The theme is: Where I live.
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| one of the envelopes and contents -click for details! |
I opened up the folder and painted the front and back of it with white gesso because I did not want the plain manila background showing. I think it worked out pretty well. The back of the envelope got a copy of a tourist map from nearby Anna Maria Island. I drive over one of those bridges pictured on the map to take Nia dance classes twice a week in Anna Maria. I copied the map from a tourist brochure 5x and used my xyron to adhere it to the folder.
For the front, I cut out words & images from a different brochure (I picked up 5 of them for free!!). This brochure is designed to give the reader the lo-down on the Sarasota - Bradenton area: the Left Coast of Florida! I added lots of rubber stamping from my box of beach-related stamps with StazOn permanent inks. I even gave the young woman a crown of shells.
Yes, I painted more gesso on the folders and sprinkled real Florida sand on the bottom front corner of all the envelopes! I also covered the sand with clear gel medium later when the gesso was dry to make sure it stayed put and did not cause any problems during mailing.
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| The back, BS=Before Stamping! |
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| The fronts of all 5 envelopes - not sewn together on the edges yet! |
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| The edges were sewn up on my sewing machine, but first I added parts of a fishing net that I found last year (empty!) on the beach . . . . I attached it with a little bit of sewing and a lot of Tacky glue!! |
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| The envelopes drying . . . I ended up working on the floor for this project. |
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| More stamping and netting added to the backs of the envelopes . . . Her eyes brimmed with tears as she realized there wasn't a single piece of personal mail today!! |
I added some of my favorite and very old rubber stamps:
. . . Contents Enclosed . . .
. . . Mail Art Mingles Hearts . . .
. . . See you in the Mail . . .
. . . Oh NO, she sobbed. My mailbox is *choke* empty! . . .
Hope you all enjoy!
. . . Mail Art Mingles Hearts . . .
. . . See you in the Mail . . .
. . . Oh NO, she sobbed. My mailbox is *choke* empty! . . .
Hope you all enjoy!
5 responses to this post:
Ohhh poor Lenna...I loved your post today and how you made your mail art. I have never made mail art before and keep hearing about it.
I was born in Miami Fl. years ago and when I was about 4 years old my mom and dad and I visited Sarasota...I still can smell the ocean and remember how incredible it was to be there...to collect shells and play with my sand bucket and shovel.
Ahhh to be there again!!
Your little sand trick was actually an art project we did in 2nd grade in Miami just before we left to go live in Denver.
We were told to draw our state of Florida and the blue ocean around it. I remember painting Florida a bright yellow and the teacher said we could use the sand...haha I coverec my whole state of Florida with sand except for a blue spot which was Lake Ochachobee.
If you ever have an extra map or two of the ones you used in your art work could you send them to me?
I will send you the postage for them. I think I would like to try a collage of Florida and I even have a picture of myself when I was there at the age of four that I could add to it!!
Well thanks for the memories and I hope you get your mail real soon!!!
Hugs and blue skies,
Susan
Lenna, your mail art is fantastic- you put so many wonderful elements on them- love the fishing net-and the sand -
I so hope you will soon recieve a little something in your postbox :)
xo,Dorthe
Good stuff, Lenna! It's fun & instructive going through the process with you. So many details we might miss in the photos otherwise, like the sand. Anna Maria Island- it's a great place. I laughed at your working on the floor... I always wind up working on the floor. Nothing from the stacks of "stuff" has to fall very far that way (because it's going to, for sure). The recipients are surely enjoying their mail art from FL.
I loved this Mail Art and it brought some of your Bradenton sunshine to the South East of England! I adored all the elements of this artwork - as did our postman when he delivered it!
xxx
Love your mail art! It definitely makes going to the mail box FUN. hugs from mexico, donna
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