SSS: Homemade Postcard

Make a homemade postcard for your partner using stickers from one of our four subscription services. Level of artistic quality is up to the sender, which means this can be a thought-out artistic scene with mixed media or just gloriously sticker bombed or anything in between. :) Use as many or as few stickers as you like.

Postcards should be a minimum of 3.5"x5", but can be larger if you wish (I usually do 4"x6"). Just note postage will depend on size.

To send at U.S. postcard rate: Postcard should be no larger than 4.25"x6" and no thicker than .016". Anything larger than those dimensions or with an envelope-like covering (i.e. plastic sleeves) should use a letter-rate stamp. (For International members, please check your country's postal rules.)

Tips for Mailing Homemade Postcards:

• Make sure everything is secure on the postcard! At bare minimum rub stickers (especially edges) with a bone folder or similar item to make sure they are adhered well. You don't want a loose edge to get caught in postal machinery and cause it to eat your work.

• You can cover your postcard face with Mod Podge, Soft Gel medium, Collage medium, Krylon varnish spray, or other such mediums to secure your work. If you choose to go this route, allow at least 3 days for the medium to completely dry and cure before sending. Sending before it cures can cause it to stick to other mail pieces while going through sorting machines and cause damage.

• You can put your postcard inside a transparent sleeve, like a cello envelope. I often mail items this way if there is any variation in thickness of the decorations or if I worked really hard on it and don't want it marred by things ripping, bending, or getting ink/dirt/grease on them going through sorting. The only thing to remember with this method is to put the letter-rate stamp on the outside of the plastic sleeve, not on the postcard itself.

If you have other tips for making or mailing homemade postcards, please share them in the comments below.