Dear Everyone ~
For me, last year ended on a high note in terms of incoming mail, and 2025 is off to an auspicious start.
Many people—other than me— send greeting cards or annual letters to friends & family over the holidays. For some, it’s their major written communiqué of the year, their way of keeping in touch. I know that some people actually make huge lists; others channel a specific intention or ritual around assembling their cards. In contrast, my epistolary endeavours are episodic, which is not to say totally random. When inspiration knocks, or pops into my head, I aim to act on that… before I get distracted. My missives—much as I love the word—tend to be on the shortish side. I like to think that what they lack in length… they make up for in enveloping & embellishing, and franking & feeling.
One notable piece of incoming mail was a holiday card from Deborah R. in Monterey—even though it was not for me. This was the second time Deborah had written to Will, my beloved mail carrier, c/o of BZS. He opened it with Ruby & me, and read it aloud to us. It was so heartwarming to get to see his expression… and then he gave me the huge hug that Deborah would have loved. I truly love that Will is part of the BZS community.
I told Deborah all this and asked her if I could share some of the “postal love” she radiates. She wrote back, expanding on the sentiment: “When our power was out for 2 days, our mail carrier pulled up with our mail as if nothing was going on, and it was so good to see him. Remember how especially precious it was to receive mail during the pandemic? I kept socially distant, but always thanked any delivery person—and particularly our postal carrier for keeping me sane by delivering art supplies and kits for classes. I ordered several items from Awagami in Japan, too, and when they arrived I sent them a photo of the opened box on my table and all the items when they were unwrapped. My message was one of thanksgiving, for sending me a treasure chest of nicely wrapped items.”
Maili, my neighbour at Soutache, the ribbon & button shop down the block, always takes herself to California to visit friends, after the holiday rush settles. It is her tradition to send a postcard for my postcard wall, and I’m always smitten by her selection. I love that she finds the time, in the short time she is there, to find a postcard, and send it! She declares she always travels with postage stamps. (Nota bene: Maili’s name is not pronounced “mail-y”—it’s mile-y, rhymes with smiley.)
Armel, a customer for almost a decade now, is a world traveler. He has become a friend, and he always sends a postcard no matter where he is in the world. Once it was from the depths of Russia, once it was from Kazakhstan. The postcard I received most recently—literally on New Year’s Eve Day—was posted right here in Chicago—though it was a card Armel had picked up in Nova Scotia over a year ago. He wrote that it was one of the most peaceful places he’d ever been. His sign-off was ‘off to get my morning tea’.
Mary, a friend & avid correspondent from the West Coast, was recently in Amsterdam. She opted to send me a ladybug care package upon her return to the States. She wrote, “It turns out that Amsterdam is full of card shops … and no post offices … Really! You buy stamps at the grocery store and send packages from local retailers…”
Gabriele from Innsbruck sent me a beguiling holiday card she had made only using scraps from her bookbinding projects past. When I e’d her to thank her for thinking of me, she said, “I had the idea to use the many beautiful scraps from my bookbinding endeavors to make cards when you posted a card with a coffee pot by one of the many great artists you feature in your blog.” (That would be Janet Bouldin, our resident watercolourist, whose non-collage domestic illustrations are available here.)
Cat B. sent one of her cheery botanical collages made from painted papers, and I spy a few tiny Cambridge Imprint bits. Her P.S. ‘This card is a little reminder that spring always comes after winter!’
All this has me percolating about Valentine’s Day as it draws near. It's a lovely occasion for sending endearments & embellishments. A little love, or appreciation, or admiration, goes a long way to brighten someone’s day. Next week, we will showcase an array of Valentinear supplies & inspirations, including a quartet of cards from Denise Fiedler at Paste, Ruby’s origami-heart folding innovation, and ruby-rosy-blushy labels from Cambridge Imprint.
Plan to make your Feb. fab, Bari
PS:
Mini-merch mention: If you’ve been mulling about purchasing a Hahnemühle pad, as of today our new supply is more than half gone. It will be several months before we pad the next batch.
