You've Got Mail! Sweepstakes via www.readymade.com

In preparation for launching the first Letter Parade sampler kit, I am surprise how I still manage to find extra time visiting some of my favorite websites like ReadyMade - on top of my day job! Part of my daily routine is to enter their sweepstakes, the prizes at stake are huge! Last month was a trip for two to France as tribute to Marcel Duchamp for coining the term “Ready Made.” This month, they’re giving away an $800 Etsy shopping spree! Some days, I’d be browsing Etsy and marking my favorite shops and items that if I won I already picked out the items I want!

Anyway, there are other contests to join at www.readymade.com. The other one that caught my eye that’s still ongoing is the “You’ve Got Mail! Sweepstakes.” The prize at stake is the Primele Home Office Wooden Stamp Set which any snail mail writer would love to have! Winner will get one number stamp set, one custom address stamp and a box of stamp pad. What make it so adorable are the mid-century inspired wooden handles and the calligraphic font style to the custom address stamp. They’re simple like apothecary bottles come but with their distinctively worn out feel to it.

Here’s another best part, you only have to comment about the best snail mail you’ve ever received. If you’ve been writing letters for the longest time this could either be easy or difficult since you get to pick just one! Any snail mail is already so special with the effort put into it. I had to go through the letters I’ve kept to see which one would up my chance of winning the stamp set. I chose between my husband’s letters from when we got engaged and the birthday and anniversary cards. Then, there were a lot from my mother-in-law whose kind heart matches her sweet endearing words. But in the end, I had to pick out the recent one from my mom for my 28th birthday; it was so touching it made me sob! Here’s my entry to the “You’ve Got Mail! Sweepstakes”:

August 04, 2010
I've written and gotten so many letters and each of them are so special. The ones from my husband and mother-in-law were filled with warm notes that made me all warm and fuzzy inside. But I have to say, the recent one from my mother for my birthday is the best because it made me sob so hard! We have just been reunited after eight long years and growing up with her away has been tough. This is what she wrote: "My dearest daughter, I didn't realize that you're already older, to me you're still my little girl. I love you so much! Mah" (and she threw in a necklace with one big and one small heart pendant).

Just reading from other people’s comments is already heart-warming enough. It’s made apparent that letters have such big impact on people, even the simplest ones! To read the entries yourself, go here and share your best snail mail received, too! The sweepstakes end on August 5, 2010 and winner/s will be announced the following week on the 13th. So good luck to us all!


Happy writing!

Cindy Gonzales-Kujat

PS If you'd rather just purchase this beautiful stamp set and have yours custom-made, go to Primele's etsy page and website.