Letter Writers Alliance

Security Envelope Tape

If you aren't yet familiar with the mail art love of Japanese washi tape, let me direct you to the following resource. I like it for lots of reasons. There's no denying that the colors and patterns available are face-scrunchingly fantastic and I like that the adhesive is strong enough to hold while still being fairly repositionable.

Since I am so fond of the tape, I was a little torn when I saw this post by Between the Lines on making your own "Japanese" tape from security envelopes. I've never seen the need to make my own, because they make a security envelope pattern and because I think the tape is plenty sticky enough, but if you can't bring yourself to pay $8 for a small roll of tape, then perhaps this tutorial is for you.

 

P.S. Don't forget about our letter-writing social on Friday at Rare Device in San Francisco.

Happy Fourth of July

This stamp features a white quill pen dipping into a red-white-and-blue inkwell accented with stars. The image evokes the founding era and highlights the links between today’s correspondence and the past.

Craig Frazier, an illustrator who lives and works in Mill Valley, California, created the stamp art digitally. Frazier has created several previous designs for the U.S. Postal Service.

"As for the dark blue and cream colors chosen for the background," according to art director Derry Noyes, "they help make the red, white, and blue pop off the page, without detracting from or competing with the strong silhouette."

{From Beyond the Perf}

Missed this stamp release on Valentine's Day, but really it's more appropriate for Independence Day, don't you think? Total bummer that it's only sold in large lots.