I’ve been collecting notecards, paper, journals, & little notebooks for years. I am what you would dub a list-maker, and much of what I accomplish in a week’s time should be attributed to what I refer to as the list.
If you know me at all you know I travel everywhere with one or several…to the shop, to a doctor’s appointment, and well, for a weekend getaway, rest assured there will be an entire handbag reserved for my notebooks and the like.
A while back, I began thinking about all those old stacks of notecards & journals, laughing about my little addiction that I’ve had all these years. Pause on that a moment.
Because of my love for all things paper, I asked my crazy talented friend Lauren (graphic designer who designed my ebook, photographer, & mom extraordinaire) to begin designing monthly printables for you guys. I know, right??
Imagine my surprise when my sweet friend designed these notecards…
In Lauren’s own words (in reference to her grandmother)…
“She has written me letters since I left for college. I have received one about every three months for the last 10 years- a hand-written note scribbled on a piece of stationary catching me up on our family, the weather and her garden. I have treasured them and kept every single one to this day. I have occasionally responded, but usually justify not with how busy I am, until now. I have tried to write her everyday she has been in the rehab center, because I know how much she has missed being at home.
We seldom write people anymore. We email, text and sometimes call, but I know how much I love getting actual mail…”
Lauren is right on…we rarely make the time to make such a personal connection with others. Connection that, honestly, is what makes life worth the living. After reading Lauren’s email and printing my own cards out, I sat down to write a letter to one of the people that mean the most to me in this world.
I, for one, sometimes skip letters because I feel they should be full of news and events, stories, and well….I run out of time. Writing a simple hello, though, seems doable.
Do you feel this way? Enchanted by receiving mail but often failing to send some instead?
Can we start an accountability group?
Lauren was kind enough to design us 3 styles of notecards (I’m CRAZY for all three), and you can print your own from our downloads page, here.
Let us know how you use these adorable prints, & I hope we’ll all take a few minutes out of the hectic week and say a good old fashioned hello to someone we love.
P.S. FUN update on the blog tomorrow…come back to see more of Ava’s room progress!
i squeel! i too am a killer of trees. that is what my kids have always told me. can you imagine the paper when i was homeschooling the oldest three? i just laughed when i read you take notebooks on vaca’s…so do I! i have piles of paper list everywhere. i should take a picture and show you..lists upon list. i make them everyday. i just bought a planner and have to have it copied but hoping it will help me not make lists everywhere .. only in one place..ha!
i love everything about this idea..love love
can’t wait to see you….xo
Thanks for reminding me to get back into letter writing!
My great-aunt and I have been exchanging letters every few months since I went away to college. It started with a simple enough thank you note from me, then she wrote back saying how much she loved getting a letter…and it went from there. But this last year it’s been harder for me to find the time to sit down and write. I have this idea in my head that I have to tell them everything…but who am I kidding? We Facetimed a couple weeks ago, so they know most of what I’m doing, but the letter is still important. I will sit down to write it today!
So good to hear it from others! I take my bag of notebooks with me, too! Just a comfort to know they’re there!
I was in Staples yesterday, and found an employee who finally said he understood! Actually, last year, in a different Staples store, I confessed to an employee, that I just loved to spend hours walking thru the paper, and looking at pens, and touching it all; and that I thought some of the staff thought I was trying to shoplift, because I was in there so long, and wanted to be left alone, near the planners, and notepads. She laughed, and said she was the same way, and spent most of her wages there!
I can never get enough paper! And I’m not even into scrapbooking–I know that would be dangerous territory!
Enjoying your posts, so much. And I love the GREAT STORE ADVENTURE! It’s fun to see what is new, and gather ideas!
Oh My Gosh….I so get your love of paper! I love making lists of anything and everything. I also love buying pads for all my lists and taking it one step further, I love to buy paper for my scrapbooking and card making. A girl can never have too much paper!
It makes me glad to know that I’m finding myself in the company of other paper lovers! I pride myself in finding darling little memo pads where I always keep running lists. I love my lists and many of them, after finished, find their way into one of my desk drawers, forever. I always have 2 beautiful journals going. One journal is for keeping my personal journal, my diary, if you will. Each one of them are gorgeous. I have about 8 or 9 completed in my cabinet nightstand and love going through them from time to time. My other journal is a whimsical one where I record something a grandchild said to me, a recipe my sister gave me over the phone, important info I find on the internet, it’s a myriad of things. The one I’m using right now is large and I am into my second year with it.
Like you, I LOVE any kind of paper! If I see a gorgeous sheet of paper when I’m out, I buy it, just to have it. My husband thinks I’m crazy.
Lastly, (see this is why i need so much paper) I grieve the lost art of letter writing. I refuse to send true letters by e-mail! A quick shout or an answer to a question is fine, but not letters, Christmas cards, thank you notes, notes of encouragement, invitations or anything that truly should be written by hand and on stationery.
Well, you all encouraged me to get up on my soapbox and I did. I know I’ve been up here way too long.
Shaunna, those are adorable! My little girl is a paper girl, too, but she’s always a bit lazy to write a whole letter to her grandparents in Germany. My mom adores it when she gets letters or notes from her so this will be perfect.
So yes, these will probably make it all the way across the big pond 😉
There is nothing better than a new, clean piece of paper…….so many possibilities!!
Thanks for printables. Adorable! A little confused though…do we print these on white paper? Thanks!
Hey Ann! Sure do!
🙂
shaunna
Thank you so much for these printables! I truely love to write notes (and of course to receive them). I’m so excited that you are offering these sweet little cards!
Nice to find your site