The end of last year wasn't as full of Christmas cards or of actual art mail as in years past, but there were still quite a lot of cute and, in some cases, handmade things involved.
Actually, I'd really wanted to have a holiday crafting party because of all of this stuff I've accumulated over the years and countries, and had even invited Ulrike from down the street to join me, but completely ran out of time for it:
Sadface. I'll try again this year!
So anyway, here's me getting ready to sit down and write cards.
Ornaments from the main Hamburg Christmas market at City Hall,
and also from Käthe Wohlfahrt in Heidelberg
For my grandparents, who are religious - they loved it.
These and the little glass vials of stars I found on clearance at a store that was closing..
... but I'm proud of my thriftiness! The cheaper, more used, reused, recycled, or all of the above something is, the better! And look - it's us! :B One set for my mom, one set for Hannes' parents, and one more set for my grandparents.
Speaking of where the angel (and silver cuckoo clock, not pictured?!) ornaments came from, and recycling things.. the original box was too big to pack, so I turned it into a card.
This digital frame was supposed to be our wedding reception/garden party slideshow, but that didn't work out. I loaded it up with photos from that day, our wedding day, our impromptu honeymoon weekend, our Christmas visit to the U.S. and my mom's Christmas visit to Germany, and sent it to her.
She always packed a stocking full of little goodies for me when I was growing up - and I mean packed. (I've never heard of anyone doing Nikolaus in the States; some people do this instead.)
And I even mostly colour-coordinated it all again. This pleases us, precious
This little package was for Jenny and Torsteinn, who showed us a really wonderful and perfect afternoon outside Copenhagen (the queue leading up to that post is very very long..) and who had just gotten a brand new baby boy for Christmas, exactly like they asked for!
Deutsche Post is ultimate cosmic shit but I think we can all appreciate how sickeningly adorable their holiday packaging is, right? -small painful cute noises-
This one was for Louise!
And now onto the big ones: for NiQui, a derpy owl, wedding reception pics, chocolate-scented candles, a vintage northern German teacup and saucer full of hazelnuts, and much more!
Advent calendars are a huge thing here; if you grew up with them, as an American, you probably remember crummy, mostly vegetable oil mass chocolates in festive little shapes. WELL. Here they have vegan ones, protein powder ones, beer ones, and also tea, as you can see, plus who knows how many more.
I know, I'm obsessive - but just look at that coordination!
Next up, the package for Angelique, Ricki, and Aiden! Naturally, it's darker.
The foil-wrapped candies that are meant to look like pinecones (and to be hung from the tree) are full of liquor, as are the little eggnog barrels. The red ones are black tea, from one of the many cute import shops by the water. The lumpy cookies on the top left are fresh-made and full of marzipan, and the giant gingerbread Christmas tree is from the same confectionery.
This good novel I had recommended in conversation while everyone was here for the reception, because it made me think of her and the IB programme we were in together in high school while I was reading it. Also an Edward Gorey card, Poison Apple Printshop moon phases patch, and erotic Apollonia Saintclair stickers.
Oh and of course, sweet festive 'Turkish-style' fruit tea, melting drinking chocolate spoons, and a Lindt chocolate assortment that encapsulates the flavours of a Christmas market!
For Rejon... a giant gingerbread duck in sprinkle boots.
I had to. I laughed out loud at the store. Ducks aren't Christmas things. What is this? Why is this? I have no idea, these are of course rhetorical questions, and I love it.
Also included: a paper craft I saved from the Yokohama Weihnachtsmarkt we went to together in Christmas 2016, and a cute little house made to hold an incense cone (because that seems like something you'd be able to find in Indonesia!), so it looks like smoke is coming from the chimney.
Plus! a Sarah Scribbles planner, cereal and cereal bars (more of a gesture than anything, it's childhood comfort food and she loves the stuff - plus there's a unicorn colouring thing on the back of the box!), and more of the same in the photo above. That thing that I think looks a lot like a condom is a mango-scented shower bomb!
As for my own Christmas haul: this is what it looks like when people understand me. It's a great feeling. That lovely vase is vintage East German, and the jam is brambleberry, homemade.
See what I mean about cute and fun and in some cases artsy, but not really handmade, especially not by me? I was working my ass off from November to February so that I could have money again like a functional adult, and had no time to make anything.
The first two weeks of 2019, though, involved a lot of great actual art mail from friends and acquaintances, so I started off the new year feeling warm and fuzzy, and like there was a lot to look forward to.
I requested one of these linocut print New Years' postcards from Thom, who we kind of knew in Tokyo. (@thomsmithart on IG) Happy Year of the Pig/Boar!
I ordered these from Hannes' parents' place on New Year's Eve, because I had forgotten that her merch was on sale through December only! 25% off for the win. This is hands-down my favourite tote. And of course, this is the Faroese version of the album, because why the fuck would you order the English one?
A The VVitch-inspired patch by Christian Krank of Phantom Winter, who's also an illustrator.
And this one was a total surprise!
Nicole said she'd been meaning to send me an art mail for a while, like while we were still living in Japan, but I don't care how long it took, it's amazing!
Look at this fucking deer she painted us! With a Japanese white-eye bird in its tree-antlers!
Look at those fucking drawn and stamped maple branches! Look at that fucking unicorn sticker!
Omg, I love it so much. Thank you! I hope you're both doing great.
And finally, something I did actually make: oversized Valentine's Day collages that were in the works and didn't end up getting sent out in time for that at all! Heh..
And uh, actually, they were so late that one of them still hasn't been received, so you'll have to wait to see the rest.. heh! ._. I am happy with how they turned out, though!
Back to the beginning of January, though, for one more wonderful package, this time from Rejon! Look at the lovely paper and handmade bows! Oh nooo!
She sent us a handmade candy cane in tropical fabric (I hope we have a tree one day, for the fresh scent and to display unorthodox decorations like this), a beautiful piece of batik cloth, the Balinese coffee pictured above, and these handmade fingerless gloves!
My dumb ass initially posted them upside-down, so here are the corrections I quickly made!
Appropriately, this was also the only time it was actually snowy outside.
Thank you so much! All the best for 2019!
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