2016 #24 Bespoke Envelopes {by Roxanne Coble}

2016 Topic 24: Mail Art

Oh hi there! Roxanne Coble here again, and tis’ the season for envelopes! Well okay, not exactly – but it is the season for unique gift-wrap and packaging of all kinds. I’m all about the details when it comes gift giving, and nothing says ‘detail’ like a hand-painted envelope. 

So for today, I’m using PaperArtsy’s Fresco Finish Chalk Acrylic paint to transform plain envelopes into something festive and fun… 

Step One: A little secret I would like to share with you: I’m a very lazy artist. The less cutting, tracing, or prep work I have to do, the happier I will be. So to begin, I’m starting with a standard white envelope that I’ve gently taken apart. Don’t stress too much about some envelope scraps sticking to flaps or wrinkling – the paint ends up covering up a lot of these minor mishaps! Of course, if you want a perfect or totally handmade envelope, you can use this dismantled envelope as a template to create your own with Bristol paper. 

Step Two: With my envelope dismantled, I now want to choose three colors of Fresco Finish Chalk Acrylic paint. Two of your colors should be opaque, and your third should be a translucent shade (I’ll explain why in a few steps!). Choose colors that you like or that maybe have a high contrast (contrasting colors will really make things pop!). You’ll see for this sample, I’m using the shades ‘Sherbet’, ‘Bora Bora’, and ‘London Bus’. 

Step Three: Starting with one of your opaque shades, paint the envelope entirely. This coat will act as your background color. Be sure you’re painting the outside of the envelope and not the interior. 

Step Four: When my background is dry, I now want to move to my second opaque shade of paint. Paint on a very large and simple pattern. The pattern should be simple enough to paint directly on with no sketching….we want to keep things easy right?! As you’ll see on my envelope I’m using ‘Bora Bora’ and applying it as a large leaf-like/oval pattern. 

Step Five: With my opaque paints applied, I can now add in my translucent or semi-opaque paint color. Using the same pattern shape I painted with ‘Bora Bora’, I will apply the translucent paint so that it overlaps with both my background and pattern. In overlapping the translucent color like this, it creates a screen-printed sort of look. It also gives you a two-tone effect, as the translucent color looks different when applied on top of different opaque shades. So for this example, I’m layering ‘London Bus’ on top of my pattern in ‘Bora Bora’ and background done in ‘Sherbet’. 

Step Six: Once your paint is completely dry, assemble your envelope back together using a glue stick. If you are experiencing any warping of the paper, just sandwich your envelope in between some wax paper and put it under a heavy object or book. 

Feel free to embellish your envelope with fun washi tape, maybe doodle on it with pens, or add some festive calligraphy. The possibilities with these bad boys are really endless! 

Needless to say after completing this DIY, I went on a crazy envelope-painting spree! I just think they are the coolest way to add flair to a gift, card, or letter. GASP! And just imagine if you painted matching wrapping paper?! *Swoon* 

Happy holidays and happy mail everyone! 

xo Roxanne Coble (a.k.a. BUN) 

Blog/Website:bybun

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Thanks Roxanne, those envelopes look fabulous, and yes imagine wrapping paper! The screenprint/overlap is such a great technique, so simple to achieve but really effective. I wouldn't mind the leaf one as wallpaper actually, 3 full rolls should do it! ~Darcy

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We would love to see how you interpret this Mail Art topic by linking what you make to our 2016 Challenge #24: Mail Art on this page HERE. The Mail Art link will close 17:00 (London Time) Sunday, Dec 18th  2016. The winner will be announced 2  hours later at 19:00.

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