creepy crawlies, super lens, making envelopes…

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Does the end of summer bring an end to the abundance of bugs? Not here in southwest Florida…but maybe a little fewer.

 

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During the summer, it seems that I’ve kept a photo log of all things creepy crawly that crossed my path.

 

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You see, I’ve been mesmerized with being able to view the tiniest little things through the lens of a darkroom enlarger, while it is strapped to my camera. (I use masking tape, no less.)

 

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When I zoom in as much as possible and get about 4 inches away from my subjects, I see their minuscule world with a brand new knowledge.

 

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Realizing that most bugs scare a good percentage of people, most of the time, and the fact that October is a breeze away---I recently collected five of my favorite macro bug shots and created some blank greeting cards with them to put up in our shop.

 

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Making the envelopes is pretty simple, and when you make your own, you can create any size card you want. I like cards that are 5 x 7 inches (approx. 13 x 18 cm); they can easily slide into a ready made frame for decorating with.

A 9 x 12 inch (approx. 23 x 30 cm) pad of drawing paper works perfectly for the envelopes.
Whichever size you choose, your paper for the envelope will need to be at least 1 inch (2.5 cm) larger on all sides than your card is when it is opened up flat and placed in the middle of the piece of paper.

 

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Lay your card, folded, in the middle of your paper.

 

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Fold over the sides. (I use a spoon for good creases)

 

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Fold the bottom edge over.

 

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And, fold the top edge over.

 

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Open your paper, and remove the card.

 

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You’ll be cutting out the four rectangles that you’ll see in each corner. I’ve marked these rectangles with a sharpie.

 

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Then, to make the envelope look a little more polished, it’s best to trim off a bit from the corners of each flap. Just a smidgen does the trick.

 

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Once you’re done, fold the side flaps back down and bring up the bottom flap. Take note of where the bottom flap covers the side flaps; you’ll apply a bit of glue to the side flaps where the bottom flaps will be covering them.

 

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That’s it. When you’re ready to send of your card, you can glue down the top flap with a glue stick. One trick to ensure a really good seal is to rub over the flap with a spoon, in a back and forth motion, after you’ve sealed it. I think the friction creates some heat and helps to set the adhesive.

For mine, I found a recipe for envelope adhesive that doesn’t seal until it’s moistened (just like store bought), and I’ll be sharing that process in another post.

 

Or…if all this seems like too much work (and I can whole heartedly understand where you are coming from) you might enjoy this blog post over at the Angry Chicken blog as much as I did.
It’s called --- homemade envelopes - lazy style and comes with a video tutorial.

I came across this post while thoroughly examining another one at the Always Chrysti blog ---100+ ways to creatively reuse old magazines.
Now who can resist that title?

 

happy october, everyone,
~dale

4 comments:

  1. I am in love with the insect pics!! I have a wall that has a bunch of snail pics...snails on a mini car, snails with a mini R2D2 and I love them. These would be fanastic in my house as well :)

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  2. Hi Megs,
    I'd really like to see a picture of that wall! Maybe you can post it on your blog. :) You know, of all people, I had a hunch you might like these bug photos, and I really appreciate you commenting on them. Thanks.

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  3. i just stumbled onto your blog and love it. these photos of insects are wonderful! :D love the first one so very much.

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  4. Ana, I'm so glad you stopped by. I really love the ant also; I'm happy to hear that I'm not the only one. :-)

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