Inspired & fueled by what I read on Levenger's
webiste.
TP in some countries is far more substantial than in USA or NZ. I had some TP in Zimbabwe that you could practically read. It was made of recycled newspapers and still had letters showing in some places.
In 1942 a letter was written on TP and sent to Naval Supply to follow up on a request for TP that had been outstanding for nearly a year. Talk about a desperate situation! Read
about it and have a laugh.My friend Cheryl introduced me to the writings of Alexandra Stoddard
, the author most recently of Choosing Happiness and the grande dame of letter-writing, who often puts a bookmark made from a piece of ribbon in with her notes. They are always written with a fountain pen and in her trademark shocking-pink ink. Alexandra reads no email at all; she carries on a huge, purely physical correspondence. Read her Gift of a Letter and you'll want copies for friends and family!Levenger's says that physical mail is on the eve of a countertrend renaissance. Not just handwritten notes, but the intensely physical objects with textures, smells (coffee, perfume, cod) and a surprising number of unlikely things you can fit into an envelope.
I often save ticket stubs, brochures, or napkins to send to friends whom I wished could have joined me for the fun. I also write on maps, buy postcards and cut out pictures to include in letters.
Have you ever written on something not intended as stationery? Paper placemats with maps are nearly irresistible you can write things such as "We ate rattlesnake here" and even draw an annotated travelog. Bar coasters and matchbooks also make surprising stationery for short notes home. I've even seen a jandal/ flip-flop sold as a mailable postcard!
Comments