LetterMo: Day 5

Today's envelope was an experiment with pointed pen (Zebra Comic G nib and Moon Palace ink) and some funky-style copperplate.  I like the way it turned out!

In other news, the February Carnival of Pen, Pencil, and Paper is up at The Pen Addict's blog.  Check it out -- there's a review of Noodler's Nikita Ink there by yours truly.  :-)

LetterMo: Day 4

Today -- a simple letter addressed in some quickly-done copperplate.  On Crane's stationery.  (Still the best, in my opinion!)

 

In other news -- no incoming letters or postcards for a few days now.  How have I angered the Mail Gods?  I really need to know...

LetterMo: Day 3

Day 3 of LetterMo (although it's the 4th day of the month, LetterMo does not count on the days when there is no mail service, so Sundays are not official LetterMo days).  Going out today is a reply to a previous letter, and I am quite pleased with the result I got from the modest use of some Tim Holtz tissue tape, a little calligraphy, and one of the awesome weather vane stamps from the USPS.  (Alas, they are only 45 cents, which is not enough postage as of last week, but a 1-cent Tiffany lamp stamp - ha - fixes that right up.)

 

The "hand" I used for the name on the envelope above is called "Alphabet Nouveau" and I got it from this wonderful book: Calligraphy Alphabets Made Easy by Margaret Shepherd.  It really does have a different calligraphic hand for every day of the year.  Some fun and funky, like this one, and many traditional and beautiful ones, like italic (and its million variations), blackletter, etc.  If you are interested in calligraphy, I recommend that you check it out!  Plus, Ms Shepherd posts a different hand on her blog every day, so check that out too.  I plan to learn more hands from this book to dress up my envelopes, in lieu of getting all fancy with the mail art -- although in my opinion, a beautifully addressed envelope counts as some of the best kind of mail art!

I also am sending two Postcrossing postcards to recipients in Russia.  I suppose it sounds bad, but I groan inwardly when I draw Russian correspondents in the Postcrossing lottery, because I know it will take 2 or 3 weeks (or more) for my postcard to get to them.  Oh well, I suppose I should be awed that it can get to them at all, for just the price of a stamp!

 

Greetings from Mississippi, and a postcard showing Stanton Hall in Natchez, Mississippi.

Hope your mailbox is happy today!

LetterMo: Day 2

Here's my outgoing mail for day 2 of LetterMo.  I'm getting a little more adventuresome with the front of the envelope.  Back of the envelope?  Still a little boring.  I'm thinking of some possibilities, however.  Mainly involving stamps.  (If anyone has any creative suggestions, I'm all ears.)

And incoming from yesterday: a letter from Steve at RecordingThoughts, showing off his new Downton-Abbey sized envelopes.  I have to admit, the experience is just like you see on the show (assuming that you do watch this show, and if you don't, YOU MUST WATCH IT NOW!! You won't regret it -- it is so addictive and really, really good).

An unassuming-looking envelope, sent to Lord Grantham -- uh, I mean, me -- but wait!

 This small envelope releases a huge piece of stationery -- just like the ones delivered to Downton Abbey!

LetterMo: Day 1!

Here we go!  Today is Day 1 of LetterMo (Month of Letters).  Below is my feeble attempt at some decorations on an envelope.  Washi tape on the side -- I never used it before, so it's pretty interesting.  The only problem with it is that most of it in the stores is pretty feminine-looking.  Not that I expect to find any camo washi tape or anything like that, but surely there's some kind of market for guys that like to write letters.  OK, maybe that's stretching it just a little.  The rest of the decoration is some simple calligraphy done with a monoline pen.  Not bad, I think!  (And obviously I need some practice on using Photoshop to blur out addresses, but I can figure it out.)

And on the back, one of the Month of Letters participant "stickers" used as a simple seal.  I like this a lot.  I considered doing some stamping or other decoration on the back, but decided against it.

Have a happy Month of Letters!  And please feel free to write me!

The Month of Letters

I have recently been getting back (or trying to get back) into the world of letter-writing.  No one I know, anywhere, has any real interest in writing letters in this day and age of email and texting and Facebook, so I have to resort to writing complete strangers.  The bonus is, however, it doesn't take too many letters before you're not complete strangers anymore!  (You progress to mostly-complete strangers, I suppose, but STILL...)

Postcrossing is pretty good for the quick mail fix, but it seems a little sterile.  Yes, you get great postcards from all over the world, but in general it feels very impersonal.  Even though there are options to strike up a correspondence with your fellow Postcrossers, it's generally a one-off kind of thing.  Getting mail means more when you are receiving letters and postcards from someone to whom you feel like you could talk in person, as well as on paper.

 

So in my quest to find some new penpals, I have joined this site: A Month of Letters.  It's free to participate.  The idea is to write a letter or postcard and send it every day the mail runs in February.  You also write back to everyone who writes to you, which can count as the daily letter/postcard as well.  The idea is to get that mail flowing!  (And, at the same time, do our part, however small, to save the U.S. Postal Service!)

The Month of Letters website has a forum, where members can discuss letter-writing, introduce themselves, and find new penpals to write to.  The whole thing is pretty simple, and members can be as active or as "lurky" as they want to be.

I already have some potential penpals I have gotten from this site and from the forums on the Fountain Pen Network, but I could always use more.  Do you want to write me?  I would welcome any and all letters.  I will write back, too!

Here's how you can get in touch with me:

Randall Harris
142 Sweet Bay Trail
Petal, MS  39465
USA

Happy letter-writing and mailing!

Happy National Handwriting Day!