The New #PostCircle Stationery Range by AnneeApple

When I started #PostCircle I had no idea that over one hundred and seventy of you would be as enthusiastic about sending and receiving happy post as I am. Neither did I know what other sorts of wonderful things could come out of it! I'd like to share one such thing with you today. Introducing the brand sparkly new AnneeApple stationery range!

Inspired by all things #PostCircle, the talented Anne McBride has designed her very own range for fellow post lovers. And this is just the tip of the iceberg; she has many more design ideas up her crafty sleeve!

I love the idea of lettergrams (above), as after all this is how original written communications started out, with none of this separate envelope business! 

Who wouldn't love something so cheery to land on their doormat in a morning? (Much better than the tax return forms I received yesterday. Sigh.) Annee has cleverly merged bright, modern colours with vintage-style themes to make something for everyone.

Annee's stationery range will soon be available in her new Etsy shop (keep your eyes peeled for listings appearing soon!) with prices in the region of £6 for 20 sheets of writing paper, personalised linen writing paper (20 sheets) at £8 and five lettergrams at £5 (prices subject to slight change as the range is fully developed). For the latest on the range's launch, and news of a giveaway soon, follow Annee at her blog and on Facebook.  

Personally, I think my fellow otters are going to be very happy to get some of this #PostCircle stationery in the post very soon!

On Post

Ah, post. Lovely, papery, pretty, thrill-inducing post. The 'fffffffffllllllmmmmp' (just made that word up, thinking it poetically onomatopoeic) as it slips through the letterbox. The joyous bark from a certain furry young lady of the houndish variety. The anticipation as I open the door after work, or frolic downstairs to see what papery joys the postman (or lady - Bea's very fond of our postlady) has brought today. 

I don't just love receiving post, but sending it too. One of the very best things about having an Etsy shop - apart from the joyous wonder that folk actually want to pay good money for my creations of course - is being able to parcel orders up and take a trot up to the post office with Bea so she can post them. It's become something of a tradition to utter a few friendly words of luck and happiness to the recipient of the parcel as we pop it inside the postbox, hoping it brings excitement and joy to its new owner when it fffffffffflllllllllmmmps onto their doormat.

Writing letters is such a therapeutic pastime indeed; there's something so soothing about writing by hand, and allowing my thoughts to tumble out onto the page. This slower pace of communication forces me to really think about what I want to say to my reader. None of this 'a quick few taps of the fingers and send' which I love so much when tweeting and texting, but the recipient of a letter will know I have taken the time to sit down with a cup of tea, choose my stationery with them in mind, spend a little time thinking, then carefully convey my message with the utmost care and my undivided attention.

Sending post has given me an excuse to become something of a stationery collector. Letter paper (hard to come by these days, or is it just me?), notelets and postcards are all gathered together, and added to whenever I'm out and about and see a papery greeting which makes me smile. 

And yes, I'm even enough of a geek to have a correspondence drawer! Do you ever find yourself writing a card or letter, then never getting round to sending it? Stamps, address book, writing stationery and stickers are all kept together in here. I even have a letter opener so I can open my own post with ease (stops me tearing it open with rabid excitement). 

Do you send a lot of post?

Have a communicative Wednesday,

How to Make Letter Paper With Fabric

Here's an idea I've been playing around with a lot now that it's getting harder and harder to source pretty writing paper for a reasonable price in the shops. Email seems to have done away with it! I still write a lot of letters to friends; I think it's an art we need to keep alive, and I don't know a soul who doesn't enjoy receiving lovely post, especially post that's been thoughtfully put together and personalised just for them.

So being unable to get hold of writing paper one day, and not having a whopping £15 to spend on the sets I liked online, I decided to make my own. The beauty of this is that you can make your paper in exactly the style to fit your recipient's personality, and you can just make one sheet at a time, or lots! You can also use this method to make small sheets of wrapping paper.

First, choose your fabric... any fabric you like!

Don't worry about your fabric being ironed, or cut perfectly into a square, or completely flat - you want your finished paper to have personality. I actually wanted my friend to know I'd made the paper just for her, so I made sure there were imperfections! Seams, hems, creases and frays all look great.

Then all you need is a scanner attached to your computer. Pop your fabric in. Again, you want it straight enough so that you don't end up with white spaces on the page around your design, but perfectly lined up patterns isn't what we're aiming for here.

While your scanned fabric photo is on the computer screen, make any changes you want to. I often fade my design slightly so that my writing shows up against the background better. You can also add a letterhead design or a 'PTO' or other quirky something, like below:

And that's it! You can come up with sorts of patterns and designs. I've made quite a few now and have had lots of fun coming up with different combinations.

You can make a really special love letter...

Or make a set in complimentary colours, package them up, and give them as a gift to a writery friend...

You could even make paper to send to your sidekick to let them know you're close to solving a crime!

Well perhaps not...

Have lots of fun making your paper! What do you think?

Ever yours,