DIY Post Card Swap part 2

We are already into the new year (2020) and I never did come back and finish my DIY Post Card Swap.  As I mentioned in the previous post, the Post Card Swap was an event by the creator of the Studio iHannah blog and if you signed up you were tasked with creating 10 handmade postcards to mail to others in the swap -- I had a few international swaps, so that was real fun knowing they were going to be sent to another country. 

I created most of my postcards out of paper ephemera (aka, stuff that most everyone throws away,) but I also used washi tape, magazine pages, stickers and bits and pieces of greeting cards. 

The above post card was made (top to bottom) from two pieces of magazine pages (the donut and candy), a paper band taken from around silverware at a restaurant (coffee), a postcard sent out from a local retailer about a vintage sale near the beach (VW bug and flamingo) and finally the bottom part is from a greeting card. 

The Beautiful card above is made with security envelopes, magazine cutouts, Kleenex box and yellow colored acetate.  I try to keep all of the hanging lamps that I can find in magazines.  It's so much fun to put them into a collage just hanging down from the top in whatever scene is going on.  This one looks like it could be highlighting the miniature people. 

One of our local pizza places has some of the best creative advertising.  They were talking about their great bread and had this gondolier riding in a bread stick!  How could I not use that.  It was pure comedy.  Then I found a magazine photo of real gondolas and gondoliers - the two were meant to be together.

Since this swap was all about mail, I chose to make one of the cards with several mail related items.  A pick up tag for my mail at my mailbox, the return address from an Etsy purchase I made with a woman from Russia, my Park and Fly tag, the number I received when I took my car in for service, the stamp I got on a piece of mail and of course the *Fra-jeel-a sticker on a package I received. 
*ya know, from A Christmas Story!

This one all started with a FLOW magazine.  I love those umbrella people and I also really liked the green paper with the abstract floral design and they were both found in that magazine.  Then of course, I found a hanging light.  The rest just sort of worked to make it look good. 

I worked long and hard to find a place for the skate boarding kid.  I had him all cut out and tried him on so many different backgrounds and configurations.  I didn't realize how hard it was going to be to place him.  I found this green plate or bowl that had just the right curves and the right size for the post card and that finally made the kid work.  Then I decided he could "jump the shark" while he was cruising through the mountains.  Unrealistic, sure, but fun!

The gorgeous fall colors of this mountainous area was the jumping off point for this postcard.  The zig zag of the orange from a another Kleenex box, I thought played well with the mountain colors.  The rest was fun foliage and of course a hanging element, this time a spider.  The base for this postcard was the back cover of a braille book, so I used a portion of a page of braille to go with it. 

The first post I showed 3 of the cards and this one 7, so that concludes the 10 handmade post cards that I made for the DIY Post Card Swap.    Coming up sometime soon, I will show what I received in the swap. 

I hope you have a great day!
Kristin

DIY Postcard Swap

Photo by Nick Fewings on Unsplash

DIY Post Card Swap is something I found through Studio iHanna just this year and just a few days ago.  The time to sign up has passed and the postcards should have been mailed out by now, but she has two of these swaps each year, so if you're interested, please get on her email list or follow her blog or Instagram. Those that used the special hashtag when posting #diypostcardswap can be used to see what postcards have been made and sent out. 

Sadly, my postcards did not get mailed out by the deadline, but they will be by Monday.  I hate being late!  I hate it!

I had such a great time creating my cards.  I made just slightly bigger versions of my Index Card A Day project this summer. I was delighted to pull out my ephemera (paper) and collect even more bits and pieces the few days I was creating the cards.  Steve, who usually rolls his eyes at me saving things that should be trash, helped collect a few things.  He does love to see the childlike excitement that comes over me!

Here is one of the first postcards I did for the swap.  My love of security envelopes is well known, but not for those that receive the card!  I created mountains with the envelopes and then used the stickers that I had just recently received from an Etsy shop, Lissovacraft, and the green stripes were from the packaging that she used.  I absolutely love her work and will someday get a handmade poster with her paper plants and flowers, but for now, I have stickers. 

I used a few Jacksonville magazines for this card and a magazine that we received from Amazon for kids toys.  The purple pinata was from that Amazon book.  It was too funny to not use.  There was a special section in the other magazine about doughnuts and cookies, so that worked real well with the pinata.

My birthday was last month and I hated to just bury the card that I received in a pile in my room so I recycled quite a bit of it into this post card.  The Sunset block near the bottom is from a wetnap that was given to someone at a restaurant.  I loved the retro look to it.  This particular one happened to go through the washer - so it's extra distressed. 

I created 10 postcards, so I hope you keep with me to see the remaining 7 in upcoming blog posts.  I promise it will be soon. 

Have a great day!
Kristin

Snail Mail Project

I wrote this post a few months ago, when I had received my first letter and some mighty wonderful gifts from my snail mail partner. So when you read below that Dysfunctional Mom is on vacation, that was in June.

It's been a real fun project. Thanks DM for putting this together :)

I'm so happy I signed up to participate!

Kristin

8 September 2010

A few weeks back I signed myself up to be a part of DysFUNctional Mom's Snail Mail Project.  She has asked that each participant send out one thing each month.  She sees this as an ongoing project, so if you'd like to sign up, please click on the this link - The Snail Mail Project or you can click on the button.







Of course I finally decided to blog about this the week that DysFUNctional Mom decides to take a week off from blogging, but I'm sure she'll match up snail mail participants if you do sign up for it.

I was given one of the international bloggers, Maureen, she's from Indonesia.  I haven't wanted to read her blog because I really want to keep this as a snail mail type of relationship.  I also have answered back via email but with very limited chit chat.  It's been a long time since I've written out a nice long letter to someone.   I really need to write a few long letters to some overseas friends now that I think about it.

Well, we aren't talking about what I need to do,  I'm trying to talk about what I received!

Here is a portion of the letter that I received.

I think I now have a new handwriting sample that I'd love to copy.

I actually thought that this letter was written via computer somehow.  It doesn't even look like ink on that paper. 

It is just such beautiful writing.  I love the "w" and the "s" - those are my favorites in her handwriting.

Sometimes I do believe that I'm obsessed with handwriting.

Did I ever mention that I learned how to legibly print because I copied the handwriting of my manager at Burger King when I was about 14 years old?

Maybe not obsessed.

Close.

I don't know if I could ever come close to writing like Maureen, but I will be thrilled to pieces to see it in the mail each month!

I've been having trouble getting my photos to download for the past several days, so this post is actually about 5 days later than I intended, but I wanted to show off the lovely items that Maureen sent to me.  I told her that my favorite color was purple, so she sent me some beautiful batik items.

The purple scarf in the background is from her - I thought it made a gorgeous backdrop for the other items.  She sent the fan and the doll.  She mentioned in her letter about the doll being a part of the story of Rama and Shinta.  It looks like I've got some investigating to do. 

My sister's friend collects rocks.  I brought her a rock back from Rome and when Maureen asked if there was anything I'd like, I suggested maybe a rock.  She's so gracious that she sent two!  I can't wait to give the rocks to Hillary's friend.

Thanks Maureen!

It's going to be a pleasure having you as a snail mail partner.

I did want to link to Maureen's blog, even if I don't read it right away, because I bet she's very interesting.  Her place is called Tatter Scoops.  

I sent my letter off, as it turned out, the exact same day that I received her package.  

Have a wonderful week!
Kristin