In Monday’s newsletter, I mentioned that I’m going to retire a couple of items from the TPK catalog: Amazing Envelopes for a Latte and the Kaitlin Style Variations Worksheet. After I made this announcement, I realized a couple of things. First of all, not everyone got the memo because some people follow TPK via RSS feeds! Second, I want to answer questions that I’ve received about the products headed into retirement and why they’re being retired.
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With spring and summer weddings coming up, I decided to post a collection of modern envelope calligraphy inspiration! Note that I haven’t included any mail art in this list — just pure, lovely calligraphy. My hope is that these will inspire you for your next project, whether it’s a personal letter or a paid job!
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When I was little, my aunt sent me several letters in the mail. That was two decades ago, but I still remember the giddiness that those letters spurred! It was a mixture of feeling adult (“See? I get mail, too!”), excitement over what the letter had to say, and awe that such a tiny postage stamp could cause the big arrival of an envelope. (Funnily enough, my aunt only lived an hour and a half away; but when you’re a kid, that’s practically Timbuktu!) In this article, I’d like to discuss the advantages of sending mail to kids, how to make kid-friendly mail art, and what to put inside the envelope!
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In 2014, I wrote the Typography Art Envelope Tutorial. The tutorial shows you how to make an incredibly cool piece of mail art with vintage flair! The envelope was inspired by antique advertisements, which were always hand-drawn and a bit more cluttered than the clean look we’ve become accustomed to in modern times.
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Did you know that you can make your own envelope? Really, if you think about it, an envelope is just a folded piece of paper that’s designed to hold another piece of paper. You’re more than capable of making folds and gluing! In today’s YouTube tutorial, I’ll show you how to make an envelope out of pretty much any piece of paper that catches your eye. All you’ll need is a commercial envelope (or a template out of the LWCR), a piece of decorative paper, glue, a pencil, and scissors!
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Sometimes, the amount of content on this blog amazes me. I mean, I’ll be browsing Pinterest, and *pow!*, a TPK post from yesteryear will pop up! I always have this moment of, “Huh, that photo looks familiar,” followed by, “Ohhh — right! I made that … wow, I forgot how cool that was!” That happened this morning when the Luminous Printable Mail Art Envelope Template showed up on my Pinterest feed. Its appearance was the catalyst for today’s TPK blog post, which highlights the top eight free printable mail art templates on the site! The templates are ordered by popularity (number of downloads):
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When I started the TPK blog in 2012, I tried to focus on long and complicated project tutorials. I always skipped the simple stuff because I thought it would bore people! The older I get, though, the more I realize that sometimes simple projects are all we need to wind down after a long day because they don’t require a lot of energy. It’s a bonus if a project can be used in a “real world” context — like sending snail mail! With that in mind, today I’m going to show you how to address an envelope.
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Regardless of your calligraphy skill level, you can bet that planning out the spacing of your calligraphy on an envelope takes time, concentration, and — in most cases — frustration! Thus far, shining up a guide through a light box is the best solution that I’ve discovered for making envelope guidelines. However, that technique only works on light-colored envelopes! Darker envelopes require more patience and flexibility, plus a willingness to try new things. The latest tool I’ve tried is an acrylic envelope lettering template from Studio Oudizo (formerly known as Ollie’s Studio). Today, I want to talk to you about how this supply can come in handy!
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Halloween has always been my favorite holiday because … candy. It also offers the opportunity to make some playfully macabre creative projects (while you eat the candy)! Today’s blog post outlines my seven favorite Halloween paper projects on the TPK site. You can start making them now so the holiday doesn’t sneak up on you!
I don’t know about you, but my interest in calligraphy and hand-lettering actually stemmed from a love of writing letters. As a young child, it amazed me that something I created could end up anywhere I wanted it to! I still get a thrill when I send off a letter or open my mailbox and see that I’ve received something.
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