Sunday 7: Extra Somethings
November 21, 2011 § 4 Comments
I love to add stuff to letters. My favorite go-to extras are 1) flat, 2) can fit inside a standard envelope, and 3) don’t weigh much.
And so, for your adding-to-letters enjoyment, I present:
7 Extra Somethings
- Stickers– Who doesn’t like stickers?!
There's a sticker for everyone!
- Tea – Send a just-add-boiling-water party-in-an-envelope to your favorite tea-drinker.
- Magazine tidbit – Article, advertisement, fashion spread, handy tip, scientific break-through — if it makes you think of someone, clip and share!
- Quotes – Like stickers, who doesn’t like quotes? Bonus points for you if you hand-write it. Quadrupole-bonus points if you write it in calligraphy.
- Glitter* – You get to laugh your head off imagining the reaction when the letter is opened. Your friend gets to vacuum!
- Photo – A recent baby picture as an update. A hilariously-dated picture to illustrate a do-you-remember note. A wedding photo to accompany an anniversary card.
- Cartoons– Send someone a laugh!
Ah, librarian humor...
What extras do you like to send with your letters? What’s the most interesting thing you’ve received with one?
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*Note from personal experience: you may wish to put a disclaimer on the envelope to prevent the letter from bursting open over a cup of tea or some similarly unintended domestic disruption.
Scribbling Glue 
Well, for starters, a $50 bill is nice. There’s also the perfectly preserved insect you removed from the grill of your car. And then, there’s the miniature paper Christmas stocking stuffed with paper candy canes, hand-crafted by you.
“There’s also the perfectly preserved insect you removed from the grill of your car.”
Ha! Now that would surely be a surprise when opened. I was going to say that such a letter extra had never occurred to me, but then I remembered that I once mailed some dead bugs to a friend who was working on a project for school. Great minds think alike, yes?
Like so much in life, letter-writing is all about knowing your audience. :)
As part of a calligraphy group I’m in we do an envelope exchange scheme which runs twice a year – it’s an excellent way to receive beautiful post each month :-) My ‘extra something’ is always an interesting or funny stamp – I’d love to design my own like you can via Zazzle in the States, but we just can’t do it in the UK!
I love the idea of an envelope exchange. Hand-written/made arts lend themselves so well to sharing.
Fun stamps are a great extra, Sam! I haven’t tried designing via Zazzle, but it’s on my “to investigate” list. At one point, probably about 15 years ago, the USPS had triangular stamps (I think one had a stagecoach on it and the other a ship of some sort), which I adored and used with delight while they were available.