In a world of instant communication – texts, emails, video calls – there is something comforting about taking relationships offline and sending greetings via the postal system. There is the thought and intention that goes into finding a card, writing a note, addressing the envelope, buying a stamp, putting the finished item in a mailbox. Then there is the joy of receiving personal mail; the unique delight of opening up a tiny little door and spotting a letter with a hand-written address. We feel loved. We feel connected.
Letters are powerful.
*This would be the point of the morning where I let you all know that Canada Post is officially on strike. It happened yesterday and I am so clueless about local/national news – I read BBC news and that is IT – that I didn’t even realize this was on the horizon. Demerit to me for a lack of social awareness. So, not only is it ironic I’m writing about sending things through the mail but, also ironically, until this strike is resolved I won’t be able to send out any giveaway goodies. They will come your way…it just might take a bit longer than I had anticipated.
With that in mind – and with deep gratitude for bloggers like Engie, San, and Birchie who have set an example and encouraged this blogging pen pal situation* – today’s giveaway is assorted stationary for letter writing.
*There is absolutely no need to be a blogger to put your name in the proverbial hat for these prizes!
Without further ado:
1. Blank Floral Cards (12)
If you like cards, if you like florals, and if you like to actually be able to seal an envelope around your note – this is the collection for you.
2. Bright and Happy Postcards (30)
Aren’t these cheerful? The only thing missing is a lighthouse!
3. Cheeky Postcards (20)
I will admit I was distressed by the toilet paper art. Correct toilet paper placement is no laughing matter. I’m only showing four cards; each one – of the 20 – is different, but this gives you a general idea of what to expect. (When I saw the Take It Tea-sy I immediately thought of Jenny.)
HOW TO ENTER + OTHER DETAILS
Here’s how the giveaway will work: to enter, simply leave a comment on this post telling me:
- which of the card/postcard options above is your favourite and/or the last piece of “snail mail” you received that made you smile
Next Wednesday (20 November), I will close the comments on this post and will use a random number generator to select three numbers to represent “winning” comments and will e-mail those readers – in the order their “number” was selected – to get their mailing address. The first number will get first choice, the second number second choice, etc. I’ll announce the winners next Saturday (in time for another giveaway), and will get these cards sent out to the lucky recipients in short order when our national postal system is up and running again. Sigh.
Happy writing, friends!
Also…drumroll.
The winner of the Sprouted Planner Giveaway is…Michelle! Getting up at 3:30 am gave her early-bird status and the random generator happened to reward her enthusiasm! Congrats and I can’t wait to hear how you use the planner. I have a hunch you will have lots of creative ideas. I will be taking notes!
Your turn. Of the options above, would your first choice be #1 (floral cards), #2 (happy postcards), or #3 (cheeky postcards)? Do you frequently send/receive snail mail? What was the last piece of mail that made you smile?
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San
Oh, another wonderful giveaway. Elisabeth, you’re outdoing yourself this month! These sets of cards are ALL delightful but I think my favorite is the cheeky set 🙂 These cards make me smile!! Coincidentally, I think the last piece of lovely snail mail was from you at our old address…. so now I need to get started on sending (and receiving) mail at our new place <3
Thank you for this giveaway! I love it.
Elisabeth
The cheeky ones are my favourite, too 🙂
mbmom11
I love the floral cards- simply beautiful and classic. The others are cute, but the floral cards have glorious colors.
I like to send cards- I used to write letters and cards all the time.
I would carefully select cards to suit the friend’s mood/occasion. However, as years go by, and contact with old friends drop off, I do it less. I have made an effort to send a card at least one a month to a friend who retired. And I always send thank you cards for gifts. My kids know that if they get a present from someone, I’ll gave a card ready for them to fill out.
I received a cute card from my big sister a few weeks ago- silly and encouraging- after we got some rough news. I just sent her a card featuring adorable hedgehogs back.
Molly F.C.
Hello! My favorite of.rhe above is #1, the pretty floral postcards. They would definitely be used.
Went to the local USPS office yesterday to purchase Christmas stamps to get ready for next month.
The last fun mail I received were cards for my birthday.
Thanks for the giveaway opportunity!
Cattis
I have approx. One billion postcards already so I’m just commenting, not entering the giveaway. I do like the cheaky postcards best, they’re so cute. And cheeky 😉 and I’ll share a fun postcard memory. My sisters and I used to travel abroad for a sister weekend every year (until covid) and we always sent a cheeky nude postcard to our grandma everytime we went somewhere. Sometimes it was of a statue, sometimes a hunky young man (these were usually ”only” upperbody). Our grandma (she passed away in 2021) always told us to stop sending them to her because ”what would the mailman think about her” but when I asked her what SHE thought she actually loved them 😆
Birchie
I love this! I bet your grandma loved those cards!
Birchie
Well of course I’m all about the cheeky postcards, particularly the TP one. If you were to ask me the #1 thing that surprised me this year, it’s that I suddenly became a snail mail sender for the first time in my adult life – I did used to write letters before email was a thing. It’s so much fun to send mail, and of course it’s fun to get it back in return.
My fav postcard that I’ve received is from Lindsay. It’s a picture of a bicycle and says “it spoke to me”. My 2nd fav is Jenny’s Halloween card that had a cat sticker on the envelope.
Jenny
Ha ha… I’m laughing that “Take it Tea-sy” reminded you of me. And YES- the toilet paper art. Shudder ; )
Well, I’m glad to know I didn’t win the planner because now I can get on with my life. I really need to order one, but I was waiting to see if I won yours!
Canada Post is on strike??? How are you going to get your Christmas cards? I hope it’s resolved soon!
Elisabeth
Me too. I think the government may issue a “work to rule” order?
I was just bemoaning my Christmas cards – sending and receiving – and I was struck by the fact nothing important hinges on this for me. So many small business owners will suffer terribly; people who receive cheques or other forms of social support by mail. So I’m disappointed, but really I’m feeling sad today for all the people (postal workers included) who are going to be deeply impacted by this stoppage.
Karen A.
My first choice would be the #3, cheeky postcards! I send snail mail to my two best friends about once a month, or more.
iHanna
I like both nr 1 & 2 a lot. 💕 I love happy mail and send postcards a few times each year in my swap and when doing that I sometimes also send a card for a friend or family member as well.
Last postcard I got was a handmade postcard from a blog friend in the US. It is stunning!
Elisabeth
You are the Queen of Postcards 🙂
Kyria @ Travel Spot
I like the cheeky ones and the cheery ones! They are both so cute. I love getting mail and probably the last one that made me smile was from my parents, who always send post cards, even when they are just sending them from the next town over! My friend K is also very good at sending thank you notes and her cards are always so thoughtful, and are usually very cheery like the ones you are giving away.
Ally Bean
No need to enter me in the drawing, but wanted to say I adore the No Prob-llama. Made my day. Thanks.
Nicole MacPherson
I came home to three postcards and a card, and it made me so happy (one was from you and Kyria!). Do me a favour and let me know when you receive my postcard that I sent pre-strike last week. It’s probably floating around in the ether somewhere. Sob. Anyway. I am NOT going to catastrophize. I am NOT. *does ujjayi breathing exercises*
Um, I like all of them? I can’t choose? I guess the notecards? But the postcards are so adorable. So are the florals. I DON’T KNOW THEY ARE ALL TOO CUTE.
Elisabeth
Awww. What a nice thing to return to after a vacation.
The timing is NOT ideal for the strike, but I realized this morning that some people have SO MUCH ON THE LINE. Welfare checks, small businesses shipping for Christmas. Ugh. And of course the postal workers and Canada Post as an organization. I am very, very sad – one of my fun things to do this weekend was address Christmas cards, but I’m appreciating how fortunate I am to only be fussing about something as inconsequential as Christmas cards.
Aren’t they all cute!?
Alexandra
I was lucky enough to get 2 beautiful pieces of mail this week from a couple of online friends. I was so over joyed. It really makes a day to get something whether personal or not, but to have someone take the time to reach out and say a simple, “hello, how are you?”
You can put my name in the hate for the Cheery postcards, I would love to send those out to everyone I know. And a BIG heartfelt thank you for running this amazing giveaways.
Elinoora
I love the cheeky postcards, as well as the cute ones 😍
Last pieces of snail mail for me were birthday cards. I love getting the one from my co-workers, they always get a personalised AI portrait for the front!
And sent by us: my daughter made a birthday card for a dear friend who has family in Gaza to cheer him up.
Funny story: my mom once sent a postcard to my dad – from England to Belgium. It took 2 months to arrive, it went on a detour to the Philippines…
Lisa’s Yarns
Whoa! A postal strike! That would be so hard. I hope it’s resolved soon. They picked a crucial time of year to strike so chances are it will resolve soon I would think?
We have gotten a lot of fun mail recently including a post card from you! The last fun piece of mail was a Halloween card from Jenny! The boys loved it!
It’s tough to pick a favorite of the 3 groups but I think I would pick the 3rd set since they are so cheeky and fun!!
Jill
I love the Cheeky ones! I just received a handwritten thank you for helping a friend of my daughter. She sent a little gift and thank you note for something I was happy to help with but was very nice to know how it was appreciated.
Maria
I got three postcards from one pen pal on Wednesday- they made me grin a big happy grin. They were also my last mail until the strike is over. I’m pretty sad about the strike. Sending snail mail is a big hobby and source of joy for me.
ernie
Bummer on the postal strike. Those used to happen often the year I studied in Ireland, but I don’t remember them lasting very long. I hope Canada’s is over in a blink.
My best buddy for high school sends me snail mail out of the blue. He sends a postcard when he travels and since he lives in New York, I never know when he’s traveling. Always a nice surprise. I used to write letters ALL THE TIME. One of the dads whose kids I babysat called me the most letter writing-est person he ever met, because when I was in college I wrote his wife letters all the time. And we’re still great friends today.
Please put my name in the hat for the cheeky cards. Those crack me up, but not as much as your ‘TP is no laughing matter’ remark.
Joy
I am sorry that your postal service is on strike! What a terrible time of year, too. I hope it resolves quickly.
All of them are cheery, but I especially like the floral cards. The last piece of mail that made me smile was a Thanksgiving card from a dear friend of our family. He never forgets to send a card for every occasion, and they always brighten my day.
I have been wanting to be better about sending letters and paper cards. I used to write letters and cards all the time but email and texting has made me lazy about it. I have paper, I have pens, I have stamps–now to put them all to good use!
Thanks for the inspiration, Elisabeth.
Michelle G.
I won the planner! *Does a happy dance!* Thank you so much, Elisabeth! ❤️I hope the postal strike will be resolved soon. That’s so scary, especially, like you said, when people are waiting for checks and very important things.
Heather Mar
I like the cheeky postcards #3! And I think I’ve never used the word “cheeky” in my life before, so thank you for that lol! I received more snail mail than EVER this year while going through a serious medical diagnosis and treatment. It has been lovely! Some mail included money or gift cards, which of course were very treasured and put to good use. But all the mail with encouraging words and love have been true treasures as well. I think my most recent card received was from my best friend’s grandma who is in her 90s. Hope your mail service is resolved and back in operation soon!
Tobia | craftaliciousme
Congrats Michelle for scoring that planner. Hope you have lots of fun with it.
I like the floral cards. What a fun give away.
I wish everyone luck in the give away.
Elisabeth you are so generous giving away.
Katy
Oh I love cards! My favorite is probably the first set. I love versatile cards I can use for thank yous, birthday or even sympathy.
The last card I got in the mail was a Thanksgiving card from my mom. It made my day. After living almost 10 years overseas, where we hardly ever got snail mail, I extra appreciate it!
Laura
I love the cheeky postcards – I’m a huge fan of puns!
I grew up in a small suburban neighborhood, and the mom of one of my childhood friends recently sent a “congratulations” card for my doctoral graduation. It was very sweet and thoughtful of her!
Gigi
I like the cheeky postcards the best!
Most recent snail mail? Probably a birthday card from my Mother-In-Law. I love sending and receiving snail mail and should probably up my game.
Central Calif Artist Jana
Those #1 floral cards really float my boat because I mostly write on scraps or cards with my own pencil drawings (printed, not originals).
I write several people regularly and have been a letter writer all my life. Usually I try to respond to a letter a day or two after receiving one so the conversation stays alive. And if I think of someone I haven’t seen in awhile, sometimes I just spontaneously send them a note or letter. The more “virtual” the world becomes, the more valuable tangible connections are. Besides, it is fun to practice my handwriting!
The last letter that made me smile was written by a friend of 40 years who lives across the country. She wrote on yellow lined paper with a red pen and apologized for the red ink but she didn’t want to disturb the cat on her lap.
H13
The florals speak to me!
The last piece of snail mail I received was a delightful note from a neighbor complimenting my children. It just made my hole day and I was so touched that she mailed something that could have been walked down to our house in less than three minutes. I am keeping it forever!