tweet-size stationery: hoot hoot!

A collection of empty Altoid tins inspired the most painstaking and rewarding project I’ve made yet: tweet-sized stationery. These tins are too sturdy and useful to send straight to recycling, so how could I re-purpose them?

I attended a meeting of the PDX Correspondence Coop, a group of people who gather every month to revere vintage typewriters, postage stamps, and old-fashioned letter writing. A co-op member demonstrated how to make tiny envelopes. —-Bing! The idea came together in my head but took weeks to figure out.

I did the whole thing analog, meaning: all by hand with a wooden ruler, measuring and testing and folding until it fit perfectly. Then, I took my drawings to the printer, then I hand cut every single page of stationery and envelope, THEN folded and glued.

I also painted the tins, cut out tiny pieces of felt, and patiently glued them to the top of each tin. One fun fact: visiting the “googly eye” section of a craft store is great fun. I turned the corner, saw the dozens of different sized and colored eyeballs staring back at me and started laughing so hard I could not stop. Definite pick-me-up.

These tiny owls leave you just enough room for messages that get straight to the heart of the matter, like: “I hope you have a good day. I love you. –Mom” or a haiku!

I’ve got these in my Etsy shop: www.etsy.com/shop/CarrotCondo: 12 sheets of stationery all with different owls, and 6 self-sealing envelopes also with different owls, that fit inside the re-purposed Altoid tin. They cost $18.50 plus shipping.

If you like these, I’d love to hear your thoughts. I have at least one more design in mind (monsters, of course), but I’m not yet ready to commit the time and energy. So in the meantime, I’m taking notes on anything I’d do differently. Ironically, I may not make the tins again. Still deciding.

Thank you, as always, for your interest in my creative endeavors! I’ll be in some craft shows soon and would love to see some of you PDX folks in person. More about that next month.

–TRISTA