SWAP-TASTIC!

I am on a swap frenzy!! Thank you to whoever invented some of these amazing swap websites that I am going to share with you.

 

Being a snail mail addict, sending and receiving mail just puts a big smile on my face. If you love to get mail (and also de-stashing your crafting or sewing room at the same time) then head on over to these websites I am frequenting lately.

 

 

 

 

Swap-Bot

 

As far as my online swapping pursuits have gone, I fee like I have hit the gold with swap-bot! This is a site where you swap in categories that are set up by members of the website. Signing up is totally FREE. Once you sign up you set a profile of likes, dislikes, crafts that you are interested, and swaps that you like. Then you search for swaps in your interested area (i.e. paper crafts, postcards swaps, thrift store finds swap, stationary. etc). and get set up with swap partners. There is always a signup date and a sending date.

I few that I have joined are postcard swaps, crazy thrift store book swap, handmade notecard swap and handmade envelope swap. There are so many possibilities that I just get excited about getting all my swaps together and putting them in the mail!!

If you join, look me up! My user name is Stephhaus.

 

 

 

 

 

SwapDex

 

This is a wonderful site for those looking for different swaps on the internet but don't want to spend hours searching for them. It incorporates all kinds of different swaps in internet land on one page. All you need to do is visit SwapDex, scroll through and find a swap (or swaps) that pertain to your interest, click on the link and follow the directions for signing up for the swap on the designated website. BOOM! Done! Swap away! A few that I have signed up for are the handmade Valentines day card swap and the ninja book swap (look for posts on these in the future!)

 

Clink on these links for some regular faves of mine that I have posted about before:

-Paperback Swap

-Postcrossing

 

 

Happy Swapping!

 

Foodie Pen Pal Swap

Most people who know me are aware of my fondness for snail mail... and food.

 How fitting is it that I came across a foodie pen pal swap!?

I came across it during my usual late night internet browsing. It is put together by the ever organized Lindsay at Lean Green Bean.

I

If you have never done an online swap, it goes something like this. You head over to the designated website and follow the instructions for signing up for the swap. This usually includes filling out a form with your name, address (so they know where to send it), likes or dislikes pertaining to the swap, and email address so the coordinator can let you know who your swap partner is.

This swap called for the swappers to put together a package with their favorite food items ($15 limit).

Here is what I received!

Black Bean Pasta (made from black beans only!) This was something I had never seen or even heard of so that was really cool to get that!

The next item was a Basil Pesto sauce (in which my swap partner wrote to me and said she likes to put that on the black bean pasta). I LOVE pesto sauce so of course excited about that item!

She also sent me a Raspberry Peach Champagne Jam. Sounds yummy huh!? I had never tried this type of jam before and she let me know it goes well with crackers and cheese. That is right up my alley! Can't wait to try this.

Then she sent me a little assortment of teas that are her favorites.

Overall this was a really fun and exciting new swap to do. I even signed up for the next months swap, so be on the lookout for another Foodie Pen Pal Swap post.

 
Click Here to check out other bloggers that were part of the swap and see what they received!

If you would like to sign up too, just follow this link and get all your favorite foods packaged and ready to make someone's day!

SIGN UP HERE*

*If you do plan on signing up, do so before the 4th of each month.

~~~

My swap partner doesn't have a blog so I will let you guys in on what I sent her. I am very pro-DIY so majority of the items I sent her were handmade/homemade by myself.

- Homemade Taco Seasoning

-Homemade Canned Bloody Mary Mix (with veggies from my garden)

-Mini Vodka

-Fun Recipe Cards

-Handmade Men's Shirt Apron

-Cute food stickers

I will leave you with this food for thought:

The Lost Art

It kind of baffles me that writing a letter or sending a card is a lost art these days. And I was saddened to hear that the post office was going to stop Saturday mail delivery for many reasons, but one was the lack of people using the post office.
I am lover of all things mail. I like to send, and receive :), postcards, letters, cards and mail art. Come on, who doesn't like getting a special something in the mail that is addressed only to them?? And if you do not like getting this feeling when you get something in the mail, then you are using your email too much. Put away the computer and WRITE a letter, a thank you card, a postcard, draw a picture just WRITE something! Anything! To someone you love or haven't seen in awhile. I bet they will send something in return and then you will know what it is like to feel that special feeling when you open up the mail box and see something other than a bill addressed to you.

 

 

LETTER WRITERS ALLIANCE



My friends and family know that I like to send things in the mail, but did you know that I I also love being Pen Pals? Yep, the good ol' fashioned pen pal is always there when you need to send something to someone in the mail. I am actually a member of the Letter Writer's Alliance based out of Chicago. I have mentioned them before in past posts, and I really enjoy being part of it. You pay a one time fee to become a member and receive a member card. You will also get two pen pals out of it. One for you to write to and one that writes to you. They can give you a pen pal based on your age and any other special preferences such as female or male pen pals or if you do or do not want to write to someone living outside of the country. I have gotten a few pen pals from them,  but they kinda fizzled out. I just actually got two more pen pals per my request and I am enjoying starting to write to them. You can also get some unique stationery goodies on this site.

 

PEN PAL OF THE WEEK

 

I came across this website while browsing around one night and it is so cool and unique. For one the creator, Julie, makes her own stationery. Beautiful stationary I may add! And she has a few parts to her website that stand out. One is pen pal of the week in which she interviews and shares the answers to someone who likes to send and receive mail. And she is very good and keeping the variety in the people that she interviews. She also has a spot called Pen pal ads in which you send her a letter and she posts pictures of the envelope and then also scans and posts your exact letter onto her site. She asks that you write your top ten quirks, a little about yourself and what you want in a pen pal. Then others who are interested in contacting you can do so after reading your ad. It cuts out the mystery of finding a great pen pal. I did send an ad to her, but we will see if it gets posted. She also has lots of links to fun mail oriented blogs. Be sure to check it out, you won't be disappointed.

 

 

Here are a few other websites to check out if you want to send something in the mail:

Wreck This Girls Mailbox (lots of cool mail related parts to this website)

SendSomething.net (free to sign up, you get to make a profile of what you want to send and receive)

Postcrossing.com (free to sign up, start sending and receiving postcards from all over the world)

Givers Log (this woman sends fun things in the mail that are 13 ounces or less)

 

 

If these haven't spurred your interested in writing, I am not sure what will! Honestly, don't let the lost art of writing pass you up. Send anything that your heart desires to someone you want to just say hey to. It will brighten their day, there's no way it can't!

 

 





Snail Mail: Stationary, Envelopes, Tarot Poastcards

If you follow my posts then you know how much I love snail mail. 

As I mentioned before I have been a busy bee.

 Right now, I am absolutely obsessed with stamps, stationary and the DIY envelopes I had 

posted about previously.

 Now I have put all three of these together in a bundle fit for snail mail lovers.

There are twelve different bundles with handmade envelopes and stationary to accompany them. These are just the beginning. I am so in love with making these I just can't stop! Each has it's own unique handmade stationary and envelopes with similar pictures on them. 

There are two sets up bundles:

-3 sets of envelopes and 6 sheets of stationary

-4 sets of envelopes and 8 sheets of stationary

The envelopes have a few categories: 

-Insects

-Butterflies

-Bats

-Jungle

-Sesame Street

-Miscellaneous

Once again, all of these are for sale!

The bundle of 3 envelopes and 6 sheets of stationary are $4.00

The bundle of 4 envelopes and 8 sheets of stationary are $5.00 

Each is unique and so fun to send!

I am also working on sturdier stationary and more unique envelopes to accompany them. If you are interested in those let me know!

~~~

I also am obsessed with sending postcards and postcrossing.com. I found these great tarot cards and knew I needed to do something with them. So I made them into postcards!

So far I have made two sets, but as always there are more to come.

Each set includes 4 unique postcards ready to be written on, stamped, and sent to those you love.

You can also purchase these for $4.00 for a set of 4. 

Get your stars aligned and purchase a set today.

There are a limited supply and each set will be unique and one of a kind. 

Once they are gone they are gone.

If you would like to purchase a Funky Stationary Bundle or a set of 4 Tarot Postcards, please contact me at Stephaus@gmail.com and specify which bundle or postcards you would like to receive. 

I will send them through the mail and I accept paypal. 

 An Etsy store coming soon!

I Am Obsessed!

Hello, I am Stephanie and I am a pen-pal-aholic! All of this sending and receiving mail has got me hooked!


After visiting Florida and sending out postcards, it got me thinking about postcards in general. Why haven't I thought about sending these before?? I have always loved mail, but I guess that life just got in the way and i forgot how fun it is using the postal system! Well, I am taking it back old school and going to work on mail correspondence a lot more.


I know I have posted before about my love for mail, but I am going to post some extras that I am loving right now.


I have recently joined a group called SendSomething.net. It is a lot more laid back than other mailing groups and I actually found out about it from a pen pal from overseas. You join their group, make a profile to your liking and wait for people to send you something. You can search for profiles through certain search words or you can go through and pick a random profile which gives you the option to pick and choose who and what you want to send. I have received a recipe postcard and also a cute kitty postcard so far! I also like that you can write little notes saying that you are sending something or that you have received it. If you try it, let me know!


I am also really getting involved with PostCrossing.com. A couple of my postcards have already been received! The way it works over there is that you get a limit of 5 people to send to at a time. Each one of those postcards get assigned a postcard ID. You put the ID somewhere on your card and when your pen pal receives the postcard, they go to the site and register the ID. Once one of your postcards are registered online, then you can get another address and you are open for others to send postcards to you. It works out really well so you don't get to overwhelmed and forget about your pen pals. I have not received anything yet from there, but I just joined and only 2 of my postcards have been registered, so I am patiently waiting for my mail to come.


I am also joined in the Letter Writers Alliance which is based out of Chicago, IL. It is run by 16sparrows.com (which I have mentioned before). They have some really great items and ideas over there. You need to pay a small fee ( only $3!!) to be a member, but you get extras with that membership which includes a button, official Letter Writers Alliance stationary, and an official membership card. It all comes in a super cute package too! While browsing the member site I found the fun and interesting idea called Initiative Response. You join and you do letter based tasks which earn you handmade badges.

photo via: 16sparrows.com

Initiative Response

via: 16sparrows.com member site

 

Do you like adventure? Push the boundaries of your correspondence by enrolling in the Initiative Response. This program is a call and response, with initiatives based on themes and the endowment of an emblem upon completion of the tasks. Right now we have three initiative projects and will be adding more in the future: 1. World Traveler Nationally or internationally, it all takes creativity. 2. Typist Break-in that typewriter. 3. Out of the Box Rethink what a letter & correspondence can be. Each initiative has three tasks you need to complete in order to be awarded that initiative's emblem. There is no time-limit or obligation to complete these tasks. Only those who submit completed initiatives will be awarded emblems. The award emblems are hand-embroidered by Kathy and fit perfectly onto the ribbon strips on the front flap of the LWA member bags. What you will get upon receival of your I.R. request: • A letter of introduction to the program. • A form with the tasks for the that specific Initiative Project. • The chance to be awarded an Initiative Response emblem and your responses to the tasks to be featured on the LWA blog. They also have tons of great letter writing items and paraphernalia in the LWA Shop (which you do not have to be a member to check out). 

LWA Mug

LWA Correspondence Record Book

LWA Magnet

If you check out their blog, you can get all sorts of fun updates. They also post LWA meetups in Chicago, if I get up the nerve I may go to one. :)

~~~

Who doesn't want to add some flair to their postcards and letters? This awesome email came to my inbox via American Apparel. They have a special section with Stationary, School, and Office. Such fun stuff!

 



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Wanna be pen pals? Email me ( stephaus@gmail.com) and we can swap addresses. Or if you already have my address send something my way and I will send you something in return!

The websites I have talked about all have buttons on the right side of my blog. Click on them and browse away!

I Love Me Some Snail Mail

I love me some snail mail! Which I have expressed before how much of a geek I am about sending and receiving letters or packages. I joined another craft swap via Artichoke Designs. My craft partner is from Wales and does snuggly creations! I received her craft swap package the other day and was greatly surprised by everything she sent me!!

Darling handmade fabric carrot, a pretty beaded necklace, a tissue paper package, paper craft items, and a super sweet donut pincushion tutorial with all items included!!

Cutest little felt cakes in the tissue paper package!

Everything was such a great surprise I cannot stop smiling! I sent mine last week and waiting to hear if she got it yet. Yet again, I love me some snail mail!

P.S. Through an overseas pen pal, I discovered postcrossing.com and LOVE it! Ch-ch-check it out!

Snail Mail

Awhile back I posted on JustLetterRip.blogspot.com about receiving handmade envelopes. I totally forgot about it until I received her package in the mail.

I love that she upcycled a Hardee's bag for the packaging!

The handmade Laura Ashley Envelopes!

I am excited to use these to write to some of my new pen pals! (Whoa! How dorky did that sound!!??)

Snail Mail Goodies

I received these in the mail. Like I said, I LOVE SNAIL MAIL!

A handmade Be My Valentine card, a pretty sparkly ring, and homemade no-bake chocolate, coconut, butterscotch cookies!

Thanks R3!