A picture might be worth a thousand words, but postcards will cost you less than a dollar.
Postcards are an easy way to show the recipient your favorite places to visit or places you have just been too. Get one with multiple scenes on it. If you are a smart buyer, you shouldn’t be spending more than .50 per postcard. Pick up a few extras wherever you go.
Stationery stores like Hallmark, sell beautiful postcards by the box. These postcards are unique and usually have a certain theme.
Las Vegas is a city filled with glitter and so are their postcards. You can find them anywhere on the strip.
So, next time you take that trip to places unknown pick up some postcards and throw a few into your next Happy Mail.
Who doesn't like a piece of candy? If your Happy Mail is going to someone in your country, send them a wrapped piece of your favorite candy.
If your Happy Mail is going abroad, pick something that fits in the envelope and that isn't too bulky.
Stick to this great idea…
Washi by far will become a favorite. If you can’t stick a whole roll into your Happy Mail, then that’s when the Washi sample comes in.
Take a tag and pick out three to four Washi tapes you know the recipient would like. Wrapping the tape around the tag ten times will equal about a 12 - 24 inches of tape. This will give them plenty to work with.
Buy your Washi when it is on sale or from the dollar bin at your favorite crafting store. The more Washi the better, but just a little heads up, Washi can be addictive.
You’re gonna flip over this great idea…
That’s a lie. Flipbooks are fun to receive but take a long time to make. It’s a labor of love and something that takes a lot of work. Once you learn how to make them you won’t want to stop. The styles are many but you will soon learn that there is one style that best suits your Happy Mail needs.
Be ready for hours and hours on YouTube learning to learn how to make these.
This idea will explode into something that you never would have imagined. Some people call these loaded envelopes but at the end of the day, it’s still Happy Mail.
You will make one, and think, cute. Then you are putting a few more items and telling yourself that it’s perfect. That’s when your brain challenges you to put more stuff in. These envelopes are fun and the more you can shove into the pockets the better. Theme or no theme, it doesn’t matter.
Have the items you absolutely know that you are going to want to stick in the envelope and make sure that they go in first. Then work around what you have.
When you are making exploding envelopes, the whole thing can be considered Happy Mail. They are so loaded, it is recommended to use the flat rate box instead. You will come out ahead for this one.
You’re thinking, stamps, really? The answer is yes. If you are planning a trip to the post office, pick up a few extra stamps to throw into your Happy Mail. It’s like saying, the next one is on me.
People that like exchanging Happy Mail, will love getting stamps. It doesn’t matter what denomination they are.
You can also buy new stamps through EBay. These stamps are often very old but useable. Many times the seller is trying to unload them and will sell them way below market value. You can buy 10$ worth of .20 stamps for 7$. They are still worth 10$ but you saved 3$ in the process. Most sellers will include shipping. Give it a try.
Have you started this collection yet?
Project Life cards are perfect for any Happy Mail envelope, big or small.
The cards can be used as mail tags, journaling photos for an album, quotes, Washi samples, or as notecards.
Never pay full price for your Project Life Card Kit. Buy them with your 50% off coupon or wait until they are on sale. Some of the best deals can be found on EBay but only if they are including shipping in the price. If you don’t want more than 600 journaling cards taking up space in your hobby room, many sellers sell 1/4 kits. Start with one of those.
When you are picking out a kit to buy, keep in mind that you will be using them for yourself and as a gift in your Happy Mail, so choose the kit that appeals to you.
Life is better in color…
There are many articles about the therapeutic benefits of adults coloring; the calmness one finds when trying to stay within the lines.
Instead of trying to fold a page into quarters, try cutting a quarter of a coloring page. There are also many adult coloring books out at the moment that can be made smaller through the use of a home copier. Never mind the endless amount of pages available through any Google search.
Try it before you put a few pages into your Happy Mail.
Stickers are fun for any age…
Today if you can’t find the right sticker for the recipient of your Happy Mail, you can make your own. Mind you, this takes some time and you will have to put some thought in to it, but once you start making them it will be hard to stop.
Multiple sheets of stickers can be bought for less than dollar a sheet. If you want multiples of the same sticker (hearts, skulls, flags), buy them by the roll.
Stickers are not only a nice thing to include in your Happy Mail, but they can be used to decorate the package as well. So stick to this great idea and make it work for you.
Tag this…
Tags a great goodie for your Happy Mail. Who doesn’t need a tag or two? Once you have the perfect tag, use it as a template to cut out even more in that shape or size.
Do you have any loose string or lace handing around. Use that on your tags too. There doesn’t need to be any rhyme or reason for coordinating the lace to the tags.
Ah journals…
These tender pieces of parchment sewn into a book. Journals come in all shapes and sizes. What better gift to give the person that seems to have it all? Now they can journal about their riches on these pages that you have gifted to them.
Check out your local hobby or stationery shop and buy them when they are on sale. Keep a small inventory on hand, and when it is time to send out your Happy Mail, slip one inside for good measure.
Don’t worry, they are a lot easier than they look and you are giving them away, not trying to do it yourself.
You can find these brain games in a newspaper or a trade magazine. Even if you have no intention in solving these yourself, stick them into your next Happy Mail. Remember to include the solution as well.
They are easy to find and are usually less than 1$ in the bargain bin of most hobby shops. They come in packs of a dozen or more, so picking up a few dozen won’t kill your wallet. Use them to keep all your goodies together or make them part of the goodies in your Happy Mail.
The corner stationery stores are a thing of the past. Hallmark is always having a sale on stationery so you want to get to those early before the good stuff is gone. Remember that when you are checking out the sales, it might not be something that you want to use, but something that your pen pals would enjoy. There’s never enough stationery.
So much tea in the world and so little time…
You only need to stick one of these bags of love in your Happy Mail to get a smile out of your pen pal.
