Pen Friend Sign UPs for Jane Austen Letter Writing Society

Calling All Janeites!!!!

Do you think you may be the only one in the WORLD that randomly quotes Jane Austen?    Do you wish you belonged to a society of like minded individuals who love classic literature, particularly Jane Austen?  Do you wonder, Is The Society Right For Me?

Would you like to have a custom selected penfriend, tailor made just for you?  Well now is your chance!  Summer Sign ups are going on now through May 1st -May 10th!  I know of no other service like the Jane Austen Letter Writing Society that attempts to match your personal likes and dislikes to the degree done here.  

Follow these simple steps for your customized Pen Friend: 1️⃣ Fill out the "Penfriend Application Form" which is located at the top menu bar. (look at the top of this page!) 2️⃣ Be as specific  as you can answering the questions ( this helps me when I go to match you with another great writer!) then copy and paste your completed form into an email! 3️⃣ Email your completed form 

to :JALWSociety@gmail.com.  That's it!

If you were put on a waiting list from the last exchange, you will be receiving an email from me asking you if you are still interested in being in this exchange.  I still have your email and will respond over the next few days.  

*Please, if you have never read any of Jane Austen's novels, please sit out this exchange, read one of her books , then join in on the Spring Exchange.

** If you do not think your schedule will accommodate a pen friend , please reconsider joining at this time. Every letter written deserves a response!  This exchange lasts 4 months (May-September) and the minimal requirement is 4 letters written to your Pen Friend during this period.  If you do not meet this requirement you may be put on a suspension list ( I hate to impose this , but we have had some flakers  much to my sadness!)

Open to all who love letter writing and is completely free! I will also be making some announcements soon about the benefits of belonging to this Letter Writing Society, so please stay tuned, by checking back at this site. 

If you have any questions, please feel free to send me an email. JALWSociety@gmail.com

Looking forward to hearing from you!  Send in your completed application by May 10th  (that's a Wednesday).  

I am, as always, your devoted servant,

Lady Pamela

The Art Of Keeping Warm

The Art of Keeping Warm, Literary--ily Speaking!

The east coast, and possibly much of the country is under a storm warning...we may get up to 8 inches of snow.  I know, I know...you folks in the north and midwest are crying out at a mere 8 inches.   However, Richmond IS the gateway to the SOUTH!  It shouldn't be that cold here!  So it is time to break out the socks!  And not ANY socks will do... especially when these gorgeous Jane Austen quotation socks are available!

I had to grab my "Emma" from my 16 year old son's room.  Yes you heard that correctly, my 16 year old son is taking British literature and was assigned to read Emma last semester.  He was nearly finished with the book when we decided to watch the  1996 Gwyneth Paltrow movie together.  He absolutely loved it, and it cleared up some of the nuances  of language that he wasn't quite getting by reading.  Actually, I didn't know he laid hold of  my favorite edition....the edges are curled a bit, but that is a SMALL price to pay to have a 16 year old boy read Austen!  

The Jane Austen Quote on the sock reads:  "I declare after all there is no enjoyment like 

reading." Jane Austen  

I couldn't agree more!

Teavana White Chocolate Peppermint Tea (to die for, delicious!)

After taking this picture....I had to grab a mug and fill it to the brim to warm my hands.  That is the down side to living in a 100 year old Virginian farm house.  So grab your socks, hot beverage, a favorite Jane Austen Book and hunker down...that's the art of staying warm!

Stay warm!

Write Letters 

Write Often,

Lady Pamela

Fall Pen Friend Signups Now!

Customized Pen Friend...just the way you like it!

It is time for the FALL  Pen Friend Exchange!  This is where I personally select a pen friend for you based on your completed application.  The application (see the menu bar at the top of this page to access the form) allows me to  match you  according to your preferences.  This is not a perfect system, but I do try my best.

Directions:  1. Fill out  the "application form" (at the top of the page, menu bar) --don't forget to take the "Which Jane Austen Heroine  Are You?" Quiz which is located in the side bar of this blog. This will help you fill out the application form, question #9.  2.Then by copy the completed application and paste it into an email. Send the completed application form to me at :  JALWSociety@gmail.com  The deadline for applications is:  September 4th, 2016.  

I will be monitoring my email box :  JALWsociety@gmail.com  and begin processing the applications.    You might not get a response from me immediately, but I hope to start working on them this week.    You will be notified of your pen friend after the September 4th deadline.  It usually takes me close to a week to get it all worked out.  :-).  I do this the old fashioned way...some day I'll have to do a blog post on this process, as I really amaze myself that it all works out so well.  Try to be as specific about yourself as possible in the application...this allows me to better match you, but also remember that we all must be flexible too.  Many of you want international pen friends, but sometimes I run short of those applicants.  If I run into a real problem, I will usually notify you per email.

IMPORTANT!!!!

I would ask that you only join the pen friend exchange if you will follow through on your commitment .  This means that you will write your pen friend, and usually this involves several letters over the course of 3 months.  It is very disappointing to those fulfilling their commitments  when their partner does not respond in kind.  

One final note.  I want you to know that the Jane Austen Letter Writing Society's mission is to promote thoughtful, meaningful communication through the handwritten letter .  Although I promote the elegant aspect of letter writing (I love vintage items connected to letter writing) , it is to by no means eliminate people who do not have access to stationery or other writing implements.  The emphasis should always be on the content of the letter.  So, if you possess the ability to write a good letter, you are more than welcome!  If you feel like you are a bit rusty with your letter writing skills,  still consider  joining the society, to help improve your skills!

Any questions?  Please leave your comments below or email me directly at JALWSociety@gmail.com.

Visit my Etsy Store for  my Jane Austen themed letter Writing kits, and other Jane Austen themed snail mail supplies!

I look forward to a new Pen Friend Exchange!

Write Letters,

Write Often!

Lady Pamela

Tea With Jane...and Listing!

Listers Gotta List...Even Janeites!

How is everyone today?  I have my spot of tea...and as you can see I have already dribbled a few drops on this lovely book cover.  Don't you just love the "look" of this book?  It is a handy  quick reference to just about everything "Austen"!

It is particularly helpful in the listing of all her family members during  her lifetime.  I love to read her letters, and as she mentions names of her family, this is a great resource to have at my side to keep it all straight.

Actually it is an overall handy resource to have when reading her novels, or her biography.  It helps to keep all the facts compiled in a nice neat place.

Do you want to know...

What she wore?

What flowers grew in her garden?

What books she owned?

How she spent her day at Chawton?

And so many more!  I absolutely love this book!  

Have a lovely day,

Lady Pamela

March Musings of a Jane Austen Fan...

March Musings

The month of March was a strange one for central VA.  We had this little bit of snow, which I snapped from my front parlor window, then we had temperatures as high as 85 degrees!  The snow made me long to sit at my desk and pen some letters and try to create some lovely mail.

This lovely card came from Lady Carolyn who is a member of our Letter Writing Society and has been making all sorts of beautiful mail!  I received this lovely "thank you " card from her.  

She used some of the supplies  from my Jane Austen Letter Writing Kit.  (Smile)  I have several items for sale in my Etsy store which will help you send beautiful Austen themed mail!  

Here I have assembled some items that just beg me to create something beautiful to mail out.  If you have sent or received any lovely letters and you want to share them here, please take a picture of the letter and  forward it to me at :  JALWSociety@gmail.com and I will gladly post it!

We are now in April and  surprisingly we have SNOW again  in our forecast!  Good.  It will draw me back to my desk!

Write letters,

Write often!

Lady Pamela

Jane Austen Letter Writing Society First GIVE AWAY!!!!

It's Time For A Give AWAY!

Hello dear lovers of all things Jane Austen!  It has been quite a while since this blog has been up and running...and yet without a give away.  So let me amend this problem, post haste!

Of course , I consulted with Jane herself.  She approved of my selection.

I'm sure if you are a pursuer of Etsy  for Jane Austen  accessories , you have encountered "The Scottish Rebel "  Miss Esther does astonishing work with literary themes.  Of course I have favorited all of her Jane Austen necklaces.  They are gorgeous. I have selected one of her necklaces , "Jane Fan" to offer as my first give away.  

I had no idea of the amazing quality until I received the necklace.  The chain is thick and sturdy.  The charms are beautiful...this one features an open book with a crystal.  The actual square picture has a raised glass edge, to give it a dimensional feel.  I just know that you will love this!  How can you win this gorgeous necklace?  It is simple:  1.) follow me, and  2.)leave a comment of why you enjoy Jane Austen.

This give away will end Next Friday:  April 1st...this is NO joke!  Have FUN everyone!

Regards,

Lady Pamela

Tea With Jane...And A New Book...

Tea Time With Jane Austen

Today I had tea with  Jane... literally!  How did she know that I had out my beautiful pink Adderly Lawley England tea cup and saucer?  She matched perfectly!

She looked at the fare and approved.

I had a "new" book at my side while sipping on my tea by the title, Jane by Jean Gould.  I've had this one my shelf for quite some time and just have never taken the time to read it.  It is a juvenile biography of Miss Jane Austen, from her childhood on.  When reading the book, it is quickly quite evident that the author had done her research!

And my!  I happen to own a "first edition"!

The illustrations are lovely.

Have you read any good Jane Austen books lately?  My tea time was lovely, I hope yours was as  well.  Now off to write a letter.  

Clinking my tea cup to you,

Lady Pamela

Christmas Tea with Jane Austen

Merry Christmas!

I enjoyed some tea time with Jane Austen this week.  I haven't read the commemorative book on Pride and Prejudice yet, but  had fun flipping through it and reading bits and pieces while sipping on Chocolate spicy chai tea!

This month has been busy with two  lovely tea parties.  I was able to take my Jane Austen tea sandwiches to  both occasions and was pleased with the results each time.  The cookie cutter can be purchased at Austentation.com  

For those of you involved in the Nov./ Dec. Pen Friend exchange, I hope you have had at least one letter exchange and hopefully a second one in the mail soon.    I need to get my second letters in the mail this week.

Have a blessed and happy day,

Write Letters,

Write Often.

Lady Pamela

Jane Austen Letter Writing Society Kit On SALE!

Make Haste!  Make Haste!

Just a quick note!  If you have been wanting to purchase a Jane Austen Letter Writing Society Kit, don't delay!  My Etsy Store:  LostArtRevived is having a 20% off the entire store, which means all of my letter writing kits!  This sale is going on NOW and will end Monday at midnight. 

Write Letters,

Write Often,

Lady Pamela

Jane Austen and Living Simply

The Allure of the Simple Life...

Simple living is a vaporous idea , beyond the grasp of most  people today in our fast pace, technology driven world.  Think of the number of times that we don't even slow down enough to simply take a stroll outside, looking at our changing surroundings.  I believe that Jane Austen's novels strike a chord in many of us regarding the simplicity, and slowness of the lives that the characters seem to live.  The characters took walks,  had gardens, visited the sea shore, wrote letters, visited friends.  All of these things somehow seem to be a shadowy existence to us today.  But one day recently, I slowed down and felt that I was doing an "Austen-ish" thing!  I was outside raking leaves, when I cast a glance over at the wild flower beds in front of our home.  It was a withering mess, with weeds, bent over long stems, dried seed pods, but still, gorgeous blooms peeking out here and there.  I decided to retire the flower bed and "put it to bed" for the year.  

Do you remember the scene in the A & E version of Pride and Prejudice when Lizzy and Jane Bennet are in the garden with their baskets picking flowers, and Jane's famous line: 

 I shall be perfectly content … I shall be myself again …..  

I love that scene...I guess because I love flower gardens and the simplicity of the scene.

So, here I am, slowing down on this warm, balmy November day, enjoying the beauty of a dying garden and making beautiful bouquets.

Saving seeds for next years garden!

Oh my porch...how little I avail myself to its simple pleasures!

This furry creature, Shadow, needs no lessons on slowing down, and enjoying the opportunity of an almost empty flower box!  What about you?  Have you had any simple pleasures lately?  I enjoyed my break in routine to enjoy the beauty around me in Austen style  and  I will be including a package of seeds in forthcoming letters to friends, a reminder of a simple time.

Write Letters,

Write Often,

Lady Pamela

Austen Mail, Outgoing!

Outgoing Austen Mail!

Has everyone put pen to paper yet?  I know some of you have.  My daughter told me that she had received her "Austen Mail" even BEFORE I had gotten around to writing mine!  That got me motivated, and I carved out the time to get my Austen mail out the door and into the mailbox!  I had such an enjoyable time penning my letters, and putting ink to paper.  Such a lovely pastime.  

I went to work on my envelopes.  One of my pen friends is an "Elinor Dashwood", so I used sheets out of a copy of Sense and Sensibility to  decorate my envelope.  I did put these letters in a cello envelope to protect it, and to give the USPS a helping hand.  I added additional postage as well.

I wanted to let you know that these Jane Austen Letter Writing Society postcards are now available in my LostArtRevived Etsy store.  If you are looking for some Jane Austen -ish  postcards, this might fit the bill.


I hope you having an enjoyable experience  in the Pen Friend  exchange.

Write Letters,
Write Often,

Lady Pamela

Tea With Jane, Books, and Letters!

The Making Of Pride And Prejudice...

We have had several days here in Central Virginia of heavy rains and very cool temperatures.  Today called for a hearty mug, not a delicate tea cup to take my tea . A cup of robust Chai and a nibble on one of these dense muffins of every sort of grain, or seed imaginable, and I am set! 

 I have been re-reading The Making of Pride And Prejudice, I think this is my third read  through.     The book is, of course, photo rich, and full of so many details  of the actual film making.   Just the fact that  the film project was on the back burner for oh, lets say, 11 years before production began is hard to imagine.  The book also chronicles all of the deadlines,  searches for the perfect houses,  procuring the period musicians (on period instruments), etc. etc  All of the dance scenes (Meryton assembly, and the Netherfield ball where musicians are shown , they  showed up and just played the music, absolutely NO practice beforehand.  The only exception to this was the fortepiano key board player.  He got a running start, receiving the score 2 days prior to filming!  It is such a delightful read, I highly recommend the book.

Do I have everyone settled for the  Nov. / Dec. Pen Friend Exchange?  Please let me know if you have not made contact with your pen friend.  I plan to get my letter out  by tomorrow.   Please feel free to leave comments below about how you plan to approach this round of letters.  Do you have any special topics of discussion?  Do you have any creative ideas to share?  Anyone doing the ghost writing challenge?   I am going to begin with an introduction letter, and go from there.  I have a special idea for December that I will be sharing later this month.  

Write Letters,

Write Often,

Lady Pamela

Tea With Jane...and letters!

Tuesday Tea Time and Letters!

Autumn Tea...

I just got a box of "seconds" from an apple orchard.  Yesterday I spent the day in the kitchen making apple pie filling to freeze.  The whole house smelled of the wonderful aroma of cinnamon and tart apples.  But with all of that standing ... my sore feet were asking for a bit of a break, and so the kettle went on!  Spiced Apple Cider tea seemed to fit the bill.  Today, with the lingering memories of apple fragrances, the same tea  will be my tea of choice.

And you know ,of course, that it is not healthy to take tea alone.  It is always best to invite a guest.  Mr. Tea was just "hanging around" so  he naturally  was invited.



We have very autumn-ish weather happening here in central Virginia.  Temperatures are cool and the promise of rain is inevitable. This is definitely "snuggle down with a book" sort of day. What book are you reading right now? Currently, I am still reading The Jane Austen Guide To Life, and still enjoying it. Now, I realize that all great readers are not necessarily  letter writers, but I believe there might be a strong correlation for this:  All great  letter writers are usually bibliophiles!

I find that reading seems to inspire me for letter writing. I'm not sure if it is the dialog, vocabulary, or just the remarkable descriptions in so much good literature that keeps  me reaching for my pen and paper.  But I certainly notice the beneficial effect of reading and writing. I have plenty of correspondence to catch up with and am currently working on an organizational system to keep me from slipping into epistolary debt.  Not really being able to relate to Jane Austen's being a lady of leisure, I find that  trying to just keep order in all areas of my life quite a challenge.

But back to this dreary, chilly, rainy day (outwardly).  Inside is warm and dry and inviting for my spot of tea,  a few pages of a good read, and always...letters.  And Autumn colors lend themselves to cheerful, delightful mail!  So find that stash of goodness and put them to use.

Write Letters,
Write Often!

Lady Pamela

Tea With Jane Austen

Tuesday Tea Time And Letters

How has your Tuesday been?  I had a lovely cup of tea and started reading this delightful book by Lori Smith, The Jane Austen Guide To Life.  The book, described as " a light biography and guide...on everything from living our dreams, being a woman of substance, finding a good man, managing money, and more" certainly delivers.  I am enjoying its thoughtful, meditative style-- almost prosaic.  Perfect to snuggle up with on these chilly days and sipping a hot cup of  tea (in this case, Chocolate Chai).  And yes, I have laundry needing to be folded, dishes are in the sink, and papers need grading.  Those things can wait for I believe that there needs to be a time for loveliness and physical rest each day even if it doesn't amount to more than 15 minutes.  Do you concur?

After reading a bit about all the struggles Jane Austen endured with her writing, it made me feel ashamed of all the excuses I give for not pursuing my projects with the same ardor.  Did you realize that Jane Austen had been writing for 25 years before her first book was published?  Incredible.  I haven't read far into the book, but what I have read, I highly recommend.  

So my afternoon ritual of putting the kettle on , sipping tea, and reading a few pages from a good book gets me primed to sit down and write a letter to my own "dear Cassandra".  I am indeed blessed to have two sisters to write to.  To whom  will you be writing today?

Write Letters,

Write often,

Lady Pamela

Tuesday Tea Time and Letters

Tea with Jane

This is such a lovely book.  Have you read it?  I have re read it for a second time and it was just as enjoyable as the first read.  Kim Wilson  pulls out nearly every mention of tea from all of Jane Austen's novels and letters.  I find that fascinating--does that make me a nerd?

I am having some black tea, Lipton Natural Energy...for a little pick up  this afternoon.  What about you?  Do you have any tea rituals when you sit down to write letters?  I wonder if Jane did?  She was in charge of the tea in her home.  She held the key to the cabinet where the tea was stored and typically made the tea for the family at breakfast.

Sometimes, when I receive several letters in one day, I put the kettle on, and make a pot of tea, place it in it's cozy to keep it warm, put it on a tea tray with some goodies, and  then I make my way to my sitting room for some quite time to enjoy my tea and letters.  Perfect relaxation!

Just a business note...the Pen Friend sign ups for November/December begin on Thursday Oct. 15th.  But, I have already received several !  This will be a lovely exchange.  Details coming.

Have a beautiful tea (or coffee if that is what you prefer) inspired day,

Lady Pamela