sho and tell: Letters.

When was the last time you sat down and wrote a good old-fashioned letter, snail-mail style? For me, it's been years - and it's something I'd love to start doing more of. Remember Mysterious Letters? For those of you who don't know, it was a project from a couple of years back, in which artist Lenka Clayton and writer Michael Crowe endeavored to send a letter to everyone in the world, "one town at a time." A couple of examples:

Scrolling through Michael and Lenka's brilliant notes is a wonderful reminder that a great letter doesn't have to be long. I love the idea of sending a letter in a bottle (kits here by Jen Pearson),

or even on the back of a vintage photograph (like these, from Little Bright Studio).

Do you write letters often? Have any unique letter-writing ideas to share? Please do!

Oh, and on a completely different note, have you seen the beautiful photos of Joanna's recent Mother's Day brunch? Check them out, here. I was so honored to attend (that's me in my new favorite orange dress) - a big thank you to Joanna, Pinhole Press, and Sunday Suppers for making it all possible!

23 comments:

LisaMay 2, 2012 at 12:16 PM
I love these ideas! It's been a long time since I've written a letter (though I was proud to send out a birthday card just a few days ago :)). We live between two large(r) lakes and I've often played with the idea of sending out letters in a bottle, anonymously. How cool and mysterious would it be for the person who found the bottle! Joanna's brunch looks like such a blast and I LOVE your dress! And the bottles with Toby's photo are adorable!
Cassie @ Witty Title HereMay 2, 2012 at 12:48 PM
I love the letters in a bottle! I don't send letters often, but every now and then, my closest girlfriends and I will exchange crazy glitter-and-flower stuffed envelopes with notes written in every color imaginable. One friend even taped a piece of hair to hers. She's weird. But it was awesome.
Walter WangerMay 2, 2012 at 12:58 PM
I thought a letter was something in the alphabet. I write them all the time.
ChristineMay 2, 2012 at 1:43 PM
Those letters in a bottle kits are so sweet! It was such a pleasure to meet you at the brunch and put a face to the name :) Hope to see you again xx
Zoey M.May 2, 2012 at 2:16 PM
Hello! One of the bloggers told me that you wore the orange/white print dress in Joanna goddard's blog, so I came here to ask you, but instead fell in love with your blog! I love all the food and quirky art. But on a different note, would you mind if I asked where you got your dress from? Thank you so much!!
ShokoMay 2, 2012 at 2:23 PM
Cassie, that sounds awesome! What could be better than a glitter-stuffed envelope? :)

Dad, haha!

Christine, it was SO great to meet you! Let's get together sometime!

Zoey, thank you so, so much! What a great compliment. So glad you like the blog - and the dress! It's actually vintage; I picked it up recently at Shareen Vintage on 17th Street. Have you been? It's the best!
Panda HeadMay 2, 2012 at 3:36 PM
ha! that "ramones tee" is the best. i once had a friend with a pen pal; they'd exchange polaroids of things around their house in lieu of letters. i always thought that was so neat!

and i second (third or fourth, really) THAT DRESS! what a color!
NamnamMay 2, 2012 at 3:55 PM
Cute post!
Would you like to follow each other?

Take care :)
NamnamMay 2, 2012 at 3:55 PM
Cute post!
Would you like to follow each other?

Take care :)
Henry ChenMay 2, 2012 at 4:01 PM
Writing letters is like a lost art! I can't remember the last time I hand wrote a letter~ I type emails everyday, and after reading your blog post, I figured I would give it a try, so I wrote my mum a Mother's Day Letter, and well, it felt good~ Maybe I'll be writing more letters~
AkikoMay 2, 2012 at 4:06 PM
Just checked their web site and it made me laugh! (Missing dad is my favorite!) It's been years since I wrote actual letters and your post reminds me of how nice it is. Thank you-- xo akiko
Style Imported
rebeccaMay 2, 2012 at 7:09 PM
we gotta go shopping at shareen and then pizza at roberta's. loved seeing you in the photos. :)
RebeccaMay 2, 2012 at 7:10 PM
SHOKO! Those photos of the brunch are beautiful, and you look simply GORGEOUS! And letter writing....I try to be better at it, I really do (I have great intentions). But I'm horrible with actually acting upon them. I do have a wax seal that I love using when I actually DO write.
Rachel May 2, 2012 at 7:27 PM
I've been on the hunt for some great stationary/DIY stationary ideas, because I've really wanted to get into more of a letter-writing habit, especially for things like thank you notes and invitations. Technology has sapped so much personality and beauty out of communication! I had never heard of Mysterious Letters, what a cute idea! Although I can't decide whether or not I would be slightly creeped out if a stranger looked up my address and wrote a letter to me by name. There'd probably be some initial weirdedoutedness, but I don't think it'd last long. After all, the internet/blogging communities are all about reaching out to strangers. There's really no difference, in the end, I suppose. Also, love the dress!
KathyMay 2, 2012 at 7:29 PM
Viva la snail mail! Letter writing always gives me a good excuse to shop for (more) fun stationary and make cute cards. I've never heard of Mysterious Letters before seeing your post, but I love that it exists. Liz Carpenter put it best: "What a lot we lost when we stopped writing letters. You can't re-read a phone call."

Also, I love the color (reminds me of an Orangesicle!)
and print of your dress! You look great in it!
© Jessica RobinetteMay 2, 2012 at 9:39 PM
Receiving a letter is the best feeling! As a means to form connections and make something while applying for MFA programs this winter I made valentines that were mailed to strangers. I had blog readers privately suggest recipients. For example, a reader from Sweden wrote "My sister just got dumped for having too many cats. Would you surprise her with one?". Each personalized valentine had a letter written on the back, hers was about how I too love cats. :)

An example of the valenintes here: http://jessicasimorte.blogspot.com/2012/02/blog-post.html

Write on!
ShokoMay 2, 2012 at 10:20 PM
Thank you all for your sweet comments about my dress! It was such a lucky find - I want to wear it every day :)

Panda Head, oh my goodness. That Polaroid idea is so cool - I have two Polaroid cameras that I used all the time in college. I use them less now that film is so expensive, but this would be such a great excuse to splurge...

Henry, I can't tell you how happy that makes me! Good for you! That's just wonderful.

Akiko, I'm so glad!

Rebecca, ooh, a wax seal? That's so fancy - I've always wanted one!

Becca, yes! Can we, please?

Kathy, that is such a great quote. And so true! There are some letters I know I'll save forever - it's just not the same with a phone call or a text.

Jessica, that is the coolest idea ever. So sweet - I'm sure you made Valentine's Day much happier for so many people!
Dora PanaritiMay 3, 2012 at 6:22 AM
How cool is the letter-in-a-box idea??!!!! Awesome! :D
BeritMay 3, 2012 at 12:35 PM
I love to write old-fashioned handwritten letters. The last few days I spend creating envelopes made of magazine pages. Have a look:

http://beritskleineschreibwerkstatt.blogspot.de/2012/05/kleine-briefumschlage-ganz-gro.html
Zoey M.May 3, 2012 at 2:05 PM
I've never been to Shareen's but I will definitely visit now! Thank you!
angelaMay 3, 2012 at 3:46 PM
You look great in the dress Shoko!
What a fun event. I do love a good old fashioned letter, and unfortunately I do not write very many. I always get inspired when I buy beautiful stationary though.
Just to let you know, we have a Sharine in LA!
ShokoMay 3, 2012 at 6:52 PM
Berit, what a cool idea - those look great!

Zoey, you'll love it. Let me know what you end up finding :)

Angela, thank you! And yes, I definitely plan on visiting Shareen in LA - I'll be there this weekend! So excited!
RIZALENIOMay 13, 2012 at 8:50 AM
This is a brilliant project. I'm planning to do the same. Thanks for fueling this desire of doing this. :)