Sending Handmade Cards

This year I set myself a goal to send more of the cards I make, which I touched on briefly in the Celebrating 40 Giveaway post, but I thought we should talk about this a little more in-depth.  In the creative world I work in we often refer to this as "Sending Happy Mail".  When I talk about sending happy mail I don't know if anyone who isn't a cardmaker really gets it, unless you've received happy mail in your mailbox.  Let's start with what is Happy Mail -

Happy Mail:   a piece of correspondence that conveys you're thinking about the recipient; anything that is sent to brighten someone's day; including cards, handmade goodies, gifts without an occasion. 

I often send a card to let friends or family know I've been thinking about them.  Sometimes I send a package of cards I've made for them to pay it forward and send happy mail on to their loved ones.  Other times the happy mail is something a little more involved and might include something I've made beyond cards.  Then there is the happy mail that goes to the other creatives in my life, that's a whole nother barrel of monkies.

The point of this post isn't to talk about what I send or what you might send, it's to talk about how important it is to others.  We're all battling something and happy mail is something that takes that thing off the mind of the receiver for a moment in their otherwise crazy day.

Texting, emails, instant message, Facebook and the like are all great things, but they really don't replace the world of good old fashioned snail mail.  There's this funny thing about happy mail happens when I tell people I'm a handmade card designer/artist.  They often smile at me, as if to say "awe that's cute".  Then I ask them if they enjoy getting something other than bills and junk in their mailbox.  The answer is always yes, followed by a variation of the phrase "but who has time to send letters or cards any more" or "no one ever sends me anything".  I go on to explain that happy mail has to start somewhere, why not with them.  They smile and then often times look for a way to change the subject.

Here's the thing, while I'd love you to purchase cards from me but I don't care what you send as happy mail.  Write your mom a short letter on a yellow legal pad, drop your best friend a postcard from your hometown, or grab a card and the grocery store and send it to someone you know is struggling with their life right now.  The point is to send the mail, not to send the "perfect" card.

Go out and send some kindness to someone who could use a little good news today.  Happy mail can't fix everything, but it can put a smile on someone's face and put a bright spot in an otherwise rough day.

The Celebrating 40 Giveaway is open until January 15th and if you click over to that post and leave a comment you could win 25 cards!  What better way to start sending Happy Mail then to win 25 cards!