Tag Archives: arts and crafts

Post’d: Not *really* New Year cards, but kinda, just more silky lounging

Not exactly new year cards… we’ve moved on, right?

atop the rusty post box in our neighbourhood

Specifically: a couple for birthdays // yes, me lounging in a hotel lobby in monogram’d pajamas, silk robe & dapper hat (natch) waiting for food delivery; another a message about healing with grace and facing demons; and, the other variation of time traveler daguerreotype as another special delivery for a late address.

check that paper grain – swoony right?

Oh and this one *is* a New Year card, even though past official “new year” time. Hand-decorated and personally-deliveredwith bonus dragon accessory and special stamp from a country I can’t quite read with my fuzzy eyes.

Crafted with kohi at the goat farm to a very lovely recipient i’ve known since she was in a high-chair and is now a wonderful mama to 3 rambunctious lads. And whilst clear coating a postbox haiku you’ve already read about and yes more coverage to follow.

New Year Card round-up flashback chit-chat #video

“With over 400 cards now posted for this new year – in four different styles/variations/purposes – I flip through a special historical retrospective collection constructed for a friend who missed out… While drinking coffee on *coming of age* day.”

Bring your own coffee, chair provided however

Note: Cards are accessorized by cancelled international postal stamps as well as a wide variety of custom and standard ink stamps.

Usual anecdotes, digressions and back stories included, as usual.

Includes:

* 2024 Ichiro airplane special edition “see you again” w/ JAL at Okayama Momotaro airport

The Inaugural Ichiro special edition “see you again” airport card

* 2024 “Kinome 10th anniversary” 2 variations, both from Varley Trail, Lynn Canyon {to follow}

* 2023 “Baseball Halloween squad” with Japan, Mariners (both Ichiro) and Canada uniforms + persimmons and tiger and rabbit haiku on reverse plus Noto

* 2023 “BC invasion” coming soon! commemorative card on NHK Taro-man set (shared with friends met along the way)

Taro-man NHK teevee set “BC invasion!” Preview movie poster

* 2023 “Japan normal life” Tsuchida cartographic signpost / representative item (1/30 designs bundled into sets of 5/ea envelope)

* 2022 “Linda Lindas” shirts & swag at Tsuchida yard with insta-cam & dymo label

“Linda Linda’s fan club” before and after adornment by Dymo label

* 2021 “Steady on Time Travelers” featuring Fluevogs, vintage dress, typewriter, red horse and 101 day old Ichiro

* 2020 “pink collage” with typewriter messages, photos from Shinto shrine wedding ceremony, goat farm wedding party, Ceningan honeymoon etc.

“Pink collage” along with other enveloped items

Note: eventually reference copies of original art may appear here so you can “make your own” if you missed out on any of the series – because I know some of you must be really fretting about an incomplete collection :-)

rounded up, how many do you have?

Making of New Year Card, 2024 + archival nengajyo treats

Overhead view of arts and crafts-ing New Year card “nengajyo” for 2024, or Reiwa 6 in Japan.

Such arts & crafts fun times

Starting with a substrate of elephant dung paper from Sri Lanka, adding various inky stamps – including one designed by Nick Bantock – then writing postcardy prose with fountain dip pen, adding daguerreotype photo by Ken Miner, peeking at various inspiration sources, cutting, pasting, rolling, more stamping, mistaking, remixing, fiddling….

Then flashing through international , domestic and unique stamps, stacks of addressed cards, postboxes utilized for dispatching, sneaking a few hand deliveries to special recipients, *and* a montage of previous 4 new year cards – displaying completely different techniques – finishing with exquisite time travellers from Tsuchida Cottage.

Thanks to:

Daguerreotype: kenminer.ca

Dragon + crab stamps: nickbantock.com

Shodo calligraphy: Takushi Fujita

Logistics: Neal Cropper

Music by: Mark Olson (guitar, vocals, music) and Dave Olson (drums, lyrics) recorded OlyWa, 1996 to Tascam 4 track cassette, otherwise unreleased

New Year “Nengajyo” 2024 / Reiwa 5 ~ for (calm) Dragons

Thar be Dragons Ahoy!

Wishing you Calm in 2024, Reiwa 5 if you prefer.

Fondly from the Olsons of Tsuchida Cottage – Ichiro, Ryoko and Daveo

For the collectors, enthusiasts, pals, renegades, artsy types, lovers and mysterios.

photo: Ken Miner
stamp: Nick Bantock
shodo: Takushi Fujita
flourish: Ryoko Olson
design, Uncle Weed

Substrate: Sri Lankan elephant dung paper

Details include:

fingerprint for biometric convenience, ¥500 vending machine hanko stamp, accurate return address, ¥100 store numeral stamps, “postcard” ink stamp from Lydia in Austin, etc.

Diary: simple tasks and sparking life with renegade Ted

Evidence I’m still alive… From Oct. 25-ish or so (lemme check that as though it matters :0)

always fun with Ted with his stories, humour and ability to be a goofball come to visit

Not gonna lie, been a real tough stretch. But I’m keeping my hands and brain active by doing simple tactile little tasks.
In this case, putting some clearcoat on some more signs for yet another sign post and pouring an extra batch of soy wax on some fire starters just in time for the first woodstove of the year in honor of 4th (or 5th) visit from buddy Renegade Ted (who took most snaps included herein & i captured from his FB round-up post). But you should check his Notes from the Nog travel writer bloggity blog.

PS And dig that cassette player/radio hanging up. It doesn’t really work well but I still try to tune in like I’m gonna connect with some short wave radio + And that’s a trucker hat representing The Matinee & Tshirt is REM Chronic Town

Continue reading Diary: simple tasks and sparking life with renegade Ted

project: natural fragrant & dehumidifying sachets (charcoal, ginkgo, hemp, sandalwood)

Today, a “mental health” / calm my brain into a meditative flow while making some thing useful / project in amongst other chores:

Somehow feel like i made this project before… So many hemp bags in my past, but this time a little different

in this case: ginkgo wood shavings from Tottori, homemade bamboo charcoal, and various fragrances from Oman combined in lil hemp bags to make pleasant smelling and dehumidifying sachets for closets and other stale places here in Japan’s humid summer time.

PS on *tough* days, I just try to go back to the foundation & basics and make my world kind of small and safe. #selfcare

Ergo: laundry folded, dishes washed, a small arts and craft project done, medications organized.

Thanks to brother “commander magnum” for the fragrant package from Oman. Funny how it goes, 18 months different in age, very different lifestyle/career choices, yet we end up in so many of the same places under very different circumstances – in this case, a Muscat souk.

Each one assembled with affection and intention

Festive Greetz Cards Scrapbook Time (backwards)

In front of a wood stove, Dave stashes cards from the “string of honour” into archival book while recounting tales of the wonderful folks who sent greeting cards and letters to Tsuchida Cottage.

Very grateful for your friendship and lovely correspondence.

Along with banter about:

* having several scrapbooks on-the-go at all times

* special collections and on-going correspondence

* topsy turvy start to the year

* “lap projects” like mending and scrapbooking

* thoughts about last year (lots of paperwork!)

* theme for this year (letting go)

and usual digressions, meanderings and anecdotes (i.e. hanging stereo speakers and maybe something about solar panels). Oh, there is a Dymo LabelMaker in action.

Very grateful for your friendship and lovely correspondence.

Meanwhile I’m trying to tidy up the room a little bit so here are albums of postcards/greeting cards etc., duly annotated by Dymo label.

PS if I’ve missed sharing your card I probably shared under separate cover / somewhere else, or will do another time (thinking of you Astrid in Germany who’s art is already hanging up).

Tidying up: kura, recycling and firestarters (and a few notes from around the house)

Speaking of organizing, made it out to barn, studio the other day, couldn’t find project wanted to work on (a “forged passports” turned collaborative secret diary) which initiated a bit of a tidy up for whatever is next / space is super versatile, and everythings on casters

When you have so many pills to sort, you buy the pills sorter in the hardware department not the pharmacy (and the other bins are filled with packets of traditional Chinese medicines)

I quite like organizing things, but in this case, kind of done with it / just a little exhausting and overwhelming / trying to stay on the program though

Up and about a little bit today in my carport workbench making fire starters (use in the wood stove, one light and you’re good to go)

Put one of these nuggets in with some kindling, nestled between split logs, add one spark & you got a nice fire.

“But Dave, where will you get the kindling?” asks no one in particular (regardless, a snapshot)

Here’s my little work area in the carport. Basically make signs, fire starters, and wash, jars, parts & pots. Oh, and bird houses (but is it really a birdhouse if a bird doesn’t live in it?)

Don’t know who if anyone needs to see this, but this is the easy smart way for bundling up a big stack of cardboard without having to do the whole “flip over make a mess” maneuver / start by making a big “4” on the ground with your string, and the rest just happens #Recycling

It’s really satisfying when you slip the rope through the “4” and give a little tug and the whole thing cinches & snugs together.

Anything I can do to make life 2% easier makes it 5% better / so many little tiny routines, being streamlined, nuanced and improved makes a huge difference

Item purchase just after the illness started when I thought it would last a few months… Never used but I still dream. Actually used it once to move a refrigerator.

While im stalling from dishes & laundry:

my darling entrepreneur wife with a somewhat rare business is at a city-sponsored event for business-owning-women. Even have child care on-site. For those outside of Japan, this is kind of unusual and a positive step, I guess. #proud

Bonus

Q: “So Dave, how do you make all this cough content when you’re in bed all the time?”

A: “Dictation, C&P, sortganizing-fu, shortcuts, and practising since I was a little dude making ditto machine newsletters”

Something beeping
Any one of 53 different things
Somewhere at home

slackerhaiku (which means i gotta get up and wander around figuring what it is)

Accordion-style Postcard Scrapbook hangout (with jazz and sage)

various beloved correspondence, mostly post cards, cards and whatnot, taped and glued with affection, maybe from you

Hangout in the Kura barn while i light sage, spin Ornette Coleman and fill up an accordion-style scrapbook with postcards and other postal treats using various sticky corners, washi tape, double-sided tape, envelopes and odds and ends. No chit-chat (not even my lovely beard), just ambient craft session.

Grab a chair if you want some company or otherwise have a notion.

Typing Liner Notes in the Kura (with Joe Strummer vinyl)

really, that’s it, just typing some small items while listening to records

Ambient hanging out typing liner notes (on an Olivetti Lettera 34) for mixed CDs and cassettes while listening to Joe Strummer & The Mescaleros box set and War on Drgs vinyls in a kura storehouse barn studio in provincial Japan.

looks sort of like this once it’s all stamped up and decorated

Yes, lousy typing technique, non-ideal posture, nice elephant dung paper, great hat, hemp shirt, easy vibes –0vaguely ASMR clackety clacking if that’s your groove.