Bright Letter

Sent by Heleen (the Netherlands).

Bright spring letter in the middle of the winter...!

Paper Dolls

Sent by Heleen (the Netherlands).

Paper dolls in a food packaging, send as postcards. I used to play with this kind of dolls as a child. I still love them...

By the way, I sent last week this paper doll to Bruno (PC), featuring Pippi and Mr. Nilsson:

Art Is for Every One

Sent by superhero (the USA).

I knew... but it is nice to read it again!

Bull Underpants

Sent to Heleen (the Netherlands).

Postcard made with a packaging for... underpants! I reused the box that contained a Christmas present for my cousin. It is the first time I had the chance to write a message on underpants!

Termpost

Sometimes I hesitate when I need to use terms related to post in different languages. If you know me, you know also that I am crazy about languages, besides of mail.

So I have recently discovered TERMPOST, the UPU's (Universal Postal Union) terminology database. It contains a large selection of postal terms and expressions drawn from the UPU Acts and publications, ans also daily vocabulary used within the postal sector. Definitions are provided in English and French only, but it contains terms in eight languages: Arabic, Chinese, English, French, German, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish (they say, but I did not find Chinese anywhere...).

The League of Extraordinary Penpals

As described in the website: The LEP is a super collaboration between Laura of Please Deliver To and Julie of Penpal of the Week / La Papierre. Basically it’s a penpal club that connects you with other extraordinary penpals.

Visit the site to know more or get involved (by the way, there is an special rate if you sign up before February 1st).

Perfect Stamps

Sent by Inge (Switzerland).

I've been to Switzerland only once: in my way to Belfort (France) in 2009. I spent one day in Zurich and another day in Basel. Both cities gave me the impression that all was terribly tidy and bright there. And it is exactly what I felt again when I received these perfect stamps...

I Have Never Enough Lighthouses

Some lighthouses I've recently got. I have never enough lighthouses!

Sent by Ritva (Finland).
Söderskär lighthouse is situated on the outermost island in the Baltic Sea. It is 40 m high and 150 years old. Certainly an interesting visit that the sender did last summer!

Sent by Sarah (USA).

Postcard showing three historic lighthouses in Connecticut: Old Saybrook (upper left), Stonington (bottom left) and New London (right).

Sent by Chi (Taiwan).
(I don't know the name of the lighthouse on the stamp.)

Stamp sent by Eva (Germany).

Sinterklaas

Yes! Lovely Sinterklaas left me a present again at Heleen's place! (It arrived some weeks ago, but I was busy eating the chocolate he left for us, yum!). This was his amazing parcel:

It contained some beautiful presents and also... my name in chocolate!

(On December 5, I would like my name be Madeleine, Elizabeth, Katherine or something so long!)

Zipi

Sent to Heleen (the Netherlands).

Big postcard made with a reused advertisement. Did you know the mischievous twins Zipi & Zape? Their names derive from the Spanish word zipizape, meaning 'turmoil' or 'chaos'. They were among my favourite characters as a child, and I still enjoy them.

Do You Know the Handwriting of Your Friends?

«About six months ago, I realised that I had no idea what the handwriting of a good friend of mine looked like. I had known him for over a decade, but somehow we had never communicated using handwritten notes. He had left voice messages for me, emailed me, sent text messages galore. But I don’t think I had ever had a letter from him written by hand, a postcard from his holidays, a reminder of something pushed through my letter box. I had no idea whether his handwriting was bold or crabbed, sloping or upright, italic or rounded, elegant or slapdash.»

Philip Hensher

(The Missing Ink: The Lost Art of Handwriting, and Why it Still Matters)

Oldest Working Post Office in the World

I've recently learnt that the oldest working post office in the world, as recognized by the Universal Postal Union and the Guinness Book of Records, is located in Sanquhar (Scotland). It has been operating continuously for more than 300 years, since 1712.

The second oldest working post office is located in Stockholm (Sweden; 1720) and the third in Santiago (Chile, 1772).

I wonder how old is the post office I use regularly, but I am sure is not that old!

Which Year?

Sent by Olga (Ukraine).

Unluckily I can't read Ukrainian. I guess this fine postcard I received trough Postcrossing wish me a happy new year. But... 2012?

Join Hands

Join Hands! by Rabindra Bajracharya.
Sent by Christina (Germany).

I received this postcard trough Postcrossing. I like the picture and I like the reason for what she chose this postcard: "I like the card because it is connecting. I think it is a big support in life if you feel connected with other people or the whole human family". I completely agree with this ideas. And I think it is just one of the Postcrossing purposes, isn't it?

Calendars 2013

Sent by Heleen (the Netherlands).

One of the pleasures of starting a new year is to hang new calendars on the wall...

Write Me Only Once a Week

«Write to me only once a week, so that your letter arrives on Sunday - for I cannot endure your daily letters, I am incapable of enduring them.»

 

Franz Kafka, Letters to Felice

Gorgeous Envelope

Sent by Postmuse (the USA).

Gorgeous envelope. And inside the last postcard I've adopted. Do not you know the Orphaned Postcard Project yet?

Phrases from Shakespeare

 

Handmade postcard with a quotation of one of the less known Shakespeare's works: Cymbeline.

And collage postcard with a phrase from The Merchant of Venice.

Both made and sent by Laura (the UK).

Lovely Envelope

Sent by Heleen (the Netherlands).

Alexine Tinne

Received from Heleen (The Netherlands). Re-sent to Paquita (PC).

It says, in Dutch: "Do you join the travel?". It is a postcard from the exhibition "Alexine Tinne. Afrikaanse avonturen van een Haagse dame" (='African adventures of a lady from The Hague'). It seems that this courageous lady (1835-1869) was the first European woman to attempt to cross de Sahara (but it ended tragically).

Update: I received later the stamp featuring Mrs Tinne

Distributing Mail

Awful Drawings #228, by Matthieu Barrère. You can see more Awful Drawings here.

The Romantic

The Romantic

Sent by XX Jones (Austria).

Collage. Also published here and here.

The envelope:

Mermaid by Fiep

Sent by Heleen (The Netherlands).

Postcard related to one of my favourite themes (mermaids!) and one of my favourite illustrators: Fiep Westendorp!

Multiview Chester

Sent by Cristina (the UK).

I visited Chester last summer. The day I was in this city it rained, and rained, and did not stop the rain... Now my friend is spending some months there in order to improve her English. I was happy to receive this postcard because it is so sunny on it!

Christmas and New Year Mail (4)

Sent to Sandrine (France)

I've already shown you this collage and this one, but in fact I made a lot of collages (with washi tape, press cuttings and the rubber stamps I carved). All they are slightly different. I'm not sure which one I prefer. I hope my friends are happy to receive them and have a Happy New Year. And also you!

Sent to Ester (PC), Eva (Germany), Laura (the UK) and Lluïsa (PC).

Sent to Mercé (PC), Chi Ho (Taiwan), Ximo (PC) and Émilie (France).

Etc.!