DIY - Scratch a wish cards

It took me a while to finish this post, but I promised you some explanation on how to make the "scratch a wish cards". And here it is! My very first DIY tutorial :)

I took pictures of every step in the proces of making both the cards and the envelopes.
Let's start off with the cards...

Step 1: First you'll need to cut your piece of paper. Ofcourse it can be any size you want. Mine are 8,5 cm to 7 cm. The background can be a small illustration in some light colors. Wanterpaint is grat to use when creating the background! Let the colors blend with some water, and you have a great result in no time...

Step 2: Design your letters. I made the layout with indesign, but you can use any program you like, or you can just handletter the words. If I may give you a great tip, go to dafont.com where you can download a lot of cool lettertypes for free! It makes handlettering so much easier...

Step 3: Take a piece of carbon paper and print the words to your paper. Don't forget to mark the corners of the boxes where you will write your wishes. I'll make it a lot easier to draw the later.

Step 4: Check out if you copied everything.

Step 5: Use a black pen to color the letters on the card. Make sure the printing isn't visible anymore.

Step 6 & 7: Now connect the corners of the boxes with your pen.

Step 8: Look up three beautiful wishes you would love to sent anyone. write them in the boxes you just drew.

Step 9: If you want so, you can leave a message behind on the back of the card. I ask the finder to let me know where he or she found the card and wich wish was scratched.

Step 10: When you're happy about everything you've written and drawed, you can laminate your cards. It's absolutely necessary to do that. Otherways you an not add a layer to scratch away (wich is the point of the scratch cards ;) )

Step 11: Time now for the finishing touch. Give the wishes a coat of  typex to hide the messages. It covers well and is easy to scratch away. Once dry, make sure you can't read the messages underneath. If they're still vissable, just add an extra coat.

Step 12: tadaaaaaam! Ready to hide away :)

I think you can just copy all the cards, and that wouldn't be any problem, but it just gives me a great feeling to put so much effort in it.


Once you get the cards, the envelopes aren't that difficult anymore. Here's a little help to make them succeed...

 The start is probably the toughest part. I made a template in hard paper to reuse.
format: 11,5 cm x 11,5 cm.
Once you cutted out that square, just add the diagonals. Now draw a rectangle as big as your finished 'scratch a wish' card in the square.
Try to fold that into an envelope.

 Now you can draw the square on some paper you want to use to make your envelope. When folding your template while it stays in the same place, you can draw the folding lines on your paper.
That gives you an idea where you will have to fold your paper.

 Like shown here. First you have to cut out the square ofcourse. Then fold your paper on the lines you've drawn.

 One side of the envelope must be glued.

Grab back the carbon paper so you can put your design for the back of the envelope on the envelope (afterall, you want people to know they can pick the card up!)

 Now, just like you did with the card, colour the letters with a black pen.

 Hooray! The envelope is ready to use!
Since I noticed people sometimes look at the cards, but don't pick them up, I recently added a 'please pick me up' line on the bottom of the envelope...

Now put your cards in the envelopes and spread your wishes!









I would be very glad to see your results if you made some cards yourself! And it would be so cool to know where you left the cards behind :)
If you have any questions or suggestions, don't hesitate to contact me! I'll love to respond your messages!

With love
Inow. x

About golden treetops and miracles

When I look out of my window, I see the forrest. It always seemed to be a dark and scary place to me. When I was a kid, I had nightmares of a werewolf, climbing up my window and trying to eat every piece of my body that wasn't under my blanket. I checked my closet every night to make sure he wasn't hiding there, ready to attack. Then I snuggled in, making sure I was all covered and hidden for all my scary fantasies that where living out there.

But sometimes, when we expect it the least, there's the sun, turning the once so dark and stark treetops into golden leafs, who seem to sparkel on a autumns day.

Miracles do excist...

Enjoying that view, I opend a new package I received from the Netherlands. A thick envelop with the message 'hope you'll like it' on the back. Inside I found an old paperback edition of 'the notebook'. Time made the pages turn yellow, and I could smell the hands and tears of the readers who loved the novel before it came to me. Since the moment I noticed that, it became one of the most precious books of my collection...

I have that thing with old books. A visit to London, for example, is never complete without a stop in my favorite second hand bookstore in Camden (and a cider in the Hawley's arms ofcourse). To me, it's like second hand books don't only tell stories, they've become a story themselves, which makes it more valuable for a dreamer like me.

I started reading that same night, and I almost finished the story by now. As always when reading books, there are some words I cherish in head and hart...

"I am a common man with common thoughts, and I've led a common life. There are no monuments dedicated to me and my name will soon be forgotten, but I've loved another with all my heart and soul, and to me, this has always been enough." (Nicholas Sparks)

I hope to feel the same one day, when I'm old and wrinkeld.
But as told before:

Miracles do excist.

With love
Inow.

Do you hear the letters sing...

Another historical day in my postcrossing adventure today. I participated my first Round Robin. Thats when you have to sent cards to some people, and receive cards from the same persons. The challenge was to send a black and white postcard and to write some lyrics on the back.
Since I'm a huge musical lover, I've written down some lyrics from my favorite musicals.

But that wasn't all. I decided to try out some 'mail art' and to decorate the envelopes I would use. So I bought some lovely brown envelopes who where just perfect for this job :)
I started drawing, painting and hand-lettering, and came up with these artyfarty results.

Do you recognize the musicals they refer to?

My dad did quote a good job guessing, especialy since he's not a musical lover at al...




Maybe try taking a closer look to the lyrics I wrote down ;)

How lovely, a little music on a card. I sent a letter with to explain why I love these songs so much. Now just hoping the receivers will apreciate it! "Fingers crossed"

With love,
Inow.

postcrossers sunday...

 Sometimes, I really wished to be Harry on sunday...

I don't think uncle Vernon is a postcrosser ;)

Scratch a wish...

Once, a friend of me found some cute envelope in a London tube. A message on the back asked to pick it up, so that's what she did. In the envelope was another enveloppe, and in that one was another envelope, and you'll never believe it but in that envelope was another envelope,... I think there where about ten envelopes in there, getting a little smaller every time. When you finally opend all the envelopes there was a little message hiding inside which told her to never regret anything. she kept it really close to never forget those words and it made her smile for a while.

I really loved the idea of surprising random people! That's why I came up with the idea of 'scratch a wish'.  By making a small and cheap message to leave somewhere for passengers to accidentally find it. So I started crafting while the rain was hitting my windows and the man on the radio was telling more about terrorism and war. So I started crafting even harder because I believe the world deserves some happiness!

After a long day of trying and failing, I came up with this cute cards, and I smiled! On every card there are three wishes, but the finder has to scratch just one! (it's a bit like finding a magical lamp and asking the gost for one wish).

So I was ready to leave them behind, hoping to be found. First city to drop them: Bruges! I had to be there for some groceries and took the little cards with me. I left them in the city and I really hope someone picked them up by now, and scratched a beautifull wish to warm their hart! next time, I'll tell you guys more about how I made these cards, so maybe you can make some yourself to share. It's a little like postcrossing but without the stamps. Sending out letters to make other people smile...

With love,
Inow.

painted with patience

Some people don't like handmade postcards. I understand that not everyone makes them with care and passion. But last monday, I received a lovely card from Germany with a cute little handmade painting on the back. I knew that was a card made with love, hoping to be appreciated. And so I did!

I knew I could paint some of my own. Behind the doors of my small closet overloaded with art supplies, I reached out for my pen, ink and waterpaint. I had a couple ideas in mind, and started to try out somethings. Sketching, painting, destroying, frustrating, trying again and finaly, being happy because the squirel, the deer and the fox escaped my mind and found their place on the paper. More space in my head for daydreaming and producing new idea's.

So, after a day of trying and failing, this is what I came up with:

Three 'forest-inspired' cards, ready to send out. Willing to be appreciated. Would you be happy receiving one of them?

With love
Inow.

Keep your eyes open

I have to admit, most of the time I'm rushing trough life. Go out with some friends, working, time for hobbies, working, cleaning the house, working,... All that time I'm crossing some beautiful places I don't even give a single look.

Well, latley, I have time in overload, since I'm still looking out for a job. That time I fill with postcrossing (ofcourse!), reading and freakingly check out every jobsite to see if maybe the last 30 seconds someone would have posted a new vacancy that might be my dreamjob. Seriously frustrating!

That's why, today, I went for a walk, and for the first time since long I saw the pretty nature around. The sun peeping trough the trees, falling leaves dancing in the wind, a cold autumn breeze coloring my cheeks. After two minutes or so, I ran home, straight to my room, and took my instax camera. This was the perfect moment for a piece of magic...

I took some precious belongings with me, started to make several compositions and taking hundreds of different positions till I finally was happy about what I saw trough the looking glass. And than I waited, lying on the cold, soggy grass in the forest. Waiting for that little bit of sunlight breaking trough the treetops. I think I lay there for a half an hour before I pushed the button to make this...

I know I'm not a professional photographer, and I know this isn't a perfect picture at all. But for me at that moment I was fulfilled with happiness and wished I would be someone's sunshine breaking trough every now and then...

With love
Inow.

Check me out...

... on Pinterest!

Click here to check it out immediately!

I just made a new pinterestprofile where you'll find all my creations, pictures and inspiration. A lot more to see there ;) Well, there's not a lot just yet, but there will be soon! I promise :)
So go, check it out, and start to pin! (cause, as you already know, Pinterest is always the answer)

With love
Inow

The very first...

Could the weekend start any better? I don't think so! Look what was in my mailbox today...

Indeed! My very first postcrossing letter :) Thanks to one of the tags i tried out. I waited 2 hours before opening the envelop. I coudn't stop thinking that after opening, I would never receive the 'very first' letter ever... But curiosity took over, and I opend it anyway... and I really liked what I found in the envelop! I will try out the tea when writing my next letter :)

My virtual mailbox was also in a happy mood today. One of the cards I sent out has been deliverd as wel. That was a nice surprise because now I will receive some postcards myself :) Thumbs up for a save mailtrip!

I'll leave you al for now cause I got to write and send another postcard before the mailoffice takes two days of as well. ;)

With love
Inow.

surprise tag - marauders map

While I am still waiting to receive my very first postcrossing postcard, I started looking around on the forum. There are some interesting topics I wanted to try out. You have traveling notebooks, where people send a notebook around the world and you can write about a specific subject asked by the host. Problem is they are a little suspicious about newbies here (wich I definitely understand, since you want your notebook back at the end of the traveling). So I'll maybe try that one later.

Another interesting topic on the forum is about so called 'tags'. It took me a while to figure out what they meaned by that, but now I got it! For those who still don't know what i'm talking about, a little explanaition: One member gives a subject, for example 'envelope full of surprises', followed by what he or she expects people to send (like the game rules). Then you can tag the person above you, you ask for his or hers address, and you sent them what you promised! Then you wait till the next person tags you, so you can receive something to. (Who thought it would be that simple!?)

At first, i found it kind of tricky. You never know if you'll get something yourself. But sometimes, we shoudn't think about what we get out of it, and just enjoy giving. So I took a shot and tagged someone! Cathegory: write one letter, send one empty postcard and add a surprise.

I always try to give people something they would actualy like, so I took a look at the profile of my first tagged postcrosser. there I found out she liked Harry Potter! Lucky me, we shared an interest! I decided to make her my own version of the well known marauders map.

And when you ask yourself 'how could I make...' Pinterest is always the answer! That's where I found these really good instructions: http://www.britta.com/hogwarts/Year6/prep/map/MapWithInstructions.pdf
I adore the details in the printable version of the map. Although I like a challenge, so I drew my own version and added my name and the name of the chosen one (I mean the receiver, nor Harry himself) in one of the footsteps marching the castle.

Ok, enough talking now! Here's the result:

Do you see the wrapper around the map? That's where the magic really hapens! I wrote a secret messege with milk on it. When carefully holding the paper above a candle, the words will reveal. WONDERFUL! See my name on the picture? That's the effect you get when it works out (and your paper doesn't burn away ;) )

So, the letter is ready to be posted now. Fingers crossed for a save trip!

With love
Inow.

an original instax postcard!

Do you remember the time of polaroid pictures, where people wheren't able to just take there smartphone and photograph everything around, but they actually had to look trough the camera, chose a nice shot and hoped a pretty picture would come out? No? Me neither, but I like the idea of making pictures with care. that's why I bought my instax camera in first place. And I still don't regret it!

Today I even used it to make a postcard! I walked trough the beautiful city of Bruges (where I live - I'm so lucky, I know), looking for a classic postcard with some historical landmarks to sent another postcrosser. Then I realised I really didn't like those commercial postcards they make nowadays. They mostly don't represent the way I see Bruges. So I took my Instax, went to my favorite places, and putted them on a fancy paper. I think it turned out wonderfull! Just hope that the receiver will love it to (at least i'm sure she will not have a card like this just yet...)

Just wished people would make postcards like these in a large amount, so I don't have to put them toghetter all the time ;)

With Love
Inow.

Happy Postcrossing

I've been busy postcrossing for two days now, and my desk already looks like a hurricain past trough.
Is it normal to be addicted to this way of communicating this soon? (seriously, since i've started postcrossing i nearly checked my phone...)

Surprising people was always something I liked, and honestley, who doesn't like to be surprised? Well, I love it! I guess thats why I was so excited about it in the first place.

My first three postcards are circulating right now. One went to Germany, one to Russia and one to China! Hope they will arrive soon and hear about what the receivers will think of it.
In al my enthousiasm I forgot to make pictures of the cards and little surprises I sent with.
But I'll promise to show you the next letters and packages I put in the mailbox, and tell you more about the things I send with. Awaiting that, here's a picture of my desk right know (maybe you can recognize some things I sent)

With Love
Inow.