Last night I had the pleasure of painting a thank you card for a thank you card… The sort of thing you only do for fun, or for children. (In this case both. A grade 3 class at my children’s school sent me a handmade card thanking me for some books I had sent their way instead of to the op shop.)

I’ve been lucky enough to receive a fair few hand-made cards, (my family often hand-make their birthday cards) and illustrated parcels too (thanks Ann). Even sometimes hand-decorated wrapping paper. (lucky me!)

They give so much pleasure – sometimes even more than what is inside the parcel. The first sight of an illustrated parcel on the doorstep or in your lap, with the handwriting of someone you love, just makes your day.

Having five funny chickens in my life (with legs much shorter than those illustrated!), and a few bottles of Noodlers ink on the drawing board has prompted two strange chicken decorations in the last week. What will be next?

Here are some decorated envelopes sent from celebrated illustrators to publisher Klaus Flügge. How nice it would be to receive something as wonderful as this! But all of us can illustrate packages in our own way. Hooray!