While at the conference I attended in late June/July, I met someone quite kind and fascinating, and although being over 1000+ miles away, we’ve managed to keep in contact. We recently decided to each send each other a little package, and it’s gotten me thinking of how I could put together something thoughtful without spending too much, nor being “extra,” as I can tend to get at times. While I pull out all the stops with my winter holiday/Christmas greetings, from hand-painted cards with perfumes and wax seals to perfectly wrapped presents with intricate bows, I haven’t had the chance to make any sort of true snail mail since the days of my old art business as a kid. I’d like to say that the cutesy art YouTubers and Pinterest boards of product packaging ideas have given me a penchant for well-curated and/or well-dressed parcels, and although back then the styles were quite brash with pinks and anything Sanario, the care put into what was really stood out. For this post, I want to share my end of the little snail mail bargain, and hopefully I can update when I hear how the receiver likes it.

Firstly, since we have been considering it for some time, I made multiple mini-letters, each dated. I often find it hard to write long letters if I’m in regular contact with someone (I mean, I’ll just tell them what I’m thinking before the letter even reaches the mailbox!), so I found that working with postcards allowed me to keep things short, sweet, and silly. To make it even better, I happened to have a few pages of watercolour postcard paper left, so I figured it would be perfect to then do my own art for each and combined these ideas into one. The first card I made is a watercolour of a somewhat cartoon-ish dragon, as we both, albeit them more, like fantasy novels. I used my glaze only on the red details to contrast the matte look for the rest of the painting. Although not pictured here (because although I overshare far too often, the contents of a letter are special for one person), I drew a cartoon scroll on the back to contain the note and partially wrote in a silly old English manner reminiscent of fantasy writings and games.

The second card I made is somewhat similar to a Lithuanian folk and popart-inspired painting I made for… my bathroom haha. In my defense, I was having trouble executing a different idea I had, but I realized I had mentioned various Lithuanian cultural topics with them and I figured I could find more success and self-approval in something closer to what I’ve painted before. The details that have a rounded-to-a-point style are reminiscent of “margučiai” easter eggs, where a pin dipped in wax and pulled would make a similar mark. I also used a gandras, which is a symbolic bird in Lithuania. Although a bit overcrowded, I think it overall turned out cute and for this letter, I included book quotes in addition to the message.

Lastly, to be cute since we both are vexed by the distance, I made one of a “words vs feelings” with a little mixed media twist– watercolor, acrylics, and… a cut out shark? The concept was that what is said cannot always capture what you want to convey, so a little painted fish represented the “words” and a picture of a large shark I glued to the other side is more representative of the “feelings.” I decided to print the shark out as I am not great at drawing fearsome, anatomically correct beasts of any nature, not to mention the use of different media can divert expectations and either be very silly or very uncanny. In this case, I personally feel it is the former, and hopefully the receiver feels the same. I decided not to include a photo of this card since it felt a bit more personal.

In addition to the letters, I included matching tea bags (INDIVIDUALLY PACKED! I am not a heathen who would give someone a random loose tea bag, haha goodness!) with little “For when you…” messages on them. I put an oolong tea with the first, a Lithuanina banana/raspberry for the second, and a lavender honey tea for the third. I personally think matching the flavors and tea bag package colors/art to the cards adds a nice touch, but then again maybe I’m the only one who tries to have this level of coordination. Additionally, I included a book I really like for them. While I was in St. Louis for a little bluegrass show (which ended up getting cancelled due to inclement weather, ugh), I decided to stop in a Half Priced Books (because Barnes and Noble, the only large bookstore near me, is only for the most desperate book scenarios) and found a copy of The Starless Sea. I wrote a review of it over a year ago, and I think it will be well-liked, as its overarching theme is “storytelling.” The receiver of this book enjoys folk art, stories passed through generations, and learning about people, so I thought it was fitting. I’ll admit that I was a bit hesitant to choose this book. Another book by the same author, The Night Circus, has much more beautiful and yummy writing, the kind of melt-in-your-mouth writing with vivid imagery, but the end was so abrupt and disjointed that I couldn’t feel confident in that choice. This book is a bit more repetitive in its imagery, albeit intentionally, and I’m not sure how they’ll feel with part of it set in the modern day. I will just keep my fingers crossed for the moment. Not every book will but a hit, and since they’ve already read the book I would have immediately sent instead, Name of the Wind, I had to be okay with the gamble.

As of yesterday, I sent the package out, with various leaf and color block stickers placed to support the mailing envelope seal. I think I could create a much better package look, but I wasn’t in the mood to pay for box shipping when everything fit snugly in a set-price packing envelope. Next time I might pull out the wax seals and twine and go for a rustic look, but we’ll see. I have something interesting in mind, but I am not confident I can properly execute it. When I’m back home next and have access to some minor woodworking tools and hobby shops, I’ll give it a go.

Happy reading,
-Beppa

Edit: They loved it!!! 🙂