Well, it has been a long time since my Art Foundation days but it was lovely to have a doodle on an envelope.  It wasn’t the best design compared to some of the ones I’d found on the interweb but it was a start, and it was really relaxing.  I’ve tried those adult colouring books but they just stress me out because I get all hung up on which colours to use and the designs are so fiddly it’s impossible not to colour outside of the lines. Plus they take forever to finish.  I’m thinking a kid’s colouring book would suit me better but then I’m just left with a book of coloured in pictures. 

They aren’t amazing but hopefully by sending my envelope designs to people they will give a little joy to their recipients, and in my defence I was only trialling activities to do with children again.  Maybe that’s a fib.  It was nice to be all arty for its own sake.  I’m wondering what the postman will think of it all. Possibly not a lot.

Children are far less inhibited when it comes to having a go.  I always worry about what to draw, but just looking online is really inspiring.  I’ve shared a few on the Art page but you only need to Google “Envelope Art” and you’ll be away.  There was a lovely article in The Simple Things magazine last month too about a book called “Journal Sparks: Fire up your creativity with Spontaneous Art, Wild Writing and Creative Thinking”.  I haven’t got a copy yet but it looks really good (has won several awards) and I think the idea would work perfectly with letter writing too.

And it did capture a friend’s imagination last weekend too.  He might only be 5 and a half but he totally got it.  We had great fun decorating envelopes to send to each other.  The one for him had a tractor on it (thankfully he could recognise what it was).  I only wish I’d got someone to take a photo of me posting his letter too.  The one of him is fab!

Dinah