Today is the 6th World Day of Faux Stamp Artists - 6ème Journée Mondiale du Faux Timbre d'Artiste

Every year for the last 6 years, Tony M, of Post Nomade, has been able to get La Poste, the French postal service, to allow artistamps or faux stamps to be used for one day as real postage. The mail has to go to a specific address. I have taken part for the last few years, and usually mail my envelope to Tony for him to post in France for me.

My stamps.

Real and faux stamps on the big envelope to Tony.

Smaller envelope for the special day.

You should be able to see other entries by clicking here.

Minimalist and more from Keith

Keith from IUOMA sent me this spontaneous and minimalist mail art.

Security envelope handmade envelope.

Inside was a single sheet of paper...

...and the other side.

My response:

And sent back in envelope 557.

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With the arrival of this next amazing envelope arrived it seems like his signature is turning security envelopes inside out.  And in this case, he created the most incredible underwater encounter. These images are precisely cut out and securely adhered - I would never have the patience or the skill.

And inside was the sheet, which is stitched back together, with Keith's new additions. The spider is outstanding.

The blog is so far ahead of real time now, that I can bring you the third installment.

This is what I did to the sheet.

And the envelope Keith sent is one of the most creative things I've received this year, so I was trying to come up with something a little extra special, when i noticed he had commented on the mail art book I sent to Erni. So two selected pages from Keith's trashpo book...

The dimensional picture.

And the random selection of stamps I used to cover the postage.

Envelope 257 - Happy Easter from Charley Harper

Great Charley Harper penguin on envelope 267.

Stamped with a hotrod stamp - I thought the colors worked well with the envelope, and the stamp is unobtrusive.

Are you asking what this has to with Easter?

A hatched chick on the back, of course.

Even if you don't celebrate Easter, have a great Sunday, and hopefully spring is on its way to readers from the northern hemisphere.

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And thanks to CJ's blogpost earlier this week (check her blog link in the sidebar), I bring you easy-to-make bonus Easter bunnies!

Jean & Jan's February exchange

I showed the envelopes I sent out back in February. In case you missed them, here's the group photo. I dodged the love/red theme and wished the recipients a happy new year of the ram in gold and blue.

Here are the incoming ones.

Aquarium style from Hester, and the first time receiving this year's Love stamps.

With dragon tea - first time I've received tea in the mail!

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Marti saw my St Valentine's Day post where I blogged that I had never sent or received a Garden of Love stamp. So she parted with one on her envelope to me. Thanks!

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I'm not 100% sure if this is an exchange envelope or not... I'll have to keep count. Karen matched the stamp to the envelope perfectly on this one.

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Then another one from Marti showed up.

And another, with some cool dice stickers on the back! The blue colors of the flower on this stamp are stunning. The envelope was a tiny bit injured on one side. 

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Kathleen H sent this one. The red in the lettering is cool - and a bit bloody - but then when was love ever easy! And the paper additions below the address are very tactile. I'm enjoying the vintage stamps, too.

Amongst other fun stuff inside, Kathleen enclosed this card. Thanks - I enjoyed it all!

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And I thought this was the final one, a stunner from Christy.

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Then this one arrived from Marti.

With this inside.

And a note explaining that it has been damaged in a postal sorting machine and returned. At least the stamp made it! And quite a story for this envelope. Interesting that it would be returned, rather than delivered in one of their apology envelopes, as the address is largely intact, and should be able to be verified in the database.

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Cathy O sent me this lovely envelope - I think it is a reply to my exchange envelope above rather than part of the swap, but it fits perfectly in this post. Make sure you click and enlarge it to see her clever use of hearts on the capitals.

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Some outgoing stamps on a red envelope - just to show I don't always avoid it.

Winter exchange part 1

A fun hotrod-related envelope from Jean.

And the second of the four different holiday franks, even though the envelope was handstamped. Hello, Hermey! 

And from a non-exchange card, Santa!

A very blurry Bumble. If I get a better one, I'll blog it as well.

And here's a Rudolph cancel that happened to coincide perfectly with a design on the envelope:

And the vending machine 'sticker' version:

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And fun script in two styles from Florence.

I also like the style she used on the return address for her own name - I'll have to give this a try, although I bet it is harder than it looks.

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This beauty is from Janet F. Perfect stamp and accompanying scene.

And then you flip it over and it is faux postage and stamp city! Love the year of the horse artistamp.

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Fun envelope from Wendy, including some fantastic vintage Christmas stamps. Does she know that diagonals on envelopes are a feature of mine?

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And one from Karen. The details that she took from the stamp and incorporated/extended onto the envelope, like the tree line in the distance, are amazing.

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A traditional beauty from Smash with vintage stamps. The silver and black script against the dark green background is striking.

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Marti sent this one - a great combination of things, including a vintage Christmas stamp and a contemporary one from a few years ago.

The back of this one is also fun.

And I received an envelope with this vending machine 'sticker' - a forever version of the stamp above.