My Pocket Letter Swap for Christmas

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Have you ever made a pocket letter?  Maybe you've seen them online recently -- it's a creation made from ATC-sized cards that fit into a nine-pocket card holder page.  I made my first ever one for a swap hosted by JoAnne via her group on Flickr.  Since my partner, Sandi, has received it, I couldn't wait to show you; bear in mind, they are notoriously difficult to photograph!
I used a pale red page imprinted with Christmas sheet music and delicate stamped florals.  I decorated with mostly silver and white vintage elements.
Each of the tiny white and silver tags has a Dynamo-stamped cursive letter, spelling out Joyeaux Noel.  Above, the  top row of pockets; I added a silver doily, a sparkly sequined flower over a sweet image of a little girl cutting paper.  I included a vintage beaded flower spray.



The tags on the second row spell Noel; in the center pocket, a sweet image of two children carrying home a Christmas tree and some boughs on a snowy landscape.  I accented it with a sparkly paper deer pick, snowflakes, a silver star, and a blanket of mica snow at the bottom.
I gave the deer a silver ball collar.
The bottom row is fronted by a little girl in a silvery coat holding a branch of sparkly red flowers; it has a lace trimmed bottom, a real vintage bottle brush tree with tiny glass ornaments, and a spray made from a vintage silver leaf and a green holly floral pick.  I adhered the tree to the front of the page with Christmas-themed washi tape.
What a fun project!  It was time-consuming and took quite a bit of planning.  In addition to choosing, and committing to a color scheme, I needed to make a couple of sketches of the layout before I was satisfied.  When it was all finished, I folded the page into thirds, wrapped it, and shipped it to Sandi along with a card and a few Christmas ephemera gifts and an antique postcard.
I think it turned out very pretty and I hope Sandi truly loved it!  What do you think of this genre of paper crafting?

Comments

JoAnne said…
I know Sandi will adore it Laurie! Full of holiday charm!!
December 15, 2015 at 5:04 PM
Kathy said…
I love it! It reminds me of the ATCs that were so popular. they were so fun to make!
December 15, 2015 at 9:32 PM
The Junque Seeker said…
Very pretty! It's obvious a lot of thought and joy went into this project.
December 15, 2015 at 10:50 PM
Marrianna said…
I think the pocket letter genre is pretty cool. It definitely looks like it took all that time planning that you mentioned. Thinking and planning a gift like this is good for the heart, the brain, and the soul. I have decided to focus my intentions for 2016 on photography and sewing for my creative pursuits. I would make a pocket letter with photographs if I ever decided to do a swap. For now, I'm busy gathering photos of Mom's and my own to put onto sticker pages for 2 of my sons to have in a notebook. This will be an ongoing project since I have soooooo many photos to sift through and make 2 books for them. Gads, what a mother won't do for her boys, right?

Merry Christmas,
Marrianna
December 16, 2015 at 8:04 AM
jeanniemc said…
Absolutely stunning...
December 18, 2015 at 8:25 PM
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