Ideas For Happy Mail

I like this idea. As long as the postal clerk can put their postage labels on it, it can go. This one is a bit small. It would  take $2.54 in postage stamps to send(2016).   It needs to be in a bigger container - clear if possible.

 Envelope art.  Google it.  Seriously.

 I found this road atlas for a buck at the estate sale this morning. For a buck, I can make about 50 envelopes. Well - twenty - cuz I'll get tired of cutting maps out.

 Have you ever made your own envelopes? It's pretty easy to find templates all over the web. Or, if you're fond of a particular size envelope, sacrifice it to be your pattern. I cut my templates out of cardstock-weight paper - usually the ends of a calendar. Then I just trace and cut them out. A little glue stick on the ends to hold things in.

Did you know glue sticks go bad? The glue stick in the kitchen was all dried up and the one in my sewing room looked 'moldy!'. I used Elmers school glue instead.

At garage sales,  I look for large books/calendars that have wonderful images on them. Coffee table books. Nice paper.

 The other two envelopes are from a German calendar. Which is actually awesome as, at most, there are only twelve images, which is doable as a project with a clear end in sight. This US states road atlas looks like a massive black hole of time project.

I'm thinking I will offer up some handmade envelopes as a prize. What do you think? Do you want particular states? I sized my templates for a long business envelope and a smaller, more personal size - is that an A4?

 I also found our local photographer who made these Canby Ferry postcards. This is our car ferry that traverses the Willamette River just north of us.

 One of my favorite ways to send Happy Mail is cute socks for the nephews & nieces in clear freezer ziploc bags. Everyone smiles along the way as these socks make it to their destination. These fun socks are going to DD.  Its fun to send boxes of movie candy - like Sour Patch Kids, in ziploc bags too.

Make sure you use the freezer style as this plastic is thicker.

 Some of the items I have on my counter to pack up and send in the next few days.
Easter is March 27th so this is a reminder to send out those easter packages.

I am sending out all of my plastic easter eggs. They are already filled with candy, ready to post. You can send just one easter egg with stamps on it but my peoples are getting more then ten each. Really! Do plastic eggs re-populate in the dark storage cupboard? When did I get so many? It's been many years since an easter egg hunt was held here.
 

 Adult coloring books anyone?
Awesome happy mail to get colored pencils in a upcycled clear water bottle.

This larger envelope with multiple smaller envelopes.
Please, pretty please, will someone make it for me?

How about printing out a Marauders map and sending it to your niece or nephew who loves Harry Potter?

I've sent coconuts from Hawaii before. A little bit expensive as the coconut has to be USDA approved (no bugs) and they are heavy.  What's the most interesting item you have sent through the mail? Have you tried?

Spoonflower Fabric

I was lounging around the internet over the labor day weekend looking for cool fabric doodahs when I stumbled across a cool sale at Spoonflower; a free fat quarter of fabric for $1.00 shipping. It arrived today.
I've been on Spoonflower before so this showed up in my favorites and promptly was ordered.

Spoonflower is an online site where you can design your own fabric. Tres cool. Except they don't tell you how easy it is to get sucked into the website and before you know it you have spent bucko dollars on a really cool print - designed by you.

I didn't design this jetliner print but I love the soft blue and the alternating 2" squares. You can choose to have your design printed on cotton, knits, canvas - I believe  there are about ten different fabric weights you can have Spoonflower print your design onto. Really cool service and a quality product.

There is a two-week  rural carrier count starting on Monday, September 17th (through Sept. 29).
I have written about this before. How your rural mail carrier gets paid? 
 and this post: and Letter Writing.

I am asking you to write a letter during those two weeks, maybe even two! The USPS is not doing a city carrier count, it is only the rural carriers. Even if you don't know whether your carrier is a city or rural mail delivery person, write anyway. It's a good habit. Not only that, it totally makes my day to get a letter or small care package in my mailbox.

• Write to your nieces or nephews ( I have little candygrams ready for carrier pick-up for next week on my kitchen counter). I  gave out some good ideas on my post here.
•  Go look at the USPS website and see how many FREE priority products there are ( I just ordered 12 different supplies. Flat-rate boxes, the Padded Flat-rate envelope, the shoe box, the bigger priority box and the newer Regional rate boxes.) I recently used the regional rate B box to send $40 of groceries to my son for $5.40. Way to go mom!
  The Priority shipping supplies are free to order and free to get.
  Each package counts for a better paycheck for your carrier.
• You can print Priority postage at the PO website, saving yourself some money as well as getting tracking for free.  Free carrier pickup at your front-door.
• When's the last time you wrote a thank you letter?
• This would be a good time to order yourself some treats as received packages help your carrier counts too. I need to re-order my vitamins (amazon.com).
• Sign up online for a free catalog or magazine. Many magazines give you the first issue free.
• Write to me.
  Last Spring I sent off about a half-dozen letters with a favorite tea bag enclosed. The quick note inside said, " Have a cup of tea with me". My friends liked these. Some smiles were heard.

Why is the PO doing a count so soon after last years? Well, the rural carriers have been working without a contract for close to two years now. Some contract language has changed. The PO Mgmt.'s depressing media blitz that mail volume is down and they have run out of money is not true. Mail volume continues to rise with the exception of first class which is holding steady.
The PO is mandated by a 2006 law to pre-fund retirement benefits for people who haven't even gotten hired yet. These payments are going into the General fund where they are used for ???
The PO has over-payed these benefits but congressional peoples aren't close to fixing this little problem.  Meanwhile, rural carriers are perceived by mgmt. to have it too easy and they are looking for ways to make rural carriers do more in less hours. Where have I heard that before?