Orange is the warmest color

Incoming mail art from Pat L.

Sent in this envelope - with quite the stamp selection.

Add and return - fruit sticker version

This was sent to me quite some time ago by Patricia.

And this is what I added.

Bananas Christmas

Patricia sent me this Christmas card. It does seem to reflect the craziness around Christmas this year!

I love this idea - hmmm, maybe next year?

Fortunately Christmas Eve is nice and quiet for me this year. Staying hime, wrapping presents, drinking hot chocolate. Maybe watch a film in the evening.

Has your Christmas been bananas? What do you like to do to escape the madness?

Banana museum

From Patricia.

A museum of banana labels. I haven't seen the lego movie labels yet, or the ones where the bananas form letters.

Heroes and poetry

Patricia sent me this envelope quite some time ago. I liked the TV series 'Heroes' a lot, and was disappointed when it was cancelled, and when the reboot suffered the same fate. So it was nice to see Hiro on these personalized stamps.

And inside was this unexpected collage/found poetry.

Minions in Mezoamerica

Enjoy the solstice with the help of the Minions that Patricia sent me.

Patricia's Postcards

Patricia sent me this postcard ages ago, to which she added a fruit sticker.

I added one more, and I thought I sent this to Tonipoet, but maybe she sent it along to DKULT to add more and return to Patricia.

The result.

I also have a direct add and pass back.

Here's how I altered it:

I also added something to this vintage postcard to send to Patricia.

Here's another where I added an orange sticker.

And I sent it to MomKat who added a bit more fruit and returned it to Patricia.

And one more from Patricia (love the spelling of coconut).

With a bit added by me.

And returned in envelope 897.

Homemade envelopes

Making my own envelopes started over twenty years ago. I use a template that I made from a commercial envelope, and number them sequentially. Some of the early ones sent back then are in this blog post. I don't remember why I started making them in 1992, or why I stopped (in 1993), but I found some of them a few years ago, and, uninvited, sent the one numbered 100 to Jean. That's the origin of the title of the blog.

Originally I planned for the blog to be dedicated to these envelopes, however I got sucked in to all the aspects of mail art, so they often take a bit of a back seat.

Currently I'm up to number 890. This is what (part of) my box of homemade envelopes looks like right now, with envelopes waiting for the perfect stamp, or occasion:

And here are some recently sent ones.

Number 352 to Patricia (slightly shiny paper from a magazine)

Number 436 to Honi (matte paper from an arts flier)

Number 792 to Eva (thick paper from an old calendar)

And number 846 to Eric (from butcher's paper)

Have you ever made your own envelopes? 

What materials would you choose, and what do you think would make a good envelope?

From Patricia

Great envelope from Patricia, covered front and back.

Envelopes 756 and 759

To Patricia and Richard

Plus a bonus animated December stamp I didn't find until late this year.

The selvage project

Patricia sent me one of her selvage project add and return cards.

I added even more selvage!