Welcome to Day 1 of Write_On 2016!

Welcome to Day 1 of the 30 day Write_On Challenge! We hope this will be one of the most rewarding things you've done and we're here to cheer each other along. We have so many fun things planned for the blog! Inspiring stories, advice and tips from letter-writing pros, and fun DIY ideas.

We welcome you to follow the growing movement and share your own experiences through the #Write_On feeds on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. This year we've also created a new Tumblr page for your daily letter-writing inspiration, including an everyday Reason to Write from our Write_On Calendar. We'll also be sharing our favorite #write_on letters!

If you're looking to stock up on supplies for the month, use code WRITEON2016 for 10% off site-wide at Egg Press and Hello!Lucky all month long!

Begin the Write_On challenge today and wear a badge to prove you're all in!

SAVE THE DATE! San Francisco kick-off party!

Lock down your spot, RSVP now! It's free, and with a $10 donation you'll get a loaded swag bag! 

Write_On Kits Available Now!

This April marks the third year of the Write_On Campaign. We are proud and excited that Write_On has grown, and is bigger than ever! What started as a challenge to write 30 letters in 30 days has become SO MUCH MORE. With our Indiegogo campaign, we raised over $19,000 – enough to cover the postage for our free kits, and to support Write_On events around the country. Thank you to all who shared the campaign with friends and loved ones, donated to the cause, and rooted us on. With your help we are one step further in making letter-writing a cultural movement.

SO! The countdown is on to National Letterwriting Month, and we'd love it if you would take the Write_On Challenge with us. To get you started, we're offering our free kits once again!

This year, we have 10,000 kits to distribute to eager letter-writers - twice as many as last year. The kits include 6 (!) letterpress printed cards from Egg Press and Hello!Lucky with matching envelopes, a sheet of Strathmore Writing paper with a matching envelope from our generous partners, Mohawk Paper, and the first 5,000 kits claimed will also include a Gelly Roll pen from Sakura of America! Plus, who knows? There might be some surprises in your kits this year... you'll have to sign up for a kit to find out!

Support Write_On and our Indiegogo Campaign!

The month of April marks the 3rd year of Write_On, a campaign during National Letterwriting Month where we challenge our customers and fans to join us in writing 30 letters in 30 days.

We've been planning all year and have BIG dreams of how to grow the event this year and make letter-writing a cultural movement. To kick off the event for 2016, we hope to offer 10,000 free letter-writing kits containing 6 letterpress cards (printed on beautiful Mohawk paper) along with pens donated by Sakura of America, in the hopes that many more participants will rediscover the personal reward of writing a letter.

We need your help! We're running an Indiegogo campaign that runs through the first week of March, 2016. Our designers have created some really fun exclusive perks such as the advent-style 30 day calendar, stamp tote bags, enamel pins, and an inspiring letter-writing zine!

New cards for this year's kit - help us send these out to 10,000 people!

A peek at our advent-style writers calendar perk - open a flap each day for a writing prompt!

Another available perk - a super tote bag filled with cards!

We're so grateful for all the support we've seen already and encourage all our fellow letter-writing enthusiasts to share their adventures online and connect with the growing movement with hashtag #Write_On, or to browse the nearly 8,000 hashtag results for some letter-writing inspiration.

National Thinking of You Week

It's National Thinking of You Week in the UK and it's about the halfway mark between Write_On 2015 and Write_On 2016 so we thought this was a good chance to reboost and refocus on letter writing. We love the mission of this event -- to inspire people to send a card a day to create a wave of love, caring, and happiness around the world. Amen. How are you doing with your letter writing habit?

Write_On Testimonials

“In my book I celebrate the “mail heroes,” folks who are doing amazing, creative, surprising things with the post that inspire the rest of us. I introduce you to mail communities you can join (both online and offline); clever and creative projects you can be part of; and quirky resources and playful toys and activities that all put the joy back into writing and sending a letter.”

We recently heard from a very inspiring letter writer named Naomi Bulger who's working on a book about letter writing and would love to hear from Write_On participants. She's put a call out on her blog where you can read more about her project. She makes it very easy to get in touch and briefly share your experience of writing (or attempting to write!) 30 letters in 30 days. We hope many of you will drop her a line via email and once you see the gorgeously illustrated envelopes she creates you will likely be tempted to also drop her a line the old fashioned way in the hopes that you'll get a letter back!

Sending a Letter To a Total Stranger, Ideas By Kari Chapin

We all need a little love, and sometimes it's best when it shows up unexpectedly. We love these fan mail and lucky day ideas from Kari Chapin. Check her out on Instagram for more letter writing ideas: @karichapin. -Sakura Of America, Egg Press, and Hello!lucky

Dear Champion Letter Writer,

My love affair with mail started when I was very young. Checking the mailbox each day was a treat and something I still enjoy doing to this day. Birthday cards, catalogs, letters from my grandmother… in my world, any personal mail (or mail related to shopping) is good mail!

My mother taught me to write letters. Thank you notes, short cards and little notes she would include in cards that she wrote to her friends and family. She role modeled good letter writing habits for me and I am glad to say that writing letters is one of the few good habits I’ve managed to keep well into my own adulthood.

I have eight pen pals spread across the United States and I write to them every month. However, about three years ago I began a new letter writing practice and I’d like to share them with you today. I send three letters to total strangers and you can too!

Fan Mail

Just a few short sentences is all it takes to let someone know you appreciate what they do for you.

Once a month I send a fan letter. I wrote my very first fan letter as a small girl to Garfield. That’s right, to Garfield the Cat. I followed with letters to Judy Blume, Beverley Cleary, and later, in my teenage life, I wrote to members of Duran Duran, Morrissey and the writers of sassy magazine articles. When I began writing books, I used the acknowledgments sections as a way to write a fan letter of sorts. I expressed my gratitude and love to people and organizations that kept me going; my friends and family, Neko Case, NPR, and my readers.

Fan letters are easy and fun to write. Mine are short and sweet. I thank the person or organization I’m writing to for whatever they have given me. Sometimes it’s inspiration, sometimes comfort, sometimes I just plain enjoy the product they make. Recent fan letters I’ve written have been to a cookbook author, a woman who I follow online that has given me years of good ideas and inspiration, and a local bookstore where I enjoy spending afternoons.

Sometimes I hear back from people, but usually I don’t. That’s okay, because the point for me isn’t to strike up a relationship, it’s to let them know that I am a fan of what they do. Their work has an impact on me and I want them to know it.

Letters of Appreciation 

There is almost no greater thrill than writing a thank you letter. The act of acknowledging that someone has been thinking of you, remembered you or has gifted you something is a wonderful thing to be grateful for. While most of us are used to dashing off cute cards for birthday gifts and special occasions, I challenge you to find one stranger a month to thank.

Sometimes I get exceptional service at a coffee shop. Or an online customer service representative really helps me solve a problem. The receptionist at my dentist office always makes me laugh and greets every person who comes in with such a big smile and positive energy. That deserves a letter of appreciation. I’m thankful for all of it.  

I try to thank one person outside of my family and social circle once a month. When writing to a business I try to make it count twice. I will write to the manager or supervisor (or dentist!) and tell them how their representative improved my day or experience, and then to the person I interacted with.

If you’re inspired to write this kind of letter, it is helpful to get the name of the person helping you in the moment, especially if you’re on the phone.

Lucky Day Notes

One of my favorite types of letters to write is a Lucky Day Note. This is an exceptionally good kind of letter to send when you need a pick me up. These are simple notes I send to total strangers that include a good thought and a crisp five-dollar bill.

Sometimes I choose a person by just picking a name out of the phonebook. Often I choose a house that I pass on a walk and jot down the address. Once in a while I go through the business cards I have saved and randomly choose one and use that address.

I like to include a short poem or a positive affirmation for them. I write the (almost) same message in each Lucky Day Card: “It’s your lucky day! Please use this lucky five-dollar bill to buy yourself a well deserved treat! We wish you only the best. We wish you happiness, love and health. You are amazing! Your address was chosen at random. You do not know the sender of this letter.”

So there you have it! Three ways to use letter writing to share good news, good thoughts, and good vibes. If you try any of these letter-writing ideas, I would be very glad to hear about it!

Your friend in mail,

Kari Chapin

Kari Chapin is a best-selling author and product designer from Portland, Oregon. Her books, The Handmade Marketplace and Grow Your Handmade Business have been helping people make their business dreams come true for years. Her line of products for creative entrepreneurs include project management file folders, new ways to get your brilliant ideas out of your head and into the world and a planner that shows you how to view your time and your possibilities in new ways. You are invited to get to know her better by connecting with her via Instagram @KariChapin or visiting her website at wwww.karichapin.com.

Personalize A Letter Through Language With Eva Jorgensen Of Sycamore Street Press

Looking for ways to make your letters feel more thoughtful? We've struggled with this a bit especially with pen pals, so we're always looking for fresh ideas! Eva Jorgensen of Sycamore Street Press has stepped in to share the ins and outs of word intimacy and authenticity. Follow her on Instagram for daily inspo: @SycamoreStreetPress. - Hello!Lucky & Egg Press

Photo by Jessica Peterson

Hello friends! I'm so glad to be here -- I love everything about the #write_on campaign. Ever since I was a kid, I've had pen pals and enjoyed writing and sending snail mail. So much so, that I started my own stationery company straight out of school. And I guess that wasn't enough, because I'm also collaborating on a series of short films called The Art of Correspondence. This series aims to show how good old fashioned letter writing brings people together in a way that modern technology can't replicate. 

There are so many ways to personalize a letter visually -- through the choice of stationery or the DIY creation of it, through embellishments to the envelope, through the inclusion of photos, stickers, and other bits of paper ephemera, etc... I'm a designer, so of course I love all of that. But most of the time, the core of the letter comes down to the message -- the language.  

Here are 3 ways I use to personalize a letter through language. 

1) Get intimate. 

I'm a pretty avid user of social media, and you can learn quite a bit about my life from following me on my newsletter, blog, Instagram, and even Pinterest. So when I write a letter to a good friend, I want to make sure that I am telling them things that they haven't heard online. Things that tend to be a bit more personal and intimate. It could be anything from thoughts about my children's personalities, to questions about my long term goals, to creative ideas that are still "top secret". Or maybe just beautiful little details that can get so easily overlooked... things like the way the late afternoon light hits the kitchen wall, or the way my daughter pads into our room early in the morning and crawls into bed with us. The goal is to have it feel almost like we're sitting shoulder to shoulder, tea in hand, having one of those wonderful late night conversations between friends that you never want to end. Even if social media isn't your thing, if you tend to get stumped for letter content -- try thinking of what you would say in one of those late night heart to hearts. 

2) Make a list.

My friend Claire Dollan and I have been pen pals for many years. A tradition she started from the beginning was including a list at the end of each letter. It's essentially a list of favorites -- things we are loving at that moment. It might include anything from foods, to songs, to brands, to changes in the weather. It's always a fun little snapshot of each other's lives. 

3)  Include a quote or poem you know they would love.

I try and keep a list in a notebook of lovely quotes that I come across in movies, books, articles, songs, talks, etc... And if I'm looking for a quote on a specific subject, I'll even search online. (Goodreads is a favorite source.) Usually, I'll just write it in the body of the letter, but if you're feeling inspired, here are a few ideas of how you could get creative with it:

• Make a little watercolor painting featuring the quote.
• Stitch a little sampler with the quote.
• Lay out the quote in black and white using Photoshop or Illustrator, and then take it to a copy shop to get made into a huge engineering print. Fold this down to fit into a manilla envelope.
• Cut out all the letters from the quote, and number each letter on the back, so they can lay them out in order and figure out what the quote says.

If you'd like a little help with the lettering and layout, feel free to download my free template of these wise words by Mahatma Gandhi. You can use it to execute any of the above ideas either by tracing, printing, cutting out, etc... 

Thanks for reading! I hope these ideas help you in your letter writing endeavors for #write_on 2015. And if you'd like to see more of my stationery designs and the Art of Correspondence films when they come out, you can follow along on Instagram:@SycamoreStreetPress and @NorrFilm.

Write_On Pencil + Kit Giveaway

Make your mark and Write_On for National Letter Writing Month! Since we are encouraging you to write 30 letters in 30 days for the entire month of April we thought we'd make it even more fun by giving away all kinds of goodies. We linked up with Laurel of Go Hobo handmade custom pencils to create a Write_On exclusive pencil, the giveaway includes 5 write_on pencils and our write_on kit containing 4 letterpress cards by Hello!Lucky and Egg Press and a Sakura Of America Gelly Roll pen- for you and a friend! 

Get ahold of these Go Hobo + Write_On exclusive pencils by sharing a photo of a letter on Instagram and tagging your recipient, #markyourmark, and #write_on. We'll pick 10 winners plus their tagged counterpart to each receive 5 pencils and a Write_On kit!

In the meantime- check out the Go Hobo Etsy shop. She has so many great colors to pick from and can engrave up to 30 characters. A custom pencil makes a fantastic gift for letter lovers, we think, and it's a great way to make letter writing even more personal! 

Stay tuned- We'll announce our winners when the week is up!

On your mark, get set, go!

Resourceful letter writing With Andrea McLaren

We are thrilled to have Andrea back with a few resourceful letter writing tips, because you can never have enough! If you aren't already following her Write_On adventure check her out on  Instagram @andrea.mclaren. -Egg Press & Hello!Lucky

Hello again! Coming to you today with some tips on expanding your letter writing resources. Letterpress cards and personal stationary are beautiful and a delight to send and receive, but today I want to encourage you to look beyond conventional stationery and letter writing tools. I find that putting a letter together with what I have on hand creates a more personal and unexpected letter for your recipient and also saves a bit of money, which is never a bad thing. 

Don’t get me wrong, I do love shopping for cards, note paper and pens at stationery stores. I also scour thrift stores and antique stores for cards, paper and other post-friendly bits and bobs like pins, stickers and postcards. Pictured below are some of my recent favourites: 20 sheets of rose notepaper and 5 envelopes for $0.25. That’s right, 25 cents!! Also, I found the unopened stickers for 50 cents and the various pins for 10 cents each. I also found a stack of vintage postcards for 50 cents each. 

In addition to looking for pre-loved items at thrift stores, I really enjoy making envelopes and cards from old magazines, scraps of wrapping paper or pages ripped out of novels that have fallen apart. We made these snowmen for Willa’s best friend who adores Frosty the Snowman out of cotton pads that Willa found in the bathroom. Add a couple of construction paper details and a bit of glitter and you’re done. 

I think there is room for both intention and spontaneity in letter writing. Some of the letters leaving my hands this month will be sent with a specific purpose: engagement congratulations, a birthday card, or a note of thanks. However, most of the letters I will send will be spontaneous and “just because” – most of which will be addressed to people I have never met. 

Yesterday when we went to our neighbourhood post office to send a weeks worth of mail, the clerk candidly asked what we are sending all the time (it was our third time there in about 10 days) and I told her about the write_on campaign. She was like “That’s great, but what do you send to the people you have never met?” It’s a question I’ve gotten a few times, and honestly my answer is that I don’t overthink it. So here’s a list of a few things that I’ve sent/received over the years:

+ mixed cd’s (yes, people still appreciate them, haha)

+ movie or music show ticket stubs with a note about what I thought of the movie or performer

+ recipes

+ watercolour paintings

+ blank cards or postcards that the recipient can use

+ magazine or newspaper articles

+ flower seeds

+ homemade magnets (many stores/businesses/organizations give away promotional magnets which you can collect and affix your own image or photo over top of the original magnet.)

+ send an interview to a new friend that you don’t know very well. they can fill it out and send it back. 

+ use old pieces of thin cardboard from the back of a notepad to make bookmarks

I often keep an envelope going over a week or two and will jot down little notes, thoughts, questions or quotes that I’ve come across with a specific friend in mind. After a while I’ll pile it together, add a card and maybe a photo or two and wrap a bit of string or ribbon around the whole lot and send it off to that person. It’s my favourite kind of letter to receive. Spontaneous, genuine and doesn’t take a bunch of extra time for the writer and gives the reader a glimpse into a period of time in your life. Remember that there are no rules with letter writing. Keep it as simple or make it as extravagant as you like. Anything is better than the usual suspects (bills! flyers! yuck.) that make their way into our mailboxes.

I hope that these tips help you enjoy #write_on 2015! We will be sharing more about our experience throughout the month of April on my Instagram @andrea.mclaren so feel free to take a peek or send us your mailing address so we can send something your way.

Post by Andrea McLaren for #Write_On.