كل سنة وأنت بخير

Sent to Arantza (EH).
Collage made with a catalogue of gifts and some flowers and leaves. Made to wish happy new year to my friend Arantza who studies Arab and jewellery. 

Cup Cake Fairies

Sent by From Laura (the UK).

The Zombies Are Here

I have received this disturbing letter from Brandy (the UK) ?!?

Red-coloured Envelope with Money

Sent to Heleen (the Netherlands).

In fact, I've got this little red envelope from Bree, who lives in Malaysia. She explained me that during Chinese New Year married adults give unmarried friends and relatives a red-coloured envelope with some money on it. It is a tradition which is practised by all the Chinese in the world. It symbolises health and helps you to protect from bad things.

But I didn't send any money to my friend, but a little love letter brooch:

The Year of the Ox

Received from Russ (the USA).
Designed to celebrate Chinese New Year (26th January 2009).

A House on a Tree

Sent to E (Ambassade d'Utopia, France).

Box of writing paper set turned into a postcard. It's the second part of this.
Also published here.

Alpino II

Sent to Ryosuke Cohen (Japan).
Colour pencils box turned into a postcard. It is the second part of this.

Realistic Snails

Snail rubber stamps sent by Heleen (the Netherlands) and Gabriela (Germany).

Life or Death

«Celui qui attend une lettre de la personne aimée sait ce pouvoir de vie ou de mort des mots.»

Amélie Nothomb

(Le Voyage d'hiver)

Brain Cell Project

Brian Cell is a mail art project begun by Ryosuke Cohen in June 1985. The project is basically a networked art project where individual artists create their own 30x42 cm work of art with artist stamps, drawings, stickers and so on. This is sent to Cohen, who prints each cell - 150 copies each - with a Cyclostyle (now out of production). One copy is sent to the author, as well as other participants. New editions are published every 8 to 10 days. As of January 2011, there have been 811 issues (I think). You can see most of them in the blog Brain Cell Compilation.

Cohen described the origin of the project's name in 1985:

"Well, I’ll title my work “Brain Cell”, because the structure of a brain through a microscope looks like the diagram of the Mail Art network. Thousands of Neurons clung and piled up together are just like the Mail Art network, I believe."

I've got two issues so far: nº 796 and 807

Call

Please send me your stamp design, rubber stamp, or 150 stickers or seals. I will print or paste these materials onto the A3 size paper, creating 150 sheets. I will then send a sheet back with a list of addresses to each participant. I will publish at intervals of 8 to 10 days at that time will include 60 people or so. Brain Cell is always seeking a change, does not intend to settle and care of it’s extension of the Network. So... don’t mail a lump of stuff for several issues. Please send them to me one issue at a time, Thank you!

Ryosuke Cohen c/o Brain Cell
3-76-1-A-613 

Yagumokitacho Moriguchi 

City Osaka 570 

Japan

 My contribution:

Post für den Tiger

If you read this fantastic book by Janosch, you will discover how the little Bear and the little Tiger invented mail...

Funny Lighthouses

Sent by Heleen (the Netherlands).

Sent by Laura (the UK).

After this one, two more shaped postcard featuring lighthouses. Lighthouses are my big passion (one of them, I mean). Have you noticed that there is a mermaid living in the second floor? And three snails! :)

Bonfim

Sent by Patricio - The Celestial Scribe (Brazil).
And inside this amazing envelope I found some really interesting things like these:

Thirst for Life

Sent by Heleen (the Netherlands).
Coaster-postcard.

I Like Mail People

I like mail people. I mean, people who is happy by opening the mail box and finding something on it; people who is thankful with every mail; people who waste their time doing mail art, or writing long letters, or finding the right postcard and stamp for everybody... 

It's really nice when you send a mail to somebody, and they became extremely happy...

Mail Related Rubber Stamps

The fisrt one sent by Adamandia (the USA). The second and the third sent by Heleen (the Netherlands).
Three original mail art related rubber stamps.

El carter Joliu

The Jolly Postman, by Janet & Allan Ahlberg

The Three Wise Men brought this fantastic present last week!
Well, exactly this version:

First Alphabet

Sent by Riet and Marion (both from the Netherlands).

In older days, kids in the Netherlands learned to read with this book. I like the relationship between these postcards: the second one it's the first one through a magnifying glass.

The postcard with the complete alphabet is the very first I received through the Postcrossing site (in September 2008). And Heleen also sent me the matched stamps!

Finnish Letters

Sent by Karen (Finland) and Marita (Finland, too).
Extra big postcards from a book to learn reading. Do you think I can complete this alphabet one day?

Real and Alternative Stamps

Sent by Heleen.
Tea packaging sent as a postcard. With real and artistamps! It is nice that the postmark is on all of them.

Vintage Christmas

Received from Heleen (the Netherlands).
Three Christmas and New Year postcards I love (by Annelinde Tempelman and Frederike Evenblij owners of and designers at Studio 100%).
And I think she sent me three postcards instead of only one because she wish me a very very very happy New Year! I must say my favourite one is the third; because of the cup of tea, of course.

Onions

Envelope made of a magazine page and sent to Heleen (the Netherlands).
Also published here.
I found it was the right envelope to be sent with this vintage postcard inside:

This postcard was a gift from Richard (Germany).

Special Postmarks

Some nice round postmarks received long time ago from Stefan (Switzerland), Fori (China) and Earth Day Team (Tuvalu).