I send a lot of correspondence. Last year, I believe I sent over 300 pieces of mail to people I know and like. Honestly, it was probably a lot more than that.

Somewhere along the line I discovered and became fond of washi tape. Washi is a type of Japanese paper, and washi tape is basically that same style of paper turned into an adhesive tape. Of course there are many kinds now, not just paper. As you can see above, there is glitter tape and iridescent tape and holographic tape and all kinds of other tape.

I’m particularly fond of the glitter and iridescent tape.

As I would use various styles and colors of tape in my correspondence, I’d put the pieces I cut off the edges of the card on my hand to get them out of the way. I realized I thought those accidental tape stacks looked pretty so I started keeping them on sheets of watercolor paper.

I’d been joking for a while that I was going to make a teeny tiny art installation, and now I’m really going to.

Each one of those tape stacks up there is what I consider my tiny art. Someone who recently received a piece of tiny art said it reminded them of origami, and I can totally see that. Years ago, I used to make origami. When I was a kid, I remember checking a book out from the public library on origami and trying to make everything in it. The book was hardcover and relatively large, and I must have checked it out four or five times.

I like art in so many forms.

Recently I’ve been feeling like sharing my tiny art, so I’ve started including it in some of the correspondence I send. I hope people enjoy it, but I often never know. I like making correspondence as beautiful as possible.

The other day, I sent a card to my friend in Alabama. It may have been one of the prettiest envelopes I’ve ever sent, from the striped rainbow tape, to the sparkly unicorns and rainbows on the front and back. I don’t often look fondly on things I do, but I was pretty pleased with that envelope. My friend likes rainbows like I do, and I hope he enjoys the card when he gets it.

I’ve always loved painting and creating “art” when and where I can. One of my fond memories as a child was when my parents would go to the office supply store in the quiet downtown area of the city where we lived. They would often bring back blank pads of paper that were the store’s castoffs for one reason or another, and I’d snap those up and create art all over them. I was never very good (I’m still not), but I am compelled to create things I’d like to see. Whether that’s a frog in rain boots or an abstract painting in Memphis design hues, I love smushing colors together to create something that makes me feel or think.

I have many pieces of correspondence to ready this morning before I head to the post, so you can be sure more tiny art will be created and spread across the country. It may not be of much consequence, but it’s my offering. Each piece might be only an inch and a half or so (wide or tall), but they are tiny portals into lands of beautiful colors and textures.

Soon I will get five or so small frames and create a rotating tiny art installation, just for me. I have a lot of tape, and I want to put it to use.

And I want to put it where I can see it. I’ll never tire of seeing bright colors and glitter.

Maybe I’m a unicorn.