Ward-O-Riffic!

Waaaay back in late September 2008, P.J. (pre -Joanne) I took a solo road trip down the west coast of the good ol' U. S. of Ayyy! to the always groovy burg of Portland, Oregon. Whilst there, and concurrently at the same time, I met up with my pal and animator/director/illustrator/breakdance enthusiast supreme Ward (Ward-O-Matic) Jenkins.

We had been corresponding for a couple years through Flickr due to our shared interests in vintage kids books and cool vintage illustration in general. So it was natural for us to meet mano a mano for the first time during my visit. We spent an afternoon purusing the well-stocked but pricey shelves of "The City of Roses"' best used booked stores, and picked up a few items. As well, I dropped off a box of vintage kids books (that I had doubles of) that Ward had expressed interest in. Ward said he'd send me something in return and, after making some suggestions a few months later, the above envelope (and it's stuffed innards) was what I VERY happily recieved from my friendly neighbourhood postal employee!


The prints from his Etsy shop are wonderful (Joanne LOVED the Calico Elly (above) I gave her as part of her recent birthday gifts) and the cards and note were very thoughtful.

BUT... the creme de la icing on the cake was the superfun sketches Mr. Matic added to the mailing envelope. I've done the same thing in the past on the occasional parcel, but it always makes my day to get something thoughtful AND cool in mail from such a talented individual.

Thanks Ward!