DIY Stationery: Stamped Indigo Envelope and Card

One afternoon I started puttering with combining the stamps, especially the smaller ones, in Gwen Lafluer's Paper Artsy sets. I've always loved the crisp, clean look of indigo and white, which is a beautiful combination seen in the fabrics and paper arts of many cultures, such as the designs of Japanese shibori, batiks of Indonesia, and stitch resist fabrics of Africa. 

My early art training is as a textile designer, so it is natural for me to look for and create repeating patterns. I was especially drawn to the small diamond design. I took some good quality, smooth white paper, my cobalt blue Archival stamp pad, some acrylic blocks, and started stamping.

First I just tested them randomly on paper. As I found combinations I liked, I started making full sheets of designs. For this project, I used stamps from the Tribal Faces and Motifs sets.

Using only an indigo-colored ink pad and crisp white paper, I experimented with combining different stamps and creating patterns.

 

Above are some of my favorite stamp combinations.

They looked so pretty I was reluctant to cut them up, but I knew I could always make more. I decided to make an envelope out of one.

The easiest way is to take an envelope you already have, carefully take it apart, and flatten it out. Then you can use it as a template, placing it on the paper and tracing around it. But, I wanted to see exactly where the shape would be, and make sure that it wasn't crooked. So, I traced the envelope shape on parchment paper, then laid that on my stamped paper, traced around, and cut out the new envelope shape.

I deconstructed and traced an old envelope to create the new envelope.

After the envelope is cut, you just fold carefully (it helps if you use a bone folder to create crisp creases) and add a dab of glue where the sides join the back.

Using a bone folder gives a crisp, flat fold.

For the card, I used a folded 5" x 8" plain white index card. (I buy them in bulk at my local stationery store.) I carefully cut pieces that I liked with my tiny scissors until I found a combination that worked well with the envelope. 

I'm not a perfect stamper, so I like using colors that are easy to touch up: I had a fine point marker that was just the right shade of blue to fill in any small gaps, and I used white acrylic paint and a white Posca pen to cover any small smudges.

Here's some shots of the arrangements I puttered with before deciding on the final card.

The final touch was running the edges of the card along the cobalt blue stamp pad to give it a finished look. Now, the question is...WHO should I mail it to...?