Graceful Envelope History - Family
The Graceful Envelope Contest started in 1995. I learned about it in 1999 and submitted my first entry. The theme was 'The Beauty of Nature'.
I was a new mother of twins. Sometimes the only way I could get them to sleep at the same time was to take a drive and park at the ocean. I designed that first envelope in the car with Nadine & Evan fast asleep. I was so thrilled just to have completed something. To my delight, my envelope was recognized as a 'winner.'
In the summer of 2002, there was a traveling exhibit of some of the creative envelopes from the contest. When it came to the Public Library in Charlotte, I was thrilled to see my envelope hanging on the wall. This time the kids were old enough to take many adventures downtown to visit mommy's envelope.
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The 2006 theme was 'A Fine Line'. Not sure what my inspiration was . . . but some how I developed this:
Two of the three little monkeys are my two cuties! I thought it was too funny! This one was awarded Honorable mention.
"C's the Day" was the theme for 2008. At the time I was homeschooling my darlings. So, when it was contest time, we ALL participated. They now had catagories for youth. So during school we would work on designs. Evan, age 9, went with a Chipmunk, chairs & Christmas trees:
Nadine, age 9, used a cute chinchilla eating cheese:
It was so much creating together. My entry as a 'Colorful Graceful Envelope Contest' - winner:
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Such a crazy thing, but it gives me such joy to create these envelopes. I guess I like the challenge. There is no cash value for winning. It takes me usually a month from design concept to taking it to the post office to hand it off. In the grand scheme of things, not many folks know about this contest - usually the post office worker wonders what it is all about. So no big claim to fame here. But it is something I look forward to doing when the theme catches my imagination. There have been years when the deadline slips by. But nine times I have submitted, six times I have been selected, and the last one - well waiting to find out.
I was a new mother of twins. Sometimes the only way I could get them to sleep at the same time was to take a drive and park at the ocean. I designed that first envelope in the car with Nadine & Evan fast asleep. I was so thrilled just to have completed something. To my delight, my envelope was recognized as a 'winner.'
In the summer of 2002, there was a traveling exhibit of some of the creative envelopes from the contest. When it came to the Public Library in Charlotte, I was thrilled to see my envelope hanging on the wall. This time the kids were old enough to take many adventures downtown to visit mommy's envelope.
The 2006 theme was 'A Fine Line'. Not sure what my inspiration was . . . but some how I developed this:
Two of the three little monkeys are my two cuties! I thought it was too funny! This one was awarded Honorable mention.
"C's the Day" was the theme for 2008. At the time I was homeschooling my darlings. So, when it was contest time, we ALL participated. They now had catagories for youth. So during school we would work on designs. Evan, age 9, went with a Chipmunk, chairs & Christmas trees:
Nadine, age 9, used a cute chinchilla eating cheese:
It was so much creating together. My entry as a 'Colorful Graceful Envelope Contest' - winner:
Such a crazy thing, but it gives me such joy to create these envelopes. I guess I like the challenge. There is no cash value for winning. It takes me usually a month from design concept to taking it to the post office to hand it off. In the grand scheme of things, not many folks know about this contest - usually the post office worker wonders what it is all about. So no big claim to fame here. But it is something I look forward to doing when the theme catches my imagination. There have been years when the deadline slips by. But nine times I have submitted, six times I have been selected, and the last one - well waiting to find out.