Pocket Letter Pals

Remember Pen Pals? I have had a couple over my lifetime. Now, I've discovered a community of folks who share art with their pen pals.  Pocket Letters (PL), are ATCs, placed into baseball card page pockets. Then you add goodies to the backside of the pockets and send to a pal. You can be a one time, or an on-going, long time pocket letter pal.

I've been lurking for a while in this community...waiting to have some time to invest in making some Pocket Letters. Well, I am finally in the pocket letter pool.

My first one goes into the mail today. Funny thing is the reason I am back to blogging is because with each pocket letter, you include a real letter to your pal. (There is the PenPal part).  When I was creating my introductory "all about me" letter, the template I used asked for my email and my website. which reminded me of my blog, and the fact that I take pics of most things that I make. (So I can redo them if I want.  My brain went duh! why not post them all on your blog. So here, I am.

The recipient of my first PL doesn't read my blog (yet) so I feel ok to post pics of it here.

I gotta say, making these are addicting! I can't wait to get one back from her!

Laura and I decided on a cooking theme, since its something we both love. This is the decorated front side of my PL.

and here is the backside with the goodies., I tucked in cooking themed die cuts, washi tape, twine, flowers, and some chalk treat labels. Also in the top right pocket you can see my letter to Laura. 

I wrapped it all up on some tissue paper, made a belly band and name card to hold it together. I also 3 butterflies  that I made a few months ago for NSD. I punched them from some gelli prints that I printed onto recycled  newsprint paper, added  black sequin bodies and attached them to paperclips. Paperclips also seem to be a hot embellishment these days! I think these are tres chic!

Magnolia's

One of the stamp designs I have fallen in love with are known as Magnolia Stamps, with the lovely angel characters Tilda and Edwin. I hang out in a yahoo group dedicated to these darlings, called Magnolia-iscious. They've started issuing challenges, as well as providing the opportunity to share these images with others in the group. I found time this past week, to try my hand at some Magnolia themed cards, that I've shared with the ladies chosen for the August Raining Cards Swap and a challenge thrown down by a very talented group member named Claudia.

Take a peek, and you'll likely fall in love with them. Don't mind my coloring skills though, that is something I am very new to doing.

This is the very first Tilda that I've ever colored. I trust that I will get better with time. The card itself is based on a sketch by Claudia in the Magnolia-licious yahoo group.