First letters sent out!

Here are two letters I recently sent out! The first one was sent to the UK and the second one to Finland!

UK Mail:

Finland mail:

Games to play with a penpal, envelope games

You might have read my list of envelope gifts (can be found HERE). In it I mentioned it sending a crossword to your friend, and that got me inspired to come up with other activities you can do with your penpal :).

With all of the activities on this list it is up to you and your pal to decide the guidelines, like how much to write or paint, before sending it back.

Crossword

If you speak the same language. Otherwise you can make your own! Solve one clue at a time, do it 50/50 or however you like.

Paint a picture

Use a page from a colouring book for lighter envelopes or thin paint-by-number calvas if you don't mind a bit more weight. 

Story time

Start writing a story on a piece of paper, then fold it so it cant be read, leaving one word on a new line for your pal to continue. Good starting points for a new sentence is "And", "But", "The..." etc. Then write THE END somewhere on the paper before sending it off! Enjoy your story!

3 super easy ways to instantly turn a notebook page into custom-made stationery!

Since I have been on a bit of a hand writing binge lately because of my two penpals, my mind have been trying to come up with ways to decorate and embelish the paper I am writing on. And since I am a fan of recycle, diy and use-what-you-have-at-hand, I have come up with three super easy ways to "dress up" a normal notebook page :)

Drawing in the margins

This one is simple, just draw things in the margins or the paper. I used green and pink highlighter pens to draw some hearts. Descreet and quite pretty. This could have been made in black pen or graphite pencil as well.

Confetti

I used some brush-tipped felt pens to draw circles of different colours and sizes, but not only in the margins, I extended it too the top and bottom too. You could continue along the outer edge too, creating a frame for the letter! 

Washi tape

Take some Washi tape (or other pretty tape) and put it along the line of the margin. You can extend it out on the page however you like.

I hope you liked these three tips. BOOM! Instant stationery :)

Flat things to send to a penpal in an envelope, envelope gifts

 

Recently I got two penpals, one in the UK and one in the USA. You might not know this about me, but I suffer from anxiety, panic attacks and depression. I also LOVE statinery (notebooks in particular, but more about that later). I tought that having a penpal, writing physical letters, would be a nice break in my every day life.

I found my penpals by posting a photo and with a short introduction in the Facebook Group "Worldwide Snail Mail Pen Pals". I got some replies and picked two of them that wrote a bit about themselves and had a few things in common with me.

And then, of course, I started wondering what to send with the letters. Preferably it would be something flat and whit low weight. Here are some ideas. The green text are things that I have sent.

• Teabag with your favourite tea (Twinings Apple, Cinnamon and Raisin thank you) 
• Photo (I have an Instax mini 8 and sent a polaroid with the letter).
• Pressed Flowers - Either loose in the envelope, in a bag or glued on the writing paper.
• Bookmark - For best result use a piece of cardboard as the base (cereal box, scrapbooking paper, "normal" cardboard etc).
• Crossword - If you use the same language you can send a cutout from a magazine. For a collaboration, you can start it and let your pal finish it Or you can make your own!
• Paint a picture form a colouring book and send with the letter.
• Drawing, doodles, etc.
• Sticker
• Stamps with animals, flowers, art etc - Local to your area / country that might be interesting for your pal to find out about.
• Postcard with a local event, place, thing etc - Same as above, pretty much :)
• A short playlist of your favourite songs, television series, books etc written on a separate piece of paper.
• Ribbon
• (Iron-On) Patches
• Pins, buttons
• Pencil with your pals name on it
• Flat origami
• Your favourite recipies, either cut / ripped from a magazine, cookbook or copied to a piece of paper

This list will update as I come up with more ideas, so please check back!