Breakfast Stamps

I usually open my letters by drinking a second coffee or a tea (I try to drink just a coffee a day, but sometimes this is just impossible). Maybe this is the reason because I love so much the breakfast-related stamps. I ignore if this category exists among philatelists, but it must be taken into consideration!

Some of the breakfast stamps I received so far:

From Finland

From Finland

From the Netherlands

From the Netherlands

From the Netherlands

From Russia

From Sweden

From the UK

From the USA

DIY Lighthouse

Sent to Lilli (Canada).

I know this is not the better drawing in the world... but I am quite proud of my DIY lighthouse!

More Sent Snails

Envelope sent to John (the UK). Unluckily it was returned due to lack of postage, so I re-sent it.

And here more snails I sent to the snails-lover Annick (France):

I made this collage with a box which contained a new pen (with snails, so perfect for writing letters!), washi tape and a sticker. I put more snails on the envelope. Also published in her blog.

So Many Ways...!

Sent to Lilly and her No Impact Team (the USA).

Postcard made of cardboard from a pack of delicious biscuits, a map and washi tape. 

The theme for Challenge #9 of Mail a Smile was Spain. After I realised that some the participants identified Spain with flamenco, I tried to do something different. I mean... in my region nobody knows flamenco; It's so strange to our culture as to people in Denmark or in Korea! So I attempted to show Spanish diversity through languages. We have different languages and varieties, so different ways to say "I love you" (Well, I added our neighbouring countries, just to make the map more interesting). I even find a matched stamp this time; it's an old slogan for promote tourism (I had to add the Spanish king. Well... more or less matched with the theme!).

The back:

Cowstamps

Since I started the VQR Postal Project I discovered that cows and bulls are a common topic for stamps in different countries.

Here you can see some of the cowstamps (see the HMA dictionary) I received to date:

From Canada

From France

From France

From the Netherlands

From the Netherlands

From the Netherlands

From the Netherlands

From the Netherlands

From the Netherlands

From the UK

From the UK

From the UK

From the UK

This Is the Good Life

Collage sent to Jon Foster (the USA), made of press cuttings, two reused shop bags, washi tape and a post label. I also made a semitransparent envelope with tracing paper:

Postcard from Pakistan

Sent by Mercé (Pakistan).

I am so happy every time I receive a postcard from Pakistan that I just need to upload it...

Moroccan Donkeys

Sent by Heleen (the Netherlands).

She sent me this postcard because she read that I had received an only postcard written in Arabic. She also managed to find an Arabic post label:

On the back it says that the picture was taken in Meknes (Morocco). It is very Moroccan indeed: the letter ڭ is often used in Morocco, but it does not belong to standard Arabic. 

Heleen wrote that she loves donkeys (I did not know; but she loves every animal, even the weirdest...). I was happy to find the adequate postcard to answer her back!

A Box from...

I am not sure if the site of A box from is still working, but I think it is an original idea. This is: send boxes with several typical items from a country the receiver has never been to (as Iran and South Korea, so far). The cost is 40 €, and the box weights about 1 kg. You can see the content here.

Sometimes when I travel I sent this kind of little treasures to my friends. I never thought it could be a idea for a business (indeed, I live in an exotic country...). What do you thing? Would you like to pay for receive a box like these? I have only got one postcard from Iran to date, from a friend who visited that country. And one postcard from South Korea (through Postcrossing). But I am not sure about the idea of paying for getting mail.

Oh, now I remember I have received an Iranian picture that I love a lot. It was sent by Heleen from the Netherlands:

Iran, 1960, by René Burri.
People eating the delicious Iranian bread nun-e lavash (نون لواش)

Lighthouses from Oregon Coast

Postcards sent by Misha (the USA).

There are eleven lighthouses standing strong along the Oregon Coast, in the USA. Many of these picturesque lighthouses have been restored and offer a nostalgic look back into Oregon't past. Shown in this postcard: Yaquina Head (lit in 1873), Yaquina Bay (lit in 1871), Heceta Head (lit in 1894), Umpqua River (lit in 1857) and Coquille River (lit in 1896).

Clockwise from top left: Tillamook Rock, Yaquina Bay, Cape Arago, Yaquina Head, Coquille River, Heceta Head, Lightship Columbia, Cape Meares, Cape Blanco and Umpqua River.

On the back of the first postcard, the best lighthouse :)

Recycled Envelopes

Sometimes security patters are really nice and you can reuse it in many ways. For instance, it could be a good idea to put them inside before to be re-sent. These were not especially beautiful. I hope they look nice with the addition of some washi tape...

 

Sent to Postmuse and Susan (the USA) and to Uli (Germany).

Letters from Greece

Sent by Dimitra (Greece).

Sent by Katerina (Greece).

I do not receive so often mail from Greece. In fact, until last summer I had only got two Postcrossing postcards from Greece. And these two letters arrived the same day, full of nice mail art.

And the last one (also sent by Dimitra) arrived the following day!

Casablanca Beer

Sent to Uli (Germany) and to Susan (the USA).

Postcards made of beer packaging. Casablanca is one of the most famous beers produced in Morocco (one of the three brands available in the city I live).

When I made the the third postcard, I thought I could add some wild animals to the jungle...

Sent to Diane (the USA).

And even a laughing cow, because this was sent as thank you card for a contribution to the project. Do you thing she is not really wild? Well, who knows...

Sent to Postmuse (the USA).