LOVE LETTER EXCHANGE

We’re asking strangers to participate in a “Secret Admirer” project to exchange art and gifts!

The only catch is: EVERYTHING MUST FIT IN AN ENVELOPE.

HOW IT WORKS:

  1. Apply to the project here! There is an entry fee, information detailed below.

  2. When applications close, we will randomly assign you someone to send an envelope to.

  3. You will work on filling and decorating an envelope to send off as a gift. Some suggestions on what to put in your envelope include: a love letter, a painting stickers, and a note! We recommend getting creative and using this project to create some cool art, but feel free to purchase anything if you wish, so long as it fits in the envelope! More ideas and instructions on the envelope filling can be found below.

  4. Send off your envelope and look forward to receiving one from your own “secret admirer”!

MUST BE LOCATED IN THE U.S. TO PARTICIPATE.

WHAT DO I PUT IN THE ENVELOPE?

Here are a few ideas of what you can include (but not limited to!) Feel free to personalize what you add in to what your person may love. Get creative!

• A Love Letter - in the spirit of Valentine’s, spread love and joy through a letter!

• A Zine - make one yourself or there’s a ton you can purchase online! HERE is a tutorial on how to create a zine from a piece of printer paper.

• A Painting/Drawing - design something cool for your person to hang on their walls!

• Music Playlist - write a list of your favorite songs or print out a QR code link to a pre-made playlist they can listen to!

• Photos - print out or cut out magazines of some photos your person can use for scrapbooking in the future!

• Stickers, Pressed Flowers, Small Flat Objects - any fun small things that make the gift more exciting!

• Decorate your envelope! - feel free to decorate the actual envelope itself, add stickers or drawings to make it more unique.

• Feel free to also add your Instagram handle or another form of identification if you’d like your person to know who you are after they receive the gift! You can also keep the envelope entirely anonymous, it’s up to you!

THINGS TO AVOID: Food/perishables, anything sticky or messy (no glitter or anything that will become inconvenient for the person you’re gifting to).

No unnecessary explicit content or speech. No age-restricted or obscene content featuring nudity, sex, hard violence, and other graphically disturbing content.

FAQ

  • Your First Name, Last Name, Pronouns, and Address that you share with us when signing up will be shared with the person who is gifting to you so they’re able to send their envelope! Aside from that, all personal information stays within our own database.

    If you are uncomfortable with this, please consider not applying or use a P.O. box for your address.

  • To encourage participation, we have decided to have an entry fee in order to participate.

    With past projects, we’ve noticed a pattern of people dropping out, which is completely valid as people have lives and school and things happen!

    This entry fee incentives you to stay in the project so that ALL of the participants will be able to receive gifts. In the (rare) case you do not receive a gift by March 30th, we will reimburse the $5 entry fee to you. All the profits will go towards our 2024 projects and events! Feel free to reach out to us if you have any concerns.

    The fee can be sent through Venmo (@ally-wei) or Zelle (please dm us for the account) and must be sent by February 5 to participate.

  • HERE is a step-by-step guide on how to send out your envelope! You are responsible for purchasing your own postage. Because this project is for U.S. residents only, you shouldn’t have to worry about how much postage to add.

    Aim to deliver your envelope before the end of February to make sure it will reach your person!

    If you are unable to deliver your letter to be received by March 30, please let us know so we can rectify the entry fee for the participant.

  • The $$$ range is whatever you’d like as long as it comes from the heart! AKA you can spend as little as $0 if you decide to make everything, or maybe you purchase a few stickers to stick in.

    You’ll receive a bit of info from who you’re gifting to to help decide what to create or gift. Look to the above section to learn more about what to include in your gift.

  • We’re all about creating cool new projects for young artists to participate in! This is our second round of this letter exchange, so there may be more to come!

    That being said, please only participate if you have capacity to!