Creative Squad

Creative Squad: Mail Art – Jordan Hill

Hello from my Creative Squad! Today we are at the end of our month with Jordan Hill and a set of really cool envelopes using my #keepyouposted stamp set and our theme: Mail Art – During these times of social distancing, old fashioned mail is a fun way to keep in touch and lift someone’s spirits. Create some mail art, and then actually send it off! Address it, put a stamp on it, and put it in the mailbox. You will make someone’s day :)

Hello everyone, I’m excited to be back with my second project for the Creative Squad!

As someone who is quite fond of finding different ways of exploring mixed media, this month’s theme of “Mail Art” was particularly intriguing! For my project, I decided to work on some blank white envelopes, using them as a surface in much the same way as I might an art journal page.

Without dragging this out any further, let’s get into it!

The first thing I did to get this project started was lay out some blank envelopes on my work surface. Then I scraped some neon yellow paint across the surface using an old debit card. This is one of my personal favorite methods of adding paint to pages, as it is quick and adds the color thinly and evenly.

Once the paint had dried, I used the blank postage stamp design from Nathalie’s #keepyouposted stamp set in the upper right hand corner of all of the envelopes I had prepped. When I get around to mailing these, it will make the perfect border for the stamps! I then glued some polka dot tissue paper down to the envelopes using Mod Podge.

Next, as I do with most of my projects, I decided to add a face (I used CraftSmart Natural Beige here). For this particular figure, I gave her a long, flowing hairstyle that covered the entire middle part of the envelope. This gives me a place to write the address later. At the same time I was adding the color Light Blue to the hair, I also added the same color to this girl’s shirt, and created an additional rectangular shape in the upper left for the return address.

Using a Pentel Hybrid Technica pen in size 06, I then started to add line art to my figure. Her features weren’t standing out nearly as much as I wanted them to, so some thick black lines did the trick perfectly! I also made sure to leave plenty of space inside the hair for addressing the envelope.

For the finishing touches on the front side of the envelope, I added some additional lines (reminiscent of the hair strands) to the outside of the space for the return address, some more neon yellow paint around the edges of the figure, and some little doodled stars. I also added a bit of Martha Stewart Multi-Surface Coarse Glitter to the cheeks and shoulders of this girl for a little extra sparkle.

For the back side of the envelope, I decided to keep it a bit more on the simple side. When I scraped the front side of the envelopes with neon yellow, I had some leftover on my debit card, so I scraped the leftover onto the backs. Then, using the same Light Blue paint from the front and a paintbrush, I made some simple marks along the right side. Lastly, as the final finishing touch, I used the #savetheusps stamp from Nathalie’s #keepyouposted stamp set to add a fun little bonus detail to the flap of the envelope!

And there you have it; a simple way to create beautiful envelopes for any of your mail art needs! I had a lot of fun working with this particular stamp set, although it was a bit out of my comfort zone. I hope you liked this project and try decorating some envelopes of your own!

Thank you Jordan! These are so fresh and fun – would love to receive an envelope like this in the mail :)

Give it a try: you can find all my Rubber Stamps in my Online Shop and here are some of the other supplies Jordan used:

Don’t forget to check out Nat’s Creative Squad on Instagram too: Each week we post projects, ideas, and inspiration for mixed media art.

Nat

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Creative Squad: Mail Art – Robin Seiz

Hello from the Creative Squad! Today we are continuing on our Mail Art month with Robin Seiz. She brings us “happy mail” that will brighten anyone’s day. She’s using my #keepyouposted stamps and our theme: Mail Art – During these times of social distancing, old fashioned mail is a fun way to keep in touch and lift someone’s spirits. Create some mail art, and then actually send it off! Address it, put a stamp on it, and put it in the mailbox. You will make someone’s day :)

I absolutely love this new collection of #keepyouposted stamps by Nathalie; it’s so versatile. Although we are past voting day, this stamp collection has some great messages about LOVE. Honestly what could be more important than LOVE right now. (or anytime for that matter!) When I started playing with this idea of LOVE, I thought about rainbows. I don’t know about you, but whenever I see a rainbow, I stop and admire it. It gives me a warm, peaceful feeling, which feels like LOVE. 

I have been sending lots of Happy Mail out to friends and family since the pandemic began. It’s been a wonderful way to keep in touch and I love making cards. The combination of a great stamp collection and the desire to make Happy Mail was perfect for this project. 

I began with some watercolor paper, (5″ x 3/34″) a brush, Nat’s stamp collection, Golden Qor watercolors, and my acrylic block.

Next, I painted the rainbow. Painted rainbows always look so child-like to me, but I like the simplistic symbol of LOVE. 

Since there was quite a bit of white space at the top — the message, “You are my #1 priority” was perfect to fill the space and support the message of LOVE.

I immediately thought the message of LOVE should be crossing the rainbow and what better way than to have it flying behind a small plane. I drew the plane free-hand, again in that rudimentary style to mirror the rainbow. I splattered it with paint. This is a technique I often use to add a little pazazz to something, whether it’s a card or a project.

I stamped the LOVE stamp and also splattered the LOVE image with paint for consistency. 

I wanted these pieces to be out in front of the rainbow so I used some dimensional tape and adhered two small pieces of black string so it would look like the plane was pulling the LOVE sign.  Lastly, I did some more splatter to the entire card to make it celebratory. I cut the border out of yellow construction paper (5 1/4″ x 4”) and adhered it to the card and then put the watercolor paper on top of the construction paper for a layer card look. While this card has lots of steps; it’s easy to accomplish. 

Thank you Robin! I love the idea of a plane pulling the LOVE sign all over the skies :)

Give it a try: you can find all my Rubber Stamps in my Online Shop and here are some of the other supplies Robin used:

Feel inspired? Working on something yourself that you’d like to share?  I love to see how you interpret our monthly themes. Email me how you used my stencils and stamps with the theme and email me an image – I would love to share your projects in my next  “n*Spiration From Around the Globe“.

Nat

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  • Sue Clarke

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    Robin, this is so adorable and colorful!

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Creative Squad: Mail Art – Emilie Murphy

Hello from my Creative Squad! Today we are continuing with our Mail Art month and today we have a wonderful project (love her envelope!!!) from Emilie Murphy using my #keepyouposted rubber stamps. This month’s theme is: Mail Art – During these times of social distancing, old fashioned mail is a fun way to keep in touch and lift someone’s spirits. Create some mail art, and then actually send it off! Address it, put a stamp on it, and put it in the mailbox. You will make someone’s day :)

Hi there! Hope you are doing well.

What can I say except that I’m totally fond of Nathalie’s new stamps set called #keepyouposted. Art mail is my favorite theme. I just love to make cards and send them to family and friends.

I decided to stay “classic” and chose a blue and red color palette for the whole project, card and envelope.

Starting with the card, I made a super easy 5×5 inches squared one.

I embossed with white embossing powder a 3 ¼ x 3 ¼ inches piece of vellum using the “you’re got mail”, “sent with love” and “#savetheusps” stamps.

I stamped “You are my NO. 1 priority” with Crimson Red ink pad inside the “blank postage” stamp and colored it with an alcohol marker as well as the “LOVE” stamp.

I cut a 4 ½ x 4 ½ inches piece of gelli print that I had made for a previous project with Nathalie’s Versailles 9×12 stencil.

To assemble the card, I first glued down the embossed vellum piece on the gelli print piece. I applied some double-sided tape only in the center of the vellum. This way, the glue is hidden by the “postage” and “love” images glued on top. I attached a brad at the four corners of the vellum. That’s a cute and practical way for not having the glue or tape showed off through the vellum. To finish, I glued the whole piece on my 5×5 inches base.

About the envelope, I made my own 5×7 one with a piece of 12×12 white cardstock. I used an envelope tool (because I have one) but it is easy to use a template from a purchased envelope. I started to trace with a graphite pencil some straight and diagonal lines spaced by ¼ of inch to get a classic “mail postal” border. Then, I stamped several time the “blank postage” stamp using the technique of masking.

I made a frame template to be able to stamp inside the postage stamp space.

I colored the border with a blue and red stabilo pencils and the postage stamps made with some alcohol markers.

For the back of the envelope, I simply stamped the “sent with love” and “you’re got mail” along the edges.

At the end, I outlined the border lines with a black micron pen. I like the look of it. And Voila!

This is a simple card/envelope project to make just for the pleasure of stamping and coloring. I really enjoyed playing with this new stamps set. Once again, the possibilities are endless, only imagination is the limit.

Have a good rest of the week and see you in December!

Thank you Emilie! What a fantastic way to layer up the stamps to create something really special!

Give it a try: you can find all my Rubber Stamps and Stencils in my Online Shop and here are some of the other supplies Emilie used:

Feel inspired? Working on something yourself that you’d like to share?  I love to see how you interpret our monthly themes. Email me how you used my stencils and stamps with the theme and email me an image – I would love to share your projects in my next  “n*Spiration From Around the Globe“.

Nat

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Creative Squad: Mail Art – Maura Hibbitts

Hello from my Creative Squad! Today is Election Day and we have a wonderful Mail Art project from Maura Hibbitts using my #keepyouposted rubber stamp set and some of my stencils. Our new theme this month is: Mail Art – During these times of social distancing, old fashioned mail is a fun way to keep in touch and lift someone’s spirits. Create some mail art, and then actually send it off! Address it, put a stamp on it, and put it in the mailbox. You will make someone’s day :)

Today is a momentous day in the United States, it’s Election Day, so be sure to get out there and vote and make your voice heard! This year I voted by mail for the first time, and I have every confidence my ballot was carried by the USPS to the Election Board in a timely manner. After all, I feel like I have the best postmen and women! We share stories, tips, garden produce, treats and friendship. My best tips for you today is to get to know your postal carrier and use your local post office!

WIth our focus being mail art this month and working with Nat’s awesome new stamp set #keepyouposted, of course I had to make a card and envelope! I started by stamping the images on the envelope and the watercolor sheet with black archival ink. I like to use a stamp platform to help me get the perfect image.

Next, I wanted images to represent the weather, since the mail comes no matter what it’s like outside. For the sun, I am using the Batik stencil and Diarylide yellow paint. I like to use a cosmetic sponge with just a bit of paint to stencil with. I added the design to both the card and envelope.

To create rain, I used a bit of the Signals stencil and a blend of Cobalt Teal Hue with Titanium White paint.

Next comes snow, where I used the Park Blvd 4×4 stencil with a mix of Dioxazine Purple, Cobalt Teal Hue and TItanium White paints. Again, use a cosmetic sponge to dab the paint into the stencil.

Where I live, we often get “black ice” in the winter, so I had to add that weather element in also with the Tokyo stencil. I added just a bit of Carbon Black paint into my previous mixture.

Add in some color details with Tombow markers and a water brush onto the card portion next.

Blend in some watercolor around the images on the card with Shadow Violet and Hansa Yellow Medium. These will represent stormy and sunny weather.  Let dry and edge with the black ink. (I made some little dot cards for a class I taught, and it came in handy for this project. If you don’t want to carry all of your watercolors with you, why not try this?)

Since the envelope could get wet in mailing, I chose to color my images with colored pencils instead of the watercolors.

Once the card background was dry, I wrote on some weather terms like sunny, snow, rain, fog, and ice. I also hand lettered Thank You! and mounted it on Teal cardstock, then onto the card base.  I am planning to mail this to my local post office and carriers in thanks for all they do.

I am so thankful for my postal carriers and local Post Office! When I think about how many letters and packages they have delivered to my family alone over the years, it truly is amazing. Good news…and bad, have come through the mail, memories, gifts, and so much more. I appreciate their dedication to get it to me, no matter the weather. Today, November 3 is such an important day here in the U.S., and this year especially, the Post Office is playing a critical role in voting in the midst of a pandemic. I wish you all the best, and get out there and vote! – Maura

Thank YOU Maura! Love how you got creative in representing the weather and absolutely adore your message here too :)

Give it a try: you can find all my Rubber Stamps and Stencils in my Online Shop and here are some of the other supplies Maura used:

Feel inspired? Working on something yourself that you’d like to share?  I love to see how you interpret our monthly themes. Email me how you used my stencils and stamps with the theme and email me an image – I would love to share your projects in my next  “n*Spiration From Around the Globe“.

Nat

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Sent With Love – Cards

I have been on a card making kick lately with my new #keepyouposted rubber stamps. I thought I’d share so you can see what I’m up to.

I used the LOVE stamp and the Blank Postage stamp from the set along with a rainbow of Moonlight Duo ink pads and just filled the front of the card – The LOVE stamp is designed to fit nicely inside the Blank Postage.

Here’s a card idea for your sweetheart – the LOVE and the Sent with Love stamps:

And then I mixed it up and paired it with a stamp from my Floral Tile Small set – also works really well together:

It’s never a bad time to send someone a note and these days it makes everyone feel good. Hope you try these patterns and send a couple cards to someone you love :)

Here are some of the supplies I used:

Nat

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We Got the Power – Art Journal

“Somewhere inside of all of us is the power to change the world.” Roald Dahl

And now is the perfect time to use this power… and VOTE.

I created my scene using acrylic paints and gouache and acrylic markers. A lot of hot colors here to give this one some power ;)

For my quote I chose a calligraphy pen.

And then that all important Ballot Box stamp from my #keepyouposted rubber stamp set. 

Here are some of the supplies I used:

Nat

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Keeping You Posted – Cards

I was playing around with my new #keepyouposted rubber stamp set and found myself making cards. For the one shown above I used a masking technique to create a layered look.

I wanted to have my mail truck stamp over some of the word stamps, without collaging. It’s easy – here’s how:

First I stamped my cute truck (I just adore these distinctive US mail trucks – so unique looking!) where I wanted it on my card. Next I stamped the truck onto some scrap paper and fussy cut it out. Then I put some repositionable adhesive on the back – I like E-Z Dots. This is my mask.

With the mask stuck onto my card on top of the truck image I stamped my background and overlapping the masked area with with my “You are my No.1 Priority” stamp.

Then I removed my mask  – clean and easy peasy. I also added some color using a very nice new set of EMOTT Mitsubishi pens in the links below – love how they work for fine detail and intense color.

Here are a couple others I made, all with stamps from the #keepyouposted set: 

Are you sending cards through the mail these days too? I definitely had a ton of fun with those. 

Here are some of the supplies I used:

Nat

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VOTE Cards

This is my first Presidential Election and so a ballot box really had to go into this stamp set. I thought it would be nice to use my new Ballot Box stamp in my #keepyouposted set to send out some cards to remind folks to get out and vote. Then I just had fun playing :)

I used my Ballot Box and also the Blank Postage Stamp and a colorful selection of Moonlight Duo ink pads…

I even added my Solid Square Small stamp for a pop of red (red, white, and blue!)

Then I played with my Star Tag, Solid Square Large, and stamps from the #keepyouposted set. Getting my pattern groove on!

And then some more stars…

So all my friends here in the US – get out there and vote!!! And tell your friends also… maybe with some new stamps lol

Here are some of the supplies I used:

Nat

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NEW Rubber Stamp Set – #KeepYouPosted

Happy to share this new set with you today as it was pretty important for me to design this one. I call it #KeepYouPosted and I think you can get the gist about it.

It includes 8 different cling rubber stamps, a mixture of text and graphic ones and some that are really appropriate right now…. but if you think about it, these messages are totally timeless. Check it out HERE. It might also get you into the big Mail Art craze that is going on right now because these guys are perfect for cards and envelopes!

Here is the set:

I made some small tags so you can see how they look and also how some of them work together:

The Blank Postage Stamp design can accommodate some of the other designs inside to make a faux postage stamp design. It’s also fun to put your own thing in that frame. And the Ballot Box is just such an important reminder now.

I love the USPS trucks here – such a unique vehicle – I had to capture that. And #savetheusps, well you know ;)

Sent with Love is such a classic. And I send out a LOT of Priority boxes so I thought a play off that would also be nice. Why not send a special note to your No. 1 Priority?

My LOVE stamp looks good on its own or in the frame.

Here is the whole bunch – tons of fun to mix these up. Anybody else want to spend the whole day making cards???

Nat

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