JULY: Creative Correspondence Challenge

Creative Correspondence Challenge

Using the base materials listed below, your challenge is to create a correspondence set for your partner consisting of at least 3 different types of item. Paper & cardstock may be creatively re-purposed or fresh blank pages. However, do not send your partner entirely blank stationery: plain paper should either be hand-embellished or printed in some way to reflect your own creative style.

Materials:

• 3 pieces of A4 or letter-size cardstock
• 6 pieces of A4 or letter-size paper
  optional
• additional 1 bonus piece of A4 or letter-size paper or cardstock

Papers & card can be any weight, type, texture, pattern etc. They can be plain or adhesive, you can add a backing or perforation or surface embellishment – it's up to you! Why have I chosen the arbitrary quantities above? No reason: they're deliberately random figures, so that you have to work creatively. For example when I make an envelope from an A4 sheet of paper, I use a 21cm square, leaving a rectangle measuring 9(ish) x 21cm potentially unused. From that rectangle I could make a strip of 7 envelope seals each measuring 3 x 3cm and a strip of 6 address labels each measuring 6 x 3.5cm. Or I could make a folded notelet. Or...all sorts of other things! There are so many potential combinations of stationery you could create, so just play!

Types of item (suggestions only – please be creative!)

• Postcards
• Envelopes
• Notecards
• Greeting cards
• Notepaper
• Lettersets
• Return address labels
• Mailing labels
• Envelope seals
• Artistamps/faux postage
• Any other 'creative correspondence' item you can think of that can be constructed of card or paper

In addition

Your Creative Correspondence set should include 1 additional book/booklet/zine/magazine that bears an obvious relation to or includes one of the following key words:

Letter
Stamp
Correspondence
Words
Notes
Writing
Postal
Mail art

Swap requirements

• 1 partner = 1 Creative Correspondence set sent, and 1 Creative Correspondence set received.
• Your set must be made by using a minimum of 9 and a maximum of 10 pieces of paper/card (as listed).
• Your set must include a minimum of 3 different types of item (no maximum).
• Ensure any envelopes, postcards etc are of useable, mail-able dimensions.
• Do not send your partner a store-bought stationery set.
• Book/booklet/zine/magazine may be new, vintage, used, or handmade but booklets & zines should be a minimum of 16pp, half-size pages (or the equivalent for a smaller or larger publication). Sorry, no mini-zines this time.
• Items are sender's choice, but please be courteous & check your partner's profile to avoid sending a specifically disliked colour (etc).
• Items are sender's choice. Please do not limit your partner's creativity by making specific requests.

The obvious bit

You already had to have a rating of 4.9+ with no recent no-sends, 1s or 3s to join this group anyway, so the same stands for this swap. But I will still double-check before assigning partners, so if you have what you feel is an unfair comment or rating, just PM me & we can try to work it out. :-)

Please communicate with your partner or myself if you run into any problems that might cause you to send late.