The Elevated Envelope

 

If you're in the mood for mail, or perhaps need a little art therapy to help get you through the last weeks of winter (and, you know, everything else that's going on), maybe it's time for a little mail art?

The wonderful Elevated Envelope Mail Art Exchange has returned! 

My very first (and very favourite) mail art swap, The Elevated Envelope is the brainchild/lovechild of Tara Bliven, an American designer now living in Ireland. Not a "stuff swap", this project asks you to transform a humble envelope into a piece of art. Forget what your mother taught you. When it comes to mail art, it's what's on the outside that counts!

Sign up for The Elevated Envelope and exchange beautiful mail with artists, creative and mail lovers from all over the world. It's a wonderful source of inspiration and connection, and a great creativity booster too. Participation is free, but do keep in mind you'll need to pay for materials and postage.

Returning just in time for Spring, this year's theme is Equinox. 

Sign-ups for 2022's edition close on Monday, February 28th. 

Find all the details and sign up here.

Fun fact, when Tara took a break from this mail art swap a few years ago, I missed it so much, I was inspired to start Pretty Postal.  

Send Pretty Mail #11-15 - Kirigami Copies

How fun are these! I had the best kind of fun crafting this series of one-of-a-kind envelopes for the Elevated Envelope Exchange. Don't know about The Elevated Envelope? It's a fantastic mail art exchange created by Tara Bliven of Ephemera Press. Find out more here.

For each envelope, I first created a set of colourful kirigami paper cuts.

Then, colour copies of the kirigami are made into the envelopes...

Using an envelope template and a little washi tape.

Hand drawn address labels add a touch of whimsy.Index cards dressed up with some washi tape (how cute is the mt Bows tape?) make great coordinating notecards to slip inside.

And, for a finishing touch, a strip of glitter tape!Have you ever participated in a mail swap? I've found it to be a wonderful creative exercise plus you end up with a mailbox full of pretty things!Want to receive some pretty mail in YOUR mailbox? Send me a note at info@omiyage.ca with your mailing address and a little something about yourself. I'll be making a list and choosing new friends to send mail to each month. And don't worry if you don't hear back from me right away - February & March are already full thanks to Mail Swaps.