letter writing goodies.

My godmother is a consultant for Stampin' Up and I recently requested a catalog from her to see what kind of fun goodies I could buy to make my letters even more fun! I found a few great things, plus a ton of inspiration in the catalogs!

I picked up a paper punch that is a stamp shape! Not sure what I will use it for yet, but looking forward to playing around with it. I also got 3 rolls of spring inspired paper tape. Gosh, I love paper tape. I have a slight addiction to it honestly. And then this gorgeous lace doily tape! Isn't it fantastic? I think it will look great on some black envelopes! oh la la!

Have you gotten any fun letter writing goodies recently?

merry christmas mr. mailman.

I wanted to give my mailman a little present this holiday season now that we are living in a house and not an apartment!

I love to bake and during the holidays it is non stop around my house. I thought some delicious sugar cookies with a nice card would be the perfect little gift to give him, and even better because I had a mailbox cookie cutter! I hope he enjoyed them!

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all the mailmen out there delivering all of our letters!

p.s. Do you do anything special for your mailman during the holidays?

locks of love.

Do you guys have a Bucket List?

I created mine several years ago, and continue to add things to it as well as check things off that have been completed. One of those was mailing a very special package off this morning.

I have always wanted to donate my hair to Locks of Love, so I was beyond excited to finally be able to do it and send my hair off in the mail this morning.

I have always had thin hair and because of that have kept it short since college. I always wanted long hair but realized short hair looks better and fuller. One my husband proposed two years ago next month I decided to grow my hair out so I could have a nice updo for our wedding. I figured since it finally started to have some length on it, that it was the perfect time to continue letting it grow and once it reached the length it needed to be I would cut it off and donate it! Man, does my hair grow super slow!! It took almost two years to get it to 10 inches. 

I was so excited when I finally made my appointment to get it cut off! I won't lie though, I was really nervous when she put it in the ponytail and started cutting it all off, but once it was cut I felt fantastic. She ended up cutting a little over 11 inches off! I love knowing that my hair will help with a great cause and help young adults feel more confident!

Do you want to know more about how you can donate your hair towards a great cause? Check out Locks of Love website for more information.

I thought I would share a Before and After picture with you guys too...

Before:

 After:

nye in an envelope.

I signed up to participate in the Happy New Year Letter Exchange project that Papered Thoughts set up and the first task was to create new years eve in an envelope!

At first I didn't know what to do, but once I got one idea it just came together. I decided to stick with traditional (in my opinion) NYE colors. So everything I created was based around black, silver and gold! And who doesn't love those colors with a little glitter added!

I first grabbed some glitter scrapbook paper from JoAnn Fabric for my inspiration! I thought these papers were awesome!

Confetti! What NYE doesn't involve glitter?

Then I picked up these great glitter chipboard letters and black satin ribbon from Michael's to make a New Years banner! I thought it would be great for her to use for photos! I loved the banner so much, I ended up making one for my husband and I to use too!

I packaged everything up and labeled all the packages using some kraft stickers with silver letters.

I decided to package it like a little book. I taped two pieces of cardboard together and taped everything inside!

The finished project! I mailed it off yesterday to Australia! I hope it makes it there safely and she loves it! I had a great time making it.

letter writing day.

Today is Letter Writing Day! 

Grab some of your cutest stationery, pens, stickers, etc. and sit down and write someone a handwritten letter today!

postcard writers need stamps.

Ms. Farran's class in Brooklyn, NY is need of stamps!

You can help her and her class out by donating to a great cause. You can choose any amount to donate and help her buy stamps for her class to send their monthly postcards to family!

Her Project: Each month her students send a handmade postcard to a family member or friend telling them about what they are learning in school. They share what they learned while strengthening their writing skills. They get the opportunity to surprise their friends and family with mail!

They are running low on stamps and currently have 46 cent stamps. The postal rate is changing and are in need of some stamps to make up for the 3 cent change. THey are also in need of more first rate stamps as well as international stamps for students who want to write to relatives overseas.

Help this teacher out by donating here!

What a great project! I hope these kids always keep writing!

dear santa.

Image from: theifp.ca

Do you have a child that would love to write Santa a letter this year?

You can mail your letters to Santa Claus to the address below.

Santa Claus
1 Santa Claus Lane
North Pole, AK 99705-9901

holiday shipping dates.

Mailing out packages to loved ones this holiday season?

Below is a list of estimated shipping dates to make sure your packages arrive on time this year!

(Best to mail before listed dates. Domestic only)

First-Class Mail - December 20th

Priority Mail - December 21st

Priority Mail Express** - December 23

Standard Post - December 14

** Priority Mail Express postage refund eligibility is adjusted for shipments mailed Dec. 22-25. Some destinations may have extended service commitments.

advent day 2.

This weekend I worked on getting all of my christmas cards done and ready to mail!

And today, my advent activity was to mail out all of my Christmas Cards!

I decided to hit up the post office on my way this morning and drop them all off. I always hope that I am the first card of the holiday season that people receive!

Have you gotten your cards done and ready to mail yet?

o christmas tree.

This year Zach and I decided to do a very untraditional Christmas Tree!

I put up 24 red envelopes on our wall in the shape of a tree! It not only serves the function of our Christmas Tree but also our Advent Calendar this year! I have filled each envelope with fun holiday activities for us to do each day!

letter writing goodies.

I hit the jackpot with letter writing goodies while I was out shopping with my mom last weekend! IF you are out and about you should stop by Target and Michaels! They have some great things for a good price to add to your collection.

The Target dollar section has so many great things right now! I picked up two packs of the kraft label stickers, some kraft letter stickers and some robot stickers! I can't wait to use them all on some letter

I then hit the jack pot at Michaels! A lot of the stuff I got was on sale, so that is always a plus! I picked up a label maker and a pack of green and pink tape refills, a cute paper pad to use for mail tags in my letters, a pack of kraft mini envelopes, a pack of multi-colored letter stickers, and two cute donuts to put in letters!

official letter from santa.

Image from: etsy.com/shop/venusenvypaper

Do you want to send your child a letter from santa? I found several great sites that offer just that!

Santa Claus House.

Santa's Official North Pole Mail. 

Secret Santa Mail.

Each one offers different varieties of letters and gift options to choose from! So take a look and see which one best fits your needs this holiday season! What a great tradition to start with that special child in your life. What child wouldn't want a letter from Santa Claus in their mailbox this holiday season!

happy thanksgiving!

I hope that you all have a fantastic thanksgiving filled with love! I am looking forward to spending the day with family and celebrating all that I have to be thankful for!

Image from: templates.com

postmarked with love instagram.

I created a new instagram account for my blog! Check it out and help spread the word!

@postmarkedwithlove

received with love.

It has been a great few days for receiving mail! I love when my mailbox is filled with wonderful things, especially when it is day after day!

My awesome in-laws sent me the perfect door mat for our front porch this holiday season! I can't wait to start decorating and put this out!

I received my first letter from my new penpal Lynsey! It was filled with such cute goodies... Some tea I can enjoy while writing my next letter, an adorable foam dinosaur sticker, a bert and ernie sticker and a music playlist she enjoys!

I also received my first letter from my new penpal Helen!

christmas cards.

Are you looking for some handmade christmas cards this year?

I have created a set of paper tape christmas cards just for you! You can order them here.

new year letter exchange.

Want to participate in a letter exchange? Rin over at Papered Thoughts has created one! I just sent in my request to participate. Deadline to sign up is Nov. 27th, so hurry!

Image from: paperedthoughts.blogspot.com

north pole postmark.

Can you believe it is that time of year again already?

Do you want to have your holiday cards postmarked from the North Pole this year?

All you have to do is place your stamped and addressed holiday cards or letters in a box or envelope and mail them to the address below in care of the Postmaster!

North Pole Holiday Cancellation
Postmaster
4141 Postmark Drive
Anchorage, AK 99530-9998

The deadline is December 10th for specialty postmarked cards in time for holiday delivery!

Image from: stampcommunity.org

travelopes.

I have added my travelope sets back to my etsy shop! They make the perfect stocking stuffer for that letter writer in your life or make a perfect addition to your stationery collection!

Envelopes are made using Resort Maps from different cities!
Cities available:
Outer Banks, NC
Ocean City, MD
NYC Subway Maps

Each set includes:
6 handmade envelopes
6 flat notecards (pale blue, pale green or white)
12 white address labels

All packed together in a cellophane bag, perfect to use for yourself or give to a friend!

If the city you want is not listed, just purchase another city and put which one you want in the notes section of your order!

stamps: harry potter

Image from: usatoday.com

The first U.S. postage stamps to feature images from Harry Potter movies go on advance sale today. These stamps will be available in post offices starting Tuesday November 19th.

The U.S. Postal Service will produce 5 million booklets of 20 First-Class Forever® stamps. These limited-edition commemorative stamps will have 20 unique images from the eight movies about the British boy wizard and his friends, foes and fantastic creatures. Among the images will be Voldemort, Dumbledore and the Weasley brothers.

Susan McGowan, executive director, notes that Harry's adventure into magic begins when he receives a letter inviting him to the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

In the books and films, Harry Potter's life changed with a letter, so we couldn't envision a more fitting tribute to commemorate the world created by J.K. Rowling and brought to life in the Warner Bros. films."

The postal service will release more information about the stamps over the coming week on the postal service Twitter feed @USPS with the hashtag #HPstamps.

If you are a Harry Potter fan, then you will want to add these to your collection!

amazon and usps join forces.

Did you hear?

Image from: foxbusiness.com

Amazon is offering the beleaguered U.S. Postal Service a lifeline.

Yesterday, the online retailer announced plans to use the postal service to deliver packages to U.S. customers seven days a week.

Read the full article here.

sent with love.

I have been writing letters like crazy this week! I still have a few more to write, but wanted to get all the ones I have written so far out into the mail this morning.

Sent some letters to my long time pen pals and friends.

Then I sent out a bunch of letters to all of my new pen pals that I received from my pen pal ad! I am excited to have so many new pen pals to write to all over the world. I look forward to hearing back from all of them!

pencil friendship bracelet.

I don't know about you guys, but when I was a teenager I was obsessed with making friendship bracelets! I loved making them so much, that I started a little business in middle school making them for people in custom colors and designs.

I was searching online the other day and stumbled across a friendship bracelet pattern with pencils on it! How adorable is this?

Image from: acmoore.com

I am thinking of attempting to make these for my pen pals! (I still have a ton of thread left from my friendship bracelet making days.) I am hoping it is easy to make... It has been a while since I sat down and made one. 

If you would like to try and make one yourself for your pen pals, you can download the template and instructions here.

received with love.

I received quite a few letters this week from different pen pals! I love when I have a good mail week!

One of my pen pals sent me a great letter that included a postcard with an awesome quote on it and a lovebot sticker! Want to learn more about lovebots? Check it out here.

p.s. Did you have a good mail week?

visiting brooklyn.

Last weekend I went to NYC to visit my dear friend and former roommate Kathryn. We have been friends for almost 9 years now and it has been a long time since we have visited our old stomping grounds together.

I used to live in Brooklyn, NY while I was attending Pratt Institute. I was excited to visit my campus and it was fun to see the corner mailbox where I used to mail all of my letters to friends and family back home! I also snapped a photo of the post office that I would go to near my apartment. My mom used to send my roommates and I care packages filled with cookies and goodies all the time, so I visited that post office to many times to count in two years!

"And none will hear the postman's knock
without a quickening of the heart.
For who can bear to feel himself forgotten?"

-W.H. Auden

stamps: gingerbread houses

Image from: uspsstamps.com

These new holiday stamps capture the delicious tradition and childlike nostalgia of making gingerbread houses. Stumbling across a magical cottage made of cake and candy, Hansel and Gretel knew just how special gingerbread houses could be-but no witches will jump out of these confectionery domiciles. Instead, the Gingerbread Houses stamps will add a touch of whimsy to your holiday mail.

These stamps feature four different gingerbread houses set against a bright blue background. Made with gingerbread and royal icing, each house has sugary fruit slices for shingles, peppermint sticks for support beams, and round, candy-coated chocolate for doorknobs and holly berries, and yet each is unique.

Sally Andersen-Bruce was the photographed the houses, created by baker Teresa Layman. Art Director   Derry Noyes designed the stamps. Gingerbread Houses is being issued as a Forever® stamp.


p.s. I don't know about you guys, but this is the stamp I will be picking up to put on my Christmas cards this year!

penpal ad.

I recently discovered a new site called penpaloftheweek.com. It is a great way to get more penpals from all over the world! I decided to send in my own penpal ad and it just got published! I am super excited! I have had several people email me so far to be penpals! I look forward to sitting down and writing a bunch of letters this weekend and growing my penpal list!

Here is my list of top 10 quirks:

You can view my entire penpal ad here. If you want to receive more fun and exciting letters in your mailbox you should check out pen pal of the week. There are a ton of penpal ads to read or you can send in your very own ad!

pumpkin pie postcard.

Remember the cake postcard I showed a while back?

If pie is more your style, check out these pumpkin pie postcards!

Image from: SheKnows

Gather your Supplies:

• 4x6" piece of upholstery foam (found in hobby or craft stores)

• 4x6" piece of cream colored mat board or cardboard (found in hobby or craft stores)

• 1 bottle of yellow ochre craft paint (for the sides of the pie)

• 1 bottle of honey brown craft paint (for the top of the pie)

• 1 tube of almond or biscuit colored tub & wall caulk 

• 1 tube of white tub & wall caulk 

And then check out SheKnows instructions on how to make these awesome pumpkin postcards!

p.s. These would be adorable for thanksgiving!

usps costume.

Image from: https://www.facebook.com/USPS

Is this not the cutest little halloween costume? My future child will totally be sporting this one halloween!

p.s. What are you and/or your kids dressing up as this halloween?

happy halloween.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN! I hope you have a spook-tacular day!

"More than kisses, letters mingle souls."

-John Donne

hand-lettering a quote. part 1.

I signed up for a skillshare class on learning to hand letter a quote or phrase! I thought I would share my progress with you guys for the class. Since I am very much into letter writing, I decided to do the phrase: To get a letter, you must write a letter.

The first step was to come up with a quote or phrase and determine how it would be applied.

After I came up with the phrase that I wanted to use, we had to break it down into different words that described the quote for inspiration when starting to hand letter

Then we had to come up with an inspiration board using some of the words listed above. I chose images that spoke to me. I also tried to go with a more vintage feel to my inspiration as well. 

Stay tuned for more posts from my progress. Wish me luck!

p.s.- To sign up for a skillshare class of your own. Go here.

"I love the rebelliousness of snail mail, and I love anything that can arrive with a postage stamp. There's something about that person's breath and hands on the letter."

-Diane Lane

old newspaper envelopes.

My mom gave me a bunch of old newspapers not to long ago. While I was looking through them, I found an article where my mom was featured, and another article about my cousin Rita. I thought it would be cute to make envelopes out of each article and mail their next letters in them!

I hope they like them! I think it would be fun to receive an envelope with your own picture on it!

vintage postcard packs.

I found a big bag of vintage postcards from different states and decided to put together a few packs of vintage postcards to put in my etsy shop. The sets are from the following states: Alabama, Mississippi, South Carolina and Maine!

Alabama: 10 pack

South Carolina: 6 pack

Maine: 6 pack

Mississippi: 7 pack