pushing the envelopes

Tuesday, January 20, 2026

Nov from Juliana

If we had an end of year recognition ceremony for excellence, this one would be recognized. Because it is a serious rule breaker - that might surprise people that it earned the designation of *excellent.* Most people know that I'm a stickler for scanner friendly envelopes. I'm just happy that it made it through. As much as I love this one, I'm not finding specific words to express why I like it so much. I guess it just speaks to me on a variety of levels. Grids and neutrals - that sorta screams *jean*

I can't remember if I put architectural lettering on my list of styles in the style/tool *thing* we are doing this year. I don't even know where I put the list. Grrrrr - let's try Notes - and see if it's there. I don't even remember what we are calling the *thing* that I am referring to. Grrrr

***

OK - I found it. I called it a Style/Tool Project. There was one list in Notes and then a longer list in a Word doc. Here it is for anyone who is interested - I've added architectural lettering.

Romans

Foundational

Architectural lettering

Runes

Uncial

Carolingian

Blackletter/Gothic/OldEnglish - Batarde, Gothisized Italic, Fractur

Italic

Neuland

French Roundhand

Copperplate

Spencerian

Penmanship/Cursive/Handwriting

Versals

Brush script - pointed brush

Brush script - flat brush

Ben Shahn

Peter Thornton’s Button Alphabet

Jacqueline Svaren’s Bone

Gwen Weaver’s WeaverWriting +

Loredana Zaga’s Flame

Carol DuBosch’s Jubilee

MishMash

Arts&Crafts styles

Fonts - this category has an infinite number of styles - it will include all the styles where the letters are drawn and there are many alternatives to how to make particular letters. This would include all the styles where the letters are actually little pictures.

And then we have Asemic writing - which is scribbling that seems like it might be writing but it isn’t.

Monday, January 19, 2026

Dec to Nicky, Christi and Jacqueline

These were the last three envelopes done in December. The rest had been done earlier and were mailed and I was thinking I'd choose a different style. Then I nudged myself back to the concept of doing more variations of the style I had used on all the other envelopes.

This whole plan for 2026, to choose a style and then try it with many different tools - has that other layer of *The Stamp.*. The stamp is such an integral part of the envelope. So I ended up with these three and while they aren't spectacular - I am reminded to always have my stamps ready before I even look for a tool.

I wish I had used the tan/yellow on Christi's last name.

I wish I had spaced out Jacqueline's name better.

I might be addressing some envelopes to *Jackie* if she keeps signing up for the exchange because that's how she signs the notes that she encloses. Although, I've been enjoying the long name.

I have no idea if she has ever done a search for the name *Jackie* - but there are a ton of envelopes to another Jackie - plus, if you do the search, you see envelopes I received from the other Jackie, JackieD, who is a very skilled artist.

JackieP: Please let me know if this ever arrived - I think we were emailing about missing envelopes and you said you had not received one from me.

Sunday, January 18, 2026

Dec to Valerie - Dec from MrW

This is the envelope I sent to Valerie whose mail to me was posted yesterday. I was doing marker testing to clear out the dried up ones.

I'm writing this on Dec 26th. This was my Christmas present from MrW. It's 9x12. Maybe I should have taken a photo to show the scale. It's big. On the inside was a card - 8.5x11 - folded in half. There's a part of me that wants to ask questions about how he makes design decisions. But, questioning non-artists always comes across as an interrogation and that might take him back to the years that he participated in depositions and that's a very adversarial world.

I've never gotten the impression that he reads the blog, but, it feels weird to talk about his design choices. My first impression of the lettering was that he was inspired by my unfortunate gold envelopes that ran on Dec 25th. But, he made the envelope on the 24th - so I don't think he would have seen those envelopes back in Nov and then remembered them.

I noticed that he put it on display along with the other mail that I had on display - so I'm going to leave it up indefinitely and see what happens. [ a couple days ago he moved it to a discard pile - he piles things, but let's me be the one to actually discard. I think that's the lawyer making sure that if someone accidentally destroys evidence, it's not him ]

Here's the card. I guess he found the image online. Once again, I'm so curious. The inside referenced purchases that are unwrappable.

Christmas Eve dinner was just the three of us. I made a card for our little postal worker using one of his childhood drawings on the front. I have a stack of the kids' artwork that I saved and have been taking photos of it and tossing it. I'm putting the images on the blogs I have for each of them which I am making instead of scrapbooks. This was something that Hunter drew when he clearly thought that being a third kid was not fair.

This is the wording with his spelling: I think unfar is when my brother and sister get evreything they want. And I get nothing. no no no!!!

This was probably the year that he was 6 or 7 and he made sure that we knew that all he wanted was a dog. When that didn't happen - he cried his little eyes out. It was so sad. It still pains me to remember it.

Saturday, January 17, 2026

Valerie's yearly envelope

I hear from Valerie once a year - in Dec or Jan - when she sends a bookmark with the moons of the upcoming year. Her envelopes are delightful and this year I even figured out that she has an IG - and was happy to see more of her work. She also sends a post card - which you can see in the second photo. She must do all this digitally. I saw on her IG a photo of a past mailing and it looked like she sends out about 50 of these.

I suppose Valerie found my address through Pinterest. She is not an envelope exchanger but she has a lot in common with those of us who like nature, astronomy, the moon, stars, collage, sewing, quilting, paper, etc.

Here's a LINK to her IG

Friday, January 16, 2026

Dec from Jeannette and Nov from Christy (USPS processing centers)

This fun little bird is collaged. Jeannette's adhesive was strong enough to stand up to the USPS machines. Christy, below used washi tape which stayed put. Washi tape is hit or miss on whether or not the USPS machines remove it. Personally, I do not use it and if asked, would not recommend it. I've been swayed by the years that my son worked on the machines that handled the mail and he reported that there was a serious amount of shredding of the mail. He thought that the only thing that should be stuck on an envelope is a stamp.

He has moved on to the world of locks, cluster units and other types of maintenance.

I've posted some info about USPS matters - and I know there are some other related topics coming up. It's possible that there will be some repetition. None of this is required reading. I apologize if I sound like I am harping on any of the topics. I'm experiencing a lull in the writing portion of the blog. The art part seems to be in a pretty good place.

One of our exchangers sent me a notice that I said I would share with the readers. I will add my 2-cents after this:

Effective December 24, 2025, the United States Postal Service (USPS) Postmarks and Postal Possession rule clarifies how postmarks are applied, which may affect how the timing of mailed charitable gifts is determined.

Under this rule, machine-applied postmarks are now generated at regional USPS processing centers rather than at a local post office. Historically, a postmark served as proof of when a gift was mailed. With this change, the postmark date may be applied several days after mail is dropped off locally and is no longer a reliable indicator of the mailing date.

As a result, this change could affect whether certain mailed gifts qualify for a 2025 income tax deduction.

To help ensure timely end-of-year giving, donors are encouraged to visit a USPS counter and request one of the following:

A Postage Validation Imprint (PVI)
A Manual Postmark
A Certificate of Mailing, Registered Mail or Certified Mail

Please note that self-service kiosks and third-party mailing services do not guarantee compliance for charitable contributions.

*** My 2-cents

This notice is directed at the people who want to document that they made a charitable donation by the end of the year. Apparently, the date of the donation depends on when you mailed the check rather than when the check cleared. So, all you have to do is go to the counter and ask for one of the 3 ways to document when the letter was mailed. There are other times when people may need to prove that something was mailed by a certain date - but, I imagine those situations come up less often now that most documentation is done through email and eSigning.

In the past, I know from my son working for the USPS - that it was a very big deal that every single piece of mail that was dropped in the box at the main post office - by the 7:00 pm deadline - would get a postmark on that day. They understood that sometimes the date on a postmark was important. This new notice - that the only way to assure your mail will get postmarked on the day you mail it - is to have it postmarked by hand - in person.

I think it's going to be really hard for the USPS to explain what's going on with these new processing centers. Personally, I understand it - and it's complicated - but - I'm going to go ahead and give it a whirl. It is affecting people who live where the mail had always been processed in their town - but now all their mail is sent to a different town (or city) and it's taking longer for local mail to be delivered - back to the original location where it was mailed.

My son has worked on machines that are old and becoming difficult to maintain - and which will be replaced at some point. He's talked to people who have been to the new improved regional processing centers that are gradually replacing the old centers all over the country. The people who have seen the new centers are very impressed. They are huge. They are efficient. They are shiny and new. They are almost space age. They will run for many years - but they too will have a lifespan....just as the current machines which are out dated are being replaced.

The cost of the new improved processing centers has made it necessary to consolidate some of the regions. For example, Wyoming and Montana have so few people - the USPS probably can't justify giving each of those two states their own new improved processing center. They are probably going to put a processing center in one of the states - and the other state will have their mail sent to the first state for processing - and then returned. To some people, that seems absurd.

But, I can see how the USPS tracks the amount of mail they handle in all the different regions - so - they're going to draw lines that make sense for efficiency - and those lines have nothing to do with state lines. My son has even heard that the new improved regional processing center where Des Moines' mail will be processed might not be in Des Moines. If that happens - I know people will think the USPS is bonkers - but, I totally see how that could happen.

So, that's my explanation. If you find out that your mail is going to some place that is far from where you live - you might think that's bonkers - or you might consider that the USPS has been chugging along for 250 years - and they might be doing a decent job of handling mail and packages at a cost that is less than UPS/FedEx and now Amazon --- who is trying to be the new way to *mail* things.

We can't predict the future - but for now, it is probably safe to say that the changes will be coming gradually and while we may not like them - we'll figure out a way to adapt.

Thursday, January 15, 2026

Nov from Irene (25 blogs)

Irene likes to take classes. The envelope was inspired by things she learned in a Kathy Milici class called Rennie Revisited and below - a nice bookmark is her first attempt at an *Italian hand* - another historical style. They are both very nice styles.

I'm still hungry - but, I have loaded some photos that are waiting for blurbs. Maybe I should go check that stack of bookmarks in the bookmark folder - and see if I can find a good add-on.

Here's a good one - a link to a place that has 25 other places to go. They are all related to calligraphy so if you aren't into lettering - you'll have to do your own surfing. I'm not sure that all 25 blogs are formal calligraphy. There might be some that are more about lettering - which is a lot more informal.

Happy Surfing. LINK to 25 other blogs Warning - some are good - others are dreadful. I apologize for not having time to list which is which.

Wednesday, January 14, 2026

Nov from Rachael

Rachael said she recalled that I had written something about liking lettering that looks like a ransom note. The mix of stamps goes nicely with the ransom lettering. I wonder if anyone writes ransom notes anymore. It doesn't seem like something that anyone would do these days.... apologies for such an odd topic.

I'm still hungry. It's still Dec 20.

This will be short -- although, I will put a note in the title - so that I can add something later. Who knows - January might be wildly exciting.

***

Here it is, Jan 13 and I am doing a quick check to make sure I haven't written anything goofy in the posts that will pop up this week. It's on the verge. But we're going to let it go and hope that the rest of the week isn't drivel.

Tuesday, January 13, 2026

Nov from Jacqueline

Once again, Jacqueline has sent a pretty little illustration. The pairing of the cancel and stamp is also very nice.

It's Dec 20th. My new handyman is at work in my kitchen. I have had mixed luck finding people to deal with the little jobs that I can no longer do and that MrW is forbidden to touch - because his track record on fixing things is - hmmmm - let's just say - he really doesn't want to become the resident handyman.

I can see why old people let their homes fall into disrepair. Especially if they have lived in the same house for 46 years and they are on round two or round three of things that have been repaired previously. This isn't complaining. It's just jabbering because Roger is working in the kitchen and it would be really rude to go find something to eat. I should have planned ahead.

We'll just leave this blurb short because I can't imagine having anything worthwhile to say while I am hungry. And that wishbone is making wish I had some left over turkey....

Monday, January 12, 2026

Nov from Nicky

Nicky sent some very nice prints in her November exchange envelope. The bird (crow?) is a linocut. ~~The bird is the same - but the lines around the bird are different. Maybe she printed the envelope and then did some more cutting on the plate.~~ [Real time comment: when I checked the blog this morning, I discovered several differences in the two birds - so it is not the same plate. They are very close. It's like a puzzle to find the differences. Maybe she used the same original drawing?]

The postcard, above is a Hellbender salamander which is new to me. They are native to Missouri and breathe through their skin. Both of these are screen prints.

All three are cozy images - very appropriate for this time of year.

Here are the prints that Nicky sent in a previous envelope. I turned the kitties in all four directions and it looks good in any of the orientations.

Sunday, January 11, 2026

Dec from Mary - empty envelopes

It looks like Mary has some of the super strong sticky sticker paper intended for mail and it looks like she ran it through a printer to apply the light blue pattern. She added gold and a nice clear address. Very pretty and the stamps coordinate nicely.

***

On the 7th, I inserted the extra post asking exchangers to be sure make sure their envelopes had enough paper inside to avoid being chewed up by the USPS processing machines. It is still fine to write *empty* on the back of the envelopes if the inserts are just filler.

An additional thought is that maybe these new processing machines are more aggressive than the old ones. Stickers, washi tape and other kinds of embellishments are often damaged when they arrive.

Here are the mangled envelopes that came a few weeks ago. This part is edited from the original post.

Here is the front of the envelope and the back is pictures below.

(Below is not edited - it's the original post.)

The one below was also crinkled up by the machines and I have been warning people about adhering things to envelopes. Many of the envelopes I receive have dangling bits and pieces. Washi tape often gets caught in the machines.

So - I'm going to suggest that collage is not a very good option unless you know that the adhesives are very strong and permanent. I've sent a few things that had stickers and I've been putting clear packing tape over the stickers.

Saturday, January 10, 2026

Nov from Kate - uninspired writing.

Kate has exchanged for quite some time and I learned that she had/has a nice stash of vintage stamps. Seeing these brought back so many memories from when I had a huge stash of vintage stamps. Envelopes like this make me wistful. Thank you for the clear addressing, Kate.

I had another wistful experience on Dec 19th while juggling the weather, the renovation project, the minimal amount of holiday obligations and my own determination to get my ducks in a row. I would have said - get my affairs in order - but that sounds way too ominous.

To be honest, I had let a digression take hold and I had done a search on the blog - and stumbled across this part of a blog post in June of 2022:

How long til we get there - is the universal catch phrase for enduring car trips. In our case, we are wondering how long do we have to put up with these ding-dong blog posts. 21 days. Yup. Three full weeks. I'm so sorry.

It could be worse. Although, I am not going to start brainstorming *worse* things. We are just going to forge ahead, aren't we. Who is she talking to? Is there a mouse in her pocket? Who used to say that?

***

I feel like I do (or have done) a lot of apologizing for my uninspired writing. So, I was going to apologize for too many apologies - but that seems like a vicious cycle. If you're looking for something profound today, you'll probably need to surf in a different direction.

Friday, January 9, 2026

Nov from Grace - washing machines

Grace must have been caught up on her jobs because it looks like she spent a ton of time on this one. I'm guessing she used a wedge brush. The colors are dreamy. Vintage stamps are always a nice touch.

We will be looking at a few November envelopes as well as some early Decembers that have come in. I'm writing this on Dec 17th. I'm on top of my December mailing and navigated the end of a washing machine and welcomed a new one. How can I be 73 years old and just now learning that Speed Queen washing machines are beasts.

It's probably because I live within the vortex of the Maytag/Amana cartel. There used to be so much drama between those two companies, both based in Iowa - forever debating - who's best? And then Whirlpool swallowed up both of them.

This is a very strange off-topic - but, after looking into Speed Queens and then getting one - I'm a convert. They are still made in Ripon WI. I hope they survive as a company. While youngsters are drawn to the new machines with bells and whistles and electronics - I think that is a slippery slope. I think the washing machines should fill/agitate/spin. Humans should be willing to set the temp and size.

On my last trip to Chicago, the door on the gigantic front loader was stuck on lock. My daughter and I couldn't budge it to unplug it to hopefully reset the electronics - so I suggested flipping the breaker. That worked - but - now I am suspicious of the machine and what it's going to do next. They've had it for 10 years and I bet that's ancient for a newer machine.

***

Oh dear -- it's worse than I knew. My daughter has already replaced her front loader once. She got less than 10 years on a brand new machine. She was very happy to find out that her next machine needs to be a Speed Queen.

Thursday, January 8, 2026

Dec from Paula - Goodnight Moon suite

Paula, our USPS pen pal in NH, sent this nicely coordinated stamp/envelope/card. She usually adds an apology for being a non-drawer - and then I fire off a reply where I remind her that there is nothing magical about drawing. If you use rubber stamps and color them in, your brain gets the same benefit from the activity that people get from drawing. It's like those people who run. Yuck. I will never run. But, I know they get runner's high - and those of us who engage with paper and mark making get maker's high. It's the same thing. I could dive into the topic and post all kinds of supporting information but we don't need that. We just need to make stuff (or run - or whatever you like to do) and enjoy the process.

***

I was sure that I had posted this - but I couldn't find it - so apologies if this is a repeat. It's so clever. It reminds me of the Eloise room that The Plaza has in NYC for little girls who want to live the Eloise life for a weekend. Or maybe they don't have it any more.

LINK to Boston Marriott's Goodnight Moon Suite

and - yup - The Plaza still has the Eloise package.

LINK to the Eloise experience

Wednesday, January 7, 2026

Notice for the exchangers - THE DAILY POST IS BELOW THIS ONE

We interrupt the regular posts to discuss *empty* envelopes - with exchangers. If you are not an exchanger - just scroll down to the regular post.

In the *rules* for the exchange - we make it clear that it is an envelope exchange and you do not need to create a card or write a note or send anything to your fellow exchangers. About half the people send *empty* envelopes. Half put something inside.

We need to change the concept of *empty* to mean - *no need to open the envelope because the only thing you will find is blank paper or recycled paper or a piece of card stock - something to give the envelope a little heft.* If anyone has a suggestion for a word other than *empty* to indicate that there is nothing to see on the inside - please let us know. But it has to be one short word. Maybe we should put quotes around the word "empty" - I don't even want to do that. I think I'll just trust that if someone joins the exchange and sticks with it - they will learn the ropes.

I had already scheduled this topic and it will reappear on the 11th - but I just found two more mangled envelopes in my mailbox on Monday. One is just wrinkled. The other one is torn and while there was a light weight index card inside - that was not enough to make the envelope stand up to the machines.

This one is from new exchanger MacKenzie. From now on, when I get new people signing up I will alert them to the need for an adequate amount of *something* in an *empty* envelope.

Gavin provided a cautionary example for how much *something* is required.

His weight index card with a note wasn't enough to protect it from being chewed up by the USPS processing machines.

This one came in an outer envelope provided by the USPS with an apology for the damage.

A 3x5 card is too small for a 5x7 envelope - also - both the card and envelope are light weight. There are some envelopes that are very sturdy that don't need any insert - so I can't give specific instructions on what will work.

This is what I do. The orange paper is leftover notebook paper - and slightly smaller than 8.5x11. I normally use a sheet of printer paper - but figured the orange would show up better in the photos.

I position it so that the long side is lined up with the longer edge of the envelope and fold it up so that it will fill the envelope from side to side.

Then I fold the other side down so that it fills the envelope from top to bottom.

I have also started using old greeting cards as filler. When I tear off my big wall calendar, I cut it up for filler. I also open the mail that says *empty* and save it to send in my own *empty* envelopes. I also save and reuse the filler paper that arrives in *empty* envelopes from other exchangers.

Thank you for your attention to this matter.

DEC gold to Irene & scribble to Grace

This is the eighth one in the series and I felt like I hit a groove where I didn't have to think too hard about the shapes. I didn't have to pencil things in first. I could bounce things around. The doodads were fun.

*Blumenthal* could have been bouncier. I wish I had made *IRENE* larger.

There might be a few more of these - but I'll save them for later. This has been five days in a row on the series and that seems like more than enough.

I wonder if anyone would ever write and complain about what I choose to post. I wonder if readers critique the content.

Most of all, I wonder if anyone is going to try this style. To me - it is beginner friendly and fun.

One more.... I went back to the scribble on the main stroke - and I'd do more of these. The way I put one holly leaf on each letter is a new variation - which looks good when there are five letters to the name.

Tuesday, January 6, 2026

DEC to Nanski and Irene (fine line and gold)

Somehow, I couldn't get myself to pull out different tools. I was too wrapped up in coordinating with the stamp. I ended up liking this one and I'll do more if I have more wreath stamps. I can see this version of the font being very useful with stamps that have geometric doodads.

I finally remembered the assignment to try a bunch of different tools and pulled out the gold Sharpies.

This one did not photograph very well - and even in person - it needed to be tilted to catch the light to look good. It was easy for it to just look really dull.... but, I was having fun. Maybe the blue dots needed to be larger.

Monday, January 5, 2026

Dec to Gavin - scribble version

I lost track of the mission of choosing a style and using a variety of tools. So I resorted to scribbling several lines to see if I could shake things up. Of course, I only did it on the G and then had to try to sneak in some scribbly lines on the other letters. I need to try this one again and make it super scribbly. I like the looseness and it was fun to do - which is the whole point.

There are still about 4 or 5 Dec envelopes left for me to do. If I do some more scribbles - I'll add them here. Otherwise we get a short post.

***

I forgot my idea to add on more scribbles here - and they will show up later.

Sunday, January 4, 2026

DEC to Kate, RIley and Morgan

Real time add on: I can't tell if this article is behind a pay wall - it's about middle school kids who are learning cursive for fun. LINK to cursive article

This is the second version of this style where I used a big bullet point marker. Obviously, I didn't write with it. I wrote with a thin marker and then went over parts of it with the bullet point. Then I added the doodads. It's not much different from the original one. I'm happy with how the stamp offered ideas for the doodads.

Now I have to decide if I am going to run all 6 variations in a row. Will readers get tired of things that are too similar? Is anyone even going to try this style? Maybe I'll run two at a time.

It's hard to imagine that this one is part of the series. After doing Kate's I tried a double ended chisel tip marker and after I did the R - I didn't see any way that the rest of to was going to work so I just switched to something fun. At least it compliments the stamp. Maybe it should have had some white.

Then I tried this - and once again, I couldn't figure out how to add doodads.

I was going to take photos of this series - in progress - but only took one - and then forgot to do any others.

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