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[Images above borrowed from letterfu ]
Self-mailers don't mail themselves, y'know...
...so for this swap, you will send each of your partners a handmade self-mailer.
What's a self-mailer?
A self-mailer is what happens when you write a letter on a single sheet of paper, then fold that single sheet of paper so that it becomes its own envelope, with the letter cunningly concealed on the inside. It can be a very simple single fold, with glued edges (see 'lettercard' at the bottom of this page or an aerogramme) or a multi-fold, origami-style letterfold, as illustrated in multiple forms here . Because self-mailers do not use separate writing paper with separate envelopes, they minimise paper usage, so are a very efficient, thrifty & eco-friendly way to send a letter that is longer (or more private) than a postcard!
The self-mailers you send may be as simple or complex as you like. They should, however, be handmade by you, and decorated in some way (ie, no plain white paper envelopes, please!). Whether you use a decorative/vintage paper, or embellish the outside of envelope with artwork of some kind is up to you.
On the inside of the envelope, it is also up to you what you include for your partner. It could be a letter (yes, really!); some form of artwork, a recipe, a poem, a craft project (maybe even instructions for the letterfold you have used!), some random, serendipitous thoughts – whatever you would like to share that you think your partner will enjoy.
Swap requirements
- 2 partners = 2 self-mailers sent & 2 self-mailers received
- Write a letter(/content of some kind) which folds up to become its own envelope, without the need for a separate piece of paper.
- The outside of the envelope should not be plain (see above).
- Make sure there is a way for your partner to open your envelope without destroying(/cutting in half) the content of the letter! Think about whether you need to include an instruction of some kind on the outside of the envelope.
- Make sure the envelope meets minimum legal mailing size requirements for your country. I believe in USA it must be min. 3.5†x 5â€. In the UK it is slightly smaller at A7 (5.25cm x 10.5cm). If mailing outside of your own country it is wise to err on the side of caution! (If you know of different requirements in your own country, please post in the comments below.) Not all of the envelopes linked in the resources will be suitable for mailing, so please do some trial & error runs & check dimensions!
optional
Some self-mailers are more appropriate than others when it comes to concealing additional content inside: open sides = don't enclose anything extra because it will fall out! The letter/content you send to your partner must be written on the reverse of your envelope – that's the whole point. But if there is something small/flat that you would like to enclose in addition (e.g. ATC, postcard, photograph), please feel free - if you want to, and if you can do so without compromising the efficacy of your self-mailer.
Resources
John Cunliffe's Letterfolds, as linked above
Envelope Folds from ELFA-e*
Letterfolds from ELFA-e
Letterfu
My own exceedingly simple self-mailer
Lots more templates linked in the group forum 'Useful Templates' thread
Please feel free to add any other links you know of in the comments section below and/or in the Useful Templates thread
*ELF = E(nvelope) & L(etter) F(olds)
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. :-)
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