Un-Mailed Envelope Art

I've said it before but it's true.  Sometimes I make something that even surprises me that "I" made that!  When that happens, I have to keep the piece around for a time while it sinks in that yes, "I" made that.

In this case it is a couple of altered art envelopes.

I did eventually decide to mail them but could never decide on a recipient.  I just couldn't choose one artist friend over another. 

Both envelopes were created in 2014 and are created with rubber stamps and Distress inks.

I always thought I'd share them after they went traveling to new homes.  I've spent too much time frustrating myself over who I would choose to send them to.  So here I am sharing them finally, but they still live with me.  And I still love seeing them. 

I love my vintage men stamps.  They're my secret boyfriends.

Happy Un-Mail Day!

Chevron Challenge Mail Art

This envelope is the result of a mutual challenge between myself and Tera of The Crafty Sugar Addict to find new ways to use the large chevron stamp.

The quilter in me saw this possibility when I set the stamp across the room to stare at it.  The stitched address block fell right into place.  That large bird is another new stamp.  He wants to show up in everything these days.

Coloring in the quilt star.

Then coloring around the star. Then some stencil background design.  And drawing stitches around the star outside. 

I color in my bird with foam makeup tools.

I used an alphabet Washi Tape for Tera's name.

You can see Tera's Chevron challenge mail art Here.

Thanks Tera, I'm feeling a lot happier with my chevron stamp now.

Happy Mail Day!

A Birthday and Ms. Skellie

A big three O birthday came around this year and I had a fun time making a birthday card.  Those Tim Holtz 3" number rubber stamps don't keep anything a secret.  Aren't those candles clever?  I wish I could claim their design, but I saw them on a store card.  

I swapped Ms. Skellie mail art with a couple of like-minded rubber stamping artists.  These are the envelopes I sent out.

Those new Planets postage stamps came out just at the right time for my envelopes.

I'm not accomplishing much on my to do list since purchasing a Kindle Fire and joining Bookbub.  I wish I'd done that hundreds of book dollars ago!  

So many enjoyable pastimes, so little time!

Happy Mail Day!

xxx

Annie

Vacation Mail Art

I am having a little visit at "home" for a couple of months.  I'm having the most marvelous time relaxing and thoroughly enjoying life for this short time.  

I have even had time to play with some mail art.

I dug through my old supplies which suddenly looked all new and exciting.  I decided to see what I could come up with after their long almost 5 year rest.  It just needed a little something extra, so I had to wait for the good mail day to bring me the brick wall stencil to finish it off.

Now I need help figuring out where to mail this envelope off to.  Any suggestions?

Then daughter and I went shopping and the raven stamp came home with us.  It turns out that we had both been contemplating that stamp for a while.

I wanted to send him out, but didn't think I could part with him.  So I attempted to recreate this envelope.

You cannot duplicate original art with that background technique.  Which is a very good thing.  I like him too.  But he will fly off to a sweet mail art friend.

I love the envelope mail art best when it has the recipients name and address on it.  That always adds the perfect finishing touch.  

Wishing everyone a good mail day.

xxx

Annie

...so boring. NOT

On the blog Mail Art Projects Louise is celebrating her 55th birthday this year and her wish is to receive 55 art envelopes in her mail. 

I've had this envelope, not knowing where to send it. So I've added Louise's upcoming age to the design and will be sending it to her. 

I added a Happy Birthday note on the back along with some other small artistic touches and it's ready for the mail. I have a feeling Louise will be receiving much more than 55 envelopes for this birthday celebration. 

I do not know Louise at all.  I just want to help her celebrate her birthday with this great art envelope project. You can send her an envelope too if you are so inclined. 

Happy Mail Day!

Annie

BE - Envelope Mail Art

BE ..... 

Sometimes it takes several people and personalities to get todays mail delivered.

I've no clue why I described this envelope that way.  There was no story or hidden meaning behind the design.  I just wanted to take all of my smaller face stamps (that I had at the time) and stamp them on one envelope.  On my blotter pad I noticed that I had blobs of color mixed with stamping and that provided the inspiration to blot on various colors around each image.  When that was done, postage stamps with faces came to mind, so I added them to the crowd.  After that I came across a rubber stamp of all those words, stamped them on tracing paper, cut them apart and spay glued them to the envelope.

Happy Mail Day
xxx
Annie

Happy Halloween

It's Halloween time again, and as usual, I've finished an old project but still pondering the finish of another (old) project.

 

This bunting still languishes with an undecided finish.  But I hang it out anyway.  :

 

 

 

 

 This next old Ghastlie project has been a thorn in my side for a long time.  I've not been able to figure out my next move with it.  But I finally figured out why.  It's the pink!

 

 

Pink is not Halloween for me.  But I put a lot of work into this crazy thing.  I just can't figure what to add to the outside edge.  So I went ahead and bound it so I can consider it done until I decide something to do.  Hey, maybe change the pink with an orange fabric marker!  I'll have to test that.

 



I can't talk myself into appliqueing more branches and birds.  And definitely no more words!  I haven't even done any quilting on it yet (other than the applique).  This fabric has never been a favorite, but I ended up in a Ghastlie blog hop.  So this project has been a self inflicted punishment right from its start.  LoL

 

And finally, here are a couple of mail art envelopes.

 

This next one turned out pretty crazy, but for some reason I like it.  And don't like it.  But like wins over.  Someday I'll figure out who to send it to.

 

 



 

Happy Haunting!

 

Boo!

Annie

 

Skeleton Mail Art and Tutorial

Two mail art envelopes.  One addressed to each of a couple. 

 

 

I saw this idea on flickr, here, as postcards.  But I wanted envelopes, and here is how I did this.

 

I first stamped my skeleton head on paper.  I then put the stamped paper in my copier and enlarged the image to the size I wanted for the two envelopes.

  

The image copied beautifully.  The crinkle in the paper is because I retrieved the paper from the trash when I decided to make a tutorial of my process.

I then taped, with blue painters tape, my envelopes side by side over the top of the enlarged imaged so that the image will print on the envelope where I want them.

 

 

  I then inserted the envelope sheet into my copier paper tray and photocopied the image onto the envelopes.

 

The darkness at the bottom is shadow while taking the photos.
 

I removed the tape and proceeded to color with ink the design.  I stamped Happy Halloween on tracing paper and cut out the letters in blocks.  They are spray glued to the envelopes.

 

 

 

I added a stamped cat image on one envelope and bats on the other.  I also stamped the verse.

 

The envelopes were addressed and postage added on the backsides.

 

I mailed the envelopes together but later hoped they would arrive on different days just to add a bit of mystery.  They arrived together.

 

This was a fun little project.

 

Happy Haunting!

xxx

Annie

 

Recent Envelope Art

There's been a sad lull in the department of mailing envelope art.  That HAD to change!  The withdrawals are not a pretty sight.

 

Envelope Front

 

I sent it across the globe.  That's definitely NOT instant gratification.  More like hand wringing and worries if your baby will make the trip ok alone.

 

A bit dramatic you say?  Well, yes, but it's really a small piece of my being that I put on paper as a tangible connection to me that I trust the postal system to keep safe and deliver to my friends.

Envelope Back

 

The extremely few times that my mail art goes astray, I hope only that it finds it's way to a kindred spirit or just a kindly being who will enjoy it.

 

A good mail day to you,

xxx

Annie



New Mail Art

But is it fun or a slam?

 

I got this new Renaissance Girl stamp.  After stamping her a quick glance told me she looked bored.  (Probably because she lives in my boring life now. lol)  And since she was on an envelope, the phrase quickly came to mind.

 

I thought of several people I could mail this envelope to and began to decide which one.  Then it hit me that they might not see it as funny.  It could be taken as an insult to their life or where they live. 

 

So here it sits languishing among the envelopes I couldn't part with.  I love how it turned out and don't at all mind having it around.  Personally I would have died laughing finding it in my mail from someone.  But I've been reprimanded too many times for trying to be lighthearted and silly.  So here it sits because I just don't want to chance the possibility of insulting someone.

This next envelope, however, with no questionable wording, has gone on about its business of being mail art.

 

Tina was curious about this torn tracing paper technique, so I sent her a real life envelope altered that way.
 

A Good Mail Day to you!

xxx

Annie



Envelope Art and Journaling

Another torn tracing paper envelope that I can't part with.  But I did make another one to send out into the world. (Sending photocopies has left me feeling like a cheesy schmuck.  No more photocopied mail art!)

 

 

 

I tried to make the layout exact, (so that I wouldn't have to admit that I couldn't part with this one) but if the first stamping doesn't land in the right place, exact can't happen.  So it turned out to be a slight variation of this original.

 

And here are my most recent journal pages with bits of stamping art added to break up the boringness of my life.

 

 

Creative time is at a minimum around here.  But that's better than nil and I will take what I can get.

 

xxx

Annie

 



Mail Art

While every envelope begins as mail art with every intention of mailing it to someone, I sometimes can't let it go.  That only happens when I completely surprise myself with some art that I really love how it turns out.  I have to keep the piece around awhile to convince myself "I did that".

 

This is one of those times.

 

A couple of background stamps stamped on the envelope behind the man image.  A collage photocopied to tracing paper then torn in strips that are sized and spray glued to the envelope.  Ranger distress ink daubed over the design and framing where the address would go.

 

I can't part with this original right now, but I did make a photocopy to send to a stamping artist who is very inspiring for me.  She also appreciates the "men" stamps.

 

While I don't know if that particular original envelope will ever become real "mail" art, this next one did get mailed. 

 

 

This envelope was mailed to and inspired by a piece of mail art done by Miss Iowa.  I love so much of her art.  I hope she found it worthy.  You've already seen this butterfly lady on some other pieces of mine.  Those other pieces came about after this envelope was done.  I'm big on getting mileage out of an idea that I like. 

 

And, I've made only one Post-It pad cover between envelopes.  I really like this crazy collage stamp.  I imagine it will by creepy looking to some, but not to me.

 

 Have a wonderfully artsy craftsy time!

xx

Annie



Water Colors Envelope Art

I felt like a real artist. 

I don't normally call or categorize myself as any type of artist.  I just play is all.

 

But while I worked on this piece of envelope art, I actually felt like an artist.  Maybe that is only because I was recreating an artist's paint tin.

 

I am going to say it out loud.  I'm pretty pleased with myself.  This is SO not me.  And although there are several things about this envelope that I would change, I'm surprised I got this far with it.

 

I saw some altered paint tins in the magazine, Artists' Café, made by Connie Govea Stuart.  I LOVE them!  And I thought I could maybe make an envelope art.  I started with just dividing the envelope in half.  Then I drew lines and rounded corners.  The lines are not precise.  Shocking for me!

 

Anyway, the paint pats are too big, the words are too high and I'd like to find a paintbrush ephemera or clip art to add to it, but other than that, I'm so surprised I did this!

 

I want to mail this envelope, but not for awhile.  I have to enjoy it, as I still don't feel like I made it.  I'd like to try another, but I'm not very good at making some things more than once, and the second usually doesn't turn out better.

 

Thanks for indulging me with this post and sharing my moment with me.

 

xoxoxo

Annie

 



  

Mail Art

Sissy Travels the World.....

 

I tell you, this girl is so much the adventurer!  She takes more scenic routes than any sightseer could ever imagine.  Twenty-eight days to her most recent destination!

 

 I've seen this face in rubber stamps with so many different names, I've decided to call them all Sissy.

 

She did have a long way to go and 10 to 14 days would have been a reasonable amount of travel time.  I wish I could so easily travel and see the world as Sissy does. 

 

A few specially made postcards also reaching their "intended" destinations...

 

 

I keep telling myself to get started on my next quilt but I keep getting these small art inspirations.  They work into my wee amounts of crafty time better than a large project.

 

Happy mail day!

xxx

Annie



Sissy Envelope Art

Once again I am inspired by so many envelope artists and I just can't resist playing too.  I'm always drawn to collage art, so I tried that first with this envelope.

 

This is shamefully a very cheap envelope.  **GASP**  But it bothers me not at all.  With my luck, if it were an expensive quality envelope, it would have ended up in the trash.

 



That was fun, and I wanted to decorate another envelope. I wanted to get some more use out of those largish face stamps I bought.  I thought this one would be a struggle since it's just the facial features and it's been collecting dust because of that.  However, I got inspired and this is the result.

 

This one is a little better quality paper.

 



Scanning does nothing for the bling I added to this envelope.  Extra ounce postage leaves a lot to be desired too.  George Washington is it.  We sure could use some variety in the 20cent stamp category...or even in the 66cent category.  Again, one choice...butterfly.

 

I like how she went and wanted to have another go at her in that style.  This is that result...back to the cheap envies.  It turns out I love them.  I even like how the inside security design works into the outside design.

 

 

I just can't seem to get enough.  This one came next.

 

It seems I'm kinda hung up on these colors for now.  I must branch out.  And sometimes I get the envie a little too wet and they dry a tad lumpy.  I see it as a beauty of the beast.  **GASP**

 

The square envelope has been mailed out.  Now I just need to figure out where I can mail the others to.  Any ideas?

 

Wishing everyone a Good Mail Day!

Annie