Almanac Adventure: February “Letters Campaign”

Today was our second family adventure day. For a couple of weeks, we have been gathering little bits and pieces of vintage paper ephemera and anything typography related – an old science classroom atlas became 50 mini handmade envelopes (with the help of my students), vintage airmail envelopes, old stamps, font printouts, flash cards, and so on.

We then gathered these little cards and papers together to create little love letter kits to be given away. Lucy painted and helped make two mailboxes. Harriet tried her hand at sharpening pencils.

Along the lines of Valentine’s themes of proclaiming love, we set up these two letter-writing stations at a couple of coffee shops (favorites in our neighborhood: John Galt Coffee CO and Blue Mug at Margie’s. They were generous with their space, letting us do this!) We are going to provide postage for any of the letters left in the “mailbox” Lucy created (see below!) We hope we send out all 50 of the handmade envelopes we made!

Here’s the directions we left for folks. Enjoy! And feel free to copy anything we’re doing… It’s all for play and wonder for our family and our city!

The Letters Campaign: Just Add Words

“Just add words”… it’s easier said than done. It’s crazy how we can care for someone so much in our hearts, 

yet when it comes to letting them know, words fail.  

We don’t want too sound cliche, 

we aren’t poetic enough, 

words won’t begin to describe… 

and so on.

But now, these weeks before Valentine’s, 

it would be a great time to wrestle through that.

It doesn’t have to be too serious, too poetic, or just right. 

Just add words.

Let someone you care for- your spouse, friends, family, kids- know right now.

Here is a letter and a mailbox. 

Write to them, 

address it, 

and place it in the box. 

We will pay for the postage.

And our guess is that your words will come out just right.

Love, 

Yours truly