April is Letter Writing Month

Let’s celebrate by going to a few stationery stores and running a contest.

Every day for the month of April I am pulling a name out of a hat (bowl, more specifically) and sending that person an original piece of art and a letter. Here’s the first bunch of paintings I am readying:

Going through a fruit and flower phase.

To enter, subscribe to to Cottage Letters or Paris Letters Mail Clubs. If you already ARE a subscriber, you’re already in. If not, sign up on my website or at Etsy. I love both equally. The first 8 winners are at the bottom of this post.

I have been LOVING sending each person a letter along with the art… hence the April Letter Writing Month theme. I’ve used my typewriter for some letters (expect typos) and for some I have hand written the letter… usually when the card stock is too thick for the typewriter.

Now, onto the tour of two stationery stores.

Wonder Pens, Toronto

I’ve been wanting to visit Wonder Pens for a long time. They have so much eye candy. In their own words:

“In this fast-paced and high-tech world, we are letter writers and journal writers, we take notes and make to-do lists by hand.”

It was a windy, cold day but I didn’t care. Get thee to the pen shop!

They even colour coordinate pens with ink. Clever lime pairing.

We like skinny journals. Easier to slip into the satchel.

This wall was inspiring. It made me want to make one of my own.

It also reinvigorated my love of a white border on a photograph.

This is part of our Wonder Pens haul. Pro Tip: If your husband is standing behind you at the cashier, you can quietly request the total to be whispered to you and the cashier will comply so as to not provoke questions from the spousal unit.

Phidon Pens, Cambridge

I love when I happen upon a dreamy little world of pens and paper, created by people who are likely obsessed with the stuff. Phidon Pens was packed with pen lovers and people who love creating order out of stationery chaos.

Notice the bench out front for sitting and seeping in the scent of literary wonder.

It’s a brilliant marketing strategy. I found myself saying “I bought the yellow one at a market in Paris…” Dreamy.

Just finished The Correspondent by Virginia Evans. It was gripping. Really.

Why is an orderly table of random stuff so calming and pretty?

So very satisfying.

As promised, the winners for the first 8 days in April:

1. Joette B, MN

2. Denise L, AZ

3. Terry T, SK

4. Jayne M, UT

5. Lynn M, NS

6. Barbara N, PA

7. Cindy B, ON

8. Johanne L, QC

Remember, to enter you need to be a subscriber to Cottage Letters or Paris Letters. If you already ARE a subscriber, you’re already in. If not, sign up on my website or at Etsy. You can also gift a subscription to anyone and either you or they will be entered. Just let me know when you place your order.

Increase your chances to win! A 12 month subscription gets you 12 entries, a 6 month subscription gets you 6, and a 1 month subscription gets you 1. Check winners daily on Instagram. I’ll also post the next handful in my next post. Good luck!

And get writing letters!

Janice

Me standing on a chair trying to mimic the displays from the pen stores. I need to work on my layouts. And toes.