Gifts for Letter Writers - Part 1

This is the first in what I hope will be a series of posts about finding gifts for letter writers (which could include yourself). A lot of "gift guides" are a bunch of sponsored or affiliate links. I don't currently have any associate/affiliate accounts, so anything else I post won't be sponsored, unless stated otherwise. (I wouldn't say no to a sponsorship...)

I'm particularly happy with this present I sent to my friend Anita for Giftmas in 2015. We've been real-life friends for something like 15 years (don't make me do math right now) and have have been exchanging letters off and on for several of them.

• Stationery - all letter writers need something to write on. Unless they have an exclusive stationery or monogrammed cards they buy in bulk, they'll need paper, envelopes, cards, etc.
  
  I like giving personalized stationery as gifts. As far as I can recall, I always give at least one package of PaperSource text-weight paper (they come in such an amazing array of colors), with a monogram, name, etc., and a package of matching (or coordinating) #10 envelopes. An equally good option would be any of their cards (blank or personalized) and coordinating envelopes or a boxed set from anywhere (book stores have a stationery section).
• Stamps - again, all letter writers need stamps. For my birthday this year, a co-worker gave me a sheet of the circus poster stamps. I loved them! Anything but what they sell in bulk if you don't ask (like flags) should be well-received. Better if you know some of their interests and can surprise them with a booklet or sheet of something that will make them smile whenever they use one. Note: Unless you know they're open to using vintage stamps, stick with current issue or Forever stamps (US), since using vintage requires having a variety of denominations in order to mail.
  
  I used one of my custom stamp gift cards to buy stamps for two people in 2015 (one hasn't been received, so I can't share it yet). Anita is all about being a Leo, so she asked for a lion (I blew the surprise to get her something she'd enjoy using). The carrier who delivered the mail that day decided that, even though it was the only thing being delivered, just slightly bending the envelope wasn't enough. He folded it in half and creased it, hard, damaging a whole row of stamps. The company replaced them, and I received them almost in time to get the gift there by Giftmas. One day late. Not too shabby.
• Pens are a slightly different story. They really are a personal choice and preferences vary widely. Some people like heavy pens, others regular old Bic and don't want anything else. I never mind getting pens as gifts, but I use the ones I like.
  
  Having said that, I give the pictured pens as gifts all of the time, and the response has been very positive. These are Pilot "envelope address-writing gel pens" from Japan. available in the US only at Jet Pens, as far as I know. Sending greeting cards is a very big deal in Japan, or so I've heard, and these were supposedly developed just for that need. The flow is just amazing and they work really well on smooth paper. (I signed all of my Giftmas cards with mine, and addressed the envelopes, too.) They come in three sizes & are only $2 each.
  
• Not pictured: I gave this friend, my goddaughter and myself lifetime memberships in the Letter Writers Alliance. They're just $5 each! Members get a cool patch & postcard, plus access to the members-only shop and opportunities to get new pen pals. 

Thanks for reading so far! I'll be back with more gift ideas, for whatever gift-giving occasions come up.

Folder Letters

I wanted to write all about these cool letter folders I put together, but it turns out I only have one picture (I mailed the last one out today), so I pulled out an old one to show my progress. More to come: if one of the recipients posts images, I'll get their permission to share and all can be revealed; otherwise, I'll do a follow-up post when I make my next batch.

Folder Letter #1
These are probably known by other names. I've heard letter folders, too, and flip cards; if there is a proper name for these, maybe someone can let me know!

I tried one a few months ago, when I had virtually no supplies. It didn't turn out terrible (although it photographed terribly), but it felt wanting.

For this type of card, I folded the light card stock in thirds, then cut horizontal slits in an outer panel (not all the way across) and glued-down that third. which made pockets. I cut a different card stock (chartreuse, from PaperSource) for my questions & a short letter and used washi tape to turn them into a pages.

It wasn't perfect, but it was fun (and bright). I popped it into an oversized DIY envelope and sent it off.

Over the Giftmas weekend I decided to try making some with what I had on hand, based on one I recently received from a pen pal. It can be time-consuming, but I can see how it would be addictive! (It may also cost more to mail them if you don't pay attention to the thickness, which is why some of those I mailed recently might be on their way back to me as I type (see lessons learned at end of post).)

Supplies
First, I gathered up everything I thought I might be able to use. I'd recreate an entire folder if I had the right cards, but since I don't, pictured here are some of things I used, with links to sources where possible.

Basics: folded cards (smooth surface seems to work best), envelopes, washi or masking tape (at the very least to create the flaps or pages), additional card stock, tape runner, glue stick (I buy these by the case), scissors, X-ACTO knife, and paper cutter. Including little gifts, like tea or tape samples, is pretty typical and embellishments (like the office sticky notes and squirrel) are a nice touch. I also had a bunch of small treat bags and some glassine envelopes.

I have no special die-cutting machine, just a straight-edge paper cutter (with which I still cannot cut a straight line) and a few punches. I have not invested a lot of money specifically for this purpose. (The only thing I bought with this project specifically in mind were the little pre-made pouches, which I found in the teacher's section at an office supply company.) I don't have that much more in the way of "stuff" since my first attempt but I did let myself think outside the box a little more, which helped.

Folder Letter #2
 I had five black cards with matching envelopes, and that is what I used. I think they were A7 size, which was pretty good for this purpose.

Front: I took a water-based white Sharpie pen (gods, I love this thing) and just wrote "Hello..." diagonally (& hugely) across the front.

Inside cover: I cut a piece of black card stock to fit roughly the bottom half of the card & sliced horizontal slit about 2/3 down from the top, not all the way across. Using a my permanent tape roller, I glued down the card on the two sides and bottom; the top of the new piece and the slit formed two pockets. Along the top edge, I put some green grass tape and under the second pocket, I glued down a little pencil-themed tape flag, With the same white pen, I wrote "summer is coming" near the frozen-treat stickers I inserted in the top pocket. Into the second pocket went a washi tape sample card (most but not all shaped like a mason jar).

I cut down some small two-sided card stock squares so they wouldn't extend past the card's edge, and taped them to the center with some patterned masking tape. Onto the front "page," I glued a pouch and added reading-related embellishments. On the flip side of that, I glued down one of those orange squirrel notes and taped to its paw a tiny bag holding a squirrel D-clip (paper clip).

On the inside back cover, I taped down (overlapping) two more goodies: a bag of my favorite tea (in a small treat bag) and a glassine envelope holding 2 letter-writing themed stamps.

Then, the important part: I wrote letters on thinner-than-usual paper and folded them into the pouches. It all fit easily into the accompanying envelope.

For one, I had mail tag to answer, so I made another page, taping it to the back cover (top, bottom or side would have worked; I did one of those). The idea of these folders/cards, in all their forms, is to make the experience interactive, so the center page could have been just as easily taped at the top as in the center.

Lessons learned:

• I need to pay attention to the thickness of the packages. A slightly heavier envelope might cost around $1 to mail (94¢?) domestically, but a too-thick letter can become a package (closer to $2). I didn't think to see if the envelope would fit through the slot in the tool* I have until today, so 2 of them will probably come back to me. Next time, I'll try not to overlap and might have to skip the tea. Or, simply calm down and not try to send so much at once.
• I definitely need to get better-quality cards for the base - trying to re-position washi tape on these was a pain, since it pulled away the cards' surface. But, as long as I went slowly and didn't have to pull up tape too often, they worked out okay. 
• Dare I say that my letters might be too long? The too-thick envelope from this AM was 3 full sheets, front and back. I might need to make myself be less chatty when sending these and make it all fit onto 1 sheet. 
• Thinking outside the box is good. I probably had plenty of things to make my first folder more fun, but didn't think about it enough. 
• I'm glad I made all of them (5) at once. Then they were done, and were just ready and waiting as I finished letters for them. 

My goal is to get one of some kind to each of my pen pals (I'm keeping track). 

*Here's a PDF you can print onto card stock and cut a hole in. I don't know where my fancy one came from. 

If Only You Could Really Mail a Donut

In less than one week, I will be able to have my first real doughnut in over 3 years. Seems longer. It's a long story and I promised no diet content, so let's just say that I'm devoting an upcoming long weekend to transitioning back to eating gluten (only possible because I voluntarily went off of it and became intolerant as a result - I'm going to pay, big time, for the pleasure of eating real bread again).

I've missed doughnuts, plus I think they're cute, so when I spotted these "Doughnotes" cards, I knew I had to have them. However, I wasn't entirely sure about how flimsy the glassine (wax paper) envelopes appeared.

Looking for the Vintage Stamp giveaway? Check out this post!

I'm a blogger, so naturally, I decided to perform an experiment & then write about it. I put a call out on IG and Facebook and asked for a guinea pig and got two takers. I picked out a couple of cards and wrote greetings to my two friends, then got ready to mail. I immediately knew that I didn't like the idea of a transparent envelope when it came to the back of the cards, so I inserted a piece of blank paper behind the doughnut. I sealed these two envelopes with cute polka-dot washi tape (see end of post for the even better option I found last weekend), added some fun postage and popped them in the mail.

Days went by, too many it seemed, but there may have been a holiday in there somewhere. In truth, I think they took one day longer to process, then I received pictures from my friends. The envelopes had arrived! One was a little more rumpled than the other, but they were otherwise intact!

Verdict: the labels are tiny but they do coordinate with the bakery theme. I'm not sure that I'd risk mailing one overseas (but I'm up for it if there is another guinea pig out there*). They are good for short missives, as long as you don't mind writing around the hole in the middle. The best part, I would think, is seeing a doughnut in your mailbox.

I recently sent another card out, this time just as a regular greeting (no test). The only difference is that, this time, I had SPRINKLE tape to close the envelope.

Doesn't that just complete the picture?! (Sorry for the poor-quality pic.) Unfortunately, I can't link to the product, as I've not been able to find it online from a source I can recommend. It's from Scotch, in their Magic line; I found it at Office Max in with all of the washi tape. (It's like regular tape, but with a pattern printed on it: it is not washi.)

Update: this particular mailing didn't fare so well. It reached its destination, but the envelope was crumpled and torn.


*Seriously. I'll mail one overseas or to Canada to see what happens. All I would ask is that you don't show my return address if you post pics, and that you send me a pic of it when it arrives to possibly share here. Comment or email me at mel.writes.letters at gmail dot com.