2013 DIY Postcard Swap

After a long pause in swapping, I recently joined ihanna's postcard swap, and had so much fun making serendipity postcards.

I learned about serendipity blocks a few years ago, when inchies were all the rage, and I participated in a serendipity inchie swap. The idea is to work on a large collage, then turn it around to the back/blank side, and cut it up to pieces blindly, not knowing how the inchies would turn out.

In this picture, on the left, you can see the collage I made back in 2008, and on the right are the inchies that resulted:

I really like working this way, completely unattached and unaware of the outcome! Of course, once you've cut up the collage and have all the pieces, you can work on them seperately, until you reach a satisfactory outcome.

So this is how I started my postcard swap. I worked on a very large piece of cardstock, collaging it with many bits and pieces - maps, tissue paper, tags, scrapbookig paper, and so much more. When I was done collaging I added some stamping:

After the collaging and stamping, I liked my collage so much, that I just couldn't bear the thought of cutting it up! So I let it rest for a few days.

And after that, I took another look, and added more stamping, I also made marks with pastels, pencil and ink, and stencils as well:

I then turned it around, and marked squares for my postcards, and cut them up, without looking:

I then had all my postcards, and I started giving them some final touches, mainly adding some washi tape and doodling, and I also framed each postcard with acrylic paint.

I have to say I really enjoyed the process, and I love the outcome, although I must admit there were a few stages along the way where I just wanted to throw it all away! It's hard working this way, it's challenging, and I love it! Just go on and on until you're happy, so what if you feel unsatisfied along the way, right?!

Here are some closeups of my completed poscards:

So what about you? have you ever done this serendipty block technique? participated in a postcard swap? please leave a link in the comments section, I'd love to see what you made! :)

 

Comments

[iHanna]

Hagit, love your postcards! They are so cool, and so are the inchies. Thanks for joining! This is how I made mine too, but with paint first and then collage this time.

[Yvonne]

I love the way you did this! I'm just sorry I wasn't on your list to receive one of your beautiful cards - I must give this a go, sounds like lots of fun. Beautiful!

[Luci Swim]

Just received my card from you - thank you *so* much, it's absolutely gorgeous!! I love all the layers and bright colors. :)