Sunday, November 29, 2015

8:01 AM

Elf on the Shelf Arrival

If you get on Pinterest you know how important everyone's Elf on the Shelf is this time of year. While some think the whole thing is creepy, I think it's a fun tradition for families! I'll admit, I don't really do much with mine. He just moves around here and there. (Since my son is older this year, I'm going to try to do a better job)!

My friend Traci and I wanted to do something fun though to show the arrival of our elves. Of course, the first thing that popped into my head is to mail him!

We used a Gatorade bottle. I spray painted the lids gold because they look better than orange. I took a knife and just cut open the side. We stuffed him inside along with glitter and other Christmas goodies. Plus we wrote a little note. We sealed them up with packing tape then placed a label on the outside. I should have made a return label from the North Pole!       

   



We went to our local post office to send them off. We wanted to use Christmas stamps because I think that just looks neat! They added tracking for us which was free. It took six forever stamps which made it $2.94. The clerk looked at us funny but I think they came out so cute!



They arrived the next day! 



This is a quick and easy way to kick off your Elf on the Shelf season. You could really mail them in whatever you want that is under 13 ounces. USPS is great that way! 

Until next time! 
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Wednesday, September 23, 2015

5:36 AM

Mail Tag


A lot of people ask me "What do talk about with your penpals?" I usually tell them anything you talk about with your friends! Sometimes it isn't that easy because you have to put down what you are thinking on paper. It seems to get more effortless when you have written to a penpal a few times and know more about their personality. Mail tag is a great way to break the ice or if you are stuck with what you want to talk about.


So What is mail tag?
Mail tag is a way to get to know your penpals better. All you have to do is include questions with your letter for your penpal to answer. You can ask as many or few as you want. You can ask actual questions, prefences, or them to include something. Let your imagination run wild! Once your penpal answers your mail tag, you can always respond to their answers in your letter if you have something to add or what to tell them something that relates to it. You can put "mail tag" on anything (it doesn't have to be written on a tag). Same with your answers. Sometimes I answer the questions in my letter, sometimes I just put them on a seperate piece of paper.

 Here are 100 different mail tag questions or topics for you to send your penpal:

1.10 things I should know about you
2.Birthday and where you were born?
3.Tell me about your hometown
4.Favorite color
5.What is your favorite food?
6.A favorite quote
7.Tea or Coffee?
8.Favorite animal
9.Favorite pick up line
10.A sample of your favorite washi
11.Prefer pants or dress
12.Something you are looking forward to
13.Your “to-do” list today
14.A song you can’t get out of your head
15.Kind of car you drive
16.Left or Right handed?
17.Words you cannot stand
18.Favorite thing to shop for
19.Your favorite flower
20.Your pets names
21.Why you like mail and how you got into it
22.A list of famous people you would invite to a dinner party
23.Dream job
24.If you could go back in time, what decade would you go to?
25.Your go to drink at Starbucks
26.A funny story
27.A list of five things you would save from your house if it was on fire
28.What is the last picture you took on your phone?
29.Something that you are really good at
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30.What is on your favorite pizza?
31.Something that is currently making you happy
32.If you had a chance for a “do-over” in life, what would you do differently?
33.Dream vacation
34.If you won the lottery, what would you do?
35.One food that you hate
36.Last Book you read
37.Favorite number
38.Who do you admire most in your life?
39.Your duties at work
40.Last movie you saw at the theater
41.A skill you would like to learn
42.Star Wars or Star Trek?
43.A Favorite book or the last book that you read
44.What does your perfect day look like?
45.If you could bring one musician back from the dead, who would it be and why?
46.What animal best represents you and why?
47.A list of goals
48.Dr Pepper or Coke?
49.Your favorite words
50.Do you sneak candy into the movie theater?
51.Someone you look up to.
52.Night owl or early bird?
53.If you could have one superpower, what would it be and how would you use it?
54.Have a night out or evening in?
55.How would your best friends describe you?
56.What fad do you wish would come back?
57.If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
58.Cookies or Cake?
59.First CD or record you remember buying?
60.Last dream you had
61.If you could play one instrument you aren’t able to now, what would it be and why?
62.Favorite holiday or share one of your holiday traditions
63.Would you rather live in the city or the country?
64.Beach or mountains?
65.Favorite Season
66.The kindest thing a stranger ever did for you
67.If you were on death row, what would your final meal be?
68.What’s the craziest thing you’ve ever done?
69.What is currently in your bag
70.Least favorite chore
71.A language you would like to learn
72.3 things you are grateful for this week
73.Do you have any tattoos or piercings/ or do you want them?
74.Favorite thing about summer/fall/winter/spring
75.Describe yourself in 5 words
76.A guilty pleasure
77.Bug you are most scared of?
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78.Dog or cat person?
79.A tea bag
80.A joke
81.What you thought you’d be when you grow up
82.A time you met someone famous
83.Something you love about your best friend
84.Your pet peeves
85.What one food you wish was super healthy?
86.What kind of phone do you have?
87.Favorite junk food
88.Favorite candle scent
89.A recipe
90.Favorite board game
91.10 Things on your Bucket List
92.A crazy color you would dye your hair
93.Is there a story behind your name?
94.A clothing store you love
95.Your favorite sport
96.Your first job
97.Last thing you dressed up as on Halloween?
98.Something you always have stocked in your fridge?
99.Favorite candy bar
100.Things you love about where you live

 We can give credit to Biance Jagoe with coming up with mail tag.
A photo posted by A M A N D A 💕 (@mrs_amandacase) on


A photo posted by A M A N D A 💕 (@mrs_amandacase) on

Mail tag! 💕 #mail #happymail #penpal #penpals #snailmail

A photo posted by A M A N D A 💕 (@mrs_amandacase) on

For Maritza who loves ice cream 🍦😊💕 #mail #happymail #penpal #penpals #snailmail

A photo posted by A M A N D A 💕 (@mrs_amandacase) on



I don't include mail tag with every letter. Also, I sometimes worry about if I already asked them that question...oh well! Just go with it. They might have a different answer this time. :) 
Have a happy mail day!
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Saturday, September 19, 2015

9:15 AM

Message in a Bottle




Messages in a bottle have been around forever. The first recorded message in a bottle dates back to 310 BC. They have used them all through out history.  I was really excited when Monika sent me one! She stuffed it full with lots of different items and it made it safely with no damage. It is mailed similar to a small mailing tube and will cost around $2-3 depending on your weight. If it is under 13 oz you can add the stamps yourself and drop it in any mailbox just make sure you have weighed it correctly. You don't want it come back to you or have the recipient to have to pay postage.  Monika weighed it at home and it worked out fine. She said the post office considers it a "small package" so if you are using the USPS calculator, make sure you use the package option. If you aren't sure, you may just want to go to the post office the first time to get the correct postage.  Sending it international would entail a lot more, but I may try it once. I don't know if it would hold up especially with a customs form on the outside. You need to go to the post office if you are mailing it to someone in another country.




She went with a beach/summer theme that went perfect with the sea theme. I love her ship stamps too! I am going on a beach vacation in a month so this gets me really excited for that! 


She even included sand and an umbrella! How cute is that!


I put together some message bottle ideas to get you inspired: 





Here is a link  for an Etsy store that carries the plastic bottles though you could use any bottle you have. I'm thinking Gatorade bottles might work well because they have a large opening. I have some ideas so once I get them sent I'll be sure to share them with you. If you have any other ideas, I'd love to hear about them in the comments. Thanks for stopping by! 
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