sent with love.

My latest batch of letters that were sent out! 

fun fact friday.

Fact:

The American artist Ray Johnson is considered to be the first mail artist, and the New York Correspondence School that he developed is considered the first self-conscious network of mail artists.

fun fact friday.

Fact:

The first parcel post was distributed in the U.S.A. in 1913.

stamps: gifts of friendship

Image from: usps.com

Image from: uspsstamps.com

In 2015, the U.S. Postal Service® and Japan Post jointly issue Gifts of Friendship, a pane of stamps featuring beautiful images of flowering dogwood and flowering cherry trees. This issuance celebrates the enduring bond between two nations on the centennial of the gift of dogwood trees from the United States to Japan in 1915.

The left side of the stamp pane features four new stamps: two created by the U.S. Postal Service® and two created by Japan Post. On the right side of the stamp pane are eight additional stamps. The U.S. designs highlight the beauty of flowering cherry and flowering dogwood trees in WAshington, D.C. The Japanese designed stamps feature two prominent buildings in Tokyo. 

This 12-stamp pane includes two stamps from Japan Post and 10 stamps from the U.S. Postal Service®,  all denominated as Forever® stamps. 

You can read more about the Gifts of Friendship stamps here.

stamps: the civil war 1865

Image from: uspsstamps.com

The Civil War (1861-1865), the most wrenching chapter in American history, claimed the lives of more than 620,000 soldiers and brought vast changes to the country. The Postal ServiceTM concludes its commemoration of the 150th anniversary of the war by issuing a souvenir sheet with two new stamp designs for 2015.

One stamp depicts the Battle of Five Forks, near Petersburg, Virginia, on April 1,1865. The other stamp depicts Robert E. Lee's surrender to Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox Court House on April, 9.

The Civil War: 1865 stamps are being issued as Forever® stamps.

You can read more about The Civil War: 1865 stamps here.

stamps: maya angelou

Image from: uspsstamps.com

Author, poet, actress, and champion of civil rights Dr. Maya Angelou (1928-2014) was one of the most dynamic voices in all of 20th-century American literature. The book "I know Why the Caged Bird Sings", an autobiographical account of her childhood, gained wide acclaim for its vivid depiction of African-American life in the South.

The stamp showcases artist Ross Rossin's 2013 portrait of Dr. Angelou. The oil painting is part of the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery's collection. In the bottom left corner is the following quotation by the pioneering author: "A bird doesn't sing because it has an answer, it sings because it has a song." Above the quotation is her name in red lettering. 

The Maya Angelou stamp is being issued as a Forever® stamp in sheets of 12.

You can read more about the Maya Angelou stamp here.

reasons to write.

• Write a note to someone remembering a fond or funny memory.

• Make someone smile who is having a rough day.

• Write a love letter to your significant other.

• Send someone your favorite recipe.

• Write a letter of appreciation to you mailman.

• Write a thank you card to a sales associate that went above and beyond.

• Write a letter to let someone know you have been thinking about them.

• Send a letter to a child to teach them how fun it is to receive mail.

• To create beautiful mail art.

• Send a letter inviting someone over.

• Mail a letter with an old photograph you found of that person.

• To send a clipping from a newspaper or magazine.

• Send a card to celebrate an obscure holiday.

• Write a letter to an elderly friend or family member.

• To help save the U.S. Postal Service.