up and coming: SFZF 2015!

It’s that time of year again: San Francisco Zine Fest time! Taking place September 6^th, 2015 at the SF County Fair Building in Golden Gate Park, this year’s DIY extravaganza is gearing up to be something else.

Just like last year, Miz Happenstance and I will be sharing a table! And also (just like last year) I can pretty much guarantee that I’ll have a riot of rubber stamps, postal mayhem, and brightly colored goodies for you to look through!

I’ve managed to put together full sets of issues 1-4 of Red Letter Day…

…as well as some new copies of Posted (a zine all about artistamps and why I make them.)

(I’ve got a couple new things I’m hoping to get put together before the event.)

I’ll also have a selection of Red Handed Rubber Stamps on the table for your delight and consideration! Pro tip: it’s NEVER too late to consider your rubber needs for Halloween and the holidays. Interested in a placing a “special order” and picking up at the Fest? Get in touch (redhandedrubber@gmail.com) and let me know what I can bring to SFZF especially for YOU!

Alrighty: it’s back to the studio for me – of course I’m burning the midnight oil for the next two weeks!

–JH

PS: details about SFZF 2015 can be found at their website: www.sfzinefest.org. Two items of note: 1) SFZF2015 is a ONE DAY EVENT this year and 2) BART will not be running the weekend of September 5^th and 6^th. You’ve been warned!

 

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what’s not to love? rubber stamp camp in novi,mi. …

epic cloudscape, downtown detroit

I’m back from vacationing through the “Land of Endless Clouds”: Michigan! Many thanks to RLD readers who sent bon voyage postcards to my mailbox — YAY! What a wonderful thing to arrive home to – postal pals in my mailbox! You guys are the BEST!

“Still Life: A Letter Rack” (1692) artist: Edward Collyer; seen at: the Detroit Institute of Arts

I had big plans to do a write up about visiting the Heirloom Productions rubber stamp show in Novi, MI on August 1st. Revv’d up and ready to see some awesome, I ventured thru the doors of the convention center and was dazzled by the array of paper, vendors, color, and stamps. (It was the first time I’d ever been to a convention like that…)

searching for Capelli at John King Books…

However: I was thwarted in my plans.

Each time I queried a vendor about snapping a booth/product photo (all the while explaining that I was interested in doing a write up for my blog) I was politely told that the vendor didn’t allow photos. After going through this scenario a couple different times, I decided “meh.” I mean, what use is a blog post about delicious rubber stamps if there are no photos of delicious rubber stamps?!?!

elevator existentialism…

So. That was a bit disappointing.

But: I did discover a gem of a stamper, tucked amongst all the decorative papers and mixed media mayhem! Chuck Knock of Grey Wolf Graphics has a fantastic selection of faux postage rubber stamps, perfect for all your mail art envelopes, postcards, and artistamp work.

a sampling of faux postage imagery from Grey Wolf Graphics

Chuck illustrates all of the rubber stamps produced by Grey Wolf Graphics; the GWG website states that he was involved in “illustrating many of General Motors’ owner’s manuals as well as most of the ones for American Motors.” You would never mistake a Gray Wolf rubber stamp for any other, due to the beautiful line work and illustrative quality of Chuck’s imagery — one of the very reasons why I was immediately smitten with ALL of their rubber stamps!

the Grey Wolf “thanks” stamp in action; awesome “mail call” stationery from JU13!

Needless to say, I left a fair amount of my “allowance” at the Grey Wolf booth. Each rubber stamp is beautifully mounted on a hand-turned wooden block; the deep etch red rubber takes ink wonderfully and leaves a fantastic impression. These rubber stamps are a welcome addition to any rubberhead’s collection! (unmounted stamps are also available.)

rubber stamp haul from Grey Wolf; some mounted, some unmounted…

Hey — look how that happened! Even though I said I wasn’t really going to do a write up of the rubber stamp show, it looks like I still managed to do a write up of the rubber stamp show. I’ll leave you guys with a fun YouTube video from Diane Dimich of DD Stamps: a fast and easy painter’s tape technique which can be used on all of those “final month of summer” postcards.

Stay tuned: next week I’ve got fun announcements on the way, as well as a roster of new classes and going-ons!

Keep it postal!

–JH

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you like rubber stamps…don’t you?

Over at the Red Handed Rubber Stamp blog, I mentioned that October 2014 has been a month (so far) of pumpkin pie, production, and non-stop creativity. October (for me) always seems to be chock full of things-going-on, but somehow this particular October has been exceptional.

I’ve been whittling away on Mt. Correspondence and am happy to report that mail from Ex Postal Facto seems to be caught up — believe it or not! There were postal gems to be found at the bottom of that mountain and I’ve finally managed to return-reply to every single one (as far as I know!)

The “production” part of late September/early October has consisted of full-speed-ahead work for Red Handed Rubber. Halloween is currently a smashing success and — what can I say? — Christmas is right around the corner. (ho ho ho, indeed!) Right now, every spare thought is crammed full of sugar plum fairies, striped stockings, and dancing candy canes. Keep your eye on the RHR blog, as that’s where I’ll be posting new designs.

However: we’re still in October and Halloween (my favorite) looms on the horizon. For you, dear RLD readers, I have something that’s all treats (no tricks!); I’d like to invite each and every single one of you to:

That’s right! Join Yellow Owl Workshop, Leavenworth Jackson, and Red Handed Rubber (that’s me!) — among others — this coming Saturday at Flax in San Francisco for a rubber stamp-o-rama! I have it on good authority that there will be demos and make-n-takes, as well as a whole lot of stamp-y goodness — free for everyone. Come get your fingers inky — I’ll have special Halloween themed postcards for you to stamp up!

(details about the event can be found here.)

Hope to see you there —

–JH

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trust me: it’s time to visit SF’s muji store…

can it be? is it true?

Perhaps you know that San Francisco has a Muji store (the eponymous Japanese “lifestyle goods” brand). Located in a neighborhood I rarely frequent, I found myself passing through last week. Thinking out loud, my rationalization went something like this: “They have nice pens for writing, good for airplane travel; I should really pick up another one (or three) since I’m here.”

Little did I realize.

examples of work created by Muji staffers…

Muji has a rubber stamp buffet. That’s the best description I can give you. Rows and rows and rows of oversize rubber stamps, there for shoppers to use — this must be what heaven looks like, if you’re someone like me/us. Once you purchase a grey tone file folder, a journal with creamy lined paper, and a set of kraft paper brown postcards (whoops! did I just give myself away?), you are free to stamp to your heart’s content.

they make it sound so easy (and it is!)…

Granted, some of the rubber stamps had been used more than others , so the ink was faint in spots. But the Muji staff was excited by the fact that I was so excited; after a bit of discussion, we were all stamping postcards to send away to friends and family. What better way to celebrate National Card and Letter Writing Month?

my hero!

Muji is located at 540 9th Street, in the SoMa neighborhood. It is a hop/skip/jump from SF Center for the Book; why not plan an outing? Afterwards you can always run by Arch to satisfy your urge for beautiful pens.

–JH

 

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vacation mail? who said anything about a vacation?!?!

those lydia mendoza stamps are SMOKIN’…

I have returned from the great state up north (Oregon) where I had a most excellent time teaching at the Focus on Book Arts Conference. All of my students were enthusiastic and ready-to-bind, even in overly warm classrooms (it was in the 90s all weekend!) The conference organizers were helpful and well practiced in the ways of running a two day event. I met some of my book arts heroes! What more can a girl ask for? (ed. –> cake.)

you know that feeling when you return home from vacation?…

I was happy to get back to SF, since I have a mountain of projects staring me in the face. But before I could do any sort of work, I had to get down to business.

that feeling of “it’s so good to be home, but DAMN this place is a wreck…”

“Business” meant cleaning, sorting, and organizing the studio. Stacking, piling, putting things into boxes. (ed. –> that will be a whole post in-and-of-itself, in the future) For the time being: I’m a whirling dervish of organization…

And that means great things for RLD readers!

sigh…

As you may know (or suspect), I have a studio full of things that are delicious, postally speaking. Gridded paper, address books from the ’40’s (pristine!), rubber stamps from Japan: I’ve got it all and then some. Many items I’ve been holding on to for years; some things have been acquired via trips to Tokyo. Other items just find their way to my house. (ed. –> you know how it goes.)

Now the time has come to send some of these first rate goodies out into the world, let other correspondence kids and mail art aficionados put them to good — no, GREAT— use.

somehow, I managed to get a few things sent out this week…

On Friday, July 19th I’ll be updating the RLD store with a handful of new product — a little something for everyone! Quantities are limited and some items are “one off’s”; I’ve only got one, and when it’s gone, it’s gone so get ’em while they’re hot! Preview photos and prices are currently posted in the RLD store, so feel free to wander over and take a look.

As a bonus: each order placed through August 1st will receive an additional present and I’ll give you a hint: it’s a postal related zine!

without you, I’m nothing…

So there you have it! Sort of like Christmas in July, in a manner of speaking. I can guarantee you’ll find a little treat for yourself and you won’t have to bake a single fruitcake…

In all things postal —

–JH

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if rock ‘n roll was a rubber stamp, this is what it would look like…

Vincent Sardon of Tampographe Sardon…

I’ve been a long time fan of the work of Vincent Sardon/Tampographe Sardon in Paris. His sharp wit and politically charged rubber stamps are in a category all by themselves. (warning: there’s lots of sex, drugs, and rock ‘n roll involved in these rubber stamp designs so if you have delicate sensibilities, don’t say I didn’t warn you…)

sort of like falling into a trance…

If you’re into rubber stamps like I’m into rubber stamps, you’re probably always on the prowl for something different, that perfect one. It can be a pretty exciting day when you find a stamp designer unlike any other; often single rubber stamp can inspire a whole new project or approach. When I first heard of Vincent Sardon’s work, I knew I had to see more.

oh yes…oh yes indeed (via the Tampographe Sardon website)

You can be certain that a Sardon-designed stamp is unlike anything you’ve ever seen: sometimes shocking, darkly humorous, brash and bold.

it’s a delicious on the inside as it is on the outside…

Last year, a monograph of Sardon’s work was published by L’Association in France (see cover photo above), in conjunction with a showing of his work at the Gallery Nabokov in Paris. Chock full of incredible photos and visual puns, this was definitely one of my favorite book purchases of last year. (FYI: the book is written in french, so…)

via the Tampographe Sardon FB page…

I always love to see artists “in process”: brainstorming ideas, working in the studio, continuously experimenting. Take a look at the video below; you can get a peek inside Sardon’s studio (a.k.a “The Crypt”) as he goes from drawings on paper to finished rubber stamp — it’s quite a process!

 

So there you have it — one of my inspiration heroes! For all you RLD readers out there: who inspires you to create/make/send? Which five artists or designers would you sit down to dinner with, and why?

–JH

–visit the  Tampographe Sardon store to see the full range of rubber stamps

 

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thrills! excitement! office supplies! (tokyo edition)

this is about the size and space of my studio in SF…

Hello RLD readers!

I’ve returned from my stationery safari in the far-away wilds of Tokyo, and am happy to report that pen, paper, and ink are alive and well. On this particular trip, I was able to spend time at some of my favorite usual haunts, (Seikaido, Yuzawaya, Tokyu Hands) as well as visit some new hideouts (Yamada Stationery, 36 Sublo).

…although the seats aren’t as comfortable.

Let’s face it: flying economy class isn’t as glamorous as flying first class. However, on this flight, I managed to have a middle seat all to myself, so I could spread out and work on projects for the entirety of the 11 hour flight – that felt pretty first class!

ahh, shinjuku…

Once you get through the hustle and bustle of Narita customs and all, it takes awhile to get into Tokyo proper (about an hour and a half.) By the time I made it to Shinjuku, the evening lights of the neighborhood were going strong. Under the main train tracks, Yakitori and ramen stalls were in full swing; everything smelled delicious and wonderful and exactly as I remembered it.

so beautiful! so round!

But a girl’s gotta stay awake those first few hours in town, no matter how badly she wants to go to sleep! (this is the best way, trust me…) So it was off to a handful of within-walking-distance train stations, to look for “eki stamps” (駅のスタンプ) – large sized rubber stamps which reside at Tokyo Metro stations.

don’t forget! bring your own ink pad…

Like a scavenger hunt for people like us, these rubber stamps are often hidden out of the way near a ticket booth or the exit gates. You can stamp in specially designed Tokyo Metro collector books or (if you’re like me) you bring along sheets of paper which later become postcards which you send to your friends! Here’s a tip: I always have an ink pad with me, because the “public” ink pads are usually pretty dried up.

i couldn’t resist the rabbit…

More walking, picking up a snack from the convenience store and heading back to the hotel. I was noticing a lot more sticker slapping this trip: all types and kinds of stickers by global graffiti artists appeared on the sides of vending machines, tunneled walkways, posts and poles.

this looks like a dream-state board game, in which all the rules are made up as one goes along…

And as always: beautifully arranged items, on display in alcoves and alleys. These are labels from saké bottles…

I made it back to the hotel and immediately fell asleep, dreaming of all the bento lunches and ink pens I was sure to discover during the next few days.

OMG! OMG! OMG!

(of course! I passed a cat café the next morning – you too can have a pet for a few hours…)

Upcoming: strolling through Jinbocho (used book town), mail art at Tokyo’s postal museum, and riffling through vintage envelopes at 36 Sublo – stay tuned!

–JH

to read more about Japanese rubber stamp/hanko culture, take a look at Densha de Japan‘s write up…

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a birth(day) or in no uncertain terms, a !week! of birthday…

a delicious stack of mail, outgoing…

I love using those “Celebrate!” postage stamps. I mean, there are so many DIFFERENT things to celebrate at this time of year that it’s hard to choose just one. For example, RLD readers could take a moment to revel in the beauty of this rubber stamp carousel:

(given to me by Mom ‘n Dad, who always find the PERFECT presents; it was used at a post office counter in upstate NY…)

Or perhaps bask in the satisfaction of a day well spent at the studio! Completing this group of “outgoing” postcards and such, it felt great to see them gathered together, waiting to be placed in a blue box…

satisfaction guaranteed!

Rubber stamp kits like the one below are always cause for merriment. Sometimes I like to relax by hand-setting rubber stamp type:

I think the old school, 1950’s look of the lettering (when printed) is a good fit for a lot of the work that I put together…

my flux-y alter ego…

Needless to say, I could paint the town red every single hour of the day — eating cake, drinking champagne, and pressing rubber stamps to paper. For now, I’ll just say a hearty “thank you!” to everyone who sent a little something my way for this past week’s birthday. The postal concoctions which grace my PO box are always cause for celebration!

–JH

PS: next week’s write up will come to RLD readers via Tokyo — what Aries person in their right mind would miss a chance to whoop it up in an exotic, stationery filled locale? Not I!!!

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analog worlds in a very binary sort of way…

coffee, airmail envelopes, and glue sticks: ready to settle down to work!

Sometimes, I have a problem with sequence. Example: I have a hard time deviating from numerical sequence or stepping outside of something, once I’m in the middle of it. Reading books out of order drives me crazy — I’d rather hunt down all the volumes of a series before I even consider diving into reading Book #1. Because the question that begs to be asked is this: what if I finish Book #1 at three a.m. and NEED to immediately begin Book #2?

Now you see what I mean.

nope. it always looks like that...

I’ll talk a little bit more about that at the end of this current post. Suffice to say, there’s a reason I brought it up. But for now, let’s talk about November news around the RLD mailbox, since the month is quickly drawing to a close…

the first week in the new space...

If you’ve been following my twitter feed (@redletterzine) you already know that I’ve moved into a new studio space, one that I’m pretty excited about! Why is this revolutionary? Why is it such a big deal?

after a bit of tidying up and putting things together...

Well, here in San Francisco space is (and always has been) at a premium. It’s not quite as bad as New York or Tokyo, but as an artist it can be a struggle to find a place to live, let alone a studio to work in.

rubber stamps await...

I’ve had a studio “cubby” for quite sometime out in Potrero Hill, but alas! Over the last few years, that space has been relegated to a storage unit of sorts. It’s a neighborhood that I never, hardly ever find myself in anymore. And through a string of great good luck (I love you, my incredible next door neighbors!) I found a place in my current neighborhood. Indeed: my new space is a five minute walk from my current abode!

well of course -- mail art!

16 banker boxes, 3 milk crates, 4 vintage suitcases — that’s all it took to move my studio. Well, that and a U-Haul truck…

packing up the old space...

Moving, in any way/shape/form is a funny business: there’s alot of dust dredged up, and also alot of memories. I found that I hadn’t really prepared myself for the nostalgia of going through boxes and bins at the old space. It felt as if I was meeting the person I had been four or five years ago, looking at that face in the mirror. At other times, it felt as if I were going through the cast-off items of someone who was incredibly similar to me, and yet…not me, anymore.

giving it a bit of a sweep...

...and this is all that was left behind.

Overall, the move itself took hardly any time — a fast two hours! And then the unpacking began.

So much dust! (why didn’t I leave that at the old space?) Where do I put all this stuff? (more shelves are needed, obviously) Do I really need all of these odd sized envelopes? (yes, yes I do.) Like a giant “virtual” puzzle, (although I guess setting up a new space is virtually puzzling, until you get it figured out) items and supplies came out of boxes, crates, and cases.

is that Ray Johnson calling?

So. Setting up a new space is also interesting. As mentioned above, when things get “out of sequence” for me, I have a hard time figuring out where Point A starts and Point (let’s say) G begins. I’ve spent the last couple weeks shuffling and re-shuffling where things should go…

a brush for (nearly) everything!

…so that tools can be reached quickly and easily.

old friends, carefully collected throughout the years...

How should those photos hang?
Or maybe I can put this old thing in a glass jar, for better viewing?

things that cut & poke, next to things that stamp & number...

All in all, I keep reminding myself that a new space is a work in progress, just like so many aspects of life. Even though my Aries sensibility wants organization and completion (badly), this is a project that will not happen overnight. The best way to figure out how my new space will work best for me is to spend time in it, making/creating/doing.

the magic begins...

And so, that’s where I’ve been and what I’ve been up to. Sure, there are plenty of other things to mention, but I’ll save those for the future.

–JH

PS: I know, I know: I mentioned numeric order at the beginning of this post; I was referring to the fact that I still have one last post to write about my NYC trip — the mail art meet up at Katz’s Deli! I haven’t forgotten. It will happen this week, I swear.
PPS: I pinky swear on it. 🙂

triplePS: thanks to Von Span for the photos of the new studio space!

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taking a bite out of the Big Apple, part 2…

shining like a beacon in the east village!

In New York City, I found my Disneyland – my own personal version of the happiest place on earth. After a long day of vending at the book fair, the Baron and I high-tailed it down to the east village to a place called Casey Rubber Stamps. While in SF, and before leaving for NYC, a couple postal-modern friends of mine assured me that Casey’s was where it was at. “It’s well worth your time,” one friend told me. “J.C. will set you up,” another enthused.

I thought I had a pretty good idea.

if you don't get it, you probably shouldn't be shopping here...

I had absolutely no idea.

are you hyperventilating yet? because I sure was...

Casey Rubber Stamps goes by different names, depending on who you talk to, and how long that person has lived in New York: “John’s place”, “J.C.’s”, and “that-rubber-stamp-place-in-the-village-that-has-really-weird-hours” were all terms I heard bandied about when discussing Casey’s with folks. But they all agreed: among mail artists, it’s legendary.

beauty queens behind the counter...

Herr Baron and I arrived with about a half an hour to spare – whew! Outside, a table was set up with a basket of rubber stamps and ink pads for trying out; I was caught up in a rubber stamp-induced swoon (it was their windows that did it — all that dusty old stuff!) so I completely overlooked the treasures outside. The shop, while small and narrow, is crammed with shelves and baskets and boxes of rubber stamps, still made onsite.

rubber stamps, in the wild...

how can I possibly decide? I can't; I'll take one of everything!

The two chaps behind the counter weren’t sure what to make of us at first: who was this rubber stamp obsessed groupie in their store? And what about that guy in a bowtie, toting a camera? Once we mentioned we were visiting from San Francisco and looking for a good place to eat, the stories and recommendations started flowing. Best Irish fiddle band in NYC? Covered. How about late night jazz? A decent omelette? Or the best view of the Hudson River?

Keat and Bill are your go-to guys — honestly.

Mr. J. Casey himself. Sadly, he was out of the shop when Herr Baron and I stopped by...

I rummaged around, poking under stacks of newsprint, behind stamps on the shelves; new stamp-ish curiosities seemed to appear under every sheet of paper and in each cardboard box. I loved the fact that there were open inkpads available to try out certain stamps. I also loved that there was a bottle of Old Overholt on the counter. “These are my people,” I thought to myself.

oh my gawd. when can I move in?

In the end, I walked out of Casey’s considerably lighter wallet, but it was well worth it. These guys are keeping the old-school mail art aesthetic alive: their rubber stamp inventory consists of many victorian/art deco cuts, funny slogans, postal themes, and a fairly big selection of interesting letters and alphabets.

You’re not going to find any of those twee rubber stamps which haunt the aisles of scrapbooking stores, and that’s a-ok by me.

I know! I know! Can you believe it?!?!

Leaving Casey’s with a huge smile on my face, I promised Keat and Bill that I would send them a postcard using all of my new rubber stamps. Here it is (surrounded by my Casey’s treasures):

outgoing tomorrow...

Keat and Bill: you’re the best!

–JH

PS: stay tuned for “Big Apple part 3” — Katz’s Deli is involved and you’re not gonna wanna miss it!

PPS: all above photos taken by Von Span/Sartoriana

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