Firstly, there is a lot of cool stuff online if you google ideas for creative looking letters. However, most of it is pretty feminine. And that is not me. You can argue it's the 21st century and my ideas of gender are old fashioned. Ok. Call me old fashioned though, and I might have to hit you with my typewriter :)
Seriously there is a lot of cool stuff you can do though... let me show you some things which I do.
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| Collect paper. Thrift shops are a good place. So are old office supply stores. So is poking through other people's stuff if they let you. Any paper that looks or feels unique or old or different will make an impression. Don't go to the stationary store or craft store, most of the stuff is floral and feminine. You might find a few good things, but get creative about your hunt and you will find much more. |
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| Most antique hunters must be throwing out old stationary or ignoring it, but if you look, sometimes you find it. How bad ass is this envelope? I found a bunch of them and have been using them sparingly. I think they are awesome. I hope I find more stuff like this. |
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| An old-fashioned letterhead looks way cool. Design your own, and if it's not good enough maybe you will get lucky like me and a friend will make you an ever better one based off of the old Smith Premier letterhead. |
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| Embossers are way cool, and can be customized and the embossing elements swapped. Many places sell paper embossers. |
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| I considered my address, then decided this was way cooler. "Typed by Mark Petersen /so keep this forever / because you never know" ...totally gonna make it big one day. Future collector item- any paper with this on it! |
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| Rubber stamps for your return address are cool, and cheaper than an embosser and easier to replace if you move. A PO box allows you to give your address out to strangers without putting yourself in danger. And it is fun to get your mail using a key from an antique bronze box. |
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| Lastly, envelope art is super cool. You don't have to be great at art, just use lots of color or lots of lines. Experiment. I take photos of mundane landscapes and sky which interest me so I can try to draw it later. It adds a personal touch and makes your mail more exciting for someone else to open. |
Lastly, change it up. I don't do all of these things at once. I do one or a few each time I send a letter, and I send letters of different sizes in different envelopes to keep it interesting for myself. And yes, I did blatantly offer my PO box, which is already posted elsewhere on this blog page, so go ahead and write me if you like. I have enjoyed the letters from those of you who have!
Thanks for reading and happy typing!
