Gelli plate to the rescue! Junk mail makeover

I am the victim of a vast conspiracy. You probably are, too. I am being smothered in paper I don't want. Phone books and free "newspapers" pile up on my doorstep, junk mail clogs my mail box, and companies insist on sending me paper bills and return envelopes even though I pay online. 

Everywhere I go, people try to give me more paper, even my beloved library. And don't get me started on paper receipts.

To fight back, I recycle or refuse all this unwanted paper. But sometimes I hold on to it, just in case. That's why I have an entire file box full of cheesy greeting cards.

I received them from a variety of charities I donated to (once). Even if I liked the designs, I can't use them because the back praises me for being a selfless supporter, making me a fraud. What to do?

Gelli plate to the rescue!

I considered covering the cards with white gesso before I started printing. But a sense of adventure (and laziness) told me to print directly onto the cards. Maybe the underlying design would combine with the print in a cool way.

Sometimes it did.

Sometimes it didn't.

(I call this one "Christmas with the measles.")

I was happy with these.

After the paint dried, I added embellishments to some of the card fronts, either to hide traces of the original card or to create visual interest. The first three below are stamps, and the last one is an outline made with a white gel pen.

To cover the original message on the inside of the card, I attached blank paper using double-sided tape.

The best part about my recycled cards is that they come with envelopes!

So what do you think? Am I still being a fraud by using these unsolicited cards?