Belated Further Festivities

Hi, I'm back, hope you had a great Christmas and best wishes for the new year.

I really love collage and newspaper cutting, so I decided to try a festive collage letter. I used a magazine and some wrapping paper, but you could use anything you wanted. I just cut out my message, lathered on some PVA glue and stuck it down, and wrote on the back.

I'm actually really pleased with the way it came out, and it took under half an hour, with supplies I would otherwise have thrown away.

Washi Tape Christmas Card

Ok, the writing came out backwards in the photo, but you get the gist.

You will need:
Green(ish) washi tape
Other colour washi tape
Stamps or stickers to write merry Christmas
Folded card, any light colour
Optional embellishments, e.g. stars or glitter

Cut out strips of the green, with diagonal edges, in descending size order, ending with a triangle. Stick down your widest strip, around the lower middle of your card. Continue to add the strips, as pictured above, until you get a Christmas tree shape. I used seven strips, but a shorter or taller tree is fine. Then add  trunk in 'other colour'. Stamp/sticker beneath and add any embellishments. Write and send!

Christmas Card Round-Up

Free:

A lovely collection of cards.

Brilliant letter writing paper.

More gorgeous cards. Really pretty.

Cheap:

The snowy city here is close to my heart, and these cards are in aid of Shelter

A classic collection of beautifully designed cards

Indulgent:

At a slightly more luxurious £3, lovely mitten cards from my old favourite present and correct.

Rather fancy, but very festive, some gorgeous die-cut cards

An almost Ardman-esque style on these playful cards really will make for a stylish Christmas.

The Joys of Pen-Palhood

Normally I write letters to friends when I have news, but not in any systematic, formal manner. Pen-palling, now an official verb, as declared by me, is a much more structured letter writing timetable, I have been pen-palling with someone met on holiday for the a few months, and I love it. It shows that when you need to, you can always find something to write about. We write once every couple of weeks, and sometimes include photos and drawings as well. It is a brilliant way of keeping in contact with an old friend, or acquaintance, and also keeping your letter-writing juices flowing. Due to the regularity of writing, it is harder to find creative ways to write, but it really doesn't matter, it is just nice to keep in contact in the classic, old-fashioned way.

Pinteresting Again

This is actually a wedding invite, but I love the style

Loving this, a 3D card, with sound.

I know Easter isn't for a while, but this is top of my project list.

Letter Love-Present and Correct

I really love Present&Correct, it is just brilliant.

This is the most festive postcards I ever laid eyes on. Gorgeous.

And what better accessory than a gorgeous vintage stamp?

Even More Pinteresting!

Make your own stamp out of a rubber! Genius.

A gorgeous speech bubble stamp, on etsy.

I'm forever blowing bubbles...

Mission Randomness

Five random objects, found on my desk. Turquoise washi tape, a random badge, some slightly naff Cath Kidston envelopes and some 3D woodland animal stickers. 

So, I had to make a letter out of it. First, I dotted my paper with a handful of stickers, and added speech bubbles, in which I later wrote some extra messages, in addition to the letter's main body. Then, I wrote out my letter in a favourite pen. Then, at the bottom, I added the badge, and a little note saying enjoy wearing it etc. then I sealed the envelope with the washi tape and addressed it. Then I sent it. Only one problem. No stamp. What will happen to my letter? The badge was quite nice, and I'd hate it to be in a post office bin, so does anyone know?

Happy Halloween!

First, some favourite (free) Halloween stationery:

First, this delightful pumpkin patch note paper from this website

Next, though not strictly letter writing, this 'Monster Mash Up' is just too lovely to miss, full pdf and folding instructions here

 

Last, but not least, a whole site full of gorgeous things, the above witchy design being my favourite

Now, sharing other people's lovely things is all very well, but an idea of my own might top off the post, n'est ce pas?

So here goes...

Jack 'o' Lantern Letter

Step One: Procure a piece of white paper, an orange fine tipped marker, a green felt pen (optional) and some scissors.

Step Two: fold your piece of paper down the middle, and cut a right angled triangle out of the folded edge, in the middle. When unfolded, this is your nose. Then cut half the shape you would like your mouth. I did mine with two teeth, one to each side. I simply cut half a semi-circle, with two little rectangles one at the top and one at the bottom. When I unfolded it, I cut off the top tooth on the left and the bottom on the right, leaving only two goofy teeth.

Step Three: Unfold the middle, and fold the two edges into the middle. Cut out half the shape your eyes are going to be, mine were triangular with little round pupils at the bottom. Unfold. Here's one I made earlier:

Step Four: Write in the orange pen, if you want you can add a stalk in green.

The finished product (drumroll please)...

Variations:

You could use orange paper and black pen, stick the final project on black paper, or even vary the theme by cutting out say vampire teeth, or using black paper and silver pen to create a ghost letter. Any other ideas, let me know in the comments.

Golden Tape

Washi tape is wonderful. Whether wrapping presents:

Or decorating furniture:

But a use I found today: Washi Tape Letter

I rimmed the page with washi tape all the way around, trying to get it even and possibly failing, add just a handful of cut out hearts, stuck in the corner, and write away.

 

Letter Love!

I just love Ed Monkton. Its just so lovely!

I mean, how could you ever do anything but smile in the face of a friendship between a biscuit and a potato?

The cards are my favourite. I have spent a ridiculous amount of money on such things over the years. With simple, child like pictures and hilarious, heart-warming captions, it is all you could wish for in a card, and there are cards for every occasion short of 'Congratulations on Your Return to Earth'. But perhaps this could occur in the next range?

Writing on the Wall

Dead simple: Chalk and a wall. Write, photograph, print, envelope, send!

How Pinteresting!

Do you have a Pinterest account? If not, get one. You can ask me for an invite. Here are some favourite Pinterest finds this week:

A letter writing kit in a test tube! Perfect for kids so they bother writing back.

Aww. This is just too cute!

I love the colours and the tag envelope.

Biscuits!

You need:
Alphabet stamps
Food colouring
Biscuit dough, rolled out
A clean paintbrush

Get y'stamps, stamp you want to stamp/write into your dough. Chill. The dough I mean, but a little relaxing won't hurt. After half an hour of chillin' put it in that oven! Brrrring! Take it out. Paint it. Not with paint, silly, food colour. In the stamped bits. Leave it to dry. Package it up. Take it to the post office, weigh it. Cross your fingers you brought enough change. Pay for it, wait for it to get sent, wait for a reply.

Magnets!

Sorry to have taken so long to post again, been a tad busy of late.
But I'm back with a new idea and it is

(coming at you (sorry it came out backwards, curses to my camera))

Yes, you guessed (or else are rather dumb) it, a letter made from fridge magnets, photograph it, print it, add punctuation, unless you have punctuation magnets in which case OH MY! WHERE DID THEY COME FROM?  in which case, just use those.  Put it in an envelope and send it. Wasn't that fun?

Balloon Loon

I think everyone likes balloons...


You need:
Balloons
A permanent marker
A lot of puff

If the world was perfect, you would only need one balloon, but it isn't, so balloons pop. Blow up a balloon. Larger. Larger. STOP! Perfect. Don't knot it, clip it, or shut the end in a Tupperware. Now, begin to write, very, very carefully. Repeat until you finish a letter without the balloon popping. Now open the Tupperware. Thwoooo. The air comes out. Put it in an envelope and mail it. If you feel like being helpful add a 'Blow Up' tag.