in the news

For this multimedia project, I first printed the negative shape of a leaf onto the postcards. Then, I used decorative paper and various waterproof markers to line out the wiggly creatures filling in the blank. The process was utterly satisfying as it combined my love for printmaking and the use of a variety of other collage media.

One of these postcards went out to Emily Alhadeff, Associate Editor of the Seattle JTNews. Emily skillfully crafted an article about my postcard challenge, the link to which you can find below. Ever since the article appeared, so many people have come up to me and congratulated me on the project. The nicest comment was by a synagogue congregant who thanked me for being open to the interview and for inspiring her to take on her own creative endeavor. Yeah!

http://www.jtnews.net/index.php?/news/item/9437

259/365, sent to Seattle, WA

260/365, sent to Seattle, WA

261/365, sent to San Francisco, CA

262/365, sent to Mercer Island, WA 

263/365, sent to Philadelphia, PA

change - Happy New Year

I have been thinking a lot about change lately. Every New Year and birthday we come up with a new plan of how we want our lives to be changed. Quit smoking, take on more responsibility, loose weight, spend more time with family, learn a new skill. These goals are wonderful and might work for the first few weeks, but the enthusiasm quickly wains and before we know it we go back to our old habits. So, how do you instill change that lasts?

I am no expert, but this postcard project has taught me one or two things: 1. Aim for a small goal that can be completed in less than half an hour per day. 2. Set a goal that is not intimidating, but uplifting and builds on what you are already good at. 3. Create a structure around the task that holds you to it, e.g. a blog, a daily chart, a buddy or a circle of friends who can cheer you on. 4. Set aside a time slot when the task can be completed - make it a habitual part of your day. 5. Don't be discouraged by set backs or mistakes - they are part of the plan. Without mistakes no learning. The goal is a process not a product! 6. Try to have fun with it and be creative - think of new ways to engage your senses.

253/365, sent to Bellevue, WA

254/365, sent to Bellevue, WA

255/365, sent to Los Angeles, CA

256/365, sent to Los Angeles/The Valley, CA

257/365, sent to Seattle, WA

258/365, sent to Seattle, WA

Who is the next recipient?

At times it is challenging to come up with yet another recipient for one of my postcards, while other times I have a long line up of people. Just this week, I was not sure where to send the next postcard to and I used a trick that my friend had suggested. I wrote a card to an anonymous reader at our local library branch. I placed the card between pages of a book by my favorite author: Barbara Kinsolver (The Poisonwood Bible). There is a little bit of a thrill every time I walk into the library space to guess whether the book has been taken out yet and the card has found an owner.  If you, dear reader, are interested in receiving a postcard, I would like to invite you to drop me a comment with your name and address so I can send you a card.

248/365, sent to Seattle, WA

249/365, sent to Seattle, WA

250/365, placed into a book at our local library

251/365, sent to Jim's Body Shop in Seattle

252/ 365, sent to Seattle, WA

paper creations

I had fun ripping the tissue paper to create these colorful postcards. A few drawings or doodles with black marker enhance the image and provide the eye with some contrast. This project is very easy to do and hardly anything could go wrong. If you wanted to create your own set of greeting cards, this is a great project to start with. All you need is thicker white paper or poster board - cut to postcard size, a stack of tissue paper, glue and a black sharpie (preferably the fine liner). Off you go and enjoy the process and outcome!

243/365, sent to LA, CA

244/365, sent to Kassel, Germany

245/365, sent to Seattle, WA

246/365, sent to Braunfels, Germany

247/365, given to the local librarian

creating an urban island retreat

All summer I have been longing to visit the San Juan Islands, in particular Lopez. I just love the simplicity of island living, of less options, fewer people, greater quiet and more nature. It did not pan out for our family this summer. Instead I have been wondering what attributes of island living I can import into my life in the city. Simplicity translates into an active choice to do less running around. Less options can mean saying No to some of the options that are available to us. Fewer people can be fulfilled by focusing on the friendships that are truly meaningful to us. A greater quiet can be created by actively choosing to turn down the volume and the background noise of our lives. By seeking out city parks I can bring nature into my life and by gardening I can foster an urban oasis without having to leave my home.

237/365, sent to Venice, CA

238/365, sent to Seattle, WA

239/365, sent to Los Angeles, CA



240/365, sent to Beaconsfield, Quebec, Canada

241/365, sent to Seattle, WA

242/365, sent to Seattle, WA

Anniversary, Seattle Storm and High Tea

This week was filled with so many fun activities. First, my husband and I celebrated our 15th anniversary. Unbelievable, how quickly time passes. I remember how we got dressed up in our wedding gown and suit on our 10th anniversary and walked down the street with our kids - equally dolled up for the occasion.  This year was the hottest day of the year and we celebrated with an air-conditioned Sushi lunch.

Next, we were invited to attend a Seattle Storm game with lots of exciting entertainment during the breaks. While the Storm sadly lost this game, we got to see first hand Olympian gold medal winners in action on the court.

The fun was topped off by High Tea served to us by a dear friend of ours who went through a lot of trouble and prepared these delicate miniature sandwiches, scones, lemon curd and whipped cream. We came for tea and ate enough that it lasted for dinner. What a treat!

232/365, hand-delivered in Seattle

233/365, sent to Seattle, WA

234/365, sent to Seattle, WA, guest artist Yonah L. (6)

235/365, hand-delivered in Seattle, WA




236/365, sent to Seattle, WA, guest artist Ana L. (12)

hand puppets

There is an outdoor museum in central Germany called Hessenpark, where all the county's old buildings from the Middle Ages are restored and exhibited. Once a timbered house is in danger of being torn down, preservation status gets determined and the building is taken apart, transported to the park and then reconstructed. The result is an imaginary town with a market place, farms, churches, synagogues and a number of small settlements. Each building is open to visitors and exhibits either a living quarter, a store or a work environment such as the shoemaker, the school or stone carvers work place. The place is just amazing.http://www.hessenpark.de/index.php?id=englis

When we visited this imaginary town, they had choreographed a Children's Week, where in almost every house there was an activity for kids. We are talking sophisticated crafts such as soap stone carving, toy boat building, hands-on weaving on real looms, actual paper making and so on. The museum had been transformed into a museum of the lost arts of the Middle Ages.

I was most inspired by the doll maker. She was working on making a series of dolls for the museum's puppet theater and the kids worked on a smaller project. She had walked me through the steps of doll making and I can't wait to try them out. In the meantime, some of these images are inspired by her dolls, others imitations from old hand puppets that I inherited from my grandmother.

227/365, sent to Frankfurt, Germany

228/365, sent to Braunfels, Germany

229/365, sent to Garborone, Botswana

230/ 365, sent to Questa, New Mexico

231/365, sent to Bliesdorf, Germany