Pen Pals and a Filofax

I have started a new obsession! Hehe!

I have been wanting to write to pen pals, so back in March I went onto swap-bot.com and searched for pen pal swaps. I made a couple on there, but wasn't getting what I wanted. One day I was on Instagram. Oh my! There are so many people on IG that want pen pals! I made a IG account for pen paling. @lovesnailmail If you'd like to be pen pals contact me on IG!

 

I was getting to where I was writing to so many people. I had to think of a way to keep up with it all. As I was sitting at my desk looking at all addresses, I saw Fin! My personal yellow Finsbury! I opened him up, he was empty and sad. Now he is full and happy! I put the A-Z address tabs, lined Filofax paper, and a pocket divider into Fin.

Now, in the pen pal world there are some "flakers", sad stuff. I didn't want to waste my lined Filofax paper. I went for post-its instead. I would write the pals name, address, IG name, and when I wrote to them. I would keep that in the pocket divider. Once they wrote back I'd then write down all there info onto the lined Filofax paper.

I write down everything I think I'd need to know on the front of the paper. For example, there birthday, likes, dislikes, or anything else personal. On the back I write when I wrote to them, and when I received a letter back! I do get a little anxious! I just love happy mail days!! Keeping track with the response time helps me remember to be patient. Especially for those that are overseas. Those letters take at least a week to get there, and then a week back. It could potentially take 3 weeks to hear back from a pal that is overseas.

Sorry these pictures aren't very good.. :(

I do like to go into the post office when I mail them all off. I love Kawaii stationery, but the envelopes have the address lines printed on. Most of them are done vertically, and in the USA we write the address horizontally. Writing on it vertically makes the postage different. Crazy, but true. Also, for some reason the return address is on the bottom. If you write your address on the bottom it will just get sent right back to you! The machines the post office use reads what is at the bottom of the envelopes. No matter what your envelope says! I usually just write over it, or paste a pice of paper on top of the printed lines. Just depends on how OCD I am that day!

Incoming on left side, Out going on right side

 

What do I do with all my letters? Keep them of course! I have a keepsake box. When I get more then one letter from a pal, I will write on the corner what number letter that it is. Then keep them in order by number, and sender. I know, I might be a little bit OCD about that. But I like to be able to go back and find out something. If they are all together and in order, it makes it easier to go back and reread. :)

Do you have pen pals? How do you keep up with them? Do you have a system? Please share if you do!