Backed Up

Currently, my mail gets even more backed up, day after day. I have 13 letters waiting to replied to. I have a letter from late August to reply to yet. I thought I had replied to it, but I'm not sure. So here's my goal. A letter written every other day just to try and keep things flowing. No mass mail outs because it gets overwhelming when everything comes back at once!
Things are going well. Better than I expected. One thing that I'm oddly having trouble in is my English writing class. Three essays have received a C or C- and one B+. He's a tough prof but I'll get through it. You all of you that correspond with me, you know that my spelling and grammar are atrocious! I'm meeting fantastic people and making some good friends, two of which I've made in strange ways. The drive down there every other day kills me, though, but I have a college that I want to transfer to lined up.
And who would think that the bookstore would have some nice stationary?

Catching Up

I'm making myself have a little down time to reply to letters and such. Since school started my days have been filled with driving, a lot of driving, homework, classwork, and essential chores that I must do around the house. Hey, I need to have clothes to wear too! But so I can get as many letter written as I can, I've began typing up a few because it's faster to type than hand write for me. I'm pretty caught up now and am sighing. Today I received two more letters that are replies to the batch that I sent out a while ago. Will I ever be actually caught up? I guess that's part of the fun!

Going Back to School

After two years out of high school and being nearly bored to death despite working part time, I've decided to pursue my dream of a history major. Starting Wednesday I will be going to school full-time, but I am only taking 12 credits to start out. I will also still be working part time with hours that I already have (Monday & Friday 4-8 and Thursday & Saturday 4-8).Now here's the kicker. I got suckered into helping a local girl scout troop go camping and go on trips. I must be crazy or just really tired of doing nothing most of the day. No worries though to those who correspond with me! I'll absolutely will still be writing letters but on a much slower pace that what I've previously been doing (it was pretty much you send me a letter and the next day I had a reply in the mail). At first I was disappointed that I may not be able to keep up with my current pace but then again...the lengthy time  will make for more interesting and longer letters. See, everyone wins!

Old Ways

I'm a big fan of swap bot and recently I've partaken in a self mailing letter swap in which you do not use an envelope but fold the letter up.
Here's the problem. Even if it's an introduction letter I still like to write at least two pages. I could use two sheets and fold them together but it would  be bulky and unattractive. Instead, I did a little research and found that some people use to write on top of their writing because the recipient paid for the weight of the mail. Here's my attempt.

Hopefully, the recipient will be able to read it.

Sometimes You Just Need a Little Dolly in Your Life

Okay, I have to admit that I'm no big fan of country music, but Dolly Parton has a special place in my heart. Every year, I make it a point to watch A Smoky Mountain Christmas during the holiday seasons and is a classic to me! So imagine my envy when one of my friends run off to Dollywood without me! But she was nice enough to send me this awesome postcard.

Save the B. Free Franklin Post Office!

I urge everyone that cares about historical sites and mail to write to the Postal Regulatory Commission and see if can remain opened! 
For more information, here's the link to the article online.
To make a comment click here.

Typewriter...Font!

Yes, I'm one of those women that have been woed by those heavy metal machines that go clicky clack. No, not trains. Typewriters of course! Personally, I've only have ever used one and it was electric and never had the romantic feel that typewriters from the 60s have. Since I do not own out and do not see myself buying one in the next few months, I've settled with fonts in that style from MS Word. And the affect is very nice! The best part is that you do not need to worry about making a mistake!
Here's the link so some. http://simplythebest.net/fonts/typewriter_fonts.html My favorite is Last Words. Now I can have stylist typed letters! (Although I like handwriting best!)

Inmate Penpals

I read and article in the Sandbook magazine and instantly became interested. For some time now I've been dancing around wanted to have an inmate penpal but the article helped me a lot with choosing the right one.
I wanted some close to my age but searching http://www.prisonpenpals.com/ provided nearly impossible. So I just found a few women that would be possible penpals and narrowed it down to one. I may take on a couple more after I see how this one goes.
A few things went into consideration before I decided.
1) Where does the person live? Since I no longer have a PO box this was very important for me
2) What as their crime? The one I considered was imprison for 2nd degree murder. Maybe sometime I will venture into it but theft is all I will deal with at the moment.
3) How long is their sentence? For right now, the longer the better.
The lady I choose is in for life for a robbery. I have not intention on mentioning it to her or asking anything about it. Why should she have to relive her mistake? If she feels like she wants to, well it's totally up to her.
I'm glad that I read the list of things that I can and cannot send.
Items you CAN send:

• Postal Stamps (Limit of 40 Stamps)
• Photos (there is a limit of 20 pictures, no polaroids)
• Greeting cards (No larger than 8x10)
• Letters 
• Magazines and paperback books- must be shipped directly from the vendor
• Money Orders -(made out to the inmate, with ALL inmate info included.)
• Anything on the “Approved” vendor list, on each vendor’s website 
• JPay Transfer

Items you CANNOT send:

• Pens/Pencils
• Binder Paper
• Envelopes
• Frontal Nudity Photos or Polaroids
• Phone Calling Cards
• Stickers, Tape, or Glue 
• Glitter
• Anything Wire, Metal, or Plastic “Spiral” Notebooks
• Cash 
• Photos larger than 8x10


Has anyone else considered an inmate penpal or already has one?

Out Going Mail

It's been a while since I've done one of these.

 Postcrossing card traveling to Georgia. A lovely picture of a local mill.

 Swap-Bot postcard for the elephant postcard swap.

The back of a little to the Missive Maven. I just had to share. It's a self-mailer that features funny picture of cats.

The Philadelphia Itnerary

This is the first trip I ever have planned so I'm hoping that everything will go well!

Board train 9:20
Arrive @ Market East Station 10:40
Eat lunch @ Reading Terminal Market
Independence Visitor’s Center
Franklin Court-Underground Museum, US Postal Service Museum & Post Office 316 Market St
Betsy Rose House
Independence Hall
Carpenter’s Hall
Christ Church Burial Ground
Board train home @ 4:45
Arrive @ station 5:58
The attractions are listed from how bad I want to visit them. Franklin Court, postal museum being a must! Don't worry, I will most defiantly take pictures!

Off to Philadelphia!

I had plans to visit Boston this summer but it was too costly so no one could afford to go with me. So I've resulted in staying local and just doing a few day trips. In a few weeks I'll be off to Philadelphia which is equally as cool as Boston but way closer, about 45 minutes by car.
The plan is to drive down to the nearest train station and take the train down. There is no way in heck that I'm driving on I-95. No way in heck! We'll get off at the Market St train station. The rest has yet to be planned but I'm going to make sure we go to the B. Free Franklin post office and get postcard postmarked there. So, if you would like a postcard from Philadelphia with this awesome postmark e-mail me your address! I'm e-mail is elfscuz at yahoo.com. I'll tell you more details later when I get everything planned!

New Address

If you look over to the left column. You'll notice that my address has changed. I chose to close my P.O. Box because of the hassle it was becoming and that you can never see cars coming when they are cars parked along the side of the road. So, if you have sent out a letter to me already, I'll receive it. So don't worry. All of my correspondents will receive a postcard or note about my address change.
In other news, I finished and sent one of the letter that turned up a few weeks ago so hopefully it'll be well received.

Tucking Things Away

I've noticed that I have this very bad habit of tucking things away when I can't finish them. Recently I've found two unfinished letters. One is for a Denise which I had already written an envelope for and a Vicki which I have not address for but an almost finished letter.
If you are either of these people, I'm so sorry for the delayed response! And Vicki, please contact me so I can get your address!

Ugh...

I haven't been doing that much letter writing lately and I don't know why! I just can't seems to sit down an concentrate. Letter are flowing in my mailbox as much as they were as a result I'm cancelling my mailbox in June. I'll send all of my correspondents my home address. This is also because my conviant post office isn't very easy to get in and out of.

In other news, I'll be heading to Peace Valley Park for a nice bike ride soon and am hoping that the nature center gift shop has some postcards!

Daily Mail: Outgoing

Here's my first outgoing mail in a long while.

To Becky the Snail Mailer. It has a recipe which I hope she either tries or pass along. She's a fellow flexitarian although she leans more towards vegetarianism. The recipe is for Chicken Pitas with Yogurt Dill sauce. It's super yummy. If anyone wants it I'll send one via snail mail to you. Just contact me at elfscuz @ yahoo.com with your name and address.

Sammie over at Box 332. The bird stamp I got on clearance at Joann's for $2. Well, worth it!

A letter to my high school buddy that lives in Montana written on super cute stationary that I found at a thrift shop (to be featured in upcoming post).

Postcard to Ilona the Missive Maven who recently lost her cat, Memo. Just sending my sentiments to her and her remaining cat,Soda.

A letter in the works for Rita who sent me a postcard a month ago. It didn't seem like that long ago!

Back in Business

I sort of took February off from blogging because my hours increased from part time to full time hours. Thankfully, I think, my hours are back to normal and I have A LOT more time on my hands! I've received dozens of things and even a postcard or two which I will share later when I get my camera back in order. I need to format the memory card. Ugh...

Letter to Austria

I love it when I receive letters and want to immediately reply. I received such a letter today. If I could I would fly to Vienna now. It sounds so lovely! The more I learn about European countries that more I want to visit them. I had my reply to Eva in the matter of a few hours, including interruptions, and decorated the plain white envelope with some cool fabric tape that I found for $1.25 for four decent sized rolls.

Mailings

Sorry about the lack of posts and posts with pictures lately. My camera decided to go on strike until i formate my memory card and for some reason I'm having a bit of trouble writing letters probably due to the fact that I still haven't cleaned up my work space. I'm still trying to adjust to work 40 hours a week instead of about 24. I must learn to manage my time a little better. Tomorrow I'm bringing my letter writing supplies to work and work some some letters.

Disorganized

Help! I'm under a pile of clutter!
How did I let it get so disorganized? My desk space and my whole room is just a mess. Pretty pieces of notepaper swaps, postcards, and other random stuff is all over my room. This is most likely the cause of my bad moods lately and a few late swaps. Hopefully in the next few posts I can show you how I organize my stuff but before then I need something better in place. Until then, how do you organize your writing supplies?

About Penmanship

Check out this video about penmanship. Enjoy!
Click Here

Send Me A Million Postcards

I wouldn't mind it but I was referring to the postcard project. Well a mysterious postcard collector is collecting one million postcards. All you need to do is send a postcard with a message to
Send Me A Million Postcards
P.O. Box 21007
Denver, CO 80221
He'll take a photo of the back of your postcard and post onto his website. Here's the one I sent. I think the first one I sent got lost in the mail.

Yes, sometimes I'm in a hurry and botch my spelling.
So, show him some mail love and send him one today!

Daily Mail: Outgoing

This week I've mailed a variety of things; letters, postcards, swaps, and even a book.

Sammy poses for a photo shoot with the mail.

The book I sent, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. I admit that I did not like Jane Austen and thought that this fun interpretation but it made it even worse. I put it up on Paperbackswap.com and it was taken in minutes.

A reply to Angela from A Year of Letters. Her blog is very enjoyable as well.

I thought Troy would get a kick out of the Gumby stationery since he enjoys my pretty papers.

A reply to Kendra, my penpal in California.

Another covered bridge postcard going out to Lauren my postcard pal from sendsomething.net.

A recipe card swap where the recipe card was the postcard. Recipe cards make excellent postcards!

A Valentine's Day swap.

That's it for this week! I'm trying to come up with some letter/postcard themed topics that I can write some posts about. I'm defiantly going to do one about making your own stationery but are there any other ideas?

Daily Mail: Outgoing-Things that I mailed yesterday

A letter to my penpal in Massachusetts. Send her a postcard as well. Check out my new stamps! I love them!

A letter to Ilona, the Missive Maven. The letter is appropriately cat themed as was one of the topics we were discussing.

A letter to my sister. I was being silly when I addressed her letter very formally.

My second letter to my penpal in Australia, stuffed with postcards. I made it well worth 98 cents!

Forgive me, but I forget who this postcard is going to. I want to say a reply to a postcard that I received last week but I forget.

Daily Mail: Incoming Hold onto your pants Batman!

I started checking my mailbox twice a week so it doesn't get too stuffed, hasn't yet but you never know. I was surprised to see four letters! Yes four! Usually they come one at a time and I reply to them that way but four. I glanced at the pile and wondered "What on earth did I get myself into?" but I know that it'll take me no time at all  to reply to them.
Which brings me to another question. What do I do if there's really nothing to say? They didn't ask me any questions and have stuck to the same topics as the previous letters. It seems mundane to keep talking about the same topics. I'm not really much of a leader but a followers so I guess I need to take the reigns and stear them to other interesting topics. But I don't want to keep doing that all the time.
Now the even bigger problem. Who do I write to first?

Daily Mail: Incoming

A letter from Ilona the Missive Maven.

A letter from my sister.

A letter from my penpal Kate from Massachusetts.

A surprise postcard from Danielle from Austrailia.

Another surprise postcard from Erika.

A postcard from 100 Days of Snail Mail.

A Swap-Bot swap postcard.

Also received two package swaps; car air freshener swap and a stationery swap; and two books from paperbackswap.com.

Mailbox surprises!

Yesterday I received three unexpected postcards! Thanks for showing me some postal love!
Oh...
P.S. I did an undocumented mailing yesterday, opps!

Gumby Fold and Mails!

I snagged this on ebay for just $5. My sister loved getting one in the mail. All I need now is a Wallace and Grommet fold and mail, currently on back order at Borders. 

Daily Mail: Incoming

A postcard from Russia through postcrossing.

A letter from Becky at Leaving a Paper Trail. She's obsessed with stationery and has claimed January as unofficial fold and mail month.

I tend not to post incoming swaps but I'm going to start doing so because it's mail too! This was a swap where you had to read at least three books in 3 months then write about them. This one proved that I really need to read Good Omens.

Another swap where you had to make envelopes out of you old calendar. I really loves these Spongebob ones!

Daily Mail: Outgoing

Front

Back

A letter to my sister. She is going to flip when she sees this in her mailbox! One of her favorite characters in Gumby and it was also the name of her first car.

Heads up Troy! Another letter coming your way!

I'm still in love with these envelopes! First letter to Ilona from the Missive Maven blog, also about letter writing.

Sending out another one of these for a swap-bot swap.

First letter to my new penpal Lori! She's about my mom's age but the advantage in having an older penpal is that they're helpful and very insightful about life.

Another postcrossing postcard. My postcard supplier always has gorgeous postcards!

Another repeat send part of a swap from swap-bot.

And Sammy is also helpful with writing my letter.

Postcard Book!

I found this really neat postcard book for holidays on Barnes and Nobles. I missed sending out the New Years card but I'll be sending out the Valentine's Day ones!