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31 January 2018

Dreams of a City


Dreams of a City is a project by artist Jenny Lam:
From Fall 2008 through Spring 2009, within my last year living in New York City, I obsessively created hundreds of pre-stamped, self-addressed postcards, omitting my name. Written on each postcard was the prompt, “Tell me one thing you dream of doing before you die. Use this card as your canvas,” as well as a code on the bottom corner. I then left these postcards in public spaces all over Manhattan, using the codes to record where I placed each one. When the postcards returned to me, I was able to tell where each had been found, and, gradually, I pieced together a map of the city from all these people’s dreams.
You can see all the postcards she received here. Now she is redoing the project (much more bigger!) in Chicago, and sharing the postcards here.

30 January 2018

Beautiful

Two days ago, a friend sent me a message saying that my latest is one of the most beautiful letters that have never been sent to him.

Made my day.

29 January 2018

Another Sun


My second sun sent to Philippe (France). See here the first contribution to his mail art call.

27 January 2018

Montana

According to the Wikipedia:"The name Montana comes from the Spanish word montaña and the Latin word montana, meaning 'mountain', or more broadly, 'mountainous country'."
(There is a curious story behind the name of this US state.)

So I thought that I could add this post to Maria's link Postcards for the Weekend, this week's theme being Mountains. All these postcards were sent by Bryon (the USA).

At 630 miles wide and 255 miles high, Montana is HUGE! Montana is the 4th largest state (147,040 sq. mi.). Montana is the 44th least populated state (1,042,000). In Montana there are only 7 people per square mile! (48th). Enough said.

Montana State University occupies a verdant area in full view of the Bridger Range -and the "M"- on the southern edge of Bozeman, where farm and ranch land begin. Home of the "Bobcats", MSU offers various degree programs, with an emphasis on agriculture, architecture and engineering.
The University of Montana, established in 1893, continues providing excellent academic opportunities for students. Center of the campus is the Oval, with Main Hall on one end and the iconic Bronze Grizzly Statue on the other. Jeanette Rankin Hall, the Liberal Arts building, the Payne Family Native American Center, Davidson Honors College - all immediately surround the Oval while Mansfield Library, Forestry Building and Schreiber Gymnasium are close by. The motto, Lux et Veritas, Light and Truth, is an inspirational direction for the higher learning opportunities of this beautiful campus.
The cow-tipping state?!?

Montana Stress Management

26 January 2018

Made of Magazine Pages

Envelopes and a postcard made of magazine pages, sent to France, the UK, Canada and Spain. 







24 January 2018

Just Wow


One can spend the whole day looking at this envelope sent by Fabienne (France)...

22 January 2018

Do Not Disturb


That happens more and more: you are on a trip and there isn't any postcard available. 

But, like Bryon did in Nashville (the USA)... you can always find a  creative solution. Even without leaving the hotel!

21 January 2018

Sunday Stamps | X


On 17 July 2014, Royal Mail launched a set of stamps to mark the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games, featuring the sports of swimming, track cycling, squash, judo, netball and marathon. And also, in a corner, the Scottish flag, also known as St Andrew's Cross or the Saltire.

I have got three stamps of that set. The little X gives me a reason to add them to the Sunday Stamps - II, for the letter X that "can be anywhere in the stamp or theme word".




Then I thought in another X or cross: the Red Cross (Which, by the way, is the Red Crescent in the country I live in). 

Stamp issued in 1948, dedicated to Clara Barton (1821-1912), the founder of the American Red Cross.


Dutch stamp from 1983, dedicated also to Het Rode Kruis.

20 January 2018

Galle Fort Lighthouse

Today's theme of Maria's link Postcards for the Weekend is Aerial Views, and I think this postcard sent by Ravindra (Sri Lanka) fits in.


It shows Galle Fort, built first in 1588 by the Portuguese, then then fortified by the Dutch from 1649 onwards. It is a historical, archaeological and architectural heritage monument. It has been inscribed as a cultural heritage UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Have you spotted the Galle Lighthouse tower on the postcard?



When I received the postcard above, I remember that Ravindra sent this one some years ago, and I never uploaded it to the blog. It is a better view of Sri Lanka's oldest light station, dated from 1848 (But the current tower is the third one, erected in 1939).

18 January 2018

Postcards from Spain

Isla Promenade / Castilfalé Archs
Burgos

Atocha Railway Station/ Tropical Garden
Madrid

Andalusian patio

Peñafiel / S. Cebrián de Mazote / Ureña / San Pablo (Valladolid)
La Mota (Medina del Campo) / Tordesillas / Portillo / Simancas
Olmedo / Sta. Mª de la Sta. Espina / Villafuerte / Tierra de Campos

Postcards sent by Laura, Lluïsa and Mum.

17 January 2018

Really Bad Mail Art?


So the sender, Jimmy (Germany) says on the back (??).

15 January 2018

Three Covers with Lighthouses

Sometimes months pass without receiving any lighthouse. And then, suddenly, these three envelopes arrive the same day*!

Sent by Eva (Germany). Two lighthouses on the stamps: Staberhuk and Moritzburg. Can you notice the maps on the selvedge?




Sent by John (the UK). The five lighthouses shown are, from left to right: St. John's Point (Ireland), The Smalls (Wales), Needles Rocks (Isle of Wight), Bell Rock (Scotland) and Eddystone (England). I like how so many different territories of the British Islands are represented.

These are among my favourite lighthouse stamps, especially because of they showing the geographical situation, and that line at the bottom of each stamp that tell how the light flashes.

It is a reused First Day Cover (I mean that it had been previously sent to another recipient who, hmm... sold it?). Anyway, I'm happy that the postal service postmarked the low side of the envelope, so didn't cover the beautiful first day postmarks. Actually, the second postmark is also sea-related. It commemorates the 100th Anniversary of Merchant Navy Convoys.





And this envelope was gently sent by Ravindra (Sri Lanka). He had told me about one stamp, then he sent three lighthouses!: 

-Queen's Tower in Delft Island. It is believed that this tower was used as a Lighthouse during the Dutch period. This stamp was issued on 12 February 2017;

-Talaimannar Lighthouse on the North Western Coast of Sri Lanka. Also, issued on 12 February 2017;

- And the more recent issue (13 Septembre 2017): Dondra Head Lighthouse, near the southernmost point in Sri Lanka and is the tallest lighthouse in the country.


-----
*Actually, that happened back in November. I take my time to publish, sometimes...

14 January 2018

Sunday Stamps | W(indmills)

Being windmills a favourite theme, it is not strange that I have chosen this word for W on Sunday Stamps-II...


These are the latest windmills I have got by snail mail: Achtkante Molen (Groot-Ammers), Oude Doornse Molen (Almkerk) and Broekzijse Molen (Abcoude), in the Netherlands. 

Heleen integrated the stamps on a beautiful mail art envelope, as you can see...

Front of the envelope

Back of the envelope

And a Mediterranean windmill arrived from the island of Paros in Greece...

13 January 2018

Polar Bears & More Winter Scenes


Phillip sent this shinning postcard with Christmas/New Year wishes using the United Nations postal service. He added one of the 2017 stamps that celebrate World Environment Day (big picture on Phillip's blog post), and also a simply beautiful mail art on the cover:



So finally I got three polar bears!


Heleen and Eric were the other happy recipients of these bears. It took more time for them to reach Spain that the Netherlands and France, how curious!



Folded postcard sent by Catherine (France), with a festive illustration of Dutch artist Anton Pieck.

Handmade collage sent by Eva (Germany).

*******

I added this post to Maria's link Postcards for the Weekend, the theme today being Winter Scenes.

10 January 2018

Houses in the Mail

2018 will be a year of changes for me. At least, of country and house. I will move back to Spain next summer, but that is all I know. I still don't have idea where I am going to live. I wonder how my next house will be. So I decided to give the mystery the form of a postal project: Houses in the Mail.


Send...
The outside or the inside of one or more houses. It can be your house, your ideal house, a typical house of your country/town, a famous house you have visited, a fantasy or literary house, etc.

Write as much as you want to answer one of more of these questions:
  • What makes your house special?
  • How is the house you would like to live in?
  • How are the typical houses in your country?
  • Why do you like/dislike about the house you live in?
  • Which one is the most wonderful house you have been to?
  • ...
Technique
Free (drawing, picture, collage...). Commercial or altered postcards are also very welcome. Sent by snail mail, naked or in an envelope.

Size
Postcard: 10x15 cm / 4x6 in
(Please, don't send anything much bigger)



Deadline
You have the whole 2018 to send as many contributions as you wish. (But keep in mind that my address will change at the beginning of the summer.)

Documentation
This is a personal project, not to take part in any public exhibition. All contributions will appear in this blog (unless you don't want to, of course). 

Reply
You will receive a piece of mail back. (Don't forget to let me know your address!!)

Address
In case you don't have it... ask for my address (or more information).



See the contributions to the project so far. And some houses I have sent. The project is still alive in 2019.

08 January 2018

Doubt

«Une carte postale sous enveloppe était-elle encore une carte postale?»

Sébastien Lapaque, Théorie de la carte postale

06 January 2018

Jouer


Envelope  sent by Fabienne (France). It is a beautiful mix of techniques: painting, collage... (And an interesting back that I will show in another post). I love especially the rubber stamp, offering a definition of to play.

Also the stamps, showing two masques of Micheangelo Durazzo (see here the complete set of 12 stamps) seem somehow appropriate to play...

05 January 2018

Christmas Is Not Over


At least, not until the Three Wise Men arrive tonight!


Letter sent by Phillip (the USA).

04 January 2018

Just It Is


Postcard sent by Laura (the UK).