musings | texting vs. notes

when i was younger, specifically when i was a youth, we wrote notes to each other in class. and not only did we write them, we folded them into complex shapes and wrote cryptic messages on them like "FYEO" and "WBASAP." truly - note writing was a whole...production! it passed the time, and made us feel wiley beneath the teacher's watchful eye (they'll never know what we're doing...they'll never be able to unfold this contraption or decode "FYEO").

so i thought...since i make writing paper and envelopes for one person to write notes to another...wouldn't it be cute to have stationery with all those acronyms on them? except when i went looking for them online all i could find was today's acronyms for text messaging. sites that cater to parents wanting to understand their child's world. and it occurred to me that of course girls don't do note writing nowadays. i mean, i don't know the rules of cellphones in high school but why would you write a note when you could just text your girlfriend? and apparently, although there are only a small handful, these acronyms below are the last vestige of days gone by.

tell me which ones you remember, which ones you like best and which you think would look great on envelopes and writing paper!

FYEO
for your eyes only

AFK
away from the keyboard (this one isn't vintage, i just thought it would be ironic)

ASAP
as soon as possible

CNP
continue in the next post (again, irony - because post is one of those that became a tech word but is also a pun for the mail/post)

CWYL
chat with you later

DQMOT
don’t quote me on this

DTC
darn the (this) computer (not irony...just straight up honesty!)

F2F
face to face

GTTU
good talking to you

IRMFI
i reply merely for information

KIT
keep in touch

LAK
love and kisses

MWBRL
more will be revealed later

SWAK
sealed with a kiss

TMI
too much information

TOY
thinking of you

TTYL
talk to you later

TWMA
till we meet again

WBS
write back soon

suggestions:

TTFN
ta ta for now!

LYLAS
love ya like a sister

snail mail | vintage books, florals + belle & boo!

i've been having so much fun with my new "toys"! and by toys, i mean papers, tapes and embellishments. using some floral and vintage style papers, i created the pieces below. i hope they make both the post people and the receivers happy. they should arrive just after all the pretty holiday shipments have ended!

with all of my long distance holiday gifts, i included my note on one of these beautiful winter themed belle & boo postcards. i am so in love with this belle & boo stationery that i just bought some more in their etsy shop!

me | the eve of christmas eve

pinterest via

so it's the eve of christmas eve and since my family has always celebrated christmas the german way (dinner and gifts and celebration on the 24th) tomorrow is my christmas. and since i always enjoy the anticipation of events even more than the events...today is my christmas eve!

i am in such a good mood right now. it's the last day of a pop up shop i'm running for a local artist and everyone who comes in seems to be slightly stressed. but not me. i'm listening to a cd i created called "the best christmas cd ever" and i've finished all my gifts, mailed them to my loved ones and even saved a few stocking stuffers to wrap on purpose so that i feel festive tomorrow! i'm looking forward to a lot of days off work, some delicious german schnitzel and kartoffelsalat and lots of hugs with my love. oh and gifts!! i love hearing what people thought of my gifts to them and it's fun to receive them too...oh boy oh boy!

and with that puppy like excitement, i leave you with this amazing classic christmas playlist.

snail mail | christmas cards woohoo!

i meant to post this earlier this week but i had a sneaking suspicion i was going to receive more christmas cards...and i was right! (not everyone can be as disturbingly organized as me when it comes to these things...) i just love receiving christmas cards and since i'm lucky enough to have a mantle - we got them all on display! (as long as they don't block the tv husband says...).

creator | frighten

i'm always very attracted to collage artists - whether actual or digital. frighten is the anthropomorphic print shop of photoshop genius mari. in her about page she describes the process of creation - which involves collecting vintage photographs, cleaning them up and finally adding her special "finishing touches." i love when she writes "working with photos this old often feels like i am working with ghosts, and i sometimes think about what the people in the photos would think about what i'm doing to them." well...needless to say i love it!

shop frighten

art | amy hamilton

tell me isn't the type of art you want on your walls? dreamy, mysterious, feminine and masculine lines bleeding into each other... in amy hamilton's collection of prints on society 6 it was hard for me to pick a favourite! (or four favourites as it were...)

amy hamilton

musings | 2012, 2013

well 2012 - you certainly have not been the most boring year of my life - that's for sure. when i decided to write this post and i was tossing around thoughts in my head - for a second i actually thought "it's possible this has been the worst year of my life." but i immediately retracted it. not only because i can think of so many things that would make a year worse, but because there were also some real highlights. or rather, not highlights but more of a slow burn of joy, inspiration and learning.

in 2012 i realized that one job i loved was not conducive to my mental health. i learnt that another job i loved would have an expiration date. in 2012 my career - which finally felt like it was going somewhere positive - actually took a nosedive. in 2012 my grandfather passed away, and i watched another man who is like a grandfather to me, slowly fade away. in 2012 i gained more weight than i ever thought possible, and experienced sickness and pain over and over again. in 2012 my gross wage dropped dramatically and stability became a thing of the past. in 2012 i felt scared, unattractive and lost.

in 2012 i was given opportunities to enhance my skill set and take on more responsibility than i've ever had at a job. in 2012 my career reached it's most impressive point and left me with a resume i am incredibly proud of. in 2012 i learnt that my family and friends have an endless amount of love and support to offer me. in 2012 i realized that i am more than my outer appearance. for some time i shed both make-up and self destructive thoughts. in 2012 i came to see that i am stronger than i thought. in 2012 i saved more money than i ever have in my entire life. in 2012 i was loved, comforted and inspired.

for 2013 and i want so much. it will be a year of change for me, i can feel that already. i hate change but i can see that it's necessary and so i am going to go with the flow. these changes may cover a variety of things including health, friends, family, career, home and finances. some things i hope to have a hand in...and the others - well, i'll continue to learn how to take what is handed to me.

patience made | mail art craft packs

i recently found some amazing new papers and embellishments so i figured it was the perfect time to create some new mail art craft packs!
i'm never entirely sure what people do with these (though i encourage mail art!) as long as they are being creative i am happy as a clam!

get your own paper pack here!

art | ugallery favourites

buying art online can seem weird. but here's the thing...so few people are going to art galleries these days. and even less to commercial galleries - because even though i think they rock, it seems inevitable that people will feel awkward and and pressured inside them. so the solution is clearly to shop online! and with awesome sites like ugallery for example, it's easier than it's ever been. i'm so impressed with how well they are able to capture paintings in a real life way. see the last photograph in this post - you can literally see the texture and dimension of the paint on the canvas. and hey, if that's not good enough...you're allowed to try the piece out for a whole week!

ugallery is offering my readers 15% off with the coupon code isavirtue15. if you've never ordered art online before, this is the perfect opportunity to give it a shot. you may even find some awesome prints to give as christmas gifts!

talia rainyk. eyes. photography.

menno van der meulen. dominique. photography.

gabriel schama. vanity mirror. print.

maria tanikawa. inversion circle no. 3. mixed media on paper.

valerie chiang. pier at sunset. photography

kristen spencer. night & day. acrylic on canvas.

musings | sitting still

over the weekend my husband took me to a blues concert. doesn't that sound cool and chic and creative? yes, i was also very impressed when he made the decision and even bought the tickets all by himself. what initiative i said! how sexy i thought!

i had a good laugh then, when i found out why he wanted to go so bad. you see, from 1992-1998 there was a fantasy television series called "highlander." it's about immortals who must fight each other to death because as the catchline states... "there can only be one." fantasy is totally not my thing so i'm cracking up at the concept and the cheesy nineties special effects whenever jon puts it on. turns out one of the main characters in the show - jim byrnes - is also a gifted blues musician. see how it's all coming together?

anyways, this post is not actually about jim byrnes, i just think my husband's nerdiness is cute and got sidetracked by that for a bit. the point of this musings post is my inability to sit still. during the whole opening act, and even a large majority of the main show, i felt so antsy and agitated. at first i couldn't figure out why - because the music was amazing (btw, check out the music of "babe gurr"). but then i realized it was because i wasn't multi-tasking!

there would be short sections of time (an amazing violin solo, a beautiful harmonic coming together of voices, or a hilarious story from the 70's told between songs) when i was completely engrossed. but at other moments i kept wishing i could be at home, watching this on tv...so that i could knit, craft, create, chat, browse online...or whatever. the point is that i didn't feel productive.

i'm a little depressed by the fact that my life, my generation and the technology thats surrounds me every day has made me into this person who doesn't know how to relax. to sit still, to do nothing essentially. 

by the end of the concert, i started to get the hang of it. but despite the fact that i had a really great time, once it was over i couldn't wait to get home and start work on a new project i had been thinking about...

snail mail | oops \ papered thoughts faves

i'm so heartbroken because last week i made about six beautiful pieces of mail art...but then i accidentally mailed them! or should i say, i mailed them without first taking photographs. and i know i don't have the proof but i must say they were some of my best and most colourful pieces to date.

well at least the receivers will enjoy them!

in the meantime, i thought i would share some of my recent favourites by one of my favourite mail artists - rin dawson of papered thoughts:

creator | oh NO rachio

i wanted to feature oh no rachio today because more and more i've been thinking about doing something with my own personal handwriting. now, mine and oh no rachio's are about as different as you can get, but i thought it would serve as inspiration to see how another artist incorporates hand lettering into her work!

oh NO rachio