“果皮”笔友网 外国笔友 英文笔友 penpalling penmatters.org

交 笔友 自己做信纸和封蜡 笔迹颜色代表什么？

Making paper for letter writing
交笔友，自己做信纸！

So, you're all set up to begin letter writing, but something doesn't feel quite right. You're still fretting over that comment back in the first paragraph about letter writing destroying all the lovely trees. Well, fret no more! Paper made from recycled materials is quite common these days. Various types of paper have been used throughout the centuries, ranging from brightly colored paper to floral stationary to thick, blank parchment. There are millions of designs to choose from, but most people agree that proper stationary should not have lines on it. You can also make your own stationary out of recycled paper. Mookychick has several articles on how to make paper and making paper from recycled bits and bobs. Food colouring or similar dyes can also be added to create coloured paper. To make your paper even more elegant, try making slits along the perimeter of the paper and weaving in a ribbon.

好了，让我们马上要开始写第一封信笺，但是有个问题。你还在纠结在信中第一段后面因为多写了点字把信纸上可爱的小树图案给毁了。啊哈，现在不用担心了。让我们一起来试试利用可循环利用的材质来自己做信纸吧！一直以来，人们在使用各种各样的纸，从亮面纸到花片纸，到白厚的羊皮纸。你可以设计很多种样式，但一个小知识：大多数人认为信纸这种文具不应该有“横线”。你也可以用不同种类的可再生可循环利用的纸来自己做信纸信封。Mookychick这个网站有很多自己做信纸的文章，教大家怎么样找些零星物件来做信纸等。用食物色素染纸来制作信纸也可以制作各种彩纸。想让信纸更加漂亮，可以在纸的边缘画些小图画，标志连接起来，看起来把信内容“框”起来。

 Many penpals like to exchange presents, especially if they come from different cultures. Sending a fancy gift should wait, however, until a solid relationship has been built up to avoid awkwardness. Simple gifts that fit into the envelope (known in penpal lingo as 'tuck-ins') are acceptable to send at any point. Dried flowers, drawings, interesting newspaper articles, stickers or mix CDs are all light enough to fit in envelopes and add a pleasant surprise to a letter.

许多笔友之间喜欢相互交换礼物，特别是他们来自不同的文化的时候。相互送礼物应该是在漫长的等待以后，等友谊真正建立起来，互送礼物才不会让人觉得别扭。能够装入信封的小礼物（笔友们管他叫“tuck-in”---- 塞信小玩意）嘛，这个就可以考虑。风干的花朵，手绘画，一些有趣的剪报，或者是CD碟，小贴画，这些东西都很轻，可以塞到信封里，给读信人带来惊喜。

Letter writing is also an excellent way to practice penmanship. Victorian society saw writing letters via the typewriter as 'vulgar'. The way in which the letter was written was nearly as important as the contents of the letter. Abbreviations were to be avoided, as they gave the impression that the letter was rushed. One was also supposed to take the time to choose the proper words to convey the exact meaning, instead of relying on underlining of words to add emphasis. Scented ink added another element to the letter.

手写信笺也可以锻炼你的笔法和笔迹。维多利亚时代就将打字机打出的“信笺”看做是“低俗”的。在那个时代书信的形式与信的内容同等重要。缩写不被采用因为那样看来，信是“赶”出来的。写信人也必须花时间斟酌选取合适的词语来表达意思，而不是简单得为了强调就用下划线来处理。用香墨写信也增添了另一些信笺元素。

Scented ink recipe
Blend approximately 100 drops of essential oils with a teaspoon of vodka.
Add the mixture, a little at a time, to 2 ounces of ink - deep colours work best.
Stir thoroughly and it's ready to use.
For those of us who prefer ballpoint over quill or fountain pens, letters can be scented by lightly spraying perfume over the paper before sealing it in the envelope.

• 香墨的秘方 --- 如何制作香墨？

混合香精油（100滴）和伏特加（一勺）
把混合体每次一点加入2盎司的墨水 ---- 最好是深色墨水
深度搅拌，然后就可以用了

对于喜欢用圆珠笔，不用羽毛笔或是自来水笔的朋友，也可以往信笺上撒一下香水，然后再封上信封。

Now, since you've made such a lovely effort with your letter, the envelope should be just as lovely. The address and return address should be elegantly scripted, but neat enough that the postmaster won't have any difficulty reading it. Sealing wax, of course, should be used to ensure that the letter remains confidential. Sealing wax can be purchased from most stationary or craft stores, or you can make your own sealing wax. Just make sure you use the right colour. Like flowers, the Victorians put meanings to different colours of sealing wax. According to an article published in the New York Times in December of 1893, the code among 'fashionable people' went as follows.

现在，你已经为了写信花了不少心思，信封同样需要点心思。信封上的收信人和发信人地址栏必须优雅的处理笔迹，这样邮递员才可能不会看错。封蜡（火漆，胶水）也应该足够牢固，这样信笺才会保密。一般封蜡可以再大多数的文具店或手工艺品店买到，或者你也可以“自制封蜡”呢！确定好想要什么颜色的蜡，根据1893年出版的《纽约时报》上的文章来看，以下是当时那些“新潮高贵的人”恪守的：

• Colour symbolism in letter writing 信笺中的颜色意义

White: weddings 白色：婚礼
Black: obituaries 黑色：死亡
Violet: expressions of sympathy 紫罗兰：表怜惜
Chocolate: invitations to dinner 巧克力：晚宴邀请
Red: business 红色：商务
Ruby: engaged lovers' letters 红宝石色：情书
Green: letters who live in hope 绿色：希望
Brown: refusals of offers of marriage 棕色：求婚的婉拒
Blue: constancy 蓝色：执着
Yellow: jealousy 黄色：羡慕与嫉妒
Pale Green: reproachfulness 灰绿：责备
Pink: used by young girls 粉色：年轻女生喜欢使用
Gray: between friends 灰色：朋友之间
So, make a new friend through the medium of penpals or share a new letter writing hobby with old friends while helping the postal service and a lovely art form stay alive!

来吧，从笔友网站结识新朋友，与老朋友分享下你的“信笺情节”的新点子，让古老的邮政系统和可爱的艺术之花永生永存。

【果皮笔友网】 penmatters.org