Oh my gosh there are still people here ! !    When ever I look in on the site there is never anyone online or add replies  !   I might come back more often ! 

Nine years ago Ruud asked a good question here, I will try to tell You about myself. When I joined the Mail Art movement (very late, in 2018), I obediently followed the laws of Mail Art and sent my collage cards without envelopes, that my collages are bound to be supplemented by unconscious inclusions of the Post Office (their stamps impressions and the like).

I was doing the right thing because of my character (rather hindering myself). Soon I noticed that my work was reaching the recipient with badly crumpled corners, soiled, and I felt sorry for my own collages. Since I live very far away from the US, Canada and from Western European countries, my things go a long, very long way, they are sorted many times, so they have many opportunities to get defects and contamination. It takes me one to two hours of work per collage, sometimes more. It is a slow labour built on meditation. I started to feel sorry for my artwork! After that I started doing things the wrong way round, i.e. sending my collages in thick envelopes to save them.

In Russian mail, sending an envelope or a postcard costs the same, the rates depend only on the weight of the item.

Hello Ruud

If I understand correctly--you share decorated postcards within decorated envelopes --This makes terrific sense in both monetary terms + artistic sense as well

Ironically, this is what I do as well--I don't want a postcard to become damaged in sending by mail--so I place a postcard or two plus a few stickers or other bits inside the envelope (along with the postcards) and it becomes an entire pressie within the envelope. A "treasure trove" if you will!

All best wishes + kind regards

DeeDee Maguire 

NYC