Managing Your Mail, Part 1

Having trouble figuring out what's a letter and what's a package? Or why a fat letter that doesn't weight that much came back to you? I'm going to try to help!

Lately, I've been hearing a lot about people having mail returned to them, and struggling with the rules surrounding sending mail. I offered a couple of suggestions in an earlier blog post, Why I Collect Postage Stamps and How I Organize Them, but discovered yesterday that one of the links was broken. So I thought I'd do a series specifically about navigating the confusing and choppy waters of US Postal Service rules. Sometimes my mail takes its sweet time getting to its destination (most recently, it took 3 weeks for a letter to go ~50 miles), but as far as I know, they haven't arrived with postage due or come back to me..

Part 1 is just about the tools, because I don't want my focus to get buried (I have a tendency to ramble on). Part 2 will follow soon after, and will cover whatever else I can think of that might help.

This is going to be of more interest to individuals like me who would like to just drop their mail into a box whenever possible, and not stand in line for every little thing.

Recommended tools

• Digital scale. In my opinion, this is an absolute necessity. You don't need a big scale to handle regular mail - a kitchen scale will do, as long as it displays partial ounces. (Fractions only matter after you cross the three-ounce mark. There is a 3.5 ounce rate, but otherwise, 1.1 ounce is the same as 2 ounces, and 2.1 ounces is the same as 3 ounces.) 
• Bookmark the USPS price list (or print out the PDF (many pages)). The first section is a little grid that covers the basics of pricing letters and parcels. 
• Bookmark the calculator. This will walk you through almost everything you need for domestic & international letters. The one thing you have to watch for is, just like at the counter, they start with the ridiculous options first and you have to dig for the regular first class costs.
• If you can get your hands on one, the Letter-size Mail Dimensional Standards Template (pictured above), aka Notice-3A (NOT3A) can be your best friend. I can't link to it, because all of the places I found for a printable one (legit & to scale) have been taken down. I'm not sure where mine came from, but I've had it for a couple of years and it's my buddy. It tells you at a glance if your envelope is too large to be considered a "letter." There's a slot in it: your envelope has to slide EASILY through the slot in order to go as a letter. If it sticks or doesn't fit, it jumps to package rates (a $2 difference for a 1 ounce envelope).
• How to get one: 
1. They are, I'm told, available at District Business Mail Entry offices. I don't know how that works, because mine is in Detroit, and even though I work in Detroit, I don't like driving around there (I get lost too easily). You might get lucky and find one nearby. 
2. You can order them from USPS customer service, but be prepared. The person I spoke to wasn't aware that civilians could order them and it took a while to get it worked out. They don't take credit cards, so you have to get your order set up, then get the details for sending a check and all the info. to include with it. 
• The item number is: 7610-03-000-9053 (NOT3A)
• I recommend getting together with a group of local friends and ordering a bunch at once to save on shipping. 
3. You can get one from me, temporarily. I was so aggravated by how difficult the USPS has made it for people to access basic tools, that I am ordering ten. I'm keeping a couple for myself - because I like redundancy with this kind of thing - and I'll make available the rest for whatever I paid ($1.60 each) plus actual shipping. I will not make a dime off of this, guaranteed. To get one of the eight, email me at mel.writes.letters at gmail dot com or DM me on Instagram. 
• Tape measure, for large envelopes or parcels.

I hope this helps! Happy mailing!

Part 2 is already in progress, and covers what basic stamps you need, measurements, etc.

Decorated Envelopes: Alfred Hitchcock

I haven't abandoned the blog, just been crazy-busy. Doing a quick lunchtime post today to share pics and resources of another fun envelope theme: Alfred Hitchcock. I started out combining two movies (Psycho and The Birds), but have since gathered enough great rubber stamps to focus on each movie separately. While The Birds is my favorite of the two movies, I prefer Psycho for envelope themes.

Note: envelopes are available (with postage) as custom orders through my Etsy shop.

On to the sources! Goodness, this was such a fun search. I've been looking for rubber stamps to do this theme for months!

• Hitchcock vintage postage: eBay. (1998, 32¢, Scott #3226). See my buying vintage postage tips, here (end of post). You've probably noticed by now that my themes start with the postage. It's not essential, but a wonderful addition. 
• Rubber stamps:
• Mr. Hitchcock, standing, "Woman Screaming" (obviously Janet Leigh), and Hitchcock profile (not shown): Carmen Veranda. The website is fairly awful, but their service is good and these stamps are excellent quality! Luckily, they're all on the same page. 
• House, Four Birds & Bird on Branch: Cherry Pie Art Stamps (don't forget to color in that one window with a yellow pencil!)
• Curtain, left (also available in opposite direction) & Flock of Birds: 100 Proof Press
• Butcher knife: Rubber Baby Buggy Bumpers (Out of Business (OOB) but I just spotted a similar one over at Leavonworth Jackson (direction flipped))
• Light switch: neato stuff (OOB)
• Small blood splatter: Hampton Arts - found a link for you at 123Stitch.com
• Large blood splatter & blood spray: Inkadinkado Bloody Scene (love this set!)
• Ink: London Fog, Gray Flannel, Tuxedo Black & Rhubarb Stalk, all from Tsuineko Memento
• Envelopes: PaperSource.com

Just a brief word on tips and/or my process, since I've covered the topic multiple times in my decorated envelope series:

• I'm a big fan of monochrome with a dash of color (often red), so I couldn't do these envelopes without a combination of gray and black inks. I prefer dye inks for easy clean-up.
• The largest envelope you can mail without incurring extra postage costs (barring weight and thickness), is an A9. It easily holds 8½"x11" letter paper folded in half and gives you plenty of space for stamping. A7s are also great - they are the size that I sell (so I can mail them in an A9). Envelopes shown here are not to scale. 
• Plan your layout a little. If you want to (or it looks like you might have to) overlap a stamp (see the curtain on the bottom right envelope, above), you should stamp the image that will be on top first, then mask it, so when you stamp the other image, it doesn't overlap (see top image - the knife was stamped first, then masked). Here's a link to a basic masking tutorial, but if you search for "rubber stamp masking technique" in any search engine, you should find what you need. No need to bother with masking for the blood splatter. That way lies madness. 

Next up: evil clowns or The Mummy? (I'm also working on The Wolf Man and Dracula themes, as well as The Thing from Another World.)

My Etsy Shop has been reopened

I finally took the plunge and reopened my poor Etsy shop, after I got some stock together.

The shop is at stitchymel.etsy.com & you can get updates on Instagram account @epicmel.shop (there is already a coupon code* over there and I'll be putting together some kind of follower contest soon). To get started, I'm focusing on my love of snail mail, but may expand into other areas in the future.

I'm most excited about the note card packages. Since decorating the envelopes is my love, that's where I decided to focus, and naturally had to include coordinating vintage postage! Each envelope also comes with a flat note card with the option to have it blank or with a design stamped on it.

I only do these envelopes in limited runs. At this time, there are three each of four designs available. I'm working on some other ideas and don't know when I'll repeat the themes.

*I'm new to the coupon thing, so I messed up and put in a minimum ($9) when I meant it to be for any amount, but I'll refund the difference for smaller orders.

US Postal Rate Decrease Plus Reminder About Buying Stamps Online

In case you missed it, the US Postal Service has lowered the rate for mailing just about everything. Obviously, this means that it will cost less to buy certain stamps, which is a good thing, but it also means that stamps you paid more for are worth less now than they were on April 9th.

What it meant to me, however, was that all of the "forever-type" stamps - those without a denomination printed on them - had to be relabeled in my album so I didn't accidentally put too little postage on a letter and cause it to be returned or its recipient to pay postage due. This is going to be more relevant to people who combine postage to make up rates, like I enjoy doing. One envelope that I prepared over the weekend - with three Forever stamps on it - needed an extra 6¢ to make up for the change. (I had the new rate correct, but neglected to account for the change in the stamps' value.)

Anything with a denomination or face value (FV) printed on it will not be affected. A 10¢ stamp is still a 10¢ stamp. But anything that has "Forever" or a purpose on it has changed: Here is what was in my album that needed to be re-labeled, with the image I had in parenthesis. Check the USPS site for additional information.

• Forever stamps were 49¢ and are now 47¢. 
• The stamp for an additional ounce (or special handling fee (like for a square envelope)) was 22¢ & is now 21¢ (penguin).
• Postcard stamps were 35¢ and are now 34¢ (coastal birds).
• The stamp for square/non-machinable envelopes was 71¢ and is now 68¢ (yellow butterfly).
• The 3-oz. letter stamp was 93¢ and is now 89¢ (Flannery O'Conner).
• Global/International stamps were $1.20 and are now $1.15 (moon).

Buying Stamps Online?

I also wanted to throw out a caution to anyone who buys, or is thinking about buying, stamps on sites like eBay: Check the USPS site before you buy anywhere else! I am constantly seeing stamps that are still available in the USPS online shop being sold on eBay for 2 or more times their FV. A sheet of 1¢ stamps, for example, is a whopping 20¢ through the post office, but people are selling them for a couple of bucks. Why pay $2.50 for a $1 stamp or $4 for a $2 one? (The USPS also sells stamps on eBay, but for their actual face value, plus shipping.)

Pen Pal Log Update

Hello, friends. I'm going to do two posts, back-to-back rather than combine into one. First up is a quick update for the pen pal/mail log files I shared some time ago (part 1, part 2).

It's been a long time coming, but I finally got full-size (8½x11") pages done for the to-do list (letters to write) & mail log (individual pen pal sheet). Sorry it took so long!

I realize that the half-size log pages I shared previously might not be helpful for a lot of people. This size will be a lot more practical, and easier to implement, if you need such a thing. See links above for how I organize my log.

To Do list (letters to write)

• On Drive
• On DropBox

Mail page (individual pen pal log sheet)

• On Drive
• On Dropbox

Reclaiming Stamps Tutorial 2 - Self-adhesive

Some weeks ago, in my first Free Stamps Tutorial, I shared how I went about reclaiming unused gummed (vintage) postage stamps if you mess up addressing an envelope. I promised to write up something for modern, self-adhesive stamps at some point in the future. Well, the future is here!!

Disclaimer: as always, I'm not an expert. I'm also not a "real" stamp collector, in that I'm generally interested in reclaiming unused stamps to put back in my collection, although I'm starting to use canceled stamps as part of collages. To separate stamps in order to store them in albums probably requires special steps and gloves or something like that, so if that's your goal, I advise seeking out advice from professionals. 

First, let me show you why you can't just use the soak-in-warm-water method for newer stamps. This was a stamp that I cut off one of my turquoise envelopes that I messed up.

Not only did some of the dye from the paper leach onto the stamp, if you look closely, you can see that it's wrinkled and messy. It is probably still usable, but certainly not pretty.

I tried a couple different methods with the stamps I had saved. None worked, so I had to wait until I had more stamps. I received an envelope with a stamp that I really wanted to keep and display (it was sent for that purpose), so I decided to try something besides the non-effective water methods and hit the search tools.

I landed on the American Philatelic Society's Tips and Links page, and followed the link in the "Soaking Self-Adhesives" section to a PDF about the magic of  removing self-adhesive stamps from envelopes. I recommend that you read the article, but here is my experience.

Materials: The article recommends one of two products: an adhesive remover called "Bestine," which I could not find locally, or a 100% natural citrus oil product. I was able to find "Pure Citrus," the exact product recommended, in the air freshener section at Home Depot for $4.97, so I'm basing this entry on using that. You want one labeled 100% natural, containing just orange oil. (OdoBan makes an air freshener/adhesive remover (right on the label) that's 99.5% natural and costs $1 or so less. It may be perfectly fine, but I went with the 100%.)

In addition to the Pure Citrus, you need some paper towels and cotton swabs. I suggest having a piece of parchment paper handy as well.

Instructions

1. For plain paper envelopes*, cut out the stamp, leaving a little border of paper. 
2. Spray a little of the oil into a small dish (disposable plastic cup, etc., is great, but regular dishes will wash up fine with soap & hot water). 
3. Put the stamp face down on a couple of layers of folded paper toweling.
4. Dip one of the swabs into the oil and rub it over the paper until it's lightly saturated. Wait a few seconds. The stamp should easily peel away from the paper. If it doesn't, just add a little more, wait, then try again. You can also spray directly onto the back of the piece, but when I did it in a dish, the next stamp was saturated (it's fine, but I wanted to avoid that). 
5. There will be some adhesive remaining on the stamp. The article suggests rubbing a little talc on it, but we didn't have any, so I took another swab with a little oil on it, and gently rubbed the back of the stamp. Most or all of the adhesive came away.
6. Let it air dry for a few minutes, then store in a folded piece of parchment, keeping the stamps separate. After a while, you'll know if any adhesive remains and you can store those stamps in a glassine envelope or folded parchment paper until ready to glue onto envelopes and use.**

*If the envelope is thick, you can work on the stamp where it is, face-up, but slowly. Don't soak the whole thing, just wet an edge with the oil, get the edge up, then gently rub the swab between the stamp and paper, pushing towards where they meet, peeling slowly until it comes away. Then, follow steps 5 & 6, above.

**If the stamps are from another country, you can always keep them just to look at if they're awesome - like this one - or share with a collector.

Seriously, isn't this stamp awesome?! I couldn't tell until I saw it close up that they were indoors, in a blanket fort, which is even cooler than outdoors in a tent, which is what I originally thought. Because I've decided that this older child is reading a ghost story to the younger one, it's going to look wonderful next to my Haunted Canada stamps...as soon as I figure out how and where to display them! They're really about storytelling and pretend, but hey, I used my imagination to create a back story!

The little flecks are from the envelope, which was very heavy-duty, with a gold foil pattern. 

Decorated Envelopes - Legend of Sleepy Hollow

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow had a place in my heart long before I read the original short story by Washington Irving. I was probably introduced to the story via an installment in the Trixie Belden mystery series (#26, The Mystery of the Headless Horseman (1979)), but it has been referred to so much, and adapted so often, that I really can't pinpoint my first exposure.

I do know that I didn't actually read the real thing until three or four years ago. I think I must have whizzed through it, because I would have told you that, while it was a well-told tale, it was not actually that spooky; however, a second read-through is proving me wrong. This time, I slowed down to let Mr. Irving set the scene, and found that if you remember that all of these things are happening in a creepy place that everyone believes is haunted, it's way better (and more fun).

My goddaughter and I share an old connection related to the book, which is the main reason I started compiling materials to create Sleepy Hollow mail. Writing this post has encouraged me to a) watch the film Sleepy Hollow, which I love, and b) re-read the story. While I do that, here are some recent images of Sleepy Hollow mail, with comments. I'll list all sources at the end.

Stamping on poly envelopes is tough, but not impossible. You need a "sticky," permanent ink (I used StazOn) and some patience, because you need to take it slowly and lift your stamp straight up, then wait for the ink to dry.

These are the three main stamps I have for the Sleepy Hollow theme. I'm on the lookout for more, but some of the usual Halloween favorites can be put into play (bats, jack-o-lanterns), plus anything that would be woodsy - trees, birds, etc.

Whenever possible, I like to send "haunted mail," and this sticker is a great addition (see sources).

My first Sleepy Hollow envelope, shown with a hoarded sticker. (One of my pen pals sent me two - I have used one. Since they don't seem to be available, I'm going to work on creating my own.)

I love the lighter gray envelopes for the themed mail because it's already gloomy (white is so stark). On this, I used a fine mist of red spray ink, and medium gray and black stamp pads.

To use the spray ink, get a deep cardboard box and hold the spray bottle as far away from the envelope as you can. Be prepared to try a few times (one pump should do it). This stuff can be pretty nasty if sprayed anywhere else - it was damn hard to get off my fingers - so take care!

While I was working on this post, I starting thinking about how I could make the envelopes even more epic, without spending any extra money. The photo here is the result (so far). I'm still working out the kinks, so follow me on Instagram to see further developments!

I scanned a couple of pages out of an old copy of the book (shown open, above), glued a laser print to an envelope, then hit the edges and random spots with a spray stain (behaves much better than the spray ink, above, but I'd still follow the same steps). I recently found a small Xyron sticker maker in my craft room, so I printed a few images (labeled for reuse) onto photo paper, cut them out using postage-edge scissors, and ran them through the sticker maker. Viola! Faux postage. Inks used were black and dark gray.

Honorable mention, to show off the other Sleepy Hollow Special Delivery sticker. I didn't take a clear picture of it (alone) before mailing. All I used here was the road sign and the sticker, plus the vintage stamps.

And, of course, what started it all. As I mentioned in the Poe envelope post, many of my themes are inspired by the vintage postage stamps I have collected. The Legend of Sleepy Hollow stamp is a favorite (read more about it here) and its natural companion is Mr. Irving's stamp.

Sources

• Free download of the short story from Project Gutenberg. I am a fan of reading original works (someday, I'll get through Frankenstein). This is a slice of Americana that has inspired much of what we know of Halloween, so it's good to know the origins! (Not surprising that Irving impacted my favorite holiday (Halloween), since he also kind of invented Christmas as we know it (repeat link).)
• Interested in getting your own Sleepy Hollow envelopes to send? Contact me via the email link in my profile. I'm working on some ideas and it would help to know if anyone was interested.
• Rubber Stamps
• Horseman: Butter Side Down stamps (unmounted, cling-mounted or wood). They also have an Etsy store, where they sell just the wood-mounted stamps.  
• Try Not to Lose Your Head & Road Sign: Impression Obsession - both are cling only. Linking each to the shop where I bought them. 
• Bats: from a set by Momenta (gift from a friend)
• Bird stamp: hand-carved gift from a pen pal.
• Headstone: unknown, although I think it's from Rubber Baby Buggy Bumpers, which is out of business. Cemetery stamps are available from other sellers.
• Inks: StazOn black, Ranger Archival in Jet Black & Watering Can (dark gray), Tsukineko's Memento in London Fog (medium gray). Spray ink is from Ranger's Dylusions line in Postbox Red. Spray stain is from Ranger's Distress line in Hickory Smoke. 
• Misc:
• May be Haunted sticker: Evil Supply Co. They also made the Sleepy Hollow Special Delivery stickers, but do not offer them in their shop at this time. 
• Tape: This is Spinal Tape by Copernicus Toys (Amazon link). I already own this, so I use it, but it is pretty much crap. It doesn't stick to paper well & I have to add a layer of clear tape over it. 
• Paper envelopes are from PaperSource (#10 & A9), document box was a re-use, poly envelope was from a bulk purchase.