the hottest thing you can gift for valentine's day is snail mail
how to make the perfect care package + 80s/90s officewear edit in secondhand sonar doc
Good morning.
I woke up early today (against my will) because the sound of the falling rain was loud. Not in a soothing way, as a dusky summer downpour in Mexico City feels, but in a jeering way that makes you dread the sloshy trip to Berkeley Bowl later where you will need to “excuse me” your way through the congested deli/sourdough aisle of indecisive looky loos and a single bead of grimy rainwater will shake off a stranger’s Arc’teryx jacket and land on your upper lip like a crystalline mole and oh my GOD…
But for now, I am sitting under a blanket trying to enjoy my Northern Californian comforts: piping hot water in a morel speckle Heath mug and this view from my window. Later, I’ll take care of myself by doing the dreaded grocery trip to get stuff for meatballs and maybe garlic bread…
Today’s newsletter is about how to make the perfect care package—perhaps for a long-distance Valentine, but also for anyone, at any time.
First of all, I don’t believe in buying pre-made care packages. I think they are a rip-off! $80 and you don’t even get to pick exactly what goes inside? Call me a quality control freak, but I want to pick what goes inside, pack it myself, and buy postage with a tracking number. Precious cargo and all.
This is the final issue of my Valentine’s Day “gift-y” newsletters, seeing as we have one week until Love Day. In case you missed it, previous issues here:
Part 1 is frothy and feminine: Lockets and Silk Lingerie
Part 2 is geared for the mascs: Chains and Jorts
Next week we’ll be talking OUTFITS. First date outfits, solo date outfits, “Valentine’s” outfits that you can wear year-round.
I am also raffling off a care package to a paid reader!
It includes: purple Le Bon Shoppe socks, cotton gingham Sezane socks, Olyra breakfast biscuit samples, a sterling silver pea pod brooch (from the Beatrix Potter jewelry edit, still a few pieces left) and a copy of newly-released Syme’s Letter Writer (interview with the wonderful Rachel Syme here).
To enter the raffle, just leave a comment with your favorite care package memory :)
FTC disclosure: List includes partial sponsored mentions and some affiliate links.
Step 1: Make a Personalized DIY Card
The card is the most important and memorable part of the care package. I think you will have the most fun DIY-ing it. This can mean making a paper valentine from red cardstock paper and stickers, or designing a card like I did here.
This took me 15 minutes in Canva (admittedly I have done graphic design for work so do not fret if it takes you longer) and I think it’s the cutest card ever because it has my dog on it. There are so many templates to start from if you’re not confident in designing from scratch. I like to order cards through Canva print services because it’s easy but you can also go to a Kinko’s and use their printers.
(I have a B&W white printer at home but have been interested in upgrading because of the whole analog-medium-as-political-resistance mindset right now).
Step 2: Pack Snacks that Nourish and Delight
Whenever my mom would send me care packages in college, the snacks were the BEST part because I hated spending my college meal plan “flex” dollars on overpriced Luna bars lol (I lived on campus and did not cook for myself). But I know I had it good because I was in Southern California and there was always avocado and good citrus at the dining hall.
The best snacks you can send are seasonal produce or homemade shelf-stable goods like jams or syrups—stuff you can’t just buy anywhere. That said, these are my current favorite snacks/consumables you can buy at most stores or order online. Some are nourishing (tuna for the protein queens) and some are delightful (cockles + potato chips).
Olyra Breakfast Biscuits—I’ve tried most of their biscuits, if you enjoy Milanos their dark chocolate flavor is like a more toothsome, grain-loaded version of the classic cookie. My partner likes the strawberry ones which are more moist, like a Fig Newton.
Tonnino’s Tuna Fillets—the tastiest tuna for salads or sandwiches, my mom got me into these when I was first learning to feed myself as a working adult. Also an easy depression meal. You can get these at most grocery stores but the best value is buying on Vitacost with the 20% new order discount.
Cockles in Brine—to me, this is the most luxurious snack paired with fancy potato chips (see next line). The Jose Gourmet ones are good but kinda prohibitively expensive…my strategy is just getting whatever is under $20 on the Caputo’s online store.
Torres Potato Chips—a thin, crisp, perfectly salted chip. Ughhh. I love the Black Truffle flavor, but hate the Iberican Ham flavor FYI.
Masala Gossip Green Chile Crisp—I love Indian food, especially in winter, but am not well-versed in cooking it myself. This green chile masala crisp pairs very well over toasted Trader Joe’s garlic naan.
HU Hazelnut Butter Chocolate—tried this on a whim last winter while Christmas gift shopping and it’s my favorite chocolate bar now because of the hazelnut + chocolate flavor combo.
Step 3: Top it off with Frivolous Things
This is where you include the magical little touches that you know your recipient will squeal over.
A tuft of pet fur (I always include a clipping of my poodle’s fur in packages sent to my sister)
Kodak Gold film if they have a camera but don’t use it as often as they want to
Do you have favorite pics together living on your phone? Get them printed
An annotated copy of a book you just read
A hand-drawn portrait (or commission one from my friend and LA-based artist Alexandra Yvette)
This concludes today’s care package guide. I hope this gave you inspiration for what to send your long-distance Valentine <3
xoxo viv
P.S. The secondhand sonar google doc has been updated with 24 pieces that are 80s/90s officewear inspired.
Basically, dressy stuff you can wear to work.
This came about because I’m in love with this satin puff sleeve cropped jacket from Destree (they kindly dressed me for an event, the top + pants would be sweet for a courthouse wedding!), and it sent me down an online vintage hunt for more ladylike but not overly dated jackets and blouses. Kind of like what Chelsea Mak and Home of Hai make, but vintage and a fraction of the price…
From there, I took some detours into lightweight gauzy cashmere shell tops and even found 3 pairs of those sold-out Auralee hard twist denim pants—the dark wash and crisp leg is very appropriate for most modern offices.
You’ll find:
sizes XS-3X
100% silk blouses, primarily natural fibers
everything is under $200, with lots of things under $50
vintage Dior, Anne Klein, and Agnes B
Sneak peek of what you can expect:
You can shop all 24 pieces here: