A Handmade Card and New Artist Pen-Pal

I miss the good old days of getting hand-written cards and letters in the US postal mail, holding an artwork in my hands that another person had just been holding and writing or drawing upon only a few days earlier.  I still have a box filled with some of my favorite cards and letters I’ve received from family and friends over the years and I enjoy the trip down memory lane and the good feelings re-lived when I re-read all those cards and letters.

These days, I get so much junk mail that it’s the rare good surprise when I scan the stack of mail and find the odd non-business-sized hand-addressed envelope.  But it sure makes my day when it happens! Here’s the fun surprise I received in the mail this past week:

Handmade Card and Envelope I received in the mail from artist Annie Vought.

A few weeks ago, I happened upon artist Annie Vought’s website.  Annie makes amazing artworks out of cut paper, most recently focusing on paper cut letters.  Annie is doing a cool project in which she has asked her blog readers to send her an email with their snail mail address and in return, she will send them a handmade letter in the mail.  Since our society now primarily uses computers and phones to communicate, she wants to see if our postal system still works – and I am happy to report that yes, it does!

Below is a photo of the great handmade card collage that I received in the mail from Annie a few days ago:

Handmade card collage, constructed of layers of cut and stacked old postcards. ©2010 Annie Vought (reprinted with permission by the artist)

Annie makes these cards by cutting and stacking old postcards that she’s been collecting.  She is posting pictures of these card collages here on her website before she sends them out, and she will post pictures of cards that she receives back from her new pen pals as well.

Ok, now it’s my turn to make a card and send it back. I’ll post a picture of my card too, before I put it in the mail to Annie.

And, if you would also like to get a cool handmade card in the mail, visit Annie’s site for more details on her project.