I don't think it's a secret, but in case you didn't know--I'm a big fan of snail mail. I've loved mail always. My grandmother was so good about writing to me when I was a child. I still remember that swell of excitement when mail was for me! I still feel that way upon receiving a personal card or letters.
My hubby and I still send postcards when we are on vacation to family. Postcards seem exotic to me still. I love postcards so much that I joined Postcrossing and share postcards around the world. You can find out more about that here. I received a box of 100 postcards called Curious Feast. It is food art. The art ranges from beautiful to cool to surreal. I send these cards overseas. For cards sent in the good 'ol U S of A, I make a card.
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| handmade postcard |
There are a few things to keep in mind when making a postcard. First of all, the Post Office is picky. You want your postcard to go through their system without causing a glitch. I recommend making your card 5 1/2 x 3 1/2. When I first took a handmade card to the Post Office, a clerk told me that was the recommended size. I just stick with that now.
You also need to keep in mind that your card could be exposed to weather. I've had a strong storm wrench open my mailbox and drench the mail before. You need a sturdy paper such as mixed media paper or watercolor paper. I gesso both sides right away. Once it dries you can start. Be as careful as you can when working, or you can or put Stick it on the back so that you can still write on the front. I always try to be careful, but a few creative love splatters always seem to grace the front.
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| Distressed background |
I inked up my Vintage Potted Geranium stamp with some Memento Tuxedo Black ink, pressed it down, botched it, and had to start over. Because I should always use my MISTI Tool, people. I just need all the help I can get.
After a couple of Hershey's kisses, I was back in the game. I used some Tombow markers to barely color the image--I didn't want it too vibrant. I added a few white gel pen details, and I rounded the corners to make double sure that this card made the trip smoothly to its mailbox destination. Then one last final touch further weather proofs my cards. This step is especially important with any water reactive ink. I used Distress Glaze and lightly rubbed a blob in and then buffed it with a cloth.
The card is messaged and stamp and ready for its journey. I'm sure I'll be making another one soon.
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| heading to Florida |
Carolyn
P.S. Do you want to take a peek at my little store Pink Bunkadoo. There's a big sale going on right now! www.etsy.com/shop/PinkBunkadoo
Materials: All materials either come from my Etsy shop www.etsy.com/shop/PinkBunkadoo or are Amazon Affiliate links. I buy most of my supplies at Amazon.