Whether next door or half way around the world, I love connecting with artists and crafters. Speaking of connections, last year I traded a Pocket Letter with Marie Friant, a fantastic paper artist living in Belgium.
How fun is that?! You can find the lovely Marie on Instagram or visit Something About Marie for an eye full of wonderful! I just love her style.
Have you heard of ‘Pocket Letters’ ? It’s a whole new way of crafting with paper, Sounds like something we all like to do, right? There’s ton’s of inspiration at Pinterest!
You make nine small cards, paintings, collages or whatever’s in your bag of tricks and pop them into a nine pocket page protector measuring 8.5 x 11. I used Prima Rossi Belle Collection . An opulent combinations of romance and metallic coolness that nods to the past with a modern attitude!
Photo credit: Prima Marketing
Their A4 pad was wonderful for creating the illusion of 3D embellishments on each collage. Here’s a peek at four I made.
One of the pockets must contain a letter for the recipient, hence it’s called a Pocket Letter. Guess what? My very dearest friend Alys and I also met through our blogs. She generously gifted me cherished pages from her dads vintage stamp collection and now I’m sharing one of the stamps with Marie.
I chose it because it’s Canadian. Can you see the cancel marks? I left the yellowed tape on top where Mr Milner carefully pasted it to his album all those years ago. From one heart to another, this little stamp from 1903 sailed through snail mail once again.
This is the second trade I’ve made with gals I’ve connected with on Instagram. It’s a fun community of creative souls. The gilded bird and star tucked into these collages were a gift from Jen who lives in Colorado. Jen sells her creations on Etsy!
What I loved most about making this Pocket Letter for Marie was pulling out a lot of stash to really build up the layers with interest. Including old books, glitter, embossing powder, dies, alcohol ink, buttons, charms, thread and more. This kind of project let’s you be creative and every pocket can have it’s own personality.
If you’re inspired to join in the fun, you can visit this link to learn more. In the meantime, Ralph Waldo Emerson recommends, “be silly, be honest, be kind”.
For more beautiful inspiration with this collection, visit the Prima link here!
Do you like to trade Happy Mail?
Kelly Made It 