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Rubber Road
Scenic Byway:

Patriotic Mail Art

By Casey Cholaki
Rubber Roadsters
Advanced Stamping Team Designer  

July could be called the American month! There are the 4^th of July celebrations all around the country with fireworks, picnics, watermelons and good old American apple pie. This is the month to remember our American Warriors where ever they are serving to protect our beloved country. So, here is an easy project to let them know you care and are thinking of your loved one, friend, or veteran when you write them during the month of July. While you have your supplies out make up more then one! 

Supplies:

• American Art Stamps - American woman (designer Paula Best)
• Northwoods Rubber Stamps – Fireworks
• Paper Inspirations - Liberty Collage mini
• Ink Pads: Versa mark (Tsukineko) & Colorbox red and navy blue ink
• White Envelope size 8 ¾’ by 5 ¾’
• Paper in the colors Red and Blue as White is the envelope. Do not use cardstock, as it is too heavy to go through the mail on the outside of envelope
• Star punches, stamps, or stencils which ever you have. I used chunky stamps
• Galaxy Colored Markers (AmericanCrafts) Red & Blue
• Stamp-n embossing powders in Ruby Red and Tinsel Blue (Mark Enterprises)
• Heat gun and Plaid 12’ deckle edge metal ruler

Instructions:

1. Begin by stamping all your images on separate pieces of white paper except the fireworks stamp.  This image is stamped directly onto the envelope using VersaMark clear ink. Immediately cover the fireworks with embossing power in a random manner between the colors of red and blue. Then use your heat gun to set the powder. Leave 1/3 of the envelope (bottom) unstamped.

2. Using your red and blue markers, color in the images of your stamps. Also, color in the stars you have cut out or punched. Two red stars and Two blue stars

3. Next using a deckle edged ruler, tear 2 strips of blue paper and one of red long enough to go on a diagonal line across the bottom 3^rd of the envelope. The red goes between the stripes of blue. Use a glue stick to glue them in place

4. Layer the American woman stamped image on white, red, & blue pieces of square paper. From the Liberty Collage stamp cut out Lady Liberty and the saying, We the People! Place the saying between a blue and red stripe on the envelope. Next place and glue American woman stamped image over the torn red and blue paper. Glue the stars in place where you would like them. Glue Lady Liberty onto the lower right edge of the envelope.

5. Take the old credit card and trace around it with a red marker to make an address label. Cut it out and glue in place. Use a blue marker to make a return address label for the upper left hand corner of the envelope. Finally, a real American Flag stamp will complete the motif of your Patriotic Mail Art.

6. Important notes for this project! : The postal service may require additional postage for large envelopes. All elements of your collaged envelope MUST be glued down so no edges are loose or can be caught in the postal machines. This project is, also, perfect for a scrapbook page. I was lucky enough at the last minute to find the word Patriotic (in red, white, and blue no less) on a magazine that arrived the day this project was due to be sent to Rubber Road Adventures. So, I quickly added it into my envelope mail art project. You can always use your computer to print out the word in neat fonts or of course…use your rubber stamps,

Let me hear from you.

Until next, time….Stampin On Down The Road

Casey Cholaki
Advanced Stamping Team Designer 

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