I Wrote a book!

Celebrating the release of my new book, A Letter A Week, with my family ~ January 8, 2022

A Letter A Week is a 104-page journal book that allows you to log 52 handwritten letters that you write throughout a year. There are tips and ideas on who and what to write.

Disclosure: I am an affiliate of Bookshop.org. I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase. Below are other retailers you can order the book from.

For a signed author copy or to order wholesale, please email me at julie@aletteraweek.com.

Who is this book for?

  • People who enjoy writing letters
  • People who write once in a while and would like to be more consistent
  • People who would like a yearlong challenge
  • The person who needs to unplug from electronics more often
  • Those who know people in their life that would benefit from reading a letter
  • The person who rarely picks up a pen and would like to connect to more people

The book will also:

  • Improve connections with people without email or texts
  • Be mindful while thinking of others
  • Show how important the recipient is to the sender
  • Share gratitude towards others
  • Have a keepsake to treasure for years

Order your copy today and get ready for a year of writing handwritten letters!

GIVEAWAY!

Check out my Instagram page for random stamp and other merchandise giveaways!

Thank you for supporting A Letter A Week!

Do you save cards and letters?

Long time no blog!

Here are photos of my bulletin board before and after from this afternoon.  I enjoy having them up on my board to remind me of the wonderful friends and family I have and those who like to keep in touch through written correspondence.   Every couple months I take down cards that I put up and put in a file.  At the end of the year I’ll go back through them and either toss them or hang on to them.  All mood driven.  I’m a big fan of  The Minimalists, but believe you can still have the memory of something even though you no longer have the tangible item (sorry mom, I tossed the peacock glass Christmas display thingy you made for me years ago–but see, I still remember it).  😉

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I went to Europe last month and enjoyed sending postcards from the Netherlands and Belgium.  One afternoon friends had to wait for me to go to the post office to get stamps.  They couldn’t believe how much I spent on postage, but I figure if I didn’t spend it on that it would have been for some meaningless souvenir…Here is a photo of my postcard and stamps.  The other photo is from the post office where I think the USPS could increase revenues if they had a number system like they did in Belgium.  So, I picked # 301.  When I looked up at the screen it was #290 so I perused through the stationery racks and supplies they had there.  Let’s just say I purchased more than just postcard stamps.

Of course I thought the stamps were lovely.  In Belgium they were beautiful butterflies and in the Netherlands they were of bikes, cows and tulips.    I know I returned home before these arrived, but it’s still fun for me to send to friends and relatives.

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Happy June!  I’ll be posting more soon.   Until then, I’m just wondering–do you purchase postcards when you travel?  Do you save cards and letters?  Regardless, I hope you find time to write someone even if it’s just to say hello.

Who I am writing today …

After reading Roxanne’s blog, A More Creative Me a few days ago, I wondered what my “vision” for this blog was.  Is it really letters just because (I know I shouldn’t use just like I do, but too bad because I’m not an English major and I’m not trying to win an award blogging) or is it to keep an ongoing record of who I write to and why?  Who knows where the vision or direction of my blog will go this year, I am open to letting it unfold however it may, all letter writing related of course.

A thank you card is in order today for the wonderful Sarah from the concierge’s desk at the hotel where we stayed who so kind to not only put flower petals on our bed, but also arranged for this lovely display to be in our room upon arrival.   Loved it!  We had a wonderful time (minus the Green Bay Packer loss) and are blessed to be able to take little getaways as much as we do.

xcupca

So, I’m in the gift shop and had to (!) purchase some cards.  Remember my last post where I said it was nice to get a pack of cards at Target for $3.00?  Well, these are on the higher end of the scale at $6.00 a piece. What can I say other than I am a visual and tactile girl.  The photo below does not do justice to the thick quality cardstock and letterpress indentations. Feeling these cards makes them worth $6.00.  I have only been to Orlando briefly, but if I’m ever near that part of Florida again, I’d love a tour of Rifle Paper Company if they would allow me.    I have seen letterpress machines and could have spent all day at Oblation papers in Portland, Oregon when we went there last year.  Do you have favorite letterpress stationer?  There’s yet another future blog post!

Rifle Paper Co. cards

Also, last week I wrote about sharing articles with you that I’ve kept on my phone and wanted to share a one today.

I took the postcard from the resort and wrote to Tom Purcell thanking him for his article titled, On Handwritten Letters.  I like researching online and aside from spending an additional half hour looking for a physical address for him, I was able to read more of his articles that weren’t letter writing related, but it’s cool to learn about others.  I know I’ve written this before, as he may never get my postcard, but I enjoyed taking the time to let him know he had an engaged reader out here in cyberspace. The best thing about his article to me was, “Still, I miss getting handwritten letters in the mail.” And, that my readers is why I believe it is a nice gesture to still write on paper with one’s own writing.

Terranea Postcard

Here is another postcard that was in the room.  They also provided a flat note card and envelope that was on the desk.  Any hotel that still provides stationery for its guests will get a repeat customer out of me!  I always keep a couple first class and postcard stamps in my wallet for occasions just like this!

Terranea Postcard

I wish you a good rest of the week.  I’m off to purchase some of these beautiful stamps online as you know what fun holiday is coming up in a few weeks!

 

Postcards

postcards
I organized my stationery drawers yesterday. That sounds so lame, but I had mixed matched envelopes and cards that were bent up or a few I know I’d never use-so into the recycle bin they went.

Except for postcards.

86 postcards. Ridiculous that I have that many from trips we’ve been where I over zealously buy them when traveling to send to friends or their kiddos.

It was fun displaying them and thinking about how incredibly blessed I’ve been to travel as much as I have. Orcas are my favorite animal so I always pick up a few when we go to the San Juan Islands to see them.

In order to continue with my less is more theme of the year, I will be sending postcards to friends to say hello even though the postcard trip is history. .33 cents knocks off the .49 a bit.

I remember finding a vintage postcard site and about fell out of my chair when I saw prices of $350 for an old Coca-Cola card or how about $500 for a Santa and beer one?

Another site I found through Facebook is Postcard Happiness. Based out of Cape Town, Africa, a graphic designer is dedicated to encouraging the sending of postcards. My favorite sentence on the about us page reads, “I would like to reignite the joys of sending and receiving these little gems around the world just because they make people happy.”

Last year I traveled to Spain and Italy. My mother loves water colors so instead of buying a large print and dealing with the cost of shipping or having it damaged I purchased three postcards and had them framed when I returned home.

Postcards from Florence, Italy
Postcards from Florence, Italy

My most recent purchase was a cool thank you postcard. It is so cool that I had to make a video because my description wouldn’t do justice. The only information on it shows a German postcard website along with Copyright by L.M.Kartenvertrieb Graffiti and Stefan Fleischmann-Design made in Germany. Creative men in my book.
I only purchased a few months ago, but called one of my favorite stores that carries unique cards and gifts, Upstairs at Pierre Lafond in Montecito, CA and fortunately they have more!

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Do you send postcards? Make anything from them? Keep them? When is the last time you sent one? With summer here I'm sure you can pick one up on your next trip and surprise someone with a handwritten personalized note.