Postifier

Postifier is a Bluetooth device designed "to provide the solution to those pointless frustrating walks to your postbox and back empty handed". How does it works? Well, it is in your mail box and it just send you a notification in your smartphone when you get mail. Do you think it would be useful? They suggest that it is perfect for these situations (the last one is my favourite!):

• For the elderly and those with mobility impairment
• Long driveaways
• Retrieve and secure credit card, bank and retirement statements before they get into the wrong hands.
• Extreme temperature or just pure laziness.

I am not sure that it would work for me, as I use a post office box. I am afraid it would look suspicious inside! Anyway, this is still a project asking for funds to be implement through a crowdfunding campaign. It seen at this stage they won't reach the funding goal, it's just six days left. What a pity!

Maps on Stamps

There are a lot of people that collect postcards with maps. But did you realise there are so many maps on stamps? All these are from the Netherlands, sent by Heleen. The last set is the most impressive.

Update: Heleen has written a bit more about this set here.

My Other Postcard Is a Letter

Sent by Laura (the UK), as well as the other postcard in this post.

I cannot understand when people say: "I have no time to write a postcard". I mean, I understand that you do not have the time to write A LOT of postcards or to participate in sites like Postcrossing. If you suffer of lack of spare time, I find normal that you do not devote it to completely unknown people but to your devote ones.

I also can understand you do not have time to write a long letter. A letter requires calm and time. And, in my opinion, a letter requires to be a pleasure and never a duty.

But you do not have time to drop a note when something important is happening to a friend? Come on, writing a postcard does not take more than five minutes, and you can buy stamps in every corner. Not a special postcard, not a strange stamp. Just normal things whose meaning is: "I love you so I have always five minutes for you".

VQR artworks II

More contributions to the VQR Postal Project from different artists. I am really amazed by checking how this porject is inspiring!

From Micu (Hungary).

From Heleen (the Netherlands). This one arrived with a matched hand-painted stamp:

Also from Heleen (the Netherlands), hand-made envelope:

From Eric (France).

From Michel (France).

From Uli (Germany).

From Dimitra (Greece).

From Alicia and her children (USA).

I Got up At...

On Kawara is a Japanese artist living in New York. Between 1968 and 1979 he created and sent several series of mail named I'm still Alive and I Got Up At. In the postcards he wrote or rubber-stamped the artist's time of getting up, the date, the place where the postcards was sent from.

The length of each series ranged from a single piece of mail to hundreds sent consecutively over a period of months.

Not exactly boring correspondence! For instance, in 1973 alone he sent postcards from twenty-eight cities.

I Love Postcards

I do not like especially romantic things, but hearts are a great theme for postcards and stamps, do you agree?

Sent by Chi (Taiwan). This is a metallic postcard.

This one was also sent by Chi, but during her trip to the USA. I just love this metapostcard. The best way to say that you really love postcards is sending one. Especially this one!

Sent by Laura (the UK).

Sent by Olga (Russia) though the Postcrossing site. The man on the postcard is the painter Salvador Dalí, and the postcard is an advertisement for an Spanish Language Learning Centre.

Singers

The theme for this week in Viridian's Postcard Blog is Singers. Not easy!

In this stamp you can see Hermínia Silva (1907-1993) a Portuguese Fado singer. It belongs to an interesting series, but I'm afraid I have just received this one.

This stamp from the United Kingdom was launched on 24th February 2011. It belongs to a series dedicated to famous musicals.

And the third stamp, from the Netherlands... Well, I'm not sure if (s)he is really famous, but I don't doubt (s)he is a good singer!

25 Years IUOMA

Postcard sent by Heleen (the Netherlands) with matched stamp commemorating the 25 years of the International Union of Mail Artists which I am a proud member of (aka International Onion...).

Video Stamps

 Australia Post has launched the Video Stamp, which allows people to send a 15-second video with their parcels. The service allows sender to scan a coded stamp, record a message on their smartphone, and then stick the stamp on the parcel. The recipient can view the message during the following 3 months by scanning the stamp or entering a code on the postal service website. 

(You can read about here or find out more here).

Tea postcards (and More)

Sometimes is too difficult to choose between coffee and tea...

Two tea-related postcards sent by John (the UK):

And not exactly a postcards, but a packet of paper napkins sent naked by Heleen (the Netherlands). Sometimes I wonder how our mail reaches its destination...

Self Importance?

Sent by Dimitra (Greece). Painted postcard and stamps. See the back:

Maybe it is weird to hide the message, but I really do not like when people publish my messages on postcards and letters. I find it disrespectful.

By the way: can someone read my name on the postcard (in yellow) or is it just a coincidence?

A Happy New Year

International Letter exchange hold by Papered Thoughts. You have until 27th November to sing up. The number of participants is limited to 100.

Read all the details here.

Brie

Cover sent by Micu (Hungary). It fits perfectly in the project.

VQR Artworks I

Contributions for La vache qui rit Postal Project, sent by Italian artist Roberto Scala:

Moroccan Series

I started to make all these collages on Moroccan themes last July. I felt the need of explain that Morocco does not mean just camels (nothing against camels, don't misunderstand me!).

I am happy with the result, and I hope the receivers (and you!) do.

صور لمغرب يتحرك
(Portraits of a moving Morocco)

Sent to Karin (Sweden).
The picture of the working girl belongs to the exhibition Retratos de un Marruecos en marcha (='Portraits of a moving Morocco') by Moroccan photographer Hassam Nadim. Also published here.

Savourez
('Enjoy. You are in Tangier')

Sent to Lilli (Canada).

Tangier is 60 km far from my home, but sometimes it seems to be a different world. This picture was cut from a magazine, and I love it because of the colours and the sea. And because one of my favourite places in Tangier is a restaurant from which you can enjoy, more or less, this view.

Three Moroccos

Sent to Ilse (Germany).
The area where I live in is so green that my friends can't believe when I send them pictures. All colours in Morocco are intense. But still: blue and brown are the colours of Morocco.

La grande mosquée
('The great mosque')

Sent to Roberto (Italy).
This is a picture (oil on canvas, 60 x 50 cm) by Moroccan artist Abdeuchafi Ahriz (1956 - 2006). You necessarily go along this street when you visit the old town of Tangier.

Éloge de la lenteur
(Praise of slowness)

Sent to Katerina (Greece).

This picture and its titre were cut from the brochure of a book fair. I like the slogan, because I doubt there is a place where slowness is so appreciated as in this country.

Sent to Eva (Germany).
This one was sent as birthday card, to a pal who loves tea and mail (and cupcakes, I hope!).

Le Petit Socco

Sent to the mail project Blue Postcards (Spain). You still can participate, until December 31st!

(Materials: reused cardboard from boxes of biscuits; a catalogue of an art auction; brochures of two exhibitions and a book fair; brochures of Slow Food Morocco; a holidays catalogue; a magazine; stickers; a post label and washi tape.)