We'd like to introduce Merissa Revestir, who will be a regular Pipsticks contributor this year. Merissa is the force behind an exceptionally inspiring blog that focuses on mail art, crafting and snail mail. She's a lifetime sticker lover and uses stickers in her work to create mailart that truly sings. To kick off our collaboration, we had a little Q&A with Merissa. Going forward, you can check into the Pipsticks blog each month to find out how Merissa is using her Pipsticks and get some inspiration and ideas for your own sticker crafts. So Merissa...What drove you to start your blog?
My blog was started in 2008 as a way for me to share my art and what I was up to with family back home on Kauai. It was my hobby and thing to do after work in luxury retail. In the days before Pinterest I would get lots of inspiration from the glossy pages of fashion and design magazines. Blogging, in a way, became my own magazine.
What inspires you?
I’m fascinated by the cute culture of Japan. I love Japanese craft books and stationery. The attention to detail and creativity that they have are outstanding! I’m also inspired by color. I’m in a pastel with pops of neon phase, sweet and fun.
How do you keep yourself motivated, and avoid burnout?
Going craft supply shopping gets me motivated. Stepping out to get a latte and Barnes & Noble is my thing (unfortunately for me there isn’t a bookstore here at my new home). A bit of vitamin D from the sun and the gorgeous outdoors here on Kauai can zap that burnout quick. It’s good to step away from projects and get a change of scenery every once in a while.
What artists/crafters/teachers have inspired your life?
I grew up in a balloon shop. My mom had her own balloon business in the 80’s and I was around colorful balloon arrangements, parties, and her gift shop everyday. My mom also had a sticker club for kids when I was little. I remember crafting with stickers from a very young age and collecting them in albums. Having a creative mom with a creative business molded my artistic sensibilities and had great impact on my confidence with art as I grew older.
If you could spend a day with any crafter/artist who would it be and why?
Oh my goodness I’d love to spend the day (how about forever) with the Martha Stewart’s Crafts Department. Can you imagine the crazy fun they have crafting all day for a living? I can’t even imagine how awesome their craft supply room is, it must be a crafter’s heaven I bet!! I’d also want to be there when their stylists set up a photo shoot and photographers photograph the crafts for the magazine. That would be such a dream!
As a child, what did you wish to become when you grew up?
In the first grade I wrote that I wanted to become an artist when I grew up. Well when I became an adult my path went into fashion and not to art. But, I’ve always been slowly leaning in the way of something creative. This past summer my husband and I moved which left me jobless but with the time to finally try my hands at doing something creative full time. We’ll see what happens. I still want to become an artist, I was correct back in the first grade after all.
And finally, tell us about your Pipsticks mail art this month...
For the letter paper I used several round stickers and stuck them to the top of the colorful paper that came in my Pipsticks sticker pack. I also made my own letter paper by drawing lines on white paper with a lavender marker and decorated with washi tape. If you take a look at the magenta paper with the orange sticker, I used the backing of a sticker sheet from another of your the sheets (not photo’d) to act as a border. I also used the same method for the envelope.
So let’s talk about the envelope. I cut and folded some scrapbooking paper. Using the sticker sheet backing from a sheet of circular stickers (not photo’d) as a frame for the addresses I stuck one on the lower right and one on the top left front of my envelope. I chose to use the sticker sheet backing because as I was removing the stickers I saw that it left an interesting printed edge around each sticker that was from the sticker printing process. I wrote in each address by hand. For the stickers I used the hologram musical notes from my Pipsticks pack and decorated with washi tape.
We'd like to introduce Merissa Revestir, who will be a regular Pipsticks contributor this year. Merissa is the force behind an exceptionally inspiring blog that focuses on mail art, crafting and snail mail. She's a lifetime sticker lover and uses stickers in her work to create mailart that truly sings. To kick off our collaboration, we had a little Q&A with Merissa. Going forward, you can check into the Pipsticks blog each month to find out how Merissa is using her Pipsticks and get some inspiration and ideas for your own sticker crafts. So Merissa...
What drove you to start your blog?
My blog was started in 2008 as a way for me to share my art and what I was up to with family back home on Kauai. It was my hobby and thing to do after work in luxury retail. In the days before Pinterest I would get lots of inspiration from the glossy pages of fashion and design magazines. Blogging, in a way, became my own magazine.
What inspires you?
I’m fascinated by the cute culture of Japan. I love Japanese craft books and stationery. The attention to detail and creativity that they have are outstanding! I’m also inspired by color. I’m in a pastel with pops of neon phase, sweet and fun.
How do you keep yourself motivated, and avoid burnout?
Going craft supply shopping gets me motivated. Stepping out to get a latte and Barnes & Noble is my thing (unfortunately for me there isn’t a bookstore here at my new home). A bit of vitamin D from the sun and the gorgeous outdoors here on Kauai can zap that burnout quick. It’s good to step away from projects and get a change of scenery every once in a while.
What artists/crafters/teachers have inspired your life?
I grew up in a balloon shop. My mom had her own balloon business in the 80’s and I was around colorful balloon arrangements, parties, and her gift shop everyday. My mom also had a sticker club for kids when I was little. I remember crafting with stickers from a very young age and collecting them in albums. Having a creative mom with a creative business molded my artistic sensibilities and had great impact on my confidence with art as I grew older.
If you could spend a day with any crafter/artist who would it be and why?
Oh my goodness I’d love to spend the day (how about forever) with the Martha Stewart’s Crafts Department. Can you imagine the crazy fun they have crafting all day for a living? I can’t even imagine how awesome their craft supply room is, it must be a crafter’s heaven I bet!! I’d also want to be there when their stylists set up a photo shoot and photographers photograph the crafts for the magazine. That would be such a dream!
As a child, what did you wish to become when you grew up?
In the first grade I wrote that I wanted to become an artist when I grew up. Well when I became an adult my path went into fashion and not to art. But, I’ve always been slowly leaning in the way of something creative. This past summer my husband and I moved which left me jobless but with the time to finally try my hands at doing something creative full time. We’ll see what happens. I still want to become an artist, I was correct back in the first grade after all.
And finally, tell us about your Pipsticks mail art this month...
For the letter paper I used several round stickers and stuck them to the top of the colorful paper that came in my Pipsticks sticker pack. I also made my own letter paper by drawing lines on white paper with a lavender marker and decorated with washi tape. If you take a look at the magenta paper with the orange sticker, I used the backing of a sticker sheet from another of your the sheets (not photo’d) to act as a border. I also used the same method for the envelope.
So let’s talk about the envelope. I cut and folded some scrapbooking paper. Using the sticker sheet backing from a sheet of circular stickers (not photo’d) as a frame for the addresses I stuck one on the lower right and one on the top left front of my envelope. I chose to use the sticker sheet backing because as I was removing the stickers I saw that it left an interesting printed edge around each sticker that was from the sticker printing process. I wrote in each address by hand. For the stickers I used the hologram musical notes from my Pipsticks pack and decorated with washi tape.
