Some time ago I started in Snail Mail: rescuing the tradition of making "pen pals". It is about writing letters with people from the world in an analogical way by postal mail.
We are used to the immediacy of social networks and emails; instead, this is a correspondence that takes time to arrive (hence the title "snail") and that has its charm. Personally, it brightens my day when I receive a new letter written so lovingly by one of my pen pals!
It's a great analog tool for making new friends, practicing languages like English or French, and learning about other cultures and customs. Not only do we get to know each other in writing with other people, but we also try to make the letters creatively to make the experience more intriguing (we enclose small gifts in the envelope that take up little space, such as washi tapes, drawings or stickers to collect, vintage stamps or tea bags...).
I have made a compilation of 7 key ideas that I apply when writing my letters and that you can use in yours to make them unique :
1. WRITE PERSONALLY
Write about your family, your daily life, what life is like in your city... It's great when someone tells you their "mundane reality" and it's so different from yours that you find it fascinating. You can write on normal sheets of paper decorated by yourself or get a nice and practical letterpad with many already decorated letter sheets.
2. DROP-DOWN NOTES
As a child I was crazy about books that had some fold-outs inside... I'm sure you will too! So why not do it?
3. QUESTION BUNDLES
Include slips of paper posing questions to your penpal. They may be trivial questions, but the transcendent ones allow you to get to know your friends in a deeper way. For example: "If you could have three superpowers, which ones would you choose?" You can also pose these questions on the back of a pretty postcard.
4. MINI-BOOKS OF YOUR FAVORITE THINGS
I have made these little books by hand; You can replicate them with a small photo as a cover, cutting a few pieces of folio to make the leaves and joining them on the spine with tape or washi tape. On these thumbnails you can write down your favorite movies/books/songs/artists, leaving some empty pages for your penpal to write their favorites on and return them to you in their next letter!
5. INSPIRING PHOTOS
You can add photos that inspire you, writing what catches your eye about them :) It's like an analog Pinterest board !
6. NOTES WITH CURIOSITIES
Things that nobody knows about you or random facts about the world. Open the door to new discoveries.
7. PACK IT PRETTY!!!
It's about reflecting your essence! You don't need a lot of creativity or have hundreds of products at home. You can collect photos and stickers that you have at home and add imagination. I love sealed envelopes, tartan ribbons, and affixing my own stamps or stickers.
In this link you can see a video of one of my letters in which I applied all these steps :)
What idea has appealed to you the most? Have you tried Snail Mail? Tell me in the comments and if you have a friend who loves stationery and cards, send them this post and make them happy!
