'Crate Letterhead' reflects the simple, old fashioned tradition of the handwritten note and matching envelope. Even though the tradition has faded some, it's beauty and meaningful expression is still greatly coveted by many. Here to share the very first installment of Crate Letterhead is CP Gal, Rebecca Luminarias.
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It's a lovely thing to get a handwritten note these days. With the advent of email, social media, and texting, the art of letter writing is a dying one. How wonderful would it be if sending good, old-fashioned, personally crafted snail mail began to see a resurrection? There are campaigns for it all over the web--on people's blogs, Instagram, and even Etsy, whose marketplace is saturated with gorgeous notecards and paper greetings. I combined my love of these tangible goods with Crate's Notes & Things to handcraft my own stationary.
When I was younger, probably around the early teen years, I received a set of pretty trifold notes, complete with address labels and seals. I remember thinking how convenient they were because no envelope was required. I simply had to write my letter on the inside, fold it up, and seal it closed with a round sticker. I addressed the front, added postage, and my correspondence was all set to drop in the mail. What could be easier--and there was no icky aftertaste from licking the envelope! It was the best thing! I don't see this type of stationary too often anymore, but I thought that, with all the beautiful patterned paper in the N&T collection--in every CP collection, for that matter--it would be a nice idea to make my own.
It seriously took no time at all. I chose papers with eye-catching patterns on one side and subtler details on the other. In this case it was "Be Kind," "With Love," and "Schedule." I cut each piece down to 6" x 9" and then scored them 2.5" down from the top and up from the bottom, leaving a 4" x 6" panel in the center. (It's the same as folding a business letter.) Even though the inside designs are simpler, it still might be slightly difficult to read hand-writing over them so my solution was to adhere the N&T 4x6 journaling cards to the middle section and write on those. If you're lacking journaling cards, trimmed down plain card stock works just fine, as does a larger sized index card--no cutting required!
I wanted to fancy up the insides a bit, although this step is not necessary. It's best to keep it simple and stay away from bulky items. Stickers, rub-ons, paper tape, vellum, and die cuts are fine choices. I was even able to sneak in some chipboard in places (*but not too much or you may have to pay extra in postage). I used a lot of sequins, too, and sewed them in place to be sure they weren't going anywhere.
Here, instead of a letter, I chose to have a more card-like layout with the large "it's a lovely day" design. There's still room on the lower portio to write a brief salutation and sign my name.
When it came to the outside, I tried to keep it simple, though I still wanted to add a few pretty details to the front. But since the idea of these is to go through the mail sans envelope, I had to be sure that all of my embellishments were firmly in place--and again, limited bulk. Rub-ons are awesome for this! I also used lots of stickers, dabbing extra glue on them since they're a tad thicker and heavier than standard mailing labels. While this may not have been necessary after the extra glue, I stitched them into place--just to be safe!
You might be seeing all the embellishments piled onto the woodgrain note and wondering what's the deal there. Well, I just couldn't stop myself from layering on the embellishments! And, if you really want to use an envelope, how about a glassine envelope?! (They'll go through the mail just like nontransparent ones do.)
For the flap, simple label stickers will do just fine. And an option for keeping your contents private: Small, clear, round seals to fold over the sides.
Because I didn't want to have you go to all the trouble to make these sweet things, only to find out they will be "returned to sender" should you try to mail them, I made an extra note to send to myself as a test. And guess what? I got it back fully intact! I sent it through the US Mail on Friday and received it on Saturday. It was delivered just as any other regular card would be. There were a few scuffs, but otherwise, all was in place and nothing fell off!
I do hope you'll join me in bringing back letter-writing--it only takes a few minutes and is a wonderful way to brighten someone's day.
Absolutely marvelous cards. Thanks for the brilliant idea. I adore sending and receiving handwritten letters. This tri-fold beauties are a splash of sunshine. Thanks for sharing. Cheers!
Posted by: Maye M.L. | September 18, 2014 at 12:48 PM
I'm a snail mailer and have oodles of penpals. I am always looking for new ideas to share - thank you for these inspirational photos! My family refers to my letters as "fun mail" and I know my friends will enjoy these trifold cards!
Posted by: Melissa | September 19, 2014 at 10:04 PM