Halloween Mail

I have been very behind in my correspondence–I was responding to letters from June, so it felt good to catch up with some of my pen friends. I think I like Halloween mail more than Christmas mail…maybe it’s just that it feels like there’s more time to attend to Halloween mail. At the last stamp show, I tried to collect some “scary” stamps. I was so excited to score the ten cent Legend of Sleepy Hollow ones, and I also picked up the Movie Monsters, Pharmacy, and Houdinis. I had the Alfred Hitchcock stamps leftover from a few years ago. Usually when I use vintage stamps, I leave the rest of the envelope blank so the stamps really pop, but I also bought a ton of great Halloween washi tape in Japan last year, so I was excited to use some of that too. Everything is still relatively simple…In my Halloween stash, I also found some unused decorated envelopes from one of Donovan’s mail art parties.I pulled this one out because it was basic enough to add vintage postage without too much distraction. The bats are from a torn napkin, so I slid the envelope into a plastic card sleeve (leftover from a birthday card I sent) and put the address on some vintage gummed tape that has the texture of bandages. (So spooky!)

In spite of my many, many stamps, I had Naoto pick up a few sheets of the latest USPS Halloween stamps. Have you seen them in person? They look fine on the website, but they have a bit of metallic shine that is very impressive in person. I’m looking forward to finishing out the month with those!

 

Church Lady

So, I’ve been at my job for three weeks now and so far so good. It is really hard being the new person…I haven’t been the new person in so long, I’d forgotten how unsure I would feel so much of the time as I get to know the rhythms and routines of a new place. But everyone is super nice and welcoming so I feel like I’m slowly getting my footing.

In case you didn’t notice by the title, I’m working at a church doing administrative work. It’s still part time, so I have plenty of time to devote to Galaxie Safari, but it’s more hours and more regular hours than my previous job, which is a good change. I really enjoy office work (Is that weird?) and I’ve been looking for an office job for quite some time, but it’s been difficult to find part time work with a company or organization that I felt good about. The church is very progressive (which matches my sensibilities.)

I have to tell you how serendipitous getting this job feels! In 2013, Anne from my book club passed away and she had been a member of this church. I went alone to her memorial service and noticed how diverse and friendly the congregation was. So many people got up and spoke so fondly of Anne, you could tell the community really valued her. So when I started looking for a new job, I was delighted to discover that the church looking for someone to work in the office was Anne’s church. I applied and interviewed (where we talked about Anne!) and got the job. The timing was perfect. The church is currently in a temporary location (at another church in the area) because they had a fire last year and are rebuilding. My commute is about a mile walk right now, and it will be about the same when we get back into our own church next spring. It’s a nice little stroll in the morning, that I’ve actually been enjoying, even in the cold. (But ask me again in January!) I get to walk through Mills Park, which is right by Pleasant Home where we used to hold book club and where I sell at Petite Boutique every November!

So I’m embracing a new routine, getting out of the house a little earlier in the mornings, and the discomfort of not knowing what I’m doing…some change is good, right?

In My Mailbox: Postal Coasters

Nic from Fiber & Wooly Arts sent me these oh so perfect mail themed coasters last week! Aren’t they so wonderful? Nic designed the patterns herself, making a wax seal envelope, an airmail envelope, and a mailbox! They are made of super soft cotton and are stitched and adorned with so much love! Right now, the mailbox is living on my freshly cleaned desk, the airmail envelope is heading to my new work desk, and the wax seal envelope is going by my bedside (so Presley can knock it down at 3AM.)

Nic and I are pen pals, so the mail coasters came as an extra treat in my order of pumpkin coasters, which are just as cute. I gave a set to my mom for her birthday this week and I bought myself some grey ones.

I know it’s been quiet around here lately as I’ve been adjusting to my new groove. What a change it has been to start a new job! I’ll share more about it later this week, but for now, have a good Monday!

It Feels Like Fall

I took this picture of Naoto last week when temperatures were still warm. It has been so cold ever since! We haven’t turned our heat on yet, but nights are cold and I’m wearing a jacket every time I leave the house. It’s amazing you can go from skirts and sandals to socks and jackets almost overnight. We had a light frost this past week, so I assume our garden is done…we need to go and clear off our dead plants, pick the last of the carrots, and plant our garlic so we can have a fresh start next year. I brought in all of the balcony plants I want to overwinter, so now I have to figure out where they’re going to live.

I’m looking forward to the weekend. Tonight, I’m going to a marujuana forum for Forest Park. Recreational marujuana is going to be legal in Illinois starting on January 1st so a lot of communities are deciding right now if having a dispensary or growing facility is right for them. It’s all been an interesting learning experience! Last time I live-tweeted it because it was so entertaining. And tomorrow is book club and live music at Goldyburgers! I can hardly wait!

Have a good weekend!

Moving On…

Today is my last day at my job. I’ve been working part time at a local paper store (turned national chain store) since 2007! I started out while I was still working at my old full time job, working during the holidays and on occasional Sundays. I took a year or so off somewhere in between then and 2010, but when I left my full time job in 2010, my old manager said she’d hire me back “until you figure out what you want to do next.” (It took me awhile…)

Since then, I’ve looked for other part time jobs, on and off, depending on my happiness level. (We’ve had a lot of managers during this time…transitions aren’t always good.) But I could never find something local and part time that was a good fit.

Last summer, our store got a really fantastic manager and work became fun again so I stopped looking. But all good things must come to an end–she got promoted to a bigger store (yay, Danny!) and everything has been in this weird flux since then. I don’t do well with change and a lack of transition plan…and so I started looking again.

I found something that I *think* will be a good fit. I don’t want to jinx it, because I start on Monday…but there are some good signs. I’ll tell you all about it once I get up and running.

In the meantime, I’m going to celebrate turning the page on this chapter and look forward to a quiet October weekend…

In My Mailbox: Vintage & Current

Happy October! (Obligatory can-you-believe-it’s-already-October comment here…) It has been so hot and humid here this week, it’s hard to believe it’s pumpkin weather. But, I know that’ll change soon enough. I’ve been super busy the past couple weeks preparing for Brookfield Fine Arts Festival and Music, Art, & Wine at Empowering Gardens, and applying to more shows this fall and winter…this month is going to be busy with preparations for that and some other changes I’ll talk about soon. For now, let’s talk about mail!

Recently in my mailbox, I was delighted with a surprise package from Robyn. She found this vintage Forest Park, ILL stamp at a flea market. Isn’t it fun? I’ve already used it on some mail. I made me curious to know when the post office changed to 2-letter abbreviations for states. It turns out it happened in October 1963 and it was because of the zip code! Apparently, in June 1963, the post office came up with a list of abbreviated state names, but it was too long for the 23-character limit of addressing equipment. So, they had to change it again in October. Weirdly enough, Illinois was Il. in 1831, and for some reason, they added an extra L from 1874-1963 and removed it again for the final 2-letter abbreviations we know today. And we are both fans of Schitt’s Creek and we convinced Katie to try it again when we all got together for gel plate printing, so the keychain is fitting. If you haven’t watched, I can’t recommend it enough. I was not crazy about the first part of Season 1, but I stuck with it and it’s totally worth it…it’s just so fabulous.

Also, how cute is the package Robyn sent?! It just made my day. Thanks, Robyn, for the treats and for prompting a little postal history lesson, too!