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).  😉

        

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.

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.

Universal Letter Writing Week: January 8 – 14, 2015

Quick!  It starts Thursday (why middle of the week who knows?)!   Please consider clicking on this link and sign up for Alexandra Franzen’s free course where she will email you a new letter writing prompt, every day, throughout the seven days of this letter writing week.

I know I can write seven letters no prompting needed, but this will be fun to see what a writing expert inspires within us to script.

I don’t know Alexandra, but I did write her earlier today to thank her in advance for this free “course” and for her having a link to her posts.  Any website that has a physical address where I can write to is a plus for me and hopefully the recipient.  You must check out the list she has on the main home page that says, “these are my posts”.  Let me know if you looked at it and didn’t click on any of them?  The 30 mini-love notes for Valentine’s Day…or any day were probably my favorite!  I cracked up at some of them, and others were way too technical for my I just want to have fun blog.

One other thing I’ve recently decided to do … it wasn’t a resolution, but after organizing my stationery drawers today (plastic container drawer in the kitchen can wait) and seeing how much I spend on stationery, I am going to try and minimize the purchasing there.  I was also encouraged by Dallas Woodburn’s blog where she is dedicating the year to various meanings of simplicity and the first question she asked was to identify things you over purchase.  No brainer there.   I have yet to meet Dallas too, ( I think our paths will cross soon as her parents live 15 minutes from me) but two things we both admit to over purchasing is stationery and tea.  I look forward to her weekly blog posts.

From Dallas Woodburn’s daybydaymasterpiece.com site

 

Off to get to letters in the mail.  One is a birthday card and I’m kind of obsessed with cards arriving on someone’s actual birthday even though most people (of course not those of you reading this) don’t check their mail daily.  And, there again, a blog for another time.

Stationery created by kids

Imagine my delight getting a package in the mail today when I wasn’t expecting anything. Inside was a set of stationery designed by a three year old boy who I adore!

A friend from high school and I met for coffee about four years ago when she was visiting from New York. She was pregnant, but we didn’t know! We have become closer since that morning at The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf. Last year I had the pleasure of visiting New York and meeting the rest of her family for the first time. Her son George has truly stolen my heart. If they lived in California I would see him more often, but for now “Aunt Julie” can only write to him and of course send anything dealing with trucks, cars or planes!

George’s stationery is designed by Kids Art, Inc. I visited the website and what a fabulous idea for creating individual cards or fundraising for schools or groups. Simply submit the child’s artwork and have greeting cards, notepads, stickers, gift tags or invitations made.

I look forward to writing some of my favorite kiddos with this stationery! This was such a fun gift to receive!

Long Overdue Thank You Notes

I have to give Hallmark credit. I am normally one who likes to send stationery that isn’t from a Hallmark store. However, due to not being able to get around that good after hip surgery, I was limited to go to my local Hallmark store. I don’t mean to sound like a snob, but I think I am when it comes to stationery. I love boutique vendors and way too expensive letter press stationery. Limited to time and money on this trip, I found these adorable thank you note cards. I love the colors and the raised ink. Hallmark is a good gig. You gotta hand it to them for also having a special .99 cent card area.
Target and Michael’s can have good selections too. I am having my own cards made as we speak-I’ll tell you more about that soon!

The cards above are being sent to friends who sent me a get well gift or card during my recovery. It is amazing how a note from a loved one can support you when you are under the weather or in my case, laying around for days.

I saw a card once that said, “You’re welcome” on the outside and on the inside read, “Thank you for the thank you card”. I thought that was quite clever.

Who can you send a thank you card to today?

The timing of cards

This photo is from a card that I had for over four years. The reason why I know it has been that long is because I put a return address on it was from a home we lived in four years ago. I’m sure it has many fingerprints on it from me as I’ve taken it out if its “Misc.” drawer dozens of times and always ended up putting it back, feeling as though it just wasn’t the right time or person to send it to.

Yesterday, a friend texted me to see how I was doing after a procedure I had for my hip. (Just a shot to hopefully calm whatever is going on in there-blog for another time! Ha!) Other friends checked in on me too, but for some reason hers stood out and I thumbed back through some our text exchanges and immediately thought, “She makes my life richer!” I headed right over to the card to send to her and it is now somewhere between my mailbox and her home.

She’s not my best friend, we haven’t even hung out a lot, but she’s funny, creative, witty, true and caring. She’s a wife, a mom, a daughter, business savvy and my friend. I hope she enjoys receiving this card as much as I did sending it!

Reason for this post? Buy cards that you like and there will come a time when you’ll instantaneously know who deserves to get it in the mail.