One of my favorite topics on the forum is the one where people share their handmade postcards. I’m always in awe of postcrossers’ talents, often marveling at their technique and creativity! Looking through these postcard inspires me to create and try new things myself, and I’m hoping they do to you too… so I’m sharing a few of them here on the blog. Prepare for a colorful avalanche of awesomeness! 😍
The topic was started by Claas (aka Speicher3), back in October last year. Claas does some really witty collages using stamps and other paper materials, and mentions buying hundreds of 0,01€ stamps in France, just for postcard making experiments!
Katia (aka brighteyes) draws different buildings on her walkabouts through a city, and turns them into these beautiful postcards!
Collages are Robin’s (aka MrsPaull) expertise, and they really draw us in — the more we look, the more we discover in them.
Gesa (aka MissMichelsen) has a huge talent for watercolor and uses it to make stunning postcards:
Christine (aka reisegern) sometimes does letterpressed postcards, using vintage plates from a printing museum — how seriously cool is that?!
Another one for the collage team! Mette (aka metlodyt) puts together these lovely pieces with stamps and other paper materials:
Jennemieke mentions doodling this postcard during one of her online meetings, which is such a great idea! How many of us could use something to keep our hands entertained while we listed to someone?
Look at the level of detail in these postcards, illustrated by Rachelle (aka LotsOfOtters)!
haathi from India makes these unexpected postcards, shaped like bearded men — they’re so good!
.jpg "haathi's postcards")
Mixing different styles together in a collage is Blue’s (aka Blue69) approach, and the results are delightful!
This is a really tiny sample of all the wonderful creations shared and there’s loads more on the forum topic, so do check it out. And if you make your own mailable art, please don’t be shy and come share it with the community.
May we all be so lucky as to find one of these in our mailbox someday! 😍
79 comments so far
How nice to see all the different techniques. I like e every single one. I am always happy to receive handmade. And I am also happy to read someone likes to receive handmade cards. My hobby is cross stitch and over the years I have made a few Postcrossing cards using cross stitch and also paper collages. I enjoy the time creating something 100% personal for a Postcrosser. I'll go and have a look in the community, as you suggest.
thank you, dear ana, for the nice blog post!! I'm following this thread only a couple of days, and will never miss it. any question will be answered very seriously, although we can get so inspired and addicted from all the great artworks in sooooooooo many techniques.. I love it! and of course I share also this and that of my handmade postcards!
I love it when someone sends me a handmade card. I also like making them and wish more people would like to receive them. Love these samples in the blog.
Thank you for sharing.
I’ve only received two homemade cards and I think they are great. I am not nearly as artistic, but secretly wish I was. I am always dismayed to see people’s profiles that request no homemade cards.
I adore to make and receive handmade cards. Thanks for sharing these fabulous creations. I wish more people wanted to receive them.
What extraordinarily talented people we have - - thank you for showcasing these amazing artists and their creations!
(Perhaps they'll inspire a few people to change their minds and erase their "no handmade cards" strictures. Who wouldn't feel like the luckiest person, getting one of these?!)
I love handmade and upcycled cards!
Wow these are all so great and inspiring! I found out about Postcrossing right at a time same time I was resurrecting a project where I send out block printed postcards to friends and family and strangers (remember postcard x !?). The very first name I got on Postcrossing said "no handmade cards." Ouch! I got over it, sent her a lovely regular postcard and sent the first person I could my lovely printed card 🤷♀️.
p.s. if you want to get on my regular mailing list for my printed cards check out my website at annmariesnell.com I create mailings about once a month or so...
Truly talented artists! Beautiful! I hope my name is drawn from one of them! ❤️
For those who make these lovely collage cards, how do you keep them from getting damaged in the mail? Do you paste things on cardstock and then cover them in some way? I would be so worried they'd arrive in shreds.
@hyacinthbucket - There are various ways to protect the cards, depending on whether they are flat or have 3D elements. You can mail them in an envelope, put a plastic sleeve on them (as long as the stamp can be cancelled, you're good), use mod podge or another sealant, or cover them with clear contact paper. Hope this helps!
I am so impressed with all of these handmade cards! Such talent !!! I don't make cards myself, but I LOVE receiving handmade cards. Thanks so much for sharing.
Fantastic topic! Homemade cards are such a treasure to receive🎁
Such beautiful hand made cards. How wonderful to see such talent! I'm new here and find all this amazing. 😊
These are beautiful! I love receiving handmade cards. I see so many profiles of people who don't want them. They are missing out!
wow! fantastic art on a small scale!
Wow! This inspires me to work on my collaging technique...
I love making and receiving handmade cards. We have a such a great and talented community and I have learned a lot from the handmade groups. All of these cards are so awesome!
These are lovely! What creative talent folks have out there :-)
There is so much talent and creativity represented here. Thanks for sharing some of the art. I've only received two or three originals during my Postcrossing years. They're treasures.
Brilliant blogpost-- thank you for curating these examples to illustrate the diversity of talent in our community!
Handmade cards are some of the best cards. I love seeing all the creativity that goes into them.
I love it!
Thank you for this inspiring blogpost - handmade cards are the best! :-D It would be great if people would take this as an encouragement to have a go at making their own cards, too. I'm no artist, either, but the encouragement on the forum, especially the Handmade RR, helped to just get started and it's so much fun to do and so satisfying to know that I'm not only crafting for my desk drawer now, but that my cards travel the world and that some other person receives and appreciates them! :-)
By the way, I make mostly collages and they survive their trips around the world amazingly well - and even if some litle piece is ripped or just falls off on the way, it only goes to show that the cards have been on an adventure on their journey through the global postal system!
Beautiful postcards! I love them all!
These days I also received two wonderful handmade cards:
https://www.postcrossing.com/postcards/DE-10331764
https://www.postcrossing.com/postcards/US-7455060
Most creators do them really elaborately! A big thank you to all senders of such handmade cards!
Great and beautiful examples that illustrate the diversity and talent of this community!
Thank you for the article and KUDOS to the contributors!
:) :D
Спасибо большое за этот блог) он меня вдохновил на создание необычной открытки. Я очень люблю открытки ручной работы люблю их получать и отправлять, но к сожалению не так часто они посещают мой почтовый ящик📫.
You guys are all so creative, those cards are *amazing*!! I love to just look at the topic in the forum, everyone there has such great ideas. :) ♥
I love to make handmade cards and also receive them. I know how much work it is. It is very great gift if someone takes time for you to make it. Thanks for that 🙂
This is a great idea.
I have lots of stamps and this will be a great way to share them.
Thank you. 😍
Adorable 😍😍😍
😍 wonderful !
Wonderful postcards. These postcards are pure art. Congratulation for the artists who made them. I would like to find such of postcards in my mailbox.
I received such a postcard send by Julianai from Russia. It's a picture of cats sitting with their backs, made by her.
https://www.postcrossing.com/postcards/RU-8136944
I paint all my postcards with watercolors. I love doing this so much. It combines two of my hobbies, sending postcards and watercolors. Sometimes I am a little amazed at people who "hate handmade" cards. When I paint a card for someone I like to do research on the things that the person who I am sending the card to likes or loves. I treat it like I am creating a custom piece of art for that person based on what they want. I love when my clients and I collaborate on projects, it stretches me as an artist. Since I am relatively new to watercolors, I then go to YouTube and will take a watercolor class in whatever I am painting for someone such as, they love owls, or lighthouses or whatever. A card could take 30 minutes to an hour to create. One card I built a pendulum to do a Universe for them. I love every minute of it and consider it time well spent. I have sent hand-painted cards to people who "hate handmade" cards and always apologize on the postcard. It's what I do.
Thank you for the inspiration. I make my own handmade postcards too. Then I send them to Postcrossers who like them. It felt like a risk-free way to express my creative side. I shall count myself lucky if I were to receive a handmade postcard from those creative, artistic Postcrossers!
Oh, what unusual postcards!!!!!I've been in Postcrossing for almost 5 years and I've never received a handmade postcard. Maybe someone wants to send me without any system with the numbers
Pasyutina Elena
Cherepovetskaya 6b-83
Moscow. Russia 127576
What beautiful treasures to receive. Thank you for sharing the talent in this article. Artsyclem
Wow! Thank you for this forum. The great cards are made cleverly, imaginingly and Heaven knows more suitable adverbs. That is why I'm so happy when I look at all those self-made postcards. Sometimes I do also scrapping when I make greeting cards for people I know. There are lots of printed papers we can recycle into the unique art cards.
Wow ! such beautiful cards! I am not gifted to create something like that!
Wow, what a beautiful thing! I never thought about it, I love making collages and I'm taking the drawing course, I can practice this with postcards. I have seen many unfortunate profiles who say they do not want to receive the hand made postcards and they really do not know what they are missing out on. I never received one, but I want to receive many of these.
thank you
Someone sent me a beautiful watercolour postcard, I was thrilled! The talent on display was beautiful! I wish more people had the confidence to paint and craft their own postcards. They are so special to recieve.
Love Katia's cards! Hope I receive one some day. :-)
Thank you for sharing this topic. I love self made postcards. They always are so private and a real treasure. I too like upcycling cards because I receive a piece out of the life of others.
Thank you so very much for highlighting handmade postcards! I get sad when I see so many profiles with very specific caveats about not sending handmade because they aren’t “real” postcards. So wonderful to see these VERY real, beautiful handmade postcards.
What talented and creative artists! Beautiful ideas! I hope my name is drawn from one of those postcrosers.
It is an honor for me to be quoted. I really like to decorate my postcards and envelopes too. I really enjoy doing it.
Everybody can be an artist.
Try it, its not hard
Let your hands work without thinking
Have a nice day and be creative
I forgot : Congratulations everyone here on the topic :)
I also love handmade cards and am always happy to receive one. I make some, myself, as well, but I am not nearly as talented as many in this community. One thing I learned from another postcrosser, and enjoy doing, is creating envelopes from old calendar pages. It's another way to be creative when postcrossing.
Isn't amazing that we have Postcrossers who are so creative and make those beautiful cards! Aren't we lucky that those people send them to us and that Meiadeleitte posted for us. Thank you all for sharing this and now I'm hoping to find one of those cards in mailbox.
I will never understand why people don't want handmade cards. These were absolutely wonderful.
Wow, these cards are amazing! I hope I'll be lucky enough to receive a handmade card one day...what a great way to share one's love of art!
Tell myself to stock up with blank card, find the craft knife and the glue, give it a go. An inspiring item, including the comments. Thank you.
I wish more people were open to handmade cards. I used to send them and got a few nasty comments, so I stopped making them.
Instead I decorate envelopes now, almost forgot !
All these postcards are beautiful! I have had a look this morning and was very impressed of all these talented and creative people. I have not received a selfmade card yet but I would be happy to receive such a unique decorated card.
These are wonderful. I would love to get some paintings or other beautiful handmade cards.
I've already framed one of the hand-made postcards I've received :)
I can dig it
Hello! The showed homemade cards are beautiful. I really like homemade postcards. They are filled with love and a piece of the soul of the one who sent it. I received a couple of handmade postcards, I was delighted and in a good mood. I would also send handmade postcards, but a lot of people ask not to send these postcards to them and it's sad.
I also make some handmade postcards with origami and sometimes using used materials like doing a bit upcycling.
I usually send it only to persons who is willing to accept it and appreciate it.
Great examples. Inspiring and motivational.
Maybe it's time to add a button for those who like to ręce r handmade cards? Similiar to the one for direct swaps
Wow - they're all so beautiful! I really love handmade cards and would be happy to receive more of them.
Every time I receive a handmade card I can't help but appreciate it more than any other card I receive. These artists highlighted here are on another level!! What an honor to receive a piece of artwork like this. WOW!
Dear Robin thanks for the alert
all the postcards are top class
favourites for everyone
thank you all Gerard
My heart just thrills when I receive a handmade card! These are all wonderful! I've received a sewn card in the past, using cloth on a card foundation, and it was delightful!
I love handmade postcards. I received the beautiful double-headed postcard from dear Christine (aka reisegern). Thank you for the wonderful postcard. Postcrossing is the most beautiful addiction there is! Thank you for being part of this wonderful community with my family
All my cards are handmade; I love making and sending them! A piece of me in every one of them.. <3
Another great reason to be a member of this kind and caring and generous community ... there is so much creative talent, too!
I received this handmade postcard from twinports. It's on my fridge and it's huge! Love it!!
https://www.postcrossing.com/postcards/US-6812375
Lovely post!!! Great artistic work. My compliments to all of you. I make postcards too, and recycle envelopes I love doing it.
Danke für den Beitrag, handgemachte Karten sind wunderbar. Schade, dass viele Leute keine empfangen möchten. Ich jedenfalls liebe diese Kunstwerke.
I wish I was that creative. One of the best I received was an illustration of my husband & I as shown in my avatar. I loved it.
How very beautiful! They have got so much talent!!
These are great!!!
I really hope I get a homemade card one day!
Amazing postcards. I really loved to do handmade postcards.
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