When I mentioned this idea last week, at least five people said that they thought this was a good idea, so I think that’s definitely enough to get this going!  Say hello to a new little venture of mine: the Correspondence Club! First of all, if you want to read more about my undying love for letters, check out this post!  Basically, I think a letter is such a special, thoughtful item that you can treasure for years and I love to write them :)  Plus, I go ga-ga for stationery (seriously, I mean I dedicated a whole post to this paper store that I love!) so it’s a win-win combination for me!  I was so glad to hear that there are others out there who enjoy writing letters just as much as I do.  I used to have a pen pal when I was younger, but sadly over the years we lost touch.  Remembering how much I enjoyed that experience, I thought it would be a fun idea to start up this pen pal club! I know everyone already has a lot going on, so I definitely want to keep this low-cost, low commitment, and above all, loads of fun! Check out the deets:

• Who can join? Anyone! Bloggers, non-bloggers, all are welcome!

• How it works: 

1. Send out one letter every month, by the 15th of the month at the latest.
2. Include a little gift with your letter (doesn’t need to be bigger than a standard envelope and should cost $5 or less)- something you think would brighten your pen pal’s day!
3. Once you receive your letter, snap a quick picture and send it me, along with a little anecdote or comment about your letter if you want.
4. Feel free to post about your letter or share it however you like.
5. At the end of the month, I’ll do a round-up post on my blog showing off everyone’s pictures and linking to the blogs/sites of all the people who participated.
6. Side note: Feel free to be as creative as you want with your letters!  For example, if doodling is your thing, add some doodles to your partner’s letter! :)  Also, if you can’t participate one month, no worries at all!  Just let me know as soon as possible so that I can pair your pen pal with someone else.

• Where can I sign up? Easy, all you have to do is send me an email with the following information:

Name:

Blog/Site (if you have one):

Age:

Location/Address:

Do you mind having an international pen pal?:

Interests:

The deadline to sign up for February will be Sunday, February 5th at 5:00pm EST.  I’ll then send out an email that Sunday evening, letting everyone know who their partners are!  You’ll have a little less time this first month to send out your letter; normally I will send a reminder at the end of the previous month. So, I hope you guys sign up and spread the word to anyone else who you think might be interested!  If you have any questions about the sign-up, process, or anything at all, please don’t hesitate to contact me! :)

If you would like to display on your blog that you are a proud member of the Correspondence Club, then feel free to grab the button below!

<div align="center"><a href="http://starcrossedsmile.com/2012/02/join-the-correspondence-club/" title="Correspondence Club"><img src="http://starcrossedsmile.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/7237135354_255b7b0e7a_m4.jpg" alt="Correspondence Club" style="border:none;" /></a></div>