Merry Christmas...and look at these cards!

Merry Christmas 2018!!

I recently attended a wonderful card making workshop.  This was open to all ages at my church and we had some that were as young as 3 and 4.  I was stationed at this particular styled card.  The more "advanced" card making was at a different table.  We had so much fun, and the children did an amazing job!  The cards were destined to be delivered to a local nursing home.

We signed each card...

I just adore the work that Rachel (6) did on her Christmas trees...and her older sister Lydia decided she wanted to do a different tree altogether.  So creative!

One thing I wanted to share with you is the dual tip brush pen I found at the Dollar Tree which  I saw  on my last trip.  They had a good supply with various colors but  I only purchased one so I could "test it" and not waste money.  I was hugely surprised!  These are  made from a Japanese company

"Marvy"...and let me tell you...they are MARVELOUS!  They have a nice firm tip and are "juicy" so they allow for different levels of color. The marker tip is very fine and works well too.  When I was at the check out, the cashier was gushing about the pen.  He said he did calligraphy and they were great. I should have run back and swiped all of them, but I didn't.  

Here is a closer look...

Needless to say, I went back and bought several more in various colors of what was left.  Evidently the word got out about this product...I hope they get more in!  Moral of the story...trust your Dollar Tree cashier...they know what they are talking about!

Merry, Merry, Merry Christmas

and a Happy New

Year!

Pam

Pen Pal Kit

Catching Up!!!! Outgoing SnailMail

Do You Remember This?

Yes, this pile was mine.  I had let so much  beautiful mail pile up over a period of time.  So, how does one "catch up"?  Well, it is done one letter at a time!

Here is a picture of a recent batch of outgoing.  

I not only have mail from my Lost Art Revived crowd that I write to, but also to my Jane Austen Letter Writing Society!  Sometimes it gets a  little hairy!

I love the new wedding postage.  I think they look so vintage.  Charming!

Hope this posts inspires you to get after that pile of mail that has  been accumulating!  Remember, it is "one letter at a time!"

Happy Snail Mailing!

Pam

*Available In MY Shop!!*

Pen Pals Letter Set Kit

Must apologize for my LONG absence!!! And JoAnn Haul!

I'm Back!

Lovely post card from Sharon..."What happened to you?????"  :-)

I really must apologize!  A brief absence, turned into a 2 month hiatus, which was totally unintentional.  Blog etiquette requires that the blogger  must NOT just drop his/her blog like a "hot potato", right? Unfortunately that is what I did.   A brief note to my readers should have been in order:  "I need to take a break because...".  I am so sorry that I did not do that.  I honestly thought I would be able to get back to it before now!  Here's what happened.  I had a very busy summer, with an out of country trip right before school started back.  I signed up to teach in 3 home school co operatives,  for a total of 4 different classes, each requiring different preps, lesson plans and activities.    I also started teaching a group of beginning violin students (so fun!!)  and I am working as a leader in Bible Study Fellowship this year.  I  should have done my prep work well before , but I was gone 7 weeks this summer.  So...poor planning was really the root of it all.

In the mean time, letters have been coming into my mail box, and gone unanswered.  I am slowly starting to get back into the swing of things.  Everyone who has written me will get a wonderful answer.  I have been making envelopes and working on lots of HAPPY MAIL!  I will try not to let this happen again.  Thank you for all your patience, and your cards of encouragement.  Some of them are anonymous, so just let me thank you here.  I really do appreciate your thoughtfulness.  

I have several blog posts that I am currently working on, I have up loaded all the pictures and now I just need to write the posts.  

I want to leave you with this little shopping experience I recently had!  I had to drop off my son at the local Chick-Fil-A, so I decided to check my JoAnn's app to see if I had any coupons.  This is what came up.  I have never seen a coupon so good as this one... 60% off TOTAL purchase of regular -priced papercrafting supplies.  I thought, "Ok.  Everything on the paper crafting aisle will be on sale, so it won't be that great."  I started down the paper crafting aisle and found that absolutely NOTHING was on sale.  That is when I started getting interested in this shopping trip.  I quickly looked at the coupon again, to see if  I had it wrong.  But no, it appeared to be good.  

My BIG JoAnn Haul!

Normally I walk the aisles, clutching my 40% off ONE item coupon, and purchase just the one item.  But this was too good to pass up!  I purchased items on my "dream wish list"  (the punches) and then other items I use in my Etsy letter writing kits.  So it was a "win-win!" for me.

Here  is my savings...I'll let you guess what the total was!

All this to say...DO WATCH your coupons that ping on your phones, you never know what they might have!

Thank you for stopping by...be looking for more posts as I jump back into the action of the ever changing SNAIL  MAIL world...and hopefully I will be completely caught up on my letter writing  in the next week or so!

Take care,

Pam

Go ahead and write a letter...you'll be glad you did!

Send a note of Encouragement!

Do you know of someone who needs to hear these words?

I love these note cards.  The message is amazing and  is often needing to be heard by our loved ones.    So often I forget the place that note cards have in the life of a snail mail correspondent.  The note card is such a valuable entity, but easy to dismiss if you are  more accustomed to  penning the lengthier cousin, the letter.    Unfortunately  (for the note card) I fall into the letter writer camp.  But recently decided to take a second look at the note card.

First and foremost, I took down, and dusted off my beautiful copy of  Margaret Shepherd's The Art of the Handwritten Note, and began re-reading it. It is one of the classics of hand-written correspondence.   

Simply put  Ms. Shepherd states the value of the hand written note and what it conveys to the reader;

     'You matter to me... I thought of you...I took trouble on your behalf...here's who I am...I've been thinking of you in the days since this was mailed...I want to share with you the  textures and colors and images I like.... And that's just the unspoken  messages ,the pleasure anticipated before  the reader even reads the words that the pen and paper have inspired you to choose.... A note can deliver all this for less than a dollar's worth of materials and ten minutes of your time."

Of course, that is just the beginning of this lovely book.  I will enjoy re-reading it.  But I also think I am going to make Note Writing a more customary part of my letter writing  routine.  Perhaps, I will even set aside one day for using notes only!

I hope to share more about my adventures in Hand Written Notes with you soon! I am beginning  to look at the hand written note as a "mini letter", and so .   What about you?  Are note cards a formal part of your writing routine?  What occasions to you use to write a note card?  

Write Letters,

Write Often.

Lady Pamela

     

Sending some Auntie Mail and other Out-Going Mail!

Out Going Auntie Mail... Sista Mail

Here is some Auntie Love going out to my niece in Texas!  She needs a bit of cheering up.  The postal clerk was concerned about this package "making it" as is.   I thought I would go ahead and try it and see how it does.  Has anyone had trouble with these cello bags not "making it"?

Back View.

Cello bags...

I'm just going to keep me  my fingers crossed.  I'll let you know the verdict when I find out its fate.

Update:  Yes, this arrived safe and sound...without any "envelope".  I sent it through as is and my niece really enjoyed it. 

Here I am sending a bit of  "Sister Love"... a belated birthday present. Unfortunately this package met with the mishap of falling into the hands of a "By-the-rules" postal clerk , who happened to be standing next to the Post Master...who grabbed his  magic marker and started crossing through all of my notations.  He assured me though that, "all of the cool stuff is still there!"  Really?   Oh well.

 It never hurts to send some real "good news"!

What sort of July 4th mail did you send out?   I thought the Chinese fire cracker stamps were appropriate enough!

                                        

I had a few more added to this group going out, but they didn't make it into the picture.

I just  recently got back from our 3rd annual Chick Trip...this time to South Padre.  When you go  on vacation, don't forget to pick up your touristy post cards and maps of the area.  

Map envelopes are always fun.  A nice reminder of a pleasant trip.

Write letters.

Write often.

Lady Pamela