Why handwritten notes?

(like these correspondence cards? They are K. Batty! Look for them soon on Esty!)

People's desire (hopefully!) to send & write handwritten notes is a major part of my business, so I thought a little blog series on the subject may be in order.

First up: Why send one in the first place?

Emails are quick. So are texts & phone calls. So, why wait on snail mail to deliver a sentiment? All have their place. But, in my opinion, none of them show the sincerity of a handwritten note. I turned to The Art of the Handwritten Note by Margaret Shepherd for a little guidance. Shepard says that sending a handwritten note tells the recipient that "You are worth the effort it took" to write, stamp & send this note.

I like that. She also points out that it's rarity heights the appeal. That makes me like sending them even more. To show someone that I am thinking about them by doing something that is (sadly) rare these days increases the importance of the gesture.

Now, you don't need to write anyone a book or your life story in a note. Figure out your message & send what's needed to deliver it. Maybe it's a card just to say hi! Saying something is better than saying nothing. So, if it comes to texting or emailing your message, then fine.

But, the point is put down your device, pick up a pen and make someone's day with a surprise in their mailbox.

Up next: haven't decided yet! Basic formats for notes? Perhaps materials, like pens & paper? Let's get excited about handwritten notes, people!

Voting is open!!

Hi all! It's June 11th. Do you know what that means??

Well, yes, it probably means that it's someone's birthday (send them a card from K. Batty!) but it also means that voting is OPEN for the 2010 Holiday Challenge on Minted.com. So, GO GO GO vote for the K. Batty cards! Pretty please :)

This is really important because for this challenge there will be TWO ROUNDS of judging due to the number of entries (more than 1300!!!). So, my little chick-a-dees, you have until June 14th to help me get to round 2.

You can use the Voting Badge on the right hand side of this blog, or click here to access my designer page & see all the designs I've submitted. Feel free to make comments! Or give me a shout on the K. Batty Facebook page & let me know you've stopped by.

Thanks for all the support!

One more on Minted.com...

Hi guys! Mark June 10th on your calendars. That is the day that voting begins for the 2010 Minted.com Holiday Challenge. That's THIS Thursday. So far I've submitted 3 designs (the latest above) & might have just one more up my sleeve :)

Stay tuned! And thanks very much for all your support!

Another day, another Minted design...

Hi all! Still working on the Minted Holiday Challenge. Note the new button in the side bar. Would love to hear comments if you have them. I'll post a big reminder when the voting begins and you guys can help me kick some butt :)

Happy Wednesday!

Christmas in May

Time for the 2010 Minted.com Holiday Challenge!! My first design is up on their site for submission. What do you think? Would you send this to your friends & family?

You can tell me and the other contributors what you think of their work. Just head over to Minted.com & comment (or do it here!). The submission deadline isn't for a few weeks, but posting the designs early is a great opportunity for designers to receive feedback, not just from each other, but from potential customers. We can then tweak the designs before the judging begins. It is much appreciated if anyone has a moment to cruise over there.

A fun bonus feature Minted.com is providing designers is the handy badge in the right column of the blog. Click there & it takes you straight to my design :) Finally!! So easy! Love those Minted peeps!

A note about yesteryday...I'm learning a lot doing these challenges. Some of you may have noticed a post I put up yesterday, promoting this challenge, but took down. Sadly, I had to majorly edit my design. It was brought to my attention how close it was to another design, submitted before mine & by an experienced contributor. It's not against the rules to have similar designs, but I felt the professional thing to do was revise my submission. It's not like I don't have more ideas :) So, I took it as an opportunity and hear we are talking about a new design!

A guestbook you can sit on...

I had the divine pleasure of attending my cousin Kate's wedding, this past weekend, at a girls camp in upstate New York. It was a beautiful weekend, full of family reunions, an open bar & Irish line dancing. I'm not kidding. Super fun! It looked something like this. But I digress. What really applies to this blog is...

Gone are the days when guests showed up at a wedding & wrote their name in a book to show they'd attended a wedding ceremony. I give you a new surface...Kate's guest book consisted of 2 Adirondack Chairs & a couple of pens.



That's right folks! Guests of the wedding were asked to write messages to the couple on a set of Adirondack chairs with paint pens. And they did...all over the chairs. As you may imagine, the arms of the chairs were taken first. Luckily, this is a creative crowd.







The next day, the groom (Welcome to the family, Matt!) covered them in a Krylon Clear Coat to seal them. They dry in about 10 minutes, but Matt suggested waiting an hour to move them. As you can see, guests really had fun with their messages & it will be something Kate & Matt can enjoy for years to come.

Congratulations Katie & Matt! It was a wonderful weekend!

If anyone has other fun ideas for a "guestbook" leave them in the comments section or email me & I'll share the best ones!

Hello, Dottie!

Hi all! Just up on my Etsy shop, this new take on correspondence cards. Everyone say "hello" to the Dottie Monogrammed Correspondence Card Set.

Instead of the traditional 4x6-ish card, I've added a few extra inches to the dimensions. The result is a fun, long flat card with plenty of room for jotting off a note, personalized with the initial of your choice in the color of your choice.

Great for gifts!! A set of 10 will only set you back $15.00.

What do you think? Click here to see the full listing on Esty!

Calling all K. Batty Fans!

Hi all!! K. Batty has a live fan page on Facebook. Come visit to see work in progress & other fun stuff, including an easy way to view my Etsy listings. See my fan page here.

I hope you'll join my Facebook fun!

TGIF!

Hi everyone! Happy Friday! This picture came in an email from a friend, subject: Men's ingenuity. It tickled my funny bone!!

Steaks anyone??

Cool Etsy Find

Love these. I am putting them on my "things to get my husband" list.

Via Hip Hostess.