Hiya-Hiya folks! *scoops up another bite of olives* I am super excited today for this post because it is the first pen-pal related post here on Sunshine & Rain so yaayy! *smiles big* I am going to be sharing this “Ultimate Beginners Guide to Pen-Paling” with you guys because I love pen-paling so much! And also because I know when I first started pen-paling I was hearing so many different things about it like you HAD to have this specific supplies to do it, or you HAVE to follow these rules only, and yada yada yada. The list wen’t on forever and it all got so confusing! So I am here with this easy and simple guide to pen-paling! There is a lot to learn about the beautiful art of pen-paling\letter writing, so sit back, grab a snack, and take note! I hope this simple guide helps you to understand pen-paling more, inspires you, and shows you that you don’t have to have all this expensive stuff to do it. So Lets’ah-go! *tries Mario impersonation* Btw, sorry for the weird blotchy spots on the envelopes in some of the photos)

What is a pen-pal\what is pen-paling?

In my words, a pen-pal is someone who you regularly write to and communicate with through letter writing! You write them a letter, then they write you back. (Probably not the complete definition but that’s basically the sum of it) A pen-pal can either be a family member who lives further away, a close friend, or you can meet, and get to know someone new through pen-paling with someone through different social media platforms! Of course before you start writing to somebody you don’t already know or start giving out personal info such as names, ages, phone numbers, and especially addresses, please definitely consult and talk to your parents about it because giving out things like that is really unsafe! Never talk to somebody you don’t know without your parents knowing, or without their permission. Having your parents involved in finding a great pen-pal for you will make it a lot safer and easier! You can even find a pen-pal through blogging, and that is actually how I found one of my fellow pen-pals Elizabeth! (Hey, Lizzy! 😜)

Anyway, having a pen-pal is a super fun way to get to know somebody, and to communicate! You can be so creative with it, and it is just so much fun and exciting to open up your mailbox and find a fun letter with your name on it! It is like receiving a little gift, and it’s different and so special every time! Your pen-pal doesn’t have to live far away for you to be able to write to them either. I have a close friend that I am pen-pals with that actually lives about 20 mins away (which is my best gurlfriend, Allie who probably reading this so Hi Allieeeee my chiccy nuggieee! 😁😂) and we still consistently write! It is just so much fun for us to be creative and goofy through letters with eachother, and it is so precious to be able to keep a hand written letter and to look back on it later on.

The one thing to keep in mind though, is that the whole point of letter writing is to communicate, get to know, and become closer with someone! It is so much more special to hold on to a piece of conversation from a friend than just text messaging these days. Which sadly, the whole point of pen-paling and even letter writing itself has been forgotten by many. I love pen-paling, and talking with friends through letters so much more! ; ) Now onto the essential supplies:

Here are the 3 letter writing essentials:

1. Any type of paper

Of course you are going to need some sort of paper to write your letter! It doesn’t have to be any specific type at all. I have used blank white printer paper, lined paper, grid paper\dot paper, paper from a cute notebook, etc. You can even go online and find some really cute letter printouts, but I prefer to use my own paper and decorate it myself to add my own touches!

2. Pens, pencils, or markers

Pens, pencils, and markers are definitely a necessity for letter writing as well! You don’t need to have all this fancy and expensive art supplies to create an amazing letter! Of course it is totally great to have some nice good quality markers or pens to work with, I enjoy using a normal number two pencil, colored pencils, gel pens, and crayola markers. As weird as it sounds, you really can make a great letter with just those. 😉

3. Envelopes and stamps

And the last thing you will need is an envelope to put your letter in, and a stamp to be able to send it! Again you don’t need to buy a big fancy decorated envelope to make it look nice. You can totally just use a normal envelope from your own home and deco it yourself! I personally make my own envelopes just from scrap paper, or paper from a sketchbook which gives me a bigger envelope to put my letter in and more creative space to work with so bam! It works great! (Just be aware, if you are sending a bigger letter over a certain size you will probably need more than one stamp to send it. Or if you aren’t sure how much you will need to send it, you can totally take it to the post office and they’ll tell you immediately how much you need and pay right then and there.)

Pen-Pal letter ideas\Fun extras!

Here is a list of a bunch of super fun things\extra little gifts and trinkets to send along with your letter!

• Mini Questionnaire sheet or start a “Questions & Answers” swap with every letter
• Pretty string or ribbon samples
• Polaroid prints\photos
• Washi Tape samples
• ATC’S (Artist Trading cards)
• Self Care routine sheet
• Playlist\favorite songs
• Pretty colored paint chips
• Scrapbook paper
• A ‘How to’ recipe, or craft tutorial
• Stickers
• Magazine clippings
• Bracelet, or small necklace
• Bookmark
• Tea packet
• 
• Pressed leaves, or flowers
• A short written story
• Workout routine
• Sticky notes\memo pads
• Your dream seasonal wardrobe list
• Post cards
• A map of you own dream make believe land
• A list of blog post ideas
• Blank paper, or notebook
• A snippet of your life-long bucket list
• Choose a specific topic to write about either along with, or separate from the letter and write your thoughts on it! (Topic’s like Self care, Your thoughts on____, Struggles, etc.)
• Flower Seed packets
• Mini monthly Calendar
• An “Either Or” \ “This or That” questions sheet! Questions like Ocean or Mountains, Bath or Shower, Sun or Rain.
• A “Bag of wishes”, aka a bag with glitter or confetti!
• A list of monthly dares or challenges for your pen-pal to try and complete! They can check off which ones they completed, and send the list back!
• Story writing switch: Take turns back and forth writing your very own story! Each person takes a turn adding a small part to the story until it’s all finished! Voila! You could also very much do this with a coloring page, or your own drawing!
• Scraps of fabric
• Scrunchies or cute hair-ties

I really enjoy making my Pen-pals smile by sending them a few extras like these in the letter! Of course, remember that the letter isn’t all about the extras, it’s about the letter itself. It’s about getting to know a new friend or talking with an old one, but it also makes you very happy to open up the envelope and see all the beautifully made gifts and trinkets sent too. I love sharing these things with my friends, and I hope to eventually gain a few more wonderful Pen-pals to write to soon! So special thanks to my beautiful pen-pals out there, I love you guys so much and you make my days very happy.

Tips for writing the Pen-Pal letter:

When writing to a Pen-pal, be sure to ask them questions and not just talk about yourself or things happening with just you, Ya’know? Ask them how they’re doing of course, but for example let’s say your even talking about something as simple as you jumping on a trampoline. Then ask them if they like trampolines or if they’ve been on one! Talking about making cupcakes, ask them if they have a favorite kind of cupcakes? Have they ever baked before? Just be sure to ask questions because that will keep the conversation going and keep it interesting! And another thing is, try to write as much as possible! Of course I’m not saying to write an entire books worth in your letter but try to do atleast a few paragraphs. It’s not all that enjoyable to read a letter that has about 2 sentences, rather than reading one that’s a couple pages because I really love hearing as much as possible from my pen-pals! My letters normally vary between 2-5 pages which may seem like alot but if you’re putting your heart into writing and talking to your pen-pal, the words will just start flowing out and it shouldn’t be a struggle to find something to write about at all! Just think of it as a normal conversation face to face, write what you’d actually say and feel free to be goofy, and have fun with it!

Also when writing, you can even just write about what your day has been like the day that your writing it. You can tell them what the weathers like, something you did, and that stuff! I personally really love writing about my day and then hearing back about my pen-pals day in their letter. Just simply telling them what’s going on and it’s a really enjoyable letter!

Here are some extra Pen-pal letter photos!

Alrighty, well I hope that this helped anyone out there just beginning with pen-paling and inspired some other Pen-palers out there as well! Let me know if you’d like to see more posts like this in the future because I would definitely love to make some more!

How many Pen-pals do you have? Let me know in the comments! I love hearing from you guys! If you don’t already have a Pen-pal I think during quarantine would be a great time to start Pen-paling if you’ve gotten bored enough haha! Again, you can even just do it with a close friend that lives a few minutes away and write to them. Much love my chicken nuggets, until next time! 😉