Cardallegiance: June 2011

Yes, junk mail! As the saying goes, one person's trash is another person's treasure. When I receive junk mail, I usually toss it directly in the trash. I recently decided to break this trend and save some trees by converting these items into artful envelopes. Contrary to my usual design process, I did no drafts or preliminary sketches for these concepts. I just let the lines and pre-printed text "speak" to me as each design took on a life of its own. (Give me a break-- I have to write like an "ar-TISTE" sometimes!). Now that I've given you a chunk of text and a preview above, here's the skinny on each design:

Design 1: Crazy Faces....because mail is tasty!

The "place postage here" box and the vertical lines on this business envelope inspired me to create toothy, crazy grins. I can't decide which is my favorite-- the postage-eating face (demanding postage be placed "here" in three languages) or the robot-looking face beneath the back flap. Overall, this design is my top pick of the whole collection...perhaps I was channeling masterpieces of Mesoamerican art when I created it.

Design 2: ICE CREAM!!

SCREAM for "Ice cream!" I know screaming for ice cream is cheesy, but I LOVED creating this design. Once again, I started with those vertical lines to the left of the postage box. Twin pops seemed like the natural way to go and boxes morphed into sleeves. Then the whole thing evolved into a delicious spread of ice creamery and quirky hands:

Random question: Can you balance an icecream cone on the tip of your index finger? If so, maybe you're a closet Globetrotter, or one of the Xmen with the weirdest mutant power ever. I could really buy into that kind of talent-- especially if it would score me bonus scoops of chocolate chip cookie dough, coffee, or mint chocolate chip....mmmmm

Design 3: Geometric

This was the first design I created for the series. I started with the "Business Reply" box and just went from there, playing around with darks and lights, tapered angles, etc. I feel like my eyes are paying tricks on me when I look at this sucker, and that's a good thing!

Design 4: Flora

Flora was the second envelope designed for the series. After doing something so straight-edged and geometric, I had to go back to nature and get organic. Again, I started with the "Business Reply" box. That started flowing into some crazy, hippie-looking vegetation and out came all the flowers, buds and vines. A strange garden grows here, but it looks like a nice cozy place for a letter to live.

Design 5: Baroque Frame

I thought of all things baroque when crafting this. What began with one little frame around the postage box (...starting with the postage box? Big surprise, I know:P) turned into a series of frames everywhere...and voila! Now I kind of wanna go all Lady Gaga, slap a handle on this baby and have it milled into a 3D object. Then I can hold the contraption up to my face whilst I go around looking through all the windows at people who will look back at me and think I'm crazy.

Design 6: Music

In the words of Rihanna, "Please don't stop the music!" This design was a fast one to whip up, and I know many people will identify with it as I do. Even if you don't read music, there's something really awesome about getting a letter wrapped in notation. Yes, I cheated a little with the address label because it's not quite finished. I was so excited about this design, though, that I decided to post it anyway. A note to the perfectionists: I'll probably update this post with a shot of the finished product when it's ready. Until then, enjoy the view.

I can't end this post without a shout-out to all the AWESOME FATHERS and FATHER FIGURES out there. I didn't do a Father's Day-specific card for this entry, however, any of these would do well for a guy who likes ice cream, music, or flowers (hey-- don't feed into stereotypes. Guys can like plants and baroque art, too!).

Many thanks to you real men for all you do to raise and support your kids and your grown-up kids.

Finally, if you like what you see here, email me and I'll hook you up with some recycled art. Option 2: visit these designs on Etsy. Go ahead. Recycled envelopes get lonely, too!

Holiday Shoe Card Set

Holiday Sneaker Card (a.k.a. Funky Fresh)

First, I must mention Liam Kyle Sullivan since his viral music video, "Shoes," is one reason I had footwear on the brain.The video won a People's Choice Award in 2008, however, I've decided not to post it here due its content and language. There's my obligatory warning for parents or others who might have concerns. I feel inclined to mention Sullivan's work, though, because I think it's important to acknowledge sources of inspiration.

Aside from Sullivan's vid featuring a teenage shoe addict, I had other sources of inspiration. These included Steve Madden's gladiator wedges and I continue to reap inspiration from the design house of Alexander McQueen, which counted this floral wedge among the offerings in its Spring 2011 collection.

Since I'm a fan of fashion, my fascination with outrageous shoes led to the creation of holiday shoe cards. I realize the holidays are long gone, but I love these designs so much and they were begging for their own post!

This collection includes four fab, feminine styles (a.k.a. Green Velvet, Peppermint, Holiday Classic, and Gingerbread) plus a more casual athletic shoe design (Funky Fresh) The textures and lettered detailing were a blast to create. I guess that means Funky Fresh is my favorite design (though I usually hate to pick favorites!).