Vellum envelopes can be for elegant invitations or fancy cards – or just for something FUN! The postal carrier deserves a little smile, too, right? And your recipient will love seeing bright happy color in their mailbox too! I’ve got a few tips to keep in mind when creating a card like this to get some big bang for your efforts!
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Watch the video below or click HERE to see it in HD on YouTube.
Be aware of the size of your handwriting; I didn’t leave myself quite enough here for the size of my Mom’s new address so it was a little squishy! The snail would still be adorable sneaking in from the left side, and the mailbox can peek from the right, to create more room if you need it.
I picked strong, bright colors to make sure the colors really popped. There’s an E87 marker in there that I think snuck in somehow. LOL!
I had a special return-address stamp made for myself a few years ago, a self-inking one.
Pandas don’t always need to be black and white…and I have to say sometimes a set of rainbow-colored pandas would cheer up a mailbox even more than realistic ones!
Note: Supplies are linked in the supply list at the end of this post. Compensated affiliate links may be used – that means if you make a purchase using my links, I receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you for your support of my work on this blog! Read more.
Watch the video below or click HERE to see it in HD on YouTube.
Markers used – sometimes you can keep it simple…
WHEEE! Aren’t those party pandas happy?
Loving the simplicity of a card like this – perfect for tons of occasions…
It’s been a long time since I’ve colored on Desert Storm….is it just me, or when we “remember” a technique, it feels all shiny and new again?
PS Is anyone SQUEEEEEEE-level excited about the release of Dumbo this month?
Note: Supplies are linked in the supply list at the end of this post. Compensated affiliate links may be used – that means if you make a purchase using my links, I receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you for your support of my work on this blog! Read more.
Watch the video below or click HERE to see it in HD on YouTube.
Very limited color palette on this one…..
Adding a little dimension and diecut border is more than enough for a clean and simple little card like this one.
Sometimes less is more….and sometimes half a stamp is all you need!
The cool part about stamping only part of an image – or only including half an object on a canvas, for that matter – is that it gets the viewer engaged. They imagine what else is there. They’re intrigued by just what is going on there. In each of the examples in this post, I went through my stamp collection to find sentiments that would start the idea of a story going – scroll down to see a little more on each one.
Note: Supplies are linked in the supply list at the end of this post. Compensated affiliate links may be used – that means if you make a purchase using my links, I receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you for your support of my work on this blog! Read more.
Click the graphic to make it larger – but pin from this blog post rather than the attachment, so you can get back here to the images below.
At first I only had the Balloon Bear peeking in from the bottom, and as I looked for a sentiment to go with him, I saw “Let it go….” and immediately had to stamp one more balloon up in the air as if he’d let it go!
In this version of Balloon Bear, he’s just peeking in from outside with a balloon gift….it makes you wonder if he’s standing on something, is he peeking into a door or from behind a tree? Lots for the imagination to ponder…
Fancy Hat Bear, when peeking in from the side, is a little shy. So telling her to go be fabulous in a sentiment seemed good to encourage her to step out boldly!
In another version of Fancy Hat Bear, I wanted her to look like she was throwing a kiss, so when stamping her I wiped off the eyes – and added lines instead so she could look dreamy!
Can you think of stamp sets you’d use to try some half-lea
It’s always fun to get mileage out of our stamps – so why not try an atypical stamp set in a couple mediums, just to see what happens? I created these pretty wreaths in Distress Inks, Copics, and Pencil! The PinkFresh Oval Foliage stamp has so many possibilities!
Watch the video below or click HERE to see it in HD on YouTube.
Note: Supplies are linked in the supply list at the end of this post. Compensated affiliate links may be used – that means if you make a purchase using my links, I receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you for your support of my work on this blog! Read more.
Distress Oxide Ink/Watercolor is one of the ways most people may consider using a set like this – applying the peeled paint distress oxide ink then painting into it with a wet brush.
I added some berries to mine with a brush, as well as tiny details in the chipped sapphire to add some depth.
Next up: Copic! I stamped some “messy” partial leaves first, then laid down a couple colors (YG03 YG00) and restamped again in an uneven fashion to add some realism. I filled in some detail in G28 and added RV14 berries.
Finishing off each card meant layering the panels with green cardstock, popping it up on dimensional adhesive on the same color cardstock to keep the color to a minimum and let the wreath sing. Sentiments were stamped on matching paper and popped, cutting the banner on one side and tying a little twine for good measure.
The pencil version may surprise those who haven’t taken Colored Pencil Jumpstart – powdered pencil!
The tea strainer is the magic that makes it happen…scribbling the pencil into it to create powder, and lightly moving it around with a cotton ball.
The sentiments were placed in the lower 1/3 of the card – designwise it keeps the important parts out of dead-center so the eye moves around the wreath and not just stopping in the middle.
Chubby bunny! Chubby bunny! Chubby bunny! Did any of you play that game when you were kids? We’d keep putting more marshmallows in our mouths and see how long we could keep sounding coherent. Miles of silly sugar-powered laughs!
Well this card isn’t that level of silly, but it’s pretty fun anyway. I stamped almost all the bunnies (one ended up on the envelope), and gave them a little garden to enjoy, too.
Note: Supplies are linked in the supply list at the end of this post. Compensated affiliate links may be used – that means if you make a purchase using my links, I receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you for your support of my work on this blog! Read more.
Watch the video below or click HERE to see it in HD on YouTube.
When stamping and masking, have a black pen on hand that works with the medium you’re coloring with…then the masks needn’t be perfect, you can just draw in little bits that didn’t get connected.
And don’t forget the envelope! That’ll definitely tell your recipient this is HAPPY mail. No bills!
