incoming: summertime!

I received this summertime mail from Mirjam. She crocheted a summer bag and she had put the bags and envelope inside the bag. A cool idea! So if you are looking for me, I'm at the pool, swimming!

Incoming: from Margrit

As a thank you for sending her a vintage magazine with a picture of a reading woman, Margit sent me this lovely package. She put it all in a mailbox size box which she decorated with pages from an old biology book. She sent me these vintage cardboard bobbins, I love and collect those. She also sent me some postcards, a schoolbook and some stamps. There was also a teabag included, but I drank that one straight away :-) because it smelled so lovely of cinnamon.

incoming: stationary heaven

On instagram Catherine who is a really busy mom of eight (yes, eight!!!) (let's give her some huge respect for that!!!), had done a huge stationary haul. She wanted to send some to me, even though I live overseas and shipping costs are quite high. How sweet is that! And look at the amazing stationary she sent me! If you are looking for me, I'm in stationary heaven right now.

Incoming: from Janien

From Janien I received these cool old indexcards she found at a castle she is working at currently. When a collection gets digitized, people tend to throw away the old indexcards. Luckily Janien saved some! She made a small collage on two of them and sent me some extra to use for a paper project. I really like this sort of stuff. The smell and feel, the dampspots, the handwriting. The picture on the collage is from Henry Moore, the godfather of modern sculpture.

Incoming: from Pedro the Penmaster

Pedro is a Mexican Penmaster in Copperplate and Spencarian style. Learning to write like that is something I would really like to learn, but probably far out of my reach. Since you need practice practice and practice. He wrote me this beautiful letter in this amazing handwriting. The detail on the envelope is gorgeous, even some gold dots on the letters. And sealed with a waxseal on the back (swoon!). The flourishing is really cool (the swirls and swings of the pen).  He also makes his own oblique penholders out of aluminium, how cool is that! I have to get my practice on now! In a serious kind of way!

Incoming: from Alice

When Alice asked me if I would be interested in doing a vintage swap, I didn't have to think long! I love vintage! She collects vintage sewing supplies, vintage jewellery, sunglasses, postcards, ephemera, etc etc. She sells them at a fleamarket occasionally. That would be really hard for me, to part with all that beauty. She sent me this lovely package from Belgium. It was all smelling so lovely like fresh soap, it's a pity that you can't capture a scent on a photo. I love it when I can make little vignettes out of things, and this parcel she sent me was perfect for some arranging. So here is an impression.

Incoming: vintage from Belgium

I just realised that I'm behind on posting stuff, this mail from Yves arrived in the beginning of April, and it's June now. Well, some catching up to do!
Yves is my Instagram friend and collects vintage stationary. After he posted the postcard in his feed, we wondered why in the olden days people put stamps on the front of the postcard instead of the back. And I still don't know really. Kinda curious. He remembered us discussing this (digital discussion) and sent it to me! I love it! I also like the vintage birth announcement of Pierre, which is vintage letterpress (where you can feel the print inside the paper with your fingers).

Incoming: Beauty from Poland

When I opened the envelope that arrived in my mailbox, I was really happily surprised! I didn't expect this inside, a careful and beautiful wrapped parcel from Ania. I knew I had to contain myself from just not opening this right away. I felt this needed good light and careful attention (does that sound weird? I always feel if someone really makes an effort, I feel like really making an effort in carefully unfolding the parcel).
The next day (after almost jumping up and down from excitement) I had peace and quiet and started to carefully unwrap the bear wrapping. Inside was this book tied together with ribbon. Yet again really beautiful. I could feel the attention to detail that was put in it. It turned out to be a folding book, like a harmonica. So it could be read on both sides. It was a penpal book to get to now a bit about Ania (I made one for her over here). And it was all so lovely put together, the photos don't even do justice to it all. Well it's a book that had to be experienced and felt, not to be photographed I guess. And I really felt it. It was so amazing that I cried a little while reading her letter. Just because I could feel the attention and honesty inside this, all the way from Poland.
It is so dear to me, that I have put it inside my glass cabinet, just to look at. I just don't want to take anything out it. It's just so in tune with itself. Pure beauty.

Incoming: Ephemera swap from Michelle

As I posted a couple of days ago what I have sent to Michelle, this is what I have received from Michelle a couple of weeks ago! A small simple box with lots of gorgeousness inside! Total beauty! There was this small package inside wrapped in tissuepaper (I love tissuepaper as you may know). Underneath was a bunch of glassine envelopes. My excitement was overflowing at that moment when I saw Dennison labels shining through! I might have jumped a little happy jump!
Inside the tissuepaper came some more happy jumping things. Two hands! I LOVE THEM!!!!! How amazing are those! Just totally! I have had them on my desk for a while, just to look at. But now I have put them on a shelf in my little cabinet on my desk where they look good too! They are called "Santos hands" and they look good just anywhere where I might put them. I feel really spoiled!
In the see through envelope are vintage Dennison linen tags. They were use for pricing clothes and linen in the olden days. Very special!
It's a total beauty, just everything. Can't wait tot start journalling again to use it all!

Incoming: Canadian paper swap

As a paperlover, I really love prints and vintage paper (ephemera). Jay from Halifax in Nova Scotia (Canada) has a same love of paper. She is a graphic designer who loves nature, so her work evolves around nature prints and the motto: Be Bold. I like bold statements. she has sent me this wonderful collection of paper! The owl print had to go up on my wall of black and white photographs to make a bold statement. I love this one! Oh, and yes, that blonde girl on the left with a toy guitar is me, taken in 1978. On the right is my daughter from when she was 2 years old. The papercrafted heart was a motherdays gift from last year :-)
Jay had sent me such beautiful prints! She also works as an eventmanager for autistic childeren. Can you believe it that care for autism is just not funded by the Canadian gouvernment? One of those children has made that red card with a bird on it, I think that's cool! Lots of ephemera to play with now!

Incoming: Thrifting swap part 3

Remember that thrifting swap from over here? This is what Maliea sent me as a part 1 of her swap (she decided on sending it in two parts, that would give her more time for thrifing hunting!). Inside this small box the postman handed to me were these wrapped beauties. Wrapped in tissuepaper, which I love, yes I do love tissuepaper! A small note and three tissuepaper wrapped items.

I saved some of the tissuepaper. It's vintage tissuepaper since it is from the seventies and turned out to be from Maliea's gran!

Inside the first tissuepaper wrapped parcels was a stack of old books.Three American childrenbooks and a fifties cooking book. That one was my favourite I think! One book still had a library ticket inside! Inside the cookbook there were some more hidden treasures, some ephemera! How do I love ephemera.

The other small item was a bit heavy! on top of it was a small brooch of a little dog (like the one Maliea owns herself). Inside were two bronze or brass piggies.

And the last item were some vintage handkerchiefs and a sort of seventies collar (the bottom one). So now I have to think of a cool project to use the books and hankies for!