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Posts tagged ‘Letter Inspiration’

Sep 20

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Letter Inspiration: Napoleon and Josephine

Napoleon Bonaparte is known for many things, but being the writer of love letters is definitely not one of the better known things. Despite this, I’m finding Napoleon has some of the most fascinating love letters out there! Full of passion and quips, these letters are about as good as it gets. My favorite is this one in which he complains about how his wife, Josephine, no longer gives him any attention and he has come to despise her. As the letter goes on though, he writes about how much he misses her and wishes to shower her “with a million kisses as though beneath the equator”. Talk about confusing! It seems that Josephine definitely had the famous emperor in the palm of her hand! And his torment is a little reminder to the ladies to maybe write a letter (or make a phone call nowadays), to ease a lonely heart.

napoleon; Letter Inspiration: Napoleon and JosephineImage from Telegraph.co.uk


Sep 13

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Letter Inspiration: Love, Corey

I can’t imagine being a famous actor or actress, and receiving barrels of fan mail everyday. It would seem totally overwhelming, and I’m sure I’d hire someone to just sort through it and write back little notes for me every once in a while. That’s why it is so heartwarming and endearing when a star takes the time to write a handwritten note to a young fan. I came across this letter from Corey Feldman, who was 14 at the time and already a big star; he personally wrote a note to a young fan following a letter she had sent him. No, it’s not on professional stationery, but that just goes to show how truly personal the note is. The fact that a young kid would do this is absolutely amazing to me and goes to show how even the smallest gestures can mean so much. This small act that touched only one person has inspired me to write a note to a special someone this week, just to show them that I care.

4970100877 29d4723692 o; Letter Inspiration: Love, CoreyImage from Letters of Note

Aug 23

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Letter Inspiration: An Ironic Note to Andy Warhol

I love this letter! Everything about it is funny–the oversized letterhead, the content (“I at one time hoped to acquire one of your Campbell Soup Label paintings–but I’m afraid you’ve gotten too expensive for me”), and especially that they included some Campbell Tomato soup for him! I desperately want to know how Andy Warhol would have responded to this. I’m sure it would have been delightfully tongue-in-cheek!

andy warhol letter; Letter Inspiration: An Ironic Note to Andy Warhol

Letter Image from Letters of Note

Aug 16

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Letter Inspiration: Martin Luther King, Jr.

While going through the fantastic site Letters of Note last week, I found a letter from Martin Luther King, Jr. to Sammy Davis, Jr. thanking Sammy for his active support in the Civil Rights Movement. It is full of beautiful language and speaks to me in such an incredible way. It really reminded me of how nice it is to receive a thank you note from someone really thanking you from the bottom of their heart. Finally, how incredible is this sentence? “Art can move and alter people in subtle ways because, like love, it speaks through and to the heart.” What a beautiful way to show how grateful you really are.

4771149343 a367f62d5c b; Letter Inspiration: Martin Luther King, Jr.

Image from Letters of Note

Aug 9

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Letter Inspiration: thx thx thx

This week’s letter inspiration is a little bit out of the ordinary in that it deals more with notes. It comes from a blog I stumbled upon last week called thx thx thx: a thank you note a day. Based on the premise that writing a little thank you note to yourself about the things you’re thankful for, be it a smile, a birthday, wood floors, or anything, it provides you with a little pick me up. The author of the blog, Leah Dietrich, does this everyday, and her notes are funny, sweet, kind, and downright hysterical sometimes! I love this idea, but would make mine a little more special by writing it on stationery just for me. There’s something about pretty, personalized stationery that would make this concept even better. So next time you’re upset about anything, or needing something new to think about, why not pull out a piece of stationery and jot down a letter to yourself, saying what you’re thankful for. And trust me, it can be anything!

thx 282; Letter Inspiration: thx thx thx

 

Picture via thxthxthx

Aug 2

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Letter Inspiration: Mickey Mouse

This week’s letter inspiration comes from a most unlikely source; Mickey Mouse! I know you’d think a cartoon character would never write a letter, but Mickey Mouse once wrote a letter to the Western Pennsylvania Hospital, as seen on the Letters of Note blog. Apparently, a popular comic book from 1932 featuring Mickey Mouse frightened many young patients at the hospital because the characters said X-rays would burn a person’s brains! To appease the doctors and put all the children’s fears to rest, Mickey wrote a letter apologizing and explaining that X-rays were in fact perfectly safe. It just goes to show a letter can be written by anyone to solve any problem! I think the fact that Mickey wrote this one could encourage the little ones to pick up a pencil or pen and begin writing notes to family and friends again.

la102580 1206 ornaments l; Letter Inspiration: Mickey Mouse

Image from Letters of Note

Jul 26

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Letter Inspiration: 1930s Letter

One of the top stories on Yahoo! from last week was about a letter written to a woman, studying to become a nun in the 1930s. This piece of correspondence was just recently found, and it contained a letter from another nun, encouraging her to continue the difficult studies. The letter, as seen in this video, was in absolutely remarkable and beautiful condition; it amazes me that people regularly wrote letters with such care and dedication to penmanship. The woman never received the letter, and went on to stop her studies, marry, and have a family. One can only wonder, what would have happened if she had received the heartwarming letter? Can a letter really change a life; has one ever changed yours? Either way, I think it’s fairly certain that a kind letter shows a deep sense of care and love when sent to family and friends.

capture; Letter Inspiration: 1930s Letter

Jul 19

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Letter Inspiration: John and Abigail Adams

What is more inspiring than a dedicated correspondence that resulted in the exchange of over 1,100 letters? I can’t think of anything, but please let me know if you can! These letters were a result of the long relationship between John and Abigail Adams, beginning with their courtship in 1762 and continuing through their marriage, John’s political career as a founding father, and ending in 1801. The pair discussed everything from diplomacy and women’s suffrage to the farm and family life. If you’re interested in learning more about this writing duo, visit The Massachusetts Historical Society, where the above information was found. Perhaps the most beautiful part of their correspondence to me is the stunning handwriting both used throughout their letters. Such painstaking letter-writing is a rarity today, and the images below show the result of their tireless work. While not everyone can write over 1,100 letters in a lifetime, I think a little extra letter-writing in our everyday lives helps show an extra sense of care in every relationship, and it’s something I’ll start practicing. Will you?

portrait 300x184; Letter Inspiration: John and Abigail Adamsmiss adorable; Letter Inspiration: John and Abigail Adams

remember the ladies1; Letter Inspiration: John and Abigail Adams

First image (John and Abigail Adams) from Vassar College Libraries

Second image (John to Abigail) from Vassar College Libraries

Third image (Abigail to John) from Vassar College Libraries

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