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.  

Pretty Postal Kitchen Table Mail

It's that time again... time for a new Pretty Postal mail swap. This time round, we're challenging our fellow mail lovers to exchange thoughtful mail based around the theme of food and memory. It's the perfect time of year to get cozy and create some beautiful mail. And if you've been here long, you know I think blank envelopes and cards are a wonderful canvas for creativity!

This particular swap is only open to previous Pretty Postal swappers... so if you've completed one of our previous swaps, we do hope you'll sign up for this one too. Sign-ups are open until Friday, November 22nd. You can find all the details over on the Pretty Postal site.

Pretty Postal Monochromatic Mail Swap

It's been a long, grey winter and I don't know about you, but I could use a boost of spirit lifting colour. Luckily, it's the perfect time for another Pretty Postal mail swap ...

The Monochromatic Mail Swap invites you to create pretty mail using a single colour family of your choice. I'm feeling rather partial towards pinks and reds, but sunny yellows or even classic black and white would be fun too.

Pretty Postal swaps connect you with 2 to 4 other creatives across the country and around the world to exchange well-crafted mail on a chosen theme. Since 2016, we've brightened mailboxes with nearly 2000 pieces of mail!

For full details on this swap and how to sign up, click here.

Pretty Postal Harvest Mail Swap

About twice a year, some snail mail loving friends and I put our heads together to organize a swap. Well, it's that time again... time to spark some creative ideas and brighten up mailboxes with pretty mail.

Gather your favourite supplies in all the best Autumn shades and come join us!

The Pretty Postal Harvest Mail Swap asks you to take your love for all things autumnal and express them in mail form. Participants exchange themed mail with a group of 2-4 partners from around the world (or close to home). Please sign-up by October 7th!

Pretty Postal swaps are free to join, international-friendly and open to anyone over the age of 18.

For full details and sign-up info, please click here.

If you have any questions about this swap, Pretty Postal or mail swaps in general, please feel free to ask!

Pretty Postal Tropical Mail Swap

Oh my! It's been such a long time since I've hung out on these pages.

In truth, 2017 wasn't a very creative year... a bit of a hibernation after 4 craft books in 3 years, I guess! Oh well. I do hope to make more time for creative pursuits in the year ahead... starting with a brand new Pretty Postal Mail Swap!

(Have you joined us for a creative mail swap yet? It's a great push to make something beautiful yet practical and to share your art/craft with the world... or at least a few people somewhere out there!)

It's been a year since our last swap... so, we wanted to come back with something fun and cheerful and ever so bright. Get ready to channel your inner Carmen Miranda...

Introducing...

The Pretty Postal Tropical Mail Swap

The weather outside may be anything but balmy... filled with nasty winter weather - polar vortexes, bomb cyclones and extreme cold alerts - but wrapped in our woolies and nestled by the fire, we’re all set to take a mental beach break.

So, turn up the heat, turn on your favourite tropical tunes and join us as we go bananas for palm trees, pineapples & pina coladas!

Exchange vibrant mail with 2-4 other snail mail lovers from all over the world (or close to home). For Pretty Postal mail swaps, we want to see gorgeous decorated envelopes with (preferably) handmade cards inside. Paint, calligraphy, washi tape, cut paper... anything goes!

Sign up by January 28th to take part in all the tropical fun.
You can find full dates, details and sign-up info over on the Pretty Postal site.

Midnight Mail Recap

The second Pretty Postal swap - the Midnight Mail Swap - was dark and mysterious and moody (and oh so fun!) Close to 100 snail mail lovers from around the world exchanged midnight-themed mail with each other - there were witches and ravens and wolves and constellations and many many moons!

Here's a look at the pretty mail that I sent and received. You can peek at more mail right here.

I took inspiration from the night sky - full moons and golden light pouring through trees and the sound of owls winging through the darkness.

I started by making envelopes out of navy card stock, then cut out a leafy pattern and added a metallic gold backing. I topped the handmade envelopes with a watercolour moon.




My night sky theme continued inside the envelopes - more moons plus plenty of stars and owls.



After playing around with more complicated card concepts, I decided to keep it simple for this handmade card. A circle punched from a slightly metallic blue card stock topped with a golden crescent moon made for a graphic and modern look. I replicated the same icon in miniature to seal the included starry envelope.



As for the extras, I shared a combination of stickers, blank cards and owl embellishments cut from a vintage book.

And here's a look at some of what I received from my partners...


Norma, in Oregon, crafted gorgeous mail inspired by midnight walks - strolling hand-in-hand beneath the stars. And how great is her taste in washi tape?!


From Shana, in California, beautiful starry sky mail - complete with a mini jar of falling stars. So clever!



And Ana, in Portugal, sent a lovely package filled with fairies and full moons. I adored the wild and free wolf pocket and the confetti tag - can you see the man in moon snoozing there?

What fun a good mail swap is! I do hope you'll join us for the next one!

Pretty Postal Midnight Mail Swap

There's a definite chill in the air this morning.

Autumn is announcing its arrival with grey skies and wind. 
Long long nights and barren trees are just around the corner.

So it seemed like the perfect time to tell you about the Midnight Mail Swap...

Have you ever joined a mail swap or parcel swap?

If yes, bear with a moment (or skip ahead). If not, let me tell you all about the joy of the mail swap!

Someone picks a theme and sets some guidelines (number of partners, mailing deadlines, mail or parcel, type of contents, value of contents, surprise or not...) then welcomes sign-ups and assigns partners. You create beautiful mail and send it off to your partner(s) and in return, you receive mail from your partner(s). In the case of a parcel swap, this is usually a single parcel with a set value. With a mail swap, you send cards/letters to multiple partners and in return your mailbox fills with beautiful mail from here, there and everywhere.

I love a good mail swap! It's a fun way to bring cheer to your mailbox, inspires you to try something new while stretching your artistic muscles, and broadens your world a little bit by connecting you to likeminded strangers across the globe.


With that in mind, I'd love to invite you to join Pretty Postal's latest mail swap....

The Midnight Mail Swap

By the pricking of my thumbs, something wicked this way comes!

Midnight…

Moonlight & stardust. Magic & masquerade.

For this Pretty Postal mail swap, we’re inviting you to get a little dark, maybe a little spooky, and create beautiful mail inspired by midnight.

Starlit nights. Wolf howls. Vintage horror movies. Black roses. Zodiac signs.

Anything goes... it's all up to your interpretation!

Interested?

Sign-ups are open until September 30th.
Partners will be assigned by October 3rd.
Mailing deadline is October 17th.

You will be grouped with 2-4 partners and must send a piece of pretty mail to each partner by the deadline.
Swap is open worldwide to anyone over the age of 18 and is free to join.

Full details and rules can be found here.
To sign-up, you can email your name and postal address to: prettypostalswaps@gmail.com

Can't wait to see your gorgeous midnight mail!

The Pretty Postal Floral Mail Recap

Oh hi again!

How was your summer? Around here it was hot, hot, hot but the very opposite of hectic... which is pretty much the perfect way to pass the hot season. Slowly!

Anyway, we're gearing up for the next Pretty Postal swap and I didn't want to launch into that one without writing a little recap of the first one first. For posterity... or something!

In case you missed it, The Pretty Postal Floral Swap invited snail mail lovers to exchange flower-themed mail with 3-5 partners. We ended up with over 100 participants from all over the world... California to Nova Scotia, Australia to Finland, Ghana to Japan. So exciting! I was really blown away by the response and both the talent and the generosity of the swappers. You can sneak a peek at lots of the pretty mail that was exchanged over on Instagram.

Here's the handcrafted mail that I sent out to my partners...

I started with the envelopes. Simple kraft envelopes are made special when embellished with labels made from scrapbook paper and index cards, birds cut out of vintage wildlife books, watercolour flowers and a touch of washi tape (of course).

The envelopes were then lined with colour photocopies from my sketchbook. A fun way to personalize your mail without cutting up your art!

On to the contents...

Handcrafted floral cards made of washi tape, colourful paper doilies and either twine or sticker bows. A little fiddly to make (especially when making more than one) but a fun challenge for sure!

Individualized floral monograms for each partner - simple watercolour and pen but I think they turned out quite prettily!

I collected lovely floral stamps from eBay, then used a sticker maker to turn them into stickers. Each set of six was then packaged up in a clear bag with a little washi tape accent.

Everything slipped easily inside that standard envelope... which is always helpful when mailing internationally!

And finally, sealed with a little washi tape, a sticker and one of the postage stamp stickers.

I really loved putting this pretty mail together... I hope the recipients loved it too!

Send Pretty Mail - Airmail Animals

When sending out mail, do you like to pick a theme and/or colour scheme?

I'm definitely on the theme and/or colour scheme bandwagon. Though the theme doesn't really have to make sense... so long as it looks good!

Here's a fun piece of mail I sent out a few weeks ago - a slightly mad, but oh so pretty, combo of airmail animals.

Airmail stripes + red, white and blue + adorable animals = snail mail magic!


Once I figure out a theme and/or colour scheme. (In this case, I used a set of washi tape buttons as my initial colour story inspiration), I like to gather all the bits and pieces I have on hand that match. Then I work from there. Mixing, matching, crafting, editing... until I have a lovely cohesive piece of pretty mail.

I've started experimenting with laminating my washi tape sampler cards - it adds a bit of stability to the cards plus the washi tape doesn't stick. No more wasted tape!

And the samplers again - all packaged up! Plus the aforementioned matching washi tape buttons and a teensy kitty cat envelope (with a snail mail challenge tucked inside!)

Then I made some matching mini envelopes and notes.

I picked up a pile of wonderful origami papers in Japan - these translucent stripes and dots are perfect for crafting cute envelopes - two for little notes, and one that can be used by the recipient to send her own note!

Add a collection of red, white and blue bits and pieces...
Stickers, labels and adorable Japanese envelopes (plus some cute animal mini cards inside the fishy envelope.)

Then all the bits and pieces piled together and tied with a bow.
A touch of classic red & white baker's twine makes everything better (ahem, fancier), don't you think?

Finally, the envelope - covered in striped origami paper, washi tape and a cute mailbox cut out!

I was really happy with this package - and I hope the recipient was too! It's always fun to take two things that don't necessarily go together and turn them into one cohesive mailing.

How about you? Have you sent any pretty mail lately?

The Pretty Postal Floral Swap

Have you ever joined a mail swap or parcel swap?

If yes, bear with a moment (or skip ahead). If not, let me tell you all about the joy of the mail swap!

Someone picks a theme and sets some guidelines (number of partners, mailing deadlines, mail or parcel, type of contents, value of contents, surprise or not...) then welcomes sign-ups and assigns partners. You create beautiful mail and send it off to your partner(s) and in return, you receive mail from your partner(s). In the case of a parcel swap, this is usually a single parcel with a set value. With a mail swap, you send cards/letters to multiple partners and in return your mailbox fills with beautiful mail from here, there and everywhere.

I love a good mail swap! It's a fun way to bring cheer to your mailbox, inspires you to try something new while stretching your artistic muscles, and broadens your world a little bit by connecting you to likeminded strangers across the globe.

Sounds like fun, right? So, when I got the itch to send a little pretty mail, it seemed like the perfect opportunity to organize a mail swap. So, I've teamed up with fellow snail mail lovers Andrea of Q&A Letterbox and Ashley of The Anthropology of Giving for The Pretty Postal Floral Swap...

The Pretty Postal Floral Swap is for snail mail lovers and flower lovers alike!

This May, we're inviting you to create a beautiful bouquet of mail! Send out a bundle of pretty floral post then watch as your mailbox fills with beautiful blooms from other mail artists.

The key to this swap is the envelope - we want to spread cheer all along the postal route. Use your favourite materials and techniques to create unique floral envelopes - calligraphy, pretty paper, embellishments, paint, collage, hand drawn details, etc etc. Add a handmade floral card (or a store-bought one if you prefer) and little goodie of some kind (stickers, washi tape sampler, tea...) and send them off!

Interested?

Sign-ups are from May 8-15th.
Partners will be assigned May 17-18th.
Mailing deadline is May 31st.
You will be grouped with 3-5 partners and must send a piece of pretty mail to each partner by the deadline.
Swap is open worldwide to anyone over the age of 18 and is free to join.

Full details and rules can be found here.
To sign-up, you can email your name and postal address to: prettypostalswaps@gmail.com

Can't wait to see your pretty floral mail!

Outgoing Mail - Black, White & Neon Fun!

I'm trying to get back into the habit of sending mail. 

I told myself back in January that I'd send one great package or piece of mail each month in 2016 - a small challenge. But, as is the way, life gets in the way, and suddenly it's May... and I haven't sent a parcel since that first one in January.

So this month, I'm re-challenging myself to actually start sending mail again. It must be all that fabulous snail mail inspiration over on Instagram! First, I put together a couple of bold black, white and pink parcels to send to creative friends... here's a peek...

Whenever I put together a snail mail package, I like to have a jumping off point - a particular card, theme or colour scheme that I then build the various components around. In this case, I was inspired by a set of envelopes I had crafted out of uncoloured colouring book pages. The bold black and white patterns were the perfect place to start.

But then, of course, I couldn't resist adding a bit of colour. And, when in doubt, pink is always the answer!

So I gathered up all my black, white, gold and pink materials and supplies and set about putting together a package I thought anyone would love to receive in the mail. 

An assortment of stickers and buttons and washi tape samples is always fun!

Then added some fun stationery treats - an adorable notebook, a lovely postcard and those aforementioned envelopes.

Finally a hand drawn card to write my message in - because I can't resist an opportunity to doodle flowers! 

And then, time to make the outside of the mail as fun as the inside. 

Washi tape, stickers. doodles and collage elements. I love the final look...

So I had to try it on the back too!

How about you? Where do you find inspiration when sending pretty mail?

Sending Out Pretty Parcels

As I packed up a pile of pretty parcels this week, I couldn't resist snapping a few shots to share with you!

You see, I was wrapping up a big pile of washi tape grab bags...

Which, unfortunately (fortunately),  were snapped up so quickly, I didn't have a chance to share them here. But, as the wrapping of this round turned out so nicely, I wanted to do a little show and tell.

Pretty pretty, right? That's a sticker set on top - placed in a clear flat bag and then sealed with a piece of origami paper as a header card. I'm totally in love with the gorgeous floral paper - it's from a set of origami paper I picked up in Japan!

To replicate this look...
1. Place your gift inside a colourful paper bag. Fold and seal the bag at the bag with your favourite washi tape.
2. Attach a set of assorted stickers (or other flat treat) to the top with more washi tape. Pretty header cards always appreciated!
3. Tie colourful twine around the parcel.
4. Top with a trio of gift tags - first a collage-style tag decorated with washi tape, stickers and a piece of paper doily. Next a triangular tag cut out of polka dot paper. Finally, a bold circular tag punched from bright pink scrapbook paper.  A touch of eighties style, a whole lot of fun!
5. Finish with a lovely twine bow!

You can really use any paper or cardstock as a tag - just punch or cut into the desired shape, then use a holepunch to make a hole for your string.

Then I packed them up in basic manila envelopes to ship across Canada and the world.

But basic envelopes never do around here... I think my personal mantra might just be more is more!

So strips of washi tape plus a medley of stickers were just the thing to fancify these boring envelopes.

Each one dressed in its own unique combo of tape designs and stickers. I do love a good washi tape sticker!

I can't decide which one is my favourite! Can they all be my favourite?

How about you? Have you sent any pretty parcels lately?