Does your sister travel the world and send you postcards of all sorts of amazing, exotic locations? Or perhaps you yourself adventure cross-country to tour historic American cities and collect postcards as mementos along the way?
Deltiology, or the collecting of postcards, is thought to be one of the largest global hobbies. The postal card idea originated in Germany around 1865 and quickly caught on as being a less expensive way to keep in touch, even if there was a small loss in privacy. At the same time, envelopes in America were being decorated with music notes, comics, or valentines. These “patriotic covers” recognized the same idea.
Passing language barriers and cultures, a postcard memorializes a meaningful locale to you or to be shared with loved ones you wish were there with you. It’s a quick and easy way to remind someone far away that you care, for only a few pennies. But what do you do with them once they are collected or received? Make a postcard collage of course!
A postcard collage is fairly simple and can look pretty snazzy up on an otherwise boring wall.
Follow these steps to build your DIY postcard collage:
- Pick out 5 or 6 of your favorite postcards.
This is a good starting point to determine around how big you want your collage to be. Plus, you probably have a number of them that are more private or have wear and tear damage that may not show as well. The most cohesive collages have a theme that goes beyond “Cities I’ve Visited.” Maybe you enjoy postcards which feature mountain ranges or cathedrals. No matter what your theme, be sure that you are comfortable adhering them to something (meaning you will not be able to read any message on the back).
- Plan a suitable background.
Colored poster board works well as a sturdy background, but colors may be limited. There’s nothing wrong with using a plain white or black background if your postcards can be seen clearly against it. If your postcards already have bright colors, this might be the way to go. If you are opting for postcards with landscapes, a light shade of clover green or caramel brown might be a nice accent.
- Arrange postcards on background.
This is the most complicated part of the process, but it’s not complicated at all! In order to see the color of the background you’ve chosen, there are two options for postcard arrangement. One is by leaving a “frame” of color around/between the postcards. To achieve even borders, use a ruler. If you want a slightly less square design, stagger your postcards in a checkerboard pattern with touching sides. Instead of colored borders, the postcard collage will have small squares of color peeking through.
- Adhere postcards with spray adhesive.
Once you’ve determined an arrangement that suits your tastes, pick up a postcard and turn it over on a sheet of newspaper. Spray the back with adhesive and replace it on the colored background, pressing down firmly for 5-10 seconds. Proceed with each postcard this way until all are adhered to the poster board.
Depending on how many cards and which arrangement you choose, the size of your finished piece could vary greatly. Before trimming down the extra edge space on your poster board (if there is any), take your postcard collage in to Frame Warehouse. The staff at Frame Warehouse will be glad to help you pick out the perfect frame – fit and all! Next time you have guests over, use the collage as a conversation piece to share the stories of your travels!
