Snail Mail 101 : Beginners guide to pen pals

Hey guys, so this post comes from a request in our snail mail group but I thought this would be universally good to post so I blogged it.

I've been doing snail mail for over 8 years now and I have made so many good friends and found such a great creative outlet through mail art also leading me to start my own stationery business so to say snail mail is fun is an under statement lol 

Getting started :

First decide what kind of snail mail interests you, regular letters,mail art or now pocket letters. This will help you in finding a penpal with similar style of mail. Now to find yourself a penpal I've been asked many times where to find a penpal. First you can go to instagram this I find easiest . You can make your own post looking for penpals use tags such as #penpalswanted or #snailmailwanted there are a bunch of hashtags you can find on there. You can also just skip right to looking for others posting those hashtags .If you don't have instagram or want to go there you can try the postal society ,geek girl penpals and postcrossing has some forums . Do a google search penpals are everywhere .

Writing your first letter: Once you found your penpal or pals its time to write your first letter. Deciding whether you want to write first or ask them to is up to you but lets start with your intro letter. If your like me you want to use some pretty paper hence why i started my own line of writing paper it can be hard to find locally so I usually go online to find it . It can be nerve racking trying to start your first letter what do i say about myself ect. I always keep the first one short so I don't feel I'm rambling. Tell them about yourself , where you live ,what you like to do ,your favorite things just be yourself .

I find it helpful to include mail tags for your penpal to answer such as favorite colors ,animals,things they like or collect. If your into mail art you can decorate your envelopes in a style they like for your next letter. Thats not a must, just a suggestion and personal preference  .

Decorating/Art: 

This part is all up to you and also what you have to work with. Some people don't want to run out and buy tons of things right away. You can keep it simple , if your an artist you can paint or draw on your envelopes or if your not so great at art you can grab the scissors and glue and start pasting things onto your envelopes . Its all up to you and your imagination .

Simple style , okay may not seem simple but she just traced actual tags onto her envelope and it has a beautiful effect 

Collage style

Mail art: these are actually some envelopes I painted 

Extra tips:

*Give your penpal time to reply especially if they are international , don't be afraid to contact them after a month or so to see if they got it just don't be rude.

*If  your posting your mail on social media please block out your partners address this is a must you want to protect their privacy and block out yours as well unless you want it to be know.

*Don't compare yourself to others I know its easy to have mail envy and wish you could be doing something like that but a lot of us have been at this for years, make your own style of mail and the more you do the better you will get!

*Keep your partners informed if you need to take a break or have things going on let them know most of the time they will understand .

*Lastly a lot of people like to send goodies with their letters this is not required to have a penpal and don't ever feel obligated to we don't always have the extra money or resources this isn't what snail mail is all about . Don't get into it for the wrong reasons. Snail mail can be a fun and creative outlet and leave you with life long friends so be respectful and most of all have fun!

For newbies wanting some pretty stationery I'm including a 20% off coupon of any orders of $20 or more for my shop just use code :welcome20