Category Archives: postage

Here you go – my own entry in The Elevated Envelope “Summertime” exchange. I will try to make this short on words, and big on pictures, but with 85 envelopes, I have an awful lot to say:

With so many to do, I knew they weren’t going to be too hand-embellished. Still, I wanted to challenge myself not to touch the computer for this project.  I just got out a pen and drew a little scene on an envelope template I made.  I borrowed a friend’s typewriter, and made little labels for the scene and the recipient’s address.  (X-acto knife + glue) x patience = master copy!  Off to the copy shop I went.  I photocopied it onto regular letter-sized paper in different colors (couldn’t decide). Cut them all out. Glued them together. Hand-lettered the recipient’s name. Stuffed, sealed, stamped, sent. (Repeated!)

Calligraphy detail shot.  Don’t you wish your name was Vilija? I love how it looks here.

So what was my concept?  Well, the theme was Summertime, right?  Here’s what I wrote on the paper inside the envelope (edited slightly to work slightly better – I was rushing!):

When I think of SUMMERTIME, I am instantly transported to my childhood summers in the 80′s and 90′s, most of which were spent in my mother’s hometown of Louisburgh, a tiny coastal village on the edge of Clew Bay in western Ireland.  Almost every summer for 6 weeks, my mom, brother and I escaped hot and humid San Antonio for a place where there was no such thing as air conditioning, and everyone wanted your tan. Two intersecting streets, St. Patrick’s church, and approximately 37 pubs*. Unparalleled, unspoiled natural beauty.  Evening walks to Carramore beach.  Late night chips.  Too many Cadbury bars.  The indelible smell of my grandfather’s pub.  Meat and potatoes in the middle of the day.  Cousins and more cousins to play with and fight with.  Fetching turf for my grandmother’s stove.  Favorite aunts.  First kisses.  Saying the rosary every night (begrudgingly).  No one’s house less than 200 years old.  No microwave.  No cable.  No hot water.  (No kidding.)

No problem.

*Now, I was kidding about the 37 pubs, but it really is a lot of pubs per capita (especially in relation to churches)!

This was my inspiration – a photo I snapped in the summer of 2005 when Dave and I went to Ireland on our delayed honeymoon.  It’s of my all time favorite scenic drive – the Doolough drive, just outside of Louisburgh.  I took this photo the day Dave and I were driving into Louisburgh for the first time.  He had met a few of my relatives, but this was the day we would arrive in the Burgh, and he would see just how deep the crazy runs. (Deeeep.)

It was absolutely everything I hoped it would be and more – the best trip of my life so far.

Although I loved my summer trips, the truth is that sometimes it was a little lonely.  Culture shock. I didn’t really belong there, and I felt very out of place. I really did fight with my cousins. They seemed to have this other-worldly connection with my own mother that I could never quite attain.  They’d been to the same school, lived in the same house, knew all the same people. When I was younger, it made me jealous.  And sometimes not very cool. So returning all grown up, on my own dime, of my own volition, (maybe with a little perspective) was new and welcome.  And to have Dave to share it with…  Well, I think it was what I’d been waiting for.

He played Sigur Ros on the drive, and the way the sun was peeking through the clouds and lighting everything up was just too much for me to bear.  I felt this insane surge of pride that this perfect place was where I was from.  And that suddenly this wasn’t just a technicality or a conversation piece.  It felt somehow – deep down – and finally – mine. It’s funny – I didn’t have the words for that day until this minute, but really it was a reckoning.  I had to stop the car to try and capture it.  Pretty much impossible. (But worth a shot.)

Back to those envelopes.

I’ll be honest… some envelopes were cooler than others.  Sorry!  I so wish I could have sent this ideal envelope to each of you, but it was just too many (lesson learned).  My new pen pal, Jaime at Send More Mail got the works though – it even had glitter on it, which didn’t photograph at all here.  (Hmm, if only there were a photographer to take a picture of it in the sun… ) I included the enclosure everyone got (which also contained a recipe for Irish Soda Bread that I make on occasion), sealed with a real Irish air mail sticker.  My mom is in Ireland right now for her annual summer vacation, and was nice enough to recruit my aunts Cathy and Anne to help her round up as many stickers as they could!  (Favorite aunts – told you.)  So I sent Jaime a few stickers to decorate her letters.  I also included some other randoms: one of my letterpress cards (green of course), some used vintage Irish stamps I found once, and a tiny envelope I made out of an Irish map.

Slightly better glitter detail. I have not owned glitter since approximately 1989, but I have to admit – it really added that extra something, and looked amazing in the summer sunlight!

Detail of the map-velope I sent to Jaime.  Just happens to conveniently depict good old Louisburgh.

And of course, it wouldn’t be complete without the new GO GREEN stamps USPS just put out this year.  Has there ever in the history of the world been a more perfect stamp choice?  I don’t think so.

So what do you think?  Did you get your envelope from me? Have you been to Ireland?  If so, what’s your favorite memory?  I want to go back so badly…  My last trip was with Dave in 2007, and that is way too long ago.

Sláinte,
Tara

PS. I know I’m going to get some search hits from Louisburgh eventually – I hope you will leave a comment.  It’s me – Tara – Noreen Keane’s daughter – PJ’s niece – Caroline’s cousin.  The Yank!  The brat, more like.  Remember?  I’m pretty nice now.

Promise…

Hurray! We already have a nice group of people signed up for The Elevated Envelope! Are you on the fence? Don’t be – just jump on in!  Today I thought I’d talk about my design for the example envelopes I sent out on Monday.  I want to show you how easy it is to take part in this exchange:

In May, these gorgeous “Garden of Love” stamps were released by USPS, and I became obsessed – they are so lovely. They were designed by José Ortega, an award winning illustrator from New York City.  I had been thinking for awhile that I wanted to do this project, and decided to let the stamps serve as the inspiration for my first attempt.  Since our theme is “SUMMERTIME,” I had been lamenting that this summer I would be “working hard in my yard.”  Our fixer upper fixing up is coming along, but slowly (and there is such a long list).  Although I would love to be planting flowers and a vegetable garden, and trying to add a bit of color, instead I get to keep doing boring rehab-type projects.  Namely: pulling out ivy.

Oh ivy. An evil, evil plant.  I know some people love ivy, and I used to think it was pretty, but I was wrong.  English ivy is not native to the Pacific Northwest, and it is so invasive that it overtakes everything – it can even interfere so much with the canopy of a douglas fir that it could help bring it down in a winter storm.  Yikes!  And in case that wasn’t enough of a reason for me to rip it out, here’s another: apparently rats love it.

Ok then.

So we’ve been pulling and breaking our backs, and finding the most bizarre things buried within it. It turns out overgrown ivy covers all manner of sins.  A BB gun… ugly curtain rods… a Britney Spears CD.  I’m not kidding – we found all these things (and more) a few weeks ago.  If you ever need to get rid of any evidence, just chuck it in the ivy.  It’ll be hidden until the sun burns out.

Anyway, so the idea behind the envelope is simply that my own beautiful “Garden of Love” is currently just a fantasy.  It will be quite awhile before my garden looks anything like these stamps.  So I decided to make kind of a thought bubble coming out of my head imagining general, dreamy, heavenly, overly-girly, garden-y prettiness.

Of course the evil, ugly ivy must be represented somehow. Help!

Inside the envelope, I enclosed a simple little folding card inviting the recipient to join the exchange.  I explained what it was, I explained my concept, I wrote them a little note.  And for fun (or as a tiny bribe?) I also included 3 of the Garden of Love stamps as a little present.  Even if these people don’t participate (although they totally should!), at least they can enjoy the stamps and use them to keep in touch with friends.  Or pay the mortgage.  Either way.

So that’s that!  Random?  Uh huh. Cute?  Yes.  Disembodied head?  Check!

But it can be that simple and that odd – it can be anything.  When you hear the word, “SUMMERTIME,” what pops into your head?  How could you get that onto an envelope?  What brilliant thing would you enclose?  Think about it.

One final note: Of his stamp design, José Ortega says, “Garden of love depicts the abundance of life, its generosity, whose spirit is to be shared by all its creatures.  Love’s definition is broader than romantic love.  Love is that colorful, full feeling you get when you enjoy being a part of and sharing in the generosity of life.”

Interesting… I bet you will experience “that colorful, full feeling” if you take part in this challenge.  Just sayin!  To sign up, just comment here by July 8th to say you’re in, and I’ll take care of the rest. (Be sure to read the introductory post for the full details.)

Here’s hoping,
Tara

PS. Next time, I will show you a little bit of the process of actually making these envelopes.  I have some tips and tricks for you in case you’re feeling unsure about how to begin (or how you’d do 10).  We’re going to get a little messy, but that’s kind of the point…

No, not like that… Well – wait – maybe.  If you are artsy, crafty, or some type of paper / stationery / mail enthusiast, I think you may find this post more than a little intoxicating.  I definitely did.  Then again, there was spray paint…

Wait – let me explain:

On Monday I dropped 30 of these bad boys in the mail.  Some Seattleites have probably already received theirs.  What are they?  Why, they are what I am calling “elevated envelopes.”

Last year I attended Letters of Joy (a local calligraphy conference), and signed up for their Decorated Envelope exchange.  This is a little program where you exchange beautiful envelopes with fellow calligraphers just for the fun of it.  Over the year, I got these beautiful creations at random:

Receiving one of these was such a nice change of pace.  The truth is that I don’t write as many cards and letters as I should – and therefore, people don’t write much to me these days!  My mailbox is usually full of credit card offers and grocery store circulars.  Not exactly blog-worthy.  So to get one of these was a total thrill!  I loved seeing what people came up with.  Sometimes they included an anonymous-sounding note, some people explained why they made what they made.  It was just really a fun idea with no purpose at all but to literally send your creativity out into the world.

I realized, hey, I know a lot of creative people, and I’d love to see what they came up with.  So I thought I should spearhead my own exchange and call it The Elevated Envelope.  And you’re invited to participate…

What is it exactly?

Wouldn’t it be fun to be pen pals with incredibly creative, talented, smart strangers? That’s The Elevated Envelope in a nutshell. There will be a theme (SUMMERTIME), and you will plan and design a creatively-addressed envelope that embodies that theme to you.  Then you execute it 10-ish times for the people on your list, put something fun inside explaining your concept, and mail it out by the deadline. Those same 10-ish people will send their creations to you as well.  Cool!

Why do it? 

1. Flex those creative muscles – for those of us who are designers, sometimes we get in a bit of a rut designing for others.  We’ll have a theme for each exchange, but beyond that, the sky is the limit.  Go crazy or keep it simple.  Whatever you like. What’s been on your mind?  Here’s your chance to get it out.
2. It’s fun to send and receive mail, but so much better when it’s pretty.  Or BAD ASS!  I promise every time you get an envelope, you will smile.  Sometimes you might even be jealous, but that brings me to reason #3:
3. Seeing what other people do with the same theme will probably inspire you.
4. You will probably make new friends!

Who can join?

ANYONE CREATIVE!  Ok, anyone over 18 who is creative.

The 30 envelopes I sent are to fellow creatives, but anyone can join!  I only sent out 30 because I only have the two hands.  To participate, you don’t have to be super artistic, but you do have to be willing to put in some creative effort and work hard on it.  There are some pretty talented people I’ve invited, so while you don’t have to be into calligraphy or drawing or graphic design in particular, you do have to bring it.

(If that just freaked any creative-but-not-”artistic” people out, please click here!)

Here are all the people who can expect invitations:

Alexa Johnson (Fiore Blossoms) | Alison Lang (so, there.) | Anne Bryant (Anne Bryant Creative) | Ariel Nay Nebeker (Photographer) | Barbie Hull (Barbie Hull Photography / I Love Facedowns) | Becki Mullins (Myrtle Alley Press) | Ben Campos (Designer) | Brigitte Hefferan (Calligrapher) | Carina Murray (Crow + Canary) | Carl Montford (The Montford Press) | Erin May Hobson (Hobson House Design) | Fiona Richards (Cartolina) | Heather Gilson (One Love Photo) | Heather Van Breda (Real Card Studio) | Jaime Maddalena (Send More Mail) | Lila Symons (Daily Calligraphy) | Marcia Shaver (Artist) | Mary Beth Person (Calligrapher) | Melanie Harris de Maycotte (galería/atelier)| Melissa Morris Ivone (Operation Nice) | Michael Stoltz (Artist) | Moya Minns (MM Ink) | Nancy Brones (Calligrapher) | Nole Garey (Oh So Beautiful Paper) | Norma-Jean Trabold (Calligrapher) | Patricia Warren (Calligrapher) | Terri Kruger (Calligrapher) | Wendy Watson Diedrick (Calligrapher) | Whitney Speir (Brown Sugar Design) | and #30 went to me!

Again, if you don’t get an invitation, it means nothing – only that I had to draw the line somewhere.  I kept it to artistic friends, paper + design enthusiasts, or people who just I selfishly want to participate so I can see what they come up with.

There are only four rules:

RULE #1: The theme is SUMMERTIME.

As I mentioned, the sky is the limit – take that word and run with it wherever it takes you.  The size, shape, media, colors, imagery, etc. – are all up to you.  Just make sure the mailman can read it, and that it is, in fact, mail-able. Remember that certain things smudge or may not be waterproof, so take precautions to preserve your work where necessary.  (This stuff is great.)  If you’re in the US, you can calculate postage here.  Be sure to double check this – certain sizes, orientations, thicknesses, etc. will increase the rate.

RULE #2: It must be more HAND-MADE than not.

Huh?  What I mean is that while it doesn’t have to be a 100% hand-drawn project, please don’t use your computer too much.  This is not a design-something-on-a-computer-and-print-it-on-an envelope project.  This is supposed to get you off the computer.  You’re supposed to get a little dirty.   But it doesn’t mean computers are forbidden.  In the same vein, please remember this is not a “scrapbooking” project.  If you have some reason to use a particular rubber stamp or something, by all means, use it – but don’t let this be about how much stuff you can purchase to stick onto paper.  Truly be creative.  You’ll have more fun and get more out of it! (And so will the people on your list!)

RULE #3: Put something fun INSIDE the envelope too. 

Sounds obvious.  But what to send to strangers?  Some ideas:

• Please use the inside of the envelope to tell the story of why you designed what you did.  Maybe your childhood summers were idyllic and you used to have a lemonade stand.  You could make this uber-yellow, super-sweet-n-sour, deliciously decadent lemon-inspired design.  Or maybe your design will be really aggressive because summers are hot and heat makes you angry and we wouldn’t like you when you’re angry.  I don’t know, it could be ANYTHING!  Be funny, be serious, but tell us how you arrived at the design you did.
• You could also include a recipe.  You know, for the lemonade.
• You could tell us a dirty joke.  Knock, knock.  Who’s there?  Go suck a lemon!  Don’t make it too dirty.  There are some classy people on this list .
• You could enclose a little present – something small, inexpensive and easy to mail.  Maybe you make cards and can spare 5-10 for your recipients.  How sweet of you!  Just remember to triple-check postage requirements if it starts to feel a little heavy or rigid.
• You could include something that  complements your design. A magazine article? A comic strip? You’ll think of something!
• Or you could keep it simple.  Just write a note to the recipient to say hello.

RULE #4: Envelopes must be postmarked by Monday, August 15th.  Be sure you can (and do) meet the DEADLINE!

That is 48 days from today.  Getting a bunch of fun artwork in the mail and not sending any in return would be Not Cool!  If we get “too many” participants (no such thing!), I will split everybody up into manageable groups of 5-10.  So before you sign up, be sure you can commit to creating a design and executing it 5-10 times before the deadline.  If you’re too busy to commit right now, don’t worry – I am hoping this will catch on and we can pick a new theme in a few months.  Maybe you can join in the fun then!

How do I sign up?

To participate, or to RSVP to your mailed invitation (fancy!), just leave a comment right here thru Friday, July 8th.  *Update: I will not actually be making my spreadsheet until early July 9, so we won’t do the cut off  until that time.  Just so there is no confusion, I’ll also close the comments at that time.  So, if you still see a comment box down below, and want to participate, go ahead and say so – I’ll take care of the rest. Thank you!

I’m so excited!  Won’t you participate?!

–Tara

PS. I will be participating as well (I plan to revisit my design above).  I’ll also be on everyone’s list so that I can photograph and detail all the amazing artwork we create – so, look forward to seeing your work up in lights on this little ole’ blog!

PPS.  Feeling daunted?  Please don’t!  It’s supposed to be fun.  Plus, in the coming days, I will be posting my own envelopes in more detail (UPDATE: Here’s that post.), along with a little info about the process (UPDATE: And here’s that post.).  There are ways to cheat a little.  I’m sure my own cheating will help you think of a smart way to cheat yourself.  Plus, if I can do 30 of these in under 1 week, you can do 5-10 in 6 weeks.  Promise!