Postcards from the Road
Picture this: You walk to the letter box, open it up and in amongst the boring bills there’s a postcard addressed to you all handwritten and pretty, with a happy message from somewhere far away. A little piece of handwritten goodness, just for you.
That sounds awesome, right?!
Well, I have a way that it can come true for you! I’m going to be travelling across the USA for 6 weeks in January and February, 2013 and I want to write you postcards - real, physical postcards you can touch and pin on your wall or add to your fridge – and send them to you along the way! I will be visiting 10 different cities in 10 different states.
This is a fun way that I can share my journey with you through bright, bubbly mail coming to your letter box. The 10 cities are: Las Vegas NV, Salt Lake City UT, Kansas City MO, Nashville TN, Charleston SC, Wilmington NC, Charlottesville VA, Philadelphia PA, New York City NY & Toronto/Niagra Falls Canada.
The Complete Set – 10 postcards
What you’ll get:
- 10 postcards – One from each city I visit, sent within 5 days of my arrival in each city
- Each postcard will represent the place I’m in in some way
- Each postcard will have a personalised message from me, sharing some cool things about the location and something that happened
- Each postcard will then be posted via USPS to your location (PO Box or address that you provide)
- And that awesome feeling you get when you get mail that’s worth keeping!
Cost: $40 (2 free)
SOLD OUT
The Half Set – 5 postcards
What you’ll get:
- 5 postcards – One from 5 of the cities I visit. These will be random spread over the trip (not first 5 or last 5, selected by me) sent within 5 days of my arrival in each city
- Each postcard will represent the place I’m in in some way
- Each postcard will have a personalised message from me, sharing some cool things about the location and something that happened
- Each postcard will then be posted via USPS to your location (PO Box or address that you provide)
- And that awesome feeling you get when you get mail that’s worth keeping!
Cost: $20 (1 free)
SOLD OUT
The Mini Set – 3 postcards
What you’ll get:
- 3 postcards – One from 3 of the cities I visit. These will be a random 3 spread over the trip sent within 5 days of my arrival in each city
- Each postcard will represent the place I’m in in some way
- Each postcard will have a personalised message from me, sharing some cool things about the location and something that happened
- Each postcard will then be posted via USPS to your location (PO Box or address that you provide)
- And that awesome feeling you get when you get mail that’s worth keeping!
Cost: $15
SOLD OUT
A Single – 1 postcard
What you’ll get:
- 1 postcard – From 1 of the cities I visit. This will be a random spread over the trip, sent within 5 days of my arrival in that city
- Each postcard will represent the place I’m in in some way
- Each postcard will have a personalised message from me, sharing some cool things about the location and something that happened
- Each postcard will then be posted via USPS to your location (PO Box or address that you provide)
- And that awesome feeling you get when you get mail that’s worth keeping!
Cost: $5
SOLD OUT
Everyone who purchases a postcard will have the opportunity to be included on a special THANK YOU page that will be visible on this blog until 2014, with your name and a link to either your blog, website or twitter! If you’d prefer to not be on the thank you page, that’s cool too!
Here’s how it will work:
- Select the number of postcards you’d like to receive from the 4 options above and click the Buy Now Button and pay
- The pricing of each postcard includes the cost of the postcard and postage as well as a little bit for my time
- Make sure the postal address you want your postcards to go to is the correct one in PayPal
- Fill in the survey on the confirmation page with your name and link for the THANK YOU page (this page will be on the blog by December 1st, 2012)
- Make a cup of tea or a favourite drink for being awesome
- And come January 22, 2013 start looking for your postcards in the mail! Check twitter and this blog for updates on when I posted them.
This is going to be an amazing, life changing trip and I can’t wait to share it with you. Thank you for coming along with me. If you’ve got any questions, please ask.x
Disclaimer: I am offering this in good faith, and will do my best to meet all deadlines set. If there is an issue, I will do my best to notify all customers as soon as I can. I can’t be held responsible for postal service delays or loss once the postcard has been posted. There are no refunds, except under special circumstances, so please don’t buy if you think you might change your mind later and not want them. Liability is limited to the purchase price. Prices are in Australian Dollars.
Images are examples of postcards only, not the actual card you will receive.
Sponsor Interview: Good Things*
Today I have a great interview with the lovely Emily from Good Things* one of my awesome sponsors!
Could you tell us a bit about you and about your blog Good Things*? How long have you been been writing it? What made you start?
Good Things* is, on the whole, a blog about exactly that – good things! I write about things that I love, things that I’m passionate about – you’ll find posts about my family, about talented artists and crafters, about travel and photography, and (possibly too many posts) about my two dachshunds. I am all for appreciating the little things – I think it’s such an important part of feeling happy in the world – so I often write about all those little things that make life good.
I’ve always loved writing, and there’s been so many blogs that I’ve loved over the years, it seemed a natural progression that I’d start one up eventually! My blog is quite young and I’ve only just started to feel like I’m getting in to my groove, it can be quite nerve wracking at first. But there’s been so much support and encouragement, sometimes from unexpected places, I’m so glad I took the plunge!
You run an Etsy store, Jorpins, why did you decide to start that? What did you do before you started Jorpins?
In my previous life I worked full-time. I have studied employee relations, and so I had a bunch of jobs related to human resources, labour law and health and safety. I worked for a fantastic employer in a fun but challenging environment. But then I moved overseas (to Hong Kong, now Seoul) with my husband and due to visa and language issues working in those fields became more of a challenge.
I’ve always been interested in craft – as kids we used to sew tiny felt bears in all kinds of costumes, make outfits for our dolls, that kind of thing – and I’ve always been drawn to the handmade aesthetic. Having more time on my hands in the past few years as led me to get creative again, starting out with some basic sewing kits, and then designing my own softies to give to friends and family. After awhile I guess I wanted to participate more actively in the handmade community, and opening an Etsy store seemed to be the next step in doing that.
There have been so many sources of inspiration out there for me. Reading craft blogs which have that wonderful ‘go on, give it a go!’ ethos (like Meet Me At Mikes) and seeing the people around me follow their handmade passions were both big motivators.
You make beautiful paper goods. What materials do you use and how do you choose them?
Tough question! My biggest issue is choosing what to leave behind! I guess primarily I’m drawn to colour and texture, and combining these in complimentary ways. I love vibrant hues and bold shapes. I like mixing materials that aren’t normally mixed – hence my previous obsession with paper embroidery. At the moment I’m looking at ways to incorporate buttons and other embellishments in to my paper goods, as well as working on some more traditional embroidered items.
We have a focus of mindful living on this blog, how do you incorporate living mindfully into your business?
I think a lot of people might look at my life from the outside and be dismissive of my ability to ‘live mindfully’. But to me, it’s about living within your means (something I’ve had to learn the hard way) and about being thoughtful in everything you do – whether it’s sending someone a reply on Twitter, choosing a blog to advertise on, writing a post about your nearest and dearest. It’s about having an awareness of actions and consequences, acknowledging that there is a world out there which you are actively participating in. For me, I guess above all, it’s about showing respect.
Do you have any advice for handmade sellers that are new to the game? What do you think is the most important thing for them to have when starting out?
My biggest piece of advice is to build your community! I can’t stress the importance of this enough! Working from home can be isolating and constantly putting yourself and your work ‘out there’, trying new things, can be daunting. It’s essential to have a network in the real or on-line world (or both) that can give you support and advice, or just have a laugh with you when everything seems to be going horribly, horribly wrong.
I’ve ‘met’ some really lovely people via Twitter, and through starting my blog, but you need to find the community building medium that works for you. It might be a local craft group that meets at your library once a month, it might be an on-line forum, it might be an active Etsy Team – whatever it is you need to feel comfortable with it.
Also, be patient. Take your time in nurturing relationships, it’ll pay off in the long run.
Thank you Emily! You can read Emily’s blog Good Things* and visit her Etsy shop for her lovely goodies!
Sponsor Interview: Catie’s Blue
Today I have a lovely interview with the awesome Brandi from Catie’s Blue, one of my lovely sponsors!
Could you tell us a bit about you and about your brand Catie’s Blue? How long have you been in business? What made you start?
Hi everyone! My name’s Brandi, and I’m a jewelry designer based in the US, Texas to be exact. I had an accidental stumble into a bead store during a vacation, and it rekindled my love of jewelry design. I had dabbled with creating jewelry growing up, and I’ve always been fascinated with color, but it wasn’t until that moment that I realized I could have a career I was actually passionate about. July will be my four year anniversary, so I’ve been at it for a while now!
What did you do before you went into business for yourself?
I had a few jobs right after college, with the main ones being working for a global airline and then a stint as a sales representative for a direct sale jewelry company. The airline job wasn’t a bad one, but it wasn’t for me. And the sales rep job helped me realize that if I could sell other people’s jewelry, I could most definitely sell my own.
