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WriteYourLove

WriteYourLove

What is #writeyourlove?

If you’re new around here you might be wondering what this whole #writeyourlove hashtag means. Since I’m doing a #writeyourlove instagram challenge this week I thought today would be as good a time as any to explain why I’m using the hashtag and what I hope to achieve with it.

#WriteYourLove Tales of a Peanut

The Creation Of The #WriteYourLove Hashtag

I first posted with the hashtag back in June. I had created a print for my mom with my grandfather’s handwriting on it for her birthday. He always signed his cards with the phrase “Love You Every Day” and since he has since passed I wanted to be able to remember it in his own scratchy scrawl daily through a print. I realized that having the phrase in his handwriting meant so much more than if I just had the memory of him saying it and so used the hashtag on that instagram post.

What #WriteYourLove Means To Me

Writing your love to me means to hand write your story, your advice, your hopes, your fears, and your love to those around you. Hand writing your story makes it 100% unique to you. It is virtually impossible for a regular person to duplicate your writing exactly which makes items with your handwriting on them extremely special to those that you love. Even if you don’t love your handwriting I can guarantee you that your family and friends do because to them it represents you.

What I Want The #WriteYourLove Hashtag To Accomplish

By using the #writeyourlove hashtag and encouraging others to use it, my hope is that it will remind people of how important and special their handwriting is. I want people to see the hashtag and immediately associate it with something they love, cherish, and is immensely special. I would love to start a revolution where people began to routinely share their stories in their own handwriting to pass along to others. Hand writing increases the time that it takes to write which makes it mean that much more to the recipient. And, as long as you’re using the right kind of paper and pens, handwritten documents can last forever and are easier to not lose when stored together.

How You Can Participate In The #WriteYourLove Movement

There are many ways that you participate and promote the #writeyourlove movement. Here are some suggestions:

  1. Write a letter to a child, family member, or friend and post a picture of it on Instagram with the #writeyourlove hashtag.
  2. Purchase a Handwritten Heritage set and begin to routinely write letters to your children based on the prompts. Share photos of where you write, who you are writing to, stacks of finished letters, or anything else associated with your writing. Include the hashtag when you post pictures. You can look back at this summer’s #writeyourlove challenge to get ideas of photos to post. Or just search the #writeyourlove hashtag for ideas.
  3. Give gifts of stationery to your loved ones with a short note about the movement and why you think they should write their story. If you’re looking for excellent sources for stationery you could check out the Tales of a Peanut shop. Also check out the post that I wrote after my trip to Stationery Academy this summer. It has a list of all the women who attended with me and most have fantastic stationery shops.
  4. Find letters and cards that you have received in the past. Snap a picture of them and share the story on instagram with the #writeyourlove hashtag (here’s an example from my past of a letter from my grandparents).
  5. Make an effort to hand write notes to teachers, to stick in lunch boxes, or simply to encourage a friend. Share pictures of these notes and why you wrote them or use some of our #writeyourlove stationery to educate and share the mission with them.
  6. Write your own blog post or social media message about why you think writing your love is important and how you will be implementing it in your own life. Make sure and tag us (@talesofapeanut on most platforms) and we’ll do our best to share your story as well. You can find #writeyourlove graphics to use in this Dropbox folder if you’d like to use any of your graphics.
  7. Try to write as much as you can by hand. Recipe cards. Cute things your kids say. A paper planner. Grocery lists. All of these things are ways that you can keep your handwriting familiar so that it doesn’t seem so strange to write a letter to your loved ones.
  8. Check out all of the products in our #writeyourlove line including the custom gold foil prints with your handwriting! Give these as a gift to share your love and post a picture on instagram with the hashtag so that we can share as well.
  9. Be on the lookout in the coming months for more #writeyourlove products including t-shirts, bags, and art prints!

I can’t wait to watch the momentum spread as more and more make an effort to hand write their love! If you have more questions send me a message via the Contact page and I’ll get back with you as soon as I can!

WriteYourLove

Handwriting Is Dead — Or Is It?

We are in a technology driven age where using an actual pen and paper is becoming rare if not non-existent. In fact, in most of our schools, learning handwriting is becoming a thing of the past. It’s just not being taught very often past 2nd grade. Educators are ditching handwriting in favor of teaching the use of a keyboard and typing. And cursive handwriting? Not even taught in most schools these days.

Handwriting Is Dead - Tales of a Peanut

We’re watching this generation text and type notes directly onto a tablet. Rarely if ever do we see something handwritten. It used to be interesting to see another persons handwriting and signature and people often complimented people on their style of writing. It helped characterize a person and made them unique. It is also said that you can learn up to 5,000 different characteristics just by analyzing a person’s handwriting!

So if we’re losing handwriting, is that a dying art that we won’t see again? Are our children able to explore their creativity if they are only working in digital forms? Psychologists have proven that writing and typing on a keyboard use distinct separate brain patterns and produce different results. Are we exercising that creative side of drawing and writing?

Is handwriting dead? Because sometimes you just NEED to write. You need to get it all out there and make room for more in your brain. And if you haven’t tried doing that, I highly recommend it! Some call it “brain dumping” and recommend writing down everything that is on your mind. Clearing out your thoughts and getting your thoughts organized.

What’s that? You don’t like your handwriting or your kids handwriting? Practice makes perfect they say! Sometimes I love just sitting and coloring and writing and drawing with my kids. I think it also helps for them to see me doing it as well. It sets a good example.

Children Writing Thank You Notes - Tales of a Peanut

I also really appreciate hand writing with my own children because we are big fans of writing thank you notes. Call me Southern, but it’s what I love and how I was raised. I love passing this down to my children. And fun thank you cards that Mommy designs doesn’t hurt either.

Handwriting in some opinions may be dying but hand lettering certainly is  not. In fact hand lettering is experiencing a renaissance with our generation like nothing before. Hand lettering books are flying off the shelves in stores, people are buying journals and travelers notebooks to practice in and it has become a sort of therapy. One of my good friends told me the other day that she practices hand lettering because it is a hobby that is unlike her job and is relaxing to her.

Did you know that National Handwriting day is January 23rd? This week I encourage you to put pen to paper. Write a letter to someone special to you. Start a journal. Do something to inspire and relax. I want to join you too! I’ll be posting a writing prompt over on Instagram each day this week. Write something based on that prompt. If you’d like to share, tag me on social media with the hashtag #writeyourlove.

I’ll be giving away a Tales of a Peanut prize pack to someone who participates during the week. The pack includes a Handwritten Heritage set, some of my favorite Le Pen pens, a kraft box to store your stationery in, a collection of “Happy Day” notecards, and some fun washi tape!

Let’s get to writing!

Family, Throw Back Thursday, WriteYourLove

Dad’s #writeyourlove #tbt

I love my Dad. I think that’s been well documented (like here, here, and here) on this blog but today I’m sharing something special…his handwriting.

Tales of a Peanut #writeyourlove #tbt Dad

Now, I’m not telling you that my Dad wrote me letters all the time, but on occasion he did, especially when I was out of town. And in college I went and interned in the Senate for a month and spent about six weeks in Washington, DC. During that time Dad wrote me a few notes like this one. It’s short and quick and on company letterhead, but it’s in my Dad’s handwriting and I still have it all these years later.

Dad and Jenn 1985

Even when someone is still with you, like my Dad, having a piece of them in their handwriting means so much. Thinking about my dad taking time out of his ridiculously busy workday to write a note to me like that just reminds me how deep his love for me is. I’ll treasure notes like that and pictures like the one above forever.

Do you have any handwritten notes from your parents? What do you think about when you look at them? Please share them with me on instagram using the hashtag #writeyourlove! I might just share your post with my followers!

Friends, Throw Back Thursday, WriteYourLove

Mary Shaw’s #writeyourlove #tbt

I’m continuing my #writeyourlove #tbt series today with a throwback from high school.

Tales of a Peanut #writeyourlove #tbt Mary Shaw

Mary Shaw was one of my good friends that I have written about before. She was diagnosed with cancer when we were in 8th grade and passed away right after the start of our junior year in high school. She was incredibly kind and caring and totally in love with Jesus. She was also one of the most talented artists that I know and did so much with the little time that she had.

Mary Shaw 1999 Summer Formal

Her handwriting has the feel of a high school girl to it but it was uniquely hers and didn’t change much over the years. This note was one she wrote to me after I was in a car accident right before our freshman year in high school. I don’t know if she wrote this while she was in the hospital getting chemo or if she was at home but she was definitely dealing with a lot more than broken bones when she wrote this fun and encouraging note to me. I still have it, along with some earlier notes from middle school. They remind me of her sweet personality and encourage me to live my life with more purpose.

Do you have special notes from high school that you cherish? Show them to me and tell me about your friends on instagram using the #writeyourlove hashtag! I might share your picture on my feed!

PS Don’t forget to enter the #writeshootlove contest! You can get all the details in the previous post. The contest ends tomorrow at midnight so don’t delay!

Family, Throw Back Thursday, WriteYourLove

Granny’s #writeyourlove #tbt

Today over on instagram I’m starting a new #tbt (Throw Back Thursday) series showing examples of handwritten letters that I’ve received in the past. I have always loved stationery and handwritten letters and I want to share some with you and tell you about why they are so important to me.

Tales of a Peanut #writeyourlove #tbt Granny

I’m starting this series with a Valentine’s note sent by my great-grandmother, Granny. Granny passed away when I was a freshman in high school so I still have vivid memories about my time spent with her. She lived in Jackson, Tennessee and we would travel up to her and Gramps’ house occasionally. I credit her with passing down her creative genes to me because she was always crafting something. Whether it was a wooden block nativity and Christmas ornaments or her own flower pressed notecards, she was always working on crafting projects.

Granny with great-grandchildren

Granny loved her family and was very good at writing notes. This example shows that even just adding your own signature and a short line on something that is typed or pre-printed means a lot. I know that I wouldn’t have kept this random poem if it didn’t have Granny’s sweet note to “Be My Valentine! Granny” on it. But as it is it’s lasted for decades now and I have no intention on letting it go anytime soon.

Tales of a Peanut #writeyourlove #tbt Granny2

I can just imagine her sitting at her typewriter, typing out this poem and signing it with her own unique scrawl. If you showed me just the message without her name I could still tell you that it was Granny who wrote this. Handwriting is so special and extremely unique to each and every person which is one reason that it is so precious.

Do you have any handwritten heirlooms that you treasure? I’d love to see them! Share them on instagram with the #writeyourlove hashtag and I might share it on my feed or on my blog!

Family, Handwritten Heritage, WriteYourLove

#WriteYourLove Challenge – Day 4

Handwritten Heritage Instagram Challenge Tales of a Peanut

Well, we’re halfway through with the #writeyourlove challenge and I’m really enjoying getting to know everyone participating and seeing them write to their families and friends. I was on my way back from vacation yesterday and so didn’t get a blog post up about my prompt, but yesterday’s prompt was who was receiving your letters. I am writing some to a number of different people, but I’m writing the most letters to these three who have my heart.

WriteYourLove - Tales of a Peanut

Today’s prompt is to show your handwriting. It is so neat to me that everyone’s handwriting looks different. It is so unique to all of us and, therefore, we should treasure it. But, if you’re anything like me, you might not like your handwriting very much. But when I look at it from my children’s perspective, or my friends, I know that I treasure everything with my Mom’s handwriting on it and think it’s beautiful, even if she might not agree! So here’s my handwriting on a letter that I wrote to James about the songs that we sing together at bedtime.

Handwriting - WriteYourLove - Tales of a Peanut

 

So tell me, what do you think of your handwriting? Love it? Hate it? What about your loved ones — does their handwriting give you warm fuzzies? Tell me about it!