Category: Happy Mail

After my change in perspective, I let go of what I ‘should’ be doing and went with whatever my body wanted to do. Apparently that consisted of sleep. A LOT of sleep. I feel so much better for it, though – especially because I had wonderfully boring but pleasant, drawn out dreams all about receiving mail.

Yep. Mail dreams. Hahaha.

My dreams did come true, however, in that I had some lovely mail come my way!

My Send Something penpal comes up with simple but creative letters. This one is written on lovely thick cream paper, and I love the antique look of the washi tape.

The Screever Zine (blog) got in touch on Instgram, and I could hardly wait to see their zines. The bigger zine – Ground – is actually tied together with a thin rope. Very cool. And it comes with a loyalty card so you can collect letters from issues of the Ground series and sned a completed card back for a free treat. Very fun.

Happy mail from Sober Bob! I didn’t realise how cool it was to watch a zine being made through photos and video on things like Instagram and then be able to hold that thing in your hands. It’s always good to see a Sober Bob envelope of happy in my post box.

That’s me for today. Thank you to all the wonderful people who have made my post box and my life a happier place. I hope you all have a smooth, calm start to your week.

I’ll be frank with you all: I had a bit of a crappy weekend. I didn’t feel well, and I got downright grumpy about it. But with the sun (kind of) shining, and happy mail in my hands, everything is starting to look up.

Billy da Bunny! I think I’ve mentioned already how much I love these little newsletter-esque zines with a few life updates inside. They’re so fun, and I wish more people would make them. Billy is the generous sort who simply added me to the mailing list as a surprise. ^_^

This one wasn’t a surprise but was still absolutely just as lovely to receive. The newest edition of Make a Zine! Joe Biel asked for thoughts on zine community in one of the zine groups I’m in. Little did I know that contributing to the conversation could mean contributing to the book. Thanks so much for the copy!

Not only that; Joe also included a lovely card of thanks for what I do here at Sea Green Zines that makes me feel all warm and fuzzy. It’s all too easy to forget that I’m not plugging away here in complete isolation.

A huge thanks to all the wonderful people who have sent me mail and do send me mail. I keep the mail from the past to go through on my down days, and incoming mail often means more than simple joy to me. I appreciate you all.

**Special Note: I am fully aware that Microcosm Publishing and, specifically, Joe Biel, are subjects of contention amongst some in the zine community. If people want a post on my thoughts about the whole thing, I can do that. If not, I’ll leave it at this: I absolutely adore zines and all they can do for people. I ‘raise my flag’ or ‘throw in my lot’ with no one and nothing but the actual zines. I am a coward in the truest sense when it comes to any sort of conflict, and all I ever want to do is hold zines close and hope the rest sorts itself out. I hope that no one thinks less of me for it, but I understand if you do.

Wowza. Apologies for no post yesterday. I hit a wall, dropped all my spoons, and needed a heck of a lot of sleep to feel somewhere close to normal again.

So here we are with a slightly late happy mail post. The first beautiful bit of snail mail happiness in my post box came from The Monster Ducky:

I’m so excited about a zine that is about mail. Talk about a zine that I can hardly wait to read!

I love the touch of the typewriter stamp as well.

Simon Mackie knows how to make clear contact details! Hehe. With the header of Simon’s stationery including all of Simon’s details, it’s impossible to mistake who it’s from. I’m looking forward to reading this mini-zine from all the way across the UK

Property Zine! This beautiful glossy mag has no words but a lot of colour, and I feel so fortunate that Property Materials has sent me a copy. 🙂

For the last bit of happy mail, I have something that isn’t really zine related. However, I’ve had so many questions and comments about it, I thought I’d include it.

My fidget cube!

Yep, these little cubes of amusement are real. I found one on Ebay. Mine is a mini; you can tell because mini fidget cubes come with a hole in one corner so you can attach a wrist band. That feature was important to me as I wanted one that I didn’t have to worry too much about losing.

Yes, it has been helping. I’ve had it for less than a week, so it’s hardly an objective view, but I’ve become rather attached to mine. It’s helped me to focus, to settle down a bit more than I would be able to normally, and it helps me to, well, fidget without feeling stressed or awkward about it.

There we have it! Happy mail this week from amazing, generous people from around the world. I wish I could fully express to all of you how happy it makes me to see something in my post box. Much love to you all!

I’ve come to the conclusion that I need to send out even more mail so I can have more weeks like this. Hehe. ^_^

A letter from Chris arrived early last week and was such a nice surprise. We’ve been exchanging zines, so I assumed that he’d send whenever he had a zine to send. Lo and behold, he sent a letter to keep in touch between projects.

Sober Booooooooob! I was not expecting this zine at all (special surprise mail booty dance), and it took a lot of will power to not drop everything I was doing at the time to sit down and read this one. I mean, that title! As someone who enjoys Sober Bob’s Instagram videos, I am completely certain I’m going to enjoy this zine just as much.

More Sober Bob mail! I have a little conspiracy theory when it comes to sending mail between Queensland and Victoria, so I wasn’t expecting these for a while. Yet here they are!

Anyway, Sober Bob makes stickers (and pins! – I have a magpie to commemorate my first ever concussion (caused by a magpie)) and, well, I do really love stickers… Hehe. Anyway, get in contact with Sober Bob on Facebook to have a peek and get your own pack. Free postage in Australia!

Last but certainly not least is a lovely thank you postcard. I’m thinking I need to make or get some postcards because it’s such a nice little thing to receive in the mail, and I always have plenty of people to thank for their awesomeness.

Especially all the wonderful people who send me mail! Many, many thanks as always.

See you tomorrow with more zine-y goodness.

Happy mail!

It’s a public holiday here in Victoria, but I got out to the post box on Friday and found some wonderful goodies waiting for me. Yes, mail is still just as (if not more so) exciting as it was when I was a kid. I love it so much!

First up is a lovely postcard from one of the contributors to Umbrella – the PCOS zine sent as a thank you for the zine. That’s so sweet, and it truly brightened my day.

This zine comes all the way from Singapore – and check out that envelope art. Hehe. It’s so fun to see unexpected colours, drawings or other envelope art. This zine is actually a short screenplay – a first of its kind for zines I’ve read.

(PS. Get it? Snail mail? Snaaaaail mail? 🙂 )

The last piece of fun mail to come my way is from my penpal Misti. I hated to bend the letter like that, but I had to show you what she did! She actually turned her letter into a little booklet with the map serving as the cover. What a cool idea, yes?

That’s me for now. A busy week ahead prepping for the zine fair in Melbourne on Friday.

Many, many thanks to those who take the time and effort to brighten my post box and my day.

Hello! I hope everyone has had a wonderful start to the week. Mind has been a ‘hit the ground running’ type with stacks of errands and appointments. But I am closing in on being fully caught up with my outgoing mail, and Asimov is ‘so far so good’ after the surgery. Next check up in a week.

Happy mail! It’s so lovely to open the post box and see something inside.

The first bit of happy mail (near) comes from Rebecca, who made the very cool Mild Scribblings 5 and 6. I am soooo happy to get my hands on more of Rebecca’s work.

The next bit of happy mail comes from Billy! Billy really treats me too nicely and doesn’t wait for me to sent things back. When he’s ready to send, he sends! And my life is all the nicer for it. So excited to dive into these.

That’s all for me today. The race continues on as work still needs to be done! To each and all – have a wonderful week!

Happy mail! After sending out a huge stack of mail this morning, this was such a lovely surprise – and all the way from Brazil!

Henry and I have chatted a bit about zines, and he asked if he could send along a couple of his zines. (Yes, please!) It took three weeks on the dot, but they have arrived here safe and sound!

The really fun thing about these comic zines is that they are in Portuguese, and I have no idea how to read Portuguese. I think it’s a great and fun way to find out just how much can be translated through images alone. (Of course, in the letter, Henry was happy to offer his help in translation if I need it.)

I’m so happy! This has really shone some sunshine on my day and put a spring in my step.

I hope everyone out there is having a wonderful start to the week. If not, I hope it gets better in a hurry!

Have you ever had a period time where you kept on getting bad news over and over again so much that when good news finally came, you didn’t know how to react to it?

Yep, that’s been my weekend and week so far. Wowza.

I have some happy mail making my post box exciting over the past week. So many zines! But first, a postcard from Mexico!

I was a smidge puzzled to be getting something Christmassy in February, but happy mail is happy mail! This one came from SendSomething.net – definitely worth checking out.

But check out that sending date, eh? 😉

Ziiiines! See this? This is a prime example of why I keep track of my happy mail. The note says ‘as promised’ but my brain has melted to a point where I don’t remember the promise being made. I’ll be investigating later. For now, thank you!

This bit of happy mail just goes to show that you never know what kindness or when kindness will come back to you. Months and months ago, I was going through my things and found some friendship books. I don’t really ‘do’ those anymore, but I wasn’t going to toss them. So I went onto SendSomething, found people who liked FBs, and sent them out. Lo and behold, a big ol’ stack of zines comes my way months later! Possibly a new snail mail friend, too?

I hope everyone is having a great day and having a wonderful start to a wonderful week. Best wishes to you always. Happy mailing!

This week, I feel very… grateful. I am always grateful for people taking the time and postage to send me things, but this week, I am especially so.

I’ve been struggling a lot with a depression for a little while now. I’ve been good about staying positive while there has been so much chaos and strain in my personal life, but eventually I just shattered. It all became too much, and I went into that foggy, tired place that claims my mind sometimes.

So when I rocked up to my post box this morning and found this inside, I was at a complete loss as to what it could be.

Someone, I don’t know who, sent me this gorgeous papercrafted envelope, well wishes for Asimov, and a sachet of chai.

And on the inside…

Along with my love for zines, I also have a love for stationery and planner type items. I also really love chai, too, which should give me some clue as to who it is, but I’m stumped.

All I know is that this beautiful gesture means so much more than I can adequately express right now. It makes my heart happy.

I don’t know who you are or if you’ll even see this post, but I want to say thank you nonetheless. Your timing is perfect, to say the least, and I will be sure to pass the RAK spirit on.

Don’t get any ideas. It’s a toasty one today, currently sitting at 41C/105F here. Blargh.

Lucky for me that I have happy mail to lift my semi-melted spirits!

The first comes from Billy da Bunny, who is starting up a Fuck Trump Club for anyone who feels so inclined. The details are on the postcard, but let me know if you want me to upload a bigger picture to see everything better.

Next up comes a couple of mini-zines from Anna Gecko! Very cute little zines, plus an absolutely lovely note to go along with it. (I wasn’t sure if it was okay to share the note, so I kept it hidden.) Anna is a new friend who doesn’t have a lot of access to zines, so it’s great to connect.

Last but not least, a whopping package from Microcosm Publishing. I must admit I’m a smidge nervous, as Xerography Debt #40 contains a review of Don’t Call Me Cupcake 1-3. Wowza. It is a little funny for someone who reviews zines to be nervous about being reviewed, so we’ll see how it goes.

I have heaps of good reading to do while I hide and try to stay cool in the heat. Many thanks as always to everyone who takes the time and the postage to send me goodness. I hope you’re keeping cool (or warm) wherever you are. Here’s to a wonderful week ahead!