Do you hold your snail mail to a ridiculously high standard? Or when you send a note or gift for a special occasion, do you just want to be a liiiiiiittle extra? We are here for you with some easy mail art ideas. Super easy. Like, “you are seconds away from putting something adorable in your mailbox” easy. 

EASY MAIL ART IDEAS: WHAT YOU’LL NEED

• FREE ENVELOPE PATTERN DOWNLOAD (OURS FITS HALLMARK GOOD MAIL, 4.25” W x 5.5” H. SEE INSTRUCTIONS BELOW FOR OTHER ENVELOPE SIZES.)

• WRAPPING PAPER (WE USED THIS COLOR BLOCK PATTERN  AND THESE MINI DOTS.)

• DOUBLE-STICK TAPE

• GLUE STICK

• WASHI TAPE

• MAILING LABEL OR WHITE PAPER

• THIN PERMANENT MARKER

• SCISSORS

• CRAFT KNIFE, METAL RULER AND CUTTING BOARD (OPTIONAL)

• MAILING TUBE (WE USED THIS ONE)

How to make snail mail envelopes

What makes a greeting card or thank-you note even more festive? A mail art envelope.

• If you’re sending Hallmark Good Mail or making your own card, print and cut out our envelope template.
• If you’re using a card from your stash, carefully take apart the envelope.
• Trace the envelope or template onto the back of the gift wrap with a thin permanent marker, then cut it out.

• Fold and crease the sides, using the dashed lines on the template as a guide.
• Adhere the thin sides to the long bottom flap with double-stick tape.
• Insert your signed card.
• Close the top flap with more double-stick tape.
• Add a mailing label or small rectangle of white paper with double-stick tape for the address.
• Decorate with washi tape.

Pro tip

We recommend doing the important sticking with double-stick tape to make absolutely sure your snail mail arrives in one piece.

How to make mail art tubes

Because sometimes you want to send more than a note, there are tubes.

• Measure the cardboard part of your tube from end to end to get the width. For the circumference, wrap a piece of string or paper around the tube and add about half an inch.
• Tape one end of the gift wrap to the cardboard tube. Wrap it around tight, and adhere the other end with double-stick tape. (Or you can use a glue stick. If you do, don’t cover the entire sheet of paper—it will bubble.)
• Add a mailing label or cut a shape out of white paper and tape it down.
• Fill the tube with goodness: little gifts, paper confetti and a Just Because card.

Bonus mail art ideas

To make your snail mail even more personal, add:

• A whole collection of stamps in a variety of designs and denominations—just make sure they add up to the right postage.
• Hand letter the address and return address. We’ve got lettering tips here.
• Throw in some confetti made of gift wrap or tissue paper.
• Mix and match with our other envelope decorating ideas, like the ones here, here, here, and here.

Show us your mail art! Take a snap and tag us @Think.Make.Share (don’t forget to obscure the addresses).

— Amber G.