Writer and illustrator Naomi Bulger will remind you to rejoice in the simpler things in life: a cup of tea, a single rose in a vase, a letter in the mailbox. Recently she partook in the #100DaysinDinan project by drawing personalized envelopes. And yes, it’s as magical as it sounds like.
“I’m making the envelopes for each card by tracing one of the original envelopes the cards came in, onto used calendars and magazine pages,” she wrote on her website. “A stamp or two, and the address: there’s not much room for anything else, so into the post they go.”
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“Dear…” What comes next in your letter? If you like the idea of writing beautiful letters and making beautiful mail for the people you love, but don’t know where to start, my letter-writing e-course might be just what you need. Over four weeks, we’ll cover the art of story telling, writing ideas and thoughtful inclusions in your letters; the magic of mail-art (and inspiration for making it); the beauty of letter-writing for slow living and personal connections; and places to find pen-pals and make other lovely letter-writing connections. Late this year (or early next year) I will upgrade this course to a new delivery system, and create additional information, tutorials and handouts to complement what is already there. That means right now is your last chance to join this course before I close enrolments to make these upgrades. Anyone who joins this week will have lifetime access to all the existing content, and I’ll automatically give them access to the new content as well, once it is live, at no extra cost. So… if you have any questions about whether or not this course might suit you, feel free to DM me. and there’s loads more information via the link in my bio today. 🌿 #onequietcup #snailmailrevolution #postcrossing #happymail #mailartenvelope #stationerylove #brownpaperpackages #creativelife #loveforanalogue #alifeofintention #thesincerestoryteller
A post shared by Naomi Bulger (@naomibulger) on May 29, 2019 at 12:25am PDT
“Writing a letter feels completely different to writing an email,” she shared with Flow Magazine . “It forces you to slow down and be more mindful of what you are saying. Snail mail is where my two joys of writing and painting converge. I like to paint illustrations and incorporate the addresses into the designs to make each envelope bright, cheerful and something unique that will make the recipient—and hopefully also the mailman—happy.”
“I had pen pals when I was growing up but I wasn’t a prolific letter writer,” recalled Bulger. “I rediscovered letters about six or seven years ago when, on a whim, I started offering to send letters to strangers who read my blog . They would write back, and I became hooked by the whole process. It’s so personal, holding something in your hands that they first held, and that has traveled—sometimes—thousands of kilometers to reach you.”
Follow her Instagram page for a dose of inspiration.
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So… the news I was hinting at yesterday is that, after almost two years, I’ve decided to make a new mail-art colouring book. I’m extra excited about it because this time, I hope it will be a collaborative project between you and me. Like the first one, this edition will contain 50+ original mail art envelopes for you to download, colour, make and send to your friends. But this time I’ll also add in some other designs to help you make your mail lovely as well, such as note paper, invitations, and any other inspiration that springs to mind. Aaaaaand now I’m wondering if you’d like to have a say on what goes into the colouring book? As I am still making the drawings, I may be able to incorporate your idea into the designs I create for this book! Right now you can pre-order Volume 2 at a discount of 16%. And when you order, you’ll see a little form-box where you can let me know of any specific design you’d love to see in the colouring book. I can't give any guarantees but if it is appropriate for the book, I'll be sure to do it.😉 Already, I’ve been receiving some amazing ideas from people who have ordered the book. Ideas like books and tea, gumboots splashing in puddles, drippy eggs benedict, delphiniums, bees, monarch butterflies and red pandas among others. This truly will be a Mail Art Colouring Book that we all create together. A genuine community collaboration! I feel so happy just thinking about that. There’s a link in my bio if you’d like to learn more or preorder a copy, with that form built in for you to share your ideas. (ps. This envelope is from the original colouring book, which you can download and use right now if you’d like it.)🌿 #snailmailaddict #letterboxlove #mailartenvelope #carepackage #weddingenvelope #handmade #craftcolourmyday #projectlove #the_gentle_manifesto #thisismycommunity #nestandthrive
A post shared by Naomi Bulger (@naomibulger) on Jun 16, 2019 at 4:00am PDT
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Do you remember old-fashioned lettersets? You’d get a pretty envelope, and some notepaper with a matching or complementary design inside. They normally came in boxes of 10 envelopes and 10 or 20 sheets of lined paper. When I was little, they were a popular birthday present… 💌 Last year, a number of my newsletter readers asked me to create a letterset for them, so here it is: there’s this mail-art envelope, and a complementary design on some note-paper, ready for you to download, colour-in and post, as many times as you like. (There are also writing prompts, and ideas for platonic love-letters you might like to write this Valentine’s Day). 💌 Check your inbox if you’re a newsletter subscriber and, if you missed out, you can still sign up via the link in my bio, and I’ll send it out to you in the next couple of days. 🌿 #incowrimo #incowrimo2019 #asecondofwhimsy #theartofslowliving #communityovercompetition #smallmomentsofcalm #itsstill_life #aquietstyle #thesimpleeveryday #thehappynow #alifeofintention #envelopeart #carepackage #stayintouch #happymail #inspiredbysnailmail #deliveredbypost #writeyouonmyheart #theartofmail #timetowrite #writtenbyhand #embracingtheseasons #thisismycommunity #kinfolklife #the_gentle_manifesto #ofquietmoments #savourtheseasonalshift #gowildlyandslow #foundandforaged
A post shared by Naomi Bulger (@naomibulger) on Feb 5, 2019 at 6:33pm PST
