Letters From Lauren

Hey-ho folks!

Happy almost almost almost the weekend! I do apologize for the silence this week. Like I've mentioned before, work has been wearing me out and the last thing I can think about when I get home at night is blogging.

I promise I will hunker down this weekend with my trusty ole Mac, so that come Monday you'll have something interesting to chew on.

For now, let me introduce you to Lauren. Lauren is a girl who loves letters. Lauren is a girl after my own heart in her love for letters. So join her on her journey as she attempts to write (and document) a letter a day in 2011.

Know someone would could benefit from receiving some snail mail? Email Lauren with some details about said friend and she'll take care of the rest!

Now how cool is that!

Image from Letters from Lauren

Thanksgiving Printables

With Thanksgiving a little more than a week away, don't we all have things to be THANKFUL for?

Back in college, my coach would randomly pull out her "10 things I'm thankful for" notepad and pass it around. She would have our team fill them out individually and then we would share one item on our list with everyone. I always found I was thankful for things like "Wednesday morning off from practice." You can see my priorities were a little different back then.

Either way, taking the time out of our busy collegiate athletes schedules to be mindful of what we were thankful for always proved invaluable (and it got us out of 15 minutes of practice :D). Thanksgiving is the perfect opportunity to do the same and why not do it in style.

The good folks over at Silverbox Creative Studio created these beautiful Thanksgiving printables that can be downloaded and cut into strips. Strips can not only be used to jot down what we are thankful for, but can also be used as napkin rings, tags for branches of trees or even a thanksgiving paper chain.

Enjoy and Happy Wednesday!

Handwritten Mail

I recently had a conversation with mama t regarding mail, more specifically handwritten snail mail and how much I adore receiving them. I've always been an avid sender of cards, at the very least on birthdays and special occasions. I'm one of those romantics that actually enjoys the process of mulling over the sweet sentiments I want to pen to loved ones.

The other morning, I checked my mailbox and to my joyous surprise, found that my dear friend, Joanna had sent me a picture "postcard" all the way from Scotland. Just cos. It was a beautiful picture and the "postcard" sure made my day. Thanks J0!

There is something special about a handwritten card that just beats electronic mail's wimpy behind. Receiving a card in the mail lets me know that the sender took the time to go to the store, pick out a card, find my mailing address, stick a stamp on the envelope and pop it in a mailbox. Whether to mark a birthday, to say thank you, to send condolences or just to say hi, a handwritten card is like sending a hug in the mail. What can I say, I really am a whimsical romantic at heart!

Being of the generation where emails dominate, the old fashioned soul in me bemoans the fact that people don't really send snail mail anymore. Now don't get me wrong, being separated from my family by continents and miles and miles of ocean, I see the merit and advantages of emails. But there is still nothing like receiving a handwritten card because it directly reflects the person who wrote them. For example, a friend might have the sloppiest penmanship known to men, but receiving a card from them will still make you happy as their sloppy writing reminds you of them.

So support my push for the resurgence of ink on paper and distinguish yourself from the constant flow of e-mail and text messages. Send a loved one a handwritten note today just to tell them you love them! Happy Wednesday!