When I was given the task of writing a blog entry about the beautiful art of handwritten letters I was absolutely thrilled as this is a subject I feel very passionate about. I immediately went to my closet to pull out the big cardboard box that holds my collection of letters and cards that i've saved throughout the years in search of inspiration. It is a collection of decent size as I value every card that I have ever received, especially the handwritten and hand crafted ones. I have cards dating all the way back to my 3rd birthday and I can vividly remember enjoying cards and letters at a very young age, after all, I still have the cards but no longer have the gifts they went with. I kept all of my favorites, like the pop up cards, the fuzzy cards and the cards that came with stickers. This box has always been a place that I go when I need a pick-me-up or a reminder of how blessed and loved that I really am. It never fails that as I thumb through my box, I am filled with joy and if I stop to read I'll often find myself a teary mess on the floor. A letter from my Great Grandpa that is no longer with us, encouraging words from my mother when I was going through hard times, birthdays, silly notes, letters from my best friend during the time she moved away when we were young, drawings and notes from my little friends that live in Africa, wedding cards, anniversary cards, baby shower etc... These are the things that you'll find in my box of memories, it tells the story of my life really, these letters are priceless. I can hold them in my hands and feel the care that was portrayed by the sender, I can smell the smells and feel the textures of the different papers used. There is no replacement for something so thoughtful and so special as a hand written letter. There is no email, facebook message, tweet, ecard or text message that will better portray that you care for someone than sitting down, grabbing your finest stationary, jotting out your message in your best hand writing, adorning the letter with pictures, stickers, a spritzs of perfume or maybe even a lipstick mark. Sure computers and smart phones have opened up a whole new world of communication and it is really a wonderful thing to be able to shoot a little note over to Grandma who is half way across the country, I won't deny that I am in better contact with the far away people in my life than I have ever been simply because of facebook, but there's a part of me that is saddened by the dying art of letter writing, it is an art after all, a beautiful art that should never be forgotten.
"Snail mail" has been under attack for the past several decades, with the U.S. Postal Service reporting a drop of 10 billion letters in the past 20 years. Literally billions of e-mails and text messages are sent each day." -May 27, 2010|By Rachel Rodriguez, CNN
What do handwritten letters have to do with an art store you ask? Here are some thoughts my manager had that touched on that subject and I couldn't agree with her more.
"As artists we have the need to involve all of our senses. We have to see things, touch them, taste them, hear them and smell them. I feel that is such a necessary part of who we are and how we interact with everything around us. I love doing that for people in the store. Looking at the actual paint, not just seeing the computer printed label for it... you have to see the color! Paying attention to these things more over the last decade and helping artists find supplies here makes me notice it more than I used to.
While there's many awesome things about the technology that surrounds us these days, there's nothing quite like a handwritten letter! It may seem faster, or easier, to send an email or text to a loved one but I don't think it will ever compete with getting a handwritten note. There's something about the look of it, the feel of it and the way it invokes our feelings and memories of the ones we love. Is it the unique style of their writing? or the way that it feels so much more personal to us? or that we have a tangible, touchable thing from the hands of a loved one directed personally to us? or all of those things?"
We like to try our best to carry on the handwritten letter and home made cards here at the art store. Some of our traditions include one of a kind personalized birthday cards for each of our employees every year and handmade Christmas cards to all our friends every Holiday Season. It's the little personal things like this that create a stronger bond in our work family and a more personal relationship between our customers and us. Do you have handwritten traditions like this in your home or workplace? What do you do?
If I haven't convinced you to get our your pen and paper yet, here's a great blog entry on
So all that being said, I want to personally challenge you to write at least one letter this week to someone that has been on your mind, let them know you're thinking of them, draw them a picture, send them a quote. Decorate your letter, personalize it! Give somebody the joy of opening their mailbox to find a message addressed to them from an actual person, a friend, a family member, a secret admirer! Ready set go, DO IT!
If you feel lost on how to begin, There are plenty of pictures and articles online to help you search for inspiration. Take a peep at this website, it is full of pictures and videos that will get you started. If you don't have anyone to write to get yourself a pen-pal! Adopt a sponsor child in another country. Write you're favorite art store ;-)
There are lots of ways to dress up a letter. Here I've used paper bags, lace, buttons, magazine clippings and a sewing machine to create a one of a kind note to a friend.
Thanks for reading, love to all of our wonderful and creative customers!
And as always, Don't forget to thank your postman.
Shout out to Doug the mail slug!
-Heather
Mention this post at checkout and receive an extra 10% off your next purchase of decorative paper, stationary or pen purchase at I've Been Framed. Offer good through 5/1/12
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When I was given the task of writing a blog entry about the beautiful art of handwritten letters I was absolutely thrilled as this is a subject I feel very passionate about. I immediately went to my closet to pull out the big cardboard box that holds my collection of letters and cards that i've saved throughout the years in search of inspiration. It is a collection of decent size as I value every card that I have ever received, especially the handwritten and hand crafted ones. I have cards dating all the way back to my 3rd birthday and I can vividly remember enjoying cards and letters at a very young age, after all, I still have the cards but no longer have the gifts they went with. I kept all of my favorites, like the pop up cards, the fuzzy cards and the cards that came with stickers. This box has always been a place that I go when I need a pick-me-up or a reminder of how blessed and loved that I really am. It never fails that as I thumb through my box, I am filled with joy and if I stop to read I'll often find myself a teary mess on the floor. A letter from my Great Grandpa that is no longer with us, encouraging words from my mother when I was going through hard times, birthdays, silly notes, letters from my best friend during the time she moved away when we were young, drawings and notes from my little friends that live in Africa, wedding cards, anniversary cards, baby shower etc... These are the things that you'll find in my box of memories, it tells the story of my life really, these letters are priceless. I can hold them in my hands and feel the care that was portrayed by the sender, I can smell the smells and feel the textures of the different papers used. There is no replacement for something so thoughtful and so special as a hand written letter. There is no email, facebook message, tweet, ecard or text message that will better portray that you care for someone than sitting down, grabbing your finest stationary, jotting out your message in your best hand writing, adorning the letter with pictures, stickers, a spritzs of perfume or maybe even a lipstick mark. Sure computers and smart phones have opened up a whole new world of communication and it is really a wonderful thing to be able to shoot a little note over to Grandma who is half way across the country, I won't deny that I am in better contact with the far away people in my life than I have ever been simply because of facebook, but there's a part of me that is saddened by the dying art of letter writing, it is an art after all, a beautiful art that should never be forgotten.
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