Penpal Letters

Hello friends!

I’M BACK AND ALIVE AND KICKING, FOLKS! It’s been a long time, hasn’t it? I’ve been extremely busy juggling life and school. The fall semester can get so hectic. I’ll be posting a life update eventually. . . On to the post!

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I’m finally sharing some beautiful envelopes I’ve sent to penpals along with a few other trinkets I like to include in my letters. I love writing letters! It’s such a throwback to the time when messages didn’t send immediately and phones were just for calling. I get to connect with other people in a totally different way. Plus, I love creating personalized little packages for my friends. Getting letters in the mail just brightens my whole day!

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Moving on. . . let’s start with the envelopes.

This envelope is for my friend Lila! I used white paint markers to draw the florals around the name and address and white gel pen to write the important details. It reminds me of chalkboard art and gives off a simple, quaint vibe.

I was going for an under-the-sea vibe, like the Little Mermaid. It’s magical. I used a combination of paint markers and gel pens to get this design.

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I like including little goodies inside my letters to hopefully put a smile on the recipient’s face. These are some ATC (artist trading cards) I made.

The first one has acrylic paint smears on a toned grey background with lettering done in Sharpie. It’s giving off Frozen vibes LOL.

The second one consists of an acrylic background. It’s almost like watercolor. I used Micron pens to draw the details and a Tombow Fude pen to letter.

On this last one, I used homemade alcohol inks on shiny paper and a white gel pen to letter “magic.” It reminds me of the old-time Disney animations.

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I love including a token like a friendship bracelet! I used glass beads and embroidery floss for the top one. The bottom one is made of colored twine. It’s kinda hippy and campy but hey, I’m from California! 😆

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Here’s a snapshot of other items I like to include in what one friend called a care package. I’ll include poetry (which I copy onto cardstock or ATCs) and little mini folders that I’ve decorated to hold all the paper goodies and scraps. On the smaller side, I’ll put little packets of glitter or sequins or confetti – a touch of magic.

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Do you have a penpal? What do you like to include in your letters? What’s the best thing about writing letters?

Let’s chat!

live creatively as always,

Gaby