Happy Halloween!

Postcard sent by Bryon (the United States).

Sent by Blanka (Serbia). This was sent long time (years!) ago trough Postcrossing, and not intended for Halloween... But I re-discovered it today, and I think it makes a perfect Halloween postcard!

And I need to share that I won this fantastic Halloween pack in the give away by Brinner!

Dear Darlin

Dear Darlin

Olly Murs

Dear darlin’, please excuse my writing.
I can’t stop my hands from shaking
'Cause I’m cold and alone tonight.

I miss you and nothing hurts like no you.
And no one understands what we went through.
It was short. It was sweet. We tried.

And if my words break through the wall
And meet you at your door,
All I can say is “Girl, I mean them all.”

Dear darlin’, please excuse my writing.
I can’t stop my hands from shaking
'Cause I’m cold and alone tonight.

I miss you and nothing hurts like no you.
And no one understands what we went through.
It was short. It was sweet. We tried. We tried.

[Woman:] I understand where he's coming from.

Been thinking about the bar we drank in.
Feeling like the sofa was sinking.
I was warm in the hold of your eyes.

So if my words break through the wall
To meet you at your door,
All I can say is “Girl, I mean them all.”

Dear darlin’, please excuse my writing.
I can’t stop my hands from shaking
'Cause I’m cold and alone tonight.

I miss you and nothing hurts like no you.
And no one understands what we went through.
It was short. It was sweet. We tried.

Oh I can't cope. These arms are yours to hold.

And I miss you and nothing hurts like no you.
And no one understands what we went through.
It was short. It was sweet. We tried.
We tried

Knitting and Knitted

Two very different postcards about knitting sent by Heleen (the Netherlands):

And a knitted envelope sent by Suus (the Netherlands) along with other little surprises:

The Same Stamp?

In my opinion every postcard is unique, even if they were the same before being written and stamped.

And what about the stamps? I received the following stamps on different postcards last week: with/without border, with/without postmark...

Tea and/or Coffee on Postcards

Sent by Mary (USA). I like the slogan You have to send a letter to get a letter. It is by the Letter Writers Alliance.

Sent by Heleen (the Netherlands). Maybe cookies go better with the tea than just letters...

Sent by Alan (the UK). Although it seems a professional work, it was handmade from a tea packet.

Professions on Stamps

The theme for today in Sunday Stamps is Professions or Trades.

I am sure somebody else is contributing with stamps from the same set. But I have received these recently, and they are the first ones I thought of:

These Brazilian stamps belong to the series Profissões issued in 2005, 2006 and 2007, designed by Hector Consani.

The stamp Sapateiro ('Cobblers') and Costureira ('seamstresses') were issued in 2005, along with another one dedicated to Engraxates ('Bootblacks'):  Empreendedores com raízes no passado ('occupations with roots on the past').

The Manicure ('Manicurist') was issued on 2006 along with a stamp I would like to receive: the Pipoqueiro or `Popcorn seller'. I could not imagine a stamp dedicated to this profession!

And still in 2007 were issued the stamps of the Barbeiro and Carpinteiro ('Barber' and 'Carpenter').

You can see all the stamps and more information about them here.

Malerwinkelhaus

Two collages sent to Roland (Germany) for this mail art call. You are still on time to send your version of Malerwinkelhaus (deadline 31.12.2014).

Com dissenyar una casa núm. 1
'How to design a house, number 1'

Malerwinkelhaus im Meknès
'Malerwinkelhaus in Meknes'

Also published here.

Mail from Arabic Countries

I usually complains because it is difficult to get mail from the Arab world... Well, this time I have no reason for complaining, as I have recently received three postcards from different Arab countries!

Postcard sent by Mohammed (the United Arab Emirates). It is a view of Al Ain (العين), the fourth largest city in the country.

Sent by Eutrapèlia from Jordan. It shows the Obelisk Tomb and the Palace Tomb in Petra (البتراء). This postcard was long expected. It took just... two months to reach my mail box! It is the first time I have got mail from Jordan, hooray!

The same for the third one send by Aarón: it is also the first time I have got mail from Palestine, and it took some months to arrive. The subject of the picture is not happy, I am afraid: it shows the Wall. 

OMG

Postcard sent by Laura (the UK).

And this was stamped on the back of another postcard I got:

Isn't it better if you don't put this kind of rubber stamps on your postcards? I mean if you are sending mail to a Muslim country...

Amsterdam multiples

Postcard sent by Laura (the Netherlands). I just love it!

And it matches perfectly with this amazing one sent by Heleen (the Netherlands, of course):

This is a really amazing postcard, don't you thing so? I had seen sometimes in Postcrossing walls, but I had never got it myself.

I like the fact that it fits in so many of my albums (you need to look closely!): Beer, Dick Bruna, Food, Flags, the VQR Postal Project (number 31 is a cow and number 36 is cheese),  Lighthouses (in the medal), Multiples on postcards, Tea & Cofee (see the teaspoon), royalty, Sinterklaas,  Tulips, Windmills (also in the teaspoon)... I am sure I forget something!

Even the stamp, issued past August, shows an UNESCO World Heritage Site:

What a complete postcard!

Autumn

Letter sent to Laura (UK).

Autumn drawing inspired in the designs of October Postal Society Stationery Set.

Swiss Post in Spain?

I have discovered last month (thanks to this post) that you can send postcards from Spain using Swiss Post service instead of the normal Spanish post service, named Correos. 

This is how it works: In many souvenir shops, kiosks, hotels and camping sites you can buy ”Swiss Post stickers” that can be used to mail postcards from Spain to anywhere abroad. Postcards bearing ”Swiss Post stickers” must be placed in a ”Swiss Post mail box”, which you can find at the sales points. The ”Swiss Post mail boxes” are yellow and bear a ”Swiss Post” logo accompanied by a red-rimmed cross. Swiss Post will then collect and dispatch your postcards.

Why use Swiss Post? “Swiss Post stickers” are widely available where tourists usually buy their postcards. Swiss Post currently has sales partners on the Balearic Islands, on the Canary Islands, in Alicante, in Huelva and will soon be present in Malaga and Catalonia too. Cooperating with the French La Poste in their joint venture company ASENDIA, Swiss Post is able to use reliable delivery channels worldwide. On average, postcards are delivered within 7-8 days in Europe and within 8-9 days overseas. The service is available at a similar price to Correos (Spanish post).

(Taken from here)

In this video you can see both mail boxes together (I haven't seen them so far). Isn't it a bit confusing? Especially, if it is intended for tourists... 

Do you have more than one postal service in your country? 

Violet Mail

Altered postcard sent to Laura (UK). This was a free postcard, an advert for an Indian restaurant. The message added had to do with some projects she is performing this autumn.

I put this postcard inside a violet envelope. I did not take any picture: it was a boring normal one. I add a stamp in the same colour (not really difficult; it is the only stamp they sell me again and again...) and I went to the post office.

Of course I took a look at my post office box... And I find a violet letter (exactly the same colour) inside, sent by Bryon (USA). That genre of coincidences makes my day... (Yes, I am that silly). And also these wonderful stamps about one of my favourite themes.

I think they could also fit in this week's theme of Sunday Stamps: Country life/Harvest/Autumn.

Nice Shopping

When you order something online, you expect just a plain parcel containing your stuff and a bill, don't you? But sometimes in the other side there are people who make an effort to put a smile in the client's face... And I love these people!

I think it is the first time I publish non-personal mail. My supply of tea for this autumn from La Petite Planèthé in a recycled and decorated box:

And some items in a nice packet (from Present & Correct):

More Snails Arrived by Snail Mail

Folded card sent by Laura (the UK).

Postcard sent by Heleen (the Netherlands). She wrote that in fact the postcard didn't announce any change of address. But I received it in the final of the summer, when I was coming back after six weeks abroad. So maybe it was more correct that the sender herself has thought!

This is a rubber stamp on the back of a postcard sent by Postmuse (USA). And the following green one, a bewhiskered (!?) snail on the back of a postcard sent by John (UK).

Puzzle Post

I have received this letter from Heleen (the Netherlands). It was written Puzzel Post on the envelope. What does it mean? So I opened...

It seemed the work was especially designed for me...

Not so difficult but... Maybe I needed more coffee this morning, because it too me a while until I complete the design!

How wonderful is this drawing?

Halloween Ideas

I am not a big fan of Halloween. It is not a tradition in my country, nor in Morocco.

But anyway, I don't mind having something to celebrate. And as some of my friends do, I enjoy making Halloween cards for them.

I have browsed the net to pick some inspiration. Here you have some bright ideas for your Halloween mail, in case you need:

• Bat & Ghost created by Artist in La La Land. Ready for you to download, print, make and send! 
• Two versions (papercut and standard) for this scary skull card! (Minieco.co.uk)
• Haunted Houses Accordion Card (by Extreme Cards and Papercrafting)
• And what do you think about this hair-raising Halloween girls (by Mr. Printables)? Why not to send them as a postcard? (You can even made a haunted house for them!)
• Nice ideas to draw Halloween envelopes here and here (By Pushing the Envelopes).
• Simple but beautiful cards made of washi tape and Halloween-inspired Kirigami designs by Omiyage. 
• Witch-ed envelope template by tpk.
• Etc.

Do you have more nice ideas?

New Board

I know it is not really original. But I am proud of our new board for postcards! It makes me dream of travelling...

Do not worry if your postcard is not there. It is changing almost every day! (In fact, this picture was taken ten days ago...).

Je Suis timbré and I Am Going Postal

go postal To lash out violently and at random, often in a blind rage. Term taken from the 1990's incidents of workplace violence involving US Postal System workers. I was so angry at work with the new workload, I was afraid I'd go postal.

(Taken from Urban Dictionary. More information about this term here.)

I was amazed when I discovered this meaning in English. I don't think we have a similar expression in my language (or, at least, I can't recall it). But do you know how to say stamp in French? It is timbre. And être timbré means 'to be a bit crazy'. Do you know any other expression like these?

Christophe (France) maybe is also a bit timbré (nothing to do with the fact that he has a mail art project about teeth). He sent this funny comic: 

-Qui est ce qui vous amène? Déshabillez-vous!

-Je vous. Vous avez attrappé une bonne mailartite... rien de grave! 

Juste un peu timbré. Prenez un cachet per timbre...

In case you don't read French: t is about a patient who went to the the postologist (postologue). The doctor examines him and discover that he has mailartitis (mailartite). Fortunately for us all, this is nothing serious... We just need to take a stamp an envelope :-)

Carta

I received this collage from Natercia (France).

That amuses me because in my language (Catalan) we use the same word for letter and for playing card: carta. So this is a perfect carta!

Mail Art Tea Letter

Letter received from Eva (Germany). Front and back of the envelope.

Green Rabbit

Envelope sent to MailPoet (France) for the Mail a Smile Challenge #20. The theme was Your favourite animal. I do not have any favourite animal, but green rabbits could do.

I added two postcards:

World Post Day

World PostDay is celebrated each year on 9 October, the anniversary of the establishment of the Universal Postal Union (UPU) in 1874. It was declared World Postal Day in 1969.

The purpose is to create awareness of the role of the postal sector in people's and businesses' daily lives and its contribution to the social and economic development of the countries.

Every year, more than 150 countries celebrate World Postal Day in different ways. This includes philatelic exhibitions, free entrance in postal and communications museums, releasing new stamps or products, special cancellations, holding of conferences...

You can see a list of events in this special page of Postcrossing.

Lighthouses from the UK

Postcards sent by John (the UK).  The first one shows South Stack lighthouse in Wales (I had previously received another postcard of this lighthouse). 

The second postcard was sent from Scotland. It's Ardnamurchan Point. The postcard arrived a bit damaged, but it seems a cloud...

The following postcards show also Scottish lighthouses:

 Longhope Bay, Orkney, I like a lot the reflection of the lighthouse on the sea.

The Cloch (in Gaelic: 'stone') lighthouse, in the Firth of Clyde.

Isleornsay lighthouse.