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My 2-month-old’s nap time is two hours, give or take. Yesterday, over the course of those two hours, I decided to get caught up on sending out some thank you cards for baby gifts! In this short post, I’m sharing the artistic envelopes that I made. All of them were inspired by the newly updated…
If you read the 8 Behind the Scenes Facts About The Postman’s Knock article, you know that my husband and I alternate taking care of our infant throughout the day. As my husband took his two-hour (ish) shift with Pia, I got caught up on making artistic envelopes! These envelopes were inspired by the Marvelous Mail eBook, and they will soon house long-overdue thank you cards. I hope that looking at them prompts you to make some pretty envelopes, too!
I love the look of the chic, ink-kissed botanicals on this envelope! In the original Chic Inky Poppies Mail Art Tutorial, I used my finger to smudge the ink. However, for this envelope, I used a paper towel to achieve results that are just as satisfying.
I normally opt to make this motif with sumi ink and Arabic gold watercolor. However, the color of this envelope can accommodate white ink, too. So, I dabbed a bit of Bleed Proof white on my flower petals to add a subtle pop of color.
Here’s a quick overview of this envelope:
Yes, the calligraphy on this envelope is fun to look at … but the real star of the show is its the postage! Those vintage pottery stamps are such a delight, and they are punctuated with modern pear stamps. (For postage stamp collage suggestions and sources, see this article.)
To make this envelope, I used one of the spacing templates in the Marvelous Mail eBook. A white mechanical pencil came in handy for drawing guidelines.
For some reason, I don’t absolutely love how this one turned out. Something about the color scheme, maybe? Looking at it now, I think the design needs some pink gouache to help integrate that floral postage stamp. Still: it’s got some redeeming qualities, like those fun arrows.
To make the black arrows, I used a Pilot G2 05 pen, which saved some time. All other elements of the envelope were drawn using sumi and Bleed Proof White inks.
This one would have turned out better had I chosen a different envelope color. To me, orange just means Halloween. Add black and some white and it’s even more Halloween-y. Which is great in October, but here we are, a couple of weeks into May. Still: the lace butterfly helps (a little bit) to pull the envelope into the current season.
This envelope will be included in a package, so it only features the recipient’s name. (For tips on how to make a name-only envelope, see this article.)
I spent last week revising the Marvelous Mail eBook. It was due for a little update, which turned into a big update! That included adding 30 pages of mail art photos. Choosing and placing those photos got me really excited to make more envelopes, which is, in fact, the point of Marvelous Mail. I want you to look through that eBook and get excited about making intricate and satisfying snail mail, too! You can see the product description to download size sample pages.
I hope that this little artistic envelope collection inspires you to take a moment to make some snail mail. Thanks so much for reading, and have a fabulous weekend!
Warmly,
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