Dear Everyone ~
A lot has been happening in the studio these past few weeks, perhaps even a little more than usual. Now that National Letter Writing Month is behind us, I’d like to showcase an artful handful of lovely mail I’ve recently received from customers & students (who, of course, are also cherished customers), mostly via first-class mail. It almost goes without saying that receiving mail is a happy occasion unto itself.
Will, my trusty mail carrier, definitely recognizes a good envelope when he sees one. Sometimes, he will obscure my “good mail” under a commercial envelope or two, so I can be surprised… and, sometimes, when it’s the only envelope, he hands it to me slowly as if unveiling it. It’s a joy beyond measure to see the creative uses and beautiful things inspired by the papers & teachings purchased from Bari Zaki Studio. I am honoured to be on both ends—and sometimes in the middle!— of people’s correspondence & gift-giving.
This envelope was sent to me by Melanie O., who writes: “ The envelope, well, it was made by Ellie, my 4½ year old granddaughter, with my assistance. She chose the paper from an art book by Carla Sozzani, with my guidance, as I shared what I look for to coordinate with the watercolor [which was enclosed]. You should have seen her with the bonefolder! We pieced it together and even though it ended up upside down, we were pleased. ”
Melanie followed up in an email with a charming photo of Ellie hugging the envelope she’d made. “ Here Ellie is giving the finished product a hug. When I asked who the envelope was for, she exclaimed, ‘MEEEE!’ ”
Melanie affirms, “ Passing on my love for envelope making is such a joy! ”
Coco D. has been a student in the duo of recent group Zoom workshops, Glueing Happiness (GH) & Chic Cambridge Suite. Moments after the conclusion of GH, Coco emailed me this incredibly charming collage she’d made with scraps from the hardcover padholder-folder, which she planned to give her mom for Mother’s Day. She shares: “ The colorful scraps were so beautiful and just the right materials to create a collage in my sketchbook for my 100-day project, which is titled ‘Woof Meow Chirp.’ The linen paper tape called out to be hair and a skirt while the top, shoes, and hat were my inside papers used on my notepad book. Adele the Cat developed as the character to fill the outfit and, of course, there had to be birds :) ”
Melanie M. lives in Outer Chicago, and I’ve been shipping parcels to her since the pandemic panned in-person shopping. We’ve kept in touch via email, and so when an unassuming envelope arrived and I saw her return address, I was eager to see what might be inside. I absolutely love how she pieced together two sheets of cover weight paper with washi tape, complementing her Cambridge Imprint origami heart. The added Thank you tucked inside the heart itself warmed my heart from ear to ear! Her companion notecard reads:
“ Heaps of thanks to you! Your beautiful papers and all the other treats you’ve sent inspire me! Making cards to connect with family and friends has provided me with a much needed creative outlet. I figured it was time to let you know! Thank you! ”
Michelle H. ordered a MORE Art of The Handfolded Envelope kit. When I received her freshly hand-folded recent envelope, I recognized paper from the kit. I carefully opened it to read the card, and, oh my, a double-happiness moment indeed! Her use of scraps to create a bounty of bookshelves still has me aswoon. She writes: “ I really enjoyed going through the process of making the envelope. Upon receiving my kit, I had to make all of the selections. It was incredibly fun and satisfying. The ‘scraps’ in the package I bought were just so gorgeous that I knew I needed to create something with them immediately. ”
Laura L. is a big fan of the Extremely Exquisite Scraps, so when Will handed me her envelope, I was delighted to see the colourful collaged scraps, as you see, on the envelope itself as well as on the notecard. I took a moment to marvel at how well Laura’s artistic envelope had fared through the mailstream. I had to immediately send her an email letting her know it had arrived in good order and she replied: “ I had so much fun making that for you. At the time, it was cold and wintery. It sat with me in my studio whilst I worked on so many projects and finally told me it was time to be sent. ”
Debra M was a student of Bookful of Notes to Self and sent me this heartfelt missive as a thank you. I so enjoyed the way she described her Bookful book. “ I loved the bookful class I took with you and Cat. My journal is a bit wobbly, the stitching uncentered and yet it is a friendly place. Notes to Self, a collection of thoughts, ideas, experiments so I don’t forget any of the inspirations that left an invitation. ” She has annotated her wonderful watercolour of a mailbox, on a petite Saint-Armand sheet, saying “It’s a handmade envelope made with love from Bari Zaki.” The thrill of a trill!
Late-breaking muse: Just yesterday I opened a large envelope from my Postal Muse, containing a poufy glassine envelope, containing little origami lounging pyjamas folded out of…hold on, yet again, to your Cambritches…Cambridge Imprint sweet sheets. Eroca Brawne is the paper engineer in Vancouver pressed into service by my Postal Muse. There’s delightfully more to this story, as I shall reveal in due course, of course.
MORE Art of The Handfolded Envelope
Extremely Exquisite Scraps
Bundle of Stationery Joy
Post haste, Bari