The Christmas season is coming and as early as now, many of us are already thinking about the gifts we’ll be giving away. Since Christmas is also the season of love, why not include a heartfelt letter in your gifts? It may be old-fashioned, but no one could deny the sheer sincerity of a handwritten letter, even after all these years of digital communication taking over.
Despite its simplicity, handwritten letters never fail to surprise everyone. Add a more personal touch to your letter envelopes using these tips:
1. Vintage or Creative Stamps
If we were in the past decades, letter stamps would be the ones with pictures of iconic landmarks that people buy from the Post Office. They still exist and your letter envelopes would still look fabulous with them because of their vintage appeal. But if you can’t make the trip to the Post Office, you can use cute and creative stamp sets, instead. These unique stamps can lend more of your personality, which your letter recipients would love.
2. Colored Pens
You can do a number of things with colored pens, such as drawing, doodling, lettering, and calligraphy. If you’re worried about your lettering and calligraphy skills, you can easily achieve professional-looking results by learning faux calligraphy.
With doodling, you can come up with whatever images that come to your mind. Think of the things that remind you of the recipient, or of your friendship. The same thing goes with a drawing. Whichever handwritten or hand-drawn art you decide on, the recipient will surely be moved.
3. Envelope Liners
Another touch of the olden era, envelope liners were once used when mail was delivered by people on horseback and needed to be shielded from the weather. Now, we can use them for decorative purposes.
Making an envelope liner is pretty simple. All you need is a paper (preferably from magazines), a double adhesive tape, scissors, cardboard (to make your template), and of course, the envelope. You can either apply the liners outside or inside the envelope or both.
4. DIY Envelope
If you want a one-of-a-kind letter envelope, going for the DIY route is your best option. You can use any paper you want, like magazine pages, for example. Simply take out an existing letter envelope to be used as your template, and trace it onto the paper of your choice. The effort from creating a handmade envelope will clearly manifest your feelings for the recipient.
5. Paint
If painting is your niche, then you can showcase your skills on those letter envelopes. But if you’re trying this for the first time, you’d be glad to know that you don’t have to be an expert to pull this off. Make sure not to use a thick layer as it could warp the paper. If an additional layer is needed, allow the first coating to completely dry first before applying another. Once the paint has dried, you can write on it with colored pens, add more embellishments, or fill it with stamps.
6. Wax Seal
This would probably be the ultimate vintage decor for your letter envelope. Thankfully, wax seals didn’t cease to exist. You have two options: cold wax seal or hot wax seal. If you’re going to write several letters, you may want to opt for cold wax seal because they work faster. Applying a wax seal may take some practice, but once you get the hang of it, you’d be making stupendous letter envelopes with a nostalgic appeal.
With a dressed up letter envelope, your loved ones can have a more special Christmas. Writing a letter is a good way to express personal feelings. And for some, the best gifts ever are love, appreciation, and sincerity, all of which a letter can show.
