Universal Letter Writing Week

We're at the tag end of Universal Letter Writing Week. The 2nd week in January is a great time to catch up with a letter or two to a friend.

When is the last time you wrote a letter? How about receiving one?

We tend to write a lot nowadays but so much of it is in an email. Instant gratification. But what about the physical pleasures of a handwritten letter? Lovely, smooth paper. A great pen. A special envelope. Your own handwriting (how many of your friends have never even seen your handwriting?). The time you took to sit down and write the note. A beautiful commemorative stamp or two.

Take the time soon and write a letter. The recipient will be thrilled.

And the winner is....

Thanks to everyone who responded to my posting on Universal Letter Writing Week. We've drawn the winner and it's......

drum roll......

.......


.......


.......


............................



.......Wabbit (Marilyn)

Congratulations, Wabbit/Marilyn! The "Art of Writing Letters" ATCs will go out in the mail on Tuesday.

And congratulations to everyone who took a few minutes and wrote a letter (or more) to celebrate. One of the posters has committed to writing at least one letter per month during 2008. A terrific goal, I'd say. And very do-able. How about it, everyone?

Universal Letter Writing Week (& Contest!)

When is the last time you wrote a letter to a friend? Not an email, not a note tucked into a package, but a real letter. How many people have never seen your handwriting?

I have to admit, my answers to these questions are pretty sad. Like most people, my life moves quickly and letter writing is one of those things that gets left behind. How about you?

But now it's January. The holiday rush is behind you. Slow your life down a bit and take time to write a few letters. Grab a cup of coffee or tea or cocoa and sit down with a pen and some nice stationery or a card or two. Make it special. Take a few minutes to find your favorite pen. For me, using the right pen makes all the difference. Now, who would really appreciate a letter from you? An old friend? A family member? Maybe someone who has never even seen your handwriting? If you can't do it now, in the bleak days of January, when will you be able to do it? Sip your tea, think about the recipient, and take a few minutes to write to them. Fight the electronic age and multi-tasking for 30 minutes.

My dear friend Mary was a strong advocate for letter writing. She used to take a box of her homemade cards to work. She'd park the box in the employee lounge with a note that said "FREE CARDS." All she asked was that they use the card to write to someone. Help me honor Mary's memory by writing a letter to someone you care about this week.

Ok, and beyond helping you slow your life down for a few minutes this week, I have another motive. I do happen to sell some very nice cards in my Etsy shop :) If you're looking for inspiration, perhaps purchasing a few pretty cards will help!

And now for the contest....
To celebrate Universal Letter Writing Week I will be giving away a set of my "The Art of Writing Letters" artist trading cards. The set of four cards feature artistamps from my issuing authority, Craneland, a fictional island in Lake Erie. The four cards would be great framed separately (in tiny frames) or as a set. As you may know, artist trading cards (ATCs) are little works of art that are meant to be traded, never sold. You can't purchase them, but you can win them!

To enter, just add a comment to this post. ULW week runs from January 8 through January 15. You have until midnight (EST) on January 15 to enter. Shortly after that, I will hold a drawing for the winner. I will contact the winner for their address. Good luck!

Visit katydiddy's blog for more info on ULW week and links to other blogs that are celebrating!