good mail does not grow on trees...
or does it?

some of my recent good mail

I have not bragged about all my good mail sending friends for two weeks and so I have a bounty to share. I am amazingly grateful for creative friends who share their minds with me and so how could I keep all their good ideas to myself.

The great thing about good mail is that it also provides a creative outlet for me. I love creating, but then surprising someone in the mail is a double bonus. Recently, I have started going through my Christmas card list and reading through names to see who I could take the time to write a letter to or send something special. For the past week I have one friend that I just could not get off my mind. I have not seen or talk to her in about 4 years. I found a perfect "happy" for her and seriously just threw it in the mail. No long note of why I don't keep better touch with her or how great she is, just a Happy Easter. I received an email from her after she received it and it then made total sense of why I could not get her off my mind. I am just so glad I did not ignore the feeling to do something nice for her. That is the beauty of Good Mail. (Jill again i must say your are a genius) I loved what Jill wrote today about the dilemma for posting good mail.

I have had many people email me recently asking "What is good mail" here is a place to start.
but really it is what it says, something in the mail that is good. To start good mail just start sending it and then watch the magic begin.


Even though good mail does not grow on trees, I had to hang some of what I got to just soak in all of it's fun at once! Here is some of what blossomed at my house.

did you know my cousin Elisa makes the greatest soap ever! well now you do. this one even has ground up pumice in it. Thanks so much and I am excited for Miriam's little brother to get here!
Cristin sent this darling dish towel in the mail that she embroidered with a darling tag that has doodlebugs written all over it. Thanks Cristin, just last night I said to myself, "do I even do Pink Christmas again" you have revived my energy.

My mom sent me a thank you note with fabulous letter pressed stationery for her birthday gift. she was totally fooled by my April Fools joke and answered her birthday questions. did you see? I think asking the birthday girl questions on my blog may just be a new tradition!


This good mail has such a good story.
6 years ago my daughters best friend was turning 2. We had no money to buy a gift. So one day when she was over I traced her hand and then hand embroidered it on a piece of tea dyed muslin with her name and year. Her mom loved it and so I made another for her next daughter when she turned two.
Liz lives in Arizona and now had another daughter who turned two and asked me to do her hand as well. I was so flattered. It took me 9 months to get it done and back to her, YIKES! This was a thank you box for doing that. It was some of her favorite items in it.
Liz I love it all. the brownies to die for! the hand cream wonderful, and I am excited to try the mascara and BBQ sauce.
And just think if I would have had $15 to spend on a gift 6 years ago this never would have happened.
Oh by the way if you have not seen what Liz did for Pink Christmas you must check it out!!
items. Brownie Connection. Joes Famous BBQ sauce. Aveda Hand relief Loreal Telescopic Mascara

Heather S. totally surprised me with this incredible gift. (this is kind of what the stitched hand looked like)
What a wonderful gift and sentiment. It came before our guests arrived last week and what a perfect way to welcome them. Thanks.
Yet another good mail with a good story.
A few months back I had posted about some Relief Society cards I made and got an email from Kristine
She had been looking for the panel cards and she tracked some down. Look at what she created. I LOVE the rhinestone and stamped sayings. I have used almost all of them and love them.

She is from New Mexico, about 1 hour (right?) from where I grew up. She got these plates at the Target in Las Cruces. I am so happy to hear Las Cruces has a Target.

The heart cards were wonderful and the post cards were so thoughtful to send. My girls have never been to the town I grew up in so it was fun to show them .
Kristine, thanks so much for such a wonderful surprise and you did wonders with those panel cards. (the straws and pink gum have gone to great use too)
Blogging has really connected me with people I already knew, like my cousins. Laurie recently stopped by Jill's house for a fun surprise visit. I am so glad Jill got to meet her.
Laurie sent me these great specked eggs that were perfect for the recent thrift I found. (great pewter bowl for $1.00)

she also sent this little skirt that was her daughters for Sally Jane. Sally wore it that week( and really broke it in) with a green ribbon. Thanks Laurie, it is so fun to be in touch with you.


Natahsa sent this Linderella book to Sally Jane after her recent obsession. She loves it!! It is the perfect church bag item with the magnets. Thanks

Susan sent me some good mail that just keeps on giving. I can't wait to tell you all about this.
She sent me along with this cute card some darling magnets and the best gift of all a chapter of a book she is reading. Brave Companions. She copied the whole chapter for me. It is a a book by David McCallough. It is a collection of biographies and observations about different places. The chapter on D.C is what she sent. I have read it 3 times and words can not really express how this chapter spoke to me. I am not great at writing but reading it was like what I want to say about this great city, but don't know how to. It starts out describing Embassy Row where we had been the week before. When I have more time and I am doing a post about it. For you D.C. locals, get the book and read that chapter. It would be a great read too for anyone coming to visit D.C. ( I am compiling my top 25 things to see for my D.C. blog)
Thanks so much I just really have enjoyed reading that over and over.

Michelle sent a darling handmade card thanking me for her embroidered napkins. Which Michelle I have been meaning to tell you that you can bleach them. The black thread is polyester so it won't fade. For you embroidery gals, my favorite thread. Mettler Poly!
Crystalyn had a fun mail baby shower that I was invited to and shared her fun thoughts here. I am glad she had a boy since what I sent her was kind of boyish.
my girls got some fun good mail that just brought back good Tennessee memories. My friend Shari had us over for Easter last year, and Christmas and every other holiday. My girls love her and sleep on the pillows she made for the ride to D.C, every night. They each got a sticker book that they carried around for days, until all the stickers were gone and all over my house. Oh i miss her and her yummy holiday Jello.
Lisa, was too kind in sending me a thank you note for my "thought that counts mail" I really promise I don't expect thank you notes for fake gifts that I send. I recently told someone I can't ever expect thank you notes since I didn't send all my wedding thank you notes, it is a curse I will carry forever.
My cute niece who whisked through town this week, seriously at my house for 15 minutes on her way to California had sent me a cute marker note. I had found her name "Kara" in this confetti and had to send it to her. Her spelling is not that common and could not believe I had found it.
Lelly has NO IDEA how timely this SPT note was for me. I am not sure if I am willing to go into this but she just may have saved my blog getting ditched by me. She is the creator of SPT and have you seen her challenge for this week. Oh my I am so excited. Money is already spent baby!
Kacey, the doodlebugs creator sent a very thoughtful note and I was lucky it was for me. Funny how some things just arrive on the perfect day.
ok if you could see this up close the chocolate brown velvet ric rac would make you ga-ga too! Kelly the colors in these cards are wonderful and a pleasure to look at. I just put it in my Easter decorating box and will pull it out every year! Thanks.

Wow. How fun to get an email from someone you don't know saying I have something pink to send you. This came from Andrea!
Some wonderful Lindt spring chocolates. The packaging is great on those this spring. and...
this handmade bracelet she made during General Conference with a shoe charm! It is so great I wore it for the next two days straight. Check out her blog and her recent shoe find. yummy!
Big Congrats to Hannah on her new daughter this week. This was a fun Thank you card for her recent shower I was invited to, but since I live about 12 states away i could not come, darn. Wish I could have been there.

this is a fun story too. Occasionally I will check out on my blog counter who is reading my blog. (yes I can track you all down) and found Laura who had talked about Pink Christmas on her blog. Her header had a big ribbon bow on there and I thought she would love a ribbon mailing. She lives on the East coast but turns out she grew up with my husbands brother. Small world!
you must click on her blog to see the darling apron she made.


i have loved finding children's books for jill that are about mail, i hope i can keep my excitment to just a few so I don't weigh down her book shelf. I loved her thank you with the bright pink stamp on the black and white card.


My mom sent some fun Easter mail with these cute finger puppets, the Testaments movie and some great new jibbits. ( i am so in love with putting these on the girls crocs)
We turn our TV off for the week of Easter and it is such a great way to think about the week. On Easter we watched the video and I think because the girls had not seen TV they were so thrilled to watch anything and really kept their attention.
This is simply beautiful mail with a beautiful story. Michelle A. sent these gardening gloves with one of her handmade flowers. It is pretty fabulous and thank you so much for spending that time on making if for me. the quote reads.
In the Spring at the end of the day, you should smell like dirt.
Margaret Atwater
Michelle sent me some incredible rub ons. I honestly don't think they sell these anywhere around here and just love them. Thanks so much and I hope you recover in time to get ready for Paris. ( she sent me the real item, i just cut hers out of a magazine and pretended to send it to her)
Tasha sent me some of her great stationery i love the circle with her name in it, and some yummy Mary Kay lip treatments. Thanks for the sweet note and you know me too well, how do you do that?

Ok, whatever Jenny D about not being creative! This is so great. My word of the year is "Stretch" and look what she sent. GUMBY!! now does it get more creative than that. Thanks so much for you two page handwritten note and the gumby. He now lives on my computer, but should probably get strapped to my tennis shoes. I love it.

jill has encouraged anyone willing to send mail on Wednesday for no other reason than because it is Wednesday. I have done it and love it, thanks for making me part of your wednesday.
This card here reminds me of why i stress about posting about good mail. I found this card the other day in my garage under a box. It is from Becca about her recent fun birthday, but how did it make it to my garage that is no where near my mailbox. It worries me that I may leave someone out and if i have i may find your good mail in my christmas decor next year.
Jill seriously you are the thank you note queen and are putting me to shame but reminding me how fun it is to get a thank you note.
Natasha had cute easter photos made into cards to send out. I mean come on who sends Easter Cards.... oops. I love the live bunnies.
my sister in law (Michelle and Barb she is from Canada) Amanda sent me a thank you note for the pretend Williams Sonoma gift I sent her. She is a great cook and becoming a great seamstress.
My friend Heather, the cute mother of the new Scarlett Kate is doing great. I sent her my favorite thing to make. Minkie dress Onsies. So easy. not great photos but you can see it here.
Pattern is from Children's Corner and a very easy beginner pattern.

I was happy one of my funky packaging full of ribbon made it to natasha. I used the clear food container i had got my salad in from Whole Foods (washed out of course) and it seemed to surrvive.

Ahh. all caught up. now i need to order some new thank you notes.

Good Mail

before you read this, just think about what it would be like to type all this up & add photos and then watch it delete before you eyes... yes that was my morning.

How can I not brag about my good mail this week? I love running to my mailbox and discovering treasures and love wrapped up in envelopes. I have sent a plethora of good mail this week in very odd packaging that I hope will make it through the mail and not get sent back and it has been wonderful to think of the smiling faces when they find what is inside.
I really want to start taking photos of what I send to remind myself, I have said that to Jill 100 times and still I get too excited and package it in the mailbox with out any photos.
I am a total padded envelope recycler(not a real word). As some of you may have found out. My goals is to resend any padded envelope that gets sent to me, so I know that I am keeping the good mail cycle flowing. If I ever have any envelopes laying around, I know it is time to pass on the goodness.
Here is some tangible generosity I found this week.

A darling black and Pink card from Heather S. She had knit me a scarf this Christmas, and i had finally sent her a thank you and then she sent me a thank you for my thank you. She is the very nice gymboree hunter of the shirt months ago in Arizona. She is an original Pink Christmas gal from 2006.

My mom sent this thank you card that was pretty funny and I loved seeing that she has her own good mail labels from Jill.
Jill, sent a thank you for some attire for Whitney and it reminded me that, that was some of the most exciting mail I sent all year. I love sending something and just thinking of what they will think when it arrives on their doorstep.

Ms. New Home owner Amy W had a birthday recently and can now wrap herself up in ribbon and bows and she wrote me a thank you to tell me so!

Liz also had a birthday and wrote a nice thank you. I have not see Liz for over 6 years and I was amazed recently at her memory of when I had my gal bladder taken out. You have a quite a memory my friend.
Mindy shared her favorite Easter treat! My kids asked what is in there, I totally lied and said, "oh Nothing!" thanks Mindy.
In my love for stamps, Amanda S. sent this package covered with old doll stamps. These are some of my mom's favorites as mine too. Where did you find them? I love using many stamps on the front of packages. I am afraid she may have over stamped, but loved how many there were on there. On the good mail blog, there is a link to calculate your postage.
If you send mail regularly I strongly suggest a home scale. I use mine every day!

She sent a great jump rope that Annie Kate will wear out for sure. a darling notebook and the best! glitter eggs! girl did you make these? i love the idea of glitter plastic eggs. Thanks so much for your Easter wishes and I know you will be having fun at your house. She is so CREATIVE. Have you seen her scrapbook room?

Julie sent me a Superman plate that is PINK! I don't know if I really am superman but the plate will give me a reminder that I can do my best! She knows i am not fan of cell phones and so gave me a cell phone charm to give me a hard time. Julie, if i find my cell phone I will put it on there just for you! The card she made was such a great idea with tying the card shut on the side. thanks for my fun pink package!
she has also recently posted the "how to" make the roll recipe to teach your children about the Resurrection. this is a great Easter Sunday activity.


Later in the week my mom sent a fun package for Sally Jane's birthday which is tomorrow. She threw in a few things for me. Oh i am so lucky. I really can't post everything because you may become insanely jealous... hee hee, but here is a sampling. These cute spring boxes.



this stuff is liquid gold at our house. Mom where did you find this. we have been out for weeks!


and I loved that she passed on a book Jill sent her, she read and paid if forward by sending it to me. I am also thrilled about Sarah's quilt.

I also got a letter back from the Stake Presiden't wife who spoke at our R.S. conference. I had sent her a note with a self address envelope wondering if she would copy down a quote I was not quick enough to write down. She sent me a wonderful letter with the quote.

"through the power of the Spirit, we catch a spark from the awakened memories of the immortal soul, which lights up our whole being as with the gory of our former home."
Joseph F. Smith