I recently held the first ever Wimzie Prints Greeting Cards open house. It was kind of a last minute decision to do so and I didn’t get the invitations out soon enough for a large turn out but a few friends showed up and we had a great time. In the future I think I’ll collaborate with other artists to present a greater variety of items and to attract a larger crowd. Here are some photos of my display.
Ever since I started writing to my first pen pal for a class project in second grade I have been fascinated with the idea of corresponding with complete strangers. So, it’s no wonder I was delighted when I came across this fun experiment online called Postcrossing.
The goal of the Postcrossing Project is to allow people to receive postcards from all over the world, for the cost of a postage stamp. The premise is that if you send a postcard, you will receive at least one back from a random Postcrosser from somewhere in the world.
Why would you want to send and receive a postcard from a complete stranger, you ask? Like me there are lots of people who enjoy receiving real mail. Bills are pretty much the only items that arrive in my mailbox these days so I thought it would be a nice surprise to receive a postcard from a random place in the world every once in awhile.
How does it work? First you must register on the Postcrossing website and request an address and postcard I.D. It is totally FREE. Then you mail the postcard (note: it costs $0.98 to send a postcard to Europe and Asia, a fact I did not know until I went to the post office to send my postcards) and wait to receive a postcard from someone else. When you receive a postcard you register it on the website and begin the process all over again.
I decided to try Postcrossing a couple weeks ago. I sent 5 postcards to 4 different European countries and one to Oregon. The woman in Oregon already received my card and registered it on the site. She even sent me a nice thank you message through the site and offered to send me a postcard also. So fun!
Wimzie Prints was featured in the Latter-Day Sentinal today. I’ll be participating in the week of Hope September 1-7. What’s the week of Hope, you ask? It is one week during the year that card retailers offer free postage stamps with every card you purchase so you can send a hand written note of HOPE and encouragement to someone who needs it. Check out the article…(click here).
And if you want a free stamp with a really cute card, visit the Wimzie Prints store (click here). Mention the code BLOG for fee shipping, too!
Through twitter I stumbled upon this great organization called Hope is in the Cards. It all started when founder Russ Hann was totally down on his luck professionally during this down economy. Instead of wallowing in self pity he decided to think of a way he could uplift the others around him who were also struggling. He decided that sending a note of encouragement would probably make someone’s day.
“What if every American sent just one letter or card of support to another American. What would happen? What would it do to our collective national spirit if the word HOPE was written on the back of every envelope?
“You’d go to your mailbox and it would be filled with something besides bills and collections notices. It would contain HOPE. And better yet, you might even have a personal card or letter from someone saying THANK YOU or I BELIEVE IN YOU.”
Russ’s organization hosts events where they have this big red wall covered in greeting cards. Passers by can take a card from the wall, write a note to someone and have it mailed for free. As each card comes off the wall, the word HOPE is revealed on the wall. The wall of hope.
So how can you spread hope? Simple!
1. Make or buy a card 2. Write a note of thanks or encouragement on the card 3. Write the word HOPE on the envelope 4. Mail the card!
Kudos to Russ and his efforts. I love what he is doing. When the media and everyone around us seems to be so negative he is making an effort to spread encouragement and HOPE.
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