TJs Postcard Process

You all know how much iLove iHanna, so if you figured I joined her recent postcard swap,  you'd be right.

The sun finally came out in Germany and the ground was dry so I was itching to get out the spray paints.  YIPPEE.  We were leaving for a long weekend and since I had had a bunch of flowers left over from my birthday I decided to use them before returning home to the skunky-swamp smell of rotten vase water! (Sure.  Pretend you don't know what I'm talking about...)

Anyhow, I didn't have a plan.  I just started spraying random layers of leaves and flowers.  The first few rounds I used the flowers like masks, which resulted in getting stuff like this rose.

After awhile the flowers started getting so gummed up with paint I began using them like stamps themselves. With the nature of a live soft flower, you only get a few chances to use it before it's wrecked.  So you've got to make your placements count!

I thought this photo was hilarious --   TJ is the Bride of Craft!!  Or maybe, "here comes the graffitti bride..." (Wahh hahh hah, *evil laugh)! Click down below if you want to see more images as well as the back sides!

Then I cut the papers down to postcard size and started spraying them again with a stencil mask in the shape of a tag. 

Then I took actual tags that I had punched out from the inside of a Cacharel perfume box and sewed them to the postcard fronts.  (What is up with the inside of a box being prettier than the outside?  BONUS.  That's enough reason to buy a new fragrance right there.  The opportunity for up-cycling will not be lost on TJ)!

I free-style doodled some faux stitches and lines on the fronts while watching bad German TV.  Doodling makes everything more tolerable!!  I was trying to do some kind of connecting between the actual tag (positive) and the tag mask (negative).  I don't know if it comes across that way though...

Then I started on the backsides.  I'm a pretty hard core Back Finisher so I went for broke.  I sprayed a green floral design with a hand-cut stencil.  Then I stamped them up with hand carved Studio Mailbox stamps.  I must be a glutton for punishment because I spent another few nights with the hubby, the tube and my markers again pretending to enjoy German television.  (One of the his faves is "Alarm for Cobra 11!  The Autobahn Police."  Even one peek at those images will give you the idea.  Sheesh.  Thank goodness for postcard swaps!)

So once all the fronts and all the backs were done, I slapped them wrong-sides-together and sewed 'em up.  Off went the Luftpost to good old Canada, United States, Australia, Sweden, Spain and England!  I was pretty excited about getting Paula Bogdan's name.  I'm a fan of her blog Little Scraps of Magic so it's fun to see how small the mixed media world can be even when there are hundreds of swappers!  I hope the recipients like their cards, I worked really hard on them much like the ones I made last year.  This was another fun opportunity for me to connect with people so a big "THANKS" to Hanna for hosting it.  xxx tj

Comments

[iHanna]

Thank you TJ for joining in and sending me one of these babies. For those who wants to know: it's even prettier IRL! :-)

[TJ]

Thank YOU for hosting Hanna! I have no idea how you do it all.

Man the German postal service did not screw around on this one. The cards were arriving before I could even get the blog post formulated! That's nuts...

[Mary]

TJ...love everything about your cards...the fronts, the backs and in between...sewing is a great idea(filing that away for next year). I am envious of the stamps you carved...great job!!!
Mary

[Linda]

Great post. Gorgeous postcards. Skunky water? LOL You are my dose of laughter for the morning.

[Sarah]

I love these cards, I so wish this postcard swap had happened at a less busy time of year for me, work wise, I will definitely try to join in the next one

The way you have used your flowers as masks and stamps is flipping inspiring, and I'm KICKING myself that just last week I threw out a HUGE bunch of flowers that were on their way out. pah!

[Janet]

LOVE your postcards! I also love how you finished the backs of them....they're almost as pretty as the fronts. I'd be thrilled to find one of those in my mailbox and I'm sure the recipients will too.

[cynthia eloise]

great cards. this was such a fun project. so many good ideas for another swap.

[TJ]

Thanks ladies!
Sarah - the flowers still need to have a little life in them. I think the limp-necked ones wouldn't get you too far so try not to kick yourself too hard!

Janet - you caught me! The backs WERE prettier than the fronts. So that's why I got busy sprucing them up. LOL

[lee]

i so love these postcards, they are very beautiful, both sides, love lookiing at your art

[rebecca]

i need to get more involved in some of these swaps. nice stuff there lady ;o)

[Paula]

Wonderful post! I really enjoyed wandering through all your links, lots of fascinating reading. And, I never would have guessed as to how you got that flower image...I had thought that it was a stencil. Also love that your tag was recycled, or as the current term goes, "upcycled." Thanks for the blog mention.

[Chris]

Your postcards are so lovely, and I got mine on Saturday. I love it! Thank you! We have it up in the living room. I went to the Flickr group to thank you and I couldn't find photos there, so I said to myself, DUH! it's right on the card!

You rock. Thanks for swapping!
Chris

[Jenny Lee Wentworth]

Love your cards TJ! I'm bummed I missed out this year. Happy Week to you my friend!
♥Jenny

[Genki]

These postcards are gorgeous, so creative!

[Madde]

Love it :), the postcards, the photo with the roses & your hand.

[Anke Martin]

Awesome!!!! Thanks for sharing!!!! Looks and sounds like a good summer project!
Have a great weekend trip!
Smiles, Anke ;)

[MissKoolAid]

I feel so lucky to have received one of these! It arrived a few days ago but I only remembered to let you know today (my bad!)

Cheers,
Sophie

[TJ]

Wow peeps -- what a way to wake up to so many lovely comments! Thank you!! And "herzlich wilkommen" to the new readers!!

Chris - you're right, I totally forgot to put my pics in the Flikr group! Dang. I'm on it right now... thank you for that.

xxx tj

[Deezy]

Hi TJ thanks for visiting my blog... And no no no, it is not a self portrait ha ha ha! Maybe next year I send a selfportrait into the world!

[Deezy]

PS TJ I forgot almost to mention that your postcards are looking great! Love your style! Did you receive any from the other swappers already? I received one... and I had two messages that they have received one of my cards....

[lenna young andrews]

Your postcards look wonderful and thanks so much for taking us through your process. I just finished mine and really had so much fun!

[www.google.com/accounts/o8/id?id=AItOawl-taewWGPfk0tz5mSog4WBUEssQYoU5mo]

Love your cards and the process. It was fun seeing what everyone made it will be fun to see where they all come from. Karen

[Lay Hoon]

Magnificent !!
You're so creative, never thought of using flower as the 'stencil'.

[Pia]

Supercool postcards - and I understand what you are saying about german television:-)

[Kat]

I love the process! Especially the way you created the backgrounds with the outlines and flower stamps. Brilliant!! These look fabulous. I wish I were in the swap. :)