It belonged to my mom when she was 12 or 13. Apparently, it was all the rage to seal your letters with some red sealing wax and send them off when she was a kid.

What’s funny is where she found this.

She told me it was stashed in one of the drawers in the bathroom. No idea how it got there, or for how long its been there either.

It’s funny that a treasure like this moved with my Mom from her childhood home, to her first apartment, to her second, to my parent’s first apartment together, then their first house and now where they live today.

I used this seal last night on a couple letters that went out this morning and it gave me goosebumps. I love knowing that the last time it was in commission was when my Mom was younger than I am now.

Well, I thought I’d share this little story with you. Do any of you have unique stories behind your seals?

It would!

Odd introductory sentences aside, I’d like to introduce you to my latest hobby and interest; etegami.

Etegami is a very traditional Japanese form of art. It’s so traditional that many true etegami artists would probably never consider anything I ever produced as true etegami. You’ve got to be Japanese for that to happen.

Etegami is Japanese for picture letter. E means picture and tegami means letter. Pretty simple.

I discovered an etegami blog a year or 18 months ago and since then, I’ve been searching for etegami supplies here in the US. These things are hard to come by, that’s for sure.

And by the way, that blog I mentioned up above is run by Debbie and you can find her blog here. She introduced me to this lovely art form and maybe after you peruse her site you’ll find what I found.

Because I’m located in Cincinnati, Ohio, finding etegami materials took many, many months. I asked around and inquired at a bunch of paper stores, specialty websites and with other bloggers. The biggest issue I found was trying to find the right kind of paper. See, etegami paper is called Washi in Japan. Here, Washi paper means origami paper. Needless to say, there’s a translation issue.

I eventually found some help from a native of Japan who told me a key word I’m looking for is ‘hondashi’ with regards to finding the right paper.

I finally located the right etegami paper from Jet Pens. I have ordered three times from Jet Pens so far and they’ve had absolutely wonderful, fast service. I have no problem recommending them to any of my readers. Here is a link to the paper: http://www.jetpens.com/product_info.php/products_id/4723

Anyway, I wanted to share with you my first etegami. I made this for my husband for his birthday and he was really excited to receive it. I used the paper I linked to above along with a Kuretaki Tegami Brush Pen (also available from Jet Pens) and some watercolors for the color. Not true traditional etegami but it’s as good as I can get here in Cincinnati for now.

The main reason I ordered this is because I thought it might be a good tool for use in my etegami endeavors. Etegami is a traditional Japanese art form that has captured my heart. I’ve spent more than 11 months trying to locate the right kind of paper here in the US for etegami and was only successful last week thanks to Jet Pens. Here’s a link to my favorite etegami website so you can get a feel for what it is.

This pen is slithery-smooth to write with and lets me achieve the desired effect when I had a go at an etegami of my own. The ink came out swiftly and is super saturated.

The name says it’s refillable, but I have no idea how. There’s also virtually no information on the Jet Pens website and I wasn’t able to locate any on the internet after a quick search either.

My husband uses this pen to sketch little doodles and drawings and it produces a neat effect thanks to the brush tip. It’s so much fun to write/draw with.

You’ll see in the next few photos I snapped some writing and line work. This was all done on a Strathmore #110 Cover Stock in Arctic White. I’m a big paper nerd so I’m pretty sure none of you will have this paper on hand. It’s a really solid paper and is very porous–you’ll see the ink didn’t bleed even as I slowly dragged the pen along the paper.

This brush pen makes your artistic skills improve immediately. ;)

Does anyone else have any information about this pen? If you do, please share it with me! (and the other readers!)

This pen is definitely not suited for normal writing, but I bet it’s a whiz at kanji.

So there you have it! My new toy and a fun little writing tool.

See you in the mail!

<3 Cole + Simplicity Embellished

I needed something to double-check my postage estimating abilities; see, I’m someone who writes lengthy letters and someone who sticks little goodies inside as well. Most of the time, I only need a single stamp but I’m guilty of having letters returned to me with red letters declaring that there was not enough postage. I picked this up at Target (in the kitchen section; it’s a food scale) and figured while it might not be able to tell me with 100% accuracy how much something weighs, for my needs, it should do fine.

And you know what? I’m pleasantly surprised. Under the black scale part, there’s a nob that lets you set the red line wherever it needs to be and it comes with a plastic bin you can place on top as well. If you need to store it, it fits inside the bin and comes with a lid that locks too. I ‘tested’ this scale and it’s more than accurate for the needs of a letter-writer.

Here are some details taken off the box:

• 1 year warranty
• dishwasher safe, removable top container with clear lid
• 16 oz. capacity
• measures in 1/4 oz. increments

I’m glad I didn’t purchase a fancy scale and instead went with this one. This one is much smaller and requires no battery or power source, plus it’s nowhere near the $30 or $40 I was considering spending. However, I was searching for ‘postal scales’ which are really the same as kitchen scales when you think of it, just not as costly.

What makes a letter extra special?

For me, I love to see a person’s culture reflected in the letter in some way. You’ll see above a very teeny tiny paper crane. That was one of two included in this letter. The correspondent is Japanese.

She included a little note on a gorgeous piece of bunny notepaper. The bunny is about the size of the palm of my hand. I would love to have a little notepad like this. You can very clearly see in the photo the quality of the paper too.

And! (Yes, there’s more!) She included one of her wedding announcements. How beautiful. This is just a section from the front. It reminds me a tiny bit of etegami but this is much more beautiful.

She also made a copy of one of the pages from a letter-related magazine she subscribes to. Look at all these letter-writing gadgets from Japan! I am loving the postal scales.

And, there was a letter included as well, of course! All of that in just one envelope.

So, this is an extra special letter and it’s an example of how to pull this off without using calligraphy or fancy inks.

There’s SO MUCH you can do with a letter, and so much you can do that is inexpensive or free. I hope this letter inspires some of you letter writing enthusiasts looking for some ideas.

Don’t ever let anyone tell you not to be excited about your birthday! It’s a day to celebrate and you have the right to do whatever you want with that day.

This year, I’m going to do a couple things for my Simplicity Embellished readers to celebrate.

1. First, I’m going to list 5 of my favorite posts I’ve written and published here on Simplicity Embellished. A question I often get in my letters is “What is your favorite post?” and now, I’m telling you! Let me know if any are your favorites too!

2. I am going to have a marathon letter-writing day on the morning of my birthday BUT there’s a catch! If you’d like an extra special letter from me written to you on my birthday, please leave your name and address in the comments. If you don’t want to leave your address down below, send me an email using the link on the left.

So, with that said, here are 5 of my favorite posts:

My Favorite Earrings

Diamine Ink in All Kinds of Colors

How to Hollow Out a Book

My Recipe for Sugar Plums

Why I Write Letters

And a bonus: Why You Sometimes Never Hear Back From a Pen Pal

What do I want for my birthday? Well, you can see some of the things I’m lusting after at my Amazon wishlist and my Jetpens wishlist. I *LOVE* to see people’s wishlists–if you have one, share it with me! It’s how I find new things I want! ;)

So with all that said, I hope to write some of you letters on my birthday!

Cheers!

The stationery above is some recent cat stationery I found in the basement. I smeared out what I wrote because, like I’ve said before, letters are secrets! And if I told you, I wouldn’t be a very good secret-keeper, now would I?

Here’s why I write letters, and some of these reasons may match up with your own personal reasons too:

I Feel Challenged.
I’m very fortunate that my life stays pretty busy and writing letters forces me to carve in real downtime. Time where my only task at hand is to write out a thoughtful response.
Sometimes, I am actually ‘challenged’ by the letters I receive. Conversations can turn somewhat heated when the topic turns to politics or religion and I relish the chance to draft a succinct, straightforward response that summarizes my viewpoints. Letter writing, at least when you get past the first few introductory letters with a correspondent, is something that can (and should!) offer up a challenge of some kind.

It Forces Me To Reflect and Consider.
As I mentioned above, I’m sometimes ‘challenged’ by my correspondents to back up a belief that I have. It’s actually such a welcome thing; how often in life does anyone really care why you believe what you believe? Not so often. When you are writing a letter by hand, and when you are trying to really say something meaningful, you absolutely have to think ahead before you touch pen to paper. Each word should be selected with care and thoughts should be succinct, yet powerful.
Letter writing requires me to reflect on new things I’ve never been exposed to. That’s why in many of my letters I ask people to describe in great detail places they’ve been (and I haven’t) or things they do (and I don’t.) I, in many ways, live through the letters my correspondents write to me. I learn about new places and things through the eyes of another person, a person that I know only through their handwriting.

It Requires Me To Fully Understand My Stances On Things.
Backing up what you believe sometimes results in major realizations. And sometimes, admitting that to a pen pal is a lot easier than admitting it to yourself.

I Enjoy It.
Sometimes, I write my letters in a local tea house. Other times, I am sitting on the living room floor using the coffee table late at night. Wherever I am though, I am relaxed.
Plus, no matter how many letters or postcards I get, there’s always a piercing thrill when you open up your mailbox and find a letter inside. I don’t think any of my other hobbies have the ‘highs and lows’ that letter writing brings.

I Can Put My Treasured Pens, Inks And Papers To Use.
Writing out post-it notes and tapping in calendar info into my iPhone is purely utilitarian. But writing a letter by hand is like dressing for your wedding day. You carefully select your stationery (should I use my monogrammed? Or my Crane? Or my Moleskine paper?), and then select an ink and a pen. Do I want to use my Lamy? Am I feeling like using an extra fine nib or a medium? Should I use my favorite ink (Diamine Damson!) or an ink to complement the season? For non-fountain pen enthusiasts, you still select a pen for the task at hand and it’s really no different.
Oh, but the icing on the cake? The recipient will appreciate it!

My Circle Of Friends Is Not Just Wider, But Like I Have A Whole Extra Road That Others Don’t.
I feel like everyone has different ‘friend nets.’ You have a net you cast out that contains all the friends you know ‘in real life;’ co-workers, neighbors, friends from college, family, etc. You might have a ‘blogger net’ if you blog and regularly communicate with people online.
I feel like I have one of the rarest nets of all, a ‘letter writing net.’ So few people have one of those, and I feel as though I’ve got a great ‘catch.’ ;)

I Have Many People With Whom I Can Share Secrets And Deep Thoughts Instead Of Just One Or Two.
As adults, you naturally become more selective with people in your ‘inner circle.’ For most people, that inner circle is maybe only your spouse. For a letter-writer, it often includes their dearest correspondents. There’s an unwritten code among avid letter writers; you keep the secrets you are told and you protect them.
Writing out deep, sometimes maybe even dark thoughts can be so therapeutic for many writers. But to share that with someone you will likely never meet; and that will not truly not judge you; even more so.

I Get To Work On My Handwriting.
I was always a ‘B’ student in elementary school in handwriting, and I never understood why I could never score an ‘A’. I realize now that I just needed to slow down.
Nowadays, I have to slow my hand down in order to come out with soft, flowing strokes and swashes. I’ve started working on different styles of handwriting; uncial, Spencerian….the list goes on.
One of the biggest rewards of spending time on your penmanship is the comments you receive; people notice fairly decent handwriting nowadays because it’s something that’s not really appreciated anymore!

What about you? Why do you write letters? Or, why do you want to write letters if you aren’t already? And if you aren’t, send me a letter!

Hairy was in especially good form this Monday morning, and it so accurately represents my feelings about it too.

• Crunchies
• Billy Tea
• Liquorice
• Flake

I somehow avoided the Tim Tams but I regret it so!

When I was down unda a few years ago, I fell in love with lots of food. I also fell in ‘hate’ too. Word to the wise–the ‘authentic’ Mexican restaurant I ate at did not have a fryer and included bean sprouts and fresh carrots in with its burritos. I asked for a chimichanga and they had never heard of it. Yep, I was expecting Americanized Mexican, but I know true authentic Mexican dishes do not use fresh bean sprouts.

If you ever stumble upon a Crunchie—try it! The inside is a honeycomb. Yum!

I’m not a fine artist. I can’t paint portraits and I can’t lay out elaborate landscapes.

I wish that I could, but you know what? Your talents are your talents.

I so enjoy doodling with my fountain pens (Diamine Damson is my ink of choice) and then filling in with a little color here and there.

Doodling is one of those things I’ve always done. In elementary school, I received many a chat from my teachers, “Don’t draw on your homework!”

I’m glad that I stuck with it. When I was younger and still in grade school, my favorite thing to doodle was piles of paper; messy piles of paper. I loved to doodle stacks and stacks of homework in the margins of the pages.

I still draw little stacks of paper now and again, but I mostly enjoy drawing little plants now.

Do you draw?

Billy Tea is a black tea blend. It reminds me a lot of Yorkshire Gold. It’s full bodied, smooth and ever-so-slightly smokey. It’s really nice, however, if given the choice I’d pick the Yorkshire Gold.

I also have a few other loose leaf black teas, but I find it’s easier for me to offer comparisons to teas that are on the market and more controlled, like Yorkshire Gold.

Billy Tea is basically Australian Bush Tea. Years ago, early Australian settlers brewed their tea in a ‘billy’ which is a can with a wire handle. They’d fill the can with water, place it over the fire, add in the tea and bring to a boil.

When it’s done steeping, the tea is served. Today, many add in milk or sugar. I take my tea straight though as I don’t like to add anything to my tea at all.

When Billy Tea was served to me in Australia, dried eucalyptus leaves were added which was delightful.

I think the term ‘Billy Tea’ can apply to any day-to-day black tea. I associate it with Tetley’s Billy Tea though, which is their registered trademark.

Anyway, you can find it fairly easily in the US now and most tea houses can ship it in for you.

You know, like fly fishing.

It’s an enjoyable hobby and for a hobby primarily dominated by men (not many women tie flies). It’s considered an art form by many fly fisherman. After all, a well-tied fly will last a long time and bring in many catches.

How fly tying works is pretty easy.

First, you pick out your fishing spot.

Second, you hunt around a bit, looking for what bugs are on the riverbank.

Third, you mimic what you see–you tie flies based on what’s naturally occurring.

And it’s a pretty trusty formula to follow for helping ensure you have a great catch for the day.

You can read book after book all about fly fishing. While there are good guidelines to follow that detail what fish like what flies, nothing beats matching what’s actually out there around your fishing spot.

This is what makes fly tying so awesome. You are copying nature.

Now for me, I’ve never actually gone fly fishing. I love to tie those flies though.

Flies are made from a combination of thread, fur, feathers, chenile, hair—anything that you can wrap around the hook.

Pictured above is some dubbing. Dubbing is really soft hair–think the undercoat of an animal. It’s super soft. You pull a little out and twist it back and forth between your thumb and forefinger until it wraps around the thread. Then, you wind the thread around the hook. That’s how you make a soft body like many bugs have.

Below, you’ll see I tied down a feather to the end of my fly. That makes the tail.

I cut off the excess, leaving what you see below.

I then attached a few deer hairs to the head and tied them in a way so they’d spike up, mimicking wings.

To finish a fly, you dab a little substance called ‘fly head cement’ to the head. This keeps the fly from unwinding. Many hardcore fisherman only use knotting.

There are some good old standards in the world of fly tying.

Below, you’ll see a wooly bugger. A treasured favorite. Good for about any fish.

And below, a fire ant.

Check out the San Juan Worm below. He’s super easy to make, but not one of my favorites.

This is one of my favorites. It’s based off an emerger. I call it “Cole’s Green Emerger.”

Fly Tying is a great hobby for women. Women are much better at fine detail work, and our hands are smaller and more delicate. Many male fisherman struggle with tying their own flies because they break threads and struggle with working on such a small scale.

If you sell your flies, they can fetch up to $6 each so it’s  pretty profitable hobby too.

Plus, if a loved one is a fly fisherman, they’ll appreciate the flies more than you know.

At least, that’s what I believe.

The friendships you develop among pen pals, and what I mean by that is people you exchange more than just a postcard with one time, is really special. When you take time to write several pages out to a pen pal far and away, you are sending a little piece of yourself. It’s more of an investment than, say, an email. Or even just a postcard. (not to knock postcard enthusiasts in the least!)

I received this beautiful letter from a new correspondent. She wrote her first letter out on vellum paper and used Noodler’s Black Ink. The stamps she used throughout to embellish the letter were done in a bright, hot pink ink which looked absolutely phenomenal.

This was the front of the envelope (above). She used a piece of packing tape to preserve the address in case it got wet, which for those of us who have relied on USPS for anything have likely encountered.

Her penmanship was beautiful too. Something I think we all can try to aspire to, no?

And I had the pleasure of reading four full pages. How lucky am I?

She’s inspired me to have a go at rubber stamps. I loved how she used various stamps but used a really unique ink color- hot pink. I am currently searching for letter-related rubber stamps and then I’ll put them to work. They really livened up this letter and made it all the more special.

And you know what else she included? Some fantastic Victorian-esque stickers and a feather. Feathers are my favorite. I love feathers. When I got married, I had a bouquet made of feathers instead of the more traditional flower bouquet. THAT’S how much I love feathers.

Has this letter inspired you? It sure inspired me. And it reminded me why I treasure the art of letter writing so much. Because you end up with things like this. Things I store away in my hollowed out books to refer to sometime in the future. Things I know my future children will enjoy reading through on a rainy Sunday afternoon. Things I know are there from my friends so far away.

The National Postal Museum, along with the Pen Collectors of America
and Fahrney’s Pens, are hosting “Pens & the Post: Collect,
Correspond, Celebrate!” Pens, postage and mail have long gone hand
in hand. Explore the shared history of pens and mail with the whole
family.

The following activities taking place throughout the day:

• Make a creative card to send to a friend with young designer  Sophia Breuer
• Watch an expert calligraphy demonstration by expert calligrapher Deborah Basel
• Take a fancy fountain pen for a spin at the “Pen Petting Zoo” provided by Fahrney’s Pens
• Sample a rainbow of ink colors with John Bosley, author of Vintage  Inks
• Try out beautiful papers from plain to posh with handwriting specialist Nan Barchowsky
• Just in time for Memorial Day, pen a letter to U.S. military members and learn about World War II-era correspondence.
• Meet the Pen Collectors of America and find out more about the pen collecting community
• See a pen set belonging to President Franklin D. Roosevelt and beautiful stamps featuring pens and handwriting in a scavenger hunt

Short workshops provide the opportunity to learn from the experts and try new skills:

• 11:30 a.m. – Pens for Kids Workshop presented by the Pen Collectors of America
• 12:30 p.m. – Cursive for Kids Workshop presented by Fahrney’s Pens
• 1:30 p.m. – Pens for Kids Workshop presented by the Pen Collectors of America
• 2:30 p.m. – The Glory of Pen Collecting presented by the Pen Collectors of America

Good news! I (Cole) have cleaned out my stationery stash and instead of pitching it or selling it as a lot on ebay or something, I want to bequeath it to one lucky reader.

Aside from this, for each person that tweets the following message:   (Just copy and paste)

RT @ColeImperi Massive Stationery Giveaway on Simplicity Embellished! Ends May 20th –> http://ht.ly/1JkwE

You’ll be entered to win something special!

Here are some photos of the loot!

Cards, envelopes, notecards, post cards, stickers, paper—lots and lots of stuff to keep your letter-writing heart content.

Up above, you’ll see a brand new pack of 5 notecards and envelopes, a set of postcards, and about three dozen cards in view.

Down below, you’ll see a closeup of a handmade card (with the dress) and matching envelope, three new journals and some cards.

Check out the three journals with the damask pattern below. The journals come with a storage case.

And then the below is included. This stack is about two inches thick and includes cards with matching envelopes. There are all kinds here, from birthday to sympathy to blanks.

Oh, and thank you so much for reading Simplicity Embellished!

I love the black lacquer body, the super fine nib, the elongated and curvy line it possesses. I hold this pen a little differently than my other fountain pens.

This is a great pen for number work, or for writing music or for detailed illustration. It’s comfortable to hold, a nice weight and can take a beating. I ordered this pen from JetPens in California and it cost $15.

It weighs less than a Lamy Safari but the plastic feels about the same texture-wise and grip-wise.

One thing that’s odd is that it really has no cap. It comes with one, but it’s peach-colored and doesn’t look like it belongs. These pens are made to go into a base. Anyway, be aware of the cap situation if you are going to order one for yourself.

Down below is a writing sample:

I wrote normally with the Sailor Desk Pen using Aurora’s black ink (my favorite black ink!) in a Moleskine notebook. I detected no bleed and the extra fine nib didn’t tear up or snag the paper either, and I’m a pretty aggressive writer.

First, you should know that this is extremely lightweight. I can not think of another pen that is lighter. I believe the Varsity weighs more than this pen. (The Varsity is a disposable fountain pen at about $3).

We ordered the HighAce from JetPens in California as I’ve not found anyone remotely nearby in Cincinnati who carries Sailor anything.

My husband wanted this pen to fall somewhere in between his Varsity disposables, which he uses when he’s out and about, and his Cross Affinity, which he uses to journal and write letters with, mostly. I’d say the HighAce does fall in between those two pens, but it leans more towards the Varsity end of the spectrum.

I tend to be an aggressive writer and I am afraid I’ll break this pen with my writing. It’s just so lightweight.

However, at $15, I can tell you it’s not a pen I’d cry over if it did break.

In a way, this pen reminds me of the Parker Jotter, which happens to be my husbands favorite ballpoint. The texture and feel is very similar.

Below is a sample of me writing with it in a Moleskine notebook. I used J. Herbin’s Ambre De Birmanie and wrote as I normally would.

I would still choose my Lamy Safari’s over the HighAce, but if you want a lightweight, less-expensive pen, then the HighAce should be an option. The HighAce would also be excellent to travel with because it’s not super valuable and wouldn’t be something to worry about.

You can respond to the emails on your computer or your phone (it’s optimized for the iPhone, but there is no iPhone app) which makes it convenient.

Happiness is such an elusive thing for so many people–I hear and read stories all the time on the topic. How to find it. How to catch it. Chasing it. Losing it. It’s a common thread we all share as people; we want to be happy.

When I first heard about this, which I think I stumbled upon through Twitter, I caught myself thinking well, I KNOW when I’m happy. Which to me, is a big flag that you maybe don’t. ;)

While many of the items I could have predicted, many of them left me scratching my head and thinking more intently on the topic.

I’d like to share with you some of the results from my most recent Happiness Report, which I completed in March of 201o.

——

This first one surprised me a bit. I expected to see my weekends as my happiest days. However, after considering it, I realized it is a good reflection of things as they actually stand. I tend to schedule meetings Tuesday-Thursday and those can often be exhausting. Plus, I have to get dressed and usually drive all over town and all that fun stuff, which I don’t like. I mean, I get dressed every day, but well, you know. When you have a meeting with someone, you like to really get dressed. Look nicer. That sort of thing.

Friday is my happiest day because the office closes at noon on Fridays!

This one made me scratch my head a bit. Generally, when I am interacting with more than one person, I am out of the house and office and more often than not, my husband is not in tow. I guess this just verifies that I am, in fact, a social person.

I’m pretty sure this one is true for all of us. When we accomplish more, we are happier. Isn’t it funny then that procrastination is such a huge problem for so many of us? ;)

Another no-brainer.

So, this is Track Your Happiness.

I think it’s a valid use of time and I’m looking forward to doing it again in six months.

In fact, it might be something I ask my employees to do because it can’t hurt. And, if my employees are happier, they’re more productive.

What are your thoughts on this as a tool in the workplace to enhance happiness? And, if you’ve done this or are going to try it, please let me know!

Yesterday was one of those days.

During the summer, my husband and I tend to eat dinner really late. Like about 9 or 10 pm. The sun is long gone, it’s slightly chilled in the air and we can use the oven with the back door wide open. By the time we go to bed, usually about midnight, our tummies are full and the house is well-lived in.

My husband made spaghetti and meatballs with a side (just kidding, several sides) of Chianti. The kitchen window was open the whole time and the back door was too. Our dog Hairy laid on a very worn, and very plush dog bed in a corner of the kitchen the whole time. I tell you, it’s nice having a great puppy dog at the end of the kitchen napping while you cook.

I sat at our butcher block table/island with a legal pad and pen. This was my time to go through notes from the week and tie up a few loose ends. It’s also the time when I can catch my husband at one of his most creative times.

He’ll tell you that he hates when I ask him questions while he cooks. But I’ll tell you that this is prime time for that. See, while he’s cooking, he’s in one place. He can’t get distracted and leave the room. He focusing on one thing; the methodical methods of preparing a meal but yet part of his mind is available for creativity.

What have you come up with on that pricing strategy for the boutique? I’ll ask.

How do you think we should package these items? I question.

While our conversation may not interest you, dear reader, the point is that those late night dinners are not only productive for me, they are some of the most special times in my marriage that I treasure. They are, if you will, a time when I can really take advantage of all the little quirks I know about my husband. Quirks that only I know.

Late night dinners are fabulous.