Mail art

Home

Chat

Blogs

Collection

Directory

Home : 2003 : November : 14

Mail art
By Marilyn B.

I recently mailed a two litre bottle filled with Halloween candy and other goodies to my daughter who lives in another city. After rinsing the bottle and letting it air dry, I used a linoleum knife to cut a large "X" in
the side.
Then I stuffed the bottle with shredded paper and the items that I wanted to mail. Next I used duct tape to close the opening, and addressed the bottle using mailing labels. Finally, I decorated the outside with colorful stickers.
Sending mail like this is called mail art, and it's been around for about forty years. People all over the world make mail art, and the two

litre bottle is just one item that can be decorated and mailed. In this type of art, anything goes, so you can decorate the bottle any way you wish.

The really neat thing is to see the clerk's face when you take it to the window to mail. Of course, seeing the recipient's expression would be fun, too! As far as using this in a classroom setting, I think sending messages to students in another city would be fun.