Four Fresh Snail Mail Ideas

As I get older, I value money less and time more. I mean, when you’re a little kid, material things mean more than a letter; I absolutely would have taken a Tomagotchi over a heartfelt note any day as a 10-year-old. But now that I’m an adult{-ish}, I realize that letters are the result of someone sitting down and taking the time, creativity, and effort to make me something. And that, to me, is amazing. The feeling that I get when I receive something in the mail is the motivating factor behind my constant search for fresh snail mail ideas; I want my recipients to feel as excited as I do when I’m on the receiving end!

Chances are if you’re reading this blog post, you can relate to that feeling. That’s why today I’ve taken some time to develop four new snail mail ideas that I hope will jumpstart you into writing a few notes or letters this weekend! They are all simple concepts; not overly time-consuming or convoluted — but nevertheless, they’re formulated to make your recipient feel special and happy. And, really, that’s the goal in the end: to make someone’s day.

1. Add a Cover

For this concept, you’ll need an illustration plus several pieces of paper that are the same size as that illustration. I created my own illustration {and subsequently printed a copy for the letter}; but you can skip the illustration process and print out a beautiful, vintage-y image like this one from the Graphics Fairy. {The Graphics Fairy has a lot of great illustrations for projects like this; I encourage you to browse through its archives!}. Once you decide on which illustration to use, you’ll write your letter on the loose pieces of paper.

Since my illustration is black and white, I’m adding some touches of watercolor to it.

If you have an illustration you feel can benefit from some color, go for it!

Next, pick out some string or twine.

Tie up the letter “package” in the twine, and you’ve got a fun, interactive presentation!

It goes without saying that you can {and should!} send your lovely packet with a beautifully-addressed envelope. I used Roman style from Hand-Lettering for a Latté, Janet style calligraphy, and a hand-drawn banner.

This is a quick way to create a compelling presentation, and the cover creates an element of anticipation … just like a book. You can use this concept time and time again with different illustrations!

2. Make a Folded Card

I know these things are popular worldwide because I received one from the UK and one from California within two weeks of each other! Basically, this snail mail concept is a card that secures itself shut with a point and a groove. On the surface, it looks complicated … but guess what? You can download this template and it will be super easy.

Once you print the template, cut it out.

Lay it on top of a piece of paper that you particularly like, and cut out that paper to match the template.

Use a hobby knife {or perhaps the tip of a sharp knife, if you don’t have a hobby knife?} to slice through both the template and the paper below it on the dotted line.

Next, fold in the triangle on the end, just like so:

Once your triangle is folded in, the total length of your paper should be a little over 8.5″ {~22 cm}. Fold the paper exactly in half, just as you would a “normal” greeting card.

At this point, you may need to trim a little off the end that does not have the triangle on it. Your goal is for the non-triangle end to fit snugly under the triangle, as the triangle is going to be put in the slot you cut.

It should be able to fit together like this. Again, if it doesn’t, just trim a little off the rectangular end.

If you want to, you can leave the card as-is. Since I never leave well-enough alone, I decided to draw a henna pattern.

{May I just say: I am a fan of the Gelly Roll pen. I love how opaque the white is!}

Tuck the triangle into the slot you cut, and you’ve now got a nice little compact card.

You know, come to think of it, this card would be the perfect holder for a gift card or business card. You’d just make four strategic slots/cuts with your hobby knife on the inside {one for each corner of the business/gift card}, then tuck the business/gift card in to those four corners. Or, take the easier route and just tape the business/gift card in. But you really don’t have to enclose anything but a few kind words!

3. Illustrate a Belly Band {a.k.a. Sash}

I got the idea for this sash from Stuart Hill’s Mexico Map. I think any card, letter, or invitation looks better with a belly band {you can also say “sash”; the terms are interchangeable} to tie it together.

For this example, I wrote a thank-you note on the back of my retro flowers card, then I wrapped it up in a page from an old atlas. You could, of course, use anything: newspaper, wrapping paper, or just leave your card/note as-is {and not wrap it in anything}.

Once the card is ready to go, you’ll want to cut a piece of drawing paper into a a strip. Mine is 11″ x 1.5″ {~28 cm x 3.5 cm}, but you can follow your heart on this one … make your strip any size you want!

Next, fold the strip around the wrapped piece in order to make fold lines {so you can tell when you unfold it which part of the strip will appear on the front}.

Then, sketch out your design. I used a skinny version of the lettering style Wishbone from Hand-Lettering for a Latté.

Once you’ve gone over your design with ink and erased your pencil lines, fold the sash around the card and secure it with whatever you want. I am using washi tape.

Put it in an envelope and you’ve got an elegant, well-put-together piece!

Of course, you don’t need to go with a geography theme here. You can modify the presentation to suit your personality and artistic style!

4. Add Some Fabric

First, you’ll want to write your card or letter. As you can see, I’m sending a recipe to a friend. {If you’re curious, it’s this recipe — and I really don’t recommend making it unless you want to gain 4 lbs. in one week like I did. Once you taste it, it’s hard to stop making it.} I used white ink to write on chipboard backing. Of course, I used Kaitlin style calligraphy to save time … it’s nice to not have to worry about angle or spacing when you’re going to write a lot on an informal piece like this. You’ll also want to make a little rectangular tag with a hole punched in either side.

If you have any stray fabric around, you can cut a strip of it. I happened to have a piece of linen on hand, but if you have fabric from an old t-shirt or whatever, feel free to use that instead.

Secure your fabric in the back with whatever works. I had a small safety pin, so on it went!

Tuck whatever else you’d like under the fabric {I slipped in a thank-you note}, then thread some twine through the tag. Tie the twine in the back, and you’ll get this awesome look from only a few minutes’ worth of time!

This would also be a cool concept for invitations. I am fantastically bad at working with fabric {you’re reading the words of the world’s worst sew-er [sewer?]}, but I really admire stationery with fabric incorporated in it. It’s just so elegant and approachable at the same time!

I hope you got some inspiration from today’s blog post; there’s nothing too complicated in today’s musings, just some fun snail mail ideas! If you’re learning calligraphy, making some of these projects will be a great excuse to practice a bit {if only on the envelopes you make to send these cards/letters}. Using your calligraphy to write to friends and family is great “on the job training”, and it makes your learning even more fun!

Thanks again, very much, for taking the time to read! Don’t forget: the giveaway for the Bocote pen from Rodger’s Pen Box ends in just a couple of days. You can enter here, if you haven’t already. In other news, I’ve got a fun guest post launching within the next week and a half; I know you’ll love artist Gaby Friedman’s guest tutorial … because I love it, too!

Warmest wishes always,