Hi friends,
I hope you’re all doing well and having a wonderful holiday season!
So much has happened this past month! I celebrated my birthday on National Brownie Day and baked a Matilda-ish chocolate cake with my partner while watching Matilda, of course. We continued the celebration by visiting some bookshops and stationery shops in the city. We walked almost four miles from South Street Seaport to Penn Station with a pizza break in between and ended the day with soup dumplings and a backpack filled with books and stationery goods.
I was really inspired by the handmade journals, greeting cards, and postcards at McNally Jackson Books and Bowne & Co. in the Seaport. In a world with AI, I have an even greater appreciation for handmade work and all the time and thoughtfulness that goes into it… all the tiny details and “imperfections” that give it so much character.
I have more things to say about this topic but maybe in a later post as I’m still mentally and physically recharging from all the holiday festivities. My favorite parts of this holiday season were playing many rounds of Scrabble with my competitive family and watching nostalgic DVD movies on our new old CRT TV post-Christmas. Right now, Back to the Future is playing in the background, haha.
⚘ Last Month’s Art Mail⚘
(Diner Pancakes Postcard, Pomegranate Juggler Sticker)
⚘ December Art Mail ⚘
I finished drawing the Tea Bird sticker and Cabbage & Potato bookmark a few weeks ago and picked up the prints yesterday!
I still have to finish the postcard drawing this week but it’s my Hot Pot sketch from a few months ago.
Pemba will be the featured Patreon pet in this month’s postcard. 💛
(If you’re interested in this month’s snail mail, I’ll send them out to any new patrons that sign up for the $10 tier between now and the end of the month. Please note, I will mail December snail mail during the first week of January.
⚘ Favorite Little Things ⚘
Books from this month that were purchased and gifted. I’m so excited to read them all…
I want to thrift some picture frames for some of the greeting cards and postcards I bought at the shops…
That’s all for now! I hope you all continue to have a great holiday season!
💛 Justine
(Btw this video with blackbirds was taken right after finishing this newsletter. 🐦)