The Art of Snail Mail

In this day and age of e-mail, Twitter and texting, old-fashioned snail mail is a breath of fresh air.  Over the past few weeks I’ve received several handwritten notes that have brightened my day, including the amazing correspondence with Dee.  I was thrilled to receive the actual 1967 newspaper article about my grandpa from her earlier in the week.  To honor her kindness, I snail-mailed her a Heart is Hot heart.  (And, thank you Sahara Damore for creating the Heart is Hot goodwill movement.  This story was the perfect example of what Heart is Hot is all about!).

My friend Britt Bravo is one of the sweet souls who penned me a lovely card.  She also shared with me some cool snail mail resources including:

• LetterLover
• The Missive Maven
  
• Leafcutter Design’s World’s Smallest Post Office
• Good Mail Day: A Primer for Making Eye-Popping Postal Art by Jennie Hinchcliff (It looks like fun and comes out next month)
  

While we may not have the time to decorate an envelope or letter as extravagantly as in Jennie’s book, a cute sticker or a small doodle can add a personal touch.  I like to use artsy cards and especially am loving the following:

• Jessie Marianiello’s Stray Dog Arts greeting cards – perfect for dog-lovers!
• Christine Mason Miller’s postcards are super inspiring and beautiful
• And I can’t wait to get a set of Leah Piken Kolidas’ gorgeous cards when I visit her in Boston next month for our Creative Play Workshop.

Also, isn’t it funny how the perfect book seems to find you at just the right time?  I recently finished reading my book club’s latest selection The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society.  I loved how the story unfolded through correspondence.  It underscored for me the power of taking the time to write a heartfelt letter.

Is there someone you’ve been thinking of lately who you can drop a quick note to?  How about snail-mailing a card to someone who inspired you this week?