Keep a Sticker, Send a Sticker

In a world of instant everything, Sarah May is making the case for slowing down. A full-time public school art teacher of 28 years and the artist behind Block21Prints, Sarah writes to us from Connecticut, where she lives with her husband, two children, and three cats.

Her Block21Prints Snail Mail Club is part sticker subscription, part love letter to correspondence itself. It is a monthly envelope built around a simple, charming idea: keep a sticker, send a sticker, and keep the mail moving.

We talked with Sarah about nostalgia, the joy of a colorful envelope in the mailbox, and why five happy subscribers are more than reason enough to begin.

Letter Clubs: Tell us a bit about yourself and your background. What were you doing before you started your letter club?

Sarah: My name is Sarah May and I am the artist behind Block21Prints, and I am also a full-time public school art teacher (28 years!). I hail from Connecticut, where I live with my husband, two children and three cats.

LC: What inspired you to start your letter club? Walk us through your founding story.

Sarah: I have always loved writing letters, receiving letters and decorating the envelopes! I have saved letters and cards from all stages of my life and cherish these deeply. Seeing someone’s handwriting and reading their words is a treasure that cannot be replicated. I had been having feelings of nostalgia and simpler times, and together with my business of creating stickers and stationery, the snail mail club evolution was natural and, for me, very much needed.

LC: What makes your club special and unique compared to other mail clubs?

Sarah: In each month of the Block21Prints Snail Mail Club, the recipient will get 2 of each exclusive sticker design along with a postcard and envelope, so that they can keep a sticker and send a sticker, thus continuing the trail of snail mail. In addition, the subscriber will get a collectible art card, a unique discount code to my shop, as well as a surprise freebie from me!

LC: How has running the club been going so far? What have been some of the highlights?

Sarah: I have been LOVING this club so much! Hearing how people are using the stickers, using the postcard to send more mail, who they’re sharing their stickers with, and how they light up each month when the colorful envelope arrives! This is what it’s all about!!! Connections, slowing down and simple joys.

LC: What has surprised you most about running a letter club?

Sarah: What has surprised me is how people are longing for this kind of pace and connection!!! In a fast-paced, instant, digital-filled world, this is what people need and want.

LC: What’s your dream or vision for where you’d like to take your club in the future?

Sarah: I’d love to grow my club continually and even make it international!

LC: Besides your own, what’s your favorite mail or letter club out there, and why?

Sarah: I love the card club from InkSpott! The cards are so beautiful, and it’s so lovely to have these art cards handy. Her illustrations are wonderful and so well done.

LC: If you could have any celebrity or public figure become a member of your club, who would it be and why?

Sarah: Taylor Swift, because she is brilliant... she understands the importance of writing, of connecting, and of being authentic to yourself and your craft. Obviously I don’t know her, but she seems like a genuine person who values family, humanity and art. Also Kristen Bell, because she’s funny and fun.

LC: What advice would you give to someone thinking about starting their own letter club?

Sarah: DO IT! Even if you only have 5 people in your club, it’ll mean so much to those 5 people! And it will mean even more to you to send it out!

LC: Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers about your club or your journey?

Sarah: I hope that people can come back to the basics and profound impact of corresponding through the mail. It is a genuine, unique human experience that should be cherished and encouraged. I love when my subscribers contact me and share how the club makes them feel. These interactions unite us as humans, and every bit of kindness and love shared creates these ripples that pass through all of us. It is my wish to spread little bits of happiness and joy one envelope at a time, and I do hope that people will join! ♥

You can learn more about Block21Prints Snail Mail Club in our directory and sign up for mail and stickers on Sarah's site!