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Handmade Card Giveaway.
Entry deadline is May 15, 2009!
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a few pieces of mail art

Struts Gallery in Canada is holding a mail art challenge. They are asking the question, “What can you send us without and envelope?”

They are accepting submissions for the entire month of May. You can send them to:

NAKED POST
Struts Gallery & Faucet Media Arts Centre
7 Lorne Street
Sackville NB
Canada E4L 3z6

[photo credit: ame nielsen]

I recently had the pleasure of interviewing Barb Nelis from Redondo Beach, California. She regularly hosts an envelope swap that I’ve had the privilege of participating in and highly recommend it. Barb took some time out of her busy day to answer my Questions for Inquiring Minds. Thank you, Barb!

Barb collates envelopes from her swap

I started my envelope swap about six years ago. After three years I thought I needed a break and took a long sabbatical. I discovered I missed it and restarted my envelope swap two years ago. I just happened to save all the names, snail mail addresses and email addresses of the people who were in my swap. I sent everyone a handmade postcard and e-mailed them saying I was bacccck. I got a huge response. It seems I was missed. Mail art lives! YAY!

What inspired you to start it?

Good question. I am glad you ask, maybe it will help another fellow artist start their own swap. I have been in many swaps through the years. Altered books, Artist’s Trading Cards (ATC), postcards, deco’s, envelopes, you name it, I swapped it. But there were always rules, rules, and more rules. Some of the rules were very strict too. Like when they had themes. Who wants ten postcards of Alice In Wonderland going down the rabbit hole? What’s the point?

The last straw was when I got kicked out of the Goddess ATC swap. Yep. That was me. I was a millimeter off one or two of the cards. Apparently the swap meister measured each and every card. That is the day I said “I am starting my own swap.” Everyone will be welcome, newbies, advanced artists, whoever wants to play. There will be no “themes”. No sizes. All sizes of envelopes are welcome. All media is welcome. My goal is to stamp out “Naked Mail”. Everyone should be having fun and not worry about rules.

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Every year the Washington Calligrapher’s Guild administers a contest sponsored by the National Association of Letter Carriers called “The Graceful Envelope”. I always love looking at the winners every year. I am green with “envie”. Ha.

Anyway, go check out the 2008 winners when you get a chance!

The Graceful Envelope Logo