Using Mail Art to Mellow Out

To me, mail art is the perfect project for a few reasons. First, an envelope is only so big, so decorating it usually doesn’t take up much time. I love that there are loose parameters to follow like the address format/stamp location, and that you can let loose within those parameters! Most of all, I enjoy making something pretty for someone else. Today, I’m sharing four mail art envelopes that I made this week while waiting for the arrival of our baby #2. She could come at any time, so I embraced these envelopes as bite-sized projects to help me “mellow out” and relax. I hope that seeing them will inspire you to dive into making some mail art, too!

1. White, Gray, and Gold Flourished Mail Art

This envelope features plenty of swoops and flourishes, along with dots of gold watercolor to give it a magical touch. The mail art might look spontaneous, but I used a white pencil to make a draft of the calligraphy beforehand. If you have the time, make address drafts first! Doing so ensures that your address is legible, fits on the envelope, and has organic-looking flourishes.

Here’s a supply list for making an envelope like this one:

• Dark-colored envelope (I used “Dark Grey” from Cards & Pockets)
• White mechanical pencil
• Bleed Proof White Ink
• Arabic gold watercolor
• Your preferred dip pen + nib combination (I used a Brause EF66 nib in an oblique pen)

2. Lacy Butterflies Envelope Art

Never underestimate the power of decoupage (a.k.a. gluing a piece of paper to something else — in this case, an envelope). With some scissors, glue, and a cool motif, you can elevate a humble envelope into something that’s beautiful to look at! In this case, I glued a couple of small lace butterflies to a vibrant orange #10 envelope. Next came a calligraphy draft, ink, and a couple of stamps.

Here’s a supply list for making an envelope like this one:

• #10 envelope (I used “Tangy Orange” from Cards & Pockets)
• Printable Illustrated Lace Butterflies
• Scissors (mine are from Studio Carta)
• White mechanical pencil – to make a draft
• Bleed Proof White Ink
• Sumi ink
• Arabic gold watercolor
• Your preferred dip pen + nib combination (I used a Brause EF66 nib in an oblique pen)

3. White and Gold Spatters Mail Art

This mail art has a bit of a celestial look because of its loops and spatters! Just like with the Lacy Butterflies Envelope Art, a Forever stamp serves to deliver this envelope safely to its destination. The second stamp has been cut to fill in space, and it’s just for decoration.

Here’s a supply list for making an envelope like this one:

• A2 envelope (I used “Ultra Black” from Cards & Pockets)
• White mechanical pencil – to make a draft
• Bleed Proof White Ink
• Arabic gold watercolor – Learn how to use it to write calligraphy here
• Your preferred dip pen + nib combination (I used a Brause EF66 nib in an oblique pen)

Remember that you can always jazz up the back of an envelope, too. When my recipient turns this envelope over, she’ll find a flourished gold raccoon cub from the Woodland Creatures Calligraphy Flourishing Worksheet.

4. Vintage Illustrated Roses Envelope

Like the Lacy Butterflies Envelope Art, this piece uses decoupage to stand out. To make it, I cut roses and leaves from the Medium Roses Template. Then, I glued them around the perimeter of the envelope. To finish up, I used Janet Style calligraphy to write the recipient’s name in white ink.

Here’s a supply list for making an envelope like this one:

• #10 envelope (I used “Gumdrop Green” from Cards & Pockets)
• Illustrated Roses Templates for Tracing/Collage
• Scissors (mine are from Studio Carta)
• White mechanical pencil
• Bleed Proof White Ink
• Black gel pen (for adding contour to the white calligraphy)
• Your preferred dip pen + nib combination (I used a Brause EF66 nib in an oblique pen)

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I hope that you enjoyed looking at the mail art in today’s article, and that the photos inspire you to try your hand at decorating your own envelopes! If you can’t think of anyone to write to, remember that More Love Letters is a great place to look. On that note, if you enjoyed these envelopes, I suspect that you’ll like these TPK Blog articles, too:

• Inspirational #10 Envelope Art Examples
• Six Calligraphy Envelopes, Two Hours
• All of the TPK Blog tutorials in the Mail Art category

Thanks so much for reading, and happy creating!

Warmly,