Through The Keyhole

I've Been Dreaming of Hand Written Letters

I've been dreaming of hand written letters lately.  Of writing them and receiving them.  When I was in high school, I had a vast collection of stationary.  I'd moved several times, leaving behind friends with each new beginning.  There wasn't email or texting then.  No Instagram or facebook.  There was only long distance telephone calls and letters.  I rarely had money so I wrote letters.  Thick, juicy, news filled letters.  Sealed with deep red sealing wax and a brass fleur des lis or a smiley face. I loved the sizzle of the wax as it melted and dripped onto the envelope.  I kept it up into college and grad school.  Again, I was usually broke and very often didn't even have a phone.  Letters were the only way to stay in touch.  So now I relish each opportunity to send a note to someone. 

One of my favorite traditions of the holiday season is sending and receiving Christmas cards.  I treasure each one in which the sender has taken a moment to pen a short note. Last year we let the busyness of life push out the card writing and I've mourned the loss all year.  This year will be different.  I'm writing out the card list now.  We'll print some cards of our own design (see yesterday's post) and use the unopened cards from last year.  But I won't stop there.  This year, I'm going to leave love letters and sweet notes around the city.  Little gems for strangers to find.  Something like these treasures hula seventy and her tribe left around Portland.  Wouldn't you have loved to find one of those?  A friend left me the note at the top of this post years ago.  She'd left them all over the campus of Artfest that year.  I found another on a restroom mirror before I knew it was her leaving them.  I left that one for other's to find and I remember reading more than one blog where the writer had found one and gushed over the sweetness of it.

Watch this Ted talk on the power of love letters by Hannah Brencher.  Kindness is powerful stuff.  It can save lives even if it's a stranger doing the writing. 

For more on guerilla kindness follow Kindnessgirl or read this post by Keri Smith.  If you haven't read this delicious post of French love letters by Corey of Tongue in Cheek go there now.  You won't be sorry. 

Would you like a hand written card sent your way?  If you're not already on my holiday card list and would like to be, drop me an email.  I'd love to send you a little note of your own.

Block Printing & Hand Carving With The Child

I went to a free block printing class with Tanner this afternoon at Artist and Craftsman.  We had such fun and it was so easy.  We used a water soluble block printing ink.  Perfect for learning with.  Any mess is easy to wash up.  Good thing since Tanner smeared it on his nose first thing.

Tanner made all of the "A" prints.  The one above was his first and I think my favorite.  The one above and below are made with a simple foam sheet that he etched into with a pencil.

While he worked away easily and diligently, I pondered and pondered.  Finally settled on a simple little turtle at Tanner's suggestion.

Tanner has plans for printing a series of "A's" and a Christmas card design.  I'm plannng designs to use in my journals.

Don't want to carve your own?  Check out Pam Garrison's fabulous stamp designs.  Or search "hand carved stamp" in Etsy.  I'm particularly fond of this one and this one.  Finally, be sure to check out Geninne's new book.  It's soooo good!  You'll be crazy inspired after spending a bit of time perusing it.