In the quest to find more things to put through the mail I turned to the Swedish masters at IKEA. These guys and gals are the ones to watch in terms of shipping so I figured I'd just hack their picture frames into some funky postcards.

This method is a little high-tech, but there's an easy low-tech modification for it.

Step 1: Get a Cheap Frame

Dig through the photo section of IKEA and you'll find plenty of options to show off a photo. Most of these have glass, but the real score are the cheap cheap frames with the polystyrene windows. They're safer to work with and the post office will definitely thank you for it.

My favorite find is the ISIG frame. Two frames that hold 5x7 photos for $3! A tasty deal and even my cat dug the smell when I tore the wrapper off.

Step 2: Take Everything Out

Say goodbye to the cardboard backing and the liner sheet. Then rip out those flimsy metal pieces that hold it all together.

Step 3: Etch the Addresses

Once again, I used the laser cutter at Squid Labs to make a new piece. These were etched with the Epilog at full power and a speed of 80.

So you don't have a laser cutter? I hear ya. Just grab a Sharpie and draw them on yourself. There doesn't need to be anything high-tech with this.

Step 4: Glue It In

Get out the hot glue gun and run a bead of glue all along the inside. Now just plop the window in and you're good. Take care of excess glue with a razor or an Xacto blade if you want.

Step 5: Mail It Off

Get it stamped at the post office and send it off to meet its destiny.

I mailed two of these cards in the bay area of Northern California. One went about two miles and the other went about 30 on its way to Stanford. Strangely enough, the Stanford card cracked in almost the exact same way as the stencil postcard I mailed to Brooklyn. Weird.

Yesterday, I mailed off two more to Brooklyn. Don't know if they'll survive the trip.