My day to Blog It Forward has finally arrived, and it’s my turn to answer the question,
“What inspires me?”
The answer is, quite simply, the mail.
I never get sick of getting the mail out of my mailbox every day. It doesn’t matter if it’s mostly full of junk mail or bills or too many catalogs, the anticipation of receiving something special is still sweet day after day.
Tuesdays are no fun. The mail is always light on that day. Sundays are disappointing—and holidays too. But the days leading up to holidays and my birthday? Heaven. My favorite magazines and occasional packages fill in the gaps when the mail is short on good stuff and long on junk. On the rare day that there’s no mail at all, I stare into my mailbox in disbelief and denial. “We got no mail today? Really?”
Nothing beats receiving a colorful envelope with a pretty card and a handwritten note inside. I think each little letter and card—even the shortest thank you note—is a gift, because someone has made the effort to pick out a card or some paper, write a note, address the envelope, find a stamp, and send it off to me. In this busy world, when sending an email or a text or a tweet has replaced much of our handwritten communication, each piece of real mail is a triumph of substance over convenience.
When I was a child, I loved writing letters to my grandmothers. My maternal grandmother kept many of those letters, and I have them now, stashed away in a special box. I like that they provide a snapshot of the things I was interested in writing about as a kid. I also wrote to my dear great uncle who always enthusiastically wrote back, and even sent me my own personalized stationery. Not long before he passed away, he sent me a leather portfolio with every single letter I’d written and every single picture I’d drawn for him. It’s not what’s in those letters that’s special, it’s that he cared enough to keep them all—that he treasured them instead of tossing them.
I come from a family of writers. My father was a writer. My uncle writes historical western novels. My mom, sisters and brothers are all talented and clever writers. Writing, language, words—they were important in my house, and I was always practicing. I used to write my own newsletters and zines when I was a kid and try to convince my mom to buy a subscription. I have always been conscientious about writing thank you notes (thanks to my mom, who insisted that we always be gracious and grateful for gifts we received), and I make sure my girls sit down and write their thank yous too.
What I don’t know is which came first: my love for stationery (and address labels and stickers and stamps), or my love for the mail. Certainly, they have grown together over the years. I remember that some of my favorite stationery sets had clowns on them, and ice cream cones, and Snoopy, and jungle animals. Fortunately, my tastes have evolved since then, but my appetite for stationery has only grown. You may have heard me refer in previous posts to my “stationery stash” which is filled with notecards from my favorites: Hello! Lucky, Snow & Graham, Linda & Harriet, Egg Press, Rifle Paper Co., SeeSaw Designs, Nisee Made, Sweetbeets – there are too many favorites to name.
So here’s the part in this Blog It Forward post when I do something I haven’t done before on this blog.
Because this was such a fun project to be a part of, and because I am continually grateful for and inspired by this lovely blogging (and Twitter) community, I want to send to one of you, kind readers, an assortment of cards from my collection. I have picked out 16 cards – more, if the lucky winner happens to have a name that starts with M! So, please leave me a comment and tell me what you love about the mail, and be sure to include your email address. I will randomly pick a winner on Wednesday, March 10. Sound good?
It seems only fitting that I received the Blog It Forward baton from Julie of Cartoules Letterpress, who wrote a lovely piece yesterday, and I am happy to blog it forward to charm city, daily tomorrow. The other bloggers who are sharing the day with me today are: Art Wall, Dream a Little Dream, Inspire Wire, Love Ashley, occupation: housewife, Pretty {much} Art, Sloe Gin Fizz, The Estate of Things, and Was Eigenes.
And special thanks to Victoria of sfgirlbybay and Ez of Creature Comforts whose Twitter conversation and brainstorming led to this project.
If you’re new to Charlotte’s Fancy and you’ve come here through Blog It Forward, thank you for finding your way here. I hope you say hello and stay awhile.
photos: Mamluke, cutiepie company, perfectbound, primele, smock letterpress
gray.com said,
March 4, 2010 @ 9:43 am
Lovely post. Sign me up to win a prize!
michelle shopped said,
March 4, 2010 @ 9:45 am
i grew up writing letters as we moved all over — such a beautiful art to resurrect…nowadays a real letter you can hold in your hands is such an incredible treat!
Ro said,
March 4, 2010 @ 10:02 am
When Molly and I were first together, we used to send letters to each other by fax! Fax! That was a very brief technological window.
Michelle said,
March 4, 2010 @ 11:42 am
I think you’re not the only one that loves to get mail…I had an idea one day (randomly, of course) that I’d like to write a card a day, for a set amount of time, for no good reason to friends and family…just to make them happy getting NOT another bill. I think you’ve inspired me to dig out my old idea and dust it off and get to it!
Packages of goodies might be even MORE fun….
Michelle
lesley said,
March 4, 2010 @ 11:45 am
wow, molly, what a fantastic post! another delightful commonality we share [and already i have been amazed and intrigued by all we seem to have in common!] as I am an absolute mail junkie!! I had the same “no mail” reaction just yesterday, as i opened my empty box, wishing for even a colourful flyer to pull out. but alas, nothing.
from that day, a wonderful penpal friendship was born, lasting about 3 years. it was always so much fun to receive these letters, each one more amazingly wrapped than the last.
when i was in university, at a party in freshman year, i was asked for my phone number by a new friend, and not even thinking, i wrote down my whole address. The very next week i opened my mail box to find a beautifully handmade envelope [made from an oreo cookie package!] with my name on it, in writing i didn’t recognize. As i often do with special mail, i waited a while before opening it, imagining who it may be from. When i finally delved in, i discovered a fun + delightful letter from my new friend! he figured that since i’d written my address, i was secretly dying to get a letter
I have just arranged a first penpal for my son, with a girl he knows from dance class who has now moved to Peru for three years. I cannot wait for them to write [with help at first] to one another, telling of their adventures. I will be sure to save each letter for him, as I’ve saved every letter i’ve ever received for a friend.
Sorry for the super-long comment, this was a beautifully written post, and I’m so glad that you shared. xo lesley
Molly said,
March 4, 2010 @ 12:06 pm
Thank you, Lesley. You are the best! (And I love your oreo cookie package story!) I’ll have more to say/write about penpals in the near future.
Allyn said,
March 4, 2010 @ 11:53 am
wonderful post! i love receiving and writing hand written letters. and you’re absolutely right, the care of the precious words on script is a tremendously beautiful thought | action. you make me want to be pen pals with you! hmmm….that’s an idea. : ) definitely plan on making a return visit.
Ashley said,
March 4, 2010 @ 11:59 am
Great post! I love getting stuff in the mail. Me and my boyfriend sign up for free stuff to get in the mail all the time.
Natasha said,
March 4, 2010 @ 1:29 pm
I’ve always loved pretty stationary and used to treasure it when I was a child, writing letters on scrap paper before transcribing the words onto the good stuff. I still treasure beautiful stationary but these days, most of my letter writing and receiving is electronic. However the feeling I get when I receive a new message in my email box is still the same. I still get that little thrill.
This was such a wonderful post and I’m not sure if you even realize that it reads like a letter, which is apropos. I would be thrilled to win your prize and doubly so to receive the “M” stationary…my six year old daughter’s name starts with the letter M and like her mom, she loves stationary, loves sending notes to her friends and grandparents far away and loves little surprises in the mail. xo
Dawn said,
March 4, 2010 @ 2:20 pm
This blogging forward has been a wonderful treasure of blogs I was unfamiliar with. Every day, I eagerly look to discover inspiration and to see what exactly inspires others … at new places.
I also have letters from my grandmother. She wrote my mother every week and included two pieces of peppermint gum – one for me and one for my brother. To this day, the aroma of peppermint brings my grandmother to mind.
I will be sad if there comes a day when the mail is a thing of the past. There is nothing more special to me than a lovely handwritten letter.
*sigh*
Thank you for adding my name into the “hat”.
Dawn @ (4:53 am)
Molly said,
March 4, 2010 @ 10:09 pm
I love this gum story – it really made me smile.
Jessica said,
March 4, 2010 @ 3:02 pm
I am new from Blog It Forward and I am definitely going to stay for awhile, subscribe and enjoy the thrill of a new blog. I absolutely love your contribution to BIF. I love the mail, but I’m not as generous as you, I do not love the junk mail. I do love a beautiful catalog and the best of course is an unexpected package or card. I haven’t received a letter in a very long time. A happy memory that your post gave me was as a child when I’d get a card and the stamp was upside down to mean “I love you.” Do people still do that? Did it really mean that? Well it did to me and my friends so I guess that’s what is important.
megan said,
March 4, 2010 @ 3:05 pm
i love the fact that someone took the time to write me, address an envelope, place a stamp on it, and stick it in the mailbox. in the age of email, it seems sometimes that those extra steps have become almost obsolete. knowing that someone took the time to send me something is a wonderful, warm-and-fuzzies-inducing feeling.
xo!
victoria said,
March 4, 2010 @ 3:09 pm
wow! what a great post! who doesn’t just love real mail? i miss it so much sometimes. well done!! and thanks for joining in!
Julie said,
March 4, 2010 @ 4:45 pm
Hi Molly! Great job on your post!!! I love letters too – which comes from my love of stationery. I used to handwrite letters to my friends and cousins who live in Greece, and it was always such a pleasure to receive them! Please enter me in the drawing. Thanks Molly!
MJ said,
March 4, 2010 @ 6:34 pm
I love letters! My love of letters started when I was 8, I used to send letters every month to a cousin that lived abroad. We used to tell each other everything. I felt so important when the mail came and there was an envelope just for me!
Then in the 4th grade Mr. Stapleford made an agreement with another teacher in a school abroad and we had penpals. It was nice to get to know someone in another country through the letters we exchanged that year. I still have leftover stationery from my penpal days.
In college I used to write to my highchool best friend, we started with stationery but we ended up writting each other notebooks hehe we practically mailed journals to each other every month. We even numbered the pages to see who wrote more pages LOL I so enjoyed getting the notebooks and while reading them I felt like she was there in my room listening to her, and I imagine she felt the same way when she got mine.
I’ve kept all the letters and notebooks I’ve received as a treasure (even the ex’s letters LOL).
Now with email, I have to admit that even my penmanship has deteriorated LOL it would be nice to get your sationery set to start sending messages to my loved ones and recuperate the habit that brought me joy in the past.
oh! and p.s. my name starts with M
Karin said,
March 4, 2010 @ 7:02 pm
Molly, I love you and your wonderful letter to the blog world about the art of writing and getting letters. You are, by far, one of the most lovely mail surprisers I know, and your post inspired me to consider dredging up all of the letters of my childhood (in a box in the basement) from my friends, parents, grandparents… and, practicing my penmanship so that Charlotte can have a box of her own letters from me someday.
Melissa said,
March 4, 2010 @ 7:47 pm
My name DOES start with M! Now my fingers AND toes are crossed that I’ll win this lovely give-away.
Here’s how I feel about mail. It all starts with my mom. My mom’s love language is gifts. She is constantly looking for and finding little things to send to the people she loves. Now that we aren’t in the same town, we get packages from my mom–for no apparent reason–a couple of times a month. They have little things in them for the girls and sometimes things for me, little books, treats, games, magazines, etc. So that’s kind of what the mail represents to me: the possibility that someone out there loves me or is thinking about me. That when they were out an about, they saw something that made them think of me.
Melissa said,
March 4, 2010 @ 7:48 pm
And PS (I’m not trying to enter twice, promise!)–lovely post!! All of the pictures are very lovely and inspiring!
Mei said,
March 4, 2010 @ 7:50 pm
I love your post because I, too love getting mail! Just today, my heart sank a little when I opened my mailbox to find it empty. One of my greatest treasures (which is sadly misplaced at the moment) is a short note on a postcard send to me by my father when I was 4. For some reason, kind words are just so much sweeter when written down on a beautiful card. I have kept all the hand-written letters from friends stashed away in a box~always a pleasant thing to look through on a rainy day.
ayearofletters said,
March 4, 2010 @ 9:50 pm
On January first, I made a deal with myself to write a letter every day for the entire year. Fairly regularly, people are delighted and almost “overwhelmed” to receive a letter. It’s very cool! Because letter writing is a little more on the rare side, I believe it only increases the “potential for impact”. And through blogging I’ve been very pleasantly suprised to find all kinds of avid letter writers out there in the world.
ayearofletters said,
March 4, 2010 @ 9:53 pm
Maps and old book pages are two of my favorite things for enclosing a letter!
Katie Stephenson said,
March 4, 2010 @ 10:55 pm
I love getting the mail, too. So silly considering how seldom the good stuff comes. I’ve been pretty bad lately about sending off cards on time. Gotta get on that, I have one that’s overdue already.
Brittany said,
March 4, 2010 @ 11:41 pm
What I love about the mail is the surprise of the whole process. It’s like a mini present!
Karin said,
March 6, 2010 @ 12:28 am
I really enjoyed your post. I used to love mail, but not so much anymore…I don’t know why. What I do love is when a surprise postcard comes my way – thats what I love, when you peer into the gap of the mailbox and see a postcard of colour and fun.
Edith said,
March 6, 2010 @ 5:54 pm
I love the mail because it means something I have never seen before every
single day!
Vicki said,
March 7, 2010 @ 7:07 pm
Love this post! Like you, my love affair with “real mail” started when I was quite young. I love paper–cards (!) and stamps, too–the whole shebang. I love having a stack of cards just waiting to be sent out. Nothing is better than finding (or receiving) the perfect card for a loved one!
Marisa said,
March 7, 2010 @ 11:51 pm
Ohh the mail. What a great blog it forward! I never get anything cool in the mail but I always hope! Thanks for sharing.
[Crafty Monday] St. Patrick’s Day Treats « said,
March 8, 2010 @ 9:03 am
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goodtogrow said,
March 8, 2010 @ 11:17 am
I love this post! I bet that if I won the stationery prize, I would be better about actually using it. Well, fingers crossed anyway!
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