Penpalling and Letters

Happy Second Anniversary... and Contest!

2012-01-01T00:00:00.085+01:00

730 days later, over 120,000 viewed pages, more than 46,000 views of the Blog and visitors from 176 states/territories from all over the world have lead to the celebration of Penpalling & Letters Second Anniversary!

The past months have been prolific in the environment of Penpalling & Letters. We have built a nice community of letter-writers at the Penpalling & Letters Forum and at the Penpalling & Letters Facebook Group. We also have a support page at Google+ Penpalling & Letters G+, so feel free to join the one which fits your purposes better!

Thank you to all the P&L members/community for all this time spent together, to readers and visitors for participating, for the encouraging messages and the support along these two years and to the many lovely people I had the chance to meet!

To celebrate Penpalling & Letters Second Anniversary we are having a giveaway of some cute penpalling stuff you can see below!

How to enter this contest?

It is very easy! Just go on reading... The only imposition on my side is that any "anonymous" won't be taken into account. If possible "I would like to know you". How? Just sign with a Blogger, Twitter, Facebook... profile. Or at least, leave your name and tell me you are in Facebook, Twitter, any social network, website... If I cannot find you anywhere, I am very sorry but cannot take you in. I simply don't want to send a prize to a "ghost" if you know what I mean. This is what you have to do to participate:

Leave a comment in this post and tell me (remember to leave a way to contact you):
How did you start penpalling and got hooked in letter-writing? Please, don't write a few words as those won't be considered. I am asking for a little story about this event and the one I like the most will be the winner! So, take advantage of your penpalling-qualities and write a good one!

Please, notice that if you would like to participate in this contest, your reply has to be written in this post, under comments section. Comments in Facebook, G+ or any other place around the Internet won't be valid. Also, only one entry per person is allowed, so chances to get the prize are the same for all of you.

Everybody is welcome to enter, it does not matter where you are located, and if you feel like it, tell your penpals and friends as well. It is a good chance to get a cute set of stickers from P&L! Deadline will be the 1st February, 2012, at 00:00 GMT+1 Time Zone. The winner will be announced a few days later. Good luck to all participants and my wishes of a healthy and fabulous 2012 for everybody!!!

The Christmas Season in Spain

2011-12-05T00:00:00.015+01:00

At the end of the month of November you can feel in the air that the Christmas Season is approaching. It is then when streets are decorated with typical ornaments, motifs and Christmas lights. In some cities, a beautiful Christmas Tree is put in the main square, next to the town hall or in some mall. Also, recently, in bigger cities, an ice-ring is set up in a square or in a large area of the city during the season. Shops put decorations, too, and the shop windows get full of gifts and toys as well.

Christmas is celebrated in many countries all around the world and Spain shares many traditions with all these places. Families meet to share the joy and happiness of these special times and to celebrate the birth of Jesus. However, there are traditions and customs which only happen to be here and reflect the personality of the country during the season.

Some special elements of Christmas in Spain are:

- The Nativity Scene: it consists of a mini representation of the birth of Jesus Child. It is a strong tradition to put the Scene in all homes. Some Nativities are important and large (they are set up at institutions, worship places...). They are very carefully decorated, plenty of details and very artistic! You even can find the river with real water and a waterwheel, shepherds taking care of the flock and herd, representations of manual jobs (potter, washerwomen, blacksmith...) and the Three Kings following the Star to Bethlehem... In some cities and villages, on the night of the 24th December, a live exhibit of the Nativity takes place (see video below), with animals, real people and of course, a baby! There are also contests to award the best Nativity Scene in many cities and villages.

- The Christmas Tree: As in many other countries, the Tree has become a typical element of Christmas in Spain as well. People gets an evergreen coniferous tree into their homes and decorate it with all kind of ornaments, Christmas lights, garland, tinsel, glitter... Under the Tree gifts will be placed later so it is really important, but also gives a real warm feeling and meaning of Christmas as well as the Nativity does.

- Christmas Carols ("villancicos"): These typical songs in this time of the year are sung everywhere. Nowadays you can hear them through the loudspeakers in the street or in malls, but there was a time in which the children, with a "zambomba" (traditional drum-like instrument) and a "pandereta" (tambourine) were singing these traditional songs (which are about Bethlehem, the Jesus Child or what is happening to Jesus family) along the streets asking for the "aguinaldo" (Christmas box). The "aguinaldo" consisted of a few coins or some typical sweets of this season.
Below I am adding a video of one of my favourite Christmas carols in Spanish. Besides, I am also giving links to several other Christmas carols which are very popular.

Christmas Carols in Spanish: "Pastores venid", "Los peces en el río", "Arre borriquito", "Campana sobre campana", "Ande, ande, ande la marimorena", "Hacia Belén va una burra, rin, rin", "Veinticinco de diciembre, fun fun fun", "Vintecinco de decembro, fun fun fun - in Galician", "¡Ay del chiquirritín!", "Canta, ríe, bebe", "Campana sobre campana"...

- "Aguinaldo" (Christmas box): Besides the children asking for "aguinaldo" while singing carols, it is also called "aguinaldo" a bonus or special payment received by workers (Year End Bonus). To some other workers, people give "aguinaldo" when they consider they did a good job all year-round. It can be monetary or in kind. Some workers who receive it are postmen, caretakers...

Despite the festive atmosphere might be felt much earlier, if one has to choose a day when the kick-off of Christmas takes place in Spain that is the Christmas Lottery on 22nd December! In Spanish it is called "Sorteo de Navidad" or "Lotería de Navidad" and it is the most popular draw in the whole year. The first ever Christmas Lottery draw took place in 1812 and it is organized every 22nd December ever since. The name "Sorteo de Navidad" was used for the first time in 1892, though. As measured by the total prize payout, the Christmas Lottery is considered the biggest lottery worldwide. Pupils of the San Ildefonso School draw the numbers and corresponding prizes, singing the results aloud in front of the public in a really particular way of singing (see video below). December, 22th is the last day of school for children before the festive season starts. They will be back right after the "Three Kings Day".

On the 24th December, Christmas Eve, families have dinner together to celebrate the birth of Jesus (which will take place in a few hours). Christmas Eve has a family feel and it is a time to be spent at home. Dinner is organized with care.

Dishes prepared depend on each family and each Spanish region. Let's say that in coastal areas one or several of the dishes consist of seafood: fish and shellfish (cod, hake, red bream, gilthead bream, sea bass, sole, crayfish, different kinds of crabs, scallop shell, lobster, barnacles...) while in the rest, dishes consist mostly of meat: roasted beef, capon, turkey, lamb, suckling pig... Of course, both types of dishes are accompanied by vegetables. Typical drinks are wine, cider, cava... and the typical Christmas desserts are sweets like "turrón" (a kind of nougat candy), "polvorones" (I heard it is similar to "shortbread" in New Zealand but cannot confirm it), "mazapán" (marzipan), "mantecados" (traditional Christmas sweets made mainly from lard), nuts, dates, dried fruit... After the dinner, there was a time in which many people were attending the "Midnight Mass" or "Misa del Gallo" in Spanish. This tradition has been forgotten little by little and less people attend this mass nowadays.

On the contrary to many countries in the world, presents aren't exchanged on Christmas Eve (or in Christmas Day). In the latest years Santa is more present than ever, though, and still many children get a "little" gift or sweets, either on December, 24th or 25th. However, there are three Spanish regions which have their own Santa Claus, so to say. In the Basque Country it is called "Olentzero", "Tió de Nadal" in Catalonia and "Apalpador" or "Pandigueiro" in Galicia.

The "Olentzero" is a mythological character of the Basque Christmas tradition, a chubby coal merchant, good-natured and kind, who goes down the mountains to the cities and villages on Christmas Eve and brings the children presents and sweets.

"Tió de Nadal" ("Christmas Log") is a Catalonian mythological character also known as "Tió" or "Tronca" and popularly called "Caga Tió" (pooping or giving log in English). In many Catalan homes you can find the "Tió" as a thirty centimetres long hollow log.

In recent times some accesories have been added to the log altering the more traditional and natural appearance of a dead piece of wood: it stands up on two or four little stick legs, has a broad smiling face which is painted on the higher of the two log ends, a little nose, and, on top, the typical Catalan hat called "barretina". Around the Festivity of the Immaculate Conception (December, 8th) the Tió starts to be feeded every night and it is also covered with a blanket so he won't be cold during the night. On Christmas Eve or on Christmas Day (depending on each family), the Tió is put partly into the fireplace and it is ordered to "poop". To make the Tió poop, it has to be beaten with sticks, while singing various songs of "Tió de Nadal". The Tió does not poop large presents, but Christmas sweets, candy, little gifts...

Finally, the "Apalpador" or "Pandigueiro" is the mythical figure of a coal merchant, that, according to the tradition, lives in the mountains of O Courel and Os Ancares, in eastern Galicia. He goes down the mountains to cities, towns and villages to touch the children's belly and check if they have eaten well during the last year. He gives to children lots of chestnuts, some gifts and wishes for a new year full of happiness and food.

On the 25th December, Christmas Day, families gather together to have lunch. Typical dishes are among the ones I named above, as well as for drinks and desserts. Usually there is a long after-lunch conversation while children enjoy their gifts and sweets. Otherwise it is a calm day to be spent with the family.

The 26th December is festive in many countries, but not in Spain, except for one region: Catalonia. Catalonia's "Boxing Day" is called "Sant Esteve" (Saint Stephen). Catalonians spend this day with the other relatives they could not have lunch with at Christmas Day or relaxing. The typical food eaten on this day are canneloni, made with the leftovers of Christmas Day.

Spain has its particular "April Fool's" on December, 28th, called "Día de los Inocentes" (Innocent Saints). It has its origin in the massacre of children that King Herodes committed in Judea to avoid the loss of his throne to the new-born Jesus Child. Nowadays, pranks and tricks are played on this day on friends and family. Also the media plays tricks, jokes and absurd news which, sometimes, are not that easy to realize!

On the 31st December family have dinner together to celebrate the New Year's Eve (again dishes are some of the explained above). The special tradition taking place in Spain is that when the clock strikes the midnight, one grape for each ring of the bell has to be eaten. If you are able to eat all the grapes, it guarantees a new year full of prosperity, according to the tradition. The twelve grapes are related to the famous "Puerta del Sol Tower Clock" in Madrid, where the goodbye to the old year and the welcome to the new one is always broadcasted on TV. Already in the New Year, people go out to party until the early hours of the morning. Just before coming back home, it is typical to have breakfast: "chocolate con churros" (thick hot drinking chocolate with a thin cylinder of dough, deep-fried in olive oil and often dusted with sugar).

New Year's is a peaceful day where there is a family lunch and a long after-lunch conversation, too, although some people will be sleeping for a long time after partying the whole night. Every January, 1st you can watch the New Year's Concerto from Vienna and the New Year's Ski Jump in Garmisch-Partenkirchen broadcasted in TV, characteristical features of the first day of the year for many people all around the world.

With the arrival of the New Year, all Spaniards know that there is only one celebration (especially dedicated to children) left: "Día de Reyes" or "Three Kings Day". Before January, 5th comes, children have to write a letter to the Three Kings, also known as the "Three Wise Men" or "The Magi". In this letter they have to write about their behaviour during the last year and which toys they would like to receive as a present. The Three Wise Men know very well which children are good and those who aren't that much... so the first ones will surely get presents but the second ones might get coal (nowadays it is candy coal) so they know that the Three Kings are not joking when it comes to reward (or not) them!

On January, 5th around 18:00h the Cavalcade of Magi starts in all Spanish cities, so the children can go and see the Three Kings, who later in the night will be carrying presents to their homes. While riding on the streets, the Magi throw sweet and candy to all the children who crow together to see them. When the night comes, children have to go to bed early, so the Three Kings can visit them. In fact, the Magi will only visit when they know that children are sleeping, this is why they are never seen while delivering presents! It is a magical and special night during which many children are so nervous and excited that sleeping is difficult for them! Before going to bed, some people have the following traditions: some leave their cleaned shoes next to a window or under the Christmas Tree so the Magi know how many children live in that house. Other people also leave food for the Magi: milk and biscuits or some Christmas sweets as well as water for the camels!

On the morning of January, 6th children get up really excited and run to the Christmas Tree to see if the Three Kings left them some presents. It is a thrilling morning for the little ones who are very happy because they got wonderful toys and gifts from the Three Kings! Also adults exchange gifts on the morning of January, 6th. On "Día de Reyes" it is typical to eat "Roscón de Reyes" (Three Kings Bread) for breakfast and even after lunch. The Roscón is a mixture bread roll, decorated with glaced fruits (which symbolize the rubies and the emeralds of the Three Kings robes) and sugar on top. Within the dough there are two small trinkets hidden: a bean and a figurine. The one who finds the figurine will have good luck all the year long, while the one who finds the bean will have to pay the "roscón".

"Día de Reyes" is the last celebration of the Christmas Season in Spain. Children usually don't come back to school until January, 8th as the day after "Three Kings Day" is always a holiday for them (guess to play as much as possible!). Once "Día de Reyes" is over it appears the feeling that the festive season is gone until the next year. In the following days all decorations, the Christmas Tree, the Nativity Scene... will be removed in all houses until nearly one year later when the next Christmas season comes and the same traditions and customs will be present in the lives of Spaniards one more year!

¡Feliz Navidad y Próspero Año Nuevo!

Zorionak! -Basque-

Feliç Nadal i Bon Any Nou! -Catalan-

¡Bo Nadal e Feliz Ano! -Galician-

If you are interested in reading more articles related to the Christmas time and New Year's, check the following:

- Sinterklaas
- The Saint Nicholas tradition
- Christmas Time
- New Year's Celebrations
- The Three Kings Day or "Día de Reyes"

If you would like to read more interesting stories don't forget to check the links you can find at the following section: Travelling around the World sharing Cultural Heritage, Folklore and Background.

The Penpalling & Letters Official Forum is here!

2011-11-23T13:25:00.007+01:00

Dear Letter-writers,

We are happy to announce that Penpalling & Letters has its Official Forum now!

The Penpalling & Letters Forum is accessible to registered members only. Therefore you have to register first (click image above). Afterwards, feel free to associate it with your Facebook ID, your Google ID or any other ID allowed that you will see in the access page. And no, you do not have to come up with yet one more ID and password to enter the discussion boards!

The only requirement from the Penpalling & Letters Team is that you provide enough information certifying you are into penpalling before registering.

How to do that?

Just show us your reference online. It can be:

- your Facebook profile
- your Google+ profile
- your personal Blog/website
- your Postcrossing profile
- your Swap-Bot profile
- your Interpals profile
- even any visible profile of yours online
- be recommended by anyone the Penpalling & Letters Team knows already
- be recommended by an already existing member of the Forum
- be recommended by an already existing member of our Facebook groups

and also show us a visual proof you write and receive letters, postcards... (for example, showing a picture in which your name is shown and it is clearly stated that mail was addressed to you. Please, don't send a random picture you might find online!) by contacting us through penpallingandletters[at]gmail[dot]com.

If you are eligible to enter you will be notified by the Penpalling & Letters Team. We go through all petitions individually, therefore, if you fail to fulfill our requirements, your profile will be rejected. And please, notice that if you register yourself but don't accompany your petition to enter the Forum together with an e-mail presenting yourself you won't be accepted. Please, understand that there won't be any exceptions to these requirements and that we are not asking for anything "impossible" to fulfill. The Penpalling & Letters Forum is based on mutual trust among members, therefore it is intended to be a closed and safe place for letter-lovers, postcard-lovers and swappers, and we are doing our best to keep it this way!

Lovelia's contest winner!

2011-11-20T14:57:00.001+01:00

Ana Isabel from Lovelia was presenting her creations in Penpalling & Letters not long ago. A contest was organized at the same time together with her interview and the winner was offered cute address labels and bookplates exclusively designed by Ana Isabel/Lovelia. The contest ended some days ago, and after deliberating together about choosing a winner, we came with a result, finally:

All the names of the participants were written in little pieces of paper

All the little papers were put inside a bag

An innocent hand took the winner paper out of the bag

And the winner is Got That Swing!!! Congratulations Aga! You are really lucky to get these fantastic addresslabels and bookplates from Lovelia!!!

Thank you everybody for reading Lovelia's interview and supporting her, as well as for taking part in the contest! More surprises will be on Penpalling & Letters in the future so remember to keep an eye on the Blog!

Penpalling & Letters is on Google+ Pages now!

2011-11-18T17:33:00.005+01:00

Penpalling & Letters is on Google+ now! By joining you can read all the posts published until now, participate in discussions about the letter-writing world or explain about your chosen answer at the penpalling polls. Besides, we will be talking about our own experiences when penpalling and sharing facts, ideas or opinions. At last, but not least, we will also be discussing about our homelands, culture, languages, customs, typical food, legends, festivals, traditions... Everybody is welcome to join and participate!

NOTE: To visit Penpalling & Letters Google+ Page click on the image above.

Celebration of the harvesting time: Samhain

2011-11-16T08:25:00.002+01:00

Once more a new post featuring Travelling around the World sharing Cultural Heritage, Folklore and Background is online on Penpalling & Letters! We are stopping at south-western Europe in this occasion, on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea. Neighbouring countries are France, Switzerland, Austria and Slovenia along the Alps. The two largest islands in the Mediterranean Sea, Sicily and Sardinia, belong to this land. Its capital city was the political and religious centre of Western civilisation and also the capital of the Roman Empire. It is also the cradly of the Renaissance, a very important intellectual movement in the development of Europe some centuries ago. Have you already guessed we have just landed in Italy this time to meet a penpaller called Silvia?

Ciao Silvia! Welcome to Penpalling & Letters! It is great you are sharing your time with us today! Would you like to tell us a bit about you and the place you live as well as your letter-writing experiences?

Ciao from Italy everyone! I am Silvia, a 32-year-old vegan witch from the green lands of Tuscany in Italy! ;) I will always thank my English teacher at school who introduced me to penpalling through IYS-International Youth Service when I was 12 years old. Years passed by and I lost all of my penpals and (shame on me!) I forgot about penpalling for many years - until three years ago when, during a very difficult moment in my life, I was sitting on my chair and wondered if penpals still existed in the Internet era! What a big surprise when I found out penpalling is still quite popular!! I have almost never spent a day without writing a letter (or part of it!) since then!
I have always liked postcards, too, but never really collected them! I am a member of Postcrossing, but I don't consider myself a postcard collector in any way! I don't care where the postcards come from, I don't look for specific countries... What I like of postcards is that they are little coloured thoughts that come to your mailbox to bring a smile to your day!
Are there people into penpalling who are not interested in stationery, pens, stickers...?! :) As you can guess, I love cute stationery and I always try to make my letters as cute as possible with loads of stickers and deco-tape!
I like collecting faeries figurines. You can spot them in any corner of my house! I also like to swap postcards, bookmarks, lettersets and other small items. I used to swap magnets as well, but now my fridge door is made of wood so... :)
At the moment I am not looking for new penpals. I have already sixteen and it is enough for me. I like to handwrite long letters and I usually reply to letters within a week... so I couldn't handle more penpals!

Most people call it Halloween, some others call it Samhain. Most people consider it a special chance they have once a year to wear scary masks and indulge themselves in their darkest side (but just for fun!) for a single wild night; some others consider it like one of the most special and magical nights of the year.
If you have always considered Halloween to be nothing but a business born in the USA or a children-only thing, I am here to give you a different point of view!

Samhain is the Gaelic/Celtic name of this very ancient harvest festival (the last one of the year and thus, really important for the life of the ancient people who lived mainly on agriculture) held on October 31th – November 1st and it is still celebrated nowadays by the (neo)Pagan community worldwide. Being myself Italian and Pagan, I try to reconnect to the most ancient (read: pre-Christian) traditions of my own country, that's why I call it Calenda. But no matter how you name it, we are still talking of the most magical night of the year.

During this night, the veil between this world and the next is at its thinnest and people have always been really aware of the wandering souls, both the good and the evil ones, trying to "socialize" with them: that's why they used to offer their ancestors' souls some warm wine and food and put small lanterns next to doors and windows to show them their way home and they also wore scary masks (probably not as fancy as the ones we wear today, but they made their job nevertheless!) and created scary figures to keep away the evil spirits. Can you see how similar it all sounds to what we all know as Halloween nowadays?

So, enjoy your special scary night and keep in mind that your ancestors celebrated it (almost) like you are doing today! Feel the connection with the past and spend a few moments remembering your beloved ones who passed away.
Carve your scariest pumpkins and put them outside so that all the evil spirits will take their distance from your house; eat warm and delicious seasonal food (don't forget to add some cinnamon!); make an extra cup of hot cider and leave it on your window together with a couple of cookies and a small lantern just in case some wandering souls belonging to your family need to find some rest, and if you want to get rid of anything in your life write it on a piece of paper and burn it.

Are you wondering how Samhain/Calenda is related to All Saints? As everyone in ancient times celebrated their beloved ones passed away on this night, during the VIII century, the Pope by then moved the Christian celebration of All Saints from May 13th to November 1st so that people didn't have to get used to a new tradition!

In Italian "trick or treat" sounds like "dolcetto o scherzetto": What about your own language?

Thanks for taking part in Penpalling & Letters, Silvia! It was really interesting to read how you celebrate Samhain at your corner and your feelings, thoughts and ideas about it!

If you are interested in reading more articles featuring anything related to our homelands don't forget to check: Travelling around the World sharing Cultural Heritage, Folklore and Background.

I am always looking for people who would like to take part into this section of the Blog: Travelling around the World. If you would like to write about your homeland don't hesitate to contact me at: penpallingandletters[at]gmail[dot]com and we will work on it!

Mail paradox in the XXI century

2011-11-11T12:02:00.003+01:00

Extracted from: "Poofytoo"

The magical world of Lovelia!

2011-10-10T00:00:00.012+02:00

Welcome one more time to "The person behind the letter-writer"! Ana Isabel from "Lovelia" is Penpalling & Letters special guest this time! She is going to introduce us to her lovely Lovelia world and dear readers! make sure you don't miss the wonderful surprise she has prepared for you all!

- Hello Ana Isabel! Welcome to Penpalling & Letters! Thanks for visiting and participating in The person behind the letter-writer! We are really looking forward to hear about your experiences in design and "Lovelia"! Would you like to present yourself and tell us about your experiences?

Hello everybody! I am so happy to participate in "Penpalling & Letters"! My name is Ana Isabel as you already know and I am a 27 year-old girl from Spain. I studied Illustration and Design and besides drawing I also love creating things handmade.
When I was a child I used to write letters to my friends, specially in summer. We always had to tell a lot of adventures and sometimes we were not in the same city, then this was a pretty fun way to keep in touch. I remember I had a folder with stationery to write letters, and when I had to write a letter I would choose one of those to send to my friends. I love these cute sheets. I still have some of them!
I also love postcards, specially if they show a nice illustration or something curious. I started collecting postcards when I was in Art School. I could find postcards with different photos and drawings and, almost without realizing, I got myself a lot of postcards so I decided to classify them and start my collection. I also have lovingly postcards that I received from my family and friends on special occasions, birthdays, Christmas... Sometimes I take my box and I get to read them, as they bring to me nice memories.
I love all this kind of stuff related to penpalling. I have a lot of glitter-pens and I used to draw with them in the letters to my friends. I also love to collect stickers, I have a box full of them. I also like to collect clothing labels. When I purchase clothes, if the label is nice, I include it in my collection, and I have also a lot of labels that my friends have given to me.

Wemba de Ladybug

- Ana Isabel, would you like to present us Lovelia? Why did you choose this original, sweet name, "Lovelia"?

Lovelia is the name of my trademark to create things handmade with my cute characters (purses, cushions, bookplates, brooches...). The reason why I chose this name is curious. Lobelia, with "b" is a beautiful plant with tiny flowers between blue and purple (a very beautiful and unusual colour in flowers) and since I was a child they have always fascinated me as they are like taken out of a fairy tale. Then, when I had to choose a name to define what I do, I thought this name is perfect to describe my little world of fantasy and illusion, but I decided to change the "b" to "v" so to bring the word "Love" for what it represents as well as the affection and love I put into each of my creations.

Xima the Hedgehog

- How was "Lovelia" born? When did the first thought to create this cute world appear in your mind?

Lovelia began just over two years ago. I wanted to make a Valentine's present for my boyfriend and since I was looking for something original, I decided to buy felt to experiment. The truth is that I liked working with this material so much that without realizing it, I had got myself a few yards of different felt colours! One day the idea to bring the characters I have designed on paper to felt came to life and this is how the idea of creating the first coin purse came up. To me it is like if my drawings have come to life! Having never handled a sewing machine before, it seemed difficult at first. But since my mother is a great expert, I was taught to use it quickly. My mother has helped me a lot when starting this project!

Yared the Crab

- Would you like to present us the "Lovelia" family, Ana Isabel?

Of course! The Lovelia family are several funny and cute characters of different species as they are a ladybug, Wemba, a couple of raccoons, Dunoki and Puchina, a monkey, Sambi, a frog, Phine and many more! Little by litlle the family continues to grow! You can visit the Lovelia family both in the "Lovelia Etsy Shop" and in the "Lovelia Blog" to find out how all the members look like.

Phine the Frog

- Which kind of materials do you use to bring to life the Lovelia characters?

To make my creations I use different materials as they are paper, card, beads, wood... but, perhaps, the most widely used and the most comfortable I feel with is felt. I use it in most of my creations and I love the warm and welcoming effect that it gives!

The RainbOWLs

- Where did you get the inspiration to create the "Lovelia" family? How do you inspire yourself, especially in every new creation which joins the "Lovelia" world?

I have always enjoyed creating illustrations with a touch tender child, and animals have always seemed very tender to me. So, to create the characters I inspire on my own style of drawing.

Dunoki the Raccoon

- When you work on a new Lovelia creation, do you imagine the item in your mind before it comes to reality or do you work on an initial idea and then you build it as inspiration comes to you and the feelings about the new member/creation of the Lovelia family develop?

I always imagine the item first. When I visualize the idea, I pick my pencils and start doing different sketches to give expression to it on paper, and it ends up taking shape. Sometimes you feel that the idea flows more easily and sometimes you have to give it more time to get the final result. Once that I have come to a final design on paper, I can start to create my item in a different material.

Pacha the Spider

- How long have you been working into handmade stuff by now, Ana Isabel?

It is true that since I was a little girl I have always loved to create handmade things. However, I can not give an exactly date about when I got started. I would say that it did not happen in a more steady way, at least, until I decided to create the Lovelia world.

Luru the Koala

- How much time does it take to have a new member of the Lovelia family between us? Do you mature the idea for a long time before it becomes a reality?

It all depends on the time of the year. There are seasons during which I have more orders. For example before Christmas, therefore, during those days I use most of my time to prepare shipments and stock items that I already have for sale. Once that those busy days are gone I have more time to devote to my future creations.

Sambi the Monkey

- How much time do you need to build any of the items we can see in your shop?

It depends on the details of each character, but the average time to build a purse coin would be around two hours and around an hour to build a brooch. To make the mobiles I need some more time as each mobile takes about three hours to be done.

- Among all the Lovelia creations, do you have a favourite?

I could not settle on one as they are like my children, so be sure each of them means something special to me!

- Which little creature of the Lovelia family is the favourite among your customers?

I could say that Wemba the Ladybug, Puchina the Raccoon and Pacha the Spider seem to be the most popular ones for now.

Trick or Treat

- Which items are the most popular among your customers? Which ones are the most requested?

Purses and bookplates. The most requested ones are purses of the characters I named before and the Rainbowl's bookplates are very successful as well.

- Can we expect new Lovelia creations in the near future as well as new items?

Yeah! I am currently working on new Lovelia creations and I hope that I will surprise you all! Hopefully you can enjoy them soon!

Pink RainbOWL

- If a customer suggests a specific item or gives you some hints about a new design, would you be willing to work on it?

Of course! I love to create custom items. Sometimes customers request me a different animal or ask me to customize any of the ones which already belong to the Lovelia family. It is special and a lot of fun to make something different by exchanging ideas with the costumer.

Blullaby - Rain Cloud

- Could you explain us how purchasing, payment and shipping work in Lovelia?

Purchasing is really easy and fun in Lovelia. You just need an account on Etsy; it is free and easy to create. Once you have created your account you have to enter my shop: "Lovelia Etsy Shop", and add to a cart everything you want to purchase. Afterwards, make the payment to my PayPal account through your Paypal or credit card. Finally, once I have received the payment I will be shipping your order within two days via postal mail.

Lovelia Calendar

- During all this time you have been managing Lovelia, have you ever experienced any anecdote or situation you would like to share with us?

Yes, I have a lot of funny anecdotes to share. One of them happened recently: It was about a girl who bought one of my creations as a gift for a friend of herself. This girl asked me if I could send the gift directly to her friend's postal address as a surprise but she didn't leave a note saying who was the sender. So when her friend received the gift, she contacted me through Facebook and asked me: "Who are you? Why did you send me this purse?" The girl's friend could understand nothing, but finally I could explain to her that I had sent it in behalf of a friend of hers, and she finally contacted her friend to thank her for the lovely detail.

Xima the Hedgehog Wood Brooch

- Can we find Lovelia in any website online (i.e. Facebook, Twitter)?

Yes, you can find Lovelia on my "Etsy Shop", on "Lovelia Blog" and on "Facebook".

- Which creature of the Lovelia family fully represents the essence of your work and designing experience in your opinion?

I don't think that only one of the creatures represents the essence, I think it is a mix, all of them together are Lovelia. But, certainly, the common factor is that all of my creations are made to be colourful, always with a lot of colour, and a touch of fun. I think that it is important to add these feelings into our lives.

Wemba the Ladybug Earrings

- Are there some thoughts or ideas you would like to share with us, Ana Isabel?

I would like to recommend everybody to try to do things handmade. It is fun, develops your creativity and makes you feel really well! I would also like to thank Bea for this interview in Penpalling & Letters and her interest in my creations and work!

Ana Isabel, thank you very much for this lovely interview and for introducing us to the Lovelia world and how everything came to life! It was a pleasure to work together with you on this interview and hope that you decide to visit us in P&L any time soon!

And now it is time to talk about the contest that Ana Isabel and her Lovelia world through the "Lovelia Blog" and the "Lovelia Etsy Shop" have prepared for all of you!

By participating in this contest you can win eight bookplates and eight addresslabels designed and offered by Ana Isabel and her cute Lovelia world! You can see part of the prize in the pictures below.

Lovelia Addresslabels

Lovelia Bookplates

RainbOWLs Bookplates

How to take part in Lovelia's contest?

1. Visit the "Lovelia Etsy Shop" or the "Lovelia Blog" and tell us which item(s)/members of the Lovelia family you like the most. Come back to this interview and leave a comment below together with a way to contact you.

2. For an extra entry be/become a follower of the "Lovelia Blog" (notice that to be a follower you don't need to have a Blog of your own but an accessible Blogger profile. Also, if you are already a follower you are in) and let us know about it. Make sure you leave a way to contact you as well.

3. Tell/link/twitter about this giveaway on your Blog/Personal Website/Twitter for another extra entry and again leave a comment in this post. Make sure you provide the link to your Blog/Website/Twitter post together with your comment as well as your contact data.

4. Join "Lovelia Facebook Page" (if you have already joined you are in) for a third extra entry and leave your Facebook name or the e-mail you are using in Facebook here and, of course, a way to contact you.

Bear in mind that you should participate with a name/nickname in this contest. Any "anonymous" won't be taken into account. You can sign up with a Blogger, Twitter, Facebook, G+... account. Or at least, leave your name and tell us you are in Facebook, G+, Twitter or any social network, website... If we cannot find you anywhere, we are really sorry but your participation won't be taken in. Sorry!

Please, notice that to participate in this contest, your reply has to be written here, in this same interview. Comments in any other place around the net won't be taken into account for participation.

Taking part in this contest organized by Ana Isabel and her Lovelia world is very easy! Everybody is welcome to enter and if you feel like it, tell your pals and friends as well. It is a wonderful chance to win some cute handmade stuff made with love, care and fun by Ana Isabel! Deadline will be the 31st October, 2011, at 00:00 GMT+1 Time Zone, yes, that is Halloween! The winner will be announced shortly after.

Lots of good luck to everybody and keep enjoying the magical Lovelia world!

If you would like to read more posts from "The person behind the letter-writer" section keep an eye on the links you can find at: The person behind the letter-writer.

If you are interested in being featured in "The person behind the letter-writer" because you have a cute shop, you are crafty and would like to present your creations, you have an ability and would like to tell us about it... contact me at: penpallingandletters[at]gmail[dot]com and we will work it out!

Baklava

2011-10-07T22:22:00.000+02:00

It is time to visit some amazing place in the world again in the frame of Travelling around the World sharing Cultural Heritage, Folklore and Background. The land we are visiting today is encircled by different seas: the Aegean Sea to the west, the Black Sea to the north and the Mediterranean to the south. Also, the Sea of Marmara is located in the northwest. Terms associated to this country are the Anatolian Peninsula, the Bosphorus and Dardanelles Straits, Mount Ararat, Lake Van or the Cappadocia.

Hello Sibel and welcome to Penpalling & Letters! Thanks for taking part in our trips around the world! Would you like to tell us a bit about yourself and your penpalling activity?

Hello P&L readers! My name is Sibel and I am a teacher of English in her thirties. :) I come from Ankara, the capital city of Turkey, where I am living and working. Being creative and productive mean a lot to me. I am always serious and hardworking, not only at work but also in my personal life. I am addicted to discovering and learning new things. I believe rules and principles must be always in our all circles for the sake of people and the world as well.
I have been into penpalling just for two years as I lost my childhood contacts long ago! Thanks to Facebook I am into it again. :) When I was in secondary school, my English teacher led me to have penfriends. I like stickers, stationery, magnets, postcards, actually all cute stuff in penpalling! :) I am into postcards as well. My first pals sent me such nice postcards that I remembered my childhood hobby and started to collect them now. As a result I started to swap postcards which show city views only. I collect magnets as well.

And now it is time to share my home made Baklava recipe with you all!

Ingredients for the dough:

- One tea spoon of salt
- One spoon of vinegar
- One spoon of yoghourt
- Flour as needed
- Between sheets, 250g walnuts roughly chopped
- Onto the dough, one glass of mixed olive oil and butter (boiled at 100ºC)

Ingredients for the syrup:

- Two glasses of sugar
- Two and a half glasses of water
- One tea spoon of lemon juice

And now, the directions to do the home made Baklava:

1. Mix salt, vinegar, yoghourt and flour in the bowl.

2. Leave the dough to rest in a bowl for half an hour.

3. Then, roll out the dough by twenty sheets filo pastry which must be as thin as a paper is.

4. Lay ten sheets of filo pastry, one at a time into the tray.

5. In a clean bowl put the chopped nuts and spread the mixture over the pastry in the tray.

6. Layer up the ten remaining sheets on top of the nut mixture.

7. Using a sharp knife, cut this dough into small diamond-shaped pieces.

8. Melt the butter in a saucepan over low heat and add olive oil into it. Boil this mixture at 100ºC. When you drop it onto the dough, the dough must had been boiled for some time, too.

9. Preheat the oven to 180ºC.

10. Place the baklava in the pre-heated oven for approximately 20 minutes, then decrease the oven temperature to 150ºC and cook for an additional half hour to 40 minutes, or until the pastry is slightly puffed and golden on top. Do not allow the top to burn. Remove and allow to cool slightly.

11. For the syrup, heat the sugar, water in a small saucepan and cook over a medium heat until the sugar has melted and a syrup is formed. Then, add lemon juice just before turning off the owen.

12. Pour the syrup into the baklava slowly and leave the baklava to cool.

And the tasty Baklava is done! After so much hard work, it is time to enjoy it!

Thanks for participating in Penpalling & Letters, Sibel! Let's try your recipe in our homes to taste your home made Baklava! Whenever you feel like participating again let me know!

If you are interested in reading more articles featuring characteristics of our homelands don't forget to check: Travelling around the World sharing Cultural Heritage, Folklore and Background.

I am always looking for people who would like to take part in this section of the Blog: Travelling around the World. If you would like to write about any aspects of your homeland don't hesitate to contact me at: penpallingandletters[at]gmail[dot]com and we will work on it!

Mail Trivia XIV

2011-09-28T23:25:00.001+02:00

Did you know that...

the first mail carried by rail was in United Kingdom in 1830?

Meet Melanie and her cute crafts!

2011-09-25T23:57:00.000+02:00

Dear Penpalling & Letters readers,

Welcome to a new post belonging to "The person behind the letter-writer"! Once more, a penpaller has the chance to show us her creations and crafts! Penpalling & Letter's guest this time is Melanie from Germany! Melanie is going to talk about her letter-writing experience, her cute crafts and will be presenting a challenge in her blog: Meli's Letters, Crafts and more!

- Hello Melanie! Welcome to Penpalling & Letters! It is a pleasure you are visiting today and we are very much looking forward to know more about you, your crafts and your letter-world! Would you like to tell us a little bit about yourself?

Hello! I am Melanie, a 29 year-old girl from Germany. I graduated from University last year and I love writing letters and being creative. Writing letters is one of my biggest hobbies for many years now. I think that I wrote my first letter when I was about nine years old. I got my first penpal from a horse magazine called Wendy and the girl was from Germany. But I cannot remember her and I also cannot remember how many letters we wrote. Since that day I am into letter-writing, sometimes more, sometimes less. However, I never really stopped and at the moment I am really into it again. I love letters and I am happy that I met so many nice people through penpalling!
I also like postcards but I only collect USA state map postcards. I am not into Postcrossing anymore but I did it a few years ago and it was always fun. I also like to swap a lot of different stuff although I prefer stationery, crafts stuff and souvenirs. I also like collecting different items: stationery, crafts stuff, state map postcards from the USA, kawaii stuff, key chains from popular places/cities... I am also addicted to stationery and I could say that I have a little store at home!
At the moment I am not really looking for new pen pals but if I meet someone really nice I wouldn't say no! ;)

- Melanie, could you tell us what do you like to create?

At the moment I do a lot of polymer clay stuff like kawaii earrings and similar items which I am trying to sell but I didn't really have much luck yet. I also love scrapbooking and making cards. And I also make purses, too. I'm always open to new crafts!

- How did you get started into handicrafts/papercraft?

I am into crafts since I was a little girl. I often check websites online for new ideas and, at the same time, I am trying a lot of new stuff to do. Guess I was always creative!

- How and where do you get the necessary inspiration to make every item?

Most of the time I get new ideas to create new items online, in craft stores or in craft magazines.

- Which kind of materials do you usually use?

It depends on the different creations. To do my kawaii earrings I just need the polymer clay; to do purses fabrics, buttons, patches; for my cards, scrapbooking materials, rubber stamps, stickers, decorations... And ideas, of course!

- How much time do you invest in every handmade item until it is finished?

I don't really check the time when I work on my crafts. Sometimes I don't finish a specific item that same day so it is hard to say.

- Do you present your creations in an online website where it is possible to check them?

My handcrafts can be visited in my blog: Meli's Letters, Crafts and more or in my Facebook Group: "Cute crafts for you"

- When did you think about starting your own site online?

I had several websites already but I started my blog because my friend has a blog with her creations, too and I really loved how it looked like!

- What can we find when visiting your blog?

I usually write about penpalling and crafts. Also about other different topics sometimes, but most of the time, letters and crafts.

- Do you have favourite items to create yourself?

I really love my kawaii polymer clay creations at the moment!

- Could you explain us how purchasing, payment and shipping work to get any of your items?

First, the client has to pay and then I try to ship the item as cheap as it is possible. I only charge the real shipping costs, not more. Anyone who is interested just contact me.

Melanie is hosting a craft challenge in her blog at the moment, so for further information just check: Craft Challenge 2011 and you will find out everything you have to do to participate there!

Thanks a lot for participating in The person behind the letter-writer! You know you are always welcome to Penpalling & Letters whenever you wish to visit us again!

If you would like to read more posts from "The person behind the letter-writer" section check the links you can find at: The person behind the letter-writer.

Sandbook Penpalling Magazine Issue 11

2011-09-22T23:58:00.000+02:00

A new magazine, the eleventh issue, corresponding to the month of September is online at Sandbook.Net Penpal and Swappers Site! As all the previous issues, it is on digital format and you can download it as a PDF file at the Sandbook.net website: Sandbook Magazine - Issue 11. Have you never heard before about this penpalling magazine? Did you miss any of the previous issues? You still can download them at: Sandbook Magazine Archive.

If you are interested in taking part in future issues of the magazine or the booklet as a guest writer check how to do it in this link: "What to do to participate in Sandbook Magazine".

As in previous occasions, issue number 12 corresponding to the month of October will be online on the 11th October 2011 at: Sandbook.Net Penpal and Swappers Site. Don't miss it! You will be able to read many interesting articles and news on penpalling and other different topics!

Is there something better than receiving a letter?

2011-08-26T12:00:00.001+02:00

Sandbook Penpalling Magazine Issue 10

2011-08-21T17:22:00.001+02:00

It is August and many people in the Northern Hemisphere are enjoying their summer holidays, but the Sandbook Team from Sandbook.Net Penpal and Swappers Site was working hard to release the tenth issue of their penpalling magazine corresponding to the month of August. As all the previous issues, it is on digital format and you can download it as a PDF file at the Sandbook.net website: Sandbook Magazine - Issue 10. Have you never heard before about this penpalling magazine? Did you miss any of the previous issues? You still can download them at: Sandbook Magazine Archive.

If you are interested in taking part in future issues of the magazine or the booklet as a guest writer check how to do it in this link: "What to do to participate in Sandbook Magazine".

As in previous occasions, issue number 11 corresponding to the month of September will be online on the 11th SEptember 2011 at: Sandbook.Net Penpal and Swappers Site. Don't miss it! You will be able to read many interesting articles and news on penpalling and other different topics!

Checking the postal address!

2011-08-15T12:21:00.000+02:00

Once you have got in touch with a potential penpal, you exchange postal addresses and already are able to exchange handwritten letters through the postal service! You send yours but it does not arrive... a lost letter? Yes, it is possible, but... have you ever thought about a mistake in the postal address?
Sometimes, either your penpal or yourself might write some data in the postal address which is wrong: the name of the street, the number of the house/flat, the postal code... Those mistakes are enough to prevent a letter to arrive to its destination.

If you are in touch with your penpal through e-mail/social networks, ask her/him to send the postal address again if you cannot understand the handwritten address on the envelope after his/her letter arrived. If you have exchanged addresses through e-mail and still you have problems to understand the postal address because of whatever reason (abbreviations, unknown symbols...) kindly ask your new penpal to tell you what does each word mean. This way you make sure not to mistake when posting a letter to him/her.

Some countries don't use the Latin alphabet, but a different one, so we have the Cyrillic alphabet, Greek alphabet, Thai script, Vietnamese writing system, Hangul/Chosongul - native alphabets of the Korean language, used in South Korea and North Korea, respectively, Japanese writing system, Chinese characters... Even if in most countries the Latin alphabet can be read, it would be useful if you can add the postal address written in the alphabet used in that country. I have noticed it is of help in China, for example, where mail reaches the addressee faster if you use their characters.

Don't forget about postal codes. If you don't have received it with your letter, ask about it again. Maybe there are some countries which don't use postal codes, yet, but usually, a postal code is a must for a letter to arrive together with the name of the country! The postal code is crutial for letters which are going to be sent, and this information together with the name of the country are very important when letters are being processed to be delivered in each national postal service.

So, before posting a letter to your penpal make sure the address is correctly written and there are no mistakes! Of course, you cannot know sometimes. Recently I had a lost postcard because the recipient mistoke a number in the postal code... So, yes, mistakes happen but you can avoid them at the second try if you are careful enough to check the postal address once more!

If you are looking for advice on penpalling check: "Tips on letter writing".

Tasting waffles...

2011-07-28T21:42:00.003+02:00

Are you preparing your summer holidays these days if located on the Northern Hemisphere? Perhaps you can do a little stop at Travelling around the World sharing Cultural Heritage, Folklore and Background to be able to land in Western Europe. Three official languages are spoken in this land: Dutch, French and German and it shares borders with France, Germany, Luxembourg and the Netherlands. This country takes its name from the ancient Roman province called "Gallia Belgica", in the northernmost part of Gaul that, before Roman invasion, was inhabited by the Belgae. So, this is the name of the country we are visiting today, "Belgica" in Latin or Belgium in English, as we all know!

Hello Kristel and welcome to Penpalling & Letters! It is great you are visiting us today! Maybe you'd like to tell us a bit about yourself and your penpalling experiences?

Hello! I am Kristel, a 37 years old female living in Belgium as you already know! I started penpalling many years ago, about the age of twelve, I guess. In fact, it had been "suggested" by my language teacher to improve our learning of French. Further on, I started to learn English and German and I tried to get in touch with people who spoke those as native languages, too. As this was in pre-Internet times, it wasn't always so easy. Some teenager magazines had a little ad section and it was most successful to put one ad myself, usually. After trying ads, I got to know Friendship Books through my American penpal; I put my name in it and I sent it back to her again, as none of my other pals used it, hehe! Years later I am still into FBs exchange, and I think it is still fun! Through
Internet I have found different penpals who aren't into swapping, but I don't mind. I like those friends, too! I like to decorate my letters. I think it is nicer reading a cute paper than a blank one. My letters are handwritten and typed and I don't mind typed letters from my penpals. In fact, I prefer typed when people have a difficult-to-read handwriting, if you know what I mean. I collect all sorts of cards (viewcards, greeting cards...) and special stamps worldwide. Once I made an account at Postcrossing, but I only used it a few times. Maybe in the future I will be back to it... Sometimes I participate in Swap-Bot: you can find me there as kristel1974. So, you can say, I am first of all into the penpalling thing and I mostly swap things with people, depending on our interests. However, I don't have e-mail penpals, as I do love the spirit of real letters!

And right now I would like to share two recipes with all of you. It is of my favourite sweet snack, which represents my country, too: Belgian Waffles!

The best way to make a basic Belgium waffle recipe is to use yeast. Yeast will make Belgian waffles fluffy, soft and yummy. You could also use baking powder or cake flour but you will get the best result with yeast. If you use yeast, then eat them when they are done - they are not that good the next day.

Tools you'll need to make waffles:

- Iron waffle maker
- Measuring cup and spoons
- Whisk or hand mixer
- Small sauce pan
- Large mixing bowl and spoon
- Heat safe spatula

Ingredients:

- Three 1/4 cups (1 lb. - 500g) all purpose flour
- One sachet (7g) instant dried yeast
- Four medium eggs
- Whole milk (you can also add some sparkling mineral water and make them even fluffier)
- Two sticks (1/2 lb. - 250g) butter
- Vanilla sugar
- Some salt

And now, the directions to do the basic Belgium waffle recipe are:

1. Take a cup of milk and heat it until it is warm. Then mix it in your yeast. You can now leave the yeast standing for a while.

2. In the mean time melt the butter, but stop as soon as it melts. Don't over heat it or even burn it as you will lose the taste.

3. Separate the egg yolks from the egg whites and beat the egg whites until you get snow.

4. Now take a big giant huge bowl and throw in all the flour, vanilla sugar (one sachet) and some salt. Make a whole in the middle of the flour and fill it with melted butter, dissolved yeast and egg yolk.

5. Mix while you are adding milk (and some mineral water if you want). You should mix it really well so there are no lumps. The question you might ask yourself here it is how dense should the dough be and how much milk to use? It should be thick as you should think they are like pancakes.

6. Gently mix the beaten egg whites into the dough.

7. Leave the dough resting and rise at room temperature for a while. How long? Until the volume of the dough doubles or even triples! That is why a really big bowl is needed. If you are in a hurry then wait for thirty minutes to one hour, but if you can, make the waffle dough in the evening and leave it overnight.

8. Use the oil to grease the waffle iron (which should be very hot) so your waffles don't stick to it and pour the dough in it. Bake until they turn golden brown.

And the basic Belgium waffle is done! Now it is time to put the topping as they are strawberries, chocolate, sugar, honey, syrups, ice cream... whatever you can imagine which fits the waffle. Also decorate it as wished!

The typical Brussels Waffles recipe:

Ingredients:

- One 1/2 oz. of yeast (40 gram)
- One pint of tepid sparkling mineral water (4 dl)
- One lb of flour (500 gram)
- A pinch of salt
- One pint of tepid milk
- Eight eggs
- 1/2 lb of melted butter

The directions to do the Brussels waffles are:

1. Dissolve the yeast in tepid water.

2. Shift the flour into a bowl and make a whole in the middle.

3. Mix the dissolved yeast slowly with the flour, add the salt and the milk.

4. Add the egg yolks.

5. Whisk the egg whites and scoop them carefully with a slice through the tough.

6. Cover the dough and leave it to rise until its volume has doubled (about 15 to 20 minutes).

7. Use the oil to grease the waffle iron (which should be very hot) so your waffles don't stick to it and pour the dough in it.

8. Bake them until they turn golden brown.

They are served with butter and vanillated sugar or powdered sugar. You need a bigger waffle iron for this variant. The light structure is due to the use of sparkling water. As topping you can use any of the elements told above. Also, use your imagination to decorate it!

After so much hard work baking, it is time to enjoy some Belgian Waffles now!

Thanks for participating in Penpalling & Letters, Kristel! Let's try your recipes in our homes to taste the typical Belgian waffles! Whenever you feel like participating again you are welcome to visit us again!

If you are interested in reading more articles featuring characteristics of our homelands don't forget to check: Travelling around the World sharing Cultural Heritage, Folklore and Background.

Mail Trivia XIII

2011-07-20T21:27:00.002+02:00

Did you know that...

the first air-mail letter was carried by balloon from England to France in 1785?

Sandbook Penpalling Magazine Issue 9

2011-07-12T23:53:00.001+02:00

The ninth issue of the penpalling magazine edited and produced by Sandbook.Net Penpal and Swappers Site corresponding to the month of July is online. It is on digital format and you can download it as a PDF file at the Sandbook.net website: Sandbook Magazine - Issue 9. Have you never heard before about this penpalling magazine? Did you miss any of the previous issues? You still can download them at: Sandbook Magazine Archive.

If you are interested in taking part in future issues of the magazine or the booklet check how to do it in this link: "What to do to participate in Sandbook Magazine".

As in previous occasions, issue number 10 corresponding to the month of August will be online on the 11th August 2011 at: Sandbook.Net Penpal and Swappers Site. Don't miss it! You will be able to read many interesting articles and news on penpalling and other different topics!

Meeting Clava and her handmade work

2011-07-09T18:23:00.006+02:00

Welcome everybody to a new interview belonging to "The person behind the letter-writer". Penpalling & Letters today's guest is Clava! Clava will tell us about her experiences in the world of letters and will introduce us to her handmade creations through this interview!

- Hello Clava! Welcome to Penpalling & Letters! It is a pleasure you are visiting us today! We are looking forward to know more about your experiences in the world of letters and your personal abilities! Would you like to present yourself?

Hello everybody! My name is Claudia but most of my friends call me Clava, which is the Russian short of my name. I am 32 years old and I am living in Germany's capital, Berlin. I am married to a Russian for a year now.
I have been writing letters since I was about nine years old. I started writing to a German girl back then. Surprisingly, we are still in touch, only on Facebook, though, but in touch. I also used to be a member of IYS-International Youth Service and have been penpalling with people from all over the world ever since.
Being into letters means that I always try to write my letters on beautiful paper and like to decorate it with stickers and other cute stuff. Even if I am not into Postcrossing myself, I like to receive postcards from where my pals live, just to get an idea about their hometown or country. I also swap FBs although not heavily. With some of my pals I swap stickers or stationery every once in a while. I like collecting single sheets of unused letter paper as well but only beautiful ones, of course!

- Clava, could you tell us what do you like to create? Which abilities in the world of arts & crafts you have?

Lately I am into quilting and patchwork sewing. I like to do creative things in general, though, like playing piano, writing novels...

- How did everything start?

A friend asked me to be the Godmother of her son. I looked around in the babystores and thought there is almost only dull stuff for boys, and so much nice stuff for girls. I really couldn't find anything I liked, so I decided to make a present on my own and sew a baby blanket for him. So, this was the first blanket I sewed and I realized it is a lot of fun. Since then I have sewed nearly every day!

- Which kind of materials do you use?

I usually use cotton fabrics as they are the best for sewing. Other materials like silk or similar ones would be too expensive and also difficult to work with.

- How and where do you inspire yourself to create these wonderful blankets?

I usually see the fabrics and then get an idea of what to do with it. For pillows or patchwork samplers, I create patterns on my own. Since I have started patchwork sewing, I see patchwork-patterns everywhere... Lately we have been to a museum and I was really fascinated by the beautiful wooden floor they had there... I thought I could use the same pattern for a patchwork blanket, which would give an optical illusion.

- Do you build a pattern in your head before getting started or do you work on the item "improvising", just as inspiration comes?

I need to build the pattern in my head before, as otherwise it wouldn't suit when sewing. It is important to calculate everything in detail before in order to cut everything in the exactly same size. Otherwise, the pattern wouldn't work out well. I usually draw the pattern on paper before and write down the exact calculations. One millimeter too much or too less could already spoil it, so it is important to plan it exactly.

- For how long have you been into handmade stuff?

Oh, I have been making stuff on my own very often. It is not the first time I make presents on my own. I have also made other stuff before, like cards, calendars or bookmarks for example. And when I was younger, I sewed teddy bears and doll clothes for my younger sisters.

- How much time do you invest in every item until you finish it?

It is hard to say. It depends on the size and the pattern. When the blanket is small and the pattern not so complicated, I can do it in a few hours. When the pattern is complicated or the blanket is bigger, it might take longer.

- Do you present your creations in an online website where it is possible to check them, Clava?

Unluckily, I don't really have an own homepage, yet but I am working on that. So far I have just published my photos on Facebook.

- Do you have a favourite item/design yourself?

Well, I guess the first blanket for my Godchild will remain as a special one, eventhough I think I could do it more perfect now.

- Would you create a design upon request and wishes of a customer?

Of course! If someone has special imaginations about patterns, colours and so on, I can do everything as the customer wants. I could also add the name of the baby, for example, if wished! No problem about it!

- Could you explain us what do we have to do in order to purchase one of your blankets?

Well, I am not really a professional with it, yet. But if someone is interested in buying a blanket, I would send it with a registered letter, so it cannot be lost. It should be Euro-countries for now, though, as my bank does not cooperate with countries which use another currency. The prizes depend on the pattern, fabric and size of a blanket but, in average, would be something between 30 and 50 Euros.

Thanks a lot for participating in The person behind the letter-writer, Clava! It was a pleasure to work together with you and present to the readers this fantastic handmade work of yours! You know you are always welcome to Penpalling & Letters whenever you wish to visit us again!

If you would like to read more posts from "The person behind the letter-writer" section check the links you can find at: The person behind the letter-writer.

Sandbook: Penpals and Swappers Site & Giveaway!

2011-07-06T17:53:00.001+02:00

Welcome to a new post belonging to "The person behind the letter-writer". Penpalling & Letters today's guest is the Sandbook Team from Sandbook: Penpals and Swappers Site. Our guests will reveal facts, unknown until now, from Sandbook; they will also let us know about a surprise which is taking place at their website at the moment, and of course, directed to all the penpallers all over the world!

- Hello Sandbook Team! Welcome to Penpalling & Letters! Thanks for visiting us and for participating in The person behind the letter-writer! We are really looking forward to know more about the website and about what you are preparing right now!

Hello to everybody! We are very happy to be here sharing with all of you our projects in Sandbook!

- Could you tell us when did Sandbook Penpals and Swappers Site get started?

Sandbook Penpals and Swappers Site is online and running since November, 11th 2008 when we established its name and started building our community. Over the years, we managed to apply a lot of new features and sections to our website in response to our users opinions and suggestions. That is how SandbookNet evolved to the community that it is today. Thank you all for the support! We hope that we can continue to connect people and ideas throughout the world.

- What was the reason to start the website?

My name is Raia and I have been penpalling ever since I started learning English, which was more than fifteen years ago. Penpalling has been a vital part of my life and have helped me through some really hard times in my life as well. It helped me make sense of my crushes, my High School Drama and, of course, it has helped me throughout my life. Moreover, penpalling has allowed me to visit distant parts of the world on the expense of a letter. I have always tried to help my penpals connect with other penpals of mine by passing their addresses on. My hobby naturally became a website where people can post ads and connect with pen pals around the globe.

- I am really curious to know why you named it "Sandbook". Could you explain why did you choose this name?

Oh, it was quite hard to think about a name for a Penpalling and Swapping Website. Initially, I was trying to come up with a name that has the word "penpal" in the name, but they were all taken. I was around a swimming-pool with my friends, when we started pitching ideas about its name. There were some really funny names for websites, but eventually we all came up to the "message in a bottle" idea. We wanted to incorporate that old fashioned but yet romantic touch to the name of our website. Since most of our ideas were sadly taken, we decided to craft our own unique name. We came up with Sandbook as a way to incorporate that unique rush that you get when you discover the content of a letter. Of course, "sand" came from the original "message in the bottle – seaside idea" and of course the "book" is in the name to represent the start of an unique friendship.

- Could you tell us who is behind Sandbook, the people who form the Sandbook Team and the function/work each member of the team holds?

It might come out as a surprise for most, but the people behind SandbookNet aren't too many. The SandbookNet Team consists of two equally important parts: our technical support team and the writers in our penpal magazine. In fact, our technical support team is headed by our designer Aspeia from Gaya Designs, our IT go to guy, Jason, and me, Raia, as chief editor. Unlike any other website for penpals and FB swaps, we give anyone the opportunity to become a vital part of our team. I want to take a moment to thank our constant Sandbook Penpal Magazine writers – Rach Gee from Glass Completely Empty Productions (who has this big penpal movie project), Samantha Stroy with her Pages "Samantha’s Thoughts", Paula Milburn "UNESCO" series and last but not least Bea from Penpalling and Letters. Thank you all for the support, ideas and constant hard work!

- Besides the typical penpal and swapper ads section that many penpal sites present, which other sections can we find when visiting Sandbook?

SandbookNet started as a website purely for online ads for penpals and swappers. Over time, we expanded the ads and divided them into more detailed sections so that all the ads may have some structure. Of course, that allowed a really easier navigation through the ads that are placed on our website. Couple of months later, we started running the "PenPal of the Month" Contest and, steadily, as we gained more popularity we started thinking about other sections that might interest a penpal who is on SandbookNet. That is how we came up with the "Birthday Twin" section. Ever since I started penpalling I have always wanted to penpal with someone born on my date. For over fifteen years of active penpalling I couldn't actually make my dream come true. So this was basically my attempt to find my birthday twin penpal and a lot of people joined the project. We have over one hundred people on our birthday twin list. Eventually, we added the "FB" (Friendship Books) section in the website. It is all about those FB's that we swap in the snail mail. We have included some free templates for FB's, label bags and address labels, and information about how FB's are played.

In order to celebrate SandbookNet's second birthday we came up with, yet, another project: A free digital penpal magazine which first issue was released on November, 11th 2010. It is a monthly magazine that is released in pdf format and that you can download from our website. Its focus is on correspondence, penpalling experience and the lifestyle that a penpal has. Each issue has unique penpalling stories, games and articles that we strongly feel will interest most of the penpals. We are always searching for guest writers or team writers, so contact us if you would like to become one. We are always on the lookout for new and interesting stories.
As the SandbookNet Penpal Magazine developed, we developed the "Traveling Notebook" Project and, of course, sections on our website. The "Pen Pal Interviews Section" followed. We are really excited about all of our projects and we take pride in being able to connect penpals, not only through website ads, but also through all the games that we have going on on our website!

- Could you tell us about some of the projects you are running at the moment?

There are several projects/games on our website at the moment. We have our monthly contest "PenPal of the Month", where you can nominate a friend. We basically want to know what makes that friend your best friend and why you should think that your friend deserves to win the contest. Obviously, the better you argue your case, the greater the chance that you will be selected as the winners. Actually, when the nomination is selected as the winning one, we contact both the nominator and the nominee with the good news as both of them are winning awards that are shipped via snail mail. You can check all the rules and instructions for it at: "PenPal of the Month Contest".
Another project that we have are the "Penpal Interviews". It is a short inquiry about your penpalling experiences and it helps to present the penpal and his/her country. You can leave your contact information with your answers to the interview so you can find new penpals really easily. Moreover, you can give your interview a personal touch by submitting photos of your handwriting, of you and your friends/country. The Penpal Interviews are a way to present people who are searching for penpals and to let them find penpals easily. The interviews are printed in our penpal magazine as well as included in our website: "Penpal Interviews in Sandbook".

I always think about our "Birthday Twins" project with great excitement. It helps connecting penpals from around the world who are born on the same date and, in some cases, even the same year! How cool would it be to have a penpal who would never forget your birthday? You can browse the section on our website and check if there is a birthday twin already waiting for you. To participate you will need to send us your information so we can upload it on our website.
Yet, another project that we have going on right now are the "Travelling Notebooks". They are basically notebooks that are passed in a specific order that is predetermined as the people sign up for the real travelling notebooks. You will receive the notebook in your mail and you will have to decorate some pages on a theme you want – it might be your life, your country or town, your favourite things/hobbies, etc. You will be asked to snap photos of your entry in the notebook so that we will have a back up "notebook" in case the real one gets lost in the mail. If you are not really willing to wait for the real travelling notebook to arrive, you can always sign up for the "Travelling sheets". They are basically A5 sized sheets that you decorate as if they were part of the travelling notebook, but you will send it to us via mail so that we can upload them in a "virtual" travelling notebook. If that sounds interesting, please visit our "Travelling Notebook"section.
The latest project of ours is our Mega Giveaway, where you can win three super cool awards. It ends on July 10th, 2011 so hurry up and check it out! You could be our winner!!!

- Can penpals and swappers participate or collaborate with you in any of the projects actively?

Yes, absolutely! We are always looking forward to new authors, topics and ideas for our penpal magazine and of course for the website. So anyone who enjoys penpalling and has a story that he/she wants to share with our friends is more than welcome to contact us. You can email us at: info[at]sandbook[dot]net or directly email me at: raiasandbook[at]gmail[dot]com.

- Would you like to tell us which special feature are you running at the moment in Sandbook?

We try to bring out contests and games for penpals in our website. Right now, we have this huge Sandbook Megagiveaway that is going on until July 10th, 2011. The awards are three and are a mega stationery set, a notebook and, of course, a set of used stamps for collectors. You can choose to play for one or for all. And just as any giveaway you can participate in it with several entries – via a comment on our website, by twitting or facebooking about the giveaway (just be sure to tag us so we can count the entry). All the rules of the contest are placed on "Sandbook Net Penpals and Swappers Site" where you can check them out and participate.

Good luck everyone in the Sandbook Megagiveaway and hopefully you had a great time getting to know the team behind Sandbook and their activity in detail!

Thanks a lot for participating in The person behind the letter-writer! I always enjoy working together with guests and interact exchanging ideas and thoughts on penpalling. You know you are always welcome to Penpalling & Letters whenever you wish to visit us again!

If you would like to read more posts from "The person behind the letter-writer" section check the links you can find at: The person behind the letter-writer.

Midsummer

2011-06-25T21:20:00.000+02:00

Have you already prepared your baggage? We have an appointment today to start a new trip through Travelling around the World sharing Cultural Heritage, Folklore and Background. We are stopping at the Scandinavian Peninsula in northern Europe, in a country bathed by the Baltic Sea. 15% of its territory lies north of the Arctic Circle and more than 50% of its land area is covered with forests. It's the land of Pippi Longstocking, Nils Holgerssons, Ingrid Bergman, Greta Garbo, Björn Borg, ABBA or Roxette... Then it is not difficult to guess we are visiting Sweden today!

Hello Sandra and welcome to Penpalling & Letters! Thanks for your visit and sharing knowledge from your country with all the readers! Would you like to tell us a bit about you and the place you live?

Hello everybody! As you know my name is Sandra. I live in the County Värmland, about 250 kilometres west of Sweden capital, Stockholm. In December, 2007 we bought a cute house out in the forest, in a little village called Bjurtjärn. The village is from the 17th century. There are no shopping areas around here, mostly houses and forest. Nature would be the most important thing to see here, I guess. We are about 1201 inhabitants, and the biggest working place is the school. Many of us work in surrounding cities, like Karlskoga, Kristinehamn or Storfors. They are all located about 20 kilometres far from Bjurtjärn.

Would you like to tell us about your experiences in the world of letters, Sandra?

I started penpalling when I was a kid. At first, I started writing to Swedish pals I found in magazines, then I continued to get pals trough IYS-International Youth Service. I am still in touch with my longest-lasting penpal trough e-mail and now she is on Facebook, too. We don't write letters to each other anymore, though. At about the age of 16 I stopped penpalling because other stuff caught my attention. As we moved out here and I had kids, evenings got quite boring, especially since I don't watch tv. I searched for a hobby, remembered penpalling, and through Facebook and Interpals I got quite a few which I have been writing to for some years now!
I also started collecting postcards last year as I would love to do scrapbooking albums with them. I am a postcrosser and I got to know about it trough my pals on Facebook.
I also love anything to do with letter-writing: stationery, stickers, pens... I always write with my Pilot Frixion ball-pen, though. I collect Hello Kitty stuff and anything else my pals like to send me!

Are you looking for penpals at the moment?

I'm always on the look out for penpals whom I can find a real click to. Unfortunately, my muscle problem (fibromyalgia) makes it harder and harder for me to keep on writing. Most of my pals accept it, though, and are very understanding about my late replies! :)
Anyhow the click with pals is important because I want friends whom I eventually might meet for real. I like talking about anything in my letters, family problems, happiness, what makes them scared or sad... I love long letters and I can go on and on... page after page! ;) Sharing our lives is a important thing for me!

And now Sandra is ready to tell us about Midsummer celebrations in Sweden!

As most of you know, Sweden is a country in the north of Europe which has short summers and where the Sun hardly sets during this season. During "Midsummer" many people begin their five-week annual holiday.
The European Midsummer related holidays are of pre-Christian origin. It is particularly important in northern Europe, for example: Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland, Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania. But they can also be found in Ireland, parts of Britain, France and Italy. The Swedes seem to celebrate midsummer more intensely than other countries.
Originally, when the Vikings ravaged in Scandinavia and many other places, midsummer was a fertility rite. The maypole was a phallic symbol, which was supposed to fertilize Mother Nature in hope that the harvest would be good later during the year.
Although midsummer is originally a pagan holiday, in Christianity it is associated with the nativity of John the Baptist.
Formerly, Midsummer in Sweden was celebrated on the 23rd-24th, June, but since 1953 the celebration has been moved to the Friday and Saturday between the 19th and 26th, June, with the main celebrations taking place during Friday.

Midsummer night has always been the night when magic happens, the nature was filled with hidden powers. Especially the dew was considered magical and was used to heal sickness and all kinds of wounds. You could also add some to the dough when baking and the bread would be bigger and much tastier. Perhaps we should try!
Birch trees, which also were said to be powerful, could be used as a bandage and if you put some night leaves in your bath it eased the pain.
This is also the magical night when elves come out to dance and if you look hard, perhaps you could also see a troll between the trees!
When I was younger, and as many other Swedish girls, I believed in magic during this night. It is said that if you are all alone and don't speak a word to anyone, pick seven to nine different flowers and put them under your pillow, you will dream of your future husband.

Around Sweden many people begin their Midsummer Eve picking flowers and making wreaths to place on the maypole. When this is done the maypole is raised in an open spot with folk music and many are dressed in national costumes and costumes specific for different counties. We, the strict Swedes, then dance around the pole singing old songs and just being silly for one day. You can also see many girls wearing wreaths in their hair and as for me and my daughter, we'll be doing the same.
Family and friends get together during Midsummer Eve to eat pickled herring, the first fresh potatoes for the season, sour cream, crisp bread and for drinks we serve snaps (Vodka). Fresh strawberries are also important as a dessert.

Thanks for participating in Penpalling & Letters, Sandra! I enjoyed very much reading about the celebrations of Midsummer in Sweden and your customs and traditions during these days! Whenever you feel like participating again you are welcome here!

If you are interested in reading more articles featuring characteristics of our homelands don't forget to check: Travelling around the World sharing Cultural Heritage, Folklore and Background.

"Moonstone Shop - The magic essence of creativity" & Giveaway

2011-06-21T18:30:00.001+02:00

Welcome everybody to a new interview belonging to "The person behind the letter-writer". Penpalling & Letters today's guest is Laura! Laura will not only tell us about her handmade abilities or let us enter her magical world of handmade creations, but has prepared a heartful surprise to all the readers of Penpalling and Letters and "Moonstone Shop - The magic essence of creativity".

- Hello Laura! Welcome to Penpalling & Letters! Thanks for visiting us here and for taking part in The person behind the letter-writer! We are looking forward to get to know you, your penpalling experiences and hearing about your handcrafts! Would you like to present yourself?

Hello! My name is Laura and I am a 33 year-old Romanian woman. I am a professor of French Language and Literature in my every day life, a profession that I have had for ten years already. I am also a jewelry maker (which is the reason why I am here), activity that I have started more recently.
I am a magical spirit, I love art, books - I am interested in esotherism, magical arts, legends, mythology, folklore and traditions – I love theatre, good music, I adore mountains and forests (I live in Transilvania) and nature is my sanctuary. I am creative. Besides jewelry making I also love to make art-Decos, ATCs, all kind of collages and mixed media. I am faithful to alternative themes - magic, fantasy, dark and introspective, creative-twisted themes which can be interpreted freely, mythology and folklore, nature and seasonal, literature inspiration, emotions...
I started writing letters when I was fourteen years old, that means twenty years ago. Meanwhile, I substituted my penpalling activity with the mail-art activities (especially swapping art-Decos). I still have a few penfriends and I love them because they are very old friends. Currently, I am not making new penfriends because I could not possibly have the time to deal with so much mail. So, I am focused on swapping privately but also in an organized way, via Yahoo groups. The things that I swap depend on my partners, but they are mostly art-decos, deco-supplies, small gifts and other nice and creative things.

- Laura, could you tell us what do you create and where do you find your inspiration?

My jewelries are mostly touched by magical and nature inspiration. They are that kind of things that fairies and enchanted spirits wear. I also create amulets, runes and other magical suff, every time I have the proper energy for them.

- Which kind of materials do you use?

I love working with clay, as you can see in my most recent creations posted on my site, and I intend to keep on focusing on using clay in the future, too. I also use beautiful beads, pearls, semiprecious stones, gems, cristals, wood, fabric, lace, ribbons and metallic accessories.

- Do you build a pattern in your head before getting started or do you work on the item "improvising", just as inspiration comes?

No, I do not build patterns before starting a jewelry. But I always have inside my head a some kind of an intuition about what I want to do and... I just follow it!

- For how long have you been working into handmade jewelries by now, Laura?

For about two years now, althoug I opened my online shop only six months ago...

- How much time do you dedicate to each item until it is finished?

That depends on how much available time I have for this activity. Earrings are small and easier to make, but necklaces can be very tricky, especially when I make clay-pendants: the process takes time, the air dry clay that I am working with needs a proper time to dry several times (immediately after shaping it, then after painting it, after varnishing it...).

- Do you present your creations in an online website where it is possible to check them?

Yes, like I said, I have an online little personal shop – "Moonstone Shop" (I am very proud of it!) - where I upload some of my jewelries. Not all of them, because I also receive special orders: people that ask me to transform their idea about a jewelry into reality and, in this case, I do not upload the products in my shop considering that they are or will soon be sold anyway. "Moonstone Shop" is a place to sell some of my jewelries, not a portfolio.

- Which creations interest your customers the most?

The magical things are very much loved. I sold my runes and most of the amulets very soon after uploading them into my shop (I am now in the process to create new ones). Also, people seem to like vintage inspired jewelries. I am not into vintage very much, but I created and will keep on creating designs upon request and wishes of a customer, as long as I have proper supplies.

- Could you explain us how purchasing, payment and shipping work in Moonstone Shop?

It is quite easy for everyone, they do not need Paypal or a card. The customers have to send me an e-mail about what they want to buy from my Moonstone Shop and I will send them a confirmation e-mail with the sum of money that they have to send me (the price of the object(s) plus the shipping costs) and also the informations for the bank transfer. If they have a card, they can send the money directly, if not, all they have to do is to go to a bank in their own city/town and send the money from there. The bank transfer is not so complicated and it works for everybody. All these informations are on my site (see the tabs in the homepage) but, of course, I am here for any further explanations. If there is somebody who prefers to pay using dollars instead of euros, I can convert the price anytime. All they have to do is contacting me.

- Can we find "Moonstone Shop" in Facebook, Twitter... as well?

The main shop is located on Blogger, here: "Moonstone Shop". I can also be "liked" on Facebook, here: "Moonstone Shop" in Facebook.

As mentioned at the beginning of this post, Laura has a little surprise for everyone reading this interview and checking her cute shop, "Moonstone Shop": a giveaway, consisting of a complete set of jewelries, "Fairies Falls" (necklace, earrings and bracelet), created with mountain crystals, glass silvery beads, pendant with little stones, silvery chain and metallic accessories. A very delicate set, made for magical summer evenings.
Everybody who participates has a chance to win this set! Just go to Laura's Moonstone Shop's most recent post here: "Moonstone Shop" Giveaway and follow the "rules"! You also can see pics of this beautiful jewelry-set Laura offers in her Shop. The deadline to participate in this summer giveaway is July, 15th at midnight (Romania Time/GMT+3). The winner will be announced on July, 16th 2011.

Good luck everyone and hopefully you enjoyed meeting Laura!

Laura, many thanks for taking part in The person behind the letter-writer! It was a great pleasure to work together with you to present this interesting interview and contest to the readers! You know you are always welcome to Penpalling & Letters whenever you wish to be back!

If you would like to read more posts from "The person behind the letter-writer" section check the links you can find at: The person behind the letter-writer.

Sandbook Penpalling Magazine Issue 8

2011-06-19T23:50:00.002+02:00

The eighth issue of the penpalling magazine edited and produced by Sandbook.Net Penpal and Swappers Site corresponding to the month of June is already online. As always, it is on digital format and you can download it as a PDF file at the Sandbook.net website: Sandbook Magazine - Issue 8. Have you never heard before about this penpalling magazine? Did you miss any of the previous issues? You still can download them at: Sandbook Magazine Archive.

If you are interested in taking part in future issues of the magazine or the booklet check how to do it in this link: "What to do to participate in Sandbook Magazine".

As in previous occasions, issue number 9 corresponding to the month of July will be online on the 11th July 2011 at: Sandbook.Net Penpal and Swappers Site. There will be a new Booklet coming out in the following days, too. Don't miss any of them! You will be able to read many interesting articles and news on penpalling and other different topics!

Hermes, the herald of gods

2011-06-05T21:37:00.001+02:00

In Greek mythology, Hermes is the messenger of the gods and a guide for souls to the Underworld. Hermes was born on Mount Cyllene in Arcadia. He is an Olympian god and also the patron of boundaries and of the travelers who cross them, of shepherds and cowherds, of thieves, of orators and wit, of literature and poets, of athletics and sports, of weights and measures, of invention, and of commerce in general. He is represented with winged sandals, covering his head with a winged hat and brandishing the caduceus (a golden stick). His symbols include the tortoise, the rooster, the lamb carried on his shoulders as well as the lyre and the flute.

In Roman mythology, Hermes was identified with the Roman god Mercury, who developed many similar characteristics, such as being the patron of commerce.

Hermes is a messenger from the gods to humans, delivering messages from the Olympus to the mortal world. When wearing his winged sandals he flies freely between the mortal and immortal world. In addition to the lyre and the flute, Hermes was believed to have invented many types of racing and the sports of wrestling and boxing, and therefore, was a patron of athletes.
Hermes serves as the guide for the dead to help them find their way to the Underworld. In many Greek myths, Hermes was depicted as the only god besides Hades, Persephone, Hecate and Thanatos who could enter and leave the Underworld without obstacles. Hermes often helped travelers having a safe and easy journey. Many Greeks would sacrifice to Hermes before any trip.

Hermes is the son of Zeus and Maia, a nymph, one of the seven Pleiades, daughter of Atlas and Pleione. In a cave, hidden from human eyes and particularly the jealous Hera, Zeus' wife, Maia gave birth to Hermes. Hermes was precocious. On his first day of life he crawled away to Thessaly and by nightfall he stole some of Apollo's immortal cattle and also invented the lyre. Hermes drove the cattle back to Greece and hid them, walking them backwards so that their tracks seemed to be going in the wrong direction. When Apollo accused Hermes, Maia refused to believe him as she thought Hermes was with her the whole night. However, Zeus entered the argument and said that Hermes did steal the cattle and it should be returned. While arguing with Apollo, Hermes began to play his lyre. The instrument enchanted Apollo and he agreed to let Hermes keep the cattle in exchange for the lyre.
Later on, Hermes, while taking care of the cattle, invented the flute. Apollo wanted to buy this new musical instrument and offered Hermes his golden stick as payment. Besides, Hermes asked for prediction lectures. Apollo acepted, and ever since, the golden stick, called "caduceus" became one of Hermes symbols. He also learnt how to predict the future by means of pebbles. Zeus, satisfied with the abilities of Hermes, named him his herald and messenger, as well as to serve the gods of the Underworld, Hades and Persephone.

The caduceus is the golden stick carried by Hermes in Greek mythology. The stick was also borne by heralds in general, for example by Iris, the messenger of Hera. It is a short golden stick entwined by two serpents, sometimes surmounted by wings. In Roman iconography it was often depicted being carried in the left hand of Mercury (Hermes). The legend says that Hermes saw two serpents entwined in mortal combat. Separating them with his wand, he brought peace between them, and as a result the wand with two serpents came to be seen as a sign of peace.
As a symbolic object it represents Hermes (or the Roman Mercury), and by extension trades, occupations or undertakings associated with the god. In later Antiquity the caduceus provided the basis for the astrological symbol representing the planet Mercury. Thus, through its use in astrology and alchemy, it has come to denote the elemental metal of the same name. The caduceus is also a recognized symbol of commerce and negotiation.
The two entwined snakes of the caduceus represent number eight as well, and they are the equilibrium symbol between contrary forces. Besides, they represent the ethernal cosmic movement, base of regenaration and infinite.
The caduceus is sometimes mistakenly used as a symbol of medicine because of widespread confusion with the traditional medical symbol, the Rod of Asclepius, which has only a single snake and no wings.

Finally, here you can see a picture of a Greek mailbox, belonging to the Greek postal company ΕΛΤΑ. It was sent to me by my friend, Evi, who actually, inspired me to do this post about the Greek god of messengers and communication. She accompanied the picture together with this text to me: "The Greek mail service is ELTA (ΕΛΤΑ), which you see written on the mailbox. The face is supposed to be the face of Hermes one of the t Gods of Olympus according to our ancient mythology, who was a son of Zeus and Maya (one of Atlas's daughters). In that "godly society" Hermes used to have the role of the herald, he was the one who usually delivered the news to and from the mortal world. He was also the protector of travelers, thieves, gamblers and the trade. Moreover, he was the one who lead the way of the dead to the underworld. The most typical symbols of Hermes were the caduceus and the winged sandals, which enabled him to fly. I think Hermes is the most human-like godly figure of Greek mythology..." Thank you, Evi!

Corners of Warsaw

2011-05-28T23:03:00.000+02:00

Hello from Polska! As you can guess, we are in Europe, in the east of this continent, in a country we already travelled to some months ago. Its coastline, in the north, is bathed by the Baltic Sea and, at the south, the Tatra Mountains are the natural border with some of its neighbouring countries. Have you already guessed where we are located today in this new travel around the world?

Hello Agnieszka and welcome to Penpalling & Letters! What a pleasure to have you here today, in Travelling around the World sharing Cultural Heritage, Folklore and Background section! Would you like to share your penpalling experiences with us?

Hello everybody! As you already know my name is Agnieszka and I come from Warsaw, the capital of Poland, which is situated in the central area of my country and it is the biggest city, too.
I have been penpalling since I was fourteen. I met my first penpals during vacation. My Polish penpal and I have neighbouring summer houses by the lake, where we were spending each vacation and wanted to keep in touch during the year through letters. We are friends till today; she lives in Warsaw so we see each other sometimes and still go for vacation to our place. My first foreign penpals I met during summer language courses in England. I was corresponding with two Italian and one Spanish girls but, unfortunatelly, it did not last long. I had a break from penpalling since the Internet interrupted in it. I had never written to anyone who I haven't met personally until two years ago, when I found the "Interpals" website and met new wonderful penpals there! Even if I am not into "Postcrossing", I love getting postcards from my friends and I always send some, too, whenever I go somewhere or from my homecity, indeed. I guess that like everyone in "our small penpalling world" I like colourful stationery. Sometimes I paint the envelopes myself! I am not sure if I can say I collect stationery or stickers, because it is all to be used and I don't buy anything with the intention to keep it for myself. At the moment I am not looking for new penpals, but you can find me at my Blog:

As you already know, I come from Warsaw, the capital of Poland. Warsaw has over 1,700,000 inhabitants nowadays. Its symbol is the Mermaid. She is in the city's coat of arms: "Warsaw's Coat of Arms" and there are two monuments of the Mermaid in Warsaw, as well.
According to the legend, a Mermaid swimming in the sea stopped on the riverbank near to the Old Town to rest. She found the place so admirable that she decided to stay. Local fishermen living nearby noticed that something was creating waves, tangling nets, and releasing their fish. Although their original intention was to trap the offender, they fell in love with the Mermaid upon hearing her singing. Later, a rich merchant trapped the Mermaid and imprisoned her in a wooden hut. A young fisherman heard the Mermaid's cry and with the help of his mates released her, whereupon she declared her readiness to offer fishermen her help whenever it would be needed. Ever since, the Mermaid, armed with sword and shield, has been ready to help as well as protect the city and its residents.

I could write pages about Warsaw because it is a big city, which means that there are many things to see and it has a rich history, too. Therefore, I decided to choose a couple of most important things to show you this time!

The Old Town is the historic centre of the city, and it is listed in the UNESCO World Heritage Sites List. It was reconstructed after World War II, when it was totally destroyed. In the Old Town you can expect to see the Royal Castle, with a museum inside. In the middle of the square, in front of the Castle, there is Sigmunt's Column. On the top of it stands the King who moved the capital from Cracow to Warsaw. Walking through a narrow street you arrive to another square where one of the monuments of the Mermaid is. There are many cafes, "pierogarnias" (restaurants which specialize in making "pierogi" – our traditional and delicious meal) and a well-known confectionery. Rumours say it has the best ice-cream in the city. At least there is always a queue in front of it!

Łazienki Park is a 76 hectares park within the borders of Warsaw, with some historical monuments inside. One of them is the Palace on the Island, where the last King of Poland, Stanisław August Poniatowski, an art lover, used to organize Thursday Dinners to which he invited poets, painters and famous erudites. There is also a monument of Chopin, where during summer weekends free concerts take place. Not to make this post dry with facts, let me mention that in the park live, unafraid of humans, squirrels, which, if you give them peanuts, will eat from your hand!

The Palace of Culture and Science is the highest building in Poland (230 m), located in the very centre of Warsaw. It was built in the 50s as a "gift of the Soviet people to the Polish nation" by Stalin's initiative. On the 30th floor there is a terrace from where you can view the panorama of Warsaw. In the Palace there is the Congress Hall, a place where artists from all over the world perform, there is a lovely small cinema where you can watch films from different corners of the world, and also, all kinds of cultural events: fairs, exhibitions, conferences... are organized in this space. Each winter, next to the palace, a skating-ring opens. Regarding the architecture of the building, the opinions are divided, but whether it is positive or negative, the Palace is one of the city symbols, together with the Mermaid and Sigmunt's Column.

Thanks for taking part in Penpalling & Letters, Agnieszka! It was very interesting to read and learn about these places in your homecity, Warsaw! Feel free to participate again whenever you feel like it!

If you are interested in reading more articles featuring characteristics of our homelands don't forget to check: Travelling around the World sharing Cultural Heritage, Folklore and Background.

Sandbook Penpalling Magazine Issue 7

2011-05-26T22:10:00.001+02:00

The seventh issue of the penpalling magazine edited and produced by Sandbook.Net Penpal and Swappers Site corresponding to the month of May is finally online. As always, it is on digital format and you can download it as a PDF file at the Sandbook.net website: Sandbook Magazine - Issue 7. Have you never heard before about this penpalling magazine? Did you miss any of the previous issues? You still can download them at: Sandbook Magazine Archive.

Together with the May issue, a new series of the Sandbook Booklets (Booklet 4) is online as well. If you are interested in getting it you can download it at the following link (it is on digital format as a PDF file, just like the magazines): Sandbook Booklet 4.

If you are interested in taking part in future issues of the magazine or the booklet check how to do it in this link: "What to do to participate in Sandbook Magazine".

As in previous occasions, issue number 8 will be online on the 11th June 2011 at: Sandbook.Net Penpal and Swappers Site. There will be a new Booklet coming out next month, too. Don't miss them! You will be able to read many interesting articles and news on penpalling and other different topics!

The Notebook (2004)

2011-05-16T00:00:00.000+02:00

The Notebook is a 2004 romantic drama film starring Rachel McAdams, Ryan Gosling, Gena Rowlands and James Garner. It was directed by Nick Cassavetes and based on the novel of the same name by Nicholas Sparks. The Notebook was inspired by the story of the grandparents of Sparks' wife, who had been married over sixty years when Sparks met them. Sparks marvelled at how much the couple cared for each other, and wrote his novel as an attempt to describe such a love.

The Notebook is an epic love story which tells about lost opportunities due to insurmountable obstacles, about second chances, discrimination due to social strata, the true love that endures through time and overcomes the difficulties, the victory of love over the disease, even for a moment, or arranged marriages of convenience.

The narration, both in past and present, is full of strength, charm and deep, sometimes contradictory, feelings. The story captives the viewer from the very first moment and keeps its delight until the end. The special chemistry between the main characters adds an enchanting touch besides showing freshness and naturalness around them.

The story starts on the summer of 1940 in Seabrook, South Carolina. Allie Hamilton (Rachel McAdams) is an upper-class girl who is spending summer with her family in that coastal town. At the main festival, she meets Noah Calhoun (Ryan Gosling), a local boy who works at the lumber mill. Years later, an old gentleman reads the story of a couple written in a faded notebook to an old, sick lady...

- Why didn't you write me? Why? It wasn't over for me, I waited for you for seven years. But now it's too late.
- I wrote you 365 letters. I wrote you everyday for a year.
- You wrote me?
- Yes... it wasn't over, it still isn't over.

[Information taken from The Notebook, The Internet Movie Database, Wikipedia]

Why does a letter touch our hearts?

2011-05-05T20:27:00.003+02:00

Sandbook Penpalling Magazine Issue 6

2011-05-01T21:50:00.001+02:00

The sixth issue of the penpalling magazine edited and produced by Sandbook.Net Penpal and Swappers Site corresponding to the month of April was delayed but is finally online. As always, it is on digital format and you can download it as a PDF file at the Sandbook.net website: Sandbook Magazine - Issue 6. Have you never heard before about this penpalling magazine? Did you miss any of the previous issues? You still can download them at: Sandbook Magazine Archive.

Together with the April issue, a new series of the Sandbook Booklets (Booklet 3) is online as well. If you are interested in getting it you can download it at the following link (it is on digital format as a PDF file, just like the magazines): Sandbook Booklet 3.

If you are interested in taking part in future issues of the magazine or the booklet check how to do it in this link: "What to do to participate in Sandbook Magazine".

As in previous occasions, issue number 7 will be online around the 11th May 2011 at: Sandbook.Net Penpal and Swappers Site. There will be a new Booklet coming out at the end of May, 2011 as well. Don't miss them! You will be able to read many interesting articles and news on penpalling and other different topics!

Mail Trivia XII

2011-04-29T20:08:00.000+02:00

Did you know that...

a stamp showing a printing or design error has a higher value than the rest?

Easter traditions in Germany and Slovenia

2011-04-26T21:28:00.001+02:00

Easter is the central feast in the Christian liturgical year, which commemorates when Jesus rose from the dead on the third day after his crucifixion. His resurrection is celebrated on Easter Day or Easter Sunday (also Resurrection Day or Resurrection Sunday). It is a moveable feast, meaning it is not fixed in relation to the civil calendar. Easter customs vary across the Christian world, but decorating Easter eggs is a common motif. In the Western world, customs such as egg hunting and the Easter Bunny extend from the domain of church, and often have a secular character. [Extracted from Wikipedia]

In this occasion, Katharina from Germany and Vesna from Slovenia wanted to share with us how Easter is celebrated in their homelands, so let's go on reading about Easter traditions in their countries!

"Katharina in Germany"

Here, in Germany, Easter is the first official countrywide long holiday weekend after Christmas. Good Friday and Easter Monday are bank holiday and all shops, offices... remain closed. Well, except for the ones at airports and train staions, of course! Usually, Easter is spent with family and/or friends. Many families have traditions in what they do for Easter. For my husband and me, it used to be a short trip to Italy, to beautiful Lake Garda, during seven years, but when "our" lovely little hotel closed a couple of years ago, we started staying at home for Easter, inviting our family and friends for a big Easter Brunch on Easter Monday. An Easter brunch always means a lot of nice things to eat. There will be all kinds of bread, cold-cut and cheese (as many Germans like to have bread with cheese or ham in the morning), jam and marmelades, cakes and muffins, but also warm dishes like a baked ham or turkey, a soup and salads. Some ingredients are a must for me at Easter, like carrots (because of the Easter bunny) and, above all, eggs.

Easter eggs are a symbol for Easter in many countries. But, here, in Germany, we do not only have chocolate eggs in all sizes, tastes and colours. We also use real eggs, first boiling them hard and then colouring them. In my family, this is usually done on Easter Saturday, and it is an event. You can buy colours for dying the eggs in any supermarket (but only around Easter time), however, you can also use nature's gifts for colouring eggs (like onion skin for a brownish colour, parsley or other herbs for green...). The eggs are dyed while they are still hot, and then they are put somewhere to dry and cool down. The last touch is greasing them (either with a bit of oil, margarine or even with a little piece of bacon fat) so they shine. They are then put in a little basket on a bed of (artificial) green grass where they wait to be eaten during the Easter days.
On Easter Sunday, in the very early hours of the morning, the Easter bunny visits every house especially if children live there. It hides chocolate eggs and little gifts in the garden for the children to search for. And when the weather forecast predicts rain, the bunny also goes inside the houses to hide its eggs and gifts indoors. And just in case you ever wondered why you find colourful eggs hanging in bushes in the front yards or gardens of German houses: that is needed to show the Easter bunny where the little children live and where to hide eggs (At least that is what my sister told her children!).

Decorations are very widespread for Easter. Now that winter is finally over, we like to decorate our houses, flats and gardens in spring colours and with spring and Easter symbols: eggs are hanging or sitting everywhere, together with bunnies, flowers and lambs. Preferred colours are pastel colours like yellow, light green, rose, pink... Nowadays most people buy these decorations in the shops where they sell more and more articles every year. For me as a child, however, Easter always was a time of crafting and painting. We would take real eggs, drill little holes in the upper and lower side, blow out the contents and then paint the eggs with whatever means available. Our preferred paint was mom’s nailpolish. In the end we put a little ribbon on the egg and hung then outside in a yellow-blooming bush in the front yard.
But not only houses and flats are decorated. In some areas it is a tradition to decorate public springs with eggs and green. This tradition is said to go back to 1909 and is more common in Southern Germany than in the North. The Easterly decoration of springs was meant to symbolize the meaning water has for life and growth.

Easter decorations at a spring in Maulbronn, Germany

It is said that the decoration of springs goes along with another tradition I have never experienced myself but only read about: the so-called Easter water. It is said that water scooped from a spring or ditch in the Easter night will have healing power and flatten/glaze one’s complexion. The water has to be scooped between midnight and sunrise and it has to be scooped and carried home in total silence.

From my teenage years in the North of Germany, I remember well the Easter bonfires that were held everywhere in the night of Easter Saturday. In Hamburg, the place where I grew up, the biggest bonfires were along the river Elbe. For these bonfires huge piles of wood were assembled (the higher and the bigger, the better), and on top of these piles a puppet made from straw (often a witch) was added. When it turned dark, the bonfires were started. It is a very old tradition, dating back to pre-Christian times. The idea behind these bonfire was to chase away the winter, to burn it out, and to ask for a rich harvest. In Christian times, this tradition prevailed and priest would light an Easter candle with the bonfire and carry it to the dark church, thus symbolizing Jesus Christ as the light for the world. I do not remember ever having seen the lightening of a candle, though. I recall the Easter fires as very social events with a lot of people who sat by the fires, talked and had a beer.

All in all, Eastertime is lovely here, in Germany! And I hope you enjoyed reading about it. But now I will go and put some colourful eggs in my little bush in the front yard so that the Easter bunny will find its way to my garden, too!

"Vesna in Slovenia"

Slovenia is a predominantly Catholic country and many families still celebrate it by going to church and following the Easter traditions. There are some Easter bunnies and chocolate eggs available at the shops (more and more each year), but they are not traditionally Slovenian even though some younger generations adopted them. I won't write about these though. I'll try to describe how my family and my husband's celebrated Easter in the past and how we two still celebrate it today. My grandma said – It is OK if you don't go to church, but if you consider yourself a Catholic, you should go to church at least twice a year: on Easter and Christmas!

Blessing of the fire

The preparations for Easter start the Sunday before Easter Sunday. We call it "cvetna nedelja" or translated: floral Sunday. People bring "butarica" to church and have it blessed then have it in the living area of the house/flat. Butarica is an arrangement of green branches and ribbons, but some people also bring small olive tree branches. Traditionally one of the boys who is still at school was the one who took butarica to church to be blessed, but not many people remember this tradition nowadays.

Butarica

On Holy Saturday everything is in preparation for Easter Sunday. Women bake potica (traditional Slovenian cake), cook ham, children colour eggs... All the food is then put in a basket and taken to church to be blessed. Food that must be in the basket: potica (represents the Jesus' crown), ham (represents Jesus' body), horse radish (represents the nails) and coloured eggs (traditionally they are coloured read and represent Jesus' blood drops). In my area we also put "zelodec" (stomach) in the basket. It is smoked pig stomach filled with bacon, eggs and bread filling, which is then baked.

Typical Easter baskets

Traditionally, the oldest unmarried daughter in the family was the one taking the basket to be blessed, but, again, not many people remember this tradition. At the time, women wait in the church for the food to be blessed, men and children make a fire in front of the church and burn a dried wood mushroom on it. After the priest blesses the food he goes outside and blesses the fire. The kindling mushrooms are then taken home and put on a fire so that the fireplace is also blessed. This tradition is not alive in the towns and cities because most households are heated with central heating, but in rural areas it's still practiced. We practiced it until a few years ago when we moved to town. I really liked it because it's a rare occasion when the whole village got together (even the people who only got home from towns for the holidays). I usually put the basket in our small church and then joined the men and also a lot of women outside to catch up and hear the latest gossip. In the evening it's time for Easter Vigil.

Potica

On Sunday morning it's time for church again and after the morning mass a breakfast for the whole family is prepared from the food that was blessed on Saturday. Traditionally it's only allowed to be eaten by hands (no cutlery) and it's not allowed to give any of the blessed food to cats. On this day the whole family should stay at home.
Easter Monday is a day when people visit their friends and family. During these visits they often exchange Easter eggs.

Zelodec

Thank you Katharina and Vesna!!! It was great reading your splendid articles! Hope to see you again in Penpalling & Letters!

"Cantinho das Artes e Lojinha da Inês" winner!

2011-04-13T19:00:00.001+02:00

Inês from Cantinho das Artes e Lojinha da Inês was visiting Penpalling & Letters in March to tell us about her penpalling experiences and her abilities in the handcrafts world. Besides, Inês decided to organize a contest and offer the winner a fantastic butterfly cross-stitched bookmark and keyring. The contest ended a few days ago, and after deliberating together about choosing a winner (not easy at all), we came with a result, finally:

All the names of the participants were written in little pieces of paper

All the little papers were put inside a bag

An innocent hand took the papers out of the bag. The name which was out first for three times in a row was the winner this time!

The winner is Maria! Many congratulations Maria! You are so lucky to get these fantastic handmade items from Inês!!!
Thank you so much everybody for reading Inês' interview and supporting her, as well as for taking part in the contest! Inês is very happy and pleased with all the lovely comments received and the compliments regarding her participation in P&L!
More surprises will be on Penpalling & Letters in the future so remember to keep an eye on the Blog!

Hamburg memories

2011-04-07T21:45:00.003+02:00

I have recently received this postcard: "Hamburg: der russische Dreimaster "Mir" vor den St.-Pauli-Landungsbrücken während des Hafengeburtstages" or "Hamburg: Russian threemasted vessel "Me" in front of the Saint Pauli landing bridges during the anniversary of the harbour". This is a view of an area in the city of Hamburg, Germany. When I received it I felt nostalgia about the place. Some years ago I had the chance to study in Germany, in a city not far from Hamburg, under the Erasmus programme of the European Union. I spent an unforgettable time. Living abroad meant broaden horizons, thoughts and ideas, besides having the chance to meet people from many different countries of the world. It was interesting and enriching in all senses, as there aren't that many chances to live together with so many overseas at once. This is why sometimes I miss those times and that international atmosphere. I feel lucky I had the chance to live that experience because the memories are great! I was in Hamburg a few times, which I hope to visit some time in the future again... I have never lived in Hamburg but still feels nostalgia when I see pictures of this city or receive postcards from the places in Germany I had the chance to see with my own eyes. If it only was possible to go back in time...

Saint Pauli is one of the one hundred five quarters of the city of Hamburg and it is located in the Hamburg-Mitte borough. It is situated on the right bank of the River Elbe, being the "Landungsbrücken" a northern part of the port of Hamburg.
If you are interested in learning more about this quarter of Hamburg you always can check about it here: Saint Pauli.

The stamp enclosed belongs to a series called "UNESCO World Heritage Sites - Old Town of Regensburg". The old town of Regensburg was listed as an UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2006. These stamps were designed by Prof. Dieter Ziegenfeuter and issued on February, 3rd 2011. The motif represented is the Cathedral of Regensburg. The value of each stamp is 0,75€, valid to send letters up to 20g from Germany to any international destination at present. A detailed description of the stamp series can be found at Deutsche Post Filatelie.

Tips on letter writing III

2011-03-30T23:23:00.006+02:00

Writing and receiving letters is an exciting activity. How many times have we found ourselves running to the letterbox to check if mail had arrived? In how many occasions the arrival of a letter cheered us up in a grey day and put a wide smile in our face? Isn't it great to exchange written papers and envelopes coming from far away? Don't you feel how special letters and correspondence between two people are?
As the penfriendship develops and you start exchanging more letters in a regular basis you might feel like sending some special stuff to your penpal and try to make your letters unique. Anything enclosed in a letter won't and will never be a replacement of the written words, but still is nice to enclose special features in a letter.
The first point to be taken into account is that you do not need to spend a lot of money in any singular thing you will be sending to a penpal nor be a too elaborated gift. There is no need to. Most of the time are the simple objects the ones which make a difference and make us feel special because our pal thought of us! So, try to inspire yourself and be creative!
And now you find yourself thinking which are the possibilities to send something special in the mail, something which is not too expensive, fits in an envelope, and at the same time, is cute and eye-catching. Just use your imagination as possibilities are endless.

How to make your letters unique? First of all, maybe you are one of those people who like drawing. I used to draw a lot when I was a child and a teenager and really enjoyed it back then. When drawing be sure you are creating the most personal decorated letter you could ever send. You don't feel like drawing? There are still lots of possibilities to personalize a letter: you can use stickers, rubber stamps showing different motifs, glitter, glitter pens, colouring pencils, water colour pencils, colour decorative stencils, quotes...
Another possibility is to design and print your own letter-paper. You can work on a graphics editing computer program until you obtain the wished design. Remember typical features and symbols of your homeland to decorate the letter here. They will surely transmit the essence of your homeplace.
What else is it possible to enclose in a letter? Remember characteristic stuff from your country. Perhaps this is not so easy to think about at first. We are too used to our own stuff and it usually happens that features which are common for us might surprise a person from another land, just because that specific thing cannot be found in their place. Again, it is not about an expensive gift. Have you thought about natural stuff? For example, drying and pressing a tree leaf or a flower? What about sending sand from your favourite beach, dunes or from the shores of a nearby lake?
Some other items which can be part of a letter are: postcards, used stamps, pictures, stationery (letter paper, pens, envelopes, stickers, deco-tape...), newspaper/magazine-cuttings, magnets, key-rings, bookmarks, CDs/DVDs of your favourite music or favourite movies, transportation tickets, telephone cards, maps from the city/place you live, brochures, tea-bags...

Despite it is exciting to send and receive additional stuff by post it should never be expected or demanded. It is very ugly to request specific stuff and gifts to penpals in certain countries, simply because you cannot find such items in yours. If it is a fair swap, it becomes an agreement between two people, otherwise don't be greedy and thoughtless!
Make sure you are sending stuff because you feel like it, because it is your personal decision and you wish to surprise your penpal; not because your penpal is demanding stuff all the time and you don't want to lose this penfriend. Also, consider that if you are sending a gift because it is your penpal birthday or it is a special celebration, don't send expensive stuff through the post. Maybe your penpal cannot afford the same stuff back and might feel embarrassed when receiving your parcel. Also because some packages never arrive to destination...
Finally, be careful when sending stuff to certain countries and cultures different to yours. Maybe the item can be inappropriate or considered of bad taste by your pal.

As you can see the possibilities to send additional stuff together with a letter are endless. You only need a little bit of inspiration, imagination and creativity!

If you are looking for advice on penpalling check: "Tips on letter writing".

"Cantinho das Artes e Lojinha da Inês" and Contest!

2011-03-20T00:00:00.009+01:00

And here we have a new post featuring "The person behind the letter-writer". Penpalling & Letters special guest of today is Inês! Listen to her carefully because she will not only tell us about her amazing abilities and penpalling experiences. Inês has prepared a wonderful surprise for all Penpalling & Letters readers as well!

- Hello Inês! Welcome to Penpalling & Letters! It is such a delight you are participating in The person behind the letter-writer! We are really interested in hearing about your experiences regarding the world of letters and, of course, about your handcrafts!
Inês, would you like to present yourself and tell us about your experiences?

Hello! I am so happy and excited to be here participating in Penpalling & Letters! My name is Inês, a 29 year-old married girl from Portugal. I studied Journalism and I am working full time as a secretary at the moment. In my free time I love being creative!
As most of you can guess I am into penpalling for a long time now; sadly, not so much nowadays due to the lack of time, but it will always be one of my passions. I can affirm I have made true friends through letter writing! I started when I was sixteen. At that time my older sister was corresponding with a few people and I followed her steps. I found my first penpals in magazines and FBs (Friendship Books). Later, I found penpals on the Internet. The main purpose back then was to practice my English skills and talk about my favourite boyband at the time: "Boyzone"!
I also like postcards and I am registered in "Postcrossing". I love travelling through postcards, and especially seeing where my penpals live! I love swapping stuff, too, because it is a cheap way to get new things for my hobbies. I almost never use everything I buy, and soon I lose interest and want new stuff! I swap paper, ribbons, thread, fabric, tissues... almost everything you can imagine to do crafts!

- Inês, what do you like to create with your own hands? Could you tell us about some of the creations you usually work in?

I like to try everything! I started with paper crafts, then I got interested in cross-stitching and sewing, as well as decoupage. However, my biggest passion is cross-stitching! I love creating baby stuff like cloths or bibs and also small gifts like bookmarks, scented bags...

- How did you get started into handcrafts? What made you take the decision to start working on handmade stuff?

I have always liked to create things myself. When I was fourteen, I learned cross-stitching at school, at the "Handcrafts" subject. I don't remember if I stitched something in the period between 1995 and 2009, year in which my nephew was born. My mum had the idea of working on a handmade gift for my nephew (I stitched and she sewed): it was a little bag to put the dirty clothes of the baby when being born and while staying at the maternity. After this first work, many new ideas came to real, especially bibs. I, then, started a blog to show my work and some orders showed up! I also have always liked to make handmade cards for birthdays, Christmas, other special occasions... instead of buying them.

- How and where do you get the necessary inspiration to make every item?

Anywhere! Sometimes I am sitting in the train on my way home and suddenly I get a new idea. I also surf a lot on the Internet, especially on handcraft blogs.

- Which kind of materials do you use in your creations?

In cross-stitching/sewing I mainly use fabrics and threads. For paper crafts I use cardboard, every piece of cute paper I get, colourful papers, ribbons, applications, stickers... everything cute you can think of!

- Do you imagine the item you are about to start working in in your head or do you work on the item "improvising", you advance as inspiration and ideas come to your mind?

Most of the time I imagine everything in my head before starting to work. But it can happen I change some little details when I am already working on it because I notice it will turn out better.

- How long have you been working into handmade stuff by now?

As I said, I have always liked to make handmade stuff, but I do it more seriously for the last two years.

- How much time do you spend in every handmade item until it is finished?

It depends much on the item itself! I can create a row of handmade cards in a single afternoon while a cross-stitched item always takes longer. For example, a bib can take two or three days to be finished. It depends on the day of the week (I work more and faster during weekends), the complexity of the item...

- Would you like to present us your little corners in the web, Inês?

Yes, of course! "Cantinho das Artes da Inês" (Inês' Handcrafts Corner) is the blog where I show my work. It is a relaxed, casual meeting place with other people around the handcrafts world. I hope to be an inspiration to someone out there! I have a different blog, a kind of an online shop where I show the items I make with the intention of selling them: "Lojinha da Inês" (Inês' Little Shop).

- How were "Cantinho das Artes da Inês" and "Lojinha da Inês" born? When did you think about starting your own sites online?

My blogs were born quite at the same time that my passion for cross-stitching revived, so about two years ago. Meanwhile I changed to another server (Blogger) but the essence of the blogs is exactly the same. I used to visit other people's blogs and see their work, so I decided to have my own blog, too.

- Which kind of stuff is it possible to find when visiting "Cantinho das Artes da Inês" or "Lojinha da Inês"?

Well, I have a special passion for baby stuff, like bibs and cloths, so you will find many of these. I also like to create little items, like bookmarks for example.

- Which are the favourite items of your customers?

Baby stuff has been the most successful until now, specially bibs. I have noticed that customers love to order stuff with the baby's name on it.

- Will you be working on new designs and new items in the future?

Hopefully yes! I have some ideas, but time has not allowed me to make them true, yet, as I have a full time job which does not leave all the free time I would wish.

- Inês, would you create a specific design and item upon request and concrete wishes of a customer?

I'd definitely try, and hopefully it would turn out well!

- Could you explain us how purchasing, payment and shipping work in "Lojinha da Inês"?

I rarely have items ready for sale. People contact me to ask for the possibility of ordering an item. We agree everything by email and when the order is ready I send a picture. Customers have to pay through bank transfer and I send the item/s by registered mail. I charge some money due to postal expenses (depending on the weight of the package and the destination).

- Is it possible to find "Cantinho das Artes da Inês" or "Lojinha da Inês" in Facebook, Twitter or any social network?

You can find "Lojinha da Inês" in Facebook through the following e-mail address: lojinhadaines[at]yahoo[dot]com

- What is the aim of "Cantinho das Artes da Inês" and "Lojinha da Inês"?

The aim of my blogs is to show other people my work, share ideas, thoughts, doubts, everything related to this little and exciting world of handcrafts!

- Are there some thoughts, wishes or ideas you would like to share with us, Inês?

First, I want to thank Bea for this opportunity to talk about this passion of mine for handcrafts here. My wish would be to turn this hobby into a serious business, but it is a very difficult and risky thing to do in nowadays economic scenery. Everyone needs an escape for the stressful lives we are living and this is mine. It definitely helps and makes me happy!

And now, let's talk about the contest that Inês, and her blogs "Cantinho das Artes da Inês" (Inês' Handcrafts Corner) and "Lojinha da Inês" (Inês' Little Shop) have prepared for the Penpalling & Letters readers.

By participating in this contest you can win a beautiful cross-stitched bookmark, a cute cross-stitched keyring and a surprise basket with goodies offered by Inês! You can see part of the prize in the pic below.

How to take part in this contest?

1. Leave a comment in this interview and tell us (remember to leave a way to contact you):

- What do you think of this interview to Inês?
- Which items do you like the most in "Cantinho das Artes da Inês" (Inês' Handcrafts Corner) and "Lojinha da Inês" (Inês' Little Shop)?

Bear in mind that you should participate with a name/nickname. Any "anonymous" won't be taken into account. You can sign with a Blogger, Twitter, Facebook... account. Or at least, leave your name and tell us you are in Facebook, Twitter, any social network, website... If we cannot find you anywhere, we are really sorry but your participation won't be taken in. Sorry!

Please, notice that to participate in this contest, your reply has to be written here, in this same interview. Comments in any other place around the net won't be taken into account. Also, only one entry per person is allowed, so chances to get the prize are the same to everyone.

Taking part in this contest organized by Inês is very easy! Everybody is welcome to enter and if you feel like it, tell your pals and friends as well. It is a wonderful chance to win some cute handmade stuff made with love and care by Inês! Deadline will be the 10th April, 2011, at 00:00 GMT+1 Time Zone. The winner will be announced shortly after.

Good luck everybody and hope you enjoyed Inês' visit!

Inês, many thanks for participating in The person behind the letter-writer! It was such a big pleasure to work together with you to present this nice interview and contest to the readers! You know you are always welcome to Penpalling & Letters whenever you wish to be back!

If you would like to read more posts from "The person behind the letter-writer" section keep an eye on the links you can find at: The person behind the letter-writer.

Sandbook Penpalling Magazine Issue 5

2011-03-15T20:30:00.002+01:00

The fifth issue of the penpalling magazine edited and produced by Sandbook.Net Penpal and Swappers Site is finally online. As the previous issues, it is on digital format and you can download it as a PDF file at the Sandbook.net website: Sandbook Magazine - Issue 5. Have you never heard before about this penpalling magazine? Did you miss any of the previous issues? You still can download them at: Sandbook Magazine Archive.

On the 21st February, 2011 the second booklet of the Sandbook Booklet series was published as well. If you are interested in getting it you can download it at the following link (it is on digital format as a PDF file, just like the magazines): Sandbook Booklet 2.

If you are interested in taking part in future issues of the magazine or the booklet check how to do it in this link: "What to do to participate in Sandbook Magazine".

As in previous occasions, issue number 6 will be online on the 11th April, 2011 at: Sandbook.Net Penpal and Swappers Site. The Booklet number 3 will be published on the 21st March, 2011. Don't miss them! You will be able to read many interesting articles, ideas... on penpalling and other different topics as soon as they are online!

Mail Trivia XI

2011-03-12T20:18:00.006+01:00

Did you know that...

stamp dimensions are indicated in millimetres? The first cipher refers to the horizontal dimension of the stamp while the second to the vertical.

At the shores of the Neretva

2011-03-03T15:17:00.002+01:00

Hello from Hrvatska! This is how the natives of this land call it in their language. We are located today in southeastern Europe, at the crossroads of the Pannonian Plain, the Balkans, and the Adriatic Sea. Hrvatska is a young country although its origins date back to the early VII century; the area where Hrvatska is today has been inhabited since the Prehistoric period. Some of its symbols are the "karst", "Plitvice Lakes National Park" or its insular territory, which consists of over one thousand enchanting islands!

Hello Maria and welcome to Penpalling & Letters! It is a pleasure you are participating in Travelling around the World sharing Cultural Heritage, Folklore and Background! What could you tell us about yourself, Maria?

Hello everybody! As you already know my name is Maria and I come from Croatia. I started penpalling in 1997 when our teacher gave us addresses to write to people from abroad. I don't remember very well what we were learning that day or how many of us joined but I know I was really happy about it! Then I got my first FB (Friendship Book) and I met nice penpals through those, too. Due to family problems I lost contact with these first penpals of mine but I met new ones later on. I was also reading teen magazines and they were full of penpal and swapper ads. That is how I met my best penfriend Tanja and we have been friends for fourteen years now! I also like postcards and I like getting them from my pals as well as sending them back. I love stamps, too. I have been collecting them for a while now and my first album is almost full. I also love stickers. I use them to decorate letters and I like colourful ones, glitter pens and stationery but it is so hard to find those in my town... Recently, I also started a blog: "Fallen Angel".

Maria, are you looking for penpals at the moment?

Penpals are always welcome but I am only interested in females. Age is not important and I don't care if they write long or short letters as long as they don't mind that I usually type my letters. I do that because my handwriting is awful and I like my letters to be nice and understandable. I decorate letters by adding stickers or I draw something. Mutual interests are fine but that is not the most important, either. We are all different after all but what I like the most is that my future penpals are nice, caring and understanding!

Would you like to disclose now what are you going to present under the title "At the shores of the Neretva"?

Yes, of course! I would like to say that it is a pleasure to be here today sharing a story about my part of the world: a small place called "Metković".

- Where is your hometown, Metković, located? How is the area surrounding it?

My town is situated in the southeast of Croatia, in the valley of the River Neretva which flows through the town and separates it in two. Metković is not far away from the Adriatic Sea and very close to the border with Bosnia and Herzegovina (in fact, Mostar, the fifth largest city in Bosnia, is only 35Km far away from Metković). Lots of fields and mountains surround my hometown.

Location of Metković within Croatia

Aerial view of Metković at present with the River Neretva flowing through the city

- Can you describe Metković?

It is a small town with a population slightly over 15,000 nowadays. I live on the Predolac Hill, in the old part of the town, and I can see everything from my balcony: the river, the border with Bosnia and Herzegovina, the whole right side of the town, the fields around the city, the mountains surrounding it... If I go a little bit up on the hill, I even can see the whole city of Metković. It is really beautiful when you climb up and see the landscape and the whole Neretva Valley.

Metković in the 1900s. View of the Predolac Hill

- Do you remember when was Metković born as a city? Maybe you would like to share with us some facts about its history.

The city of Metković was first mentioned in 1422, in a file kept in the Dubrovnik archives: "in flumaria Narrenti subtus Metchovich" which means "On the River Neretva, Metković". It was born as a small agricultural and cattle-raising town. When Greeks began to colonize the islands on the Adriatic coast, they found a strategic position to establish the "emporium" (port) in Vid (it is an ancient settlement which was called Narona in the past), near Metković. Also, two centuries were filled with frequent clashes between the Ottomans and the Venetians. In the Second World War Metković was repeatedly bombed and also in the period 1991-1992, during the War between Serbia and Croatia.

Metković at present.
View of the southern slope of the Predolac Hill
with Saint Ilija's Church on top

- Are there some remarkable landmarks or features worth to be mentioned?

"Saint Ilija's Church" is the most important feature of the town and it is situated on the southern slope of the Predolac Hill. It was built between 1867 and 1874, and is a stone building with three naves in the type of a basilica in Romanesque and Neogothic style. There is a lovely view from it of the whole Neretva Valley and the city.

"Kula Norinska" or "Norin Tower".
Built in the XVI century by the Turks

"Kula Norinska" or "Norin Tower" in Krvavac II is close to the Metković-Opuzen road and was built by the Turks in the beginning of the XVI century. The tower was initially built where the River Norin met the River Neretva. The purpose was to keep the Venetians away from the valley and to have a stronghold where the Turkish possessions in the territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina could be defended from. The Turks did not quite succeed. Already in 1685 they had to give in to a Venetian siege and leave the tower. However, with the towers strategic importance, the Turks wanted it back and they got it several times. During the next centuries, the Venetians and the Turks succeeded one another in being masters in the tower. This rivalry came to an end when Austrian troops kicked them out. Under Austrian rule the river altered its course and the tower lost its strategic importance and was abandoned.


View of the Neretva flowing through Metković in the 1900s. Mountains surrounding the city at the background

- Which landscape can we found around the city and along the River Neretva?

There are fields and meadows in the near vicinity, as well as mountains which surround the whole Neretva Valley. The coastline is not far away from Metković: only about 20Km far from the city.

- How far is your hometown from the capital, Zagreb? And from the main Croatian tourism centres?

From Metković to Zagreb there is a distance of about 500Km, which takes around six hours by bus or car through the motorway. It takes about two-three hours longer if you go by "normal" roads. Split is around 140Km (around two hours by car) and Dubrovnik is around 80Km (around one hour by car) far away. There are islands and tourism centres along the whole coast of Croatia (from north to south), but the closer ones are Pelješac Peninsula (about 20Km by ferry), Hvar Island (about 60Km) and Brač Island (about 90Km). Perhaps it sounds far at first but you can get from Metković to any island in southern Croatia within two hours.

The same view as above at present times

- Which climate can we find in Metković?

The Mediterranean climate predominates in Croatia. However, sometimes, during winter and early spring frosts may appear as a part of the flow of cold air due to the opening of the continent. It can be really dangerous for crops as plants and vegetation start sprouting in early spring, already.

- What makes the city famous and well-known?

Picking mandarins in the field from October on as part of the tourism (agriculture has traditionally been the main activity in the Neretva Valley), great food (fish, eel and frog stew Neretva-style, Dalmatian prosciutto, fried frogs, grilled eel, seafood salad, boiled coot with sauerkraut, seashells...), the boat marathon and photo safari.

- What do people do for a living? Which are the typical jobs/works in the area?

The most typical jobs in Metković are those which take place in the office, at schools, shops... but also a lot of people work on their land, grow fruits and vegetables, especially mandarins. Almost everybody has a small piece of land with mandarin trees on, including me!

Ornithological Museum. Collection of bird species

- Which interesting features stand out in Metković at the moment?

There is the Ornithological Museum which has an important "Bird Collection". It contains more than 340 exhibits, among which are specimens of 218 bird species and 310 species recorded on the Neretva area so far. There is also the Narona Archaeological Museum in Vid (small place only a few minutes far away from Metković). Fifteen years ago they did an archaeological research in that town and found some remains of a Roman temple, the "Augusteum", and seventeen marble statues in natural height.

- If anyone who is reading this article is interested in visiting Croatia and maybe has the chance to go to Metković during her/his stay, what would you enhance about your homecity and the Neretva area so they think: "I should visit this charming place when going to Croatia next time!"?

There is always something to see and do when you come to visit Metković. Anyone who is visiting should have a walk around the city, especially through the old part of the city, its narrow streets and typical houses without forgetting Saint Ilija's Church; also along the shores of the Neretva. You can go for a hike to the Predolac Hill and see the beautiful panorama of the valley. It is always possible to visit the Ornithological Museum and the Bird Collection.
If tourists come in May, they can enjoy the folklore festivals. In July there is the "Brudetijada" (a gastronomic competition which consists of preparing "brudet") in Opuzen, a town only ten minutes far away from Metković. The Neretva-style fish stew, brudet, is an unique dish also because it is prepared in a somewhat different way in different parts of the Neretva Delta. The main ingredients are freshwater fish, eels and frogs and it is usually quite spicy. It is served with polenta. Many visitors taste the stew at the end of the contest accompanied by music and singing. In August it is possible to see the boat marathon "Maraton Lađa" or go the the beach and enjoy the sea in the not so far away Adriatic coast.

Snow over the Predolac Hill

- Which sports are practiced in the city? Do you have a well-known team in Metković?

Handball and football are the most popular sports in Metković, but also basketball and tennis. We don’t have a very famous team although several players in the Croatian handball national team are from Metković.

- Do you know about any personality/famous person coming from Metković?

The most famous people are those involved in sports: Igor Štimac and Darijo Srna (Croatian national football team); Patrik Ćavar, Ivan Čupić, Slavko Goluža and Nikša Kaleb (Croatian handball national team). There is also the poet Ivan Slamnig, the actress Vera Zima and the singer, Matija Vuica who were all born in Metković.

- Would you like to share with us any other interesting feature about your homecity, Maria?

One of the largest folklore festivals, "Na Neretvu Misecina Pala", is held in Metković every May. During two weekends the open stage of the town theatre hosts over a hundred folklore groups from Croatia and from abroad, which preserve the tradition of their regions through songs, music and dance.

There is also the annual amateur sporting competition called "Maraton Lađa". It is a 22.5Km marathon from Metković to Ploče where competitors race in old vessels native to the Lower Neretva River called "lađa" or "ladja" ("lađe" or "ladje" in plural). It is held on the second Saturday of August every year. The most exciting moment of the race happens to be on the starting line, with the lađe situated right under the bridge. More than three hundred competitors participate in thirty lađe, which together with the rhythmic beating of the drums by each team's drummer, makes it for a colourful and noisy spectacle. Around 50,000 viewers follow the marathon competition along the shores and banks of the Neretva and also important people in Croatia come to see it, even the president of the country.

Starting line of the Rowing Marathon "Lađa Marathon" under the bridge in Metković

Lađe have served for centuries as water vehicles which transported people, animals and farming products. Because of its narrow size, lađe are able to enter every tributary that flowed into the Neretva as well as the Neretva itself. It can be said that the lađe to the Neretva represents the same the gondola does to Venice.

To preserve the significance and history of the lađe, in 1998 the very first race involving these relics from the past was organized from Metković to Ploče. At the start of the inaugural race, there were a total of eighteen local crews. Ever since, a new record number of entries is received every year. As for the old lađe lying peacefully in the rivers, they were awaken from their slumber and repaired to live another day in the following year's race. Since the old lađe were all of different dimensions, and so that all competitors would race in vessels of the same size, in 2004 a new custom-made lađe were built, which would be used specifically for the marathon. Each rowing crew consists of ten rowers, a drummer and a cox. There can be a minimum of twelve and a maximum of eighteen people in each squad. Anyone who is willing to participate may be part of the crew. The competing lađe must be wooden, comprise a traditional shape and must meet the official competition rules as far as actual dimensions are concerned. That is, the length must be between 7 and 8.2 meters, the width between 2.45 and 2.8 meters, the depth is 70cm, with 23 spokes or wooden rods. The actual oars must also be made of wood.

Lađa built in 1895

A week prior to the actual marathon, the time trials for starting positions are held in Opuzen (individually over 100 metres). Depending on the trials, starting positions are assigned. The start of the race is in Metković under the main bridge. The course runs along the Neretva to the harbour in Ploče. Approximately, at the halfway mark, in the town of Opuzen, an interchange of up to six crew members is permitted (although it is not compulsory to change). Then, further down the river, we go through the small village of Komin, until the final destination in the harbour of the coastal town of Ploče. The winners normally achieve their goal in about two hours and fifteen minutes, following continuous, non-stop rowing. Spectators follow the race in cars on either side of the river, by train (the railway is parallel to the river route) or on board the many boats and vessels that accompany the lađe.

Maria also wanted to share with us some videos about the city of Metković, "Marathon Lađa" and the "Photo Safari", which you can see below:

If you are interested in learning and read more about the city of Metković, Marathon Lađa or the Neretva Delta area check the following links as well:

Metković
Marathon Lađa
The Neretva Delta

Thanks for presenting this interesting article about Metković in Penpalling & Letters, Maria! It was fantastic to learn so much from this part of Croatia! I am very much looking forward to hear from you again and share another interesting article with all of us. Hopefully your intervention here will attract more participants willing to take part!

If you would like to read more articles from all over the world don't forget to check: Travelling around the World sharing Cultural Heritage, Folklore and Background.

I am always looking for people who would like to take part into Travelling around the World Section. If you would like to write about any feature or characteristic of your homeland don't hesitate to contact me at: penpallingandletters[at]gmail[dot]com and we will work on it!

"Letters From Home" by Kristina McMorris and Contest

2011-02-24T20:16:00.002+01:00

A few days ago I was contacted by award-winning author Kristina McMorris. Kristina is promoting her debut novel "Letters From Home" at the moment and therefore has organized a letter contest.

As it is explained in the following link: Letters From Home Contest, you have to submit a love letter by March 31st, 2011 if you are interested in participating. It can be short or long, funny or heartwarming, poetic or satirical, real or made up. Some ideas include: an actual WWII letter, an imaginary note from Juliet to Romeo, from Donald Duck to Daisy, or from Amelia Earhart to a secret love with whom she might have run away. It can be a letter you once received, a copy of one you have sent, or one you should have written long ago. It can be a message to God, an estranged relative, a deployed serviceman, your favorite celebrity, and the list goes on...

What is the prize offered in this contest?

A nostalgic memory box full of gorgeous stationery, a fleur-de-lis wax seal and nostalgic goodies worth $150 (~110€) as can be seen below.

When you submit your letter, enclose your contact info as well (name, postal address, telephone number, e-mail address) and send everything to kristina@kristinamcmorris.com or via postal mail to:

Love Letter Contest
P.O. Box 100
Troutdale, OR-97060
United States of America

Entering automatically signs you up for Kristina's rare but fabulous e-newsletters. The winner will be announced and contacted around mid-April. Have fun and good luck!

Kristina also wanted to share with us some highlights about "Letters From Home" from her publisher's press kit:

Spotlighted in the March issue of Woman's Day magazine, LETTERS FROM HOME by Kristina McMorris hits major bookstores and online retailers February 22nd! Inspired by the epistolary courtship of the author's grandparents, this award-winning novel is being hailed as "ambitious and compelling...[a] sweeping debut." (Publishers Weekly)
In the midst of World War II, a Midwestern infantryman falls deeply in love through a yearlong letter exchange, unaware that the girl he's writing to isn't the one replying. Woven around this tenuous thread are three female friends whose journeys toward independence take unexpected turns as a result of romance, tragedy, and deception, their repercussions heightened by an era of the unknown. Beautifully rendered and deeply moving, Letters From Home is a story of hope and connection, of sacrifices made in love and war - and the chance encounters that change us forever.
With sales of its global rights on the rise, and book club rights sold to Reader's Digest and Doubleday, the novel has received glowing endorsements from the likes of Kristin Hannah (New York Times bestselling author of Firefly Lane), Pam Jenoff (bestselling author of The Kommandant's Girl), and Lynn "Buck" Compton (famed "Band of Brothers" WWII veteran).
Watch a brief video about the true story behind the book at: Letters From Home - A Video
And for WWII letters, special book club features, 1940s recipes, and more, visit: Kristina McMorris Website
A portion of the author's proceeds from sales will benefit United Through Reading, a nonprofit organization that video records deployed U.S. military personnel reading bedtime stories for their children.

Getting to know Jasmina from Penpal Junkie

2011-02-16T18:07:00.005+01:00

Today I have the pleasure to officially inaugurate The person behind the letter-writer, a section in which people who are into letters will be featured together with a personal quality or ability of themselves. There was an interview some months ago in Penpalling & Letters related to this topic, and inspired by this fact and other fellow penpaller's interests, I decided to start running this new section from now on. Hope all of you enjoy it!

Our guest of today is Jasmina who comes from the Netherlands. Let's listen to what Jasmina has to tell us:

Hello! My name is Jasmina and I am the owner of the online shop Penpal Junkie. I am 25 years-old an I live in the Netherlands. I am addicted to everything cute, especially cupcakes! I love to live and I love life! I started writing letters when was 12 years-old. I met a girl at the camping and we started writing. I also wrote a lot of letters to my cousins who live in Suriname. I love to decorate my letters with stickers and deco tape. I especially like "Kawaii" letter-paper, I think that it is so cute! When I was younger I was not writing letters only but I was also keeping a diary and writing poems. I have also swapped some time ago, but don't do it anymore because I don't have the time for it. My favourite item to swap are stickers and some other little things. Swapping is a lot of fun and need to do it soon again; hopefully, when I have more free time. Besides swapping I also like collecting cute stuff, and I am a member of Postcrossing as well. I think that Postcrossing makes possible to see a little bit more of the world.

Welcome to Penpalling & Letters, Jasmina! So nice you are visiting us today and that you are presenting your shop!

- How did you start running Penpal Junkie? For how long has your shop been online?

I decided to create my own shop when I realized that it was not possible to find cute writing paper (letter sets, letter pads...) or postcards in the Netherlands. I opened the visual doors of my shop on May, 1st 2010. A friend of mine gave me the idea of the name "Penpal Junkie" so this is why I named my shop this way.

- Which kind of products do you offer in Penpal Junkie?

In the very beginning I was only selling postcards and letter-paper. Right now you can find all kind of penpal supplies and gifts in Penpal Junkie: letter pads, letter sets, note pads, memo pads, postcards, greeting cards, envelopes, pencils, pens, stickers, deco tape, bags, wallets, bookmarks, beauty products (lip gloss, shower and bath products, hand and foot care items)...

- Do you have a favourite product yourself among those that can be seen in your shop?

I love the cupcake stuff the most, especially the cupcake soap. It smells great and it looks even better!

- Which items are the most popular among your customers?

The sticker-sacks are the most popular and most demanded items.

- If your customers request you a specific product that it is not available in Penpal Junkie at the moment, would you be willing to get it if possible?

If a customer would like to purchase a special item and it is not possible to find it in my shop yet, feel free to e-mail me and I will try my best to search this product for you.

- Can you explain us how the process of purchasing, payment and shipping works in Penpal Junkie?

Shipping costs are calculated upon weight and shown at the end of the order, so you will be able to see the real amount of money spent on products and shipping. Orders are sent by Second Class Mail so shipping costs aren't very high. However, bear in mind that the package might take up to a month to arrive depending on destination and other mail facts. I send the items out as soon as I receive the payment. You can pay through PayPal or bank wire transfer, a process which is secure, easy and fast.

- Can Penpal Junkie be found in Facebook, Twitter...?

You can find Penpal Junkie on Twitter: Penpal Junkie - Twitter and Hyves: Penpal Junkie - Hyves. We also have a blog: Penpal Junkie - The Blog.

- Are there something else that you would like to share about Penpal Junkie?

Penpal Junkie offers cute gifts for special people. If you think you are special or you know someone special you would like to surprise, don't hesitate to contact me so I can advice you!

Thanks for taking part in The person behind the letter-writer, Jasmina! You are welcome to Penpalling & Letters whenever you wish to participate again!

If you would like to read more posts from this section keep an eye on the links you can find at: The person behind the letter-writer.

Sandbook Penpalling Magazine Issue 4

2011-02-12T20:23:00.003+01:00

A new issue of the penpalling magazine edited and produced by Sandbook.Net Penpal and Swappers Site is online. As the previous issues, it is on digital format and you can download it as a PDF file at the Sandbook.net website: Sandbook Magazine - Issue 4. Have you never heard before about this penpalling magazine? Did you miss any of the previous issues (Issues 1, 2 and 3)? You still can download them at: Sandbook Magazine Archive.

On the 21st January, 2011 the first booklet of the Sandbook Booklet series was published as well. If you are interested in getting it you can download it at the following link (it is on digital format as a PDF file, just like the magazines): Sandbook Booklet 1.

If you are interested in taking part in future issues of the magazine or the booklet check how to do it in this link: "What to do to participate in Sandbook Magazine".

As in previous occasions, issue number 5 will be online on the 11th March, 2011 at: Sandbook.Net Penpal and Swappers Site. The Booklet number 2 will be published on the 21st February, 2011. Don't miss them! You will be able to read many interesting articles, tips, advice... on different topics and some other surprise themes as soon as they are online!

Mail Trivia X

2011-02-11T20:30:00.006+01:00

Did you know that...

candles were once used to determine the cost of postage?
In 1693 letters were being held in front of a candle to determine the postage rate. The less the light would shine through, the more costly your postage rate would be. This was known as candling.

Anniversary winner!

2011-02-06T18:18:00.001+01:00

Penpalling & Letters first anniversary was last 1st January, 2011 and to celebrate it a contest has been running during the whole month of January. Deadline to take part in was last February, 1st at 00:00 GMT+1 Time Zone. Today I have the pleasure to announce the lucky winner of a goodie bag of cute writing papers! However, let's see the process first:

I wrote down all the names of the participants in little pieces of paper

I put all the little papers inside a bag

I asked an innocent hand to take one of the papers out of the bag and this is how the winner is picked out!

The winner is Nat from Poland. Many congratulations Nat! You will be contacted soon so I am able to send you the package in the next days!

Thanks so much to everybody who took part in the contest! In the end there were a lot of people taking part and even if I don't like "chance" to have the final say, there were many interesting replies and it would not have been easy to pick a winner among them. However, I decided to choose the best three entries on my behalf and send those people a little consolation prize. Again, it was very difficult to choose, and if I could I would have given something to everyone, but at the moment it is not possible without a sponsor. Just in case, if someone is interested in becoming Penpalling & Letters sponsor we always can discuss about it!
So, those entries were the ones written by: Bruna from Brazil, Anne from Philippines and Georgia from Greece. Please, girls, get in touch at penpallingandletters[at]gmail[dot]com and send me your postal address so I am able to send you this little prize.

Once more, thanks to all the participants and don't give up! More surprises will be on Penpalling & Letters in the next months so remember to keep an eye on the Blog!

"Día de la Candelaria" – "Candlemas Day"

2011-02-02T00:02:00.006+01:00

Last month, Erika participated in Penpalling & Letters' Travelling around the World sharing Cultural Heritage, Folklore and Background Section with an excellent article about the celebration of "Día de Reyes" or "Three Kings Day" in Mexico. Following an important Mexican tradition which is connected to January, 6th or "Three Kings Day", Erika decided to write a new article to explain us what is celebrated on February, 2nd in her country.

Hello from Mexico once more! This time I would like to talk about another tradition in Mexico, which is the "Candlemas" or "Candelaria Day". It is a Catholic tradition very popular along the country and it is also a fusion of ancient traditions with Catholic beliefs, since Mexico was a Spanish colony centuries ago. "Candle Mass" name comes from the tradition of bringing candles to the church to be blessed, and this holiday is celebrated on February, 2nd every year.

Tamales

This holiday is linked to Christmas holidays (yes, we could say that our holiday season finishes on February, 2nd!) and especially to the "Three Kings Day", because on January, 6th it is when kids receive presents and also families get reunited to have some special bread named "Rosca de Reyes". Inside this bread there are hidden a few small figurines that represent Baby Jesus; the people who find them will be the ones to make some "tamales" and "atole" for everyone on Candlemas Day. "Tamal" is a corn flour dumpling filled up with pork, beef or chicken and sauce if they are salty, whereas the sweet ones usually have pineapple or raisins filling; both options are wrapped up in corn husks. "Atole" is a traditional Mexican hot and sweet drink made of milk and thickened with corn flour.

Atole

That is only one part of the tradition since in Mexico most of the families own an image of Baby Jesus, also known as "Niño Dios". This image is a doll made of ceramic most of the time which can be small or big (it may go from 8cm to 50cm length). On Christmas Eve a Godparent is chosen by the family and this person will have the responsibility to dress up the "Niño Dios" with nice and colourful clothes that may represent a Saint or just white baby clothes for Candlemas Day.
The Godparent has the mission of buying the whole new outfit for Baby Jesus. I don't know if it is the same in all areas of Mexico, but I can tell, as for my mum, that once that family has chosen the Godparent he or she will have to dress up Baby Jesus for the next 5 years in a row. This year my mum is going for the 2nd year dressing up the ceramic doll of one of her friends.

About the clothes, well it is up to the Godparent to choose which ones to get, but it is also nice to ask to the family if they have any preference as sometimes they might not be devoted of a specific Saint, for example. The only condition is that clothes must be brand new and not the same as the previous year. I like to go with my mum to see all the variety of clothes that some stores sell but also there are many stands on the street selling them from the first days of January.
In Mexico City, there is a street in the city centre called "Talavera Street" that is also known among people as "La Calle del Niño Dios" (Baby Jesus Street in English) because in this street there are many stores specialized in this kind of outfits. You can find there everything you need, from the dress to the socks for Baby Jesus figure, and they have plenty of options to just pick one whole outfit or getting everything separately.

You may wonder about the prices! Well, I asked in Talavera Street and a ceramic doll of 45cm costs an average price of $230 Mexican pesos (about $18.50 USD or €14 Euros) but well, it is not necessary to buy a brand new figure every year. In fact, the family just gets one for several years (let’s say, 10-20 years). If it gets a crack or the colour fades out through the years, there are many places where people restore them for a cheap price and it will be in a perfect condition again.
About the clothes, there is a very wide variety of them and the price also depends on the doll size. In Talavera Street there are some outlet stores, too, which sell designs from past years (every year they release different designs!) at lower prices. I wanted to compare a little bit, and a whole white baby outfit 2011 design for a Baby Jesus of 35cm costs $200 pesos ($16 USD or €12 Euros). I asked in the outlet store for a similar one in the same size that just had the shoes missing and it costs $85 pesos ($7 USD or €5 Euros), so I think it is a good deal since you can get the shoes in any street stand for $5 pesos (like $0.40 USD or €0.30 Euros). Of course, there are many other designs in the stores, the cheapest one costs $20 pesos ($1.60 USD or €1.20 Euros) and the most expensive one I saw costs $420 pesos ($34 USD or €25 Euros) because it has some beads and sequins sew by hand.

Generally, the street stands sell all the accessories needed (like socks, shoes, crowns) but also whole outfits at lower prices than those found at stores. They are lower quality sometimes, but some people can't spend much money for just one day, so they're a great option. I asked for an olive green outfit size 35, and the lady who sells them told me that the price was $60 pesos ($4.80 USD or €3.65 Euros) but she could include all the accessories for the same price if I take it right away. This is a common practice in street stands, and it is not too hard to get good deals.

Now, back to the celebration, when the Godparent has got the outfit, he or she has to dress up the ceramic doll on the previous day to "Candlemas". So, when February, 2nd comes the Godparent and the family who owns the ceramic figure go together to the church to present Baby Jesus ceramic image already dressed up with new clothes, inside of a basket adorned with flowers (the figure can sit down on a chair, too) and candles, or even just one big candle, to get blessed during the special masses that are held on this day in all Catholic churches in Mexico.
After the mass, they go to Godparent's place to have some "tamales" and "atole" to celebrate Candlemas with family and friends.
And I have to say that being Godparent of a Baby Jesus has a very special meaning to some families. It is like if that person was the Godparent of one of their children since it is a strong link between him/her and the family.

Thanks for participating again in P&L Erika! Looking forward to hear from you in the future to share another interesting article with all the readers!

If you would like to read more stories from all over the world don't forget to check the links you can find at the following section: Travelling around the World sharing Cultural Heritage, Folklore and Background and at Sandbook.Net Penpal and Swappers Site and the Sandbook Magazine.

I am always looking for people interested in taking part in Travelling around the World Section, so if you would like to write a post about a feature of your homeland just contact me at: penpallingandletters[at]gmail[dot]com and we will work it out!

Tips on letter writing II

2011-01-28T00:05:00.005+01:00

Once that you have decided to start writing letters and got involved in penpalling, have in mind the structure of a letter, learnt how to address an envelope and remember some tips to start with the first letter and some other general ones: Tips on letter writing I you find yourself in front of a sheet of paper... You shouldn't feel totally lost because you know you have help from the tips we have already discussed. At first there is a feeling of lack of practice for sure (doubts because you still do not know how to get started or what to write) but it will disappear as soon as you get immersed in letter writing and get confident and comfortable with your writing.

However, you should have in mind you have to write a clean, tidy, decent letter. No-one wishes to receive a scribbled letter in a torn paper. Be sure that if you send such a letter not only won't you get any reply but your letter will end up in the waste bin.
Cute stationery is one of those accesories that cannot be separated from the letter-writing world. However, if you don't have the possibility to get such kind of beautiful papers, don't worry! (Note: you can download and print stationery/writing papers/decorated papers for free by checking this link: Penpalling Connections and go to "Free Stationery"). After all it is the content which matters and not the papers on which the text is written! As I said before any kind of paper is fine as far as you are clean and tidy when writing a letter. The look of the letter definitely counts to cause a great impression to your new pal or just the opposite!
Do you prefer to handwrite a letter? Then make sure that your handwriting is readable and neat. If your penpal finds herself/himself trying to decipher your writing as it would be a hieroglyphic be careful! It is possible that she/he gives up at the first try. In such a case, I recommend you to try to be very careful and take the time and patience to write in a legible way... If not, you always can type your letter if this is a good solution for both your pal and you!
When writing check about mistakes and misspelling. Of course all of us do mistakes, especially if you are writing in a foreign language it can be difficult for begginners and non-natives sometimes, but a letter full of mistakes and errors is not nice to read at all, especially because of carelessness. Be sure it harms the eyes!
When writing a letter never use that chat slang which, sometimes, you can see online. For example, in English: Gr8 2 see u. I would never reply to a letter written like that and I am sure that many people out there wouldn't, either. Such way of writing harms the eyes as well!

So remember to be careful and organized when writing a letter. It is about to cause a good impression to your new pal and get a reply back! You will see how much joy and happiness it will bring to you!

If you are looking for advice on penpalling check: "Tips on letter writing".

Mail Trivia IX

2011-01-25T00:02:00.003+01:00

Did you know that...

the worldwide postal system comprising the individual national postal systems of the world's self-governing states is co-ordinated by the Universal Postal Union?

Meeting penpals after the existence of the Internet

2011-01-20T16:11:00.002+01:00

The penpalling polls are a part of Penpalling & Letters since the beginning. Its purpose is to let readers express their opinion about certain topics regarding letter-writing. You can find them on the right area/column of the Blog while new ones are added in a regular basis. From time to time I will be going through them and posting results about a certain poll. You can find links to every poll results in the following post: Penpalling Polls.
In today's post we are going to review the poll about "Meeting penpals after the existence of the Internet". A while ago we had checked where we were meeting penpals before Internet was here. You can check it again in this link: "Meeting penpals before the existence of the Internet". Back to those times, possibilities to meet penpals were magazines, Penfriend Services, friendship books (FBs), summer camps, holidays, courses abroad to study the language... After Internet arrived, lots of new possibilities came up which lead to new ways of meeting penpals from far away countries. What some decades before seemed difficult to achieve, became easy to reach. With websites, forums, groups, social networks, blogs... spreading, getting in touch with people all over the world became an easier task. In the graphic above you can see that after Internet, the old ways to get in touch with new penpals became obsolete... Some of those still coexist with the Internet but some others, especially payment services, ended up disappearing (that was the case of "IYS-International Youth Service", which being unable to compete with the Internet had to close down in 2008 after 56 years of service). Taking into account the results observed in the plot it is clear that, nowadays, people prefer to use mostly the Internet to look for new penfriends.

This topic and some others are being discussed in the Penpalling & Letters group in Facebook, as well, so don't hesitate to join and participate.

Finally, don't forget to keep an eye in the Polls Section of the Blog from time to time as new polls are coming up often!

If you are looking for advice on penpalling check: "Tips on letter writing".

First Anniversary Giveaway Recall

2011-01-15T09:00:00.004+01:00

Do you like cute writing papers? Do you usually write your letters on stationery? If you do you should go on reading as this post will probably interest you! Penpalling & Letters first anniversary was on the 1st January, 2011 and to celebrate it, a contest is running during the whole month of January. The prize is a goodie bag full of cute stationery! What do you have to do to get it? Just check this link to participate: "Penpalling & Letters is one year-old! Giveaway! ".

Above you can see part of the prize. It consists of lettersets showing different motifs (each letterset brings eight cute decorated sheets and four envelopes) as well as loose sheets showing different designs.

The contest, open worldwide, ends on the 1st February, 2011 at 00:00, GMT+1 Time Zone, therefore don't wait until it is too late! You can be the happy winner of a cute stationery package when February comes! And remember that surprises happen, so don't miss the chance!

Sandbook Penpalling Magazine Issue 3

2011-01-12T11:07:00.004+01:00

Sandbook Magazine Issue 3 is online since the 11th January at Sandbook.Net Penpal and Swappers Site. As most of you know the magazine is produced by Sandbook.Net Penpal and Swappers Site and it is on digital format, which means that you can download it as a PDF file by going to: Sandbook Magazine - Issue 3. If you missed the previous magazines (Issues 1 and 2) you still can read them at: Sandbook Magazine Archive.

If you are interested in writing an article or participating in future issues check how to do it in this link: "What to do to participate in Sandbook Magazine".

The next magazine will be online on the 11th February, 2011 (Valentine's Day themed) at: Sandbook.Net Penpal and Swappers Site and surely we will read lots of interesting articles once more!

"La Roja" is in my hands!

2011-01-11T11:45:00.008+01:00

I have been a stamp purcharser since being little and even if I haven't collected stamps during all my penpalling activity for the past twenty years, I still kept some I really liked. It is only since 2007 that I started to collect some special stamps issued by Correos España because I liked the design or the mini-sheet where they are presented. I usually run to the website and check carefully all future issues and of course, keep an eye in the most interesting ones!

There are events happening in our lives which we remember even if time passes inexorably. We surely remember where and with whom we were at those times. I have always been a sporty person, following all European and World Championships in several sports as well as a big fan of the Olympics. I really like many sports and it is difficult to choose my most favourite one, surely I cannot decide myself for only one. When being a child and a teen I would listen to the radio every weekend and "watch in my head" football matches taking place in the Spanish National Championship. I really liked football then! However, as years passed, the continuous broadcasting of football matches all the week long and the financial issues (I mean, the huge amount of money spent by clubs to get players) killed the initial charm this sport had offered me and I stopped following it for a long time. To be honest, I am not much into it anymore but you cannot help knowing every football-related issue because news about this sport are every day on the media as if any other sport existed... However, that charm and enthusiasm was back many years later! It was in 2008, summer was about to come and the 2008 UEFA European Football Championship or Euro 2008 about to start. Guess that not many people had big expectations for this championship at first. However, a team worked hard, had wishes to play well, showed determination, effort, will and sacrifice and made people vibrate with emotion and feel the same enthusiasm children show the first time they discover something new. It was a great and fantastic feeling, and with the same encouragement showed from the beginning, the triumph in the Euro 2008 was achieved! Only two years later, this time in the 2010 FIFA World Cup, the same feelings, in a stronger scale, were present, and also a new victory. Winning is important as winners are the ones who are remembered years later... but the most important are the feelings lived during all those championships long, at least to me. I'd wish that such values, sensations and appreciations: effort, encouragement, enthusiasm, sacrifice, determination, the wish to work well, harmony, good atmosphere... would make a difference in everybody's lives so we could live every day as the child who is amazed when observing something new for the first time and with a strong intensity. Those championships really made a difference to me: it does not matter how difficult the way it is but with enthusiasm, encouragement, will and strength it is possible to achieve whatever we intend to get.

When I knew that special stamps would be issued to commemorate the triumph of the Spanish National Team (our "La Roja" or "Selección española de fútbol") in the Euro 2008 and later on, on the 2010 FIFA World Cup, I had to run to Correos España and get myself those commemorative mini sheets which you can see in the picture above. Aren't they great? I felt like a child with a new toy when both of them were in my hands and I am her proud owner now! Not to mention I treasure them as if it was gold dust! These guys rock!

Below I am enclosing links to explanations from Correos España about these mini-sheets:

Spanish National Team. Euro 2008 Champions
Spanish National Team. 2010 World Cup Champions

"Día de Reyes" or "Three Kings Day"

2011-01-05T23:30:00.017+01:00

Under the Travelling around the World sharing Cultural Heritage, Folklore and Background Section we have the pleasure to visit the American continent once more together with Erika. Erika comes from a country situated in the south of North America, the land of the Maya and the Aztec, which has a long tradition in the arts, cuisine and culture (first country in America in number of UNESCO World Heritage Sites with thirty-one), a country with a rich history and biodiversity, and which is also known because of "mariachis". Yes, we are in Mexico! And Erika will guide us through an important celebration which is taking place all over the country on the 6th of January!

¡Hola Erika! It is a pleasure that you are visiting us today, here, in Penpalling & Letters! Could you tell us how is the place where you live in Mexico?

Hi from Mexico! I'm from Mexico City, which is the capital of the country. It is a very crowded city (twenty million inhabitants approximately), located almost in the middle of the Mexican territory. It's considered one of the biggest cities in the world. It is all surrounded by mountains. It was founded in 1521 over the ruins of the former city of "Tenochtitlan", after the Spanish conquest in the same year. Some important landmarks are: "Floating Gardens of Xochimilco", "Ruins of an Aztec Temple: Templo Mayor", the "Metropolitan Cathedral" (the largest and oldest one in the Americas), "The Palace of Fine Arts", the "Main Square: Zócalo" and the "National Palace".

Erika, would you like to share with us your experiences about penpalling?

I started penpalling about eight years ago. My first penpal was a girl from Spain who I met through a website named "Ringo". She wrote the first letter to me and this is how I started to write letters! Besides letters, I also started to collect postcards because my penpals were sending some to me with each letter. I really enjoy everything related to letters but I really love stickers!

Are you looking for penpals at the moment?

Well, right now I have about twenty penpals all over the world, but I would love to have a penpal from Poland who could help me with Polish language. If someone is interested in getting in touch with me, just contact me at: dynia[dot]pals[at]gmail[dot]com. I like to write letters with chatty people around my age (I'm 25), girls (because some guys don't like to write long letters) who are sincere and friendly.

And now Erika is telling us what is happening on the 6th of January in Mexico:

I think winter holidays are the most popular among people, and usually after Christmas it seems that the holidays season is over. But in some countries, just like in Mexico, we have other celebrations - we have the "Día de Reyes" or in English "The Three Kings Day". This celebration started in Spain and from there it got extended to Latin America during the Spanish colonization.

The origin of this tradition comes from the Bible. According to the New Testament, The Magi or Three Kings (they can be also known as the Three Wise Men): Melchior, Gaspar and Balthazar were a group of kings who came from the East, following the star of Bethlehem to bring gifts to Jesus after his birth.

Día de Reyes is celebrated every year in countries like Mexico, Spain and all Latin America on January, 6th and this is the day when children receive some toys, gifts, sweets and treats coming from the Three Kings.

Everything starts on January, 5th when children in Mexico write a letter to the Three Kings asking for some toys or some goodies, and they attach the small letter with a string to a nice and colourful balloon filled up with helium. By the afternoon, children let the balloons fly up to the sky, so the Kings will catch them and know what presents the kids want to get the next day. If they have been good during the year, they will find their presents on the morning of January, 6th under the Christmas tree.

If kids couldn’t fly a balloon, it’s also common that they put their shoes by the window before they go to sleep. On the following morning they will find their presents inside their shoes or if the presents are bigger than the shoes, they will be placed next to them.

On January, 6th we eat "Rosca de Reyes" -"Three Kings Bread" in English- which is a ring shaped bread, made out of egg bread, decorated with dry fruits and sprinkled with sugar on top, and inside there are two or three small plastic dolls that represent baby Jesus. We serve some hot chocolate and a slice of this bread around 18:00pm in our "Merienda" which is something similar to "Tea time". The fun starts here, since everyone has to cut by himself/herself a slice of this ring. The ones who find a doll inside the slice of bread will be the Godparents of baby Jesus for "Día de la Candelaria" (Day of the Purification) on February, 2nd and they will have to make some "tamales" for everybody, as well (Tamales are corn bread filled with chicken or pork in a sauce or they can be sweet, with raisins or pineapple pieces, wrapped in corn husks).

So, as you can see, here, in Mexico, the holiday season is a bit longer, that is why it is common to see the Christmas tree still up in the living or dining room by mid January or even the first week of February. I truly believe that no matter what country we come from, we should keep our traditions and don’t let them to be forgotten through the years. They are part of who we are and what makes the world even richer when it comes to culture and traditions."

Thanks a lot, Erika, for participating in Penpalling & Letters and tell us how Mexico lives this wonderful and magical day! Wish everyone who will celebrate "Día de Reyes" an unforgettable day, especially to children!

Taking advantage of Erika's great article, I would like to add a few lines to tell how "Día de Reyes" is celebrated in Spain as well.

As Erika tells, the core of this festivity in all the countries in which this special day takes place is to celebrate the arrival of the Magi, the Three Wise Men or the Three Kings to Bethlehem in order to adore the Jesus Child and offer him their gifts: gold, frankincense and myrrh. However, customs, traditions and celebrations vary from one place to another. Surely people from other countries where the "Three Kings Day" is celebrated could tell, but let me explain how this journey is lived in Spain.

Right after the New Year's all children get really excited. Why? Because they know that the Three Wise Men will be visiting them very soon and they will receive the presents they have dreamt of the last months! Before the arrival of the Three Magi, the children have to write them a letter so the Magi know what to gift to each child. They are getting old year after year but they know very well which presents correspond to every child! In the evening of January, 5th the Cavalcade of Magi takes place in every Spanish city. The Magi ride through the streets and together with their pages throw sweets and candy to all the children who are attending.

In the Cavalcade the most wonderful coaches and creatures can be seen. The Magi are accompanied always by their three camels, which also can be seen in the parade. When the parade finishes, the Magi speak to all the children and their parents. Those children who behaved well during the last year will get presents, while those who behaved badly are in risk to received coal (candy!) so they learn the lesson for the next year!
When the night comes, children have to go to bed very early, otherwise, the Magi won't visit them! The night from the 5th to the 6th of January each year is magical. The children don't sleep a wink in the whole night because they are very excited and adults feel the special atmosphere because of the children's thrill!
In some homes there are some traditions previously to the visit of the Three Kings. Children leave their cleaned shoes in a visible place (usually next to the Christmas tree or next to the windows) so the Magi can leave them the gifts. Some food is prepared for the Magi, camels and pages, too. The night is long and surely they need to get their strength back with so many visits in one night! The Three Kings only leave the gifts when they know the children are sleeping.
On January, 6th, very early in the morning, children get up and run to the Christmas tree. They are very excited to see which presents the Magi gifted them! It is a special morning full of joy, laugh and happiness. They finally can play and enjoy the so awaited presents! Usually, the Magi also leave a little gift in the houses of other relatives: grandparents, uncles and aunts... The children have to hurry up and enjoy their presents as the school will start soon!

In Spain it is also eaten the "Roscón de Reyes" or the "Three Kings Bread" or "Kings Cake", mainly for breakfast in the morning of January, 6th. It is baked and prepared in the same way as it is in Mexico. Inside the pastry there are two small trinkets: a bean and a little figure. The person who finds the figure it is said to have good luck throughout the year, while the one who finds the bean will have to pay for the "roscón". The tradition says the following (it is written as a rhyme in Spanish):

"He aquí el roscón de Reyes, tradición de un gran banquete
en el cual hay dos sorpresas para los que tengan suerte.
En él hay, muy bien ocultas, un haba y una figura;
el que lo vaya a cortar hágalo sin travesura.
Quien en la boca se encuentre una cosa un tanto dura,
a lo peor es el haba o a lo mejor la figura.
Si es el haba lo encontrado este postre pagarás,
mas si ello es la figura, coronado y rey serás".

Translated to English:

"Here it is the Three Kings Bread, tradition of a great feast
in which there are two surprises for those who are lucky.
There are, very well hidden, a bean and a figure;
the one who is going to cut it do it without mischief.
The one who finds in his/her mouth something a little bit hard,
in the worst case it is the bean, in the best one the figure.
If you have found the bean you will have to pay this cake,
but if you have found the figure, you will be crowned and king."

Just as Erika described above for Mexico, the holiday season is also longer in Spain. Spaniards don't feel that the Christmas period is over until January, 7th when getting up in the morning. This is when we realize that the holidays are gone and the daily routine is here again. In the last hours of January, 6th it is time to say goodbye to Christmas, remove the Christmas tree, the nativity scene and all the decorations and wait all the year long until the next one comes!

If you would like to read more interesting stories don't forget to check the links you can find at the following post: Travelling around the World sharing Cultural Heritage, Folklore and Background and at Sandbook.Net Penpal and Swappers Site and the Sandbook Magazine.

Let's meet again soon! And ¡"Feliz Día de Reyes"!

If you are interested in reading more articles related to the Christmas time and New Year's, check the following:

- Sinterklaas
- The Saint Nicholas tradition
- The Christmas Season in Spain
- New Year's Celebrations
- The Three Kings Day or "Día de Reyes"

Penpalling & Letters is one year-old! Giveaway!

2011-01-01T00:00:00.027+01:00

It is exactly one year today that I decided to start this Blog about penpalling. Penpalling & Letters is my first incursion in the Blogger-world and, after 365 days, the experience is highly positive! I could not imagine that a year later Penpalling & Letters would have received so many visits from so many different places all over the world! Even if I always think that you cannot take anything for granted, you expect visits from certain countries (large countries with a large population, lands where there are many people interested in letter-writing...); however, I am still surprised that P&L got visits from some unexpected places as Guam, Kiribati, Maldives, Mauritius, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines... All places and all readers mean the same to me, even if I might get more surprised to receive a visit from Bolivia rather than one from the USA. Why? I guess this is a story for a future post... But coming back to the heart of this post, I just want to thank all the readers that visited, whenever you kept visiting once and again or you just passed by, to all the encouraging messages received in the last year, and to many lovely people I had the chance to meet through P&L!
And just to celebrate Penpalling & Letters first anniversary I am giving away up to 500 grams of stationery (in the pic you can see some of it) to a lucky P&L reader!

How to enter this giveaway?

It is very easy! Just go on reading... The only imposition on my side is that any "anonymous" won't be taken into account. If possible "I would like to know you". How? Just sign with a Blogger, Twitter, Facebook... profile. Or at least, leave your name and tell me you are in Facebook, Twitter, any social network, website... If I cannot find you anywhere, I am very sorry but cannot take you in. I don't think I am asking too much. I simply don't want to send a prize to a "ghost". And this is what you have to do to participate:

1. Leave a comment in this post and tell me (remember to leave a way to contact you):

- How did you discover Penpalling & Letters?
- What keeps you coming back to Penpalling & Letters?
- What do you like most in Penpalling & Letters?

Please, notice that if you would like to participate in this contest, your reply has to be written here, in this same post (under comments). Comments in Facebook or any other place around Internet won't be taken into account. Also, only one entry per person is allowed, so chances to get the prize are the same to everyone.

Taking part in this first anniversary giveaway is very easy! Everybody is welcome to enter and if you feel like it, tell your pals and friends as well. It is a good chance to get some cute papers from P&L! Deadline will be the 1st February, 2011, at 00:00 GMT+1 Time Zone. I will announce the winner a few days later. Good luck to all participants and let me use this first post of 2011 to wish everyone a wonderful New Year!!!

New Year's Celebrations

2010-12-30T12:55:00.015+01:00

January the 1st represents the fresh start of a New Year. This day was, traditionally, a religious feast, but since the 1900s has become an occasion to celebrate the night of December 31, called New Year's Eve. There are fireworks at midnight at the moment the New Year arrives in many countries of the world, but there are some other traditions. Let's see how some people are celebrating the arrival of the New Year:

Deirdre in the Netherlands: On the 31st most people work but if you have a nice boss you'll quit work early in the afternoon. In the afternoon we make "oliebollen" and "appelbeignets" and eat them! :) In the evening we watch TV (loads of standup comedians and special New Year's Eve programs on TV) and wait till it's almost 00:00. Then, we toast with champagne and run out to light fireworks and chat with the neighbors.

Angie in Germany: Here, in Germany (although I can talk only for my family, of course), we do celebrate usually with family or friends. Usually we prepare "Fondue or Raclette" for food, but this year I do something which doesn't need so much time to get prepared at all. ;) We do play games until midnight arrives and when it is 00:00 we are going to wish each other a Happy New Year. Most people do drink champagne and also we do watch the firework we bought some days before. Usually, after beeing stiff and frozen we eat "Goulash soup" and do lead pouring afterwards, to see what the New Year brings. :) "Lead pouring" (das Bleigießen) is an old practice using molten lead like tea leaves. A small amount of lead is melted in a tablespoon (by holding a flame under the spoon) and then poured into a bowl or bucket of water. The resulting pattern is interpreted to predict the coming year. For instance, if the lead forms a ball (der Ball), that means luck will roll your way. The shape of an anchor (der Anker) means help in need. There are of course even more meanings. It is a lot of fun. :)Well, this was a brief overview about how we celebrate here. ;)

Erika in Mexico: Here, in Mexico, it's maybe a bit different than in other countries since New Year is similar to Christmas. We have lunch with family and by night, in many clubs and bars, there are parties to say HELLO to the New Year. As for my family, we have lunch and by night we just have a small dinner and watch TV while we wait for midnight to make our twelve wishes by having twelve grapes :) This year I'm planning to make some Asian style noodles for New Year's eve :) hehe I think New Year's dinner is more casual and there are not very specific meals, but the MUST have are the GRAPES :) and some apple cider for the toast. :)

Kristi in Washington, USA: Here in Seattle there are many celebrations. There is a very large one at the "Space Needle" where they have traditional New Year's Eve fireworks. Thousands of people gather to watch the fireworks. In my family we stay off the streets due to the many drunk drivers. We just have a quiet evening at home.

Mary in Illinois, USA: We eat ham, beans, corn bread, fried potatoes, cabbage... Me and my hubby are going to watch the "Ball drop" at home.

Louise in Australia: My hubby is working at New Year's Eve so I will be home alone. :(

Karen in United Kingdom: I was going to go to a party but we are all ill, so we are going to stay in. Usually, people celebrate here partying and really drinking too much!

Ami in Thailand: I usually celebrate it in the "Gurudwara" (Sikh Temple). This year I'm travelling to Mae Sot (a town in western Thailand that shares a border with Myanmar to the west).

Thanaphon Bamrungkarn in Thailand: I will be watching the fireworks in the sky!

Lisa in Florida, USA: At home safe and warm with my daughter! Boy, am I getting old! LOL!

Teresa in Czech Republic: This year, me and my husband will go to our friends' place and celebrate - a bunch of people at a home-party. Nothing too wild. :) We will also watch fireworks at midnight over Prague! :)

Kris in Michigan, USA: At home relaxing!

Heather in Arizona, USA: Get drunk at a house party with my boyfriend and other friends! :)

Misae in Japan: About New Year's Eve... In Japan we are pounding steamed rice into the dough used for rice cakes (haha!). It's a traditional custom... It sounds funny, right!? Have a good New Year everyone!

Ramona in the Netherlands: We spend it at home... Some food on the table and blow some fireworks in the air!

Anita in the Netherlands: I will go to my sister-in-law and have dinner with her and her son while my boyfriend has to work till 23:00. :( After dinner we will go to a party of my boyfriends' uncle where a lot of other family members are comming, too. :D And as for New Year's Day I just don't know.

Aya in Japan: I celebrate it by eating noodles on New Year's Eve to wish for a long lasting healthy New Year (it's a Japanese tradition) and spend the New Year's Day with my family. :)

Darja in Germany/from Russia: It seems that in Germany people like to spend New Year's Eve quietly at home or go out to a big and loud party, but the most important thing is that around 12:00 pm people will go out and make fireworks! Russians also got to love this activity... Go on reading more about it by visiting Darja's Blog: "Starshine whirls make my head spin" where she explains about New Year's Traditions in Germany, Russia or even Japan!

The Versatile Blogger Award!

2010-12-28T16:36:00.005+01:00

Some time ago I received this prize from dear Ana! It was such a big surprise! This is the first prize I receive and since it is given by a lovely friend it makes the whole thing even more special. As Ana describes in her Blog when she got it, I also felt the same thrilled and honoured to receive it from her. ¡Muchas gracias querida amiga!

When receiving this prize some "stuff" has to be done, so here there are the steps to follow in the "Versatile Blogger Award":

1. Be sure to thank and link back to the person who gave you the award
2. Share seven things about yourself
3. Pass the award to other bloggers who you think deserve it
4. Be sure to let the bloggers know you chose them to receive the award

Number 1 is already done, so let's go on with step number 2, in which I have to share seven things about myself... Here they go:

1. So far I don't think I told much about myself, so now you know that my name is Beatriz. For short I am also called Bea, which is quite convenient, especially for international contacts. Many people still mistake my name with Beatrice, Béatrice or Beatrix because in their countries it is written like that. In Spanish language ends in z, though.

2. I come from "Galicia" in northwestern Spain, the magical land where "rías" meet the Atlantic Ocean, where there are smooth, sandy beaches and high cliffs, rocky shores, islands, rivers and streams, green woods, soft mountains, the land of "queimada", "empanada", "lacón con grelos, "marisco", "pulpo" and "filloas", of "muiñeiras" and bagpipes, of "cruceiros", "hórreos" and "pallozas", of legends and "meigas", where you can hear words like "vagalume", "fervenza", "orballo" or "bolboreta", where The Way of Saint James finds its end in Santiago de Compostela's Cathedral, where ancient history and monuments found their way until nowadays...

3. During my last year at University I had the chance to be an Erasmus exchange student in Germany. It was a fantastic and unforgettable time in my life. Curiously, I had never had any penfriend from Germany before living in this country. And now Germany is where I have more penfriends! ;)

4. I have always had a weakness for crayons and pens. I don't even know how many of them I have... but I love them! Luckily two of my most favourites activities have to do with pens and crayons: penpalling and drawing.

5. I like music! I love playing my piano. I like many composers, but if I had to choose three right now: Chopin, Bach and Beethoven. Obviously I also like listening to music. Again, among my favourites to be listened are classical as well as The Beatles, Dire Straits, Céline Dion and Coldplay.

6. I like libraries and bookshops. Once inside it is difficult to leave...

7. I love the beach, the sea, the ocean... everything which has to do with underwater, marine-life and marine sciences.

And now that I have finished my duty, I have to pass it to other fellow bloggers... I have remembered about some people who are into penpalling, too. Since we have this characteristic in common and all of them show their love and care for this fantastic world of letters, postcards... the award goes to:

- Bianca from Goodnight Little Spoon
- PostMuse from Orphaned Postcard Project
- Aga from Got That Swing
- Marija from Covers, postcards and letters sent in Montenegro
- Deirdre from Loved by You
- Nina from In Love with Snail Mail
- Samrana from Burst of Bubbles
- Joana from Ecological Storyteller
- Darja from Starshine whirls make my head spin
- Ilona from The Missive Maven
- Raia from Sandbook Net - PenPals and Swappers Site Blog
- Maxine from Penpal Magazine and from Friendship Books
- Fabi from Creative Corner

At the moment I cannot remember about anyone else... I don't mean to forget or neglect anyone, therefore, if you are into penpalling, letters, postcards... feel free to take the award and give it a try if you wish!

Finally, I would like to wish everyone a great 2011 and see you in the next post!