Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Handmade envelopes: dreams and fantasies

12 Dancing Princesses envelopes, 2 up close

I've been listing all kinds of new items in my etsy shop over the past couple of weeks, but two of the humblest are those of which I'm most proud, because I made them myself. I've had the urge to make some handmade envelopes for ages now, and I finally sat down and went on an envelope-making spree.

12 Dancing Princesses envelopes

First we have a set of envelopes from The Twelve Dancing Princesses, a classic fairy tale. The artwork in this children's book took my breath away, and when it came into my hands, I was so excited to make envelopes out of it.

12 Dancing Princesses envelopes, backs with borders

Each page has a beautiful, ornate border that I incorporated into the flaps on the back. I can't get over how rich these colors are...

Max and the moon

Also, from the classic children's book, Where the Wild Things Are envelope set.

A pile of wild things

Max cavorts in his wolf suit with some Wild Things, terrorizes his dog, watches his bedroom become a forest... the fun of the book comes back to me as I look at these envelopes.

Where the Wild Things Are envelopes, backs

I managed to get a nice green tree inside the flap of one of the envelopes, a treat for the sender, too.

Both sets include 5 envelopes, and they have a water-reactive glue as an adhesive sealant, so all you have to do is moisten the flap and it will seal. No adhesive required!

Twelve Dancing Princesses upcycled/handmade envelopes

Where the Wild Things Are upcycled/handmade envelopes