p.s. LOVE stampede

The leftmost LOVE-fest in the mélange à trois above was made and mailed by bookbinder Bari Zaki. Fashioned from a page featuring the USPS 2002 and 2004 LOVE stamps — both designed by Michael Osborne — the envelope was, in a sentimental sense, coming home to roost. Its label, the loveliest in the land, bears the hand of Bari herself (who continues to be inspired by Wendy Cook, court calligrapher of refined San Francisco emporium Bell’occhio). The center envelope was kuhnstructed by Your Correspondent, using an actual cover of Graphic Design:USA. Yes, the issue’s cover was a solid pattern of the 2002 LOVE stamp, so all I did was put a single stamp in the upper right corner, exactly atop the printed one. And at rightmost is another envelope from Bari Zaki, made from a paper advertisement. Sealed with a kiss for the froggy prince — hoppin’ hilarious.

Here is the top of a large envelope I sent Michael Osborne on April 6, 2003, from Marina Green Station in San Francisco. The set of eight stamps is an homage to letterwriting, designed by Bradbury Thompson for the USPS, commemorating the centenary of the Universal Postal Union. Each stamp reproduces a painting by an artist from a different country, all on the themes of reading, writing or sending correspondence. The American entry, “Old Scraps,” third from the left, is by John Frederick Peto (trust me, the preceding link is better than you think!). What else do I love about these stamps? The John Donne excerpt “Letters mingle souls.”

The recipient “returned to sender” with cleverly arranged LOVE stamps designed by Robert Indiana, issued in 1973. I had the pleasure of seeing Indiana’s original artwork for this stamp in an exhibition titled Art of the Stamp (the next best thing to having been there is right here at the National Postal Museum site).

Right now, today, this very morning, it’s not too late to put your heart on your envelope and make someone’s mail day. Kuhnsider yourself officially encouraged.