fun fact friday.

Fact:

The first parcel post was distributed in Great Britain in 1883.

post offices of the pacific coast highway.

Last week my husband and I visited San Francisco, CA for a very dear friends wedding! The wedding took place in a small little town on the Pacific Coast Highway called Sea Ranch.

While we were driving along the coast I stopped in a few of the small towns to take photographs of their lovely little Post Offices.

Gualala, CA Post Office!

Sea Ranch, CA Post Office! Look at all of those beautiful vintage PO Boxes.

Jenner, CA Post Office! 

I love seeing all of the different Post Offices when traveling and how each one looks so different from one another. 

tiny treehouse treasure. tilden regional park.

While on my recent visit to San Francisco, my husband and I made the drive to Tilden Regional Park to view the Tiny Treehouse Treasure!

We started to walk where the two paths (Curran Trail and Wildcat Gorge Trail) meet and to our surprise we found it right away! I was so excited I squealed!

Image from: leafcutterdesigns.com

Can you spot the tiny treasure in the tree?

I love this adorable little kitten drawing with a cardboard frame to help decorate the walls of the treehouse.

I left greetings from Virginia with my blog link on a piece of paper inside.

I just love all the little details this tiny tree treasure has to offer. Every time I looked inside I found something else that made me smile. 

The treehouse has changed in appearance since the original blog posting, but I think that adds to the charm of this great find. Some people take some things and other people leave some things, so you never know what you will find in this tiny treehouse in the middle of Tilden Regional Park.

If you ever find yourself in the Berkeley area of CA, I highly suggest you stop by the park and check out this little gem in the middle of the city!

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.

postcard teas.

I discovered the coolest thing the other day! POSTCARD TEAS!

They are a store located in London that sells all sorts of teas, but the coolest thing they sell is their Tea Postcards. You select the tea postcard you would like to send, write your message and address on the virtual postcard. They then print it and post it for you to anywhere in the world. The price of their Tea Postcards includes shipping to anywhere in the world.

The Tea Postcards come in three different varieties: Black, Green and Oolong

Image from: postcardteas.com

Here are some of the postcard designs that I love:

Image from: postcardteas.com

Image from: postcardteas.com

Image from: postcardteas.com

You can order these great Tea Postcards through their online shop or if you are ever in London, visit Postcard Teas in person.

Postcard Teas

Dering Street

New Bond Street

London W1S 1AG

M-F 10:30am-6:30pm

paper source and #write_on.

Paper Source has teamed up with the #write_on campaign in an effort to promote National Letter Writing Month! Paper Source will be carrying two exclusive Write_On card kits, one designed by Egg Press and one by Hello!Lucky. Each kit contains 16 letterpress cards and envelopes, one Gelly Roll pen, plus tips and inspiration for writing letters.

Since I now work at Paper Source part time, I got to see the Write_On card kits first hand this past weekend and boy are they lovely!

Can you spot the two kits on the shelves?

I think both of these kits are just so lovely and perfect to add to any stationery collection! Which one is your favorite?

Write_On kits can be purchased at any Paper Source store for $26.95 or online at PaperSource.com.

stamps: from me to you

Image from: uspsstamps.com

The From Me To You stamp is unique, featuring not only stamps, but also an interactive element in the form of decals and labels for decorating envelopes, letters, and greeting cards. The stamps each bear the words "From Me To You" in capital letters. Surrounding the rows of stamps are colorful self-adhesive stickers. The eleven labels at the top of the sheet, in the shapes of hearts, circles, and rectangles, carry messages such as "Happy Birthday," "Miss You," "Thank You," and "Get Well Soon." Along the sides and bottom of the sheet are decorative decals including hearts, envelopes, flowers, mailboxes, and a kiss. the artist chose bright jewel tones and primary colors to reflect the happy, playful personality of the stamp design.

The From Me To You stamp is being issued as a Forever® stamp. 

You can read more about the From Me To You stamp here.

national letter writing month.

Happy National Letter Writing Month! Are you ready to write?

Celebrate by spending the month writing letters and getting inspired by all things snail mail!