Hello, my friends!
I am SO excited for this post! Firstly, because I love pen paling and I can’t wait to share more ideas with you (see my two other penpal posts here). And secondly, because I reached out to Candi @ The Pen Pal Paperie last month, and she kindly sent me some of her lovely products for a review! But before we get started, I get to announce the winner of my maple syrup giveaway. . .
Lillianna Joy
Lillianna! Woohoo! Congratulations, girl! I’ll be emailing you as soon as possible to discuss your prize. For those of you didn’t win; thank you SO much for entering! It means so much to me that you follow, read, and comment on my posts. I’m so thankful for each and everyone of you. 🥰
If you’re looking for more fun extras to send in your letters, envelope art inspiration, fun things to do with your penpals, and a review of The Pen Pal Paperie’s products, this post is for you!
Quick note: This post contains affiliate links. If you buy something from my link, I get a small commission for advertising, at not extra cost to you. Thank you for supporting this blog!
goodies and fun extras to send
I love adding special gifts to my letters! Finding flat things that don’t weigh much can be difficult, but these are things that I’ve sent or received and enjoyed.
- Washi tape samples
- Seed packets; both flowers and vegetables (perfect if you have a gardening penpal!)
- Color palettes
- Tea (This is my absolute favorite tea!)
- Bookmarks
- Playlists
- Quote cards
- Dried flowers (Drying your own flowers also works well!)
- Brochures & post cards
- Photos (especially seasonal photos; for example, in spring send bright flower photos!)
- Friendship bracelets
- Cute paperclips
- Stickers (You can also buy stickers of Etsy, but getting a pack from Amazon is so much cheaper!)
- Pretty sticky notes
- Flat keychains (This one is snail mail themed!)
- Stencils
- Socks/thin gloves
- Small boxes of crayons (I loved getting a set of crayons with my name on it! So fun!)
- Scrunchies/hair ties
envelope art inspo
Making envelope art is one of my favorite parts of having penpals! I’m not the best artist when it comes to actually drawing, but I’ve found it fun to decorate my envelopes and it adds a personal touch to each of your letters!
This one is so simple and so springy! I just doodled some simple flowers on the front and back of the envelope, and then carried the whole flower theme through the letter.
I liked how the first one turned out so much that I did it on a white envelope, too. XD It was the same flower doodles, but a bit of a different font (that I sort of hate how it turned out) but fun just the same!
I did this for my cousin and she loved it! It was super simple to draw some green leaves and sprouts, and then I finished it off with watercolor pencils.
fun swaps to do with your penpals
Looking for some fun activities to do with your penpal? Here’s my favorite ideas!
Book lists. Simply write out a list of your top ten/fifteen/twenty favorite books or books you just finished and if you’ve read the same book, discuss it! A great way to lengthen your letters and get to talk about books at the same time.
Memorize a chapter of scripture together. My pen pal Chloe and I are doing this right now and it’s been such a blessing! It’s a wonderful way to dive into the Scripture, while also keeping it fun and having accountability.
Color a picture together. I haven’t done this myself, but it seems like it’d be really fun to do! One penpal sends a drawing, and then you take turns coloring it.
Swap writing prompts. I did this with my pen pal Katherine and it was so fun to read each other’s writing. We both sent prompts with each of our letters and then with our next, we mailed each other what we wrote. I’m definitely going to do it with one of my pen pals!
Get a wax seal kit. I use mine for every single letter I send because it’s so much fun to use. I have this kit and this stamp. It takes a bit to figure out how to get it exactly right, but once you, do it’s amazing to have!)
Play tic-tac-toe. (And get the award for the longest tic-tac-toe game ever. XD) Someone starts the game, and then you each take a turn with each of your letters.
Exchange prayer requests. This is such a special thing to do and can really grow your friendship; just asking ‘how can I pray for you?’ is a small thing but it can make your pen pal’s day. ❤️
Swap recipes. My penpal Anna and I did this during the fall last year and we swapped season recipes, but I’m definitely going to do it again because it was amazing. We each then made the recipe we sent.
Write a letter in a notebook. Have a tiny notebook floating around that you haven’t used? It’s the perfect chance to write a letter and send it to your penpal! If write short letters, you may have to rip out a few pages, or your penpal can just reply back in the notebook. Super fun!
the penpal paperie review
As I mentioned in the beginning of the post, I reached out to Candi @ The Pen Papaerie and she kindly offered to send me a couple of her products! I got her spring PDT labels, stationary, stickers, and personalized address labels.
The shipping was very quick and timely, and the package was nicely wrapped! She also gave a discount for your next order which is always a plus.
So when I first got the package, I didn’t realize that I was getting custom address labels, and I was so happy when I got them! I had been thinking about just printing a set of my own, but I never did it, so when I opened up the envelope and they were in there, I was thrilled!
The only thing that I don’t like about this stationary is the line spacing; this is something that drives me crazy about most stationary, and I was hoping that this set would be different. All in all, though, I love it! It’s so pretty and fun, and super springy. I still have stickers left which I’ll save for next year since they are Easter related.
I’d highly recommend all of Candi products; she has a really pretty wildflower theme right now, and I’m planning on buying from her shop again!
now, it’s your turn!
What was your favorite idea from this post? Do you have a penpal? Are you going to check out Candi’s shop? Do I have too much washi tape? Let’s chat in the comments!
~ Pearl Christine
If you enjoyed this post, make sure to comment, follow, share, and pin on Pinterest!
Ooooh those are all great ideas! I’ll have to remember them when I actually get a penpal *fp* XP
Thank you!! <3 *raises hand* I'm always open for another penpal 😉
Hehe I may take you up on that 😂
Yayyyy. XD I messaged you on YDubs about it! (:
Lovely post, Pearl!! I have a few pen pals (including Chloe 😄), so I will definitely have to try these out! I’ve also always wanted to try wax sealing my letters…maybe now’s the time! XD And I will definitely check out The Pen Paperie! *runs off to do that*
So glad you liked it! (Yes, Chloe is amazing. 😉) Wax sealing is so much fun and I’d totally recommend it. 😍 Thank you for reading! <3
I’m totally saving this on Pinterest!!! Such good ideas!!!
Yay! Thank you! <33
Oh my goodness these are all such GOOD ideas! I love this post!!! *bookmarks post* I have two pen-pals and m always trying to think of more ideas to make my letters more interesting… this inspired me so much! Thank you Pearl!!! <3
That makes me so happy to hear!! Thank you, Ariana! <33
There is no such thing as too much washi tape. (Although this comes from someone who’s just now starting to build her collection, so take it with a grain of salt. XD)
This post was fantastic!!! I’m getting into penpaling, happy mail, & mail art more lately, so this was right on time! I’ll be saving this to refer back to! 😉 Thank you SO much for sharing! <3
Oh, good. XD Then I shouldn’t worry. 😂 (Haha it is SO much fun to use though, right?)
So glad it came at the right time! Thank you for reading! 😁💕
Oo what a pretty post!! Oh that stationary is gorgeous! So fun! During covid my friend and I did coloring page swaps! I’d color one half, and mail it to her for her to finish the other half!! It was a blast!!
Ahh, that sounds like so much fun! And a great thing to do during COVID. 🤪😅 Yesss, the stationary was so pretty!
Yesss it was super fun! A fun memory during that crazy time! XD
hmm…..that Chloe character sounds familiar…..but i can’t put my finger on it…….maybe i ran into her on some other blog……..
great post as always, Pearl! i actually bought a pack of small notebooks a couple months ago, but i haven’t gotten around to using them in my letters. I WILL EVENTUALLY. lol
Hmm. . . she’s really awesome and it seems like you should know her. But if you haven’t, I’d recommend meeting her ’cause she’s wonderful. 😉
Thank you!! It’s SO fun to send letters written in tiny notebooks. 😁
These are such nice ideas!
I always like sending little things to my pen pals, but have been running out of ideas lately!
Thanks for the post😊
Ooh, I’m glad this post was helpful! Thank you, Lucy! 💕
I love all your ideas! I am definitely going to have to use some of them! I have that exact pack of stickers, and I absolutely love them😍.
Aw, thank you! I know, they are so uplifting and fun. 😍
This post couldn’t have come at a better time!! I love all these ideas!!!
I’m so glad to hear that!
Such great ideas! And I love the artwork you did on the envelopes! Also, I relate to having a lot of washi tape *grins sheepishly*. The colors are just so pretty and fun.
A big congrats to Lillianna for winning the giveaway! Candi’s shop sounds amazing, so I’m off to check it out! Thanks for the review and fun post, Pearl 🙂
Aw, thanks!
Washi tape is SO much fun. Too much fun at times, right? XD
Yay! Thank you!!
I love this post and I will definitely use some of these ideas when writing to you! <3
Yay!! I can’t wait. 😀 <3
This was such a fun post! I think your envelope art is sooooo pretty!
Hurray for Lillianna! Candi has such pretty stationary in her shop! Thanks for all the ideas, Pearl!
Aww, thank you so much!! <33 So happy you enjoyed this post!
So glad you enjoyed it! Thank you! <3
I agree. (:
Lovely post, Pearl! You gave me some wonderful ideas! (I feel so honored to mentioned in a post! <3)
Thank you!! (Aww. <3)
Eeep, this post made me so happy because I desperately need more pen-palling inspo. XD These are all such fun yet doable tips (well except for Pearl crayons, I don’t think there’d be any Zoey crayons XP)!
And no, you can’t ever have too much washi tape but goodness that IS a lot of washi tape. 😂 My meagre collection pales in comparison. 😅🤪
Thanks for this post Pearl! I’ll definitely be coming back to this for ideas as I write. 😀
Aw, I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Zo! <3 (I shall have to find you a pack of Zoey crayons and mail them to you for your birthday. *nods seriously*) I knowww, I'm sort of obsessed. XD I'll have to send you washi tape for your birthday as well. 😉 Yay!! Thank you so much for reading!
Oooh, I LOVE your ideas!!!😍 I especially liked the idea of sending tea or seed packets! That was such a cool idea!!! Also, wax seals are SO much fun to make! I don’t have a pen pal, but I used to send letters regularly to my cousin. I also love sending cards out to people. Anyway, thank you SO much for this awesome post!!!
I’m SO happy you enjoyed this! They are so much fun, yesss. 😁 Sending cards to people is amazing and it can mean so much. 🥰 Thank you so much for reading! <3
I love this post! Bookmarking for future reference. You have inspired me to start pen-paling more. I feel like everyone communicates in the digital world these days, and while that’s good and easy, I love the feeling of sending and receiving letters in the mail. Thanks for this post!
Yay! I’m so happy you enjoyed it. It is such a fun and special feeling to send out a letter and then receive one with your name on it. 🥰 Happy penpaling!