stamp
A great surprise from Gabrielle
Last week I received this letter from Gabrielle out west. She decorates each envelope so beautifully. The paper used is so delicate and her handwriting is exquisite. She also enclosed this old book card. Those born pre 90s will remember that we had to write our names on this card to sign each book out. Surprisingly, my younger friend had no idea what this was. Thank you Gabrielle, for your letter… But also for bringing back old memories with this extra gift!
Hand crafted Envelope from the UK
Every so often i’m totally blown away by how artistic and crafty some pen pals are! Debbie sent a letter in this beautifully hand printed envelope. It’s gorgeous 🙂
Lots of Outgoing Letters
Today I’m sending out 8 cards. It’s been a while! I’ve finally had some time to sit down and write.
5 international, 2 domestic (Canadian) and 1 US. Sending to Debbie in the UK, Renate in Germany, Tanja in Slovenia, Rachel in South Korea and Thea in Australia. Then to Amber and Gabrielle, fellow canucks and Sarah in the US.
Soon to come… All the incoming mail i’ve received. Snail mail can be slow and we may not always get a response on time but it’s well worth the wait when we do get it, right? Thanks to all my very awesome and very patient pen pals!
Birthday Goodies
In my last post I uploaded pics of birthday cards from Emma and Sarah. Here are some others! Above is a handmade card from a swap-bot group that I am part of. So sweet of them to send a birthday greeting 🙂
And here are some more cards from lovely friends and family!
I got this uber kitchy Korean card from Samantha, who searched far and wide for it in Toronto. Wrapped in teeny shimmery paper was this “fighting” stamp. I can’t wait to use it on outgoing mail and postcards. It’s very small but oh-so-cute! It means good luck or you can do it!!
Dimitra surprised me with this Korean Girl charm and bracelet from Pandora! We are both expecting that this charm will bring good luck to me in the future!! haha!
Renate from Germany sent best wishes with this card, which reads “birthday”. I learned something new today. Thank you to everyone who sent well wishes. I love you all! 🙂
Incoming Mail from Jun in Korea
Korean is difficult and it’s been many years since I began studying. Finally, I’ve found a pen pal who is interested in exchanging postcards that are written in Korean. I must say, this is an awesome way to study a new language. Although my Korean is far from fluent, it’s great practice and I’m glad that I can write to someone who is willing to help out. She always sends such pretty cards that remind me of beautiful Korea.
Thanks Jun!
A reply it on its way.
Crafts and some Outgoing Mail
I was feeling crafty so I decided to revisit my collection of old paper goods, hoping that I could create something new. I used some stickers and deco tape to spice up these old library cards and added labels to pink victorian borders from an old book. Now, I can use these stickers on an envelope or send these vintage inspired cards out to friends.
I also sent two letters out today. One thing I really hate about Canada post is that whenever I ask for stamps they always give me the super boring ones. (In all fairness, I guess I should ask for a variety of different stamps but there is always a lineup or the representatives are so bitter so I don’t bother).
I’m really looking forward to the new “Legends” collection, featuring a variety of Canadian country artists. I’m not much of a country fan but new stamps are always nice. The only unfortunate thing is that they’re domestic.
I digress. I like to add these sticker stamps to make the envelopes look less plain. Hopefully the receivers find these notes in their mailboxes soon enough!
Handmade Envelopes
Instead of throwing away old magazines why not make your own envelopes? Here are some recent outgoing letters that I stuffed into envelopes made from folded Korean magazine paper. I had finished reading (or at least attempted to read) a free magazine and I love the look of Hangul so I thought I’d recycle by turning all that waste into fun envelopes.
Once you decorate them with stickers and stamps they really come together.
You can check out the folding template below.
I was inspired by this handmade newspaper envelope that I received from a friend out in BC.
The design possibilities are endless and each envelope is different. They are all so unique because of the fact that no two pages in a magazine are the same 🙂
I think it makes letters extra special when you decide to send an envelope with some colour or print instead of a plain white one. In any case, these were fun to make and now I have a huge stack of them. Have a great weekend everyone 🙂
Postage prices
Wondering if my British pen pals will send less since the price of postage will increase by the end of the month. Found this info from the article “Which country has the most expensive postal charges?“
They say that “In the BBC’s survey of 65 countries around the world, Norway’s $1.67 (£1.05) postage still comes out on top.” I wonder if this is for domestic postage or international. Canadian prices are $0.85 domestic and $2.50 international.
For Peruvians to send a letter the cost is just as much as travelling “across the Peruvian capital, Lima, three times in a bus.” Yes, that’s a lot of money for Peruvians.
It would be nice to have the same postage prices as in Bangladesh. Only $0.05 to mail a letter. Incredible! I wish the prices were similar (and affordable) worldwide. Sigh.
Sealing Wax & Seal Stamp
Today I was going through my old stuff and I came across this gem. It’s a rose seal stamp with some metallic red sealing wax. An old friend of mine brought it back for me after a trip to China. He knew that I loved to send mail. It was a thoughtful gift but, sadly, I’ve only used it once.
I guess I should put it to good use more often, especially since there are loads of lovely colours available online! I have read, however, that red and black were once the two only acceptable colours. The history of this sealing stamp is quite interesting and it’s a shame that people don’t use it anymore.
This impression is of a rose but there are many other designs, including a monogram of initials. It’s pretty easy to use but does take a bit of time. I imagine it would take ages to seal invitations to a wedding.
The sealing stamp was considered one of the earliest forms of security. If the seal was broken that meant trouble… but now, it’s more of a decorative symbol that reminds us of a time long long ago. Can’t wait to try this out again and use it on some outgoing letters.
living free 