For the love of snail mail- Jenni from Australia

Hello, friends, and happy Monday! Today I have a very special guest that I would like to share with you all.

Typically, each week, I try to post all of my lovely incoming mail and parcels, but then I thought, "How fun would it be to see the creations of other wonderful and fun snail mailers out there, too!" It's always nice to discover other people that share such similar interests, right?

I know a lot of you are seeking or enjoy the craft of snail mail so I decided to start a new segment introducing you to a few of the people and their crafts that I admire. In this case, I'd like to welcome a good Instagram friend of mine, Jenni. I'm sure you'll find her works very beautiful and inspiring. Let's take a look, shall we?

- Hi Jenni! Can you tell us a little more about yourself?

My name is Jenni, I am 53 years young and I'm from Melbourne, Australia.

- How did you get into snail mail and penpaling, and how long have you been doing it for?

I got into snail mailing earlier this year, as one of my followers asked if she could send me a letter. Of course I said yes, any excuse to get to know people better, and exchange mail is a positive thing. 

Years ago I had pen pals, that was back when I was in my teen years and now I'm enjoying writing all over again. It's been one of my favourite experiences so far, and very exciting meeting new people online and writing for them. For me it's all about the mail, not the parcel.

When we were young we didn't send gifts, it was just lots of letter writing. I sent letters to so many countries, and I loved keeping the stamps back then too. I love sending friends letters and gifts, I'm just not big on receiving gifts. Only because I'm 53, and I know many of the people I write to are younger and starting out in life. I don't like to see them spend too much money.

- How many penpals do you currently have, and where are they from?

Right now I have around 20 people I'm writing to, and I'd like to write to a few more when I have time. My pen pals are from all over Australia, Paris, Indonesia, America, Canada, UK and the Netherlands.

- Where did you find most of your penpals?

Most of my pen pals are from Instagram, the rest are my friends I've had for years who have moved away from Melbourne

- What are a few things you enjoy sending?

I love sending letters, mail tags, little personal surprises such as soaps, lace hankies, stationery, pens, washi tapes, books, magazines like Frankie and hand made gifts.

- What are some things that you enjoy receiving?

The one thing I love receiving the most is a letter, especially when the writer is so open and friendly. After that it's probably stationery, washi tape, anything I can use for my planner, basically in expensive things. I honestly don't like anyone spending too much money.

- What have been some of the most memorable mail you've received?

The most memorable mail I have received has been some of the letters from my pen pals, telling me about themselves and their lives. Recently I was given a few un expected gifts, and they all had so much wow factor. One dear friend knitted me a beautiful tea cosy, another friend sent me one of her gorgeous hand made quilts! I expected neither, so I was very pleasantly surprised. I'm always surprised by people's kindness, because I never expect anything.

- When is the best time to put together your snail mail?

I usually put my snail mail together when ever I have free time. If I can, I love to spend time crafting a little each day, so I try and combine some snail mailing with crafting. It means I don't fall too much behind with my snail mailing, and I have time for other things too. On average I probably snail mail and craft for 1-2 hours a day at the most. If I could I would craft all day!

- Have you met any of your penpals in person?

I haven't met any of my snail mail buddies as yet, but I would love to meet them. I've been fortunate to meet a couple of lovely ladies from Instagram offline when they came to Melbourne. After meeting these ladies we don't write to each other we text, as they live in other parts of Australia not over seas.

I always tell my pen pals if they ever come to Australia I would love to show them around Melbourne, and spend a day or two with them. When one of the ladies from IG came to Melbourne we spent the day together, I showed her all my favourite thrift shops and cafés. Recently she returned to Melbourne, and I took her on a tour of the Dandenong Ranges. We spent the day shopping in the little vintage shops, having afternoon tea and taking photos. I'm hoping she will come back before the end of the year.

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Thank you so much, Jenni, for showing us your wonderful snail mail and crafts! I love the pretty vintage feel to these all! And for all you Instagram users out there, you might want to check out Jenni's Instagram gallery, @jennilee61, where she posts daily pictures of her letter writings, tea times, and so much more!