This is the other bowl that sold during the show. I liked this bowl; it came out well. This one sold almost immediately, to another artist who had art in the show. I'm always glad to get a chance to talk to the people who take my art home; in this case, I did get to meet him and talk with him a little, since he was also at the opening reception.

I made another yellow bowl the same time I made this one, but it didn't come out nearly as nicely. It had a surface crack in the base of the bowl. I didn't even bring it to the show, because I didn't want to show it off. It's still languishing at home, awaiting someone to love it.

I went to Feed Your Head Books last night, to pick up the remainder of my art after the Recycle show closed on Sunday. To my great delight, another of my bowls had sold since the last time I was there!

This is the one that sold. I also had two of my origami boxes sell, an octagon and a triangle. So that was good! I am hopeful that I'll be able to bring more stuff there in the future for her to show. My art tends to be cheap ($5 for an origami box, $10 or $20 for a bowl) so it's more likely to sell in a bookstore than a $650 painting would.

Hurray! Less than one week until my papermaking class this coming weekend. There were some great photos in the paper this week, advertising my class. There's only one spot left in the class, then we'll have to start another section. That's good news for me!

A friend wanted to barter away an origami wallet made of stiffened fabric. I can't resist something like that! So we chatted, and arranged a trade for five of my handmade Yule cards. These are the cards I traded with her.



Five antique postcards (about 100 years old) mounted on 100% post-consumer recycled paper cardstock, with envelopes. Each card has non-Christmas holiday greetings. The postcards show signs of edgewear. One has a visible postmark on the front. One even has some ancient handwriting on the front. To me, those things add to the charm of the greeting card.

Individual cards follow.


Greetings Kind and True












A Joyful Yuletide












Merry Yule Tide











Yule / Best Wishes for a Merry Time











Yule-tide Joys

The origami wallet she gave me is perfect for business cards. There are two partitions, so I put my papermaking business cards in one, and the cards I hand out to antique dealers in the other partition. I love it! Thanks for trading!

The last three titles recommended by the Amazon reviewer.

7. Papermaking for Basketry and Other Crafts by Lynn Stearns

Reviewer said: "Basket makers who work with paper forms share how-to. Excellent visual and informational references."









8. Paper: An Inspirational Portfolio (Artisans) by Gabrielle Falkiner

Reviewer said: "an inspirational portfolio of internationnal artists that feeds the soul through the eyes"








9. Papermaking by Dard Hunter

Reviewer said: "Dard Hunter, long deceased, still speaks to us, teaches us the history of this wondrous medium. Inform your present by knowing the past and add this to your storehouse of papermaking knowledge."

Well, these gave me a nice shopping list! Hope I can find some of them at bargain prices.

Here are the next three titles on the list of recommended papermaking books.


4. The Papermaker's Companion: The Ultimate Guide for Making and Using Handmade Paper by Helen Hiebert

The reviewer said about this book: "Excellent in every way, thorough and comprehensive."

5. Plant Fibers for Papermaking by Lilian A. Bell

The reviewer said about this book: "If you desire to truly make paper from scratch, this is invaluable. If you want to understand the effects of inclusions & what else you might use with purchased/prepared pulp, this is invaluable"

6. Teaching Hand Papermaking: A Classroom Guide by Gloria Zmolek Smith

The reviewer said about this book: "A wonderful, thorough, inspiring book that teaches as it teaches how to teach"

I hadn't heard about that last book at all, and now I lust it! I'm always happy to soak up some new tips for teaching. The plant fiber book is far too expensive for me (over $200), but I have to admit it's not a great interest of mine either. I like the idea of making paper from plant fiber, but I don't like the part where you have to boil the plant material in lye to kill off the green stuff and just get the fiber left behind. That's not too earth friendly! I don't like the idea of using energy to boil the plant material, and lye is so dangerous and caustic. I'd rather just use junk mail.

It's embarrassing to admit, but I haven't been keeping up with papermaking books. I find that the books are very expensive (at least, for my budget) and I tend to shop more at overstock or out of print booksellers where I can buy books at less than the publisher's price. As a result, I tend to get older books.

But this holiday season, I got a gift certificate to a bookstore, so I thought I'd do a little browsing and see if I could find some good recommendations. One woman compiled a list of nine books that she recommended, and she put the list on Amazon. Here's the first few titles on her list, and her comments about them.

1. Papermaking by Jules Heller

She said: "Must have been cutting edge  still compelling, superlative.  A source seeder. Wish  I had found it when I began. Far reaching. A must read and see."


2. The Art of Papermaking by Bernard Toale

She said: "Excellent, information packed, a good reference as well as how-to book, belongs in every collection, lots of images of artists' work. I return to the casting section."

3. The Art and Craft of Papermaking: Step by Step Instructions for Creating Distinctive Handmade Paper by Sophie Dawson

She said: "Packed with inspiration, how-tos, details, instructions & great images. A must for every papermaking and papier mache library - pulp painting, pulp spraying, sculptural techniques with paper. Wow!"

These are inexpensive books if they are bought used (less than $5 each) ... I'm making a list, and I'll search eBay and half.com for used copies. That second one intrigues me ... I'd like to learn more about casting.

I've got six groups for sale, so bear with me. Here's the next group of five Yule cards for sale. They are made on 100% post-consumer recycled paper cardstock, and the image is a genuine vintage postcard about 100 years old. They are blank inside, and have matching envelopes.



The next five scans are the five cards up close, plus a transcription of the front of the card, since the scans are not very clear.









Yuletide Greetings
(The basket is filled with holly and mistletoe.)









Ring out ye Merry Bells and bear, a Yuletide Greeting through the Year.
(I love the images in this ... ivy, bells, a horseshoe ... this is definitely to be sent by someone who has lots of good wishes for the recipient!)











Yule-tide Joys / Blessings bright as dew from heaven / Fall upon your way / Life's best gifts to you be given / This glad Christmas Day
(All right, so Christmas snuck in there ... but Yule is front and center!)










Peace and Goodwill / "Peace and goodwill" in your heart to-day / "Peace and goodwill" in your home alway, / And the morning song of the New Year still / Tender and glad, be "Peace and Goodwill" - H. M. Burnside








Peace on earth Good will to men
(That's mistletoe and holly on the card, so the message is that kisses bring peace and good will!)

All the cards are sharply and well printed; it's the photo that's fuzzy, not the cards! The postcards were all recycled, so they show some wear and tear on the edges or some light soiling from their first trip through the mailing system. Still, I think you would be well pleased with them.

Five cards, $5 plus $2 to ship. Paypal preferred. I'll mail them to you right away!

At Salem Open Studios a few weeks ago, I used the pages of several mail order catalogs to make origami boxes. The pages need to be cut into squares in order to make the boxes, but they were heavyweight and colorful and make nice sturdy boxes. One of them, a triangle box, sold that day.

I made some more to package holiday gifts, and these three to bring back to the bookstore today to help replenish their stock.



Are there any origami gurus in the Boston area? I've tried several times to make hexagonal boxes, but I can't get them assembled. It's so frustrating! I'd love to sit with someone who knows what they are doing and figure out what I'm doing wrong.

The octagonal boxes are rewarding. They aren't terribly tidy inside, but they don't look much better in the book. At least the outsides look good, even if they could use a dab of glue to tighten that top star. I think I'm going to use paper clips or binder clips to help hold the pieces together while I assemble them in the future.



The little box was frustrating. The directions on one of the folds was weird, so I took a guess on what they meant and probably guessed wrong. The inner lozenges are supposed to lie flat, but they don't. Still, I like the way it turned out; the 3-D effect on top is cute.

Triangle boxes are the best. They are easy to put together, and I love the way they look.

Almost old news at this point, but the show is still running for one more weekend. At the beginning of December, I did some papermaking and displayed some art at Salem Open Studios, and this is the postcard that was distributed to publicize the event.



The back of the card lists the artists, and has the address for the show. There were some terrific art pieces in this show, so if you are in the neighborhood in the next few days, I urge you to drop by and take a look.








There were some terrific collages in the show, which makes me ponder exploring collage work myself. I'm growing more intrigued by handmade books and altered books. I found an inexpensive used book on creating altered books recently, and it's also inspiring me to explore along these lines. I have an empty Mount Holyoke scrapbook and a lot of ephemera and photographs I could copy to use in an altered book. I think it would be a lot of fun to try.

How the days do rush by! I had two more sets of Thanksgiving/harvest cards to display, and never got around to it before Thanksgiving sped by me. If anyone is interested in harvest cards, just let me know and I show you the pictures.

Otherwise, onto the Yule cards. Here's a group of five Yule cards for sale. They are made on 100% post-consumer recycled paper cardstock, and the image is a genuine vintage postcard about 100 years old. They are blank inside, and have matching envelopes.



The following scans are the five cards up close, plus a transcription of the front of the card, since the scans are not very clear.









Yule-Tide Greeting












A Joyful Yuletide.












No text. (This is the one card that is not 100 years old; my guess is that it is less than 30 years old.)











With the Season's Compliments












Peace and Love / 'Neath thy soft touch of Peace and Love / Oh come glad Day our hearts to move / To truer Friendship-wide Good-will / For those who climb with us life's hill. - H. M. Burnside

All the cards are sharply and well printed; it's the photo that's fuzzy, not the cards! The postcards were all recycled, so they show some wear and tear on the edges or some light soiling from their first trip through the mailing system. Still, I think you would be well pleased with them.

Five cards, $5 plus $2 to ship. Paypal preferred. I'll mail them to you right away!

I posted the first five of a set of Thanksgiving/harvest cards that I made last time. Here is the next set. (I made four sets in all, so there are more to come.) I think this set may be my favorite, and you'll see why if you click the cut.



The following photos are scans of the individual cards and a transcription of the greeting if you can't quite figure it out from the picture.







I usually try to stay away from turkey cards, because they are so common. I like the Thanksgiving postcards that have a vegetarian harvest rather than a carnivorous one. But this card snuck in anyway because I liked the words: "Peace and Prosperity / Thanksgiving Greetings / Once again we are thankful for the privilege of this season's fullness. Therefore, let us all join in this festival and be glad, and happy and grateful for the blessings we have, and for the comforts of life which surround us on every side."


It says "Thanksgiving" in the smoke. Isn't this cool? Black cat, cauldron, mysterious smoke signals ... this card has it all!








"For summer's bloom and autumn's blight, For bending wheat and blasted corn, For health and sickness, Lord of light, And Lord of darkness, hear our praise. - J. G. Holland. / Best wishes for a Bright Thanksgiving"

Now is that not the neatest card? Praising the Lord of darkness! I just love it!!




What's not to love in this card. Check this out: "I salute thee, Miss Onion, the gallant radish said / Let us have one more round ere our spirits are dead / Ere our charms shall the Thanksgiving table enhance / O grant me, fair onion, this last Harvest dance."

A courtship song from a radish to an onion ... now when is the last time you've seen one of these??




"Joyful Thanksgiving / Now brightly shines he harvest moon / On the land of love and peace and plenty / May you enjoy good days and blessings / Not just a few, but heaps - yes many!"

None of these cards is blurry in real life! I'm just blowing up the card images in the photograph, and the photo isn't very clear. They are actually all printed well, but they do show signs of wear, like the black cat card having chips taken out in the cauldron's finish. They are genuine vintage cards, not color copies.

I really like these for greetings in the fall, especially if you have something you "harvest-y" to convey to someone. Tell them what makes you thankful, and tell them what you have accomplished this season. These are on 100% recycled card stock, and they are blank inside, with envelopes.

Five cards, five bucks, plus $2 for shipping. Paypal gets them in the mail to you tomorrow!

If you've ever browsed my Mount Holyoke website, you already know that I am enchanted by vintage postcards. I really love holiday postcards, and I've collected a small stack of damaged and discount cards from postcard dealers. My special interests are Easter cards that have a spring theme to them, Thanksgiving cards that have a harvest theme to them, and Yule cards (cards that say "Yule" rather than Christmas in the greeting). I have to dig a little to find them, but it's worth the pursuit to me.

Last night I made some Thanksgiving and some Yule cards. Anyone interested in some of them? Here's one set of Thanksgiving cards.



The photos following are scans of the individual cards and a transcription of the greeting if you can't quite figure it out from this picture.








"May you be thankful for many blessings on this happy holiday"








Thanksgiving greetings










"Just sending friendly wishes to you and yours for a very happy Thanksgiving"











"Thanksgiving / Now let the good old Crop adorn The Hills our Fathers trod; Still let us, for His golden Corn, Send up our Thanks to God."

(Of course, the postcard artist probably thought of Jehovah when writing that verse, but I think of the Lord of the Harvest.)








Thanksgiving greetings

None of these cards is blurry in real life! I'm just blowing up the card images in the photograph, and the photo isn't very clear. They are actually all printed well, but they do show signs of wear, like the Corn God card having a corner missing, and the first card being a little soiled. They are genuine vintage cards, not color copies.

I really like these for greetings in the fall, especially if you have something you "harvest-y" to convey to someone. Tell them what makes you thankful, and tell them what you have accomplished this season. These are on 100% recycled card stock, and they are blank inside, with envelopes.

Five cards, five bucks, plus $2 for shipping. Paypal gets them in the mail to you tomorrow!