Snail mail: adorable postbox toy

Warning: if you love snail mail and/or you have children in your life, this toy will rock your world.

It’s a painted, wooden, miniature replica of the Australia Post boxes you see all over the country, with the same little slot for posting letters, and the same pull-down panel for posting parcels, as the real boxes. A little door in the front means children (or the child-like at heart) can retrieve their letters after sending them, and start all over again.

The box comes with six cute little wooden letters and postcards (you can read the mail - there’s even a postcard from Wills & Kate to Harry, during their holiday in Australia), and six removable (via velcro) wooden stamps.

Scout and Ralph love to make their own mail-fun with this box. Scout “writes" letters (aka scribbles all over my note paper), folds them, then puts stickers on them as stamps. Then she posts her letters into the box. Now it is Ralph’s turn. He opens the red door, crushes Scout's letters in his chubby little fist, and throws them gleefully around the room.

These actions have earned Ralph the title of Postman, so Scout will finish another letter and announce “Postman I need you!” to alert him to the fact that her mail needs to be delivered to the far reaches of the playroom, post haste.

I watch them play as I sit with a note pad on my lap and write letters to my own pen pals (hopefully not to be crushed by the postman). It gives me so much pleasure to see them play together in this way, and to pass on the joy of snail mail. Next, Scout says she wants to try putting some mail-art on her letters.

What has been making you happy lately?

 

ps. This is in no way a sponsored post, so I haven’t mentioned the maker of this toy. But if you want to find it, the website is prominent in one of the pictures. You’re welcome.

Gone paintin', gone writin'

Oh my gosh, I have SO MUCH drawing and painting to do, and SO MANY letters to write. I owe mail-art letters to more than 30 (!) readers of this blog (this picture is of some parcels I've prepared to send to some of those lovely readers). Are you one of these patient people? I'm so, so sorry that I've been so appallingly slow.

And then there are the beautiful people who have written to me, and sent me lovely gifts, and have probably given up all hope by now that I would ever do the decent thing and write back to them and say THANK YOU, despite all the gratitude that swells in my heart.

I also need to write to thank all our dear friends and family who came along to Ralph's recent first birthday, and gave him so many thoughtful, wonderful gifts.

I really need to get a wriggle on and plan out some paintings for a very exciting children's book collaboration I'm doing (and by "doing" I mean "actually need to start doing and not just think/talk about it") with a wonderful writer.

I promised Scout I'd paint a picture each for her and Ralph to hang above their beds.

AND there is that little matter of the book I'm trying to complete, and the guides I promised to write approximately one year ago…

So, I'm going to take a short break from this blog while I catch up on all that writing and painting. It might take me a week or it might take me a month (depends a lot on how well the children sleep at night), but I'll be back soon folks.

In the meantime, here are some fun links to keep you amused. Why thank you, Internets.

*Play Pong at the traffic lights

* Tree Hotel. Just glorious

* Fashion leaders? Seinfeld's girlfriends

* 10 secrets about the Eiffel Tower

* Making art out of ordinary things

* It's a musical storm-cloud inside your house

* If I get enough writing and painting done, I'm going to try making these napkin rings

* What to do in Canberra - definitely bookmarked for our next visit

* Summer holidays fun: giant Scrabble, in a banana!

* Monogram marshmallows!

* I think it's time to skill up. My aesthetic ambition for this blog consistently falls short of my actual ability. Early next year, I want to take these e-courses on DSLR photography, and Photoshop

* Making me hungry today: Wild Sorrel Ravioli with Burnt Butter and Garlic (hold me)

* Would you ever try making a Christmas garland like this?

* Love this road-trip idea. Meet the Story Monster!

Aaaaand this:

* 'Rather than asking yourself: “Who do I want to be?” Ask: “How do I want to behave?”' I rather liked this post on pursuing creative habits

See you soon! xo

ps. A few people have said they were sad I didn't have any more copies of my book Airmail to send them, and were wondering where they could get hold of one. Cripes, thanks guys! That makes me feel VERY good. You can order Airmail online pretty much anywhere, and it should cost you less than 10 bucks in paperback (go elsewhere if it's more). Here's a list of stockists I made a while ago. Let me know what you think if you read it!

Incoming mail

I have been remiss in sharing my incoming mail of late, so I've gathered a some bits and pieces together to show you this SERIOUSLY amazing collection of drawings, craft, collage, hand-sewn gifts and beautiful stationery, sent from all over the world.

I can't tell you how blessed I feel every time I receive something in the mail, and you guys are SO thoughtful and SO generous and put so much time into writing to me. I am blown away. And humbled. That sounds insincere but I want you to know it is TRULY, SINCERELY how I feel.

Thank you. THANK YOU!

ps. If you like the look of that gorgeous, hand-made apron, you can find more like it at Libby's Lifestyle on Etsy

Spooky snail mail

halloween-mail-2

Boo!

'Prophet!' said I, 'thing of evil! - prophet still, if bird or devil! - Whether tempter sent, or whether tempest tossed thee here ashore, Desolate yet all undaunted, on this desert land enchanted - On this home by horror haunted - tell me truly, I implore - Is there - is there balm in Gilead? - tell me - tell me, I implore!' Quoth the raven, 'Nevermore.'

(A strange and spooky excerpt from The Raven, by Edgar Allan Poe, for your Halloween Week pleasure)

It's been a while since I've shared any of the mail art I've been painting and sending out to blog readers. I had a lot of fun creating this little Halloween-themed batch of "friendly spooks" for you guys. I hope everyone likes their letters. (Pop back in a couple of days and I'll give you a little sneak peek as to what's inside.)

Yours sincerely… xo

ps. have you heard about my new letter-writing and mail-art e-course? 

Over four weeks, I will guide you through multiple methods of making beautiful mail-art and creative, handmade stationery; teach you the art of writing and storytelling; help you forge personal connections in your letters and find pen-pals if you want them; and share time-management tips so even the busiest people can enjoy sending and receiving letters. Register your place or find out more information right here. 

Snail mail - holidays

We're heading off on holidays this weekend. To the glamorous, fun-filled, culture-soaked destination of… Canberra. In other words, the destination is the people we love, not the places. Luckily, there is a LOT of love for the people on this trip.

I've decided not to write in my blog while we're away. I won't even bring my computer. I want to take the time to unplug and just enjoy this time out as a family. So I'll see you in just over a week.

In the meantime, here are some lovely links to keep you clicking away happily, and some letters in shiny envelopes I've been painting and sending to blog readers. I hope they like them!

I might just try this: home-made hanging planter

Next holiday, if Canberra is unavailable, I want to go to this blue-painted town

Have you heard? There's a hippo in the Thames!

How to graciously say no. Handy to know

Cute! Park your VW, park your keys

You think you've seen a treehouse, but then you see THIS

Would you do this to your old plates and saucers and cups?

How to be a good dinner guest

It's my birthday next month and I really REALLY love these ceramics. Those two facts might be unrelated. But then again they might not

Vanilla rosemary pudding. Looks so delicious!

Do you remember ages ago when I told you about the OTO food trucks for kids? Now, they're also made for cats. Which is so wrong, but so right

More mail

Good morning, friend. I am in an excellent mood today, due to the fact that we had Em down to visit us this weekend, and we spent a beautiful two days during which we did very little indeed. But they were days full of love, and just right. I managed to find the time to finish wrapping some parcels for the post, including gifts from Madeleine for five of her cousins in Bendigo. As the littlest member of the family Madeleine is in considerable demand, and her cousins fight one another over who gets to cuddle and kiss her the most. This is something she does not appear to mind one bit.

The last time we went down for a visit, they all requested "Madeleine souvenirs." Each of them held her, one at a time, while I took photographs ("Use the big camera, not the iPhone"). And now I am posting them the results: mugs, t-shirts, playing cards, notepads and magnets, all with a photo of a cousin holding Madeleine on it.

(We sent a pack of the playing cards with Madeleine on the back of them to Nanna a while back. The kids love to play with them, and are particularly fond of the game they now call "Madeleine Snap").

I also had time to wrap and send another batch of free copies of Airmail to the lovely, lovely folk who subscribe to this blog. If you'd like a copy, there are still some left so you can go here for more information (this giveaway is open to people who have already subscribed as well as new subscribers).

How was your weekend? Busy? Relaxed? Existential? Tell me all about it...

UPDATE 5 July 2014: as of today I have run out of copies of Airmail to send you. However I would still love to send you something nice by snail-mail to say thank you for reading this blog, and I will still do my best to make it look pretty. If you have subscribed to this blog (or you want to), simply fill in your postal details on this page. And if you’re still keen to read Airmail, there’s a list of stockists here.

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And here's what you might have missed last week:

* This video is stunningly simple and beautiful * A rooftop vegetable patch in the city * The pop-up picnic action plan * Links R US