HappyMail Pocket Folder: A crafty DIY

I’ve been making tons of these little happy-mail folders recently.

They are super quick & easy to put together, then you can fill the pockets with all sorts of goodies and pop it in an envelope. Obviously, flattish items are recommended if you want to send it via letter post!

Ideas of thing to include:

• Letter
• Sticker sheets
• Folded letter set (2 sheets, 1 envelope)
• Postcard
• Teabag/ hot drink sachet
• Washi samples (wrapped around a playing card works well)
• Flyers
• Recipe cards
• Paper embellishments
• Ephemera

Some pretty elaborate bits of tech are required:
1 sheet of paper, a pair of scissors and (if you have one) a bone folder.

The finished folder will be 1/8th size of the sheet. For example, starting with an A4 sheet gives you an A7 folder.

You can use ANY paper. Some papers I have used:

• Scrapbook paper
• Plain printer paper
• Magazine/comic pages (these work particularly well because if you remove the staples you can use 2 pages as one sheet)
• Gift wrap
• Tourist leaflets that fold out
• Wallpaper

Start by making a fold lengthways, then open it out.

Fold the left-hand edge in to meet the centre fold.

Turn the page over, and repeat with the other edge, this time meeting the centre fold on the other side of the paper.

Open out & lay flat, wrong-side up if you have a certain side intended for the outside.
With the paper lying landscape in front of you, the 3 vertical folds should lie “valley, valley, mountain” from left to right.
Cut the 3 vertical folds only on the BOTTOM HALF of the sheet.

Fold the top left corner to meet the 1st vertical fold.
Fold the bottom middle right OUT from the centre to meet the 3rd vertical fold.
The bottom left corner is folded similarly to the top EXCEPT you want to start folding from further up the side. If you measure from the bottom of the upper flap to the horizontal centre crease, you want the measurement between this crease and the top of the bottom flap to be roughly half. You will be left with a small overlap, Cut this off flush with the cut edge where you initially cut the vertical fold. I took this picture after I had completed the next steps – ignore the folds that have happened on the reverse – they are coming up next!

Turn the whole sheet over.
Repeat the same folds in the same places, top left, bottom centre right, bottom left.

Now it is time to start folding the sheet to make the pockets.

With the wrongside upmost, fold the left hand side in to meet the centre.

Flip the whole sheet over.

And fold the new lefthand side in to meet the centre.

At the bottom of the right hand side, there are 2 flaps. Fold the topmost one UP and firmly burnish the crease.

Repeat this action with the 2nd smaller flap.

Flip it over!

Again, fold UP the 1st bottom left flap.

And the 2nd.

Fold it closed and you have a pocket folder.
Almost!
You just need to seal the vertical edges!!

You can seal the edges with:

• Tape
• Staples
• Stitching

Some examples of other ones:

This one used a double page spread from a Simpsons comic. The edges were sealed with insulating tape!

This tiny little one was made with an offcut of paper and some washi tape edges.
It’s the perfect size for a note, some postage stamps and some loose stickers etc.

I hope you’re inspired to give these a try! Be warned though, they are addictive…

I’d love to see what you come up with, so tag me in your Instagram or twitter pictures.

Thanks for dropping by.

The World’s Oldest Working Post Office

Did you know that the world’s oldest continuously working post office is right here in the UK?

Plaque on the wall of the Sanquhar Post Office.

Sanquhar is a small town in Dumfriesshire, Scotland; it’s kinda out of the way and you probably wouldn’t pass through it unless you were in the area (or have a Mum living there!)

I guess that’s partly why this little treasure survived – if it had been in a larger city, it would have been “improved” years ago; closed and shifted somewhere newer, bigger, more efficient. Instead, there it stands; quietly sending mail for the past 303 years.

And the best bit? Thanks to new Postmaster, Manzoor Alam and family; who stepped in at a time a feared closure was almost definite; it will continue to do so for years to come.

Mr Alam; Postmaster, Postal Historian, Stamp Collector and; let’s be honest; Mail History Hero!

Mr Alam, Sir, we; the post fanatics; salute you!

As many of you know, I have a bit of a ‘thing’ for all things postal; so it may come as no surprise to know that special hand stamped postcards featuring this Post Office were on pretty much regular order with the previous Postmistress. They certainly prove very popular over on Postcrossing!

Fortunately, I am informed that Mr Alam fully intends to continue this service!

It’s such an unassuming little place, I especially love the old bay window.

The idea of a postal museum in the town is also something the Alams have been giving some consideration to. I, for one, think that would be a great idea; and one that Royal Mail, Post Office counters & Historic Scotland etc should support.

We should be proud of our history, not let things close because ; as we are so often told; they are no longer new & shiny or deemed profitable enough.

I’ll be walking through these doors again very soon, and I’ll be sure to say hello from you all!!

What do you think?                                                        I’d love to see your comments below!

And, as always, thanks for stopping by! 

2015 Resolution RoundUp: Week 1: 1st – 7th January

So, how have those daily/ weekly/ monthly challenges been going, you ask? Bloomin’ Brilliantly!!

The twice daily flossing hit a snag the night I got to bed around 4:30am but Operation Drink-loadsa-water is going altogether more swimmingly (tea counts as water, right?)

On the Weekly front, things are going much better; having managed both penpal &  letters, at least one new recipe (MUG CAKES! – more about those later) , a couple of blog posts and a wee make. Wheww!

So yeah, MUG CAKES! Yes, they ARE a thing and YES, they involve what is QUITE POSSIBLY THE MOST DANGEROUS CHOCOLATE CAKE RECIPE IN THE WORLD (partly due to to posserchancity of it exploding in your microwave; but mostly because you are never more than 4 minutes away from Chocolate Cake and that my friend, is a very dangerous place to be.)

Essentially, they are a single(?)serve cake that you make in a mug, in the microwave. In under 4 minutes. Cake. In under 4 minutes.

Vanilla Mug Cake.
This is mine.
Mine sagged a little.
Teen, who had the first one (which turned out perfect!) , stuck his spoon in before I could snap a picture…

It involves a fair bit of trial & error but our first attempt worked out surprisingly well. Teen2 had just swum home from his first day back at school (possibly using his euphonium case as some sort of canoe) and was mooching for a treat to go with his lemon tea.

So, first, some Do’s & Don’ts

Check your mug is microwaveable : you want a large mug (350 ml is ideal) and you can check it’s suitability by heating on high for a minute : if it comes out HOT, try a different mug. Obviously, steer clear of your fine bone-China teacup or Granny’s best tea service with the gold rim 😉

Got a mug? Great!! So, without further a-do, let  us proceed with the diabolical plan….

• Into your mug, scoop 2 tablespoons of butter and melt on high for 20-30 seconds.
• Add 1 tablespoon milk , 2 teaspoons vanilla extract and 1 egg then beat together.
• Next, add 3 tablespoons caster sugar , 4 tablespoons self-raising flour & a pinch ofsalt . Mix thoroughly, taking care NOT to beat in too much air.

Cooking times are dependant on your microwave and temperature of your ingredients etc, but as a guide:

• 2 min 50 sec @ 600W
• 2 min 30 sec @ 800W
• 2 min 10 sec @ 1000W

If you try these, remember to come back and tell us how you got on! In the meantime, we’re planning chocolate peanut next 🙂

The Weekly Make: I did make something, but as it is a gift for someone, I don’t want to let the surprise out until they’ve received it.

The big Monthly challenges have yet to be addressed this month but I’m sure helping edit Teen1’s 6000 word History assignment counts as a little bit of studying.

Does anyone else have a scheme to win at New Year Resolutions? Did you make any? And how are they going?

Thanks for reading, and pop back soon!

One Down, FiftyOne To Go….

RESOLUTIONS and the likes… 

Well, that’s the end of the first week of January already! The holidays certainly whooshed by and Christmas seems like a distant memory. Have you ever noticed how it takes wayyyy longer it to put the whole ruddy thing back IN the box than it does to put up? We don’t overly decorate but it still looks so bare when the trees & decorations come down 😦

Christmas, back in the box till next time!

My day job certainly has the holidays going for it (well it has to have some sort of positive, and it sure ain’t the snazzy uniform, fantastic pay or the little animals angels!) I finished up on the 23rd and didn’t start back until today (to choruses of “it’s only 5 weeks till the long weekend!” )

I never really get the whole NEW YEAR RESOLUTION thing, I always think if you really want to change or improve on something, you should just do it. Indeed, whenever someone asks what mine is, I usually reply “Oh, I resolved to not make one…whoops! Broken it, oh well!”

But this year I’ve decided to do something different. Instead of one BIG Resolution that will no doubt be abandoned by February, I have made a list of smaller (i.e. more ‘do-able’) challenges & ideas in the hope that at least a few might stick!

MONTHLY CHALLENGES include:

• Learning a new skill (candidates so far include crochet & calligraphy )
• STUDY!! After completing a thoroughly enjoyable MOOC last year on Archaeology, it was my intention to do more but things & stuff got in the way… Anyway, Roman Architecture starts 5th February 🙂
• SPEND MORE QUALITY TIME WITH MY OH : sounds kinda dumb but generally anytime we do ‘something’, the kids are involved too. I mean, they even tagged along when we went away for our anniversary!) I resolve to arrange a ‘date’ at least once a month, just for us. A meal out, night away, tickets for a gig, even just a takeaway & a movie on the sofa. But NO kids, NO laptops, NO work. GAH!! How will we cope?? 

Some WEEKLY CHALLENGES are 

• Letterwriting : I have a bunch of penpal letters awaiting replies and I NEED TO DO IT rather than continue to put it off! I challenge myself to write at least ONE letter, each & every week.
• Try A New Recipe
• BLOG : I set this up then was wary of publishing anythinganything (I have a ton of draft posts loitering that I didn’t have the guts to post ) I MUST write (& publish!!) SOMETHING on here weekly. Who knows? I may even get the bug and do it more often!?!
• Make SOMETHING: I have a huge amount of crafting stash but haven’t really done a huge amount of crafting recently. I challenge myself to make at least ONE thing every week.
• PostPals! : I already participate in this great project by sending off monthly mail packs and also random envelopes but I’d love to commit to more regular participation.

DAILY RESOLUTIONS:

• DRINK MORE WATER : I used to drink loads of water but judging by the number of plastic bottles we’ve recycled recently, I’m clearly not!!
• FLOSS MORE – I’m lazy!

Well, that’s probably more than enough of my ramblings for now…. Feel free to pop back later for Week 1’s RESOLUTION ROUNDUP!