I love using Kraft Envelopes from time to time when I’m doing Altered Art, and that’s what I used this time. I added a piece of torn paper bag with a vintage newsprint pattern onto the envelope first. Then I tore some scrap wallpaper with a red color and pattern and added that to the top and bottom of the envelope, over the paper bag print. Then I added some lace trim to the bottom. I embellished this with a vintage photo transparency that I adhered to some grungy paper; I also added paper flowers affixed with button brads, some gems, a 3D paper butterfly, and the words He Loves Me. I finished off the top of the envelope with some black ribbon.

My 3 Papers are the grungy paper behind the transparency, the red wallpaper, and the newsprint paper bag. My 3 buttons are the 3 button brads. And my 3 words, of course, are the He Loves Me words I added.

I love how this turned out, and I like that it sort of looks like a paper purse when it’s hanging on the wall.

I started by using some Tea Dye Distress Ink all over the envelope, adding extra to the edges. I wanted it to look fairly grungy. Next I added some blue patterned scrap paper across the top. Then I added a vintage photo of some lovely ladies, who look to me like they’re having their photo taken. I added some alpha stickers on the photo to spell out “Smile, Marcy.” I used some Tim Holtz clear film down the right side to go with the photo theme and also added a flower near the top of the envelope. Then at the bottom I added my Say Cheese paper sentiment, along with a camera image and a button. Granted, the button doesn’t make much sense. But it’s blue and I just needed something with color down there.

I used a plain, Kraft paper envelope as the base, which is about 4-1/2″ x 6-1/2″. I used a large script rubber stamp to create the text on the envelope. Then I chose a nice vintage photo of a woman and sewed that to some muslin, which I’d distressed a bit. I added just a little color to the woman’s cheeks.  The flowers are 3-D scrapping stickers. The postage stamps and the long “love” clipping at the top are also stickers. I added some grungy’d up cardstock to the left and right of the image, and I stamped one side with the word, “Letters.” And in the lower left there is a 3-D paper image of some letters.

I really like the texture, depth and layers of this altered art piece.  And I loved using the Kraft envelope as the basis for the piece, as it’s something I had not used before. And I love the woman in the photo–she has a dreamy sort of quality about her, sort of like she’s thinking about whomever she is writing those love letters to.