Letter writing topic for January 9, 2010:
According to one Web site I visited, today ends the "Someday We'll Laugh About This Week." Of course, that's silly, and I have no idea who designated it that. But, the concept sparked a letter writing idea...today write a letter about something funny that has happened to you. Surely you can think of something! Maybe it happened yesterday or maybe 10 years ago, but tell a cute little story to brighten someone's day.
Saturday, January 9, 2010
Friday, January 8, 2010
Vintage stamps
I finally got around to ordering some vintage stamps from Errol Murphy, whom I read about on The Missive Maven blog. They arrived yesterday, and I love them!My only problem...I ordered these to use as postage on letters, but there are so many cool stamps in the package, I want to keep them instead of sticking them on envelopes!
As mentioned on other letter writing blogs, Murph (as he signs his e-mails) sells the stamps at face value plus the cost of postage. My order of $25 worth of stamps needed only 44 cents in postage.
The stamps are all unused and able to be used as postage on letters mailed from the United States. They range in denominations from 3 cents to 33 cents, with many of the stamps being in in the 20- to 33-cent range.
If you'd like some stamps, contact Murph by e-mail at emurphy@cot.net . He'll want to know if you have any special requests, such as wildlife or sports, etc. I was happy to let him pick out a nice variety for me. Included were several letter-writing themed stamps, as well as a Scouting stamp (I'm a Girl Scout troop leader). Of course, there are many other stamps, featuring animals, comic strips, history, flowers and more.I can't wait to start using these fun stamps!
Letter #8
Letter writing topic for January 8, 2010:
Yesterday's letter writing suggestion was to write a complaint letter. Today, let's do the opposite...write a compliment letter. A what? you ask. A compliment letter. No one ever thinks about writing those. Every day, you visit businesses and use services with which you are pleased. Maybe the cashier at the grocery store was especially friendly yesterday or the waitress brought you extra rolls without you even having to ask. But, do you ever think to write a letter complimenting the person who made your shopping experience a nice one? Well, do it today! Try to remember the person's name (sometimes it is on the receipt) and write a letter to his or her boss, telling them what a nice time you had in the store, what a good job the employee did, how good the items you bought are, etc. Just like for yesterday's complaint letter, look up the company's owner or CEO and send him or her a copy of the letter. Give some details, tell when you were using their services and what you purchased. Explain exactly what the employee did to give you such a good impression of the business. Go ahead, make someone's day brighter!
Yesterday's letter writing suggestion was to write a complaint letter. Today, let's do the opposite...write a compliment letter. A what? you ask. A compliment letter. No one ever thinks about writing those. Every day, you visit businesses and use services with which you are pleased. Maybe the cashier at the grocery store was especially friendly yesterday or the waitress brought you extra rolls without you even having to ask. But, do you ever think to write a letter complimenting the person who made your shopping experience a nice one? Well, do it today! Try to remember the person's name (sometimes it is on the receipt) and write a letter to his or her boss, telling them what a nice time you had in the store, what a good job the employee did, how good the items you bought are, etc. Just like for yesterday's complaint letter, look up the company's owner or CEO and send him or her a copy of the letter. Give some details, tell when you were using their services and what you purchased. Explain exactly what the employee did to give you such a good impression of the business. Go ahead, make someone's day brighter!
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Letter # 7
Letter writing topic for January 7, 2010:
Is there something that's been bugging you lately? Is there a store that always has the "express lane" closed during the busiest time of the day? A restaurant you haven't been to lately because the service is always so slow? A company whose helpline is always busy? Today, try writing a complaint letter. Now, I don't mean to turn this project into a negative one, but if you write a good letter of complaint, you will resolve your issues and help the business remedy a problem that they might not even know about. And, you can do it nicely.
Make sure you send your letter to the right person at the right address. If it's a big problem, I usually go straight to the top and address my letter to the owner or CEO; often that information is available online. Secondly, let the letter recipient know who you are (a long-time customer, a first-time customer, etc.), what the problem is and when it happened. Then, be sure to tell him or her what you want (a refund, the problem fixed, an apology, etc.). Additionally, offer some advice. As a customer, you can help the business by telling them what would make their service better (checking to see if customers need more tea or coffee, opening the express lane between 5 and 6 p.m., etc.). Be friendly and polite. In the end, you will feel better that you took a step toward remedying a situation that's been bothering you and you will have helped a business keep more customers and maybe even gain some new ones.
Is there something that's been bugging you lately? Is there a store that always has the "express lane" closed during the busiest time of the day? A restaurant you haven't been to lately because the service is always so slow? A company whose helpline is always busy? Today, try writing a complaint letter. Now, I don't mean to turn this project into a negative one, but if you write a good letter of complaint, you will resolve your issues and help the business remedy a problem that they might not even know about. And, you can do it nicely.
Make sure you send your letter to the right person at the right address. If it's a big problem, I usually go straight to the top and address my letter to the owner or CEO; often that information is available online. Secondly, let the letter recipient know who you are (a long-time customer, a first-time customer, etc.), what the problem is and when it happened. Then, be sure to tell him or her what you want (a refund, the problem fixed, an apology, etc.). Additionally, offer some advice. As a customer, you can help the business by telling them what would make their service better (checking to see if customers need more tea or coffee, opening the express lane between 5 and 6 p.m., etc.). Be friendly and polite. In the end, you will feel better that you took a step toward remedying a situation that's been bothering you and you will have helped a business keep more customers and maybe even gain some new ones.
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Interesting stationery collection
I was browsing around the Internet and came across the Jane Austen Centre and its online shop.
The stationery section includes a great collection of notecards, wax seals, pens, journals and more. It's a fun place!
The stationery section includes a great collection of notecards, wax seals, pens, journals and more. It's a fun place!
Letter # 6
Letter writing topic for January 6, 2010:
Today, write an encouraging letter to a friend who needs a little boost. I've been reading "What Matters Now," a eBook coordinated by Seth Godin. I found it on the Kind Over Matter
blog yesterday; it's downloadable for free. The book features a collection of essays, thoughts, comments, ideas, etc. from a variety of writers, artists, bloggers, etc. I'm not finished with the book, but some of the first pages are very inspiring. From Jacqueline Novogratz, the founder of the Acumen Fund and
author of The Blue Sweater: "...in a world where everything is connected, the most important thing we can do is treat our fellows with dignity." And Rajesh Setty, an entrepreneur, author and speaker based in Silicon Valley, says this: "We are all on a search – a search for more meaning in our lives. Through choosing to enrich other people’s lives, you add meaning to both their life and your own."
So, even if you feel like you need a little encouragement yourself, try to put your problems and issues aside for a few minutes and write a letter to a friend with an encouraging word. If you know he or she would like a little advice, offer up your suggestions. If you're not sure about giving unsolicited advice, you might mention that you have some ideas, if they'd like to talk. Let your letter recipient know you're available.
Today, write an encouraging letter to a friend who needs a little boost. I've been reading "What Matters Now," a eBook coordinated by Seth Godin. I found it on the Kind Over Matterblog yesterday; it's downloadable for free. The book features a collection of essays, thoughts, comments, ideas, etc. from a variety of writers, artists, bloggers, etc. I'm not finished with the book, but some of the first pages are very inspiring. From Jacqueline Novogratz, the founder of the Acumen Fund and
author of The Blue Sweater: "...in a world where everything is connected, the most important thing we can do is treat our fellows with dignity." And Rajesh Setty, an entrepreneur, author and speaker based in Silicon Valley, says this: "We are all on a search – a search for more meaning in our lives. Through choosing to enrich other people’s lives, you add meaning to both their life and your own."
So, even if you feel like you need a little encouragement yourself, try to put your problems and issues aside for a few minutes and write a letter to a friend with an encouraging word. If you know he or she would like a little advice, offer up your suggestions. If you're not sure about giving unsolicited advice, you might mention that you have some ideas, if they'd like to talk. Let your letter recipient know you're available.
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Letter #5
Letter writing topic for January 5, 2010:
Today, write a letter to a person older than you. Write about something relevant to your life. If your letter recipient is much older than you, ask them to compare your topic to their life when they were your age. For example, you might mention that you have a new MP3 player. Give some details, such as how many songs you have on it, etc. Then, ask how he or she listened to music when they were younger. Or, maybe talk about how scarves are popular this season and ask if she wears or used to wear scarves. If you think your recipient doesn't have a chance to get out as much as they used to, you might include a little gift of some stationery, stamps, a pen, maybe a small address book.
If you say you are the oldest person you know, write to a younger person! If you want to, write about a current topic and then connect it to something from your past. For example, you might mention how you have a new MP3 player and how different it is from the old record player you used to have. Don't forget to ask some questions so that your recipient will have something to write back about. If you think that your recipient is not too familiar with pen and paper letter writing, send a little gift of some stationery or postcards and stamps. If you don't mind receiving an e-mail response, be sure to include your e-mail address.
Today, write a letter to a person older than you. Write about something relevant to your life. If your letter recipient is much older than you, ask them to compare your topic to their life when they were your age. For example, you might mention that you have a new MP3 player. Give some details, such as how many songs you have on it, etc. Then, ask how he or she listened to music when they were younger. Or, maybe talk about how scarves are popular this season and ask if she wears or used to wear scarves. If you think your recipient doesn't have a chance to get out as much as they used to, you might include a little gift of some stationery, stamps, a pen, maybe a small address book.
If you say you are the oldest person you know, write to a younger person! If you want to, write about a current topic and then connect it to something from your past. For example, you might mention how you have a new MP3 player and how different it is from the old record player you used to have. Don't forget to ask some questions so that your recipient will have something to write back about. If you think that your recipient is not too familiar with pen and paper letter writing, send a little gift of some stationery or postcards and stamps. If you don't mind receiving an e-mail response, be sure to include your e-mail address.
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