Letterboxing Part II: How to Make A Letterbox

If you are not familiar with my Love of Letterboxing, click HERE and then HERE for previous posts that explains what it is, and why it's so much fun.

If you are already on board, Let's do a Letterbox Tutorial, shall we?

First, you'll need some supplies from the dollar store:

Tupperware type containers: preferably with a rubber seal...it's important not to get anything that is too brittle, or doesn't seal well. This will be outside, year-round, remember?

Notebooks: They have to fit inside the Tupperware. It's just easier to buy them at the same time, so that you can try it out at the store.

Household Staples: Duct Tape, Zip Close Bags and Black Spray Paint.

First, put a piece of Duct tape on the lid. This will be a see-through window. Make sure you press down the edges so that you get a nice, crisp rectangle (I forgot to.)

Now, spray paint the entire outside black..or green...or brown. These are to be hidden, in a forest, or elsewhere, so they should blend in. Most that I have found are black.

Make a few labels to be duct taped into the "window" of your letterbox from the inside. It's important to let people know that these are NOT TRASH. We don't want a "muggle" (a non-letterboxer) to find it, and throw it away. Also, tell your fellow letterboxers where to register their finds. That way, you can track the visits to your letterbox from your computer.

The glare from the sun prohibited the lettering to be seen, but in these white rectangles is my "This is a Letterbox" label.

You'll need to include a handmade stamp (or store bought) to this box as well. More on that tomorrow. On the first page of the notebook, you'll need to date it, and stamp it with the letterbox's stamp. Put the notebook into a zip-lock bag. Wrap the stamp in a piece of fabric, or a paper towel, and put that in a separate zip-lock bag. Name it, too. Now, Go Hide It!

These boxes must be hidden on public property. Parks are great places. Look online at http://www.atlasquest.com/ to see where some are hidden around you. Maybe there's a special place that hasn't been tapped yet?

Then log your clues at the above web site. It helps to be tricky when describing where to find a letterbox. You want it to be a game for the finders. You can include historical information about the area, to make it more interesting. Or, you could make it a puzzle for the finder's to figure out. ( Use well-known codes like 1=A, 2=B and spell something out, for example).

You'll want to periodically check your letterbox in person to make sure it's still where it's supposed to be, and that it is in good order. You have now become a "Planter"!