AnnaKate Writes

pen pal inspo + envelope art

/ All Things Fun

hey, my lovely friends! it’s a snowy day here in the Midwest, and I thought it was the perfect time to pull out some colorful art and lettering things I’ve done in the past few weeks. one of my favorite ways to unwind/relax after a day of classes is putting on some music and writing a letter to a friend. but I don’t just write a letter, I always pull up my Pinterest board for envelope art ideas! that’s probably more fun than actually writing the letter, tbh. it was a lot of fun going back through all my photos of envelope art and little doodles I did in letters.

this is one of the first letter/envelope combos I did. I got the inspo for both of them on Pinterest. it took me a while to finally be happy with the snail, but I think it turned out really cute! on the front, I just added a few more hearts to tie it all together. as for her name, I sketched it in pencil first, just to get the spacing right.
this one was for my sister! I had such a fun time drawing the different cacti and giving each one some ✨personality✨I love how the colors turned out, too. originally, I was only doing the cacti on the back. but then I saw this cute quote on Pinterest and had to add it. instead of making all the letters the same, I tried to make them a little different for some more pizazz.
I did this one back at the beginning of winter term. it was so dark, cloudy, and cold, I wanted something summery and floral! the vines on the envelope were fun to do, and I even managed to make them line up almost perfectly with the vines on the other side of the envelope!
when I started doing the M, I was not sure how it would turn out. the flowers didn’t look quite right at first. but when I added color and shading, they turned out okay! I like the finished result a lot. the little flower/watering can drawing was another random thing I saw on Pinterest and added to a letter. I was originally going to do it all black and white. after I finished the pencil sketch, though, adding more color seemed like a better idea.
this was a fun experimental piece of envelope art! The envelope was Pinterest inspired; I used tape to get the space in the letters. It took some trial and error to get it right because I didn’t have the right kind of tape. But I’m really happy with how it turned out! The mirror, however, wasn’t as easy as I thought. Getting the perspective right for the road and sunset took some time. I’m really happy with how it turned out, though!

what to include in letters

Decorating the envelope and letter is fun, and definitely the highlight of letter writing for me. I also love adding something special to the envelope, like a sticker or poem. Here are some ideas for what to include, for all seasons!

  • tea
  • hot chocolate
  • pictures
  • coloring pages
  • handwritten poems
  • playlists
  • stickers
  • bookmarks
  • friendship bracelets

let’s chat!

do you have any pen pals? what’s something you like to include in your letters? what’s the best letter you’ve ever gotten?

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About Anna Kate

AnnaKate is a high school senior who loves Jesus, coffee, and true crime. When she's not writing on her WIP, you can find her charging through piles of homework, serving up coffee, or dreaming up her next adventure. She loves hanging out with friends and family, doing something crazy together or just having a meaningful conversation.