snail mail

art date: make your own stationery and envelopes

happy sunday~ wherever you are, i hope you are well and safe. i will keep this one short and sweet and hope that it inspires you to send a letter to someone you love.

for YEARS i have loved sending snail mail to friends and family. (using the term snail mail is in no way intended to put down the post office)….. i had penpals all throughout school, and my grandma lu and i continually sent letters and cards back and forth. i still have some of her letters to me and cherish them so much. i’ve been sending a lot of letters, cards and packages to friends and family lately. it feels so good to go to the mailbox and have a treat… something special in the mail. i’ve been taking old art and turning it into envelopes by folding it and stitching with my sewing machine along the edges. i’ve done this with old calendar pages as well as posters, paper bags, etc. i think it’s fun to open a beautiful envelope and see what’s inside! i also use the envelopes for other things like pressed leaves, seeds, love notes, collage and more.

this article about the history of mail delivery was fun to read.

my friend jackie and i got together yesterday and made our own custom stationery. we used prismacolor pencils and my hand carved stamps to make designs on copy paper. i’ve also done this with collage, stencils, and paints. you can make lots of copies of the original to have a nice little stock of stationery. let me know if you make some of your own. :) it’s so fun to create with friends and have something unique and special to send in the mail.

the cicada stamp that i carved years ago is my favorite. i loved coloring in the designs with the colored pencils (jackie’s idea!) and will continue to play around with these and more.

i have lots of friends that i send snail mail to back and forth with and it’s so fun….. i love to re-use boxes and cover them with art before sending again. my friend jason and i have sent the same little box back and forth to each other for well over a year, each adding art and stickers and words to the box before sending it back to each other filled with goodies. i LOVE receiving the box, then re-filling it and sending back to him.

who would you love to send a letter or package to? what about starting a project of your own to cheer up and bring joy to people in your community? THIS would be fun to start in your home town with a group of friends… what about going to a local coffee shop and writing letters there? or starting your own penpal exchange? it’s also fun to leave random notes, little works of art, or a zine for the next person who comes to the table to see. :) spreading love in all the ways is what i want to do now more than ever.

here are some photos of art packages and mail i have sent to friends and family over the years…..for inspiration and to inspire you. save your paper bags and turn them into art filled envelopes or for wrapping boxes to mail.

until next time, xo