Everyday Correspondence

Hotel Stationery: Hotel Monaco

2012-02-09T07:14:00.000-05:00

I often judge a hotel on its stationery. It's one of those items whose presence - like a bowl full of brown-less M&Ms - indicates a particular attention to detail. And, the better the stationery, the more props I'm inclined to throw a particular hotel's way. But, every once in a while, it's not about good or bad, but "huh?"

A summer or so ago, I checked into the Hotel Monaco in the Penn Quarter neighborhood of Washington, D.C. And, as I always do when settling into a hotel room, I immediately went to the desk in search of hotel stationery. What I found perplexed me. There were several 8.5" x 11" sheets of fair quality stationery, printed with the hotel's logo and bearing the hotel's address and contact information. And in place of number 10 sized envelopes were a set of fine quality A6 envelopes, printed with the appropriate hotel information. For the uninitiated, A6 envelopes measure 4.75" x 6.5".

I'm not sure why the Hotel Monaco decided to offer me incompatible stationery and envelopes, but not to be a beggar and a chooser, I took them both. And, when I finally decided to use some of the hotel stationery, it gave me the opportunity to craft my own brightly colored envelope.

This stationery was sent off as my first letter to a new pen pal from Australia. I really wanted it to stand out in her stack of afternoon mail. So, in addition to using attention-grabbing paper for the envelope, I used a sticker type seal from Papyrus (they include a pack of these seals with every set of envelopes) for glint. And, as a goodwill gesture, I bound the pages of the letter with a fountain pen nib paper clip/bookmark/neat thing from Levenger.

The letter should have arrived in Queensland a week or so ago, I can't wait to hear back from my new Aussie pen pal.

Desk Essentials: Postal Scale

2012-01-26T14:30:00.000-05:00

"How many ounces do you think this is?" I used to ask that question all the time, defaulting to the greater possible weight, likely spending unnecessary postage for envelopes which felt a little thick. But, now with my handy dandy postal scale, I am sure of how much postage any particular envelope or parcel requires.

At $9.99 I probably paid a bit too much for this spring scale, but Rite Aid played to my weakness by displaying it next to the packing tape on a day when I really needed to mail a lightweight package of uncertain weight. But, by the end of the year, I expect to recuperate the cost of the scale in saved postage. My dream, though, is to get a digital scale. My local Post Office sells an over-priced digital scale, but it's got all the USPS imagery all over it. Who knows, I may have a weak moment while waiting in line to mail my mother a birthday present this October...

But, if you're a normal, rational person who is in the market for this desk essential, there are many more affordable options (sans fun USPS stickers) available online.

Out of Stamps

2012-01-20T14:58:00.001-05:00

I hate when this happens. I find a limited run of stamps I really, really love - the Abstract Expressionists series, which I think was the best of 2010. And then, I run out - I used the last stamp, the large Jackson Pollock, today. Damn it.

A Thoughtful Thank You

2012-01-17T18:27:00.001-05:00

My dear friend, Grace, is a most fastidious sender of thank you notes. In this week's post, she kindly sent me a card thanking me for including her in a gift exchange I organized. While her prose was kind, her script unique and attractive, my favorite element of this card is the card itself.

Grace and I are friends from high school back in the Twin Cities (for readers not familiar with the American Midwest, they are St. Paul and Minneapolis, in Minnesota), and we each found ourselves on the East Coast - myself in D.C. and her in New York. While we're both happy living short distances from the Atlantic, we each have deep affection for our hometowns. So, it's become almost a personal hallmark for her to send cards from (and often about) Minneapolis. I don't know where she buys her stationery, but I strongly approve.

This card, with colors appearing more saturated in person, depicts a historic Minneapolis/St. Paul trolley, before the tracks were torn up and the trolleys retired in the mid 20th century. I like the simple image so much, I've added it to the pile unusually sized items (it's 4" x 5.25") which I plan on having framed.

Wow, three paragraphs on simple card. Behold: the power of a thoughtfully chosen, well written thank you note.

A Classic Letter

2012-01-05T11:21:00.000-05:00

After much consideration, I decided to respond to the modern black and white pen pal letter with a traditionally themed letter of my own. I chose to write on some of my most favorite stationery, which I use very sparingly - the Toile de Jouy which I purchased as a souvenir from Thomas Jefferson's Monticello. The design is attractive, the paper takes fountain pen ink pretty well, and the envelopes feel fantastic.

And then, as an homage to the original letter, I used a very modern art stamp for postage - my favorite set of postage stamps released in recent memory. And, I finished it off with a faux wax seal. I have no idea why, but as hard as I try, and as much as I practice - I can never seem to pull off a good wax seal on an actual letter! It drives me nuts. This time around, I even put on twice as much faux wax as I normally would, and it Still.Didn't.Turn.Out. Not that I'm going to stop using seals, but I may just have to admit it's another one of those things I'll just never be able to do, along with making a good pot of coffee and whether my father's birthday is on May 3 or 4. Oh well.

"Mail, it's like texting with a pencil!"

2012-01-04T19:28:00.001-05:00

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart

Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c

Too Big to Mail

www.thedailyshow.com

Daily Show Full Episodes

Political Humor & Satire Blog

The Daily Show on Facebook

More in Black and White

2011-12-22T13:24:00.000-05:00

My love for black and white schemes is now well documented here on Everyday Correspondence, which is perhaps why one pen pal sent me a wonderful black and white card, with a wonderfully shiny image on the front. Further indicating she's an attentive blog reader, she included some fantastic new personal calling cards!

Seeing as how her theme is rather modern, I wonder which stationery I'll choose for my letter in response...

Friday Night Favorite Reads

2011-11-11T17:17:00.002-05:00

The amazing cat pouch letter at The Missive Maven

So, penmanship DOES matter! at 365 Letters

Need help identifying that vintage Pelikan? Check out the online Pelikan Guide at Fountain Pen Geeks

On the Road: Rural Virginia Post Office

2011-11-06T06:59:00.000-05:00

On the same trip during which I stayed at the Hummingbird Inn, the missus and I drove down many a country road in rural Virginia. As lush and green as the scenery was, one of my favorite sights was that of a roadside post office. Easily mistaken for an inviting home, housing a grandmother who bakes award winning pies, this post office gave me the warm fuzzies and made me stop for pictures.

I've often thought I'd like to live in a old post office or bank building, as they're often characterized by their ornate, old world charm. But, I think this Brownsburg post office, complete with railing flower baskets and chimney, would do just fine.

Friday Night Favorite Reads

2011-11-04T16:33:00.005-04:00

How a letter on Hitler's stationery, written to a boy in Jersey, reached the CIA at Washington Post

Flashing Across the Country: Mr. Zip at National Postal Museum

Postage Paid Protest of the Day at Mother Jones Tumblr

New Good Pens Contest! at Good Pens (Contest ends tonight at Midnight!)

Postcard Request at The PenPal Project

Prince William, Kate's Fan Mail - 60,000 messages and counting! at People

Personalizing Correspondence with Recycled Materials

2011-11-02T14:30:00.001-04:00

I have a creative pen pal, who makes fantastic mail using mostly recycled papers. Although we've fallen a tad out of contact (my fault), I enjoyed our back and forth just as much for the materials we used in our communications as the actual words we wrote.

The above two pictures in this post are from her most recent letter to me. She folded a magazine page into an envelope and used daily calendar pages as stationery. That's a tough one to respond to.

So, I wrote my letter on paper made from sugarcane waste, called bagasse. And, I made my own envelope from a brown paper bag - a great durable material to cover packages and letters for delivery though the post.

To finish off the letter, I used a Go Green stamp. I'm sure there's more I could do, but I need some suggestions. What recycled materials do you use to enhance your letters?

Hotel Stationery: Shula's Hotel and Golf Club

2011-10-30T06:57:00.001-04:00

It's no secret, if you're a reader of this blog, I love letterhead. What may not be so obvious, however, is how much I crush on hotel stationery.

When first entering a hotel room, many people run to check out the bathroom or jump on the bed; I go to the desk to see if there's hotel specific stationery. Hotel stationery is an extension of a time gone by, when people would go on holiday for weeks on end, settle into a hotel or club - actually put their clothes in the provided bureau or armoire - and use their vacation digs as a temporary home. To accommodate this regular use, and the upper class convention of having engraved stationery for each of their homes, hotels and clubs provided stationery for guest use.

Today, unfortunately, few people are able to stay in a hotel long enough for use of its stationery to be anything more than a novelty. So, most folks I know don't bother to even check for stationery in their vacation accommodations, but I collect it. I get such a kick from it, my wife brings it back for me on her vacations as a souvenir. It's cheaper than a t-shirt, right?

Call it a quirk. Am I alone?

Friday Night Favorite Reads

2011-10-28T16:45:00.004-04:00

J. Herbin Gris Nuage Ink Review at PenInkcillin

Uni Pin 0.05.. like write on rice at Good Pens

Letter in Someone Else's Hand at Because I Really Felt It

The entire blog Bad Postcards

A Spooky Stamp Collection for Halloween at National Postal Museum Facebook Page

Roll of Attorneys

2011-10-27T14:30:00.000-04:00

Despite technological advancements, pens and paper still hold an important place in the American tradition. A striking example may be found in the legal profession.

While doctors have a coating ceremony at the beginning of medical school, courts carry on the tradition of having newly sworn members of a bar sign the roll of attorneys. Signing into the roll is the final step to becoming a licensed practitioner before any particular court. Similarly, being 'stricken from the roll' is the final act of removing a member from the bar.

The rolls are kept by court and eventually archived. To this day, you can still go to courts and see the names of famous attorneys in their rolls. Abraham Lincoln's name, for example, can still be found in the roll in the office of the clerk at the Supreme Court of Illinois.

The actual act of signing is a tad unceremonious. You wait in line, chatting, for your 10 seconds to write your name, but it was my favorite part of swearing into the Maryland Bar - so I had a member of the court staff take the above picture for me.

I wasn't sure if the paper would feather or bleed too terribly, so I used a favorite ballpoint pen to sign. An inexpensive pen, I still like the way it looks and writes. Can anyone name it?

Adventures in Letterpress: Wedding Invitation

2011-10-23T06:43:00.001-04:00

Way back in April 2010, I posted about a run of Save the Date cards I printed on my Anchor Easy Photo (makeshift) printing press. Several months, I created and printed a run of invitations on Crane Lettra 110 lb. paper, for the same wedding. The above card was affixed on top of another card containing directions and website information, separated by perforation from the response card, with black grommets. To summarize the process for wedding guests, the below video was posted to the front page of the couple's wedding website.

As I've mentioned before, my printing process is a tad unorthodox. Maybe it's just to make me feel better about the finished product, but I like to think the imperfections, e.g. the uneven ink coverage, add character - helping pull together the vintage and modern design elements.

From feedback I received, the invitations were well received! To continue the design theme, I also created wedding programs, dinner menus, and dance cards for the event, using the same production method.

I haven't done much letterpress printing lately... but who knows when inspiration will strike.

Friday Night Favorite Reads

2011-10-21T16:50:00.002-04:00

Silver Ink! at notebookism

Kate Middleton Sends Leukemia Patient Hope in Personal Letter at (I know, I was shocked, too) fitperez

Postage prices go up ... again at CNN.com

Whimsy Goes With Everything

2011-10-20T20:12:00.002-04:00

I'm not sure what it is, but when the leaves change color - I watch Gilmore Girls. The episode containing the above clip about mailboxes found its way onto my screen this week.

If I lived in a place where I had a roadside mailbox, you better believe it'd be whimsical.

London Bridge in the Mail

2011-10-19T13:23:00.001-04:00

Sometimes simple is better. For a thank you card I wrote, I used a card with a black and white image of a famous London bridge - from the same box as this card, placed it in a white envelope with a shiny black liner, and stamped it with a London travel stamp.

This particular note had absolutely nothing to do with London or travel, I just wanted to make it stand out. See, simple.

Letters and The Law: Letter to the Editor!

2011-10-16T07:00:00.000-04:00

On a not-so-recent trip to my hometown, St. Paul, Minnesota, I paid a visit to the old federal building, now called Landmark Center. While touring the courtrooms of the floor once occupied by the federal courts, I ran across a provocatively titled placard:

In the midst of World War I, Congress passed and the President signed the Espionage Act, which in part, "empowered the postmaster general to declare any material that violated any provision of the Espionage Act or that urged "treason, insurrection, or forcible resistance to any law of the United States" unmailable. Use of the mails to transmit such materials was punishable by imprisonment and a fine." Source. While no one was convicted of espionage or spying under the Act, federal prosecutors used the Act's lesser provisions to obtain over 1,000 convictions.

One of those prosecuted under the Act was Rose Pastor Stokes, a known Socialist who, despite disavowing the party's opposition to the war and being married to a member of the armed forces, was found guilty at trial and sentenced to ten years in prison for transmitting a prohibited message via post to a local newspaper:

No government which is for the profiteers can also be for the people, and I am for the people, while the government is for the profiteers.

It seems it took some Minnesotan sensibility to determine Mrs. Stokes' right to free speech trumped an aggressive reading of the Espionage Act. Two years after her trial, a Minnesota judge authored the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals decision overturned Mrs. Stokes' conviction. And, with the war then over, the federal prosecutors declined to press forward with the case, leaving Mrs. Stokes free to continue advocating her causes and writing letters to the editor.

Friday Night Favorite Reads

2011-10-14T18:22:00.004-04:00

Letters Outside the Box at Letter Writers Alliance

Andrew Meyer, Capitol Hill Bar Goer, Stiffs Bartender, Leaves Rude Note, Gets World Wrecked by Internet at Seattle Weekly

Free Printable Postcards: Save America's Postal Service at Afternoon Pity Party

10,000 Lakes at Because I Really Felt It

Handmade Personalized Stationery

2011-10-10T15:56:00.005-04:00

What do you do when you haven't any fancy stationery on which to write a letter to your pen pal? Why, if you're All My Hues, you create your own. Every letter I've received from her has given me a kick, and every letter has been kept. That's the power of personalized correspondence.

If They Can Find the Time...

2011-10-09T07:03:00.003-04:00

I learn the darndest things in the most unusual places. Though I already knew Franklin Delano Roosevelt was a major philatelist from an exhibit at the National Postal Museum, it took me a trip to the Hummingbird Inn to discover how thoughtful the 32nd President of the United States and his wife really were.

During FDR's first term in office, following the textile workers' strike of 1934, Eleanor Roosevelt went to inspect conditions at the Stillwater Springs textile mill, nestled between the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia, in the town of Goshen. A brief visitor, Mrs. Roosevelt spent only one night in Goshen, as guest of Pearl Teter-Wood and her husband, Joseph, proprietors of what is now the Hummingbird Inn.

Upon her departure, the Woods sent a basket with Mrs. Roosevelt as a gift for the President. A short time later, the Woods received a pair of notes.

It seems the basket found its way to the President, and he appreciated it.

From Mrs. Roosevelt's account, the President appreciated the basket a bit too much, as she was caused to "promptly take it away from him." In addition to kind letters of thanks, Mr. Wood received a call to lunch with the First Lady, and to meet the President.

If the First Family can find the time - in the midst of the great depression - to write thank you notes, surely any of us in the 21st century can do the same.

Friday Night Favorite Reads

2011-10-07T20:56:00.010-04:00

Arco Light at Bleubug

Creative Inspiration at Rhodia Drive

Is the U.S. Postal Service Really in Trouble? at The Missive Maven

Advertising Cameos at Letter Writers Alliance

Zombie Stationery at Fountain Pen Geeks

Additional Resources* at ENG 101: American Letters

*Check out the link below "Diana Hacker Online"

Collection Inspiration: Wahl Ring Top

2010-08-30T07:18:00.002-04:00

There are soooooo many fountain pens out there! And, like many collectors in many other hobbies, pen enthusiasts often choose to focus their collections around a common theme, whether it be a manufacturer, color scheme, material or era. For a couple years now, I have purchased pens without any single thread to tie my collection together [aside from the fact that each pen spoke to me at some point]. I never actually felt much of a need to focus the collection, I figured that as long as I appreciated all of my pieces that it didn't matter if they were a cohesive grouping. That changed when I purchased my first ring top.

When I first saw this 1920s all metal, sterling silver, hand engraved, lever filling Wahl, I knew that it belonged in my pen case... and that it needed company.

Ring top pens were originally advertised as vest pens for men. They were worn with a short chain that attached to a button hole in the man's vest and were kept in a vest pocket. Later, for reasons not 100% clear, these same pens were advertised to women as ladies' pens, worn on a chain around the neck. Same pens, just different target markets. I've had considerable trouble accurately dating my particular pen, so I'm not sure whether it was advertised as a vest pen or a ladies' pen.

I searched around the internet on multiple occasions, and while I found Wahl advertisements for very similar pens on the Pen Collectors of America website, I'm not totally comfortable saying that the pen I own and the pen advertised are the same.

When I went to the Raleigh Pen Show in June I made a special point of asking around to see if anyone could give me information on my little pen. Unfortunately, no one could really give me any specifics beyond general information on Wahl all metal ring tops. I did, however, find a vintage Waterman ring top with a strikingly similar floral pattern. The Waterman vendor, Alan Hirsch, posited that this particular pattern may have just been a popular trend in the 1920s, meaning that the engravers from Wahl and Waterman probably didn't copy the others' design, but that they were probably inspired by a common third party design. To Wahl's benefit, Alan volunteered that my pen was prettier than the Waterman he was selling. I wonder what species of flower inspired the pattern, any ideas?

I thought for sure that my quest to find out more about my pen had ended, when through our personal correspondence, I found out that Julie from Whatever that she, too, had a sterling Wahl ring top. I held my breath, until Julie posted about her pen on her blog, and it turns out that our pens are twins!

Julie found the same Wahl ad that I did, and she's a tad more inclined than I am to believe that our pens are the very same model as the pen advertised in the vintage catalog.

Historical ambiguities aside, this 4.5"-ish writer is one of my favorite pens. The all metal section is fitted with a Wahl No. 2, a very flexible 14k nib. When the pen arrived in my mailbox, the nib was a bit scratchy, even on the smoothest of papers. So, I had nibmeister Deb Kinney smooth my nib at the Raleigh Pen Show for a nominal fee, and it writes brilliantly.

I don't have a chain for this or any of my other ring top pens, yet, but I do plan on wearing them as vest pens in the future. Can you think of any places where I can get a deal on a sterling silver pen chain [or a double albert chain]?

I was so excited to purchase this ring top, and I look forward to acquiring [many?] more!

Vintage* Pen Tray

2010-08-25T12:38:00.008-04:00

As I was studying this summer, I de-stressed from time to time by engaging in a little retail therapy. Among the pen related items I purchased was this fantastic vintage pen tray. The seller advertised the tray as an authentic lacquered piece with gold accents from the early 1800s.

In years gone by, before the age of the fountain pen, when dip pens were the primary writing tool, writers needed a place to put their pens to prevent ink from getting all over their table, blotter, or writing surface. Their solution: the pen tray.

It was typical of finer pen trays to have arms, or a small rack, protruding from the tray [example 1, example 2] to hold the pen above the tray's surface, to avoid getting ink all over the pen. My tray doesn't have this feature, so it's possible [example 3] that it was not originally intended as a pen tray at all. It is possible that my little tray was instead used as a calling card tray - to present visitor's cards to the lady of the house holding visiting hours in her parlor [example 4]. Then again, it's possible that this tray just isn't authentic at all.

While the tray certainly is lacquered, and it does have some wear and tear, it's unclear to me whether it is faux vintage or authentic vintage. It would be neat if the tray actually were 200-ish years old, but I'm not going to put many eggs in that wishful basket. Oh well, whether it's an authentic piece from the turn of the 19th century or a great buy from TJ Maxx, I still can't wait to display it on my future desk.