collage sheet postcards part 1

I was so excited to get the first batch of cards made from the collage sheets.

It's very cool to see everyone's different approach to the challenge.

The first two are from Ellen, complete with wonderful Haiku:

Next are Corrine's cards:

  

And I couldn't resist my own challenge and made the next three:

 

 

These two belong to Lynn:

and this one is from Lee:

Pretty cool, huh?

You've still got all weekend to try your hand at this yourself.

The collage sheets can be downloaded from the original swap post.

Glue questions

My last batch of mail brought two questions from swappers.

I'll give you my ideas, and then I open it up to all you readers.

QUESTION ONE:

Ellen expressed concern about mailing her collaged postcards without an evelope.  Will they get mangled in the mail?  Would laminating them ruin them?

My thoughts:

1.  Ellen, your cards look really well adhered, and I think they will make it through the mail just fine

2.  I personally love sending and getting lumpy textured things in the mail and am willing to take the risk that something will happen en route.  It's part of the thrill and the challenge for me.  However, I completely respect that not everyone is willing to take that chance with their hard work.

SO:

• if you want to mail things "naked" without an envelope, I find a few coats of matte medium, or gel medium or mod podge on top of your collage usually holds things in place quite nicely. (and it looks like that's what Ellen did to her cards, which is why I think they will arrive intact)
• you could cover the whole thing in clear packing tape to protect it, if you don't mind the shiny surface
• I don't think laminating would ruin a paper collage.  I don't know how certain art materials like wax crayons or creamy pastels would hold up to heat lamination.  maybe fine.
• a good compromise on the naked vs. envelope conundrum is to enclose it in a clear envelope and stick the stamp on the outside. that way the beautiful art shines through, but is protected from the postal machines and the elements. ( Anyone know where you can buy that kind of envelope?)  (I suppose you could craft your own from a page protector or something.) I've also received things in vellum envelopes which are nice, but since they are only slightly transparent, they don't show off the art quite as well.

QUESTION 2:

Lynn used stitching on her collage, and so she glued a piece of paper to the back so she could cover the stitches and more easily write the address and her message.  The paper buckled and left bumps.  She's tried a variety of glues and brayers and still gets bumps.  She's looking for suggestions.

My thoughts:

The wetter your adhesive, the worse the bumps will get.  Glue stick is very dry and doesn't buckle the paper much at all.  Some brands of glue stick are stronger than others.  I like the Uhu stick.  I rub the heck out of one of the pieces of paper, making sure I get all the way to the edges, then stick it down and rub (hand, back of a spoon, bone folder) and often leave it under a stack of books overnight.

I also like Yes paste.  It's incredibly thick and sticky and messy, but it's a strong adhesive made specifically not to warp paper. (it calls itself the "all purpose stick flat glue".)  It's pretty effective, though I always seem to manage to get it all over everything and it's harder to wipe off.  But then again, I'm a slob.

If you're using a thinner glue like mod podge or elmer's or even matte medium, you can try rubbing it with an old credit card/gift card.  Start in the middle and hold the credit card with the edge on the surface of your paper and drag firmly toward the edges, squeezing out any air bubbles and extra glue. (and then put it under a stack of books.  if it's kind of damp and gluey, you can sandwich the card between freezer paper or parchment paper to keep it from sticking to the book or the floor)

So now it's your turn swappers.

What are your favorite products, tips and tricks?

Leave your advice in the comments.

Blue Postcards - part 1

The blue postcards have started rolling in and I can't tell you how happy I am to have you back in my mailbox!  I've missed you.

Let's start off with Carroll's cards:

 The scans don't show it, but those spiral shapes are raised, and both cards are filled with wonderful hand drawn details.

Perhaps it was the view of steely Lake Michigan that inspired her, because Cynthia knocked out five awesome blue cards.

Jean's altered blue Bingo cards are fabulous:

 There's a whole lot of patient and precise cutting involved in this one and I love the effect.

 

Lynn used every art product known to man on her first card, and included a message on the back that completely cracked me up.

 and here is her ode to the blue food in her house:

As usual, I am blown away by the creativity and variety of styles.

Have you made yours yet?

You've got until Monday the 21st.

More time for the collage sheet challenge

Hello lovelies,
I've decided to extend the deadline for the collage sheet postcard swap to January 21st, because I've totally failed to mention it anywhere other than here and I want to invite more people to play along and give them enough time to work on it.  (how's that for a run on sentence?)

Swap details are here.

Blue postcard swap - postmark by January 21st

In honor of the annual January blues that sneak up and kick my you-know-what, I'm hosting another monochromatic postcard swap.

Create a postcard using predominantly blue paper, paint, images, tape, etc.

 You don't have to stick to cold, dark, icy blues.

Feel free to go tropical.

 

or any other shade of blue you little heart desires.

It's okay to sneak in a little black or white or a smidge of contrast, just keep it predominantly blue.

Let's see if we can break the participation record on this one. 

Tell a friend.  

Get your mother/daughter/husband/neighbor/dog to make one.

Or maybe you made a new year's resolution to stop lurking and start participating (nudge, nudge.)

No time like the present.

We want to see your work.  You belong here.  

You won't regret it! 

SWAP DETAILS:

•  Create your postcard - any dimensions, just make sure you include the proper postage for the size.
• Include your name and contact information on the back (address and/or email and/or blog) so that you partner can thank you or find out more about you.
• Write MMSA somewhere on the back of the card as well.  (I don't know about you, but I get a lot of mail, and it's sometimes hard to figure out if it's part of an organized swap or just personal mail.)
• leave the address section blank
• Stick in in an envelope with:
• a stamp (don't adhere to the postcard in case I need to send yours to someone out of the country)
•  a mailing label with your name and address on it (I will stick it on the card I mail back to you.  This keeps me from having to decipher handwriting on the envelope you send me, and saves me time when swapping everything and mailing it back out) 
•  mail it to me no later than January 21st:

             Karen Isaacson
             PO Box 532
             Shrewsbury, MA 01545
             United States

• Feel free to make more than one ( you can send them to me in the same envelope).  You'll get back the number of postcards you create.  Make sure to include a mailing label and stamp for each post card.
• If you live outside the US, don't include stamps, but send me $1 for postage via paypal.  email: iamrushmore@gmail.com
• I will post your work to the blog when I receive it.  If you would like your image linked to your blog, or flickr account, or facebook page, or etsy shop (or whatever) just send me a note telling me how you want it linked.  (this is a great way to meet other artists and make lots of new friends)

Collage sheet challenge/postcard swap - postmark by January 21st

Hello lovely swappers!

I've had a marvelous holiday break, and now I'm ready to get back in the swap groove.

Here's a fun challenge to kick off the new year.

I put together these two collage sheets using partial images from a single magazine.

Your assignment:

Print the sheets and use the images to create a postcard.

You can alter the images, resize them, cut them, etc.

You don't have to use all of them.

You can add paint or crayon or marker or writing or embellishments.

But don't add any other images than the ones on these sheets.

I think you should be able to click the image and save it to your computer and then print it.

Mac users like me can control click and choose "save image as..."

PC users have to right click I believe.

If you're having trouble printing or saving let me know and I can email you the images as attachments.

SWAP DETAILS:

•  Create your postcard - any dimensions, just make sure you include the proper postage for the size.
• Include your name and contact information on the back (address and/or email and/or blog) so that you partner can thank you or find out more about you.
• Write MMSA somewhere on the back of the card as well.  (I don't know about you, but I get a lot of mail, and it's sometimes hard to figure out if it's part of an organized swap or just personal mail.)
• leave the address section blank
• Stick in in an envelope with:
• a stamp (don't adhere to the postcard in case I need to send yours to someone out of the country)
•  a mailing label with your name and address on it (I will stick it on the card I mail back to you.  This keeps me from having to decipher handwriting on the envelope you send me, and saves me time when swapping everything and mailing it back out) 
•  mail it to me no later than January 14th: 21st:

             Karen Isaacson
             PO Box 532
             Shrewsbury, MA 01545
             United States

• Feel free to make more than one ( you can send them to me in the same envelope).  You'll get back the number of postcards you create.  Make sure to include a mailing label and stamp for each post card.
• If you live outside the US, don't include stamps, but send me $1 for postage via paypal.  email: iamrushmore@gmail.com
• I will post your work to the blog when I receive it.  If you would like your image linked to your blog, or flickr account, or facebook page, or etsy shop (or whatever) just send me a note telling me how you want it linked.  (this is a great way to meet other artists and make lots of new friends)

We have a winner!

The winner of these five fabulous books is:

Ellen!

Thanks to everyone who participated in a swap this year.

It's been so much fun getting this group off the ground and I'm looking forward to many more swaps in 2013.

Don't forget - if you want to get good mail, look no further than our "informal mail art exchange" list.

New people add their address all the time and I hear many reports that this group is an active one.  Send something fun to a few people on the list and you'll be sure to get something fun in return.

May you all have a joyful December.

See you in January!

(Ellen, your books are going out in today's mail)

gift tags - part 4

At last, the gift tags have been swapped.

I have one last set to show you.

They came from Lisa, right here in Massachusetts.

For some inexplicable reason, it took eleven days for her package to travel the 80 miles from her house to mine.  Perhaps they were delivering it on foot.

But I digress.

Here are Lisa's wonderful tags.  I photographed front and back because both sides are so lovely.

Gift tags - part 3

I have emerged from my pie-coma and can get back to the business of posting these gorgeous gift-tags for the swap.

These five are from Katie:

 

And this next bunch is from Kellie.  She used large size paint samples as the base of her tag:

Marsie made these sweet square ones that open:

 I love the beads on the cord.

 Marsie also made this batch of tags that feature a recipe on the backside.  She has asked me to send five recipients one of each of her tags.

Here are Shirley's tags:

This last batch is from Silvia.  They all have really cool baubles on them (which means they don't lay flat on the scanner so please forgive the slight blurriness.  I assure you they aren't blurry in person)