I LOVE this creative snail mail idea! So simple, but it’s a great way to add an extra bit of fun to your letters. Enjoy!
I couldn’t get this creative snail mail idea out of my head so I decided to make it for my mom for her birthday. She still writes me (even though we text pretty much every single day), and I thought this would be a fun way to send her a package and letter in the mail.
Since I’ve already sent her this gift, I can share it with you now! On a side note, it was also well loved by my nieces who oohed and awed when my mom opened it. Now I know what I’m making them this year. 😉
Creative Snail Mail DIY
My idea was to gather several small items and place them in the pockets of a baseball card holder. If you’d like to make something like this, you don’t have to limit yourself to a baseball card holder, however.
Project Life pages as well as any of the varieties of small and large photo storage holders available at craft stores would work perfectly. I chose to include a few extra items so my finished package ended up going into a larger envelope rather than a business size envelope.
I did notice that the smaller items did need to have some sort of backing or else they kind of awkwardly floated in the pockets so I cut watercolor paper to size (as well as a small piece of tissue paper for a pop of green.) Here is a glimpse of some of the items I included. Hopefully, you’ll be inspired to try this for a sweet little snail mail gift for a friend.
Gather your items
Baseball or project life holder
Small cards
Coloring pages
Gift card
Chocolate (in separate package)
Stickers
Tiny bunting
Bookmark
Spices
Tiny treats
Think about what your friend loves. How can you give her these things in miniature form?
Watercolor Bird Bookmark
For my mom, I made a Watercolor Bird Bookmark and drew a little branch and some clouds on a watercolor card so the bird would have a home. I didn’t attach the bookmark though you could add a tiny piece of double-stick tape to keep it in place.
Homemade Gift Tags
Then I cut out some watercolor paper, rounded the edges using this tool
Cute Clothespin Magnets
After the tags, I added in a few decorated clothespin magnets from my newly made collection. You can click here for the tutorial; it’s so easy!
Tiny Bunting
Then I added the star bunting and heart envelope with a little note inside that I shared on the blog last week. Wouldn’t this bunting be cute strung between two toothpicks as a cake or cupcake topper? The stars are the size of a dime!
Additional Items for Your Creative Snail Mail Package
I also added in a coloring page, a Starbucks gift card, dark chocolate, a sample of dukkah (an amazing spice mix), a journal, and a watercolor brush
On a side note, have you ever used a watercolor brush? You fill the reservoir with water, twist it back onto the brush and as you paint, you can squeeze the brush slightly and more water is added. I have a very small one that came with a watercolor set and love it.
This snail mail gift was seriously so much fun to put together I can’t wait to start collecting items for the next time.
P.S. If you’re a lover of all things letter-writing, check out The {10 Minute} Letter-writing Retreat Bundle. It’s FULL of prompts, tutorials, and printable stationery. I like to think of it as a gift to yourself that keeps on giving. 🙂
27 responses to “A Creative Idea for Snail Mail”
What a fun idea! As fun as it already is to get mail, this would make it ten times as exciting! By the way, I love the clothespin idea. My sister and I go to a conference (http://www.westminsterkpt.org/bwsc/) every year where there’s a tradition of putting clothespins on people without them noticing. The other day she made a big batch of them, and I know she can’t wait to use them! Thanks for the idea!
Oh my goodness, that is so funny about clipping clothespins to people’s backs. At least they’ll be cute ones, right? Love it! Have a great day! 🙂
what a super cute idea.
Thanks, Michelle! 🙂
I saw this post on the Thrifty Thursday link party. Such a creative idea! Thanks for sharing it.
Thanks so much for your comment, Nina! It was really fun putting this together. 🙂
This is absolutely adorable! I love this! I especially love the clothespins! I was trying to figure out something for my mama for mother’s day and this may be something I use, so thanks!
Kristin // The Peculiar Treasure
athisfeetdaily.blogspot.com
Thanks, Kristin! I think she’ll really love it–I had so much fun finding little treasures that were just perfect for my mom. I might just make another one for mother’s day too! 🙂 Have a great weekend! 🙂
What a great gift idea! Not only can you be creative as the gift giver, but the receiver is encouraged to be creative as well! This has got me thinking of gifts I can give. Thanks for sharing!
You’re so right–It was an interesting creative challenge (but really fun) to think about gifts that would fit into a small little pocket. Once I got going though, I could barely stop. Isn’t there a saying about creativity leading to more creativity or something? Have a great weekend! 🙂
Such a great idea!
Thanks, Kim! 🙂
What a wonderful idea. And I like that you can be creative with your gift. Thank you for sharing at the Thursday Favorite Things Blog Hop!
This is so fun! I LOVE snail mail. =)
Glad you liked it! I love snail mail so much too!
p.s. Reading your road trip post this morning reminded me of my trek from Colorado to California years ago. Thanks so much for sharing!
What a fun idea. I love snail mail and this is a perfect little gift.
Thanks so much, Michelle! Your card class (on your site) looks so amazing! I used to get together with friends to make cards and it was so much fun. 🙂 Have a great day!
This is such a great idea! I know I would love to receive something like this. Thank you for linking up to The Creative Exchange! We will be featuring your project this week.
xo, Laura
Thanks so much for the feature, Laura! That just made my day! 🙂 🙂
This is so sweet and creative! Great personal touch, too! Thanks so much for taking the time to come over and link up with us at the #HomeMattersParty – we hope to see you again on Friday! Feel free to bring a friend 🙂
Thanks so much for your comment, Kristen! 🙂 Hope you have a great day!
Excited to feature you on A Little Bird Told Me Link Party!
Thank you, Allison! 🙂 🙂
I adore this idea! Don’t you just love snail mail? I sure do! This is being featured at this week’s link party!
Thank you so much for the feature, Jennifer! 🙂
Jennie, I just love these ideas! I love sending and receiving snail mail and I’m always looking for ways to make it feel a bit more special. I’m featuring you at today’s Creative Spark Link Party 🙂
Thanks again for the feature, Emily! I love sending and receiving snail mail too! 🙂