December postcard swap
Received the 10th card yesterday for the ihanna fall swap, so here they are. This was a really fun swap; I enjoyed making and sending my own cards, and receiving some real beauties from all over the world!
Art again!! Fall Postcard Swap
It has been a tough year for everyone, but we won the misfortune lottery: we survived the Big Texas Freeze, after which we resumed looking for another house, which we found in April, closed in May, moved in June, then put the old house on the market, closing in July. In August, we discovered a leaking shower that needed a total renovation, very expensive and quite disruptive. Then in September we were in an accident, which was the other guy’s fault. Husband and I were slightly injured and my car was totaled. Since then I’ve been dealing with healing, getting a new car, and dealing with insurance adjustors.
But…it would take more than that to stop me from participating in the fall iHanna postcard swap! On Monday, November 1, I had five ready and needed 10 by November 5. I made it! The cards were dropped off at the post office this morning.
There are actually 11, because the two Scotland cards really needed to go together to make sense.
Now back to my regularly scheduled crazy life.
Spring Production
- @jillyrosemary
The iHanna spring postcard swap is coming up soon, and amidst family and household care I have squeezed in a few sessions of happy card-making. I’ve already posted some of the cards that will go out in the spring swap. Here are the rest of my latest cards:
Bella Fiori (collage) This has already gone to a friend in thanks for beautiful earrings she gave me.
St. Edward’s Peace (collage) The entry to the Main Building of my alma mater.
The Pink Road (collage with Color Aid paper)
Sweet Dreams (collage) Wouldn’t you love a bedroom like this?
Floral Post (collage with stamp and Color Aid paper)
Shuffle #13, One Stop, another in the Shuffle series, randomly selecting colors (collage with stamps and Color Aid paper)
Scotland Weave, Scotland Weave deconstructed (collage with maps and Color Aid paper). These are a set and both will be mailed to the same person)
New for 2021
Time to catch up with work I’ve done since I posted the Fall swap cards. Since we’re still staying home until we get vaccinated (I finally did get my husband and me on a waiting list!) I go through spurts of work. Here are my latest collage cards.
The first four came from a prompt from ihanna, taking a full sheet of water color paper and painting a ground, then cutting the sheet into four pieces and making four different cards.
Gold Electric Eel
Butterflight
Harp and Flowers
Sunflowers in GoldÂ
Keeping with the floral theme:
Bling Me Flowers (collage with papers, fabric and Color Aid paper)
And staying with natural objects:
Fresh and Yummy (collage with papers and washi tape)
Onto totally uncategorized subjects:
Surf’s Up…side down (collage with Color Aid paper) (Somebody, or something, is upside down in the canyon, or the canyon is upside-down.)
Torontino (collage with Color Aid paper) (The tall structure is the CN Tower in Toronto)
Venture (collage)
Monet on Ice (collage with Monet’s garden, Color Aid paper)
Tissue Boxes (collage using actual tissue boxes, tissue paper and Color Aid paper)
You Are My Sunshine (collage) (Sent as a thank-you to a skilled seamstress who gave me hand-made items for Christmas)
Sunny Night (collage)
Because I just love suns!
Fall Swap Cards
Now that the holiday busyness is waning, here are the nine cards I received in the ihanna fall postcard swap. (It’s disappointing to send 10 and receive nine; I wish people would honor their commitments.)
From Washington State, New York City, and California
Virginia, Pennsylvania and California
Florida, Germany and California (these are my favorites from this swap, especially the one with the owl)
I’ve been participating in the iHanna swap since about 2014 and have quite a collection of received cards. Rather than stuffing them into a binder, I punch one hole and thread them onto large separating rings, which I then link together and hang in the studio.
Cards I’ve received over the past six years.
Ten Collages, Ready for the Fall Swap
The ihanna fall swap hasn’t been announced, but so much time at home has allowed me to focus on art more than ever. These have been so much fun! Since I knit and work with fabrics, I’ve incorporated yarn images, as well as actual fabric, into some of the work.
Scottish Isles Love (collage with map)
Fisheyes (Collage with washi tape and torn windsock fabric–after the squirrels tore up the windsock for their nest)
Cut-rate Adventure (collage with stamp by Nat Uhing)
Multipurpose (collage with torn silk fabric) A large silk scarf had been caught in the vacuum cleaner. I saved enough material to make into a smaller scarf, and repurposed the damaged cloth into art.
Fall is in the Air (collage with my dog Junior, stamp by Nat Uhing and washi tape)
A friend has a huge collection of Paddingtons, so I made a second one of this and sent it to her.
A Bear and his Butterflies (collage)
Fancies (collage)
A little bit about process: I have a huge quantity of papers, clippings, images and media. Pieces accumulate on the art table, and sort of rearrange themselves. The studio is near a hub area of the house so I go past the table many times a day, and as I do I’ll see patterns, color schemes and juxtapositions, rearranging slightly as I go past. Then I sit down and work the random arrangement into a composition. The following three came together after I received a yarn catalog in the mail.
Knitting Pretty (collage, washi tape)
Yarn-valanche (collage, washi tape)
Greetings from Yarnville (collage, hand-made paper)
Bonus #11: my granddaughter was inspired to do a collage using mostly Color-Aid paper (the scan does not do it justice; the colors are vibrant)
Orange collage with fruit and vegetables, by Chloe
Pandemic Productivity
Although we have been fortunate to be living fairly normal lives during the Great Pandemic of 2020, staying home has made me spend more time making art. In order to brighten people’s lives, I’ve been working on post cards that can be inspiring or bring a little cheer. I have donated some to my church to be mailed to folks who are not participating in our Zoom services. I hope they brighten someone’s day.
This group is not comprehensive but is a good sampling of current work. Some is original art and many are computer-generated graphics, using photos, quotes, poems or inspiring words. Many of the photos are manipulated but they are all my own original work.
Brightener During Pandemic (collage)
Relax (collage)
Sea Flowers (collage)
Guadalupe River Trail (water color), inspired by flowers seen on a walk on our river trail.
Peek-a-Boo (cut paper and collage). Sent to Hanna Andersson in thanks for her ihanna swaps
The rest are computer graphic designs, which is a fun way to play with images, words and compositions, and makes an easily reproduced product.
Arkansas River
River Ness, Iverness, Scotland
McKinney Falls State Park, Texas
Henrietta Park garden, Bath, U.K.
I had fun with this up-side-down seeming photo, doing several versions.
Frio River, Garner State Park, Texas
Finally, in working with nature images, I found myself perusing poetry books and found Wendell Berry’s poetry to be especially apropos. In this case I used the poem in two different images. The one with prayer flags is our back yard. (The text is adapted from Berry’s poem, “Woods,” published in his “New and Collected Poems.”)
As always, if you would like to receive an original jillybeans card, email your mailing address to jillybeanswiggins@gmail.com
Spring Swap Finals
Received only nine from the Spring 2020 iHanna swap (and one isn’t photograph-able), so here are the eight. The last one arrived from Australia today! I can’t imagine how long it must have taken (no postmark, so I can’t tell when it was mailed).
From Australia, Virginia, Nebraska and California
Also from Australia, Virginia, and California, plus Arizona.
Pandemic Painting, Spring Swap
The local arts center is accepting work for a member show with the title “Created During Covid.” I’m submitting this painting, which was painted from a photo I took in early May. I love the dramatic sky against the church building, the Mormon church in my neighborhood.
Pandemic Sky (acrylic, 8×10)
I have received only eight cards from the Spring iHanna swap, but unless the last two are coming from Fiji or New Zealand, I think that will be it. The last one I received, in late June, was from Australia.
From Australia, California and Arizona
A story, some card stock, and a card incorporating a stitched sewing pattern. (I no longer have the envelope and don’t remember what state it’s from.)
From Nebraska, Arizona, and two from Virginia. The rain boots and the Dickinson quote (bottom) are my favorites.
Ready for the Spring Swap
One thing about postcard swaps: since the administrative side is done online and the actual swap is done by mail, it can go on during a pandemic! I have registered for the iHanna spring swap and have 10 cards ready to mail once Hanna sends out the lists. (See earlier posts for previously completed cards. Also see my other blog for some inspirational cards I am sending out to friends and neighbors.) Here are the final four:
We Will Dance Again (collage) A reminder for these times.
Santorini Knitting Cruise (collage) Another reminder of better days
Lifeguard on Duty (collage) Yearning for the beach?
Floral Weave (collage–images from the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, Color Aid paper, woven together)
JILLYBEANS 
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