Juicy*S: Hand Writing, Handwriting, and Handmade Mail

Writing letters, actually, hand writing anything, is a very satisfying experience for me. From making my handwriting uniform and beautiful, to crafting sentences, to expressing thoughts and feelings, to communicating love and sharing joy, hand writing has been, and is, a big part of my life.

I really enjoy it.

So when I learned about InCoWriMo, I was excited about the challenge. February was International Correspondence Writing Month. You can learn more about it (for next year) here. For various reasons, the challenge turned out to be a real challenge for me! I feel like I wrote a lot more than I would have without the challenge, even if I didn't write everyday. I sent handmade cards that I had been collecting over a couple years...was I afraid to let them go? They were pretty!

(I scanned them before mailing :)

I took writing correspondence as the opportunity to send "pretty" things I had made.

I got texts, emails and even one "correspondence" (a sweet card) from my recipients,

which was really nice. It's fun to set something in motion like that. It's meaningful...a connection.

It's also what I love about iHanna's DIY Postcard Swap! She's got another one in the works for March, everyone! Go to her blog, sign up for her newsletter, and you'll receive the announcement in your inbox...an invitation to start an artful correspondence of your own.

Here are a few of the cards I sent. First, I collage onto a sheet of Tyvek envelope (it's strong, yet thin, for sewing). Then, I sew over the whole collage using different thread colors and various stitches, creating more patterns, texture, and interest. Lastly I cut up the collage and sew it to notecards and postcards, and match the cards to their own coordinating envelopes. They are all one-of-a-kind. Cutting up one big collage creates mini collages that have a whole new identity and composition...it's very fun to see how they turn out.