Kindred Spirit Mailbox-Sunset Beach, NC

A few years ago I heard about a mailbox (Kindred Spirit) on a beach off the coast of North Carolina. I blogged about it and thought that if I was ever that way, I would make a trip to see this interesting mailbox. 

Fast forward a few years... My mom and I always read Nicholas Sparks books. As it is our tradition, she buys his books the day they come out, reads it, and then gifts it to me. I am a proud owner of all of the Nicholas Sparks books. Well his newest one "Every Breathe" came out in October and as tradition goes, I was given the book. To my surprise, he got the idea for the book from Kindred Spirit!

My mom and I talked about how great the book was and decided this year, for our annual Birthday adventure (we have the same birthday), we would go to North Carolina to see the Kindred Spirit mailbox! We mentioned it to my cousin who also loves Nicholas Sparks so she and her husband decided to meet us there for our adventure!

We stayed at an adorable Airbnb in Wilmington, NC for the weekend and on Saturday morning started our adventure to Kindred Spirit. Kindred Spirit is located on Bird Island in Sunset Beach, NC which is about an hour drive from Wilmington. We found some directions online and it said to park on 40th street, where there are only about 4 parking spots available as it is pretty much a residential resort area. Once you are parked, you walk down a long boarded walkway to the beach. When you get on the sand you will see a sign that says Kindred Spirit is to the right (away from the pier) and to walk about 1.4 miles and it will be up in the sand dunes. There used to be a flag that you would be able to spot, but I think hurricane Florence might have taken that down as there wasn't one there when we went to visit!

The walk was very relaxing. It isn't a very crowded beach and the sand is flat and compact (so much so, that you can ride your bike on it). It was a warm day during our adventure, but there was a refreshing breeze which made it nice. 

We were walking along and I was the first one out of our group to spot the mailbox and I got so excited! There was no one there, so that gave me a good chance to get some photos and enjoy the moment with just the four of us!

After we were there for about 20 minutes, several groups of women started gathering on the beach to visit the mailbox, so we were glad we had a little while to really take in the excitement of it all and read some of the letters inside. After I read a few, I wrote a little note myself in one of the notebooks.

Then we headed down towards the water where I gifted my Mom and Cousin with bracelets I had made to remember the trip by. They both loved them and were excited to wear them. I also have similar ones that I have made and they are for sale in my Etsy shop!

If you ever get the chance to check out Kindred Spirit, I highly recommend it. Some of the locals in town said it has gotten busier now that Nicholas Sparks has written about it, but in the cooler months, it is less crowded. Check out their official website for more info.

xo,

ellen

World's Smallest Post Service Kickstarter

BIG NEWS!

Lea Redmond at the World's Smallest Post Office has a new Kickstarter and it is awesome!

She wants to open a brick and mortar tiny post office and she needs our help!

You can watch her video on Kickstarter to see all the wonderful ideas she has planned and see all of the different pledge options!

Consider helping!

Image from WSPS Kickstarter

You can even be an Ambassador! Send an email to Adrienne (ant@leafcutterdesigns.com) with a list of name and addresses and they will mail a tiny postcard letting them know about the project!

  

Image from WSPS Kickstarter

Lea Redmond started World's Smallest Post Service back in 2008. Visit her website to learn all about this great concept and purchase a Tiny Mail Stationery Kit, so you can send tiny letters yourself!

xo,

e

Sticker Subscriptions

I recently started subscribing to several sticker clubs after debating with myself over it for a long while, so I thought I would give my take on each of the three clubs that I currently subscribe to -- Stickii Club, Pipsticks, and Sticky Kit.

Stickii Club:

Stickii club is the first kit that I subscribed to. I bought one of their kits from their online store before subscribing and I have been a member of this club for a while now. This one arrives just a few days after it is shipped and they have two different shipping dates a month. They have one kit available, but with three different themes you can choose from:

-Cute Pack-

Kawaii/Warm/Pastel

-Retro Pack-

Vintage/Earthy/Nostalgic

-Pop Pack-

Bright/Trendy/Cool

All packs include:

5-6 Sticker Sheets

1 Sticker Flakes Bag

2-3 Stationery Items

Stickii Storage

$10/mo +shipping

They give sneak peeks of each pack at the beginning of the month so that you can decide which pack you want that month. I typically rotate between the cute pack and the pop pack! Those two have been my favorite so far. Sometimes, if I can't decide, I will add one of the packs for that month only. 

January Kit from Stickii Club

January Kit from Stickii Club

Instagram: @stickiiclub

Pipsticks:

I subscribed to Pipsticks after receiving a coupon code, so figured I would give it a whirl. The first month I received the welcome pack, and the pack that everyone gets their first month includes all of their most popular stickers. They recently changed their shipping method and it arrives a lot faster and there is only one shipping date a month now! They don't have monthly themes, so the stickers are always just a randomized assortment. They have several different kits you can subscribe to each month:

-Pro Club Classic-

15 Sheets of Stickers & Goodies

$17.95/mo 

-Pro Club Petite-

7 Sheets of Stickers & Goodies

$11.95/mo 

-Kid's Club Classic-

15 Sheets of Stickers & Goodies

$17.95/mo 

-Kid's Club Petite-

7 Sheets of Stickers & Goodies

$11.95/mo 

All of their subscription packages come in a reusable holographic pouch, a subscriber raffle ticket, an issue of "Pippy" (sticker club zine), access to the Sticker Club Facebook Group, exclusive Coupons & Printables, and 5% off in their online shop! The kids subscription club has stickers geared more towards kids, but lets be honest... it's stickers. I am sure you would love them as an adult too!

They also offer a printables subscription you can subscribe to.

Welcome Kit from Pipsticks

Instagram: @lovepipsticks

Referral Link: (https://www.pipsticks.com/refer/ellen-BRBNZHSR)And if you enter the Code: FRIENDSROCK at checkout, you will get $5 off your first pack!

Sticky Kit:

Sticky Kit was the last one that I subscribed to. I never received my January one and after about six weeks, I emailed them to let them know and they said they typically charge to send a replacement kit but would not this time. It definitely bummed me out that they were going to charge me again after not even receiving my first kit. However, they made it right so I was happy. The following week, my February kit arrived and it was "mail" themed! I LOVED it! This kit arrived in less than two weeks, so I figured the first kit never arriving was a fluke. They offer three different types of kits you can subscribe to:

-Sticker Kit-

4-5 Sticker Sheets

1 Sticker Flakes Pack

Extra Stationery Item

$12.99/mo + $2 shipping

-Washi Kit-

3-4 Japanese Washi Tapes

Extra Stationery Item

$14.99/mo + $3 shipping

-Combo Kit-

All the Stickers

All the Washi

2 Extra Stationery Items

$26.99/mo + $4 shipping

I like this subscription because everything is from Japanese companies, so it is stuff you won't be able to find locally as easily. I also like that each month is based on a certain theme. 

February Kit from Sticky Kit

Instagram: @stickykit

Overall, I think they are all three amazing sticker subscriptions and you can't go wrong with any of the three. I would have to say that out of the three, my overall favorite for the value and items included is the kit from Stickii Club! All three of them renew automatically and can be cancelled at any time, which is a plus for me!

So, if you are in the market to sign up for a sticker subscription I hope this post helped, and honestly, since you can cancel at any time, why not give them all a try and see what you think!

xo,

e

Take ORF Postcards

The other night I picked up my husband from the airport and wanted to get a picture in front of the new LOVE sign they had in the baggage claim. (They have these LOVE signs all over the state of Virginia so if you ever find yourself in Virginia and want to find one of the signs, you can view the map of all their locations.)

They have a sign next to the giant LOVE sign advertising "Snap and Share your Love" along with 5 plastic holders holding "Sending Love" postcards for you to take.

This is the second postcard design that I have seen available now at the airport. I just love this idea so much. Grab a postcard and send a little love while you are waiting for a flight or picking someone up. I of course, grabbed a handful so I can mail them out to friends and family! 

The above, is the spring postcard in the series of "Sending Love" postcards available at Norfolk International Airport in Virginia. After doing a little research online, I found out this is the third postcard so far. They have had a Fall (I also have a handful of those), Winter and now Spring! I think they are very well designed and I look forward to hopefully seeing more designs available in the future!

xo,

e

Valentines,VA Postmark

I wanted to share all the letters I received from my trip to Valentines, VA! It is so fun to have a mailbox filled with all the pink and red envelopes!

I just love the heart shaped postmark on every envelope along with the hand stamped heart Kathy

(the postmaster) stamps onto every envelope! It truly makes the mail that much more special!

I can't wait to head back to Valentines, VA next year!

Happy Groundhog Day!

HAPPY GROUNDHOG DAY!

This summer, my family and I took a little road trip up to Boston and then over to Pittsburgh! On the way to Pittsburgh we stopped in Punxsutawney, PA to see the home of the famous Punxsy Phil!

We stopped by the gift shop first (DUH!) and I picked up a few groundhog themed things (stationery, a rubber stamp and some postcards, to name a few). Then we walked over to Phil's home in the center of town. He lives in his burrow outside the library when he isn't predicting the weather. After seeing him sleep we took a little drive to see where the famous prediction event happens! Gobbler's Knob! It was neat to see all this in person, since I see it on TV every year.

Once we were done at Gobbler's Knob we drove around trying to find the various Phil statues throughout town. This post office Phil was my FAVORITE! He is so cute in his little mail outfit!

So, what will the groundhog predict this year? More Winter or is Spring around the corner...

If you would like a chance to win a postcard that I picked up in the gift shop of post office Phil, comment on my post and I will draw one lucky winner!

travelope notecard sets.

Hello!

I am happy to announce that I have started making my travelope notecard sets again and they are for sale in my etsy shop... or you can buy them right here from the blog!!

I have several different cities of Travelopes that you can choose from:
NYC Subway Maps
Charleston, SC Resort Maps
Ocean City, MD Resort Maps
Outer Banks, NC Resort  Maps
Norfolk, VA Resort Maps

Each set of Travelopes comes with:
5 Handmade Map Envelopes
10 Flat Notecards (Colors Vary)
10 White Address Labels

All come packaged in a cellophane bag, perfect to use for yourself or to give to a friend as a gift!

Ocean City, MD

Outer Banks, NC

NYC Subway

Charleston, SC

post offices and postboxes of ireland.

I had the most AMAZING time in Ireland with my husband. If you ever get a chance to go to Ireland, do it! Every town had their own unique post office and I made sure to capture them all!

We first had a layover in Manchester, England and was beyond excited when I found Paperchase, a paper store, in our terminal of the airport! I bought a few things of course. 

And then a Royal Mail mailbox from England!

The postbox and post office in Milltown, where we stayed our first two nights of the trip! I stopped in to buy stamps for my postcards! The ladies working in their were very nice and got me exactly what I needed!

Sitting in a local coffee shop writing out my postcards to mail!

Mailing off my postcards!

Postbox in Galway!

Post office in Galway!

Postbox in Galway! I think this was my favorite. I love how it was built into the stone wall!

Post office in Kinsale!

Letterslot in the side of a hotel wall in Kinsale! The manager thought it was funny that I was taking a picture of the letter slot. I told him that I love mail, and he offered me a job polishing it everyday! Sir, If I lived here I would!

Post office in Cork!

I hope you enjoyed my tour of Ireland through post offices and post boxes!

honey bee letterset download.

"Life is the flower for which love is the honey." -Victor Hugo

©2014 postmarked with love

©2014 postmarked with love

Download your own copy of the honey bee letterset here! Enjoy!

wedding invitation timeline and checklist.

I have been designing more wedding invitation suites recently, so I thought it was a good opportunity to share a wedding invitation timeline since it pertains to mailings!

Save the Dates
(Should be mailed 3-6 Months before the Wedding)

Wedding Invitations
(Should be mailed 2 Months before the Wedding with an RSVP date of 1 Month before the Wedding)
     Enclosures:
          • Reply Card (Include a Self-Addressed Stamped Envelope)
          • Reception Card (Includes Directions to the Reception if different from the Ceremony Site)

Wedding Announcement (Optional)
(Should be mailed the day after the Wedding)

Thank-You Notes
(Should be mailed within the month following your Honeymoon)


Tips for Postage on your Wedding Invitations:
Purchase postage after you have assembled your invites, so you can weigh an envelope, with all inserts included, to determine how much postage you will need.

You can purchase the Wedding series stamps in 1-ounce Forever® or 2-ounce 70¢ stamps.

Where Dreams Blossom: 1-ounce Forever® stamp.

Image from: usps.com

Yes, I Do: 2-ounce 70¢ stamp.

Image from: usps.com

Wedding Roses: 1-ounce Forever® stamp.

Image from: usps.com

Wedding Cake: 2-ounce 70¢ stamp.

Image from: usps.com

Send a test invitation to yourself before the rest are mailed. You will be able to confirm you've used the proper postage and have a copy of your invite-complete with local postmark-to save.