Envelopes

Outgoing envelopes.

These are really great envelopes!  Love the overall colors and pattern/print combos.  So much fun.

From Richard Baudet, Marseille. 

Outgoing 

Outgoing.

Look at this wonderful envelope — in 1982 is was sent from the UN in New York; at some point it was in Belgium and then received a Greek postmark in Athens. Now it has arrived here in England from Idaho (no wonder it's falling apart). And there was stuff inside, too. Thanks Debra Mulnick!

Hey Alan, I'm surprised that it didn't originate with you.  :^)  ~Bill @ The Olathe Poste

I collaged the UN stamps with postmark (note different colored paper background) onto the Philatelic envelope, which I found in Greece. 

Hi 

I got an interesting envelope from Austria, by XXJones

And this rather plain envelope arrive today. The interesting bit is that it came minus a stamp and I was not asked to go to the post office and pay!

It is from B.E. Pilcher here in England. 

Nice work from XXJones!! Sehr hübsch!

Yes it is indeed sehr hübsch! Thanks Sabrina, I learned another German word!

This envelope from Jack Lattemann of Cascadia took more than a month to arrive in the UK, it came via Barbados.

Oh, how much I love those 'mis-sent' stamps! Even though they take a lot of our patience. I collect them, too, as they are a sign of the mail's big travel adventure, and I already have one (mis-sent to Canada, on route from Spain to Netherlands).

Beautiful stamps (rubber- and arti-) by Cascadia Artpost, too!

I was inspired by Mike Untzilla’s red & blue envelope recently posted.  

Carolyn Cline sent this beautiful envelope she created with metallic sharpie. So precious to receive something that took this much effort and time.

mandible    mail arts not dead its been living everywhere, post card from cascadia artpost, thanks again!

From Emily...another cool collage envelope.

From Debra Mulnick...love the awesome details!

From Babette...great collage envelope with a cool selection of images and words.

The post office stamped “NON-MACHINABLE” in red on both sides of the address label, but probably because of the printed paper, it was not read.  Probably I should have said something since I saw this happen.  Two days later, it was delivered back to me.  My return address label was interpreted as the intended address.  I guess I will reapply a new address label and try again.  I wonder if it would have helped if I made my own NON Machinable label?  Ideas or suggestions?

Debra, I'd guess that because your stamps are nearer the bottom left than the top right it got turned round by the 'facer' part of the machine and went through upside down, thus putting the wavy cancellation bars all over the destination address.  Try again…

Hi Debra, I really dread the day that Australia Post becomes as draconian as this about mail! For the present, I am still lucky, and nobody cares where the address is placed so long as it is large and can be read by a human being, and the stamp can be wherever you please, so long as there is proof that you have paid postage duty...

I don't get to drop my outgoing mail in a box, though, I have to go in to see the girls at my local PO and oversee the franking and explain "which ones are the real stamps and which are artistamps"... :D

Such a pity this first piece gave you some trouble. Often, it's just one postal worker in a bad mood who decides to go "by the book". I'll let you know when the cheeky letter gets to me. It looks fantastic and I am so excited.

I got such problems with the German post recently, too. They want machinable mail, otherwise it might not go through... 

We pay extra (21 cents) to send something non-machinable for an extra ounce of weight, or for something too thick or stiff, or oversized that cannot go through the automated process.  Beginning Jan 27th, the cost will actually go DOWN to 15 cents- in the US.  I wish I didn’t enjoy sending thick, stiff, & oversized things out so often, but I can’t help it.  Unusual things are more fun in my book.

Interesting how it varies from country to country.  Nobody says anything here about machines, but you pay 10% on top of the prescribed postage cost if you use domestic, instead of int'l, stamps on letters going overseas. With only 2 int'l stamp designs to choose from, I am resigned to paying 110% every time.

MaoMao (@natquintosuhing) - is that something to do with taxation? Here, ordinary postage is VAT exempt but for some postal services it is payable. Luckily, we can use any sort of stamp on any mail as long as it totals the right amount.

Understandable, Carolyn. In Germany the worth of the stamp is written on the stamp, so we can just play puzzle with it. It's just like changing your currency to another one. I was surprised when I understood that in the US you pay for the service and when the fee is more expensive you can still use the stamps you bought before as you already payed for the service, not just changed your currency. So we had small stamps several times to "upgrade" our stamps when it got more expensive again and the old stamps weren't enough anymore.

@ Carolyn, I think what Sabrina says, also is possible in the USA. I've received various US envelopes from mail artists showing a variety of stamps, and last week even this one, from my old 90+ uncle (who unconsciously is a mail artist, too :-) ).

Speaking of stamp values, look at this new set from Royal Mail

https://shop.royalmail.com/special-stamp-issues/stamp-classics

-- they all have two different denominations. Especially the big green one, it says "£1" twice in big figures but the little "1st" means it is really only worth 67 pence!

Ooh, I like those Alan

They're available at your post office now, Gü . . . possibly.

@Alan Brignull At first glance I didn't think much of the Classic Stamps set, yet the more I look at them, particularly looking at each stamp individually, the more I like them.

Oops! forgot to tell you that the amazing envelope came from Kathy Barnett, carrying a bird cage construction with pop up bird in it, more amazing still. 

This is a beautiful envelope, indeed!  Black & white can be so beautiful.

Alan Brignull Yes, I'm guessing it is to do with the GST, though I can't quite wrap my head around how it happens, how it makes a difference.

Remember the scrapbook craze? I bought a bunch of scrapbooking papers 10 years ago, when it was all the rage, but never used them.

Finally used origami to turn them into envelopes without cutting or gluing...

Not saying these are "art", or creative, they're not...they're store bought printed papers. But at least they are functional envelopes that I am more likely to use, now. :)

I found a tutorial for making the same kind (lots of different methods out there):  Origami Envelope

It's summer in Oz...14 hours of monsoonal rain last night, I'm surprised the city hasn't washed into the sea. No heatwaves here...Darwin calls Bali and Timor neighbours, as they are far closer to us than any other Australian city. Saw this text on fb, HAD to use it. Voila! Envelope. Acrylic paint on an oversized envelope, misquote is from The Bard's Richard III

Deer Richard Cee: *laughter* Thanks for explaining the wistful look I catch on my postman's face. Poor thing, I will add scandalous juicy bits on my postcards from now on, just to make his life more exciting.

THINK//////////

From Katerina Nicoltsou, beautiful St Valentine's Day greeting

Beautiful Oriental envelope from Fleur: