one needs turning

these two were from the exchange where we all agreed to use the goofiest spellings we could think of...and they were all delivered successfully.

gingerbread - skip

as much as i loved these stamps on the cobalt envelopes, i loved them just as much on white. this was quick and easy. scribbled. then squared off the ends of the lettering. and added a few white dots. i used the ZIG Writer markers and uniball white gel pen.

should have put some dots on the zip code.

more ink changing

two more that i did when i was too lazy to clean the pilot pen when i changed from black to red ink. the top one was the first, the bottom one was the second. i like the 9 on the top zip code. and i need to work on some good ampersands.

smash - JUBILEE

to date, this is my favorite. it was done after i had introduced the gray glaze pen. then, i added the white Pilot Choose .7 pen which is finer than the uniball white gel pen. so, the detail is really nice and delicate. i suppose i could get out my nibs. maybe by the time this pops up, i will have gone on to nibs. i am writing this on jan 3rd and getting about 3 months worth of posts lined up. a lot can change in 3 months. maybe by now, i have lost all my readers because you are tired of DJS. or maybe i am on a whole new binge.

i have a robot penciled in...have not decided if i am going to actual add it or not.

cathy - zip flourish

i liked the flourish i posted on jan 2 enough to try it larger, to bracket the zip code. this is done very quickly with just a ball point pen. i added some doo-dads to the C. i guess this would be better if i did more of a Hillarian treatment. i have not done Hillarian in a while...because i am trying to clear off the desk. tempting...but, i think i will resist the temptation for the moment.


 this happens all the time. after i put the street address on, i see a way to improve something. in this case, just putting a double stroke and dots on the zip code numbers  made them look a lot better.

lost mail

i'm pretty sure this has not been posted previously. i found a stack of 15 posts that were*saved.* i printed the *you've got mail* in Word, using the Word-art feature to see what it was like to morph fonts. then filled in the rest without any planning. it's a hodge podge....but, i like the idea of putting *you've got mail* on snail mail. hopefully, i will have time to do something more interesting than this.

by the way, that estate in tahoe city (or maybe just south of tahoe city) that they used for the scene in the godfather movie is up for sale, if we all chip in, we can buy it and turn it into a penmanship retreat. google it if you want to see photos.

bonus post

candy has a blog called *my paper arts* and her latest post is all about envelopes. she includes this one (from jan) which is super fun. you can see more of her envelopes by clicking on the link below. and i added her to the list of blogs over there on the right (you have to scroll down). if you look back on her blog, you will see other fun things involving paper.

several people who participated in the envelope exchange have expressed an interest in another exchange. it might be a while before i have time to organize another one, so, in the mean time, just keep sending mail to each other. if you send one, the other person will probably reply. if you don't receive a reply, then just let it go - or try someone else.


http://www.mypaperarts.com/

jackie - JUBILEE

i have not decided if i will try to send this with the difficult to read zip code. i really liked writing DJS (dubosch jubilee script) in tiny letters. the W in the last TWO in the zip code is a mistake, but it doesn't really bother me. this is another reason i love DJS. it is so forgiving and flexible. reminds me of *me*
(haha - i'm only that way on tuesdays)

dry markers

at a wednesday gathering, i grabbed a marker to write a quick note and it was dry, but it made the best marks. i showed it to jan. then, in the mail that day, there was a donation solicitation letter that included this stamp. sorry, my donation budget is already committed to other places. so, i thought i would try the dry marker on an envelope. it did not look as cool on this paper. then i started outlining in gold. i like that. i will save it to finish at the next gathering. i enjoy making mail with the person who is going to receive it and then taking it home and mailing it at a later date. sometimes i just give it to her. but this one has the stamp.
oh...the kindly thing. kindly didn't look right, so i tried it with an e, that looked worse, so i must have had it right the first time. the street will go in tiny purple above the des moines. design lesson....
use your dried up markers. then outline.

chuck - JUBILEE

this was one of the first ones where i added gray glaze pen. i think i was trying to cover up some problems with the C in myrick. i like that k a lot. it is always fun to end a name with a big curl.

perfect marker

i wrote jeri's name last summer whilst visiting kathy and playing with all her markers. the envelope sat around and whilst i was desk cleaning in dec, i realized that this lettering would look perfect with the althea stamp. it is now my favorite althea-stamped envelope. i love that subtle line down the middle of the letters that mimics the lines on the court. a lot of the best stuff happens by accident. it is OK to plan, but i think half the time, it is probably a waste of time to plan. unless you are baking something. i think you need to follow the recipe when you are baking. now i hope i don't mess it up when i add the address.

perfect stamp

i posted this envelope in december with an italian stamp and mentioned that i did not think it was quite right. elizabeth suggested the learning stamp, and whilst digging for it, i found the rothko stamp, and would have needed two of them. then i found the energy stamp. i would need 5 of them and could probably make 5 stamps work on that envelope...but i won't. or maybe i should just get rid of all the vintage stamps. this is such a hard decision....

carol's JUBILEE valentines

carol (creator of DuBosch JUBILEE Script) sent this photo of her valentines in progress...aren't they pretty? i wonder what kind of white ink works in a pilot pen? does anyone know? and maybe she just dips the pen rather than filling the cartridge. i have not had time to do much experimenting with the pilot pen. i suppose i could buy a book....ha!

thank you for sharing these with us, carol.

nancy - JUBILEE

i hope you are not getting tired of these. and i hope you are trying them. i like to flip through options of bold vertical, bold horizontal, script, and not put two of those together.

other variations to put in every 4th or 5th letter....a wavy line, a different size pen.


and i really like using a variety of pens.

my next idea...using a variety of colors.

princess fringe

the envelope is made from a page out of a catalog. the colors are nice with the stamp and i think i will address it with a silver sharpie. the slick paper on catalogs is not friendly with a lot of pens and markers. pigma microns will work, but you have to wait for them to dry. also, if you use pencil lines, they do not erase very well.

will probably send it to finnbadger.
remember when snoopy used to say *curse you red baron*
well, i have been tempted to say, curse you finnbadger for luring me into the world of making envelopes out of catalog and magazine pages. i do not need any new distractions. and i am seriously over board on these envelopes. i think it was worse during the holidays with all the catalogs.

leftover for finnbadger

i had the paper backing from the sheet of modern art in america and i folded it into a handmade envelope. it looks like several of the finnbadger envelopes, so, i will send it to him. i think the name will be in orange, pouring out of the pitcher.

it's too bad you can't see how this envelope is folded. it is a clever fold and when jan and i get our film studio set up, we'll include a tutorial on how to make this envelope....out of one sheet of paper and the stamp holds the whole thing together.

writing on envelopes

i'm adding a post today in case you think the DuBosch JUBILEE Script envelopes are becoming redundant- and a link to an article about a book showing the envelopes on which emily dickinson started some poems. the most interesting thing to me is that she did not write in cursive. her letters are separate.

the article is here

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/06/books/the-gorgeous-nothings-shows-dickinsons-envelope-poems.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0


i discovered the rest of the poems i wrote and will not insult emily by including them in this post. maybe on april fools day, if i can figure out a way to include them on an envelope.

kathy - JUBILEE

i have trouble with i-e and e-i. the super fine e in fe pleases me. it is a .25 g-tec. i have had a lot of the .25 pens stop working. i am not that patient with pens. i really love the g-tecs, but if they continue to clog on me, i might stop using the .25s. i do not recommend them with as much zeal any more.

the zip code is a little weak.

potter series - wand

i like the idea of writing the name backwards. i probably like the idea because it isn't something i do very often. in fact, this might be the first time. i know that from time to time, i write a letter backwards.

then there are the dots.
can't really go wrong with dots.
although, i thought some of the dotty, snowflakes that i put on the gingerbread houses were ho-hum.

i'm thinking the street/city/state will be super tiny in the upper left corner. or inside the C.

this just in

my second envelope from someone willing to give the Dubosch JUBILEE Script a whirl. isn't it wonderful. love the polky-dots. i know an orang-o-phile who will be so happy when she gets one just like this in the mail. i was going to just surprise her with it, but can't wait to post this one. hopefully eVeRyoNe will want to try DJS.

elizabeth - JUBILEE

i started adding details with a gray glaze pen to the DuBosch JUBILEE lettering. i don't know if you can see it in the scan. up close, it is a nice touch.

not necessary at all....but fun, if you like to add details. i need to finish the cable and hook it on to the flourish on the h.

and you can see how i mimicked the variety of the big lettering when i did the tiny address line.

potter series - briefcase and necktie

 the brief case is my least favorite of the first four i did. i like the orange squares. i was happy i had some envelopes that were not white. on the lower one, the tie should be more maroon with finer gold stripes, but the gold gel pen would not cover the maroon tie, so i had to make a gold tie and add maroon stripes. all in all...not a success. it might have been better if i had made the tie a lot wider. the problem with a set of 20 different stamps, i do not have multiples. with the gingerbread houses, they all looked alike, so i had a ton of ideas. with the potter series, i have only one shot to come up with a good idea...and then it is on to the next stamp.

skip and carol - JUBILEE

skip isn't jubilee - i was doing one of each building a nation stamp with a jubilee style address. until i got to this one and it just said *traintrack* so i went with that.

and the bottom one was the first one i did (for carol) and something about it made me feel like i had to do it over, but now i don't even remember which was the offending letter. probably that L in carol. it is pretty weak.

i like the o in oregon
and i like the stacking in oregon and also the zip code.

fixing mistakes - march stamp

i mentioned making mistakes a couple days ago. this envelope had a bloop on the k-a in kathy. you'd think, if i messed up the first 2 letters, i would ditch it. no. i finished the names and set it aside. then, yesterday. jan had these new stamps. i am going to try to toss out new ideas as soon as new stamps show up. this one is pretty hard edge, not loopy, so i thought i could use the hard edge, angular elements to cover up the blooper in the loops. after i did that, i thought i needed one more element to tie the stamp to the lettering and went with the blue sky and repeated the names, since they were a bit hard to read. it's not a genius idea...but, it's just fine for a quick fix if you are adverse to throwing envelopes away. i guess since jack inspired this topic, i should start sending all the bloopers to him.

and since i had to bump the previous scheduled envelope to make a place for this one, be forewarned that you will be enjoying gingerbread houses well into march.

 then i decided to add some white where the red overlapped the black and i touched up the east and south borders of the red lettering.

jeri - JUBILEE

i was pretty happy with the J on this one. I like carol's J a lot, but, i have trouble making it come out right and hers needs to hang down below the base line, so, this is a good alternative if you need to stay between the lines.

gingerbread foil tape

 the top is a detail. the tape is something you get at the hardware store. it is some kind of foil tape, about 2 inches wide. you cut it and peel off the backing to expose the adhesive. after i stuck the letters on the envelope, i used a black Tul pen (metal ball point with gel ink) to draw the details. you could use a dried up pen and just get an embossed look. but i kind of like the black line down in the embossed groove. this was just the first quick experiment. i could easily come up with 10 or 20 additional ideas for this tape. i saw jan at a wednesday group and i could tell she was inspired by this idea. we laughed about how we make mail for each other, we get together and look at the mail and discuss it  before we send it.
odd hobby, eh?

i love that little house on the right. i would do a whole village if i had more time.

finnbadger - JUBILEE

i don't know how i feel about the o-h overlap. i might have to redo this one. but the stamp is stuck on it. i like making the lines come out even. that's one of the best parts of DuBosch JUBILEE Script. it is infinitely flexible.

virginia - loopy-dotty

the ornament stamps are so much fun, i hope they reprint them for next year. i did a loopy script and then filled in each loop with faber castell brush markers. the pink and yellow dots are also markers and the silver dots are galaxy markers.

from jack

this arrived - from jack - thanking me for organizing the envelope exchange. i think the deadline was jan 15th - to get envelopes in the mail. if anyone has decided that they really don't have time to send their envelopes, post me privately (at the email over there by the picture of me) and i will ghost-author envelopes from you to the people on your list.

a couple people would like another exchange. so, i will think of something and post it later this month. if any of the participants are disappointed, or have suggestions, please send your thoughts and comments to me so i can tweek the format, if necessary.

i love this one. this is a highly stealable idea. and jack, we would like to know what you used to make the big W. it looks like it might be one of those giant copics. great way to use the little bonus sticker that came with the harry potter stamps. i am hoarding my bonus stickers. i have to think of something way-cool and unexpected, to do with them.

and trust me....professionals make those kinds of mistakes all the time. sometimes i wish i had kept a portfolio of all my bloopers. there are some doozies. making mistakes is sign that you are still alive...and you can quote me on that.

and speaking of mistakes...finnbadger has a mental block on my house number (420 - 44th)
the same way i have a mental block on the spelling of keith-kieth - luckily, my mailman knows me and brings me my mail...but remember, he is retiring this year...so, i worry that the new people will not be as attentive. finnbadger's full envelope will appear in a few weeks, i am stockpiling posts into the future.

donna - JUBILEE

i can be lazy about some things. i used up all my black ink on my pilot pen. so, i put in the red cartridge and did not bother cleaning the nib. so, this is a transition from black to red. it actually looks pretty nice with the darker tones on the stamp. the street address will be tiny, in one line where i have the pencil line.

is anyone else having as much fun as i am with DuBosch JUBILEE script?

jeri's gingerbread

 jeri sent this adorable envelope. it might be made out of the cover of the philatelic catalog. there is an adorable card inside and even the flap is adorable. it made me a little sad to slice through the flap. i did not examine the glue carefully. after i slit it, i could see that i could have un-adhered it easily. drat. i guess i will tape it back together.

the gingerbread santa stamps are the piece de resistance.

gingerbread - candy & betty

i really liked writing with uniball white gel pen over the top of the pentel paint pen. the first one i did was candy's and i was picking up the orange and heart stuff on the gingerbread house. since i have so many gingerbread ideas, maybe they will work for valentines. i don't know that navy will be the most popular color for valentines. i like to use odd color combinations. if you have red envelopes, i think the idea of the paint pen and the gel markers will look nice on red and you can find a different stamp.

carol's JUBILEE script

this is the envelope i sent to carol to thank her for creating the DuBosch JUBILEE script style of writing.
i have added my own variations to the ones carol uses and i am up to 350 different characters, including numbers.

besides a broad edge tool, i use fine line markers and also a fat bullet tip marker, like the zig writer, (a 1.2 tip) to make the big fat dots (the O in carol and the dot on the A in Ave and the dot between portland and OR.

WARNING: for the next 3 weeks, half of the envelopes are going to be DuBosch JUBILEE Script. i have been obsessed with it and while it may become boring for some of you, stick with me because i have also been on a harry potter binge, a handmade-envelope-out-of-magazine-pages, and finish up those 30 half-done ideas that are in a stack.

once again, johnny cash is a wonderful complement. 

inspiration piece

this is from bird on a limb studio. it was pinned on one of smash's pinboards and was the inspiration for the envelope posted earlier today.

http://birdonalimbstudio.com/home.html

smash - wreath

i used green galaxy marker on a red envelope. it isn't quite the right shade of green, but it was fun. i saw the idea on smashgirl's pinterest board.

from carol

 this is the card and envelope from carol featuring her newly released style - DuBosch JUBILEE Script. it would be fun to see her entire stack of envelopes to see how many different ways she arranged names and addresses. i don't do many square envelopes because they cost extra to mail, but wow...this one makes me want to buy a whole sheet of butterflies....except the rates are going up. i better wait for the next butterfly.

below is the card that came in the envelope. i love the contrast of the script in the center. it is especially nice because she has the circle in white. it is either thermography or, she might have used that embossing powder and a heat gun. if she did -wow- that was a lot of work. i hope she sent them out and had them printed using thermography.
i saw her comment on facebook that she did, indeed, do all the thermography by hand. i know they call it embossing powder, which implies that it is raised, which it is, but, in my book, it is still thermography because the materials and process is the same.

thank you carol :-)

smash - metallic ink

smash girl has some kind of pretty metallic ink... and she's either been practicing or maybe it's like riding a bike and she can just whip this stuff out any time she likes. i was never disciplined enough to get to this level of calligraphy, but it is way-fun to have it pop up in my mailbox. thanks smash :-)

handheld postal scale

this is a very handy tool for weighing envelopes and knowing if they are 1, 2, 3, up to 4 ounces. they are very accurate. i wish i had a photo showing how easy they are to use. you clip the envelope at the top, using the clip that is at the top right of the photo. then you slip the ring (at top-left on your finger and the little needle that is pointing at the scale will tell you if the envelope is over or under an ounce. in the photo is is just less than one ounce. they sell them online. i used to find them at the office supply stores. they were behind the counter and if i ever saw anyone buying one (other than myself) they looked like people who might be weighing small amounts of other substances. my local office supply store said they no longer carry them because they did not care for the customers who were buying them. so, you can get one online....google...handheld postal scale and you will find them on ebay and amazon and other places as well.

wreath - jim

another practice one, similar to an earlier one. drawing a border around an envelope is an instant design element. i can think of a dozen ways to go once you have the border. hope i have time to do a set of 12 borders....

i think i would put the stamp someplace else.