letters | The Postman's Knock

10 Mail Art Tips

March 6, 2018 by Lindsey Bugbee 151 Comments

Mail art is what first inspired me to learn calligraphy. I love the concept of surprising someone with a gorgeous and unique delivery! There are some truly beautiful (and — let’s be honest — intimidating) examples of mail art online, so the goal of this post is to build up your confidence to send mail art yourself. It doesn’t have to be perfect; the whole point is to tap into your creativity and give someone else a happy surprise! Below, you’ll find some tips to get you started.
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How to Write in Cursive + a Free Exemplar

February 16, 2018 by Lindsey Bugbee 118 Comments

In the US, teaching cursive to students is a hot topic. Do we dedicate our tax dollars to teaching an arguably impractical skill, or do we honor tradition and keep cursive writing alive? The different sides taken in this debate are starting to show in my inbox as teenage calligraphy learners — who were never taught how to write in cursive — ask whether not knowing cursive will affect their ability to learn dip pen calligraphy.
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How to Make a Stunning Postage Stamp Collage

July 4, 2017 by Lindsey Bugbee 48 Comments

The idea of adding a postage stamp collage to envelopes had never occurred to me until Pinterest showed me the light. You can’t help but notice the small pieces of artwork working to enhance an already-beautiful envelope! If you have an interest in creating stamp collages to give your envelopes some extra oomph, here are some tips:
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8 Tips to Improve Your Handwriting (Plus a Free Worksheet)

March 10, 2017 by Lindsey Bugbee 77 Comments

People often assume that calligraphy and handwriting are synonymous, but they’re not. In general, calligraphy is comprised of stylized, embellished letters — it’s more art than writing, really. Conversely, handwriting refers to the style and technique that you use to jot things down day to day. Handwriting needs to be quicker and more practical than calligraphy. While everyone has their own personal handwriting style, there’s always room for improvement! In this post, you’ll find eight tips to help you improve your handwriting.
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Spider Halloween Mail Art Printables

September 16, 2016 by Lindsey Bugbee 13 Comments

There’s been a crispness in the air that can only mean one thing: Halloween is on its way! Every year, I make some sort of free printable to celebrate. This year brings this delightfully creepy Halloween mail art pair! You can download both of the envelope templates by clicking here, then return to this post to read about assembly.
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Elegant and Effective Letter Writing Tips

September 2, 2016 by Lindsey Bugbee 15 Comments

Before phones, email, and internet, letter writing was the way to communicate! Inevitably, however, letter writing has lost its place as the most popular mode of communication. It is much more convenient and efficient to give someone a quick call or write them an email. The disadvantage of electronic correspondence is the loss of personal touch: emails, calls, Facebook messages, and texts are intangible, and most will fall by the wayside as the days pass. That’s where letters really shine: they capture a piece of the author with handwriting, ink choice, stationery, and enclosures. For that reason, letters stand the test of time — and they make the recipient feel very special! In today’s blog post, we’re going to examine how to write a standard and simple yet elegant letter.
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Two International Mail Art Tutorials + a Giveaway

August 12, 2016 by Lindsey Bugbee 16 Comments

Travel — whether domestic or international, near or far — is one of the very best ways to jump-start your creativity. When you experience new architecture and artwork, new people, and new food, you find yourself filled with new ideas when you return home! In this post, we’ll cover two international mail art tutorials, both inspired by a trip to Brazil last month. The mail art hints at some of the Brazilian pride we saw in Rio as preparation for the Olympics was underway …
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Envelope Art Mini-Tutorial Roundup

July 26, 2016 by Lindsey Bugbee 12 Comments

Every couple of weeks or so, I post an envelope art mini-tutorial on the TPK Facebook page. Mini-tutorials aren’t as detailed as full tutorials that are posted here on the TPK blog; instead, they provide a burst of inspiration! In place of walking through the creation process step-by-step, the Facebook mini-tutorials break envelope art creation down into 4-6 different steps. This allows you to get a feel for the concept and modify accordingly to make it your own!
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Illustrated Teapot Envelope Art Tutorial

February 26, 2016 by Lindsey Bugbee 33 Comments

A few days ago, I was Pinteresting (I do this so much, I now have a verb for it), and I found a photo of teapot envelope art that I loved! Unfortunately, I cannot find the original source — the website that hosted it appears to be defunct — but you can see the pin here. I especially liked the idea of a tea tag collage. Tea tags can be really pretty, and they offer the recipient a peek into your your kitchen pantry! This can be oddly comforting if you are separated from a friend by many miles; or educational/interesting if you have an international pen pal to correspond with.
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How to Make Deliverable Mail Art

November 6, 2015 by Lindsey Bugbee 57 Comments

I have been hesitant to write this blog post for years because I am not a postal worker, and I always get mixed feedback from postal workers when I ask questions about mail art. So, keep that in mind while you’re reading! Despite my non-post office employment history, this blog post needs to happen because I get asked all the time if the envelopes I post on social media make it through the postal system (and the answer is yes!!). What I am writing today is solely based on my personal experience with the United States Post Office; it’s certainly not gospel and was not endorsed by USPS.
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