• Rent Check Mail Art Envelopes: A Collection

    One of the things I miss about living in an apartment is — surprisingly — paying the rent! Every month presented a new mail art challenge that I was happy to take on, and I found out later that my landlord loved receiving the mail art as much as I enjoyed making it. In this…

    Rent Check Mail Art Envelopes: A Collection | The Postman's Knock

    After years of renting an apartment, my husband and I purchased a house in Boulder, Colorado, last year. While I love being a homeowner and being able to decorate my office like I want to, I do miss one thing: paying the rent. Every month from mid-2015 to mid-2017, I made mail art envelopes to send to the rental company who managed our apartment. Each mail art envelope contained a check, but that was the only thing they had in common! Today, I’d like to share a collection of 2016’s rent check envelopes, which is the only complete year of photos that I have. They’re fun to look at for inspiration and ideas!

    January 2016 – Roses and Swirls Mail Art Envelope

    I used Dr. Ph. Martin’s Iridescent Inks (Black Sparkle and Iridescent Gold) to create this envelope! The disadvantage to those inks is they don’t photograph very well, but in “real life” the piece was stunning. It absolutely danced in the light!

    Design Motif Tutorials Part I: Roses and Swirls | The Postman's Knock
    Amy Style calligraphy goes well with this exotic roses and swirls motif!

    February 2016 – Ribbon Envelope

    I loved the deep burgundy color of this square envelope, so I decided to contrast it with an orange colored pencil ribbon. White ink is a must for dark paper colors like this one!

    Rent Check Mail Art Envelopes: A Collection | The Postman's Knock
    Don’t forget: in the US, square envelopes always need a little bit of extra postage to cover a “non-machinable fee”. As of February 2017, that fee is $0.21.

    March 2016 – Floral Burst Mail Art Envelope

    This envelope was inspired by the springtime blooms that start to think about coming up in March. The yellow and red color scheme of the postage stamp helped to influence the predominant colors in the florals!

    Floral Burst Mail Art Envelope | The Postman's Knock
    You can learn how to make festive mail art like this in the Three Envelope Art Mini-Tutorials post.

    April 2016 – Flourished Mail Art Envelope

    April is normally quite chilly in Colorado, so I have to imagine that this envelope was made at a leisurely pace on a snowy day in!

    Rent Check Mail Art Envelopes: A Collection | The Postman's Knock
    Iron gall ink is wonderful for making delicate hairline strokes like the ones shown on this envelope.

    May 2016 – Shooting Star Mail Art Envelope

    Did you know that colored pencils will show up mostly opaque on dark papers? This envelope features block letters and stars filled in with colored pencils.

    Rent Check Mail Art Envelopes: A Collection | The Postman's Knock
    I love the combination of block letters and calligraphy! In this envelope, Kaitlin Style calligraphy contrasts beautifully with chunky block lettering.

    June 2016 – Mask Mail Art Envelope

    This mail art pulls its color scheme from the unique vintage postage stamps on the top! I cut out the geometric strip on the left side from an old magazine and securely glued it onto the envelope.

    "George Style" Printable Hand-Lettering Exemplar | The Postman's Knock
    This envelope features George Style lettering on top and Janet Style calligraphy on the bottom.

    July 2016 – Climbing Letters Mail Art Envelope

    These funky block letters “climb” from the bottom left corner of the envelope to the right. The postage stamps on the right serve to fill up space and complement the blue/white color scheme!

    Rent Check Mail Art Envelopes: A Collection | The Postman's Knock
    Large, chunky hand-lettering looks great with delicate calligraphy!

    August 2016 – Traveler’s Mail Art Envelope

    DIY envelopes are great for when you don’t have a lot of time, but you want to make artistic stationery! This envelope art utilized a map that I picked up in Brazil during my July 2016 travels.

    Two International Mail Art Tutorials | The Postman's Knock
    You can learn how to make an envelope like this in the Two International Mail Art Tutorials post.

    September 2016 – Mountain Mail Art Envelope

    This envelope’s inspiration comes from the Rocky Mountains, which you can see from most of Boulder. Instead of watercolors, I used McCaffery’s iron gall ink, which gives the piece a more muted, antique look!

    Rent Check Mail Art Envelopes: A Collection | The Postman's Knock
    I used a process similar to that described in the Artistic Return Address Tutorial to create the mountain artwork in the center of this envelope.

    October 2016 – Witch + Vampire Mail Art Envelope

    Because … Halloween! Halloween envelopes are some of my favorites because you can explore ghastly yet playful themes. I love the vampire in this piece; his observant silhouette is so creepy!

    Creepy Halloween Castle Creative Envelope | The Postman's Knock
    You can see exactly how I made this mail art in the Three Creative Envelope Design Mini Tutorials post.

    November 2016 – Harvest Colors Mail Art Envelope

    To me, November calls to mind colorful leaves, orange pumpkins, and yellow wheat. I ran with that color scheme to make November’s envelope!

    Watercolor Mail Art | The Postman's Knock
    This Kaitlin Style envelope is based off of one of the envelopes in the Three Creative Envelope Designs Mini Tutorials post. You can learn how to make envelope art like this there!

    December 2016 – Pine Bough Mail Art Envelope

    This envelope relies on watercolor calligraphy to tie its colors together! You can spot two different shades of green within the letters and the pine branches.

    Rent Check Mail Art Envelopes: A Collection | The Postman's Knock
    The design on this envelope is based on the Cut-Out Ornament DIY Holiday Card Tutorial. I love the holiday-appropriate evergreen and star border!

    You may wonder what the landlord thought of these envelopes. For a long time, I had no idea! I just sent the mail art every month, and I considered it to be a fun creative challenge. Then, one day, I received an email from him with a photo attached. Here’s what that photo was:

    A board of rent envelopes with calligraphy
    This is the bulletin board in my former landlord’s office. He sent this photo in late 2015, so I’m guessing many of the envelopes have been switched out to make room for more recent ones!

    As it turns out, the landlord looked forward to receiving the mail art every month, and he enjoyed sharing it with his colleagues as well. When I notified him that we had purchased a home and would be moving, he was devastated! I don’t think he minded so much that the apartment would be vacant — it’s easy to find tenants in Boulder — but he realized that meant an end to the mail art. It just goes to show: you never know who will appreciate your time and talent!

    I hope that you enjoyed this little collection, and that one of the pieces serve to inspire you next time you decide to decorate some snail mail. Thanks so much for reading TPK, and enjoy the rest of your week!

    Warmly,

    Lindsey's Signature | The Postman's Knock