Sending a Letter To a Total Stranger, Ideas By Kari Chapin

We all need a little love, and sometimes it's best when it shows up unexpectedly. We love these fan mail and lucky day ideas from Kari Chapin. Check her out on Instagram for more letter writing ideas: @karichapin. -Sakura Of America, Egg Press, and Hello!lucky

Dear Champion Letter Writer,

My love affair with mail started when I was very young. Checking the mailbox each day was a treat and something I still enjoy doing to this day. Birthday cards, catalogs, letters from my grandmother… in my world, any personal mail (or mail related to shopping) is good mail!

My mother taught me to write letters. Thank you notes, short cards and little notes she would include in cards that she wrote to her friends and family. She role modeled good letter writing habits for me and I am glad to say that writing letters is one of the few good habits I’ve managed to keep well into my own adulthood.

I have eight pen pals spread across the United States and I write to them every month. However, about three years ago I began a new letter writing practice and I’d like to share them with you today. I send three letters to total strangers and you can too!

Fan Mail

Just a few short sentences is all it takes to let someone know you appreciate what they do for you.

Once a month I send a fan letter. I wrote my very first fan letter as a small girl to Garfield. That’s right, to Garfield the Cat. I followed with letters to Judy Blume, Beverley Cleary, and later, in my teenage life, I wrote to members of Duran Duran, Morrissey and the writers of sassy magazine articles. When I began writing books, I used the acknowledgments sections as a way to write a fan letter of sorts. I expressed my gratitude and love to people and organizations that kept me going; my friends and family, Neko Case, NPR, and my readers.

Fan letters are easy and fun to write. Mine are short and sweet. I thank the person or organization I’m writing to for whatever they have given me. Sometimes it’s inspiration, sometimes comfort, sometimes I just plain enjoy the product they make. Recent fan letters I’ve written have been to a cookbook author, a woman who I follow online that has given me years of good ideas and inspiration, and a local bookstore where I enjoy spending afternoons.

Sometimes I hear back from people, but usually I don’t. That’s okay, because the point for me isn’t to strike up a relationship, it’s to let them know that I am a fan of what they do. Their work has an impact on me and I want them to know it.

Letters of Appreciation 

There is almost no greater thrill than writing a thank you letter. The act of acknowledging that someone has been thinking of you, remembered you or has gifted you something is a wonderful thing to be grateful for. While most of us are used to dashing off cute cards for birthday gifts and special occasions, I challenge you to find one stranger a month to thank.

Sometimes I get exceptional service at a coffee shop. Or an online customer service representative really helps me solve a problem. The receptionist at my dentist office always makes me laugh and greets every person who comes in with such a big smile and positive energy. That deserves a letter of appreciation. I’m thankful for all of it.  

I try to thank one person outside of my family and social circle once a month. When writing to a business I try to make it count twice. I will write to the manager or supervisor (or dentist!) and tell them how their representative improved my day or experience, and then to the person I interacted with.

If you’re inspired to write this kind of letter, it is helpful to get the name of the person helping you in the moment, especially if you’re on the phone.

Lucky Day Notes

One of my favorite types of letters to write is a Lucky Day Note. This is an exceptionally good kind of letter to send when you need a pick me up. These are simple notes I send to total strangers that include a good thought and a crisp five-dollar bill.

Sometimes I choose a person by just picking a name out of the phonebook. Often I choose a house that I pass on a walk and jot down the address. Once in a while I go through the business cards I have saved and randomly choose one and use that address.

I like to include a short poem or a positive affirmation for them. I write the (almost) same message in each Lucky Day Card: “It’s your lucky day! Please use this lucky five-dollar bill to buy yourself a well deserved treat! We wish you only the best. We wish you happiness, love and health. You are amazing! Your address was chosen at random. You do not know the sender of this letter.”

So there you have it! Three ways to use letter writing to share good news, good thoughts, and good vibes. If you try any of these letter-writing ideas, I would be very glad to hear about it!

Your friend in mail,

Kari Chapin

Kari Chapin is a best-selling author and product designer from Portland, Oregon. Her books, The Handmade Marketplace and Grow Your Handmade Business have been helping people make their business dreams come true for years. Her line of products for creative entrepreneurs include project management file folders, new ways to get your brilliant ideas out of your head and into the world and a planner that shows you how to view your time and your possibilities in new ways. You are invited to get to know her better by connecting with her via Instagram @KariChapin or visiting her website at wwww.karichapin.com.



 

Personalize A Letter Through Language With Eva Jorgensen Of Sycamore Street Press

Looking for ways to make your letters feel more thoughtful? We've struggled with this a bit especially with pen pals, so we're always looking for fresh ideas! Eva Jorgensen of Sycamore Street Press has stepped in to share the ins and outs of word intimacy and authenticity. Follow her on Instagram for daily inspo: @SycamoreStreetPress. - Hello!Lucky & Egg Press

Photo by Jessica Peterson

Photo by Jessica Peterson

Hello friends! I'm so glad to be here -- I love everything about the #write_on campaign. Ever since I was a kid, I've had pen pals and enjoyed writing and sending snail mail. So much so, that I started my own stationery company straight out of school. And I guess that wasn't enough, because I'm also collaborating on a series of short films called The Art of Correspondence. This series aims to show how good old fashioned letter writing brings people together in a way that modern technology can't replicate. 

There are so many ways to personalize a letter visually -- through the choice of stationery or the DIY creation of it, through embellishments to the envelope, through the inclusion of photos, stickers, and other bits of paper ephemera, etc... I'm a designer, so of course I love all of that. But most of the time, the core of the letter comes down to the message -- the language.  

Here are 3 ways I use to personalize a letter through language. 

1) Get intimate. 

I'm a pretty avid user of social media, and you can learn quite a bit about my life from following me on my newsletter, blog, Instagram, and even Pinterest. So when I write a letter to a good friend, I want to make sure that I am telling them things that they haven't heard online. Things that tend to be a bit more personal and intimate. It could be anything from thoughts about my children's personalities, to questions about my long term goals, to creative ideas that are still "top secret". Or maybe just beautiful little details that can get so easily overlooked... things like the way the late afternoon light hits the kitchen wall, or the way my daughter pads into our room early in the morning and crawls into bed with us. The goal is to have it feel almost like we're sitting shoulder to shoulder, tea in hand, having one of those wonderful late night conversations between friends that you never want to end. Even if social media isn't your thing, if you tend to get stumped for letter content -- try thinking of what you would say in one of those late night heart to hearts. 

2) Make a list.

My friend Claire Dollan and I have been pen pals for many years. A tradition she started from the beginning was including a list at the end of each letter. It's essentially a list of favorites -- things we are loving at that moment. It might include anything from foods, to songs, to brands, to changes in the weather. It's always a fun little snapshot of each other's lives. 

3)  Include a quote or poem you know they would love.

I try and keep a list in a notebook of lovely quotes that I come across in movies, books, articles, songs, talks, etc... And if I'm looking for a quote on a specific subject, I'll even search online. (Goodreads is a favorite source.) Usually, I'll just write it in the body of the letter, but if you're feeling inspired, here are a few ideas of how you could get creative with it:

  • Make a little watercolor painting featuring the quote.
  • Stitch a little sampler with the quote.
  • Lay out the quote in black and white using Photoshop or Illustrator, and then take it to a copy shop to get made into a huge engineering print. Fold this down to fit into a manilla envelope.
  • Cut out all the letters from the quote, and number each letter on the back, so they can lay them out in order and figure out what the quote says.

If you'd like a little help with the lettering and layout, feel free to download my free template of these wise words by Mahatma Gandhi. You can use it to execute any of the above ideas either by tracing, printing, cutting out, etc... 

Thanks for reading! I hope these ideas help you in your letter writing endeavors for #write_on 2015. And if you'd like to see more of my stationery designs and the Art of Correspondence films when they come out, you can follow along on Instagram:@SycamoreStreetPress and @NorrFilm.

Write_On Pencil + Kit Giveaway

Make your mark and Write_On for National Letter Writing Month! Since we are encouraging you to write 30 letters in 30 days for the entire month of April we thought we'd make it even more fun by giving away all kinds of goodies. We linked up with Laurel of Go Hobo handmade custom pencils to create a Write_On exclusive pencil, the giveaway includes 5 write_on pencils and our write_on kit containing 4 letterpress cards by Hello!Lucky and Egg Press and a Sakura Of America Gelly Roll pen- for you and a friend! 

Get ahold of these Go Hobo + Write_On exclusive pencils by sharing a photo of a letter on Instagram and tagging your recipient, #markyourmark, and #write_on. We'll pick 10 winners plus their tagged counterpart to each receive 5 pencils and a Write_On kit!

In the meantime- check out the Go Hobo Etsy shop. She has so many great colors to pick from and can engrave up to 30 characters. A custom pencil makes a fantastic gift for letter lovers, we think, and it's a great way to make letter writing even more personal! 

Stay tuned- We'll announce our winners when the week is up!

On your mark, get set, go!

Resourceful letter writing With Andrea McLaren

We are thrilled to have Andrea back with a few resourceful letter writing tips, because you can never have enough! If you aren't already following her Write_On adventure check her out on  Instagram @andrea.mclaren. -Egg Press & Hello!Lucky

Hello again! Coming to you today with some tips on expanding your letter writing resources. Letterpress cards and personal stationary are beautiful and a delight to send and receive, but today I want to encourage you to look beyond conventional stationery and letter writing tools. I find that putting a letter together with what I have on hand creates a more personal and unexpected letter for your recipient and also saves a bit of money, which is never a bad thing. 

Don’t get me wrong, I do love shopping for cards, note paper and pens at stationery stores. I also scour thrift stores and antique stores for cards, paper and other post-friendly bits and bobs like pins, stickers and postcards. Pictured below are some of my recent favourites: 20 sheets of rose notepaper and 5 envelopes for $0.25. That’s right, 25 cents!! Also, I found the unopened stickers for 50 cents and the various pins for 10 cents each. I also found a stack of vintage postcards for 50 cents each. 

In addition to looking for pre-loved items at thrift stores, I really enjoy making envelopes and cards from old magazines, scraps of wrapping paper or pages ripped out of novels that have fallen apart. We made these snowmen for Willa’s best friend who adores Frosty the Snowman out of cotton pads that Willa found in the bathroom. Add a couple of construction paper details and a bit of glitter and you’re done. 

I think there is room for both intention and spontaneity in letter writing. Some of the letters leaving my hands this month will be sent with a specific purpose: engagement congratulations, a birthday card, or a note of thanks. However, most of the letters I will send will be spontaneous and “just because” – most of which will be addressed to people I have never met. 

Yesterday when we went to our neighbourhood post office to send a weeks worth of mail, the clerk candidly asked what we are sending all the time (it was our third time there in about 10 days) and I told her about the write_on campaign. She was like “That’s great, but what do you send to the people you have never met?” It’s a question I’ve gotten a few times, and honestly my answer is that I don’t overthink it. So here’s a list of a few things that I’ve sent/received over the years:

+ mixed cd’s (yes, people still appreciate them, haha)

+ movie or music show ticket stubs with a note about what I thought of the movie or performer

+ recipes

+ watercolour paintings

+ blank cards or postcards that the recipient can use

+ magazine or newspaper articles

+ flower seeds

+ homemade magnets (many stores/businesses/organizations give away promotional magnets which you can collect and affix your own image or photo over top of the original magnet.)

+ send an interview to a new friend that you don’t know very well. they can fill it out and send it back. 

+ use old pieces of thin cardboard from the back of a notepad to make bookmarks

I often keep an envelope going over a week or two and will jot down little notes, thoughts, questions or quotes that I’ve come across with a specific friend in mind. After a while I’ll pile it together, add a card and maybe a photo or two and wrap a bit of string or ribbon around the whole lot and send it off to that person. It’s my favourite kind of letter to receive. Spontaneous, genuine and doesn’t take a bunch of extra time for the writer and gives the reader a glimpse into a period of time in your life. Remember that there are no rules with letter writing. Keep it as simple or make it as extravagant as you like. Anything is better than the usual suspects (bills! flyers! yuck.) that make their way into our mailboxes.

I hope that these tips help you enjoy #write_on 2015! We will be sharing more about our experience throughout the month of April on my Instagram @andrea.mclaren so feel free to take a peek or send us your mailing address so we can send something your way.

Post by Andrea McLaren for #Write_On.

5 Tips for Building a Letter Writing Habit With Catherine Saunders

We are so excited to have Catherine Saunders of Green Fingerprint with us to share her tips on creating and sustaining the habit of letter writing. She has vowed to write 350 letters in 2015 so her advice is tried and true! Check out her blog for more inspiration and follow her Write_On journey on Instagram: @catsaunders. - Egg Press & Hello!Lucky

Hi there! I’m so happy to be sharing a few tips today as part of #write_on. This campaign is near and dear to my heart. Over the last few years, having two kids in rapid succession and then moving thousands of miles away from my friends and family left me feeling pretty isolated. I design custom stationery for a living, so writing letters seemed like a way to marry my love of great paper with my desire to feel connected to the people in my life. I’m also always up for a challenge, so I decided to write 350 letters in 2015. Later this year, I’ll turn 35 and we’ll celebrate our 10th wedding anniversary, which is how I arrived at that big number. It’s going really well, but I’ve learned a lot over the last few months. Here are my best tips for building a letter writing habit.

Call your mom (or aunt or mother-in-law).

I’ve found that the ladies in my family seem to know every birthday, anniversary and kids’ birthday of every relative and family friend I’ve ever known or semi-known through the years. My mom has given me dozens of reasons to send cards throughout the year. So figure out who’s the date-keeper in your family and call them with your calendar in hand.

Have all of your supplies ready to go.

I’ve found it’s easy to write a letter when I keep all the supplies I need to write, stamp and send one on-hand at all times. My go-to supplies are great stamps (lately loving these), a self-inking return address stamp, a favorite pens and simple, generic, notecards (like these). When you have everything you need on hand, it makes building the habit a lot easier.

Think outside the (birthday) box.

Celebrations are a great way to get into the habit of writing letters, but there are so many things to celebrate aside from birthdays. Send a card to your friend on her baby’s first birthday (hello - milestone for HER), send a note to a tween who’s about to finish seventh grade. My favorite things to celebrate have been anniversaries. People are always surprised to receive an anniversary card in the mail, and they’re easy cards to write. I mean, weddings are fun and everything, but the real celebration is when people make it to those annual milestones.

Set a goal and share it.

Mine is admittedly a little extreme this year, but maybe your goal is to send five cards a month. Or maybe you’re following along with #write_on in April, but after this you want to send one letter a week. Whatever it is, I’ve found that by setting a goal and then sharing it, I’m working toward something and I have some accountability. I number each letter I send, which has included my recipients in my letter-writing goal. Feel free to share your goal with me on Instagram at @catsaunders - I’d love to cheer you on!

Put it on the calendar… ahead of time.

I’m seriously the worst when it comes to remembering birthdays, so now I have reminders set up a week ahead of them so I get a card in the mail on time. Late is better than never, but a few days early? That’s the best.

I hope the #write_on campaign has motivated you to write more letters this month and maybe even begin a new habit. You can follow my own #write_on journey on Instagram at @catsaunders or read all about it on my blog.
Are you writing more letters these days? What are your tips for getting in the habit?

Ten Ways to Make Your Mail More Fun + A Giveaway With Send More Mail

We are huge fans of Jaime Maddalena of Send More Mail's shop, so we thought it would be fun to have her offer up a few quick tips on optimizing your mail, AND host a giveaway to get you started! We'll be taking a week to pick 4 winners to each receive a surprise pack of stamps! See details at the bottom of the post. Check out Jamie's shop to snag your own stamps and follow her on Instagram @send_more_mail for inspiration. Thanks Jaime! -Hello!Lucky & Egg Press.

TEN WAYS TO MAKE YOUR MAIL MORE FUN!

1. Think of repetitive patterns.  I used a rubber stamp to create lucky penny postcards.

2.  Paint on the back of postcards.  I like short words like Yes and OK.  

3.  Write (or type!) on unusual items: doilies, Christmas cracker tissue crowns, placemats from diners, maps, coasters, streamers.

Send-More-Mail-07.jpg

 Mail from Phillipa Croft

4.  Use vintage stamps to make up the correct amount of postage to send a letter.  Combine stamps with similar themes or colors for a pretty collage on your envelope. Or repeat the same stamp until you have enough postage.

Send-More-Mail-09.jpg

5.  Air mail envelopes.  Use them.  Often.  (With Superman stamps if possible!)

6.  Take large sheets of printed paper or gift wrap and cut it down to make your own stationery and envelopes.

Paper from The Regional Assembly of Text

7.  Learn to marble paper.  Then write on these beauties.

8.  Stitch hearts around sweet messages.

9.  Carefully turn an air mail envelope inside out.  Glue it together.  Love that those hidden patterns are no longer hidden.

 Mail from Phillipa Croft

10.  Tuck something like an old photograph or a child’s drawing inside.  Little surprises are the best surprises.

Calligraphy by The Lettering Studio

Drawing by my little friend Diego!

GIVEAWAY

Tell us about your favorite piece of mail you've ever received! We'll pick four people to win a surprise packs (sneak peek below) of Send More Mail stamps! Be sure to add your email address so we can contact you!

Can't wait to hear all about it!

Post by Jaime Maddalena of Send More Mail for #write_on.

Addressing an Envelope With Jillian Schiavi Of Jilly Ink

We are so smitten with Jillian Schiavi of Jilly Ink Modern Lettering & Illustration's work that we asked her to show us a few of her favorite ways to address an envelope! Below, she'll show you how to create beautiful designs using Gelly Roll pens. Follow her #write_on journey on Instagram: @jillyink. - Sakura Of America, Egg Press, & Hello!Lucky

Hello letter writing world out there! It’s such a distinct pleasure to be joining the lovely and creative teams of Sakura of America, Hello Lucky!, and Egg Press on the Write On adventure. I’m joining you from sunny Oakland, CA, and I have the honor of sharing a few ideas and tips on how to dress up the post you’ll be sending out all month long. As a freelance lettering artist, I work a lot with envelopes. They’re amazing, little mini canvases that can be used in so many different ways, and at the same time, vitally important in carrying the precious cargo contained within. Today I’ll be focusing on a couple fun and helpful topics: 

  •  How to incorporate patterns and simple illustrations onto the front of your envelopes to liven things up.
  • How even the slightest pop of differentiation can seem bold in the eye of the receiver.
  • Some useful information to keep in mind (a la the post-person) when it comes to addressing envelopes .

First up – patterns and illustrations! 

I love the integration of simple line drawings or shapes to emphasize lettering on the front of an envelope. Even something as easy as a few strategically placed straight lines can break up the space beautifully, and allow for a more geometric look. When designing this envelope,  I spaced out where the name and address would go first, decided on a lettering style (a combination of script for the name and print for the address is always a good take), and completed that first. Then I took my handy right angle ruler and went to town on outlining the address with a few – not too many – overlapping straight lines. Using the Moonlight Gelly Rolls really adds that extra pop, especially when emphasized by the boldness of white ink.

Another really simple way to bring life to more traditional lettering styles, and especially if you want to ensure that your mail is making its way to its intended recipient, is to add bright patterns around a black inked address. I think simple and concise patterns, with consistent angles and sizes, work really well in highlighting some thoughtful and beautiful lettering. 

If you’re a bit more ambitious, spending some time on simple and fun illustrations is another way to beautify the front of your envelopes. I recently drew a really interesting tattoo for a client of mine that used a few different arrow styles, and I thought it would be great to utilize those illustrations on an envelope. For this one, I drew most of the arrows in pencil first, keeping a blank space near the middle of the envelope for the name, and a blank space near the bottom right corner for the address. Then I included the lettering for the address, again using a combination of larger script for the name, and smaller, tighter print for the address. I finished it off by drawing over my initial sketches with the hot pink Moonlight Gelly Roll, adding a few extra details, and when everything was nice and dry, erasing the pencil marks. Voila! Instant tiny artwork.

Some other really simple and effective ways to create that pop of attention on the front of an envelope:

  • Choose a color palette that works well together – a muted or neutral with a bold and bright is always a winner
  • Add an extra line of text to the ‘to’ column on the envelope. Let your recipient know just how you feel about them from the moment they get their mail
  • Differentiate the size of the lettering on the front – big name/small address
  • Play around with the placement of the address – it doesn’t always have to live centered, right beneath the name. As long as it’s in a format as one unit, it works!

And finally, here are a few tips from our friends at (and my experience with) the USPS:

  • Brighter colors tend to have a harder time passing through the scanning machines. If you want to use a more neon palette, consider lettering the name in a bright color, and keeping the address in a more neutral tone.
  • Always always always keep the zip code and the street/apartment number legible. Oftentimes we can get away with a more liberal approach on lettering, but if the post person can’t read your zip code writing, it’s most likely getting sent back your way
  • Place the stamp first! I have definitely had moments of designing a beautiful envelope, only to realize that the stamp would end up covering half the person’s last name. It’s much easier if you create accurate boundaries first, so do yourself a favor and put the stamp on first (You can always peel it off if you make a spelling mistake).
  • Try not to get too busy. If there’s too much on the front, the scanning machine may not be able to pick up where the actual address is. A good rule of thumb is to keep any patterns/illustrations surrounding the address, and not within. And most importantly, have fun! Experiment! If anything, the person on the receiving end probably hasn’t found anything in their mail aside from bills and a bi-monthly New Yorker in a long time, so they’ll be thrilled with whatever they get from you. Happy letter writing, and I can’t wait to follow more of your progress with the #write_on campaign. 

Cheers!

Post by Jillian Schiavi of Jilly Ink Modern Lettering & Illustration for #write_on.

Letter writing happy hour at Schoolhouse Electric!

Schoolhouse Electric and Egg Press invite you to spend an inspiring evening taking stock of all the things you are grateful for. Join us as we mark the official Kick off of Write_On, a 30-day challenge to write 30 letters in 30 days over the month of April, which also happens to be National Letter-Writing Month. Eunice and Sabrina Moyle of Hello!Lucky, the co-hosts with Egg Press of Write_On will also be in attendance! It's going to be a lovely evening full of nice folks and yummy things to drink and eat from Ned Ludd and Quin.

  • When: Thursday, April 9th, 2015
  • Time: 6-8 pm
  • Where: Schoolhouse Electric, 2181 NW Nicolai Street, Portland, OR
  • The event includes:
    • A Write_On Starter Kit (4 letterpress printed cards, 4 envelopes and Gelly Roll pen)
    • Free postage for your letters
    • Food, drink, and sweet treats
    • Giveaways
    • 15% off Schoolhouse Electric shopping coupon

We hope you will come cozy up with us as we look to slow down and write letters to nurture those relationships that make this life meaningful!

Sign up for the free event here.