A year of mail

I made a year in review post yesterday about all the things I wrote about here on the blog. I did leave one particular topic out, as I figured snail mail deserves a year-end post of it's own.

If you've been reading my blog for longer, you might remember me mentioning how I've always sent some mail, but those were mainly postcards from my travels and cards for special occasions like birthdays or holidays. I did write some letters when I was a kid, but that dwindled off for many years. I slowly started paying more attention to pretty mail and soon couldn't ignore the desire to try it out myself. Admittedly 2012 was the first time in a long while that I actually had some extra time on my hands and was able to start dabbling in the world of snail mail.

I believe the creative approach for me really started with the transparent mail. I tried out a few different things and made a tutorial on how to make see-through envelopes. I used the same idea for my Halloween mail as well

I joined the Letter Writers Alliance this year. I think it's such a wonderful idea and I'm proud to be a member. My mail pictures have been featured a few times in the LWA blog, most recently a few days ago on Dec 27th. You can see my work in the following LWA posts:

Show and Mail
Flickr Favorites: Winter, Part 1
Flickr Favorites: October

I felt like it would be a nice way to ring in the new year by looking back at some of my favorite mail of this year.

Outgoing

This piece of mail was featured in a Finnish magazine and I just loved how it turned out.


There was a week when everything was covered in polka-dots, large and small.

I made envelopes out of vintage wallpaper...


...old book pages...

...and transparent graph paper


I've sent them near and far, to people I've never met and to those I've known for years. I know I've at least made a few people happy.

Incoming


I received so much awesome mail this year! I've received letters...

...and Icelandic Candy...


...packages...


...and awesome surprises, like Batman and tea and an advent calender.

It's been an awesome year of mail. And to think I only started half way through...

I've decided to make a few new years resolutions suggestions regarding mail. I will certainly keep this up. I will keep writing Mail Monday posts. I will send even more mail in 2013. And I promise to send at least a few pieces of mail to people who are not expecting it.

Did you have a good mail year? Do you plan on making mail-related resolutions?