ABOUT THIS EVENT

Event Category

Arts & DIY

Event Overview

What is Letterboxing? It's a fun outdoor hobby that is kind of like a lower-tech version of Geocaching. Letterboxers hide small, weatherproof boxes in publicly accessible places (like parks) and distribute clues to finding the box in printed catalogs, on one of several web sites, or by word of mouth. Individual letterboxes contain a notebook and a rubber stamp, preferably hand carved or custom made. Finders make an imprint of the letterbox's stamp in their personal notebook, and leave an impression of their personal signature stamp on the letterbox's "visitors' book" or "logbook" — as proof of having found the box and letting other letterboxers know who has visited. Many letterboxers keep careful track of their "find count".

In this two-part class you'll get introduced to the basics of the hobby and learn to make two of the items that participants use - a hand-carved rubber stamp and a handmade log book. The skills you will learn while making these items can be used in a lot of other craft pursuits. In the first session you will learn to carve a personal rubber stamp of your own design. In the second session, you will learn how to make your own logbook.

Each class attendee will receive a printout with a written tutorial for that class so if you forget anything we learned you can refer back to it later. All materials are included in the class price.

What to Bring

It's a good idea to wear old clothes in case you get any ink on you. If you have an idea of what you want your letterboxing trailname to be and what design you want for your stamp please bring your ideas and sketches.

Minimum age

All ages welcome

What's Provided

I will provide rubber carving material, carving tools to borrow, rubber stamping ink pads to borrow, paper and cardstock to make your logbook and all other materials needed to complete the project during class. Extra supplies will be available to purchase

What You Can Expect From This Experience

• Learn to make custom rubber stamps
• Learn some basic bookbinding skills
• Find out where to get clues to find letterboxes
• Find out how to log your finds

Location