Letter Writing Revolution - Because opening your mailbox should be fun!

While the concept of letter writing is not new by any means, my idea for a Letter Writing Revolution is. Brand new, in fact. I literally just thought of it. I knew I needed to write a post about it before it got pushed to the backburner!

A friend of mine recently posted on her Facebook that she's looking to write more letters to friends. I responded and got a lovely card in the mail shortly after. It was so exciting to find a hand written letter in the mailbox just for me! I also had been wanting to write letters to my sister-in-law for fun and while  writing those two letters today, the idea came to me.

So today, Tuesday, October 8, 2013 I am issuing into effect, my very own Letter Writing Revolution and I want all of YOU to join me! 

I had tons of pen pals as a kid (thanks Tiger Beat magazine!) and loved it. It was so cool to write to a girl my age over in Spain, Italy or California. My mom had pen pals when she was a kid too so it was cool to take on the same hobby. As I grew older, the letters eventually stopped. Busier school and social lives I'm sure were the causes but also, the internet. Instant messaging (AIM anyone?) took over. Especially if you were cool enough to have a screen name like xXxGothGirlxXx. 

IMs made way for chat rooms and eventually LiveJournal and Xanga. From those spawned MySpace and now we have Facebook. Not to mention 50 other social media sites that no one has time for. 

Now don't get me wrong, I think Facebook and other social media can be an incredible tool! It can connect long lost friends or family members or reconnect old high school friends. It's especially a valuable tool for bloggers like myself. 

Yet, Facebook has a down side. It has us more connected than ever before and somehow completely disconnected. Rather than call someone and see how they've been, you can simply "like" their status about a new job or a delicious lunch. 

I think we need to REALLY reconnect with people by handwriting letters to them. 

Let's do this together and start a Letter Writing Revolution! 

I don't want to bog this down with "rules" but if you'd like to join me on this, comment below. To make this awesome, feel free to share across the internet! Yes, we're going to use social media to our advantage! It's quick and effective. Share this post through Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, or Google+...or all of the above. Let's make this a big, beautiful movement. Use the hashtag (oh boy I hate hashtags but let's do this!) #LetterWritingRevolution to help organize our progress! 

I'm going to share on my personal Facebook page with my friends and family to find more people to write to. I'm open to write to anyone! New friends, old friends, strangers, family members, bloggers, soldiers, children and people all across the globe! 

Feel free to write postcards instead. Start small if you have to. I also encourage you to get involved with PostCrossing! It's an awesome organization that basically keeps track of postcard penpals. I wrote a little about it here. 

What are you waiting for? Dust off the envelopes, grab a pen and start writing! Let's make this so huge and fabulous that the USPS is taken by surprise! 

May your hand not cramp until the 2nd page (or paragraph. I know, it's been a while). 

So tell me, who will you write to first? Who do you think will write back? 

Till next time,

Catherine

DIY: Paw Print Ornament

Want to make an adorable little momento of your pet(s) to hang on your Christmas tree? With only a week left till Christmas, you'd better hurry up! Or, just make one or more for next year! These would also be cute just hung up in a picture frame or on the wall or near a picture of your pooch! Or your cat! This project takes maybe an hour tops so it's really quick and easy too! Not to mention cheap! The brand of clay I bought was only $1.50 but Sculpey and nicer brands were $2.50 and a little more. I already had the ribbon from another project so all I had to buy was the clay!

Here is the original tutorial featured on Sew DoggyStyle!

All you need is: 

• Sculpey polymer clay or a similar brand
• Something with a point to carve with, like a nail. I used the empty tip of a mechanical pencil
• A flat ended item for making the hole for the ribbon, such as a spoon
• Ribbon of your choice

You could also buy a multi-pack of clay colors so you can make a little embellishment like a candy cane, bow, wreath, candy cane, bone, etc. The possibilites are really endless! You could cover it in glitter, paint it, or even Bedazzle it if you want!

Directions:

Gather your clay in whichever colors you want. I bought the cheaper version of Sculpey...unfortunately! I should have just spent the extra $1 for the better brand. Two of the three that I bought ended up being really dry and difficult to work with. I took them back and exchanged them but the new ones were just as bad! If this happens to you, I recommend microwaving it for about 7 second increments until it is workable. The heat makes it easier to work with. I also added coconut oil (it is an oil based clay) and worked it in and that helped a lot! If you do that, just be careful not to add too much. A little goes a long way!

Work a small piece into a ball. The size will vary depending on your pet's paw size.  

Roll it out. I didn't want to stain my rolling pin so I used what I had nearby...a bottle of Mod Podge. You'll want it to be about 1/4"in thickness when it's rolled out to the size you need. 

Now get your first victim...I mean, pet. "What is she doing to me??"

"Oh she can't be serious..."

Be sure to press down the main pad and each little pad for a complete impression. 

Make the indentation for your ribbon to go through later. 

I decided to put the year and their names on the ornaments. 

Jill's turn!

Even the cat gets one! My animals put up with a lot. Haha.

Yes my cat's name is Waffles :) Weirdly enough, it fits him well. 

Now pop them into the oven at 275 for about 15 minutes. I put them on a piece of aluminum foil so my cookie sheet wouldn't be stained either. The brand I used recommends 15 minutes for every 1/4" of thickness of the clay at 275. Be sure to read the package of whatever brand you get to be sure. 

Let them cool off then string a ribbon through the hole. All done! You would also glaze it at this point if you choose to do so. It will protect it and strengthen it but I didn't buy any. They seem sturdy enough without it. I just didn't want to buy clay glaze when I don't ever work with clay.

Waffles 2012

Kito 2012

Jill 2012

On the tree! Sorry the pictures is so bad...it took me forever just to get one this decent!

Don't forget to model your pets with their ornaments! Haha let me just say, these took a while to get! The dogs were being very good and sitting still but the cat has yet to learn the "stay" command!

He was up just milliseconds after I took this one! Geez this picture proves my pets aren't the most photogenic!

So what are you waiting for, animal lovers? Go make a cute paw print ornament! Oh and those who think this would be cute with your child...do it! This polymer clay is non-toxic!

Do you like to make pet or child paw/hand print ornaments or art as they grow? 

Till next time,

Catherine