Buried Alive!! (or Too Much Stationery)

All hobbies require stuff. You know, supplies, components, things, gadgets, tools, equipment...stuff.  Sometimes one can have TOO MUCH STUFF! I don't know about you, but I like my snail mail supplies neat, organized, easily accessible, portable (if possible) and in no way overwhelming. I also love to go to Hobby Lobby, Target or Michael's and get the newest, cutest, amazing-est rubber stamps, stationery, Washi tapes, pens, paper, etc. Ah...therein lies the rub.

I WANT IT ALL!! (But I don't want...)

• To pay for it all
• To store it all
• To organize it all
• To try and find it when I want it and I can't remember where I put it all
• To waste any of it!! (God forbid.)

So what is a (frugal) snail mail enthusiast like me to do?

My new mottos: Get creative! Use what you have! Recycle!

So,  I'd thought I'd occasionally share some fun ways I creatively use what I have, keeping my snail mail hobby going strong, without breaking the bank or collecting too much STUFF! So let's start with something very basic...PAPER!

I love letter sets and cute stationery as much as the next letter writer, but let's face it, one usually gets about 16 sheets of paper and 8 envelopes for $24.95! Not exactly economical. Or, you can get a pack of colored printer paper (500 sheets) from an office supply store for $6.49.  Much better!!

One of my favorite and simplest ways of perking up that plain printer paper is by adding a little decorative tape.  These marvelous tapes come in a multitude of colors and patterns, are inexpensive and last a long time! A simple border of tape makes a world of difference! 

Another fantastically free and easy way to spruce up our plain printer paper is a little cut & fold! One of my favorite folds is the "snake" fold.  Cut two sheets of paper into squares. Fold each square on the diagonal. Open and flip paper over. Fold in half horizontally and vertically. Pinch the folded corners and push together. The diagonal fold will engage and ... presto!! You have a square! Magic! Glue the two squares together so the opposite ends overlap. This folds up into an awesome letter with nifty little sections that are just perfect for letter writing. 

Last but certainly not least, I personalize my plain old paper with rubber stamps. Rubber stamps may cost a little more, but a small collection is worth the initial investment. They can be used over and over again in a variety of ways. My signature stamp is a small circle stamp that I use to make "circle people." A few lines and squiggles added in with a pen and my plain circle stamp is a cute little person doing awesome things! You don't have to be a world class artist to make these expressive little doodles! Magic!! 

I put them all together in a recent snail mail creation! I'm quite happy with how it turned out! A Mrs. Murphy custom creation without breaking the bank!! Magic!

Go postal, everybody! Just be frugal about it! 

XOXO Mrs. Murphy