Poe in the Post

While in Baltimore this weekend, I paid a visit to the Baltimore Museum of Art, which is currently hosting an Edgar Allan Poe exhibit. It was amazing! There were works on display from Gauguin, Manet and Matisse, among others. Because it was a special exhibit, I was unfortunately not allowed to take pictures of the works of art.


I was, however, able to pick up this fabulous postcard at the museum store! I do love buying correspondence materials at museum shops, I feel like it's a way for me to share a part of the experience with friends who don't have the opportunity to see the exhibits in person.

The JHU News-Letter

Yesterday morning I gave a friend a ride up to Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore for an exam. While he was filling in ScanTron bubbles, I made the most of my free time and toured the University campus. And, boy, was I pleased with myself when I stumbled upon this gem of a building.


I wasn't sure, but I speculated that this was once a campus post office. I was so excited to post about this building that I took half a dozen pictures of it. I felt hoodwinked when I discovered that this Italianate structure was in fact the office for the Johns Hopkins student paper, the News-Letter, founded at the end of the 19th century. That was kind of a downer.

But after thinking about it, I remembered a little nugget that I picked up on a visit to the National Postal Museum here in Washington, D.C. Back in "the day," newspapers were more often than not named after way in which they were delivered to their readers. The Washington Post, for example, was delivered with the mail. So, I speculate that the News-Letter was named as such because that's how it was delivered across campus. A stretch? Maybe. Either way, soak in the pictures of the pretty little building.

If that's not enough for you, I found these splendid cards at the JHU Barnes & Noble. They struck a chord with me because I, in fact, ride a green scooter.


Unfortunately, like most items that bear a Vera Wang label, at $27, this pack of cards was out of my price range.

And there you have my weekend. How about you? How did you enjoy these past couple of days?

Routine: The Beverage

Like many people, I have a letter writing routine. For example, I enjoy sipping a cup of tea while reading and writing my letters. Knowing this, a pen pal recently sent me a packet of one of her favorite teas, Twinings Pure Peppermint. I typically drink a good mate or chai.

What about you, dear readers? Coffee, wine, soda?

GREAT Mail Day

Wednesdays are my days that never home, and I rarely get to open my mailbox till 10 o'clock at night. And yesterday, I really needed an evening pick me up. As luck would have it, it was a great mail day. Along with a package of new stamps, a letter from a pen pal, came a thick envelope from Karen Doherty of Exaclair, the U.S. distributor of all my favorite ink and paper products.


About a week ago, I responded to a post on the Quo Vadis Blog to receive a free Quo Vadis Habana notebook, for the purpose of reviewing it on Everyday Correspondence. Sure enough, that was in the package I received last night... along with a hefty Clairefontaine notebook, a pad of my favorite G. Lalo paper and two bottles of J. Herbin ink, Diabolo Menthe and Vert Reseda. When I opened the package, I ran my hands across all the goodies, as though my fingers were taste buds and the papers were prime rib covered in a delicious au jus.

Once I had taken it all in, I observed that all of the freshly arrived items were green, in one way or another. Then, I remembered reading on the Quo Vadis blog that Clairefontaine had recently changed the ink it uses to rule the paper to a more eco-friendly water-based formula that uses vegetable based pigments. This, to add to Clairefontaine's existing PEFC certification.


In simple terms, to receive PEFC certification, the forest from which the paper pulp was obtained must meet certain standards of sustainability. Oooooh, paper I can feel good about.


Although I look forward to reviewing the Habana notebook, my favorite of Karen's gifts are the pad of G. Lalo Verge de France paper and the J. Herbin inks. Frequent visitors may remember my adoration for the Verge de France line of papers, as I have it in both ivory and pink. But, I had no idea that it came in green! I'm so excited about it that I think I'm going to make a green themed letter in response to the pen pal letter I received yesterday.

Thank you, Karen, for helping to make a good mail day a great mail day.

Everyday Correspondence has no affiliation with Exaclair and the products it distributes. The free Quo Vadis planner featured in this post was given only in exchange for my agreement to review it on this site. All other freebies in this post were given freely and without strings.

Image Archive Update

Hey there, Everyone,

If you haven't visited the Everyday Correspondence Vintage Letterhead Image Archive (whew!) in a few days, I wanted to let you know that I've begun adding links to other websites below my images.

These sites are ones that I have stumbled upon myself and found quite useful. They offer image from address boxes for envelopes to images of vintage papers, such as forms, book illustrations, and more. I will continue to add links to the Image Archive as I come by them.

Very truly yours,

James