse

"Classic Princess Leia", by Cat Eyes

"Escape from the Death Star", by Green Jello

"Master Yoda", by Baqash

"A Message of Hope", by Tiger Pride (each card was personalized for the recipient)

"Masterful", by Dewberry

"Thanks!", mouse droid carved by Craftymouse

"These Aren't the Droids You're Looking For", by BfloAnonChick

"Quoting the Inky Jedi", by Mama Cache (sketch by Miss C)
[read the backstory HERE ]

"Anakin & Padme", by SHH
(carved on FirmKut )

"Red Guard", by MN Compass

"Shadowed the Future Is", by Romana

"Darth Maul", by 3 Bears

"Stormtroopers", by Ona Journey

"The Kiss", by Jabber JoBob (this card is so fun - you can slide them into position!)

"Wedge Antilles", by Dancing Pecan

"Yoda", by Roly-Polies

"Darth Vader", by Cat Eyes

Thank you to all the wonderful artists who were in 
the 'Snap-Hiss' Star Wars Swap...

  the Force is with you!

More Carving Inspiration

Do you need more carving inspiration?   Here's the latest efforts of some famous letterboxers, fresh out of the latest All About the Carve VI swap.  I know you will be inspired by these fabulous carves!

Sig-Stamp for Feather, by Cat Eyes

G.B.H., by Craftymouse

In the Key of G, by Dewberry

(Willow) Tree of Life, by Gypsy Ladybug

Joker, by Toby

Janvier, by Mama Cache

Stained Glass Summer, by SHH

Every artist was first an amateur.

~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Carving Inspiration

Since I am always looking for inspiration, I thought my beloved readers would be in search of the same. To that end, I have procured permission from the talented and generous carvers of the All About the Carve V swap to share their efforts. The premise of this swap was to keep the focus on the carve and to choose an image that would be somewhat of a challenge; you know, something you just want to 'give a go' to see if you could do it. As in the previous four All About the Carve swaps, the results were stunning...

"Look at Me!" by Baqash

"Jazz" by Green Jello

"Charleston by Erte" by MN Compass

"1896 Printer's  Embellishment" by Maude

"Cape Meares" by Padawan

"Crusader" by SHH

"Portrait of a Desert" by Shorty

"Renaissance Beauty" by Tiger Pride

"A Smile of Thanks" from the humble swap host :-)

I really like these All About the Carve swaps because they give the artists complete freedom to carve whatever their heart desires.  I enjoy seeing what each contributor chooses and am always thrilled with the results of these swaps.

A little tweak

I like taking found images and giving them my own twist.  So, when I joined a very fun swap featuring the artwork of Caron Vinson, I had to choose which image I was going to tackle.  The fairy I chose happened to feature a lovely tattoo on her shoulder, which gave me an idea...

The stamp measures just shy of 3.5" x 2.5" and took the majority of an afternoon to complete.

This sweet fairy goes with this youngling I highlighted in an earlier post.  I gave her a 'tweak', as well.

Always a pleasure to meet a Jedi...

Daisy-time

You may wear your virtues as a crown,
As you walk through life serenely,
And grace your simple rustic gown
With a beauty more than queenly.
Though only one for you shall care,
One only speak your praises;
And you never wear in your shining hair,
A richer flower than daisies.

~Phoebe Cary

A Puzzling Project

Puzzling Swap

Wanted to share a fun project I was privileged to be a part of, hosted by Dolphinwanderer. The idea was to create a puzzle with each piece representing the carver. I think it turned out pretty cool! I suppose you can guess which one was my contribution, eh?

The talented carvers represented included Chedva, BfloAnonChick, Falling Leaves, Butterfly Suzy, Team New Hampshire, Fluffy Cow, Maos and Dolphinwanderer, of course.

Now, my friend Dolphinwanderer said she may consider doing more of these puzzle swaps, but you'll have to talk to her 'bout that. This concept would be so fun themed; for example all flowers, or butterflies or pets, etc., etc....

Thank You So Much!

Thx! LTC

Another bonus Thank You LTC for the last of my All About the Carve swaps. I have to say, those swaps were absolutely incredible! All the carvers really outdid themselves, choosing challenging images to tackle and producing some outstanding artwork. To say I'm pleased would be an understatement, to be sure!

So, a special thank you to all the participants in the four All About the Carve swaps! You guys ROCK!

Scrappin' some LTCs

Toulie LTC

You may all know that I'm not much of a scrapbooker, but here are some examples of using scrapbook ideas and embellishments to create LTCs (letterboxer trading cards). Toulie, above, was for a swap that was specifically themed for scrapbooking. The challenge was to create a scrapbook 'page' in miniature. Finding embellishments to fit and not overpower was definitely a challenge, but I'm quite pleased with how it turned out. I have to say the ladies at the scrapbook store were quite interested in my teeny-tiny scrapbook project!

Jazzy LTC

These two stamps you may have already seen, but I like how the two cards look together. Again, these are a good example of using scrapbook (or crafty card) layouts for LTCs.

Black Tie LTC

When we first started making LTCs, I decided I needed a special sig-stamp for the backs of my cards and came up with this design (below). I used it for quite a long time...until I got tired of it! Now, I use whatever sig-stamp either fits the theme of the card or whatever strikes me at the time. I have been known to create a sig-stamp simply to fit the theme of the card!

stamp size 1.75" across