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If I make it through finals I will make a better post but this post is to distract me from the stress of studying.

Outgoing mail:

This was part of a swapbot swap but I am also counting it as part of Mail Art 365. It is #37

 I haven't made ATCs in a while but decided to participate in a heart shape ATC swap. I still have not mailed it out but I am really proud on how it came out!

Response to a penpal...Also part of Mail Art 365 

 Incoming mail: 

Mail art from the swap on swapbot

 Who doesn't love deco tape?! 

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Finals are just around the corner and I feel like my creative juices are at an all time high. If only I had the time to do everything I want to do!

I have started a summer to do list.

• Make envelopes and paper crafts to sell
• Organize my entire room/snail mail to allow for more activities
• Make more cute things
• Blog more about mail related things / document my mail more. Mail documenting was the #1 reason for this blog and I hardly ever really do. 
• Start selling my art. I went a little over board this semester with my prints and made way too many! ..and I still continue making more. There's just so many possibilities in print making, I love it!
• Paint my drawers. My goal is for them to look like this

• Buy/make shelves so my stuff isn't always on the floor.
• Crochet more and learn to knit
• Start AND Keep a journal/sketch book.
• Start the "Tim and JoAnna" scrapbook I have been meaning to start for a loong time.
• Catch up on Mail Art 365 
• Postcard 365?!
• Dont be lazy!

Well here's a picture of my Annabel in a grape costume...

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Two weeks left of school and then I can indulge in mail, selling, and who knows what! YES.

So I caught up on some of my mail and finally sent out a care package I had been meaning to send for almost a month now. One of my good high school friends has found an interest in penpalling so I sent her a "Pen Pal Starter Kit" lol

The rest of my outgoing mail for today,

Also, I wanted to show off this amazingly pretty envelope I received about a week ago. I wasn't sure if I should even open it because I would have to tear the fabric a little..

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This past weekend went by too quick!
Saturday my family and I did a spontaneous day trip to San Diego. We got there pretty late in the afternoon so it got dark really quick and Old Town was packed with Cinco de Mayo celebrations.

On Sunday, Tim and I headed up to Big Bear since a friend needed help on a school project. I ended up forgetting my glasses at his house and I lost my contacts half way up the mountain so I was practically blind for most of the day. I love going up to Big Bear though since we go off roading.

Our friend had to collect moss samples for a presentation so most of my pictures were of moss.haha

One of the roads we took came out in front of a post office. The mail box is so cute. I want to travel the country and take photos of different post offices.

Towards the end of the day we stopped at a small restaurant called "Trolls of Big Bear" for a few drinks. It was so creepy. Trolls are NOT cute.

 I am not much of a beer drinker but this one was really good...no idea what it was. I just ordered the same thing the guys did.

So it is national postcard week. I have a massive amount of mail to reply to  but I did by $.32 stamps and bought postcards in San Diego. Hopefully I get around to sending some this week.

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This is what I have been working on this week. I want to this for the rest of my life. We'll be selling these packs at our Etsy:  http://www.etsy.com/shop/manitasdegato

I went to Downtown L.A on Tuesday. My mother and I made a $200 sale this past weekend so we went to see if we could find some wholesale items. Downtown for me means smelly, ghetto, dangerous and horrific parking. For my mom, Downtown means awesome deals where people have shops behind alleys where old ladies are making dresses and selling them for super cheap...she obviously hadn't been there in YEARS. The alley (AKA Santee Alley) USED to be how she imagined it but now it is a huge shopping district, exactly like an out door swapmeet. She was really disappointed that it wasn't like when she was younger. Anyways, we found the wholesale area but prices were ridiculous. There was one HUGE store, looked like a Forever 21 but you needed a vendors license and minimum purchase of $200..we'll go more prepared next time.
We did go to the textile district and bought tons of craft supplies...it was so overwhelming.

There was an immigration march going on but we stayed away from the crazyness..

All the fabrics made me want to start sewing more...