HAPPY MAIL POCKETS

 You'll want to pick a pocket or two here.  What a fun thing to arrive in the mail.  Can you imagine opening an envelope to find more envelopes and little pockets with little surprises tucked inside?  Recently Happy Mail seems all the rage on Facebook groups.  You pick a person's name from the group and send some Happy Mail.  Now originally this was supposed to be just a little card saying Hello.  Now some people have gotten carried away with sending entire boxes filled with cardmaking supplies as the Happy Mail.  I for one have not been so lucky as to receive such a surprise.  But I started thinking about it and the person who does receive such a gift.  Usually when we receive Happy Mail we send a Thank you over Facebook and then something back to the sender of our surprise.  But what if we cannot afford to send such lavish gifts?  Not everyone has the income to spend on the mailing but you don't want to just shove a few things into a card and say thanks.  So this is where my Happy Mail pocket idea came from.  Its a colorful...yet flat combination of pockets and small envelopes with little die cuts in them.  Not vast numbers of items.....nothing big and bulky...but something sweet and cute that showed you took your time to cut.....piece...glue...and create an awesome flat thankyou.

Here's the finished project:

Each little pocket and envelope hold a little something.  Not too much because you want to keep this flat and not bulky for mailing but it's just a little something to say Thanks. You just need to decide what you want to slip into each element.  Now you don't have to use as many envelopes either.  You could just use the one on the front and omit the one in the back all together.  It's all up to you.  Also as I said use up your scraps.  The papers don't have to match.  I would think the only thing you would want to be conscious of would be not to put 2 lights on top of one an other or 2 darks on top on one an other.   As you can see by mine nothing really goes together but because of that you don't really need extra embellies to jazz it up.  There's plenty to look at with all the different colors and patterns.

So lets build a Thankyou pocket:

Here's what I had already got together to get this project going.. To stick in the pockets and envelopes I made some tags, homemade grommets, homemade postage stamps, some super mini envelopes, paper paper clips, doilies, and thanks banners.  You can opt for anything you have on hand.  Punch a few flowers or leaves or make it a Thank you pocket full of shapes.  You decide.  It is easier to do this project if you gather items to be stuffed in advance.  It will go quicker that way.  I did not fold my file folders or the tiny tiny envelopes that I slipped into the pockets (tiny envelopes are on the far right bottom 1 is folded others are flat. File folders are far right top folded and flat)  They fit better unfolded.

 So lets start with basics.  Here's what you will need..  Your largest piece of cardstock will be for the base, and it will measure 4" x 5.5".  All other sizes and pieces needed are in the photo below.  Remember we are using ALL printed cardstock.  Double-sided works best and is a must for the base but single sided could be used for all else.  Scraps are your friend.  Hunt through those first.  Nothing has to match.  That's the fun of this.

Now for my envelopes I used the envelope punchboard for the bottom 3 (small, medium & large)

Of course you could use any size envelopes you want.  This just happens to be the sizes I liked and made.  Also you do not have to use as many envelopes either.  What you put on the front and back in the way of envelopes is all up to you.  I added the coin envelope just because.  You could totally omit that and just place tags in that pocket instead.  I just got a bit carried away.  I also had an old Sizzix die for a mini file folder so I made a few of those too.  If you like those you can find tutorials on line to make them with your mini envelope punch board.  They are super easy to make just easier with my Sizzix die lol.

We start by notching the first pocket and folding and gluing it to the base.  It doesn't matter where the placement is as you can tell by the photo below I deliberately placed them a bit off.

Top is the front and bottom is the back.  On the front the pocket is glued along the bottom and halfway up the left side.  One the back it is glued on the bottom only.  It just makes sliding things in and out of the pockets easier.  When gluing envelopes on only glue along the bottom edge and either the left side or right side so there can be something tucked behind the envelope too if you wanted.  Now just go to town stacking.  I place stuff on the main piece before gluing.  When I like what I see I start the glue down process.  Here's what I came up with for both of these bases and what I had left over.

Left is the front right is the back..  I have plenty to make at least one more Thank you pocket.  I have a few Happy Mail Thank you's I need to send out and I think these are going to go right into the mail.  I can't wait to make some more. 

That's it for now Til next time..........................

HAPPY CARDING!!!

Now what do you put in all these pockets and envelopes?  Well I make alot of tags and with the last 2 projects of those ATC Holders I had alot of scraps as well as stuff in my scrap basket.  So I set out making a few different mini tags, my own grommets, some mini envelopes (I have a mini punch so that was easy peasy), some little round doilies (Martha Stewart punch) Punched out Thanks (WRMK Punch).  Just little stuff.