Last week I stopped in at little PO Box 1631…with the usual anticipation in my heart Imagine my delight when I opened up a beautifully wrapped package with these hand knit lovelies inside. My sweet friend, Khrista, sent these to me in chilly Colorado from her adorable home in Texas. Now that I have started knitting, when I receive something that was knit by a friend, it’s so much more special because I now know the work that goes into it!

I wanted to take a moment to send out a HUGE thank you to all of you who have sent me heartwarming goodies over the past couple of months. I’ve received such amazing gifts in that little box…

*a gorgeous orange knitted scarf that I wear all the time
*a colorful paper star
*felted wool cup cozies
*a blue glass star that hangs in my mama cave
*herbal bath yummies + velour washcloths
*sand from a California beach that I love
*numerous gifts for the girls
*tea and other edible goodies

…to all of these mailbox angels and any I have missed, thank you thank you thank you!! Your thoughtfulness means so much.

My love affair with “real” mail continues…and I would LOVE to have more of it in my mailbox! I’ve been checking it often, but then remembered that I’ve hardly given our address out to anyone yet!

The very best thing about settling into a house is having a real mailbox again. It’s like a gaping hole in my life when it’s not there. There is something so magical about mail…it can change the course of an entire day! You can find more posts about my mail obsession here.

It’s been so fun to exchange mail with many of you over the years. My favorite kind of letters are the ones where you just tell me what is going on in your day. What you are working on, things your kids are doing, spiritual truths you’ve discovered, your struggles, your joys. I can’t promise that I will be able to respond to every letter, but I want to try. If you have kids, it would be really fun to exchange postcards with Bella and Lucy! Even if you don’t have kids…we love seeing postcard photos from where you live!

And so, without further ado…here is where your correspondence can find us:

The Happy Janssens
P.O. Box 1631
Nederland, CO 80466

(*and now that Christmas is just around the corner, please add us to your mailing list too!)

I’ve been feeling so very blessed lately. I’ve received so much *love* in my mailbox and my heart is so full of gratitude! This beautiful letter arrived today from sweet Anita. I love the flowers! The day before she sent an envelope of historical info about her city for Bella. So fun.

And this AMAZING scarf from Kimberly made me *swoon*! She picked the purple yarn out just for me…I am so humbled and in awe of her. The best part is that Kimberly and I randomly ran into each other at the Portland Saturday Market after being in touch online for quite some time. So crazy.

Cheryl and I have written back and forth several times…she sent this lovely handmade paper folder with textured paper inside. On the back, it says:

“In Nepal, we would never write on the card, it is considered to be part of the gift. This card is meant to be used over and over again, with just the insert being replaced. The older the card is, the more valuable it becomes because of all of the giving that has been associated with it, when it is finally worn out, please frame it and hang it in your home as a sign of prosperity. You can sign and date the card if you like to document it’s travel.”

How fabulous is that?! I’ve so enjoyed corresponding with Cheryl…even though my heart is breaking for her family right now as her husband is battling cancer. Please lift them up in your prayers and thoughts.

I always love receiving mail from another country. I’m in awe of the mail system and that a little package can make it’s way ALL the way across the ocean to my mailbox. It’s a miracle! This is the necklace that beautiful Helly sent me from Australia. It feels SO good on…so smooth and lovely. I’ve been wearing it almost every day…the weight of it is comforting and yummy. The carved piece of wood is made from reclaimed wood from the goldfields.  She has had an Etsy store in the past, so I’ll be sure to let you know if/when she stocks it again!

My cousin Trish sent me a fun package with some goodies, including some chai spice mate and chai flavored honey…she knows what I like!

There have been several other day-brightening letters and packages…and I’m sure I’m missing someone. But thank you so much to all!

I believe in the POWER OF THE MAILBOX!
Make someone’s day. Send mail.

I’ve been having fun sending out goodies myself…mail makes me so happy!

*address is intentionally altered for privacy

The first time I saw the Lettergirl store on Etsy, I squealed with excitement. If you’ve been reading my blog for any time at all, you know that I LOVE anything that has to do with mail and stationary. And you will understand why I went nuts over these adorable stamps. I’m a little obsessed with mine (above). It’s so unique…just looking at it makes me want to run to my desk and start writing letters!

There is just something magical about one’s address. It’s home. It’s familiar. It’s happy. I’ve always loved learning the address at every new home we’ve lived in. And I couldn’t think of a better way than to say “we’re staying!” than to get a custom stamp of our new address!

These custom beauties are the handiwork of Gina in Minneapolis, MN. I just had to know more about her story and give you all a chance to win your very own stamp. She does more than just address stamps too…if you have a sweet idea, she can help! Wedding stamps, business stamps, bag or tag stamps for your retail/Etsy store, book plate stamps, you name it.

When did you first fall in love with handwritten or “real” letters?
When I was in college, I somehow tested into an advanced French class which was way over my head, and the only other class I could find to transfer into was called “Crafts”.  I hadn’t planned to take another art class, but this one turned out to be my favorite – we did traditional crafts like weaving on a loom, copper enameling, ceramics, and calligraphy.  It was a lot of fun!

Have you always had beautiful handwriting!?

As you can see, I didn’t always have great handwriting!  This recipe card is from high school when I had the same handwriting as everyone else.  My lettering style has developed through years of practice.  I started by doing traditional calligraphy, but I would always provide my clients with a sample in my regular handwriting to make sure that everything was just right before embarking on the “real” calligraphy.  One of my early clients didn’t want me to rewrite it, she wanted her stationery in my handwriting instead.  Since then, I’ve developed almost a dozen different lettering styles.

How long have you been in business for yourself?
I’ll celebrate my 19^th anniversary in May.  Things were pretty different back in 1992!

What is your favorite part of your job?
I have two favorite parts.  One is getting to know my customers – I’m grateful for a lot of repeat business.  I’ve enjoyed working with couples on their wedding stationery, and then helping them with their baby announcements.  I’m about to work on a bar mitzvah invitation for the son of a couple I first worked with 14 years ago!  My second favorite part is the flexibility.  I love being home when my kids get off the school bus.  Depending how much work is on my plate, I’m not always relaxed when they get home, but it’s still nice to have a little break and hear about their day.

What are some of your other passions?

I love reading and sewing and hiking.  I wish I had snowshoes because we’ve had a lot of snow in Minneapolis this year!

—————-

This giveaway is for one custom stamp of your choice.

There are three wonderful ways to enter the giveaway (you can do them all if you want — leave a SEPARATE comment for each one).

• Leave a comment and tell me one delightful little thing that happened today.
  
• Share this giveaway on your Facebook page.
• Share this giveaway on Twitter.

I will randomly choose a winner on Tuesday, February 22 (entry cutoff is at 12:00 p.m. MST).

AND…Gina is offering FREE SHIPPING to my blog readers through February 28!! Just enter the discount code “HAPPY” when checking out of her store on Etsy (be kind and please remember to do it when checking out so she doesn’t have to do a lot of shipping refunds!).

Happy letter writing!

Over the years, I have gotten so many lovely little things in the mail from blog readers…and I am embarrassed to say that I haven’t really posted much about it! But this week, I got TWO packages in the mail and it truly made my day…I knew I had to share it with you.

It’s been a fun week, but a little stressful…and these gifts made me so happy. They arrived just in time to put a smile on my face after a couple of really long days.

The felted wool purse is from Jessica in Salt Lake City and the magnets are from Naomi in Indianapolis. Thank you ladies for taking time out of your own busy day to bless mine. I know it takes extra effort to package some love up in an envelope and send it on it’s way…and for your efforts, I am GRATEFUL!

I challenge each of you to mail just ONE thing in the next week…to someone who has been on your mind. It could be a card, a small “nature” something you found outside, a teabag…the options are endless! If you need help, here are some ideas from an archived post about my mail obsession.

Leave me a comment and tell me about a special package that you have received in the mail! Or, if you have already answered that question in my previous mail post, tell me something special that you sent someone!

I just wanted to thank all of you who sent me the lovely holiday mail…it made me soooooo happy to see all of your smiling faces in my mailbox! It arrived all at once right after we settled in Longmont and definitely made the chaos of the transition feel more manageable

One of my favorite things about our years of travel has been meeting SO many of you face to face. Getting to spend REAL time alongside you in your daily lives is something that I will treasure in my heart forever.

Now that we are settled, I would love to continue corresponding via “real mail”. It’s been difficult on the road without a consistent mailbox…but now that we have one (it’s even ATTACHED to our house…oh the joy!), I want to send more mail out!

I would love to create a database with real addresses in it for my personal records. If you’re so inclined, will you email me your current address at janssenfamily (at) gmail (dot) com? Even if you think I already have it…send it again. And I will send you mine if you like. Well, only if you’re not a crazy internet creeper.

I love mail.

So it’s only natural that receiving holiday cards ranks right up there with my favorite thing in December! And, like previous years, I am asking for yours! I LOVE seeing your family…putting faces with names…it all makes me so very happy. And so, my friends…if you want to send some greetings our way, send them to:

The Janssens
103 Rainbow Dr. #340
Livingston, TX 77399

Can’t wait to open the big envelope full of your love!

*Photo Credit: Flickr Creative Commons // Sporkist

Mail makes me sooooo happy. Jump for joy happy. Do a little dance happy. Who DOESN’T love mail? And I’m talkin’ about REAL, handwritten, “made with love” mail. The good stuff.

Mail has the power to completely change the course of one’s day. Coming home to a delicious package filled with goodies can keep me on cloud nine for a week! It makes me sad that our collective dependence on the Internet has taken away so much of this connection with others. Don’t get me wrong, the Internet does have the power to create connection. But when you receive a real piece of mail from someone, it tells you before you even open it up, that YOU MATTER TO THEM. They stopped what they were doing in their day…and they decided to brighten yours.

I feel very blessed to have amazing friends  and family who continue to send little boxes of love my way, even when firing off an email would be much less work. Here is a list of some of the goodies I’ve received from friends in the past…and a list of ideas for YOU to bless your friends with!

• Books/Journals
• Yummy soaps
• Incense
• Dread beads
• Silks/Scarves
• Food
• Tea
• Beanbags/Toys
• Artwork
• Jewelry
• Cool kitchen towels
• Stickers

This habit of sending love in a box didn’t develop overnight…it’s blossomed and grown as I’ve received packages from others and have taken note of their acts of kindness towards me.  Here are a few pointers on how to begin this practice:

Start An Envelope
If you’re at a store and see something that catches your eye, and you think, “that would be perfect for…”, then you should buy it! Take it home and start an envelope for them. You don’t have to mail it that day, or even that month. I always have a few padded manila envelopes going to collect items for people over time. When they get full enough, I write a little note and send it out. Don’t forget to be a little crazy. Nothing is too small or inconsequential to throw into an envelope for someone. In a recent letter, my sweet Becky sent me a bird feather. It was just a small little thing, but my heart jumped when I opened it. The fabulous Catina Jane is also well-known for her envelopes of crazy love. It’s also fun to send a “theme” package like this one … Mermaids!

Type it Up
If typing a letter is easier for you…then type! Even if you could type the same letter by email…just the printing it out, signing it with a handwritten quote, etc. and adding one tea bag will make it 10 times more special than that email. My friend Rachel and I do this…we both know that the other one likes to type letters, and so we send letters back and forth that are several pages of typed notes from our day. I love it and always look forward to her elegant writing and funny stories.

Spread the Love Around and Around
When my mom was in high school, she had a close knit group of friends and later in life they kept in touch with something they called the “Round Robin” letter. Basically, the first person would buy a big padded envelope and put things in there that represented their life at that point. A handwritten letter, a few photographs (yes! *gasp* REAL printed out photographs! not just tags on Facebook!), a recipe, etc. She would send it to the first person on the list. The next person would read everything, and then add her own goodies to the envelope, and send it on to the next person. When it got back around to the first sender, she would take out her stuff and add new things and on and on it goes. This is a super fun way to connect with 3-4 friends. I remember how excited my mom used to get when that Round Robin letter arrived!! Oh the joy!

Create a Mail Station
Stock a “mail station” in your house. It could be a shoebox, a fabric fold-up case like the “In Touch Clutch” (how cool is that!?), or just a drawer in a desk. Whatever you choose, the goal is to keep all of your mailing supplies in one central, easy to find location. That way, when you are thinking about a friend, you can immediately go to your station and start writing and not have to worry about finding a stamp!

Make It Pretty
Have some pretty stationary or cards on hand at all times. You could write on plain ‘ol white paper…but why would you want to when there are so many other options!? Even just cutting out some cool stuff from a magazine and gluing it onto the white paper would be better than nothing. Get creative! I did a quick search on Etsy, and there are over 6,000 items with the keyword “stationary”. That should be sufficient!

Find Your Inner Artist
Decorate the OUTSIDE of the envelope/box as well! In the photo above, my friend Becky drew all kinds of goodies all over the box. You better believe everyone in the post office was jealous as it was handed over to me I like to put stickers and cut out magazine photos on the outside of envelopes…so much fun. Use modge podge for added effect.

Keep It Simple With Postcards
Postcards are a fun and easy way to send a greeting. You can even buy pre-stamped postcards at the post office. Carry them in your purse and write little notes when you’re in the waiting room, etc. Let your kids decorate the front of the post card…and send it to Grandma!

Stamp It Up
I’ve been known to include a self-addressed stamped envelope in packages I send…with stationary included. Just to make it simple for the other person to write me back! Yes. I love getting mail that much…and it encourages the flow of communication! It’s the golden rule of the mailbox: “When you send mail, you receive mail.” Yes, it’s fun to bless others with mail, but it’s also fun to get some yourself!

I’d love to hear about some of your favorite things that have come in the mail…share them below!

And…I challenge you to send something, ANYTHING, out in the next 3 days to a friend or family member. Send a card, send a book…just send HAPPINESS!

Please add us to your list:

The Janssen Family
103 Rainbow Dr. #340
Livingston, TX 77399