Letters Of Note Book

{a compilation of letter from Letters Of Note}

Congrats to one of my favorite blogs, Letters of Note, on the up-coming US publication of their book - Letters of Note. What a great blog! Each post is a letter or note from the past. The writers can be anyone - from a Elizabeth Taylor to quintuplets to a Samuel Clemens to name a few recent posts. The letters are about love, success, failure, hellos, goodbyes - in a word, life.

This is from the book site:

Letters of Note is a collection of 125 of the world's most entertaining, inspiring and unusual letters. 

From Virginia Woolf's heart-breaking suicide letter, to Queen Elizabeth II's recipe for drop scones sent to President Eisenhower; from the first recorded use of the expression 'OMG' in a letter to Winston Churchill, to Gandhi's appeal for calm to Hitler; and from Iggy Pop's beautiful letter of advice to a troubled young fan, to Leonardo da Vinci's remarkable job application letter,Letters of Note is a celebration of the power of written correspondence which captures the humour, seriousness, sadness and brilliance that make up all of our lives.

The UK edition is out now. The US edition, published by Chronicle Books, is available May 6th. More info on Letters Of Note.

I Heart Moms

And now you can too :)

Presenting, from the K. Batty Etsy Shop: I heart Mom Mother's Day Greeting cards in 2 color combinations - teal with red & navy with gold. PLUS! Since Mother's Day is closing in on us, I'm offering FREE SHIPPING on them.

{I heart Mom - Teal & Red}

{I heart Mom - Navy & Gold}

Both color combinations have matching envelope liners inside white envelopes, are 4.25 x 5.5 folded & are blank inside for your message.

In past years I have had a hard time finding a card for my mom that wasn't super cheesey. So! I pulled out my sketchbook & went to work. I'm really glad to have these beauties ready for sale in my Etsy Shop...What do you think? Do you heart them??

Don't forget, there are also lots of great personalized gift ideas in my shop for Mom!

Cards of the week - Pink.

Hey Sports Fans! It's Friday, so you know what we are talking about on the blog today...Cards of the Week of course. As I teased earlier, this week's color is pink!

None of them are from Etsy this week. Shocked?! I was inspired by a Real Simple article, showing off cards from 12 online retailers...one of course was Etsy. Several other popular sites were listed, but these posts come from 3 new ones to me. Check out the article here for the others, which were all fabulous as well.

{Sorry, I F-ed Up, on RedStamp.com}

Sorry I F-ed Up by Whimsy Press, in Atlanta, GA, that I found on RedStamp.com. How funny is that???? And usually when you send an "I'm sorry" card, isn't that exactly what you're saying?

Red Stamp might be my favorite new site, card-wise. AND they have an iPhone app to send e-greetings which I snagged. **People in my address book beware! I will be sending you cute, stylish e-cards via text or email!**

{Hey Ladies, on GreerChicago.com}

Greer Chicago was also new site to me. I could spend hours on their site. They carry this fun fill-in invitation called Hey Ladies, by Snow & Graham, in the windy city, Chicago, IL. I hope you are familiar with Snow & Graham. If not - go check them out...when you are done here, that is...

{Madeline Congrats, on Broadway Paper.com}

Thirdly, we have Broadway Paper with this Congratulations card by Smock Paper, in Syracuse, NY. Again, if you are not familiar with Smock Paper, they are worth the time browsing their site - as is Broadway Paper.

What I am astonished by is that I saw that each site carries some of the same card makers, but didn't buy any of the same designs! Amazing! I hope you'll give these card makers some love by going by their websites for a look-see.

Have a great weekend!

Cards of the week - Take me to the beach...

Hellllllllooo!! After last week's warm spell here in Brooklyn & pouring over pictures from our Barbados trip on Facebook, I can't stop dreaming about the beach. Hence! This weeks cards of the week theme: the beach.

Simple & nicely printed, this starfish note card from Petite Paperie can be delivered on your choice of paper.


Unusual color combo with the gold & burgandy, but it goes very well with the sea foam & green. Great vintage-y illustration of the seahourse. These cards are from Skel Design.



LOVE these vintage-inspired note cards from Jacquelyn Vaccaro with different sea shells on each one. The worn look is fabulous, as is the brown in she printed in. Nice & elegant, but relaxed at the same time.




And lastly, these are handmade PLAYING CARDS! How freakin' fun are these?? I'll tell ya - really fun! They are by Leah Mackin Dot Com. The item listing on Etsy shows a suit from the deck. Each has a different ocean creature.

Until next time, everyone have a great weekend!

Cards of the Week - 2/14-2/19

Tired of the winter blahs, my cards of the week post is full of bright tones to get us all in the mood for our next season. Spring! It may be weeks away, but we can start to dream.

Totally smiling just looking at this card with its over-sized monogrammed & punchy colors. Buy as is or choose your own colors. From Em And Bee on Etsy.

This bright yellow stamped bird with matching yellow envelope is singing to me! {Holy Corniness. I need to go back to Barbados, people.} Find this lovely design on Etsy from Pink Bath Tub.

This fun Thank You note is a FREE printable download from Hey Susy. I smiled the second I saw it.

Did those put a smile on your face for Spring? I feel better already. My grandfather always said not to wish my life away, but man, I wish Spring would spring itself!

See ya!

Cards of the week - 1/31 to 2/6

Hi kids! Here's what I'm diggin' this week...

Alphabet Castle by Crane & Company. So clever! Plus, Mr. B is whisking me away to a warm & sunny Barbados so I am in the mood for a sandcastle.

Sunday is the Super Bowl, so we gotta get some football in here. These are great baby shower invites, by Pinch of Salt on Etsy, if you were having a boy. Her entire shop is fabulous.

Have a great weekend!

Hello, Goodbye - opening & closing your notes

Happy Monday!

My mom sent me an interesting link a few weeks ago & I thought I should share the topic of it here. She was looking for a new way to close her email correspondence. So, I got thinking about it & decided to do as I do & looked up some alternatives to the "hi, (name)" and "All the best" that are my standard phrases.

Here are some suggestions:

Openings: (slim pickin's here...) Dear (name - let's use Sally), Dear Mr. (or Mrs.) Christopher Jones, Dearest Sally, Darling Sally, My Dear, or My Dear Sally, Hi! or Hey! or Hi, Sally! or Hey, Sally! or Sally, (just the name is ok too)

Closings: (peeeeeelenty to choose from)
More on the formal/business side: Kind regards, Best regards, Best wishes, Many thanks, Respectfully yours, Sincerely.

More on the friend side: Love, Affectionately, Hugs, Kind thoughts, Wishing you the best, Write soon, Be well, Cheers. The last 2 are also good for email.

Emily Post had some interesting comments on the subject. Very proper comments of course, but also a bit 19th century in some cases. Not sure when the last time I worried about the sealing wax on my letter. I do like that she endorses "complimentary closes" such as "Kindest Regards" and "With Kindest Remembrances" instead of more abrupt closings that she finds impersonal, such as just "Sincerely." Agreed, Ms Post!

See anything here that speaks to you? That you might use in the future? What closings/openings are you using now? I'm going to try out "Affectionately" and/or "Hugs," I think. Christmas card writing is on my to-do list for this week!

Until next time! Cheers!

The Anatomy of a Thank You Note

(New Thank You notes up on my Etsy shop. Red for the holidays!)

'Tis the season, my friends, for parties, gifts & holiday cheer. Guess what follows? Well, yes, the occasional "cheer" hangover, but also, the time to send thank yous to your hosts & gift givers.

These days the best excuse you have to put pen to paper might be a thank you note. Keeping up with friends has become almost entirely electronic, but that just doesn't cut it when it's time to express your gratitude. So, pull out a pen, grab a card & write (yes, actually write!) your thank yous.

But wait...you are pausing...do you feel awkward writing a thank you note? Fear not! Lots of people do, strangely enough. The more you do it, the better you will get at it, the easier it will feel. Plus, there is a simple formula you can follow to guide you. I put this together based on posts from The Morning News & eHow.com

1. Greeting the recipient:

Dear Chris,

If "dear" is too familiar, no worries. Just say Hi!

2. Express your gratitude:

Thank you so much for _____!

Fill in the blank with the gift or reason you are writing - a vase, watching my kids, having us over, etc. Mention the gift specifically unless it's money. That is a no-no. In that case you could recognize some one's "generosity."

3. Mention something about the gift -
how you like it, where it will go, how it will be used.

The vase matches our living room perfectly.

The point is to let the person know how you like & appreciate the gift beyond just saying the words "thank you." It brings sincerity to your thanks.

4. Add a personal thought:
Really enjoyed getting together for dinner last week. Let's do it again when we get back from vacation.

Nothing major about things going on in your life in this section. Leslie Harpold of the Morning News.Org says it best in her article: Let the giver know how they fit into the fabric of your life.

5. Re-thank them:

Again, I love the vase! Thank you!

6. Sign off:

All the best, Kerry

Many options here: Love, Best, Cheers...whatever you like. Keep it simple.

And BOOM! You have written a quick & meaningful thank you note. It could only be easier if it was a Mad Lib. Write a few drafts on scrap if you like to get warmed up & organize your thoughts. Then move to your note or social stationery & bang it out.

A common question: Does your thank you note need to say thank you on the front? No! You are saying it on the inside in your note. But, it should be appropriate & reflect the meaning you are sending. (Maybe don't send Grandma a thank you note with skulls on it, even if they are super cute.) Don't know why writing notes is important in the first place? You can start with my earlier blog post here.

Sending you all Holiday cheer! Happy Note Writing!

Get your supplies together!

(Find this stamp box here. Not necessary, but so fun!)

At Target the other day I noticed all the school supplies are already out, so I thought perhaps the next installment in our series on hand written notes would be about that...supplies!

What do you need to write a note? Well, it is obvious, right? A paper & a pen! The next question is what do you select first? No matter what you prefer to start with, you eventually need them both. You have to start some where though. I pick my paper first, largely because I select it by occasion. Besides, the pen in my hand is almost always the same, especially for note writing. I am in love with Pilot pens, of all kinds, but especially my Pilot G-2 Gel Pen. For our purposes, though, whatever feels good in your hand & has plenty of ink in it will suffice.

Several resources, including The Art of the Handwritten Note, which I quoted in my previous post, suggest having a "starter set" of stationery handy. Choose some simple notes...maybe just some all purpose cream or white folded cards...and keep them together with envelopes, stamps & your pen or pens. Put them in a nice basket, in a place that they are easy to access. Mine sit in a mail holder next to my desk. The idea is to make note writing a fun & easy thing to do.

Where do you get said simple notes? Almost anywhere. I have seen sets at Staples & at Target. If you are in my 'hood (Brooklyn!) I suggest Papel NY. Great card selection as well as stationery. Etsy, of course, has lots of cards & papers for sale (hello, plug for the K. Batty shop!), or you could check out several other online options. Here are some of my faves:

Paper Source, for plain paper, all things crafty & fun demos on their products
Papyrus, for funky cards
The Paper Cottage, for everything preppy
Paper & Cup, for fun & well designed everything

And then there is always the classic...Crane's. (sigh)

I hope this post breaks down note writing a bit for you. As I said previously, it isn't a huge task to write someone a note. You just need a few simple things & a few words.

Happy writing :)

*** If you order monogrammed notes from the K. Batty shop between now & next Wednesday, enter SUPPLIES in the messages to seller. I'll complete your starter stationery set with stamps & a pen! Plus, from now until the 25th you can get 10% off your order & free shipping during the Christmas in July sale! Whoo hooo!!***

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!