The League of Extraordinary Penpals WANTS YOU!

I had the pleasure of illustrating the official logo for The League of Extraordinary Penpals, a new project by Julie of Penpal of the Week/La Papierre and Laura of Please Deliver To! The LEP launches today, and it's a super penpal club for extraordinary penpals!! If you join you get to be a part of an awesome community and you get cool stuff every month in the member newsletter:

♥ Printable
♥ Snail mail challenge
♥ Organized swap (letter or stationery related)
♥ Giveaway
♥ Superhero-themed interview with an extraordinary LEP member
♥ Article on a topic of interest
♥ Featured snail mail related website
♥ Access to a private stationery subscription service (SSS)
♥ The chance to receive a letter or a card from your LEP hostesses

I get to be the club's official illustrator and I am stoked! The member fees are really minimal for all the awesome stuff you get. Plus, if you sign up before February 1 the cost is even less!

So what are you waiting for?? Join today!

♥ Ciara Kay

Valentine's Day Preview!

I'm hoping to launch in time to hit the Valentine's Day crowd, but time will tell! Hoping and praying that I get that second interview... and we looked at apartments in Chico today, too. If all the pieces fall into place, I'll be up and running in just a few weeks!!

But still, I am worried that I may not be able to get Valentines printed in time to arrive by Valentine's Day! So... would it be crazy to offer pre-orders? Thoughts? I don't think I've seen this done with stationery before and it may be a complete flop, but then, what do I have to lose?

Anyway, I wanted to share some of my designs for my 2013 Valentines! The theme: Under the Sea. I will be offering Classroom Valentines and regular 4.25X5.5 cards. There are four designs total, but here are two:

I'm excited to reveal the rest when I list them in-store on Etsy.com!

My mom has always decorated the house for every holiday, so I love to celebrate them! I always associate Valentine's Day with sugar cookies and candy and making our own Valentines. I always got Valentines from my parents and grandparents until my boyfriend-now-husband took over, so Valentine's Day was never as depressing for me as it can be for some. I love to give Valentines to friends & family and always get a pack of Classroom Valentines to share... only this year, they will be ones I designed. :)

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As we all know, when you send letters, you get letters! Here are some I've received in the last week from a few penpals, old and new!

Incoming Mail

Top to Bottom: Deborah, Girl on a Glide, and a new correspondent Derrick Dodson

A new penfriend found via Swap-Bot.com! Her first name is Kay and she sent me a wonderful letter and lots of goodies... looking forward to swapping more zines & life stories with her in the future. :) 

Things are moving by way too fast and not fast enough!! 2013 is off to a bit of an unexpected start. More on that in future posts!

-- Ciara Kay

New Year's Penpal Swap & Outgoing Mail

Woo, two posts in a row!

Fun Thing: I'm hosting a penpal swap over at Swap-Bot! The theme is goals for the New Year... if you like to set goals and New Year's Resolutions, and would like a new penpal who will help motivate & encourage you to accomplish those goals, go sign up!

Tomorrow is the deadline to sign up and there are quite a few already on the list. It should be fun! I've been thinking a lot about my goals for the last few weeks... I even made a zine of them, which I'll be sending along to my swap partner and sharing here on New Year's Day! Hopefully I'll spend as much time accomplishing my goals as I've spent planning my goals...

Good news! I got a job interview! It's next Thursday... I'm nervous. I haven't had to interview for a job in like three years. I'm a bit rusty. Anyway, the sooner I get a job, the sooner I can get Scoutaroo Paper Co. officially off the ground! I can't wait!!

Some housekeeping: I now have a Flickr and a Twitter and a Facebook for Scoutaroo... So, pick your poison.

Outgoing Mail

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As promised, some outgoing mail from December 11! As you can see, washi tape & experiments with lettering are my current choice in trends...

Old Beer carrier turned postcard to Derrick of I Still Write.

To a faithful penpal! That woman writes SO much... I don't know how she keeps up!

To a friend from home.

To a shut-in from our church who I like to send holiday cards to.

To another friend from home!

An intro letter to a new penpal (hopefully!)

Up Next: Some upcycled envies and another stationery preview!

-- Ciara Kay