Enveloping the Word: Christmas Card Envelopes

  "Not every act of art creates something special, but it does create something. It is the act of art that is important, not the result." Michael L. Goodman

Last week, I was hurkle-durkling [a Scottish term for waking up but lying in bed for a few minutes, thinking, pondering, reviewing the need-to-do list, and mentally preparing for the day]. I remembered with shock that it was already December, and I had not started decorating my Christmas card envelopes. I send out close to eighty cards every December, tucked in hand-decorated envelopes. We bought the cards in early November so I could get started earlier than in past years. Did I get started early? NO! I had not even decided what to doodle on the envelopes. Ack! I haven't written my yearly Christmas letter yet!

That morning, I hurkle-durkled for longer than usual, pondering and hoping for a quick solution. I needed a design that was simple and would not expend too much of my time to finish each card. I settled on circles, or globes, encircling the address field in a wreath. I cut a simple stencil of circles that I could easily and quickly embellish, and proceeded from there.

This is the stencil pattern transferred to an envelope.

This was the first attempt. I added another circle. Eh

This is the second rendition.

The third iteration. My wife likes this one, so I am going with it.

Here are a few of the letters I mailed in November while I should have been working on Christmas cards.

Commit Acts of Art Every Day!

Commit Acts of Art Every Day: Exploring Art in September, October, and November

  "Not every act of art creates something special, but it does create something. It is the act of art that is important, not the result." Michael L. Goodman

As I was writing out some notes on postcards for three different Chunk-o-Cardboard swaps [seven cards in total], I was signing the cards with this blog address. I realized that I haven't posted anything since August. I was juggling too many things and trying to live up to my creed [Commit acts of art] to have mental clarity enough to blog anything. I will now try to slow down and catch up.

In September, the Exploring Art class created sketchbooks using a reverse piano-hinge binding. I love this binding because it lies flat. You can paint, draw, or collage on the pages, and, if needed, pages can be easily removed and replaced. I try to make a couple each month.

The October class explored mail art and ATCs, or artist trading cards. We folded single pages from magazines and calendars into envelopes, used templates on printed papers to cut and fold envelopes, and drew designs on regular, "store-bought" envelopes. To prepare for Halloween, we made a pumpkin patch of jack-o-lanterns. I urged them to send a Halloween message to someone using the envelopes.

A week after the class, I received a note from one of the class participants. She sent me a template she made of a small envelope her husband received that week. She chose not to "carve" her pumpkins.

November's class was a messy festival of paint and paper. We explored monoprinting with jelly plates.

Now I need to get busy on my Christmas card envelopes!

Commit Acts of Art Every Day! 

Commit Acts of Art Every Day: Exploring Art

 "Not every act of art creates something special, but it does create something. It is the act of art that is important, not the result." Michael L. Goodman

On the last Friday of each month, I teach a free art class for the West Jordan Cultural Arts Society called Exploring Art. It is designed for tweens, teens, and adults, and is a time when we come together to experiment and commit acts of art.

In the last half century, the city of West Jordan has grown from a small rural community in the Salt Lake Valley to being the third-largest city in population in the State of Utah. While the city has kept its rural, western attitude with its PRCA Western Stampede Rodeo every Fourth of July week and demolition derbies in August, the city also vigorously supports through the Cultural Arts Society a community symphony, a jazz band, a concert band, The Sugar Factory Playhouse, The West Jordan Youth Theatre, a literary arts guild, and the visual arts. The visual arts sponsors a spring Arts in the Park festival each year and oversees an art gallery housed at West Jordan City Hall.

The Exploring Art series is not a continuing, in-depth art class. It was designed to introduce participants to a different art form each month, give them some time to practice, and send them home with a few supplies to continue creating on their own. In the first three classes, we explored Op Art, Neurographic Art, and Zendoodle. In August, the class will explore origami folded books and zines. Future classes will explore reverse piano-hinge art journals, gelli plate monoprinting, mail art, and Artist Trading Cards.

I made a few samples for the participants to see as I gave the introduction. Here is one of the Neurographic samples I made, with copies of it decorated various ways.

After showing the samples, I put them away so the participants would not try to copy them while working on their pieces. Here are some in-progress works by some of the participants in the Neurographic Art class:

Commit Acts of Art Every Day!

RIP Mailart365

 "Not every act of art creates something special, but it creates something. It is the act of art that is important, not the result." Michael L. Goodman

Last week, I tried to log in to Mailart365.com to post some new images. I found that the site is no longer accessible. Only two of us were still posting in 2025; even the creator of the site stopped posting a few years ago. I completed five years of creating 365 decorated envelopes and postcards each year. I took a short hiatus after year five. I was up to 110 items in year six. Fortunately, I kept an image of each envelope and card in a file, so I have my own record for reference, and I am still committing acts of art every day.

This is one of the first envelopes, front and back, that I posted in year one of my adventure on Mailart365, a subscription renewal for Classical 89 radio.

An envelope from year two.

A collage postcard from year three.

A crayon colored envelope, front and back, from year four.

A decorated magazine page folded into an envelope from year five.

Commit Acts of Art Every Day!

Commit Acts of Art: More "Chunk-o-Cardboard" Postcards

"Not every act of art creates something special, but it does create something. It is the act of art that is important, not the result." Michael L. Goodman

During June, along with gardening, attending funerals, concerts, and working two open houses for the new West Jordan Cultural Arts Center, I have continued to make "chunk-o-cardboard" postcards in hopes of more trades. I have quite a stockpile now. Two more of these trades came to my attention this week: an international trade with one partner and a USA trade with three partners. All I need are addresses and time to write a message on the back.

Here are a few of the new cardboard postcards:

This card looks better in person as the silver tape under the decorative packing tape looks dull.

This month I also made and sent some high school graduation cards to three grandnieces.

Commit Acts of Art Every Day!

Commit Acts of Art: A "Chunk-O-Cardboard" Postcard Exchange

 "Not every act of art creates something special, but it does create something. It is the act of art that is important, not the result." Michael L. Goodman

I participate in mail art trades from time to time on swap-bot.com. The current trade I joined is sending three partners a postcard that is a "chunk-o-cardboard. It does not have to be decorated, but I cannot send something plain through the mail, so I used some decorated packing tape to upgrade pieces of snack cracker and cereal box postcards. I couldn't just make three cards, so I kept going and have enough for another trade. I added a few extra touches to the last four cards. If anyone wants one, give me some place to send it.

Commit Acts of Art Every Day!