Pocket Folder Tutorial

OK,  you asked and I'm answering. Here's a little tutorial for these pocket folders.
Warning: They are addictive to make
I just keep coming up with different ideas for them. They are such fun to make and so easy.

And , I think it's such fun to fill them up. I always love themes so I like to make the folders with different themes in mind...For that French folder in the first photo I filled it with teeny tiny vintage French envelopes I bought in Paris...Can you see them?

Here we go with a horse theme.......

This one might be nice for a little girl, don't you think?

What about for a birthday? You could put dollar bills inside the pockets and little notes to the birthday girl. I bet even a BIG birthday girl would like that.

What papers can you use?
My personal favorites are book pages. I used an old postal stamp stock book here . I like when both sides of the pages are interesting. But you can use any paper you want....I have used origami paper and old airmail envelopes and some of those paper pads from Tim Holtz.

And why five?
I like odd numbers and I like five. You could easily do this with three pockets. Seven would probably work ok too but these are just paper and not really strong so I think that would be pushing it...

Step 1
Start with FIVE pieces of paper and fold each piece in half as shown.

Step 2
You need to decide what piece will be your cover and which will be the last  page. These are really the only two that count since most of what's on the other pages will be hidden. 

Step 3
Trim off the rough edges.
Also, if there is a lot of while space this is the time to trim the pages down if you want to.

Step 4
Now you put double stick tape on two sides of each page and close it up. Each page will be a pocket -- open at the top.

Step 6
Now you put a piece of double stick tape right down the center of the pocket you want on the bottom of the folder with the opening at the top and press the next pocket down on top, lining up the tops.
Continue doing this with the rest of the pockets till you get to your front cover.

Viola!
You now have five really cool pockets and you are almost done.

At the very bottom, put a piece of decorative tape to reinforce the bottom. I used masking tape here which wasn't a great example because you can't really see it. I love masking tape and couldn't help myself.....

Now you can decorate the cover as little or as much as you'd like. I was thinking vintage math flash cards would have been great in here but I couldn't find my stash. 

Fill 'em  up!!!!

Here are four pocket folders I whipped up in just a few minutes.  You can see the tape at the bottom of these better. You can use wide washi tape, masking tape, decorative duck tape.....
I was thinking it would be great to put recipe cards in that Green Salad folder...
You could put zines in these folders....or ATC's or decorated rolodex cards....or a letter.... Really, the possibilities are endless.

A SPECIAL THANK YOU
to all of you who answered my questions in the last post. It is very much appreciated. And, for ALL of you (and you know who you are) who haven't yet weighed in, I would still love to hear from you.
Let's keep this blog going -- and fill it with things you are interested in. But, I can't do it alone. You've got to tell me what you like seeing.

I'm off to the Vintage Paper Fair on Saturday and you KNOW I will have something to post about that. If you're local, it is this coming Saturday & Sunday (Jan 6 & 7) in Golden Gate Park.
Look for me there!

SEND GOOD MAIL -- GET GOOD MAIL
&
Happy New Year!!!!

You Asked For This (Altered Tin Tutorial)

So, rumor has it, you guys want an Altered Altoid Tin tutorial.....the Instagram crowd sure seem to and some of you have asked me....so, even though it is pretty simple, here we go----

First you need to get your hands on some hinged tins.....I pick most of mine up at Scrap SF....I like the older Altoid tins that don't have that embossing on the metal on the lid. You can still buy some like that if you look around. I just found some with flat lids at Walgreens...Trader Joes has mints in good tins too...

Sometimes I spray paint the tins first -- it isn't necessary for the larger tins but I find it very helpful with those tiny Altoid tins......
Michaels (and Amazon) sell that Krylon spray paint. 

You want to shake that can like crazy before spraying...in fact, setting it it hot water for 15 minutes is a good idea and then shake it....You want light spraying -- like misting -- and do several times.....if you spray too heavily the paint will run and make a mess..you don't need to cover up the writing on the larger tins because you are going to cover them with paper....and don't spray the inside....

A couple of sprayed tins...with the tiny tins, I just use washi tape to decorate. The seems too small to cover with paper..

Here is a little one with washi only....outside and.....

inside......I put tape inside on the lid and bottom..and done! (You need to seal the tape, so keep reading...)

For the larger tins, just use a pencil to trace around the tin and cut it out with a scissors. I cut INSIDE the pencil line, rather than on it because the tracing is often too large to fit exactly if you don't...you may have to do a little trimming....but that's ok.

You need to cut FOUR pieces-- for the outside top and bottom of the tin  and for the  inside top and bottom....Do all your cutting first.

This is what I use to both glue and seal --- Liquitex Matte Medium. Good stuff. Works for collages too.

Pour some into a paper cup and brush on to the surfaces you are gluing and place the paper on the tin....I use my fingers to really press the paper onto the tin and smooth out any wrinkles....press down the edges with your fingers..

You can glue all four pieces pretty easily. The matte medium dries pretty quickly and I just stand the tins up....
I always try to make two or three or four tins at a time. It just seems easier to have a little assembly line going. While one is drying you can work on the next one..

...like this....Then you can add some washi tape to the outside like this....pretty isn't it?
The narrow rolls of washi work best for this. You want to seal the washi and the paper with a few light coats of matte medium.

This tin came in a naturally pleasing blue and black so I didn't spray paint it . Just added washi and paper.
**This is important** see the two bumps where the tin closes? Be sure NOT to put paper or washi there or the extra thickness will make it impossible for the tins to close and open properly.

I used the regular, wider tape and rolled it over to the bottom of the tin and paper will cover this up....

Another tip is -- use WALLPAPER if you can find some.  I had some pretty vintage wall paper in my closet and just tried it out and it really works well since it was designed to be used with a liquid adhesive. Maybe you can find some pieces of wallpaper on eBay or Etsy or in a wallpaper swatch book.

So, that's about it -- it is pretty easy, so go ahead and have some fun. My favorite part is filling the little tins up when I'm finished making them. The tiny Altoid tin is perfect for postage stamps. And, those larger ones have endless possibilities....
I suggest try making one without spray painting it for the first one...keep it simple...
and you can ask me if you run into any problems.
They don't come out perfect but they are a lot of fun anyway.
And special thanks to my pal Dori who sent me my first Altered Altoid Tin and quite a few more after that and got me started making them myself.
This is just how I do it.....

I'd sure like to hear from you if you make some -- let me know how they come out! And if you are coming over from IG, please leave a comment on the blog and let me know, because you know....you guys egged me on to do this post...
Have fun and keep me posted!
SEND GOOD MAIL --  GET GOOD MAIL

Two Mail Art Gatherings in One Weekend?

My last post was about the LWA Mail Art Social on Friday -- and on Sunday we had a meeting of the SF Correspondence Co-Op. I know, you hate me. two mail art meetings in one weekend.
Well, that's the way we roll around here.
We had a guest appearance of this cursive beauty -- and it was for sale!
Imagine that.

There's always show-and-tell. SallyW brought that book in the lower right corner and it was really interesting. Maybe your library has it?

Our "theme" this meeting was sketchbooks of whatever interests/inspires you. And we saw some real beauties.

These are Gregg's and you can check out his blog
The Junk Thief
right here. 

Wonderful old stamp album turned into a book filled with collages by Scooter.

Two of mine.....that vintage telephone book is filled with collages....and, inspired by seeing all those other books I just started a new one....

Of course we had an artistamp for our passports! (And we had three new members of the co-op checking in and buying passports and adding stamps).

And another artistamp by James Cline, Burning Man Postmaster and -- I  just found out -- retired USPS letter carrier. How did I not know that?

Passports and artistamps...
(Can you see the little bumps on the artistamps? That is Braille!)

And what have we here?

One of our new members brought in a book she made using a Priority Mail Envelope she received.
Isn't that a great book?
I know you'all are going to be asking me -- YES there is a tutorial and you can find it
Right Here

And, I highly suggest you check out her wonderful blog with LOTS of tutorials and books she's made
The Mellow Miller
And I'd appreciate it if you leave a comment, tell her I sent you over. 

I can't just sit there -- I made a little collage postcard...

And, I brought some of the wonderful incoming mail I've received for show-and-tell.....

This little party-goer was so excited she had to take a little rest on her typewriter........

And here is a link to my pal Ryan's Flickr photos of the same mail art meeting -
PHOTOS BY RYAN
Check 'em out

AND
Remember my fabulous Rolodex Art Cards? Well, now you can have some too, Mail Me Some Art is hosting 
ROLODEX ART CARD SWAP
It looks like a good one to me -- I'm doing it! 
And, I added Mail Me Some Art on my blog roll -- there are a number of interesting swaps happening right now.
If you're looking for more folks to trade mail art with, this is a good way to go.

I added various things to the blog -- there is a brand new "contact me" form -- I still love comments but if you can't comment, try contacting me. 
And I added two new blogs on the sidebar - Mellow Miller and MMSA. 
Also a link to my INSTAGRAM photos. (click the Instagram logo after you click a photo to see them on IG)
So, I hope you all enjoy the changes. Say hello.

So, it is another Friday here....no mail art events planned this weekend but lots of fun is coming right up -- The Zine Fest, The Library Book Sale, The Vintage Paper Fair....
I might need to rest up and get ready for all the upcoming fun...

SEND GOOD MAIL -- GET GOOD MAIL