Hey there! Remember when we chatted about expressing gratitude? Well, after that, I got tons of messages about the power of writing letters to show appreciation. Now, I’ve got this cool idea for you to boost your creativity – let’s become pen pals!
Ever checked out those YouTube videos titled “Penpal With Me“? They’re awesome! These creators craft these stunning layouts that might make you feel a tad envious, thinking your attempts won’t be as gorgeous.
But hold up – let’s hit pause on the negativity. You’re comparing your starting point to their midpoint. Everyone starts somewhere, right? With some grit and determination, you’ll totally reach their level. It’s all about putting in the effort and staying committed. Trust me, you’ve got this!
Who will you penpal with?
I posted a picture on Instagram asking who wanted to be my penpal. But really it could be anyone you want to send a letter to. Friends, family, coworkers, or find someone online. I am available. (hint hint let’s be penpals! LOL) Definitely be careful though.
No matter who you choose to send letters to always put heart into it. Being a penpal on a budget doesn’t mean the letter is cheap. It’s more about the meaning behind the letter.
I lucked out finding another blogger who wanted to. Her name is Stephanie and you should check out her blog at Me, Myself, and I Make One.
Penpal with me: Supplies
When you are a penpal on a budget it could be as simple as notebook paper and envelopes. However, if you want to be a little bit “fancy” I taught myself how to make my own envelope out of scrapbook paper.
Finding supplies can be very easy and very cheap if you know where to look. I find things at thrift stores, the dollar store, and Walmart. I even found some cheap sticker packs on Amazon.
Pen & Gear from Walmart is a cheap option to buy. Some are 3.00 and under for little notepads or little sticky notes and I had some ink left in my printer and I was set to create some letters to mail.
I saved up for a month for the money to replace the ink in my printer and I bought a lot of stickers from Amazon. I have also been gifted some things from Stephanie. We share a lot of things with each other. Pens, pencils, sticky notes, washi tape, single-serve teas. Whatever our little heart desires.
How to make an envelope
You can use the scrapbook paper to have some cool prints on your envelope. Pinterest has some amazing templates for envelopes you can also find some printable envelopes. I found this one from Greetings Island. This is the perfect size template that has as few cuts as possible. She has 3 different sizes Large, Small, and Square.
The one I sent Stephanie is the large and I printed it out cut off the excess and glued the sides together. To make it extra secure I put Packing tape over it to act as lamination, but you don’t have to do it if you don’t want to. I do it for extra protection since I am in Florida and she is in Canada.
It doesn’t have to be perfect because as I said in another post How to have a less stressful holiday season… Don’t try to out Martha, Martha Stewart. She always wins!
Penpal with me: Write a letter
Depending on who you are writing a letter to you can be as personal or casual about what you write. When sending letters to my penpal I have confessed some things that I have never told anyone else. I also sent a quick little Post-it note just saying “Hey, Girl I was thinking of you.” and sent some stickers.
For this letter, I am writing a casual letter letting Stephanie know I am working on my cursive and not to judge me. LOL
What to send with your letter
I said earlier I bought stickers from Amazon. It was 6.99 for 300 stickers. I’ll send some of those. I use up old scrapbook paper scraps by making a personalized homemade bookmark and then adding some more stickers from my happy planner book.
We love stickers so I am putting the stickers in a card with a post-it note to let her know that she can send the card to someone else. I only sent it to keep her stickers from bending.
Stephanie has sent me a single-serve tea pack, pens, and Doctor Who Post-it notes. Anything that we have seen that the other person may like. In the first letter I sent to Stephanie she told me she loved Pineapples, Flamingos, and palm trees.
Personalize it
I bought some things at Walmart for less than 10 bucks that were all of those things. I printed the pineapple envelope with a decorative palm tree insert and wrote on Flamingo paper.
For my sister’s birthday, I hand-made her a card and some pop-up photo boxes. I almost put confetti in the envelope so when she pulled them out CONFETTI BOMB, but she is a Virgo and would have killed me.
For my nephew’s birthday, I made him a Batman card with Batman holding the money in his hand. I spent hours on it. Pictured below without the money… I know he has spent it already. LOL
Penpal with me
Now it is time to assemble. It doesn’t take a lot to make someone’s day brighter by sending a letter with things they like or just a letter letting them know you see them.
Since Stephanie is in Canada I have to use 3 stamps per letter unless I pack it a little heavy I will add one more for safe travels. But this is everything I am sending and will be put in the mail tomorrow. I hope Stephanie does not come over here to read this blog post. If she does she will know what she is getting beforehand. lol, Surprise!
Would a heartfelt letter make your 2020 a little bit brighter? Maybe we can connect some people in the comment section to be penpals!
I hope you have become a little bit more inspired to unlock your creativity to express gratitude for others and to penpal with me…or anyone.
Until Next Time, Have a great day!
I used to have a penpal when I was in elementary school. I love the designs and creative ideas of the ones you’ve posted!
I love being creative and making handmade things for my friends and family.
What a great idea especially with the current pandemic its so important to communicate with other people and this is such a great idea for creating new friendships!
I would love to create some new friendships as well as showing appreciation for those who are still in my life. It is not many since my purge at the beginning of the year.
Are used to have a penpal when I was younger. Not a lot of people like to write nowadays unfortunately
I am trying to bring it back.
hi
truly a concept which was wiped lout owing to the internet. Loved that you are able to make the letters and envelopes using old bits and pieces, shows your creativity
Yeah, The internet has made it easier to get in contact with people, but I enjoy the process of making the envelope to writing the letter to hand picking out the little knick-knacks I send. It’s just as much for me as it for the other person.
This is such a wonderful way to connect with each other, especially during COVID! Thanks for sharing!
I absolutely agree, but don’t just make it about the pandemic. Being mindful and showing gratitude is more than just social distancing. It’s about putting in your time and effort for someone else to bring joy to them and their day.
This is such a fun idea. The last time I did penpal was when I was in middle school and it was so fun! It’s sad how we grow up and let go off such fun things. I will definitely be pen paling some family members and things during the holidays. It would be a caring way to keep in touch.
It’s a win-win. I have created a creative outlet for me and someone I know gets a beautiful handmade letter showing my appreciation for them.
Penpalling is so fun! I love receiving letters in the mail and writing and sending them out. I think I should get on that again! it’s been a few years.
It brightens up my day every time I see I am getting a letter. I always take a picture and send it to my penpal Stephanie.
Thanks for the tip! I do create cards and letters sometimes, and they are very much my style, I think I would enjoy using them and release my creativity. – Knycx Journeying
I think you should. Share your creativity with the world.
I remember having penpals back in grade school and gives me so much happiness each time I sent and received letters. I used to collect them all, but got lost due to many typhoons.
I am sorry to hear that Blair. Well if you want a penpal I am available! lol
I cannot even remember when was the last time that I have handwritten a letter. I do write notes – but neither letters nor even postcards. Maybe we all should practice this a little….
It was hard the first few times, but once you get the hang of it… it gets easier.
How fun and retro with a modern day twist.
I used to do this a lot when I was a kid and I still lived in the Philippines. It was always exciting to get a snail mail unexpectedly. It would be nice if people could bring this back. 😊
I’ve actually been a penpal before about 1 or two times and I totally wish I had these beautiful templates and cards to use. They are just too super cute!
I find a lot of Pinterest, but I always just edit some to fit what I am looking to make.
I know I’ve said this before Michele but your website is an oasis in a blog world of adverts. It’s a joy to look at your website and not be bombarded with pop up boxes, and ads covering everything you’re trying to say. Your website is easy on the eyes and a pleasure to read. Take care and have a good day.
Thank you very much, Karen! I try to keep it clean and simple.
Wow, only the 30s above knew about this penpal thing. I like your motivation and creativity for this. This is gold!
I have gotten my stepdaughter into it.