more postcards

Rain came yesterday so I put off my outside chores and went to work on my postcards for Hanna's International DIY Postcard Swap.

My tools are simple: a pair of scissors and a stick of Elmer's glue. These sticks are usually pretty cheap during back-to-school sales. About the only glue I don't like much is Duck Brand. This time I'm starting with a background layer that covers the whole card so I want it to stick really really well. I usually glue both the back of the background paper and the top side of my cardboard base, making sure to get the edges well covered with glue. I don't want the post office machinery to catch the edges. After I stick the two pieces together I go over the paper with a paper napkin or tissue to press everything together and to smooth out creases in the paper or blobs of glue that may be underneath it.
I did all the backgrounds and then came back with scissors and from the back I trimmed any paper that was hanging over the cardboard.

 After that I played with the pieces I had associated with the card and thought about how I might layer them. I did one card at a time without actually glueing anything. Then I did another one glueing just one clipping down or maybe two. Piece by piece the cards are coming together. I seem to have a Halloween theme going with some of them. There are some birds, a vampire, a black cat, aliens in the desert, dogs at the swimming hole. Oh wait, maybe it's just my usual cards from the Twilight Zone.

I have seven cards nearly done but I'm stumped for the last three. Even though I have lots of clippings spread out nothing is falling into place. After struggling with the parts my solution is to finish the cards I'm working on and start with a blank slate. Something is bound to turn up!

If you are stumped for ideas check out Hanna's mixed media process, and her ideas for different kinds of postcards.