In the middle row of the Regal.

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Originally uploaded by wastedpapiers.

What better way to spend a damp Sunday afternoon than watching Pixar's latest offeringThe Incrediblesat the Regal cinema with a giant packet of popcorn and a giant Coke (with three straws!). The film was great and much better than Finding Nemo though not as funny as Toy Story (1 or 2). A must see for all the family. The little short film about a sheep at the beginning was worth the admission price alone. Hazel's tooth behaved itself which was good too. The traffic through town was terrible due to road works so good job we set out a bit earlier than normal.
Otherwise another lazy Sunday, reading the papers and watching TV and blogging etc. The collage is from a concertina book I made for an artist's book exhibition in Manchester a few years back.

Label maker and the table shaker.

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Originally uploaded by wastedpapiers.

Found this label maker atACME which is quite fun and easy to use. Thanks to
Easy Dreamer and PopCultureLinks.
Hazel and Archie have gone out to do some shopping.Just phoned the chap who made the Leslie Sarony compilation. He was telling about his old record deck which survived the war when a doodle-bug hit the house while they were cowering in the Anderson shelter at the bottom of the garden! Most of the furniture was smashed to bits but the the record player was saved by a table which proteced it from the falling masonary. He still uses it today. Amazing!


This was the postcard seen on "Spaced" I believe, though not actually seen it myself. This one was made for Boomerang in about 1998 I think.

The Graces or the Furies?

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Originally uploaded by wastedpapiers.

Not sure which. Could be the neighbours from hell? We are lucky, our neighbours are very nice and we hardly see them.
Hazel's tooth still playing her up. She went to the dentist and she prescribed some antibiotics. She's been holding an icepack made from an orange lolly next to her cheek all day. Not sure how she'll cope with her lecture tomorrow. I think she should cancell it.
Archie is in the "free" version of the Chronicle that came out today. Its a better photo and bigger and the headline says " Archie's in the frame for Hollywood success". No pressure or anything!
I made this collage today for the Collage Kids group on Flickr. The theme is the Three Graces or The Furies. Not sure if this qualifies for either but I quite like it. I've been trying to find a use for that Snakes and Ladders image for ages.


Envelope from Ruud Janssen, collaged and recycled to Ed Giecek. The most blogged envelope of the week!

Local boy makes good!

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Originally uploaded by wastedpapiers.

Not much happening today but Archie is in one of the local rags about his success with his flash animation at the Exposures Student Film Festival in Manchester. Its a terrible photo and printed very badly - I can see why the Chronicle doesnt sell as many copies as the Guardian (the other local paper) now. Still its a nice little piece that they've written almost word for word from the e-mail Hazel sent them.
I have been catching up with the mail (one envelope to Rudi Rubberoid below) and trying to do some collaging from scraps piling up on my work table.
Hazel's gone out to drive her Mom to the Infirmary for her eye-test. Archie rushed in from school, changed and rushed out with James and James's Granma and will be back later for his dinner. He didnt even have time to look at his picture in the paper!

Eye's Pie With My Little Blog

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Originally uploaded by wastedpapiers.

Something beginning with "O". Yes, it's the 'orrible eye test at Spec Savers but it wasnt too bad. My eyes hadn't deteriorated atall so no need for new glasses (Sorry Hazel- she hates the glasses I have and thinks they make me look a spectacle of myself!) So £18 out of pocket I went to the bank and then to the post office to post Vittore's packet. Not many bargains to be had in the charity shops but did find a 2005 desk diary in the new bookshop for a £1. Bought some rabbit pellets and walked home in the drizzle. Life just does'nt get better than this!


No friendly mail today or mail of any kind. Not sure what's happening to it all. Our postman is not prone to throwing it over a nearby hedge as some are likely to do.Usually something interesting here.

From Iwerks to Kricfalusi.

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Originally uploaded by wastedpapiers.

I've always loved animated films from seeing the Fliescher Brothers "Popeye" on TV in the 50's to the the big blockbuster Pixar films at the cinema. I expect this is why Archie, our 12 year old son, has become such a keen animator using Flash. Some of Hazel's students have also used stop-motion,Flash etc .Here we see Andy Sykes using it to great effect especially in "Hot Stuff". The creator of "Ren & Stimpy" John Kricfalusi,has a great showreel here which shows his madcap humour and inventiveness. Good news is that Kricfalusi has regained the rights to Ren & Stimpy from Nickelodeon who ruined it for a while and 6 new episodes are available now - hopefully the BBC or C4 will sign him up for a new series. For more news and views about animation past and present go to Cartoon Brew.

Beyond Our Kennel

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Originally uploaded by wastedpapiers.

Not only a great book of poems by John Hegley but cover art by yours truly. I sent John two collages and they choose not to use this one which was my favourite.( The one used can be seen below).
Nevermind, the other was used by Boomerang so seen quite widely in cinema foyers for a while.
Sunday was very quiet. Too wet for a walk and a headache didn't help. Hazel thinks I should get my eyes tested again as its been a couple of years since the last test.


Published by Methuen in 1998.

A day in the big metrollops.

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Originally uploaded by wastedpapiers.

Up at the crack of dawn to get the train to Manchester to see a great lecture by Tim Hunkin who used to do the Rudiments of Wisdom cartoons in the Observer for many years and made lots of inventive tv programmes about how machines worked called "The Secret Life of Machines" and now makes wonderful automata for his own amusement arcade on Southwold Pier in Suffolk. A lovely man and very entertaining. Archie had a day off school especially to see him and got his autograph. Archie particularly enjoyed his animations made from photographs - a kind of 3-D version of those Monty Python catoons by Terry Gilliam. After the lecture Archie and I went to the Manchester Museum to see the newly installed T.Rex skeleton (a plastic copy) which was impressive and looked at the live exhibits which include Axolotls, poisonous blue frogs, snakes and monkeytoads? A very tiring day and I can see why Hazel collapses in a heap when she gets home after a full day of fending off students questions and commuting on the terribly uncomfortable and unreliable trains!

Great Scott! He's learned how to make links!

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Originally uploaded by wastedpapiers.

It's quite simple really once you know the secret code. I shall have to do this more often though it is a bit of a faff.
More lovely Michael Scott letters just uploaded at my other blog. Also just discovered at the wonderful Neil Innes website some new MP3's from a live gig in Chicago ealier in the year. Over an hour of great music if you go to The Sediments nice site as well.

I make no bones about it.....

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Originally uploaded by wastedpapiers.

This Skeleton postcard for Boomerang was made for the schools network- for the biology teacher's. They hated it apparently so not been commissioned to design anymore which is a shame. Perhaps "hate" is too strong a word. They didn't feel it was appropriate. Too colourful and quirky and not enough information for their students. If it's a diagram they want they can surely look in a text book? A quiet day collaging and going to the dentist for my check-up and hygenist appointment. Going private has made them just as tardy but a bit more thorough - checking jaw bone and salivary gland? Seemed rather unnecessery, espcially counting the fillings and x-rays of tongue? In the waiting room I flicked through several National Geographics and read an interesting article about itunes and Napster in Word magazine. Seems that Napster is best, having far more access to the works of Showaddywaddy and The Wombles. Not sure if it was the magazines or the scraping of the teeth that gave me the headache which has lasted until now. Having fun finding animal clippings for the Collage Kids theme that I initiated of "Noah's Ark- in the 21st century". Almost finished it and will upload tomorrow if I get a chance. Testing out how to add a link now. Hey! Check out this! It's Hazel's latest addition to her great blog about toys.

This must be the plaice?

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Originally uploaded by wastedpapiers.

It wasn't that cold out so felt rather hot and stuffy in my overcoat after walking to town. Did the usual round of charity shops, bank, post office and library. Got some "stocking fillers" and wrapping paper at the market.
Hazel was all excited for Chris, one of her students, who has won first prize (shared with someone else) in the Channel 5 "Art Challenge" that is broadcast on Thursday but took place last night in Liverpool. Hazel wanted to be there but a long way to go and no transport.
This collage is another from the early 80's thats been jiggled around for another booklet. Another Xmas cat. page below.

Christmas catalogue archive fun.

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Originally uploaded by wastedpapiers.

These pages are from old Xmas catalogues made in the past to amuse friends and relatives, now i can share afew pages with my blog. These items are NOT for sale so please don't send money or enquiries to the addresses shown - they are pure fiction!

An old serviettte joke is better than none.

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Originally uploaded by wastedpapiers.

An old collage using some terrible old "Boys Own" annual clipping, probably from the early 70's just found in the coal shed mail pile.
Today we had a pleasant walk in Marbury despite the cold. Extra thick socks definately worth stuffing in yer wellies. The mad ducks, dogs and owners were out in force. The stale bread didn't last long - hoovered up by many a beak. We sat a while at the "hide' and saw a mouse or vole grab the bread and rush off into the undergrowth. Two grey squirrels nearby burying nuts in the leaves. Saw two jays and several magpies, tits, finches,etc. Lots of paths made more pronounced by gravel and asphalt. I prefer the muddy tracks but better for families with buggies & small children I suppose.

When you go to sANDROIDcisco

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Originally uploaded by wastedpapiers.

....be sure to wear some collage in your hair. Ah, the old songs are the best!
Creative Thing sent me some waste paper bits he found whilst holidaying in S.F. with his missus. I felt a strong urge to compost them into something bloggable, and here it is. And so to bed.....


A postcard started by Swapatorium and finished by me.

Another neverlope from the budgie bag.

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Originally uploaded by wastedpapiers.

Never an envelope, more of a piece of paper stapled around three sides. Another from the coal shed that I sent Hazel around 1985. I'm not sure what she was doing in Swindon but I guess the alternative of living in a chilly portaloo in Stepney was too awful to contemplate!
Nice mail today despite it being the 13th, from an old chap in Devon who saw my ad. in "Yours" magazine for novelty songs. He wrote that he had similar interests and a big collection of 78's which sounded promising. i phoned him up and he sounded very amused at the idea of a swap."Sorry if I sound a bit strange", he said, "but I've just had all me teeth out!" Not much one can say to this revelation! Anyway, we had a nice chat and he's going to send me some Leslie Sarony that he can dub to CD which will be great. He said " The trouble is, when people retire and move down to Devon they sell all their 78's before they get here!"
Hazel and Archie have been tidying and now gone out to do some shopping and see the opticians through glasses.

The tooths that is so hard to bare.

Annoying day psyching myself up for a my 6 monthly visit to the dentist only to find they had cancelled it without even telling me! I felt my Victor Meldrew alter-ego rising and my hackles (whatever they are?!) so quickly left the surgery before I said something caustic to the dozy receptionist.
Walked home in drizzle muttering foul oaths. At least I had escaped the scraping and polishing until next week, so made myself a cuppa and had a mini Jaffa cake to celebrate!
The good thing later was being able at last to get Real Player to load and being able to listen again to Charlie Gillett's great show on BBC Radio London. I sorted some more boxes and decanted some mail art into plastic boxes. Three more boxes should do it!Hooray!

An envelope sent to Hazel when we were courtin' in 1985.

Handbag Snatchers In Rovers Snug Horror!

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Originally uploaded by wastedpapiers.

Hazel keeps telling me that Coronation Street is better than ever but I can't see it myself. Those were the days when Ena Sharples, Albert Tatlock and Minnie Caldwell haunted the alleyways of Rosamund Street.
The Charity Market in town was a bit of a let-down- hardly any scratchy records or bargains for me but Hazel got a few things. All I got were two CD's - one by Ronnie Ronalde, the whistler, and another of French accordion music which all sounds vaguley similar after a while. Also a video of Dick Emery's funniest moments complete with 6 free postcards for 50p!
The postcard with Emery in a sailor suit I will send to my Auntie Olwen as she was a Wren in the 2nd World War and has an eye for sailors even now at the age of 80. I sent her postcard of Popeye last time which she found very funny.
After our marketing spree we had a late breakfast in Charlie's of scrambled egg an tomatoes on toast and compared bargains. Walked home in the fine rain that soaks you through and found a nice pile of mail waiting including a showreel from Tim drage of his wonderful Lego animations, a book of "Gluings" from Mark Bloch, a postcard from Pistol Pete (yeeaha!) and nice letter from Creative Thing plus bits of collage material picked up in San Francisco where he is holidaying at the moment.


Farm transfers book with original transfers still intact.1950's.

Eggbaby-Da-Diddlydaddy

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Originally uploaded by wastedpapiers.

A third of a collage from 1991. This section, based on an old wartime postcard about rationing is my favourite part. Probably thinking about being a parent at the time as Archie was born about a year later. Starting a family in your mid-forties is a scary prospect and I had feelings that we may have left it too late.




Mr.Turnip from Whirlygig. BBC Childrens TV. 1950's

One small step for mail kind.

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Originally uploaded by wastedpapiers.

This was the poster I got back from Ti Parks, the organiser of the first mail art show I ever saw back in 1980. I can't tell you what a revelation it was for me to see all these envelopes, postcards and objects etc. hung up ( in polythene bags) in the stairwell and foyer of the Greenwich Theatre in South London. Here were people all round the world who communicated with rubber stamps and playful collages and decorated envelopes that I thought I and a few close friends were soley responsible for!(This was before the internet became established ofcourse). This poster was my start - the few addresses on here lead to others and soon the postal ball was rolling and couldnt be stopped!


And here we are nearly 25 years later. This is the cover of an assembling 'zine that grew to 49 issues and finished last year. Floss has taken up the assmbling baton now. I wonder how many issues it will run to?

Shedding more light on the mail.

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Originally uploaded by wastedpapiers.

I walked into town to get some shopping as the fridge was nearly empty.Found Archie an old Whoopee Annual from 1984 which I shall put away for a "stocking filler". The check-out girl was very surly in Iceland and didn't say thankyou when I gave her the money for my purchases. I adopted my Victor Meldrew persona and asked if it were usual for customers to be treated so. She looked dumbfounded and said " I did say thankyou!" "Well I must be going deaf, because I didn't hear you!" I said and grouched out of the shop.
I dont think I'll be going back there again - not whilst she's there anyway.
More boxes of mail art transferred to plastic containers when I got home. More added to archive blog.
The pavement is being sprayed with high pressure thingy for the layer of bitumen coating outside our house. most of the street has a new layer of what looks like treacle with sawdust in. I think it looked better the way it was. I can see this layer peeling off and looking even messier in a few months. I don't B E L I E V E it !


More robots from the Curios Thing 'zine I sometimes publish in small editions of 50 or 100 copies. This one from the mid 90's.

It's that fine rain that soaks you through.

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Originally uploaded by wastedpapiers.

Another wet, miserable Sunday. No boot sales now until next Spring. The next issue of FLOSS has been compiled from the pages sent in by 9 participants. Will post them tomorrow. Today I put them in envelopes and rubber stamped and decorated the outsides This afternoon we went for a walk to Shackerley mere to feed the stale bread to the mad swans, geese and ducks. One hungry swan waddled out of the water to chase us a few yards before giving up and slipping back into the mere. Hazel, Archie and Thomas (from over the road) are lighting the last of the sparklers and roman candles. The old cardboard boxes from the coal shed burned very quickly and now some smoking wood is all that is left on the bonfire. Time to get some dinner on.


A page from the book Hazel bought me for our anniversary.

And another one.

We've bin togevver na' for 21 years!

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Originally uploaded by wastedpapiers.

An it don't seem a day too much! It's just whizzed by! I made this card for Hazel to celebrate or "anniversary". We started "courtin'" on November 5th 1983 at a firework and bonfire party in Alsager where she was at college. Hazel gave me this great book called "An Ideal Boy" which is charts and posters from Indian schools - very brightly coloured and naive looking with wonderful captions and titles like BAD HABITS which include "Kite flying on open roofs" and "Taking law in hands".

This is the envelope it was in - found in the coal shed!

Wonky, Bloggit and Dickensian

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Originally uploaded by wastedpapiers.

Where we used to live in Lambeth before the place was gentrified. the photographer made the biuldings look even wonkier than they were to make them look like they would fall down any minute, which ofcourse was quite unnecessary as they looked like this in most peoples eyes anyway!
I've just started another blog called "obscure" (see links) that is my contribution to Vittore Baroni's "Year of Obscure Actions". It was Hazel's idea really - she noticed a nice book about the backs of photographs in the library whilst researching artist's books for her students and this gave me the idea. How obscure and at the same time not obscure. I always like the backs of paintings, especially abstracts which seemed far more interesting than the fronts! I love the backs of lots of Joseph Cornell's box constructions as usually they had a collage that was just as fascinating as the front view. When trying to frame postcards its a hard choice whether to choose the picture side or the writing side with the stamps and frankings etc. both of which are equally important and note-worthy.

Jeeky Juesday

A walk into town this morning in the drizzle. I almost turned round a came home again but luckily the rain fizzled out by the time I got to the library. A quick look at the recent aquisitions. Then round the charity shops. Found a couple of cheap DVD's, the sort they give away with cereal these days. When I was a child it was little plastic submarines that ran on baking powder?
Later In the afternoon I sorted some more mail art from the coal shed into plastic boxes. Most was from the early 90's. Archie came home from school and asked if I'd found any Beanos or Dandy's and just as he said it I uncovered a Desperate Dan badge still pinned to its card! How's that for syncronicity! Needles to say he was pleased as Punch and hung around incase I uncovered anymore ancient Beano or Dandy memorobilia for his collection! He found some scraps of old Beano that I'd obviously cut up for collage material (long before he was born) so that upset him a bit - Oh the sacriledge!