Anyone who was on this blog a few years past will know I had a mail counter and one year even sent nearly 1,200 bits of snail mail. While I have not been sending that much mail lately I have still been sending likely more then the average person does these days. Letter writing, using old school instruments like fountain pens and bottled ink have long been a passion of mine. Had I been allowed to have a fountain pen in school I would have. Like all things however, life has an ebb and flow and I just have not had the time for letter writing as much as I wish in the last years. It isn’t only just the time if I am honest, letter writing and using my wonderful fountain pens was something my EX hated. So he made me feel bad about my passion for mail. He even sold most of my best fountain pens, I lament the lost of my vintage Mont Blanc to this day. At least I was able to keep my precious Waterman Carene which was a thoughtful gift from a friend well hidden and it is still one of my favorite pens to use.

In the last few weeks I have felt the nudge to dive back into my passion for hand writing long letters. I have slowly poked around my pens, cleaned them up again. Played with them a little even got a small light box to use to better my penmanship. That slow little nudge turned into a gush when I wrote 10 page letter to one of my long term pals who I have been writing even during the “drought” as I shall now call it. I guess you can say the waterfall is flowing freely again over my writing love. I havent written a letter less then 5 pages and I am actively seeking out new pen pals again. I am very excited about the whole thing if I am honest. There is nervousness too I keep expecting a judgement to come down on me about it. Then I remind myself I have made a point of surrounding myself with people who support my passions even if they don’t share them. People who encourage me and don’t bring me down. We all have our moments of being down and saying something wrong of course but in general I am happy with those who don’t judge me for getting excited because an ink brand just released a new purple ink..even if I already have several purple inks. No two purple inks are the same.

Nor do they chide me for adding to my collections and passions. Sure my “me space” pretty much looks like a craft and stationery story had angry sex … (Deadpool would approve) but it kinda makes me happy. I have over 30 fountain pens again (most of them are Jinhao and similarly reasonable priced work horses but so what) I have taken my stationery out of storage, ordered new wax seals and have even been playing with making my own wax again. It is a nice feeling to just flit from passion to passion and not feel like someone is judging me for it. I have always had an active mind, I have always had interests that range across a spectrum of things. Some of my skills are more ancient and some more recent. Those who know me well know I am just as happy playing a new computer game as I am picking up a roman sword and having a round of fun old sparring. Many people have claimed me already for their team when the Zombie apocalypse comes. Whether that’s for my awesome tracking, slashing or varied other skills or because I can whip up clothing from string or bits of fabric I am not sure, but I will take it. It is nice to feel needed and appreciated even if some of your skills are seen as “odd” in a highly technological society.

I may currently be in a conceal don’t feel cave but I have with my pens, paper, ink and yarn with crochet hooks. So at least I can keep busy while I am tucked in here. There are books of course as well because well I am a book nerd too I mean if you couldn’t tell by my book blog The Purple Booker.

So now after that long winded little rant onto the point of this post. April is National Letter writing month. A whole month dedicated to writing just after the crochet one right?! I am so excited about that entire thought. Since my passion has woken up again I decided April was the perfect time to spread my wings once more and I am taking part in the festivities. There is a campaign taking place called #Write_On and all you have to do is write 30 letters in 30 days. That is my goal this month and while I may not be going gang busters I will meet the goal. Hey my first letter was like 11 pages long cut me a little slack eh? I will make the letters happen!

I have also started taking part in Postcrossing again. All of my post cards have been dragged out of storage and are in a place where I can easily reach them now. No excuse of well I would have to go and dig them out of this and that or the other thing. Every little bit of my stationery has been lined up nice and neat and is very easy to get at. Even if there are a little bits of yarn and such on the shelves with them. What can I say I still adore my darn crochet. So if anyone reading this wants to dive in with me for the month of writing letters sound off and leave a message or send me one. Letters are wonderful to send and wonderful to get. Seriously people really should send more mail, it seems like a lost art but we are out there. Look on instagram for a little bit and you will find a great many beautiful letters being written. You will see them being mailed in so many envelopes, handmade, decorated, plain it doesnt matter to me they are all beautiful. The act of sitting down and writing a letter is something deeper then sending an email, you spend more time and more thought often times. Moreover for me every single letter I write reminds me of my Great Grandmother and that is never a bad thing, it is a way she can always stay with me and close and alive in my heart.

My oh my where has the year gone! It is already December and I am having that deer in the headlights feeling of the end of the year holidays and the start of a new year coming up soon. It has been a year with ups and downs and all around for me your friendly web mistress here at Birth of a Notion, but I do not regret the year at all and I am looking forward to the fresh start that 2014 is going to bring.

I have long had a love hate relationship with the big up coming holiday of Christmas. All of the stress that everyone gets involved in is something  I try to distance myself from. I end up seeming like a scrooge sometimes but I really do not mean too honestly. I always make it special for the kids of the two legged and four legged variety, but I also teach them more of the truth about the season. With that comment here comes the disclaimer.

I am Pagan. I have no issue with Christianity as I was raised Catholic, but I am Pagan. I do not celebrate the season in the standard way that many do.

With that disclaimer said I do not go around shouting from the roof tops about how Jesus was not born in December that the holiday was taken and made as it is because it was a Pagan holiday. However I do not hide the fact either. I never have and I never will.  It also amuses me to no end how many people who never seem to care the rest of the year about their faith make sure to be all about it during this time of year. Bitter? Maybe a little bit but it annoys me. This meme that is going around however makes me laugh and I totally agree.

So there you have it. Now with that said we decorate, sing some carols (generally avoiding the Christ are savior is born types. sorry if that offends) and in general try to keep the feeling of good cheer going around. I try to do that every year of course but yes I do make some special effort in December. I also tend to say Happy Holidays when I offer that greeting/goodbye to people this time of year. *insert that disclaimer here again* and I do not say it because I am all anti Merry Christmas, I do not get offended if someone says either one to me and I do sometimes say Merry Christmas. The simple fact for me is there are more than one holiday that goes on this time of year. So I say Happy Holidays to include everyone in it, hey guess what not everyone celebrates Christmas folks! But they may celebrate something else.

Sadly going into December I am also behind on my correspondence. I hate being behind on that because I love my letter writing. I did get two letters done already today which is a plus I think alas there is 9 left in my pile to work on and all but 3 of them are from November. So if you are reading this and I owe you a letter. I am so sorry promise I am catching up!

Now all of that said..time to make some edible Yule decorations 🙂 you see I am trying not to be a scrooge honestly! Of course it is only Dec 3rd we will see how I feel near the end of the month with all the movies and music being played.

 

There is something wonderful about getting a letter in the mail, from an old friend of a new friend. I think many people have forgotten that simple joy in this modern era of e-mail and such. Now do not get me wrong I like e-mail I use it, I use instant messenger as well. However there is some kind of pure satisfying joy that I get when I open up my mail box and see those lovely stamped envelopes.

Knowing that someone sat down and took the time to pic what they would write on and with, and write the letter has a certain joy to it. I know when I write to some of my friends and family I take a great deal of time being careful in the selection of what I will send them. I wish that the art of letter writing was not so forgotten. I wish that when I told people I write letters they didn’t look at me and go “REALLY?!” like it was an oddity. You know it was not so long ago that it was perfectly normal to have regular correspondence with people. I learned about the joy of sending and getting mail from both my Great Grandmother and my Grandmother.

I am often amused when co-workers or others have panic attacks over their internet being down. Now granted I do not like it anymore than the next person, especially if I am working on a project when it goes down. However I made a resolution sometime ago to not let it get to me so much. To remember how much I love to do things that have nothing to do with the computer. Craft something! Read another book! Write another letter!

Simply sit back and enjoy sending a letter to get one back.

Jumped into some lovely pen pal swaps on swap bot and this lovely bit of artwork came from The Really Simple Pen Pal swap #2


I think me and my new pal will get along famously we both like mail art we both love fountain pens, kismet?

Well the move was hectic, and left me very sore but we have gotten all moved in and are getting things put the way we would like it. I am very happy with my library and how it is turning out. So without further adeiu.