Tag Archives: snail mail

Month of Letters 2016

img_8350Are your pens and piles of stationery all ready for another Month of Letters? I have my first two letters ready to go to the neighborhood blue box this morning and a pile of letters that need replies.

Last year, I had a pile of goals set along with Letter Month, but this year, I just want to keep it simple: mail something every day and try to mail it from a neighborhood blue box (instead of being a lazy hermit and mailing from my building’s box.) I’m also going to try to start my day with letter writing to see if I can start a new habit around here. I’ll let you know how it goes.

I’ll be sharing my daily outgoing mail on Instagram for now.

Are you participating? Do you have specific goals in mind?

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Mail Totals for 2015

2016 mail so far,How is January almost over? Before we move too far into 2016, and before we get into Letter Month, I wanted to share my mail totals for 2015. Last year was the first year I’ve kept track of what I sent and how much I spent on postage.

daily mail trackingEach day I write on my daily calendar page what I sent out and how much the postage cost. On this particular day, I sent out three letters, four international postcards (for a postcard swap I participated in), and one U.S. postcard. tracking mail sent each monthThroughout the month, I tally up the total number of U.S. letters, international mail (letters and postcards cost the same, so I lumped them into the same category), U.S. postcards, and packages I sent that month.tracking mail sent each month, tracking mail spendingThen, at the end of the month, I total up the number of pieces sent and the cost for the month and write it on the monthly page of my calendar.

My totals for 2015:

$231.41*

U.S. Letters: 213

International (Postcards & Letters): 31

U.S. Postcards: 63

Packages: 9

Letters & Postcards Sent from Japan: 26

Total Mail: 342

Not too shabby, right? My best month was December (no surprise) with fifty-six, but February wasn’t far behind with fifty-one. And September was the worst with a piddly FIVE pieces of mail leaving my mailbox. Womp, womp!

This week, I’m trying to respond to all of the mail I’ve received since the start of 2016 (some is pictured at the top) so I can start Letter Month on a clean slate. Wish me luck!

How’s your mailbox so far this year?

 

*This total does not include the cost of postage of mail sent from Japan.

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Sending Sympathy

Saturn Press sympathy cards, letter press I’ve already sent five sympathy cards this year.

For a long time, I was really good about intending to send a sympathy card and then not following through with those good intentions. Then two weeks (or two months) after I’d learned of someone’s passing, I’d feel horrible that I never sent a card. My solution finally came to me a few years ago when I decided that I should always have a few sympathy cards on hand.

I know some people may disagree with this plan. They may say that they want to choose a personal card for the bereaved. They may say that they want to choose one that’s for the specific loss of a mother, or a sister, or a husband. I get that, and sometimes I feel that way too and I try to make it priority to get something special if I think it’s needed. But for the most part, I think the most important piece of a sympathy card is in the personal message that you write inside.

For awhile, I just used a package I bought at a card shop, but the cards felt a little bit cheap and flimsy. Now I always have two packages of Saturn Press cards on hand. Both are letterpressed on thick, gorgeous white paper with a deckled edge. The Love for Stars version has a comforting deep blue sky and yellow stars on it and a quote, “I have loved the stars too fondly to be fearful of the night.” The Forest version simply shows a peaceful forest with a sunset. Both have simple messages inside and offer plenty of room for a personal note. I find the images and the heft of the cardstock very comforting and I hope my recipients feel the same way. At $19.90 for a box of ten, these are an amazing value for the quality, plus there’s that added bonus of supporting independent artists and the beautiful old art of letterpress. (I always shop for my Saturn Press cards through Cronin Cards. They offer a nice selection and free shipping did not sponsor this post.)

Another sympathy card that I really love, but isn’t offered in a box (in spite of my pleas) is this one by Positively Green. It was always my go-to when I was buying cards one-by-one. I love the simple image of the bird on the bench, and I especially love the James Joyce quote, “They lived and laughed and loved and left.” On the inside it says, “And the world will never be the same.” Isn’t that beautiful?

I’d love to hear if you have any favorite sympathy cards or stories about a special card you’ve received.

Along the same topic, this post about mourning stationery from the Letter Writers Alliance is very interesting!

 

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2016 New Year’s Postcards

Adami Hasegawa New Years postcards 2016After buying Japanese New Year cards (nengajo) for the past two years, I decided to try making my own for 2016. They were pretty simple…so simple that I made a stack of fifty! So far, I’ve sent out about half of those. Adami Hasegawa New Years postcards 2016, 2I started with some A2 Paper Bag flat cards as my base. Last summer, I picked up a traditional nengajo stamp at a (yet-to-be-blogged-about) stamp shop in Kyoto and I was happy to get to use it for these cards. I embossed the Japanese characters and then added my Greetings from Illinois, LWA member, and a giant 2016 in blue, red, and gold inks. I added a quick message to each card. Adami Hasegawa New Years postcards 2016, nengajo, Japanese washi tapeOn the front side, I added a strip of Japanese patterned washi tape and a label. It feels good to start off the year with good mail momentum!

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All I Want For Christmas 2015

Field Notes box, Field Notes Traveling Salesman, Field Notes Cold Horizon, CArry On Cocktail KitNaoto spoiled me rotten this Christmas. The big gift was a trip to San Francisco to see our friends who moved there last year. He gave me a little Carry-On Cocktail Kit for the flight. It made me laugh and I can’t wait to crack it open once we are on our way.

He went to the Field Notes HQ during their open house and snagged the long-retired Traveling Salesman and Cold Horizon 3-packs for my stocking and gave me a box to hold my ever growing Field Notes collection. craftgasm postcards, Kaweco Sport mint, envelope pins,In other paper-y gifts, he gave me two sets of postcards from Craftgasm, two envelope pins from Paper Pastries, and from Jet Pens, a bottle of J. Herbin anniversary ink, a pencil sharpener, a white Decorese pen, a mint Kaweco Sport, and (unpictured) some Tomoe River paper, a new Frixion stamp, and a converter so I can actually use that fancy ink in my new Kaweco.

Yay for gifts that can be used up…except for the Field Notes, which will go into the “collection”.

Did you get anything fun for Christmas?

P.S. I didn’t get my usual zines in my stocking this year because I didn’t submit my wishlist early enough…so I ordered some as a New Years gift to myself! I’ll report on those soon!

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Elvis In My Mailbox!

Elvis stocking, made by Marissa Flaco, Elvis Christmas fabricToday would have been Elvis’s 81st birthday so I’m sharing a couple of Elvis treats I’ve received in the mail lately. Marissa sent this incredible Elvis stocking. She expertly sewed it herself and I’m in love with the striped accent and the starry lining. It came as a total surprise and when I opened the envelope and saw Elvis, I fell over laughing with joy. Elvis stocking, made by Marissa Flaco, Elvis Christmas fabricThe Elvis fabric is the perfect marriage of Elvis and envelopes, my two favorite things! I know the stocking whispers Christmas, but I’m going to leave it out just a liiiiiiiittle longer, maybe through Valentine’s Day…maybe all year next to some other Elvis cards that live on my desk. (Confession: The tree is still up anyway.)Elvis mail from Nic, Elvis postage stamp, Elvis postcardsAnd Nic, fellow Elvis-lover from California, sent along this Elvis care package that included an Elvis notecard, two postcards from Elvis’s Palm Springs home, and Elvis STAMPS! (The old 29-cent ones!) I am so excited to finally have some real, uncancelled Elvis stamps in my collection! And I had no idea Elvis even had a Palm Springs home, so it’s exciting to know that I have another Elvis destination to visit.

Thank you, Marissa and Nic for making my day! There’s no Return to Sender when it comes to Elvis mail! (Sorry for the bad joke.)

Tonight we are hosting a little birthday party for Naoto…which is slowly morphing into an Elvis-themed party. I’m trying to sneak some Elvis into the Peter, Paul & Mary playlist. (They are Naoto’s favorite!) Happy weekend!

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The LWA Holiday Letter Social

vintage Christmas StampsTomorrow, I’ll be joining Kathy and Donovan for the LWA Holiday Virtual Letter Social. We’ll be writing out our holiday cards and chatting about postal and non-postal topics (the subject of cocktails usually comes up!) So get out your Christmas cards and a cup of tea and join in!

Have you gotten any cards yet? My Aunt Karen was the first this year, closely followed by Ryan, whose card came from the North Pole again!

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Thanksgiving Mail

Thanksgiving Inviation 2015, paper leaves, vintage ledger paper, vintage Avery metallic tape, Japanese stampI finally finished my Thanksgiving invitation…about three hours before Thanksgiving. I wasn’t feeling very inspired in November but I really wanted the invitation to include the vellum ledger paper and vintage Avery metallic tape I bought on Instagram. (Note: Vintage paper sales on Instagram are very addictive. And fun.)

I always try to add a quote to our Thanksgiving invitations. (Here’s a list of some favorites.) “Give thanks for unknown blessings already on their way” is a Native America saying and I love how optimistic it is. I typed it out on a leaf that I cut from patterned paper and layered it with some other leaves from my stash. I added a strip of the vellum and a bit of the tape and a Japanese stamp. Done, right? Well, no. I had to make a mess of things and try to stamp the year on the top with my giant number stamp. But I didn’t press down hard enough and the numbers were messed up so I had to write over the numbers…anyway…I’m trying not to dwell on the numbers…or the fact that I handed the invitation to my parents when they walked in the door on Thanksgiving Day…Thanksgiving mail, vintage book pages, mail artI did send some other Thanksgiving mail. A few weeks ago I attended the LWA letter social at my library and there were some vintage books available for mail art. I had too much fun choosing images for mail art. And when I didn’t use vintage paper, I had fun using postage stamps and turkey stickers to jazz things up. (That Write More Letters postcard is from Craftgasm. I added the turkey.) Thanksgiving mail, vintage book pages, mail art Thanksgiving mail, vintage book pages, mail art 2 Thanksgiving mail, vintage book pages, mail art 3 Thanksgiving mail, vintage book pages, mail art 4And now…holiday card season begins. Once I finish decorating, that is.

Have you started your cards yet?

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KimBOOly HAUNTSegawa’s Mailbox

Paper Pastries Halloween MailMy mailbox was filled with a steady stream of Halloween mail last month. Margaret sent the package above, adorned with all of the fabulous spooky stamps of the post office’s history! Inside, there was a Halloween card and a tiny wooden casket filled with candy. I LOVE the creative use of the wax seals! Margaret wrote a blog post about creating the little candy caskets. Such a fun postal treat! I’m going to use the little casket in my Halloween decorating next year and I’m hoarding the envelope too. candy corn postcardSarah sent this fun see-through candy corn postcard. It was laminated into the postcard size, like the corn was floating. Japan Post Halloween postcardYuki sent this amazing Japan Post Halloween postcard. These seasonal cards are coveted by me and many other Japan Post lovers…I screamed with delight when I saw it in my mailbox! Japan Post Halloween postcardYuki sent the postcard in an envelope, but still used vintage stamps with special postmarks on the postcard. I’m sure the postcard will make a reappearance next year in my Halloween decorating. It’s too good to file away with my other mail. Halloween cardsAnd, above are the other sweet, charming, funny Halloween cards I received. punny addressesDanielle, who sent me two Halloween cards, addressed them in the BEST way! KimBOOOly Adami- HAUNTSegawa and KimberlEEK! ADOOMi-HAUNTED HOUSEegawa made me laugh for days. And that Parcel Ghost sticker–so good!

Thanks to everyone for making it a great mail month! Anyone else receive anything spooky in your mailbox?

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Halloween Mail

Halloween mail, La Familia Green glow in the dark button, mail artI’m behind on my Halloween mail because I got sick this week and I was down for the count for a few days. But, earlier this month, I got a jump start on sending some festive mail out to a couple of cat lady pen pals. I had these glow-in-the-dark cat buttons from La Familia Green that I wanted to send in a slightly more creative way than just sticking them in a plain envelope. I was inspired by the peek I had of my Presley patch from Margaret, so I decided to use a cellophane envelope instead. Halloween mail, La Familia Green glow in the dark button, mail art 2I used washi tape to attach the button to the card and wrote my note. I tried to place the buttons on the middle of the card, where the machine wouldn’t be canceling the stamp or printing the bar code on the bottom. Halloween mail, La Familia Green glow in the dark button, mail art 3I stuck it all in the cellophane envelope with an address label and added postage. Since the envelope was lumpy, I added the extra twenty-one cents. Halloween mail using cellophane envelopesI also used a cellophane bag to attempt to protect the googly-eye “bra” on my mail art to Kathy. Thanks to a Halloween mail art party with Donovan, I’ve have a huge stack of Halloween envelopes to work through. Now that I’m feeling better, more spooky mail will be written. Better late than never, I guess.

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