I was reminded recently about how I used to have a proper writing set. A fountain pen with various colors of ink and blotting paper. It was fun to write with and could get messy, especially if the cartridge leaked. There was also a huge selection of interesting writing paper and matching envelopes to buy for all those thank you notes to family members at Christmas and Birthdays as well as pen pals to write to. I even used my fountain pen at school.
With the introduction of high tech, email and tablet devices, the art of writing a letter to someone using a pen and paper is becoming instinct.
I wrote an article about this – The Art of Letter Writing where I explain how a Round Robin letter works, and that some of us are attempting to keep the tradition alive.
It’s interesting, because once you start writing again, you realize your hand muscles are out of training and half way down a letter you can feel the real workout your hand is getting. Do you remember the little indentation you used to get where the pen pressed against your middle finger? Look at your finger…depending what “era” you are from and how old you are, you should have a nice writer’s bump by now 🙂
We’ve come along way from the times when our ancestors scratched across the papyrus with a quill and ink pot. Technological advancement and clever minded inventors make it much easier to have a similar experience without plucking any feathers today!
Although complete writing sets are harder to find nowadays, you can still come across some interesting writing paper should you wish to join me in keeping snail mail alive and brighten up someone’s unloved mailbox!
Let me share some fun stationery with you. I hope I can inspire you to keep the dying art of writing alive as well as some ideas on how you can ensure people still know how to write with pen and paper in the future!
Writing Paper
As Autumn/Fall is approaching I recently purchased some seasonal writing paper.
I found the above pumpkin paper, made by Gartner Studios, at the Office Depot store, where they had a huge selection of fancy writing paper. They don’t always come with matching envelopes but you can always jazz up a plain envelope by using special stamps or stickers…but plain and simple is perfectly fine too.
If that’s not spooky enough paper for you they also have a candy corn Hallowe’en design. Be careful of colors that are too bright or designs that takeover the paper – you want your recipient to enjoy the fun paper, but you also want them to be able to read your writing!
You can also find fancy writing paper online. I bought this Sea Flowers paper from Amazon. This set came with mix and match paper and envelopes together with some stickers to brighten up your letter or pop on the envelope.
Depending on the type of letter writer you are, don’t forget to check the paper sizes. The Hallowe’en style paper above was nice and large but the Jill Bliss Sea Flowers paper was much smaller in size and actually had fewer sheets – 16 stationery sheets as opposed to 40 sheets.
Once you’ve thought about the paper, you may like to check out a few other essentials like pens and notebooks as well as exploring creative ways to write such as Calligraphy. I’ll be covering these topics soon.
So next time your WiFi gives out and you’re sitting there twiddling your thumbs and feeling completely cut off from the world…you’ll be completely ready for the internet outage apocalypse. Whip out your stationery set, pen and paper and get writing to someone…but try not to mention that your internet connection is down, there are more exciting topics you can think of I’m sure 🙂
I WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU
When was the last time you wrote or received a handwritten letter?
Do you have a secret stationery supplier that you can share with me?
Do you think letter writing is becoming a dying art?
Let me know below.
Hi. I loved this post. I used to use a fountain pen at school (in fact we had to for History)!
I too had fancy stationary for a while, and even had a calligraphy set.
I love to see a beautiful hand of writing, and that is something I always wish I had,
I do hope the art of letter writing does not completely die out, it will be a terrible shame,
Thank you. I’m glad I grew up with these things. It would be a real shame if writing becomes extinct. I love my fountain pen but I too wish I had a fancier writing hand. I keep promising to try Calligraphy and never get around to it. I hope I’ve inspired you to pick up the pen again sometime.
I loved your post and especially the photos. I tend to write on the back of my “first drafts” these days, as I’m mostly working on blog posts or my next book. I can brainstorm better on paper, or make notes to myself – tech is way slower than my pen. (Or I am, perhaps.) Glad to see I’m not the only one.
Yes writing your thoughts down on paper really helps the thought process. Thanks.
Thank you
I really enjoyed this! I used to love letter writing and managed to keep it up through Uni days but have really fallen out of the habit since then. You’ve inspired me to return to my stationary box and write someone a letter this weekend 🙂
Excellent – your comment has made my day. Enjoy 🙂
Wonderful post! I love all kinds of stationery, and have found it is really hard to find these days. I do find some at yard sales, though. Oh, the round-robin letters! I love doing those. I used to have lots of pen pals from all over, but they fizzled out when emails became the go to way of communicating. Would love to do actual letter writing again!
Yes, scoop it up when you find it. Maybe you can get a round robin started up with friends and family – worth a try 🙂 Thanks for sharing your memories and for stopping by.
Just a lovely post. Today I went out and purchased some actual stationary, getting ever harder to find, and it was in the HARDWARE store! An entire display of just wonderful selection! Go figure.
Ha ha – random but a great find. Enjoy and Happy Writing!
I always loved my fountain pens and had quite a collection. Over the years they’ve disappeared and I keep promising myself I’ll buy a new one, but haven’t yet. My mom bought me an old-fashioned one where you dip it in the ink well, but it was stolen and I was so hurt. Why would you steal something like that? The right pen on the right paper, it feels so…right.
Well Christmas and the Holiday season is just around the corner, maybe that’s solved not only what you want for a present but maybe a great present idea for friends and family. Yes, why would you steal an ink pot and pen – mind boggling! Have fun
Reading you post, I was just thinking that it sad that a lot of schools are no longer teaching students cursive writing. As a guy I’ve never written or received a handwritten letter, but I do remember having that bump on my finger. It no longer there since I haven’t written in handwriting in a longtime.
I think it’s super sad too – they don’t know what they’re missing. I’m probably going to look like I came out of the dark ages one day. Yes the finger bump – I wear it with pride 🙂 Thanks for sharing your thoughts and for stopping by.