Embellishing Letters and Recent Mail

Photography & Drawings by Nadia M. Perez Bugler

Hello again! Sorry it's taken me a while to get back on here and write a new post. I've had a bit of an emergency situation arise and have been working day and night helping an elderly couple out for the time being so I am happy to find some time to write and share with you mail and pen pal related goodies. I've been getting lots of great post this past week and I wanted to share some with you and a little about what I've been using lately to embellish my letters.

Most of us who pen pal generally tend to have a rather large haul of lovely stickers, pens, and nowadays decorative tapes we use to add a little extra flair to our outgoing post. In the next few weeks I hope to showcase some of what my own pals use to embellish their letters and how unique everyone's style seems to be.

Since I love to reuse things I took this soap box my father had give me and left the partitions in to separate this stash of stickers. Some are hand-drawn and hand-coloured others are ephemera turned into stickers, all homemade and hand-cut by me, Some are the ones I sell in my Etsy shop, WalksInBeauty2014, and others are a personal stash I made for myself. I love to have stickers that are unique and that very few other people are going to have.

Of course, I am a HUGE fan of washi tape and have a gigantic collection back in our bungalow in England but I've already stated accumulating tapes here in the States...go figure! Here are my latest acquisitions...

Top sets: Sheet music & pattern set plus the camera and film set were gifts from my nieces.
Bottom sets: The arrow and camera set came from Hobby Lobby, the Christmas set came from
The Range in Dorchester before I came back to the US.

I am notorious for looking for new tapes all the time...I really need to curb my addiction but I seriously doubt that will happen! *wink*

As for the post I've received lately, well, I feel that I've had a great mail week. I really can't complain! I received letters and even a parcel! First let me share the contents of the parcel my hubby sent me from England:

My journal I'd sadly forgotten to pack and bring with me, some lovely drink packets from the UK for me to drink so I didn't get too homesick for Bridport, and my little clipboard with some stationery I designed on it and some freebies I'd printed out from Wreck This Girl's Mailbox.

Aside from that, I also received a few postcards and a letter inside the parcel my hubby sent me as they'd all been sent there to the UK address...

Postcards from the UK, Germany, and Australia and a letter from my pen pal Renate in Norway plus a little pack of paper embellishments I purchased on sale at Hobby Lobby in the clearance section. It always pays to have a look-see there. ☺

Independently of that parcel I even got a little card from my hubby which came separately and some more fab mail...

This is the card from my hubby congratulating me on my new job and a letter from a new pal in London and the fab stickers she sent me. Take note that on the envelope she used one of my very own artwork,--a sticker that looks like an envelope which I sent her and my birdie air mail sticker which I made and shared out with her as well! It's nice to see people use what you've share with them. ☺

I got some more letters this past week but I have sadly not photographed them. I will try to get a picture of them all so you can see how lovely they were as well. Since I went to Hobby Lobby I couldn't resist purchasing a few more bits to use which I will showcase here...

The tapes you've already seen but these fabulous stickers were all on sale! They are ephemera stickers from Stickabilities and are just gorgeous. The Christmas Sweater stickers were fun too! 

Well, as I am not at home right now it has been a little difficult to be without my stash as I was only able to bring a few things over with me. Hopefully when I can get back to the house I can get ever so much more creative and share these creative lovelies with you!

Until then,

Keep Writing & Happy Snail Mailing!

Nadia xo

It's been too long....lovely post I've received in the last two weeks...

Wow...it has been a long time since I last posted in this blog and so much has happened! I have a new blog, a new home and a new marital status! *SMILE* I have great pen pals and really want to make an effort to keep this blog as well as my new one, Walks in Beauty, up to date. I also started lots of new work, including my own stationery line an shop! It's all a work in progress but there will be more on that later! 

Today I want to present you all with my latest post received. I've received so many beautiful letters and goodies from old and new pals these past couple of weeks! I am presenting these in no particular order as some came on the same day together so here goes!

First up is a letter from a new pal in Belgium. She sent me a lovely letter full of goodies--a postcard from her home town, some washi tape samples, two bits of pretty scrapbooking paper and the envelope was covered in gorgeous tape! Thank you, Silke! xx

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Next is a cute letter from my pal Nikki in Hull, UK. She sent me lots of lovely stickers and this cute little handmade friendship bracelet in some of my favorite colours! Such a nice treat to be welcomed with!

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A lovely letter from my pal Mary in Worcester... ☺

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A letter and card from another fab pal, Caroline, whom also sells great stationery! ☺ 

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A beautiful letter from my pal in Norway...

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Lovely letter and goodies from Amy in Australia! ♥ She sent me the cutest book mark, some lovely sticky notes, owl stichers and the fab ATC you see there. Below is a pic of the fab stamp she used to post the letter! 

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The beautiful stamp of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge with little baby George! 

Another fab letter and goodies from my pal Andrea in Wales! ♥ She sent a nice postcard from Chester, another fab book mark and a cute Welsh themed pen! xx

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Hands down the most beautiful envelope I have seen to date sent to me from my pal in Scotland, Leeanne! My French press looks cute in this pic too! 

The contents of that envelope...a great letter and some envelopes as a little gift! xx

On my desk at this present moment...

I have always been one of those people who is working on 10 things at once and since I have a high volume of letters arriving each week I often have to put things aside to write back and then pick them up again. Here I show you a few things I have in progress.

I enjoy creativity and finding things to make for my pen pals such as the decorated paper clips pictured above and featured in my crafting blog Mes Petites Creations. What little things inspire you to be creative? What sorts of projects are your favorites?

Recent mail...

I know that those of you likely to read this blog are lovers of receiving letters and things in the mail! I received some pretty amazing goodies this week and just wanted to share a glimpse with you! My pen friends are the best in the whole world. We know what each other likes and so I am always blessed to receive gorgeous goodies and I am blessed enough to be able to return the favor as well! The first big surprise was a package full of paper goodies from my friend Christelle in France!

Aren't they gorgeous?? I am the luckiest and most blessed girl in the world!
Thank you, Christelle for such an amazingly beautiful gift! Bisous-Bisous!

Christelle had told me of this package being sent my way and we thought it had gotten lost in transit since it arrived about a month and a half after expected but at length here it was in my hands and a happier recipient there could not have been in all the world at that moment! They are an incredibly gorgeous array of flat cards, papers, folded note cards and little note papers. I love them all!

On the left: printed magnets from Christelle
On the right: the note accompanying the papers
and my new phone. 

I just love the magnets my friend sent me and am already thinking up how to create a station near where I have my letters to add a magnetic board where I can place these lovelies and remain more organized. Yesterday I also received a nice letter and little package from my pen pal Maria Laura whose blog is a total inspiration too! Just check out this little pen pal book she made for me:

Maria Laura is so creative!

You all MUST check her blog out! You can see more of how she made this sort of little book by clicking here. She's got such gorgeous crafts pertaining to letter writing and paper on that site, you'll want to sit there a while with some tea, coffee, or cocoa! It's great to have friends who are as creatively minded as we are, isn't it?? Thanks to Maria Laura and to Christelle for the precious gifts! I look forward to sending you ladies some great little finds myself! 

Love and laughter,

Nadia Marie