A Handwritten Letter – beautiful bespoke stationery

From time to time in these busy days of social media, I find myself looking back at the handwritten letter as though it is a lost art form. It is so rare to receive paper stories these days in favour of a more technical approach. Even a telephone conversation is often replaced with a quick text. Don’t get me wrong, I love myself a little Instagram time as many of you know. On a busy day I wonder how I got by before I could send a WhatsApp to remind the family of something they shouldn’t forget. It’s just that sometimes I find myself wondering whether texting and instant messaging have replaced a carefully crafted handwritten letter and a good old natter over a pot of tea. And it was during one of these more nostalgic moments, I created this weeks post which has a different feel from any I have done before. Shall we?…

Several weeks back I was clearing out my writing bureau when I came upon an old handwritten letter I had received from my dear grandmother over twenty-five years ago. She had sent it to me whilst I was travelling around Australia. Back then of course the mobile phone was in its infancy and the iPhone had not even been dreamt of. Travellers wanting to get in touch with home either fed coins into the slot of a public telephone or reversed the charges back to the recipient. Communicating with home by letter took careful planning. You let your loved ones know where in the country you were and they sent a handwritten letter to the post office for you to collect. If it hadn’t arrived by the time you did, you waited. Sometimes a few days. Typically the letter would be on thin air mail paper and was not particularly pretty. And so to today’s post…

I should start by saying I have not invented a revolutionary app. I have merely discovered and used one which has been around a while. Waterlogue is a beautifully creative, simple to use app with delightful results. And I have used it here to create a thoughtful gift for a loved one or perhaps even a treat for yourself.

To begin, download the app from the app store; there is a small investment which in my opinion is swiftly recovered. I am not a techie at all and this post is not meant to be such, so I’ll assume you have the app downloaded and ready to use for the rest of this post. If you struggle at all, I find the presence of a passing teenager useful. This app effectively turns your photos into watercolours…

Your photos are seemingly transformed into beautiful art, without a brush or paint pot in sight. Simply locate the apps camera icon on the bottom left of the screen, select a photo from your camera role for your project and press. Then sit back and watch whilst the app firstly draws your photo and then paints in a stunning pallet of colours. Fabulous. There are a variety of looks to choose from too and once you’ve made your choice, you simply save and print. And use for what, I hear you ask? Just let your imagination run wild. Greetings cards for any occasion, personalised tags to adorn your friends and families gifts. Maybe invitations and menus for a summer garden party. In a bid to keep the beautiful art form of handwritten letter writing alive, I chose to create a bespoke letter writing set made up of a good quality paper and pretty envelopes.

By using this app, I had the opportunity to design a gift which is truly personal and unique. Perhaps you will choose beautiful roses for a romantic theme…

Maybe sweet peas would be your choice for the summer garden lover…

An animal loving friend might like dogs, cats or perhaps a selection of shots of their own special companion for their handwritten letters…

And what nature lover could resist a rustic display of pine cones to craft their stories…

And your interior loving friend could not fail to enjoy receiving a variety of shots from around their home …

For children and grandchildren this afternoon project might even be a way to foster an interest in handwritten letters from an early age and help in limiting their screen time. Next time, I have decided to try my hand at small postcards to be sent as thank you’s or invitation’s in my bid to keep beautiful handwritten letters alive.

Maybe for your box you will create six of the same design complete with pretty envelopes. Or maybe you’ll choose a variety like mine…

I used an inexpensive, good quality paper weighing 100 gsm. This gave the project a touch of luxury; of course simple white paper will work just as well. And as an unexpected surprise, a faint glimpse of the watercolour print can be seen on the reverse of the paper whilst the written story unfolds…

And then there’s the presentation box itself. Rather fortuitously I kept this pretty box from another writing set I received as a birthday gift and simply tied the whole set up in an oversized pretty bow.

A quick search on the internet took me here to a wonderful selection of gift boxes. I rather liked the understated manilla ones and have ordered several in different sizes for future gifts. This beautiful project could be created and used for so many friends, for almost every occasion, any time of the year.

And there you have my take on the handwritten letter. A blend of good old-fashioned communication meets modern and pretty technology. Do let me know which project you try or maybe even post and tag me on Instagram. Ahh… social media, where would we be without it? Have a lovely week x