Monday, January 11

Write me a letter...

{image of Maria Thomas in her home studio shot by Adoniram Sides}

This stunning collage was created for our friends at Checkerboard by insanely gifted calligrapher, Maria Thomas as a promotion for Escargot Stationery. She is a lifelong letter writer herself who has shared wonderful stories of lifelong pen pal writings that took her to London to meet her friend that she had been writing to for years. She is a renowned letterer who collaborated with Checkerboard for the stationery line that features 8 exclusive alphabets designed by Maria.

To watch her work is amazing. To hear the pen on paper is extraordinary and to receive her work in the mail is a gift. I am sure everyone at the post office goes a little slower when her envelopes are processed. The personal feeling of receiving a handwritten note in the mail is pretty tremendous. Now more than ever, taking the time to write and craft a letter or a note makes so much impact on the recipient. No, we don't all have the skills of a calligrapher, but letters brought by mail are savored and cherished. The gift of your words on paper are priceless.

If you are a parent, try sending a note to your children, big or small. Encourage them to write to their grandparents and friends. The excitement of receiving mail is such a thrill to them, no matter what their ages! Not only is this Universal Letter Writing Week, but you know that red, hearty holiday is approaching and the world of consumerism will undoubtedly pressure you into spending and thoughts about what to give to your loved one...why not your words with that little something? That brings me to ...


I am so excited to have ordered the Greatest Love Letters of All Time this morning {yes I am a little dorky}, as I was thinking about letter writing and expression. Some of it looked pretty juicy, so maybe some pointers/exerpts are coming your way for the perfect Valentine's Love Letter. Some of the letters that caught my eye were Franz Kafka to Felice Bauer, Voltaire to Marie Louise Denis, Anne Sexton to Philip Leglar, Henry VIII to Anne Boleyn, Frida Khalo to Diego Rivera, and Kahlil Gibran to Mary Haskell. {I don't know how George Bush was included in this mix, but there is a one in there to Barbara...random.}
This little note card , also from Escargot is so cute for an adult valentine message.

2 comments:

Alita said...

Michelle, your note to me this morning instantly put a smile on my face! Thank you so much!

Michelle May said...

;)