Thursday, December 27, 2012

Holiday bonanza!

Thank you everyone, Dan, Debbie,Mayumi,Hideko Corinne and Fumiko.





Thursday, December 6, 2012

A snake bearing flowers.

Two cards from Yoshiko, the first is an early Christmas and New Year's card showing a cunning little snake, obviously friendly as he has brought me a gift of flowers!
The second card is a sprig of berries in very Christmas colours done in a watercolour style, they will both certainly be displayed very prominently in our home this Christmas.
Thank you Yoshiko and I wish you and your husband a very happy and healthy New Year.

Layers upon layers.

A big thank you to Fumiko for her brilliant Christmas card. It is done in her favourite style of Kiri-e or cut paper work. Each colour is a different layer cut out meticulously as to appear seamless.
Beautiful work Fumiko, than you.


Thursday, November 29, 2012

Two scents worth!

Two cards from Tatuaki, each of which illustrates something with a sublime smell!
First the onion, that ubiquitous ingredient, the aroma of which, when caramelised is one of the most wonderful on earth.

The second card speaks for itself.


Thank you Tatuaki.

Sunday, November 18, 2012

The many moods of Debbie, always thoughtful.

A cheerful New Year snake doing the Mexican (American?) wave.


And a glossy Raven a la  Poe. A late entry into the Halloween mood.

 Thanks Debbie and thank you for the kind words.

Shungo does Autumn!

And he does it so well!
Thank you Shungo.

Tuesday, October 30, 2012

My favourite pen collector!

Shungo who collects pens as his other hobby has perfected a style which carries all the energy that he puts into his work. The flowing script contrasts nicely with the jerky, restless lines of the image, another beauty!
Thanks Shungo.

Splat!

Tatuaki's autumn leaf card is made using a spatter technique, it is very lovely and delicate and the pink is one of the more subdued tints of the season but very effective.

A second card is of a lemon coloured fruit, delightfully simple and reflecting the reductive nature of etegami when practised by a great proficient.

Thank you Tatuaki!

Is it Autumn up there?

Rhetorical question, of course it is, else, why would I be the happy recipient of so may autumn themed cards!
This one from Matt in San Francisco, yes I even love SF when it's foggy (is it ever not foggy?). Matt has sealed his card with his charming signature bicycle stamp but I really would rather he made a stamp of himself riding the bike in his kilt!

Thanks Matt.

Thursday, October 25, 2012

Mmmm Chocolate.

From Lisa in West Australia comes this traditional etegami illustrating a memory from her childhood.  Lisa's late Grandmother was very fond of this chocolate (Bertie Beetle) and Lisa found it in a showbag at the local agricultural show so she bought it in memory of her gran.
Thank you Lisa.

Monday, October 22, 2012

The balloon goes up!

This cheerful circular etegami from Fumiko is ready to hang, and I shall put it on my wall immediately.
Done on recycled card it is just the thing to brighten up  my house as well as demonstrating that what constitutes an etegami can be quite flexible while still giving a nod to the rules.
Thank you Fumiko.

Thursday, October 11, 2012

Arigatou Tohru.

A first exchange from Tohru from Kirishima city Japan. Tohru is a very prolific etegami maker, always something from him on the Etegami Fun Club page on Facebook.


Thank you Tohru, happy to have a new friend in the etegami world.

Wednesday, October 10, 2012

Merci Corinne.

Merci Corinne, thank you for the pumpkin, just in time for Halloween!

Lovely subtle colours.

Tuesday, October 9, 2012

So sorry.

Yes sorry about the fact that the Australian quarantine is so strict. Fumiko sent me a couple of sparkly cards and she enclosed a few cotton plant seeds with the cards. Unfortunately, they are a prohibited import and were destroyed. My warning about this came too late as Fumiko had already sent the seeds in response to my comment on the Etegami Fun Club page about cotton plants being very nostalgic for me as I had worked with them at a research station as a teenager. It was a lovely thought for her to send them but....
I am consoled by the cards she enclosed.

The painting of a cotton boll which prompted my comment.


I think this flower was meant to go the other way but I can make it bigger this way.
Thank you Fumiko for your kind thought.

Friends forever!

Thank you Hideko for the THREE lovely etegami plus several blank cards for me to use and some pretty postcards by a Japanese artist. Blank etegami postcards are a great gift as they are impossible to buy here in Australia and require much effort to order from Japan sight unseen. So thank you for that thoughtful gift Hideko.
 Hideko was a bit concerned that I was upset that she had not sent cards earlier, anytime is fine by me when cards like this arrive so friends forever seemed like a good heading for this post.

Hear no evil, see no evil and speak no evil, very good advice if a little difficult to follow sometimes..we can only try.

A rose, is a rose, is a rose...especially when Hideko paints it. I have often remarked that it is among the most difficult of flowers to paint well but her roses are unfailingly lovely.

Last but not least is this etegami of two figs, simply superb.

Thank you Hideko.

Thursday, October 4, 2012

Snail mail delivers....

A snail!
As well as this delightful etegami, Carolyn from Victoria included in her package a cloth worked in Sashiko and a fun keychain collection of delightful things which you can see on my other blog. I really appreciate a gift of handmade things as I know the time and creativity invested in them.


Thank you Carolyn, you're a natural at this.

Double take.

Mayumi has sent me two lovely etegami  but wait, there's more, she has done one more on the back of each. One is an early Halloween pumpkin and the other a drawing of a slice of cake she received as a gift., delicious looking but it was actually a washcloth folded to look like cake! This 'trompe l'oeil' packaging is common in Japan, the land of all things beautifully packaged.


 Thank you Mayumi.

Wobbly bits.

Yep this card from Alison in Washington DC has some deliberately wobbly bits, it is a cutdown from a bigger painting but makes a great etegami!
In the tradition of etegami her opening sally in our postcard sending friendship is about the weather. I sure wish I could be there  in the mountains of the east coast of America to see the gorgeous fall colours. I expect after such a hot dry summer they will be magnificent.
Thank you Alison (did you see the little ant stamp? it is a play on Alison's name in Japanese).

Tuesday, September 25, 2012

Okay, no skinny dipping,

That seems to be the message from Shay in Hawaii who has sent me some thongs (AKA flip flops, zoris) to go with the Hawaiian shirt she sent me earlier. I am almost dressed for the beach, now I need the swimmers! (that's Australian for bathers or swimming costume).
She has kindly included a frangipani (plumeria) for my hair so I should cut a fine figure this year. Thanks Shay, I love your very distinctive style.


FANtastic!

Sorry, couldn't help myself but who wouldn't love this fan shaped etegami of an ear of corn in a handmade frame from Debbie in Hokkaido? Not only that but also a few of the fan shaped washi cards to try for myself..how good is that?
The other thing in my surprise package is a truly lovely drawing of wolves with accompanying quote. I wonder if this may be a comment on life in Japan where conformity is seen to be the answer? Just a thought.
Debbie has a talent for making animals appear soft and furry without delineating the hair or feathers, awesome.

The corn has a light wash of gold paint which does not show up in the scan but animates the whole thing.
Thank you Debbie.

A loaf of Bread, a jug of wine and...

Oh wait, in this case it is a fish and a nice warm comfy place to snooze!
The simple life is many things to many people, for me at the moment it is pottering in my miniscule veggie garden. However it is nice to be able to rush inside and Google up that pesky orange bug that is sucking the life out of your tomatoes. Not such a simple life perhaps but clearly Linda's cats in Hawaii have nailed it! Of course they have servants to attend to the menial tasks like earning money and cleaning out the litter trays!
As may be evident, I love handmade stamps and this is so fun.
Thanks Linda.

Thursday, September 20, 2012

Fumiko, the generous!

Fumiko has sent me not only this lovely cut paper card (Kirie-E) but some of her precious handmade postcards to use. Our last collaboration using her cut paper flowers was a lot of fun and  now I have to think of worthy ways to use these cards.

 Thanks Fumiko.

Where are my castanets?

This card from Patricia in California had me dancing right into the kitchen to make some "Gwaka-mole".
Funnily enough, my first taste of avocado was in California in the 1960's and I really loved it. Coming back to Australia they were almost unobtainable and then very expensive but now they are a part of most people's diet.
Good one Patricia and thank you for the message on the back.


Thank you Australia Post! NOT!

A lovely delicate card from Lisa in Western Australia which unfortunately bears the Australia Post trademark of an orange stripe.
On any other card it would not matter so much but I really like the delicacy of this one and the orange just does not add anything to it. Never mind, just part of the "mailing it thing".


Thank you Lisa for the card and the kind words on the back.

Friday, September 14, 2012

Swanning around.

Its a very feathery place the Etegami Fun Club page on Facebook at the moment, swans and owls abound and Fumiko has sent me this lovely cut paper swan. It is layered with a sparkly background simulating water...very nice!

Thank you Fumiko.

The Owl meme.

There is a bit of an Owl theme going around at the moment and Shungo has sent me a beauty!!

Thanks Shungo.

Sunday, September 9, 2012

Cockle shells from Brittany.

Corinne wishes me a happy Summer as she goes into Autumn. I shall certainly try to make the most of it and although I am not a "Beach Babe" I do enjoy the seashore and looking at the tidal pools to see the shells and crabs and other creepy crawlies. I will prop this card up on my desk to remind me to "take five" and drive the 5 minutes to the beach, something I do not do often enough. Thanks for reminding me Corinne.


Holy Hollyhocks Dude!

Yep, getting deep into pop culture of a former gentler time here with an aficionado of the genre. Dan the Dude who is slowly educating me in the way of Zen and Buddhist thinking  keeps a toe in the down and dirty world of movies and TV and has sent me this card which resonates with me. I do need to constantly, consciously relax and remember that there are people who love  me for who I am (well one long suffering individual at least!).
"Live long and prosper" Dude and congrats on that eight year anniversary you recently celebrated.
Thanks Dan.

Tuesday, September 4, 2012

Patricia.

Patricia's card of a fluffy cat who sinks luxuriantly into the  paper with all of the weight of it's inherent dignity is splendid. I am appreciative of it's majesty, even though I am really a confirmed dog person!

Thank you Patricia.

Yoshiko.

Two cards from Yoshiko today, a wonderful coffee cup with Rosellas illustrating the everydaymatters task,"your cup" and a delicate painting of crepe myrtle celebrating summer. Thank you so much Yoshiko san!


Fumiko

Fumiko's card is an illustration of the everydaymatters task, a "piece of (traditional) jewellery" which is local to her area. What is  not apparent from the scan is the glitter livening up this card, well done Fumiko!


The darkest hours...

The darkest hours can stand a little light, those with insomnia or pain will know how even a glimmer gives some hope of the dawn.
Debbie's illustration of a quote from Robert Frost has an interesting subtext, the use of a lamp associated in our minds with Biblical times. She has used the technique she has been experimenting this summer to good effect, the little lamp seems to glow. Thank  you Debbie.


Thursday, August 30, 2012

A pumpkin in peril.

Shungo's stamp of a pumpkin is obviously heading into a storm in this card. The bravura slashes of ink and spatter are typical of Shungo who continues to push the boundaries of etegami. Nice one Shungo!

Chasing rainbows.

Fumiko's little dog Tororo who is so dear to her has obviously provoked the sending of this card to Buster his Facebook friend.
I know what it is like, forever chasing rainbows, maybe the payoff is not there but the fun is in the chase!
Thank you Fumiko (and Tororo).