In December, Pinterest released their trends report and there it was… music to my ears, joy to my eyes as I was reading it. Pen Pals are a trending topic on Pinterest!!!

Can you believe it? They say that everything comes back around, what's old becomes new again – and for us card makers, here is our time again!

Don't get me wrong, the paper crafting industry hasn't been slowing down, but do you notice getting fewer and fewer cards over the years?

One of my daughter's friends in college has NEVER received a card in the mail… in her life. Let that sink in for a moment. She's received cards, but never through the mail.

The younger generation that grew up always with phones and tablets in their world are now seeking that personal handwritten message rather than a text.

And I am here for all of that!

To really celebrate this, I created a card to kick this off.

I used the PERFECT stamp and the cutest paper to create this card that you can send to anyone that you want to do better with corresponding.

What makes this card so wonderful is that you can make a stack of these in no time. You can also mix match the pattern papers from this paper pack to achieve a similar look. You can also make a lot of these cards and gift them to someone for them to use.

It's just so easy and versatile, so let's get to the card.

How fun is this? I created it based on a MIYO that's in Stamping Family during one of our Make & Mingles – which a sentence full of some of the joy we share in the Stamping Family site.

The Making

I used one package of pattern paper, one stamp set with the coordinating dies, some markers, white card stock, and a label die cut that's actually a left over from a cover plate die. That's it.

It's easy cutting and easy creating.

The two side panels are 1-1/4″ x 4″ and the inside panel is 2-1/2″ x 4″. Super simple!

The Supplies

Short list, right?

Postage Cost Concerns?

I hear some pushback about the cost of postage. And I'm not downplaying that. But here's my response that I've shared…

The ability to ship an envelope across the country for under a dollar is just mind blowing to me. I'm not saying that the post office gets it right all the time and that letters don't get lost.

But I am saying, that to travel that far a distance and to change hands as much as it does, I am okay with the price point.

I also haven't spent any money for postage to pay my bills in almost 10 years. Between water, electricity, gas, mortgage, car payment x 2, internet, and more – I used to use a stamp to mail each of those bills every single month. I know I used to mail off at least 10 bills a month because I used to buy a roll of 100 stamps at the beginning of each year just for bills.

Now that I pay my bills online, that frees up 100 stamps to send cards!

So in girl math terms, it's practically free, right? (if you don't know about “girl math”, search it on social media or ask a teenager ❤️

I would much rather spend that postage money to brighten someone's day that on mailing off bills.

Somehow there was always money for mailing bills, right?

Okay, that's my logic on it, and it's working for me.

Will You Make This Card?

I'm curious! Is this a card you would make? If so, use the links above to get these products ordered and let me know in the comments below.

I'm going to ask a lot of you this year – a lot of comments. I need to figure out what y'all are liking and what you aren't. Honesty means more to me that flattery. That's it for now, until next time, XOXO, Meg