snail mail: the book

If you've been reading this blog for awhile, you'll know that I love snail mail. So when I saw Australian author Michelle Mackintosh's call for letters to include in her forthcoming book about "the art and craft of handmade correspondence," I had to partake. Many months after I sent Michelle a decorated envelope filled with goodies, Snail Mail arrived at my doorstep. It's one of the most beautifully designed books I've ever seen, and includes a few bits and pieces from yours truly!

Snail mail has been my favorite creative endeavor since I was a teenager and found some of my first pen pals on LiveJournal. Today I've been mailing for over ten years! I've sent and received letters from people all over the world and have even met a few of them in real life along the way.

Snail Mail is a feast for the eyes and features famous letters, tips on what to write, mail art inspiration, envelope templates, sticker sheets, and much more. My pink envelope (left of center) even made it onto the awesome wall of letters spread!

Michelle also included a little nod to the Canadian toothpick flag I sent her. I bought these up from a dollar store around Canada Day and send them to pen pals throughout the year.

One of my most prized possessions is this big box full of mail sent to me over many years. If my house were ever burning down (God forbid - "that's dark" as my mom would say), this would definitely be the first thing I'd try to save.

The long awaited arrival of the book inspired me to put together some envelopes with stationery I found in Vancouver. That star tape is my new favorite!

If you're into snail mail or paper crafts in general, you will surely be smitten with this book. You can order your own copy, and/or follow Michelle on Instagram.

outgoing

The amount of mail I send and receive is far greater than the bits and pieces I have time to photograph for my blog, but some projects I can't help but snap before they're destined for far away places. These recent letters to Emma (England) and Michelle (Australia) were two that I had a lot of fun putting together. 

I love Sky Ferreria's music and style, hence her adorning of the pink envelope I designed to be included in Michelle's forthcoming book about snail mail!

I've been harvesting various books for botanical illustrations like these on an envelope for Jess. Even the notoriously grumpy lady at my post office liked this one.

I was very happy to get my hands on some of these vintage stamp packs from Jaime. Each one contains enough postage to send a letter within Canada. How sweet is this idea?!

Another of my recent finds was this book of postcards featuring Yoshitomo Nara's illustrations from Value Village (giant thrift store) of all places. If you're on my pen pal list, expect to receive one of these soon. 

inbox/outbox

Leaving England behind has always broken my heart a little bit, but coming home to Liam and a pile of lovely mail from my pen pals made this time easier. One of my favorite purchases from the trip (along with 6492 sheets of stickers) was this amazing glittery notebook from Paperchase, which I couldn't resist including!

The incredibly talented and adorable Jenna sent me this brilliant letter which nearly made my eyes pop out of my head in glee when I opened it.

Jenna's polka dotted envelope contained so many cute details, including this paper mobile which is now hanging above my desk.

My most recent letter from Jessica was written on super soft Japanese paper which she illustrated and hand stitched into a beautiful little booklet!

As mentioned, to say that I returned from the UK with a lot of stationery would be an understatement. I also brought back a whole stack of Tube maps (thanks TfL) and other paper souvenirs to send my pen pals.

incoming

From Charlotte (France)

From Valentina (Chile)

From Jess (USA)


From Jordan (USA)

From Charlotte (England)

There are few things I love more than coming home to find an envelope full of goodies from far away waiting at my doorstep. If you'd like to see more lovely letters as they arrive in my mailbox, follow me on Instagram for regular updates! Also, a few paper delights made by yours truly have been featured on The Tea Drinking English Rose, which is one of my favorite blogs. Click here to take a peek.

pink paper packages

I was very spoiled this Christmas and received a digital label maker and rotating alphabet stamp with a pad of gold ink from those who truly know me best. Needless to say I've been using them both on all of the recent letters I've sent out. Inspired by my new supplies, I put together a bunch of parcels over the holidays, which were the most relaxing in recent memory. Here's to 2014!

postal service

I don't usually include outgoing mail on my blog since I'm always afraid of ruining the surprise for a recipient of one of my letters, but I take photos of every parcel before sending it off for my own documentation and thought I might share a few. These letters were for Charlotte and Isa, who are both brilliant ladies with impeccable taste. Below is a wonderful assortment of glitter, lace, and old stamps I recently received from Charlotte.

 

On a related note, I've finally joined Pinterest after years of holding off and would love for you to follow me over there if you like what you see on my blog. Thanks!