Guest Post: Rin from Papered Thoughts

Greetings from the Sunshine State!  The opportunity to get away and spend some time with dear, lifelong friends has been priceless.  Just...too wonderful.  But just cause I'm off getting sun-kissed doesn't mean you should be neglected.  Which brings me to my next point...the gorgeous gals scheduled to guest post while I'm away.  First up is Rin from Papered Thoughts, who I met through the Send Something Good Project from a few weeks ago (a few weeks?  Last week?  When was that?  Golly, time flies).  I know a lot of creative people...in fact, I'd like to think of myself as a creative person, but sweet Rin puts us all to shame.  Her blog literally explodes with life and color and some of the neatest ideas I ever did see.  A few things you should know about her...1) She's from Australia (which I think we can all agree makes her cooler than us right off the bat)...2) She has an Etsy shop with killer merchandise and 3) She's a girl after my own heart, and you're about to see why....

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Hello to all you lovely people! I am Rin - the creative mind behind "Papered Thoughts" & a long time advocate for the revival of the lost art of letter writing. I was so excited when the wonderful Gabrielle contacted me & asked me if I'd be interested in Guest Blogging for her - I said "Yes!" (a little too loudly) & began working on my First Guest Post straight away.

Snail Mail is one of my Favourite things in the universe. There is nothing better than running up to your letter box & finding a letter from across the oceans written just for you. To think that someone has sat down & spent time thinking about me - just makes me all giddy & fuzzy inside! - So let's spread the love, send a letter to a grandparent, cousin, old friend or new - across the ocean or around the corner.. it doesn't matter - I guarantee that a hand written letter will bring a smile to anyones face. - okay here it is "Papered Thoughts" First Guest Post - Let's get back to basics & Re-discover how to write a kick-a letter.



Where does it all begin? - A Simple piece of paper - That's all it takes.. Lined, Unlined, Coloured, White, Card, Aerogramme, The Choices are endless - Find something that makes you smile & run with it..

(Hello My name is Rin & I am a Washi Tape Addict) - If you have not discovered this amazing tape yet, you are missing out - Blank white Paper comes alive with a little splash of colour.. Again the Possibilities are endless! Get creative - There are no rules!



Okay lets get writing - Before we begin let me suggest (strongly) that you date your letters.. Really for no other reason than this - Earlier this year I flew to New Zealand to visit my grandmother who had become very ill - We started talking about letters, I showed her my blog (at 93 she still gets it!) & Told her about all my wonderful penpals all over the world - She left the room and came back with a box.. a box absolutely stuffed full of letters! - Letters from my Grandfather, Her Parents, Her cousins & Friends all Handwritten - all from various adventures all over the globe & every single one dated - Some as early as 1927. Think about it - imagine 80 years from now your letters finding their way into the hands of a child, grandchild or even a stranger.. Amazing right. - So please if you do one thing! Date your letters!

The other thing I love to do with letters is experiment with typography - get creative, try new styles out, be bold!



Write about what makes you happy - What you did today - What you want to be when you "grow up" - Where you live - What your family is like - Where you've been - Where you're going.. It doesn't matter, as long as you put your heart behind what you're saying. <3



Another Super Spesh little thing I love to do within my letters is play "Mail Tag" A game Inspired (created) by the lovely Bianca from "goodnight little spoon" - I made up my Own Mail Tag Sheet & photocopied it to include in all my letters - It's a fantastically quirky way to get to know your penpals (& even family members!)

"Mail-tag consists of an exchange of postal
correspondence between (2) people. The first person begins the game by
requesting one or more desired things. That person then mails those requests to
the other participant - who interprets those requests, writes a list of their
own requests for the other participant and sends them back. You can take as much
or as little time to compose and send back your reply, ask for as few or as many
things in your requests and generally interpret requests in whichever way you
see fit."



Okay now for the super fun part - let's create some "Mail Art"  .. Mail Art is a big part of the Snail Mail Revival - Say No to boring white envelopes & create lovely pieces of art to travel through the postal system.



You Can use anything that will make it over the long journey (heavy items & buttons are generally a no-go, the postal machine chews them up!) but anything papery is great.. Ephemera is great for projects like this - raid your local second hand shop (& Etsy) for some great finds!  








Now for the "Good Stuff" that extra little bit of exciting pretty goodness that you can stuff into your envelope - whilst still keeping it nice and cheap to send (postage is expensive these days!) Here are a few of my favourites

- Tea - Vintage Stamps - Pretty post it notes - Postcards - Fortune telling Fish - Umbrellas - Confetti - Stickers - Notebooks - Pens - Pencils - Anything that is generally flat & safe to send via the mail! 


This little letter is off to Lyndsey from The Stationery Place - Oh & Don't forget a return Address! :) Well there you go - So what are you waiting for - Get out your supplies & write some letters - Send a bit of sushine someones way! - Thanks for having me! - Peace & Love <3 Rin from Papered Thoughts