"Play" quote to Paula (NH po)

Have been doing some rather simple envies lately and here's one.

Slant tip folded pen (Parallel) and India ink.

Salvaged postcard (& matching env.)

Lately, I've been going through old creations, and have been trying to convert/salvage them into other pieces (be it postcards, env.'s, inserts, etc.)

The postcard insert is from a practice sheet on w/c paper (no idea why I was practicing on that vs reg. paper!) But I measured it out, and made an env. to match.

I'm not liking the insert as much as the env. (am loving the env!)

I tried covering up the "2s" and zeros. Added watercolor strokes & splashes.

Here is orig. piece. I'm assuming it's from late 2019, as I was prob. practicing making 2020.

Flip side of envie.

Brown craft to (Jean) Marie -- (Be Mindful)

This month, Jean gave us her middle name for addressing. I had such fun with it -- there's something about her, George & Wilson with their names!

Very simple with my pointed pen, and matching insert.

Added colors to match the stamp.

 

pp garden name to Amy

I have no idea why I didn't take a final photo for this env. Maybe b/c it's so similar to the one I send Abby: https://snailmailingmadness.blogspot.com/2024/03/delicate-flowers-to-abby.html

Wish I knew what stamp I used. Anyway, I included this Nature quote to go along with the theme.

Tried taking a better pic/better lighting. pp for name & fp for quote.

And even better angle. I LOVE my tiny little flowers!

layered alpha to Patty

i created this last year and it's been sitting in my folder waiting to be used. Decided to send to Patty this month.

The design at the top is a layered alphabet done with my ruling pen. Added colors to match stamp.

Close up of pp name.

Alphabet vertically.

Before

Here is where you can see it's an alphabet.

Added this little insert b/c of Spring! (These are mini blank cards from hubby.) Again pp for name. (A new way of doing my Alpha Garden letters!)

 

Funky to Grace E.

Folded pen name, added colors to match stamp.

So glad it didn't bleed too much, as the paper was rather porous.

before pic.

with matching insert. ("Play EVERY Day")

Ocean theme to Nava

Yes, i refer to Leslie Nava as just "Nava", as it's weird otherwise (b/c I feel like I'm referring to myself!)

Anyway, this env. started out one way, but little things turned it into an ocean theme.

Happy Accident here. I knew I'd be using the fish stamps, but when lettering the name (with my big automatic pen), I messed up the 2nd "l". So, in trying to fix it, I kept adding layers. The layers remind me a bit of ocean "grasses"/ reeds, whatever you'd call it.

Then, another exchanger sent me this piece (already folded), claiming it's not a book page (but I can't remember where they said they got it). Of course, my first thought was that it'd be a super fun envelope! However, 1) I didn't have a stamp to go with it, and 2) the stamp could cover up part of her head. Plus there'd be no way to really included anything, and I'd have to just seal it up, which I didn't want to do. So, I lettered and addressed and sent as is, explaining all this.

 

*I forgot to take a pic of the other side, which is Ursula's reflection in the mirror

Then, I tried creating this quote, but it's a bit of a fail. (The L was suppose to be ocean waves.) -- #waaaa.

My little fish detail from the env. stamps.

Sun to Nele

I created this last year for Nele, and decided to send to her in April b/c of the Solar Eclipse!

I only messed up her name just a bit, as I didn't like how I lettered it over the address (it was in pp). So, I redid, and pasted over it (hope it stayed on!) I painted in gold and used my paint shaper tool to do her name in semi-Neuland.

It went on a bit crooked though. 😒

For the name "rays", I used various tools and gouache:

italic, uncial, foundational, b-nib, pp, script, neuland, etc.

Close up of name -- had to touch up a bit.

Plus, I had to add more lines around it, as part of the old name was showing under. (THAT I don't like.)

With insert.

For the insert, I again used gouache, and my tiny italic nib. Then, for the sun part, I used pastels.

The rays are songs with Sun in the title:

Here Comes the Sun, the Beatles

You are my Sunshine, various

Let the Sunshine in, Hair musical

Good Day Sunshine, Beatles

Pocketful of Sunshine, Natasha Betingfield

Seasons in the Sun*

Walking on Sunshine, Katrina and the Waves

*So for this song, I went to look up who sang it (I know the Terry Jacks version) and when doing so, I came upon this:  

"Seasons in the Sun" is an English-language adaptation of the 1961 Belgian song "Le Moribond" ("The Dying Man") by singer-songwriter Jacques Brel^[2] with lyrics rewritten in 1963 by singer-poet Rod McKuen^[3] portraying a dying man's farewell to his loved ones. It became a worldwide hit in 1974 for singer Terry Jacks and became a Christmas number one in the UK in 1999 for Westlife.

I just found that a kinda fun fact (Belgian song) since Nele is in Belgium! 😊

Bike Month!

For the March Snail Mail Collective Exchange (IG), the theme was handmade envelopes. Been making my own env.'s for decades, and decided to go with this bike themed one I already had on hand.

Magazine page. Not diggin' how her name turned out.

with a smaller env. and card insert (so I could do her name nice)

Card is a name flower.

Close up. Says "hello sady".

With letter I enclosed.

close up of another word flower:  "hello spring".

And her name in Alpha Garden Letters.