Happy Valentine's Day - Mixed Media and Fabric Collage Postcard

I made this ltttle fabric Valentine postcard for my sister.  The sheet music heart and bird are cut from paper/fabric I made, and the rest of the postcard is made from fabric and lace - including the back.  I forgot to scan the back before I wrote the personal message and address.  It is off in the mail, hopefully to arrive in one piece.  I've had pretty good luck mailing fabric postcards, but this is the first one where I've included paper/fabric.

Sending Fabric Postcards

I made these two fabric postcards recently, one for my sister in law to help her through the winter with a reminder of our vacation last summer in Myrtle Beach, SC.

The second one is for my grand niece, and has a picture of her and a little friend on the day they swam around the Ventura Beach pier as a test of their Junior Lifeguard Class. Quite an accomplishment for these pint sized girls to swim out and around the pier through the break water. Way to go!

Making the cards is a lot of fun, but mailing them is another thing. I wanted them hand canceled so that they would reach their destination without all the ink smearing that occurs with the machine cancellation. I have mailed them from our Rineyville, KY post office without any trouble. But, the postal clerk at the Hemet post office made two trips to the back room of the post office to confer with someone about the cards. Each time he returned, he weighed them, measured them, checked to see if they would fit through a little slot in a template, and then put them in a different bin. Each time I asked him if he could hand cancel them. Finally, he told me it wasn't his job. I had no confidence that they would even go out in the mail, so I asked for them back.

I was successful at the San Jacinto post office. While I was in line, I hoped to get the seasoned clerk I recognized from previous visits to this post office of friendly and helpful clerks. As luck would have it, I did get this woman. I asked her if she could hand cancel my cards. She said "sure", and stamped them both without hesitation. Then she said, "Ooh postcards, neat". Now my cards are finally on their way.

Fabric Postcard for Cyber Fyber Swap

I made this fabric postcard for the Cyber Fyber Exihibition Swap.

You can read more about Cyber Fiber at this link:

http://cyberfyberexhibition.blogspot.com/

I am excited to be part of this unique idea.

For the postcard's subject, I chose a digital photo I had taken of the old Hemet Stock Farm gate. The card is made entirely of fabrics. The photograph is printed on white cotton. The piece is made up of vintage fabrics that include scraps of a kitchen dishtowel, floursack and rick rack. New fabrics include a piece of burlap on the front and unbleached muslin for the postcard back. All are stitched securely with machine stitching.

The 36 acre stock farm was built in Hemet, California in 1909 - 1910 to breed, train and race horses. It was a film location for the movie "Seabiscuit". The property has been sold and awaits development plans.

Fabric Postcard Swap - Romance

I am participating in a fabric postcard swap with one of my online groups,
Cloth Paper Studio. The subject is Romance.

These are the three I made for the swap. Everything on these postcards is either fabric, lace or thread. The button card is a scan from an old one I picked up last summer at an antique store. The wedding photos and the button card are printed on a commercialy treated fabric sheet.

These were mailed off about two weeks ago, and the three I'm receivng have been mailed to me. They should be arriving any time now.

More Fabric Postcards

I finished 7 fabric postcards today and listed them on my Etsy shop. Although they are a bit labor intensive, I like the end result. I printed the illustrated images from lunagirl.com onto white cotton, and chose simple greetings for the messages. The fabrics and lace are vintage scraps from my 'stash'.

Fabric Postcard - Happy Birthday

I created this 4" x 6" fabric postcard today and listed it on my Etsy shop. The beautiful illustrated image from lunagirl.com is printed on white cotton and is stitched to a background of lightweight cotton. There is lace along the left side and a Happy Birthday fabric tag is stitched below the photograph. The back is ready for a written message and then to the post office for mailing.

Fabric Post Card - Marian 'Bonnie' Beth 1945

This is my first attempt at making a fabric post card. I thought they were lovely and wanted to give it a try. The subject for this one is my mother when she was 17 in 1945. I printed the picture on white cotton and collaged it, as well as vintage fabric scraps and lace. to a barkcloth background using a machine zig-zag applique technique. The post card back is unbleached muslin and the writing is done with a pigma pen. I mailed the card to my sister in Los Angeles and she received it today with only minor smudging that she was able to remove with a soft eraser.