handmade postcards from Postcrossing

Sorry for the long time between the last update and now. Life has been busy. I received these lovely handmade postcards off of Postcrossing.

This lovely postcard came to me from the Philippines, PH-50362

This user knew I love the history of the wild west and being his is from the Czech Republic, he didn't have access to these types of cards so he drew one for me! CZ-327085 Hopefully I will have time to post more soon.

Wild West postcards and Round Robins (RRs)

My favorite history subject is the settling of the wild west. I love receiving postcards of anything related to this or Native Americans. It's rare for me to receive postcards about this so when I discovered a RR (round robin) that would allow me to receive these types of postcards on one of the Postcrossing forums, I just had to join. (Click here to see and read more about this specific RR. Some of the postcards I collect are ones I find on my trips around the US. This RR allows me to send my blank unwritten postcard to a different user who then writes it, stamps it and sends it back to me. I love it because I get the postcards I really like written, stamped and sent back to me. Here are the three postcards I received from the RR. All of these postcards feature Virginia City, Nevada in the late 1800s.

The 20th-century site of the Crystal Bar stood on the corner of Taylor and C Streets. A stylish woman is probably enjoying a mint julep, the signature beverage at the Crystal. When the business moved a block north of its 19th-century location, it took the celebrated crystal chandelier to its new home.

In 1887, Joe Ferretta posed with his freight wagon and an eight-horse team. Comstock teamsters lost a great deal of the trade with the arrival of the railroad in 1869, but there was still sufficient business to keep dozens of them employed for the following years.

Fourth Ward School teachers, such as the two in this undated photograph, were among the highest paid educators in the state. Virginia City's school district required prospective instructors to pass grueling examinations in a wide variety of topics before they received a teacher's certificate. Graduates of the schools were sough after for teaching positions in Nevada and California.

garage sale finds and a trip to the craft store

On Saturday August 10th, my friend, Holly and I went to some garage sales. I managed to find these really cool brown envelopes for $1.00 that look like they are made of mixed paper and some cute blank note cards for 25 cents. After that, we headed to Joann's where I found another set of notecards (not pictured) and some decorative tape for sealing envelopes. Most of the tape I found in the dollar bins near the cash register, but I couldn't resist the owl tape that was on sale.

Hopefully this week I will be able to post some cards I made!

Creating Custom Envelopes

I love creating custom envelopes because you can do it for cheap as well as it is simple and fun! I found this idea on Pinterest the other day and was able to try it out this morning. This is how I did it and it worked really well. I took a 4 x 6 inch invitation envelope.

And carefully opened it so I didn't tear the main part of the envelope.

Then I took a piece of construction paper and made an outline. (I recommend using paper that can be recycled for practice purposes so you don't waste your good paper if you make a mistake.) I also find it helpful to make where the folding lines are and where the top of the envelope is.

Here is what it looks like when completed. I usually use clear tape to seal mine (I used double sided sticky tape for this demonstration), but depending on the thickness of the paper you will be using for your envelopes, I believe you could also use a light amount of glue.

I also recommend tracing your completed envelope pattern onto cardboard so it can be repeatedly used.

I hope this is helpful!

All Things Snail Mail

I love sending mail, whether it is quick postcard to a friend, a thank note for a gift received, a random postcard going across the world (Postcrossing.com) or a package with a gift. I love sending mail. I love any excuse to drop something in the mail box or head to the post office. I also love creating custom envelopes and will hopefully soon be able to work on creating custom greeting cards for my friends. Welcome to All Things Snail Mail!