Hydrangea

Collage on an envelope sent by Laura (the UK).

Gartenzwerg

Little garden gnomes are a fun tradition in Germany. The classical ones remind us of medieval mine workers, and they are a symbol of hard work and reliability. 

Julia (Germany) sent this postcard trough the Postcrossing site. The stamp seems a place where the gnome could live...

Women on Postcards | M Is for Matryoshka

Сергиев Посад or Sergiyev Posad is the Orthodox capital of Russia and the birthplace of the matryoshka dolls during the 1890s, which have become one of the symbols of the country. Matryoshka is a diminutive form of Matryosha (Матрёша), in turn an affectionate form of the Russian female first name Matryona (Матрёна)

The postcard was sent by Eduard (Russia), and included on the back two matching stamps: more matryoshka dolls, and the coat of arms of the city. 

 

The shape of the postmark is very curious!

[Women on Postcards 2026]

Every Week Is "Thinking of You Week"

Collage on an envelope sent by Laura (the UK). The postmark made it even more interesting.

Send A Card
Deliver A Smile for
Thinking Of You Week
21-27 September 2026

Sunday Stamps | Celebrating Radio

A 2025 sheet from France celebrating the 50 anniversary of Radio France. 

Below, two se-tenant Canadian stamps from 2020 celebrating the history of radio. As a plus, a Canadian stamp commemorating the centenary of the discovery of insulin. 

Today's theme in Sunday Stamps is Celebrating Inventions. 

Celebrating 250 Years (2)

2026 has been a year of celebrations for the United States of America because of its semiquincentennial. I received this postcard from Bryon in July.

They issued different commemorative stamps, like the series of American Icons curated by fashion designer Ralph Lauren (and no exempt of controversy):

Treasures of the Revolutionary Era, a booklet of 20 stamps showcasing significant artifacts from this pivotal time has been less controversial:

(Notice the postmark!)

Dove of Peace

In September 2025, the United Nations Postal Administration (UNPA) in conjunction with the Universal Postal Union (UPU) and 10 other postal organizations will jointly issue Dove of Peace embroidered stamps to celebrate the International Day of Peace and promote the value of peace to people all around the world. (More information about this issue.)

Bryon (UN) sent me the stamps from the three UN postal administrations, on the back of the same matching postcard:

Lowriders

Envelope with a First Day postmark sent by Phillip (the USA), and two more stamps from the same series.

Sunday Stamps | Phillis Wheatley

This stamp, issued on 29 January 2026, honours poet Phillis Wheatley (ca 1753–1784), the first author of African descent in the American colonies to publish a book. The stamp art features a black-and-white ink-on-paper portrait of Wheatley by Kerry James Marshall, who imagines her later in life --That choice stirred a bit of controversy.

The envelope was sent by Phillip (the USA). More about this stamp.

Go to Sunday Stamps to see more stamps about Famous or accomplished people.

Storks Migrate South...

Letter sent by Imma (PC).

Too Many Letters Waiting to be Answered...

Etc.

(You know who you are.)

Sunday Stamps | Mountains & Volcano

Piton de la Fournaise (='Peak of the Furnace') is a shield volcano on the eastern side of Réunion island, a French overseas department and region, in the Indian Ocean. With a height of 2621, it is currently one of the most active volcanoes in the world, along with Kīlauea in the Hawaiian Islands, Stromboli and Etna in Italy and Mount Erebus in Antarctica. Stamp issued in 2025.

1993 stamp featuring mixed coniferous and broadleaf forest in the Changbai Mountains. Most of ithe peaks of this mountain range exceed 2,000 m in height. The second stamps, from 2000, features Shibao mountain, in Dali (Yunnan Province). It is 3038 m high. 

1984 stamp featuring Kluane National Park and Reserve in Yukon, Canada. The Reserve includes the highest mountain in Canada, Mount Logan (5,959 metres).

2026 stamp honouring the 150th anniversry of Colorao Statehood. It features a photograph of Jagged Mountain, located in the Weminuche Wilderness area of the San Juan National Forest. 

Inside this envelope sent by Phillip (USA), there was a postcard with a map of the state of Colorado, the shape of which has always fascinated me.

Today you can see more Mountains on stamps going to Sunday Stamps.

Second Try

It came out better on the second try...

Sunday Stamps | Iberia

Iberia is the flag carrier of Spain. It was founded in 1927, an this stamp from 2002 commemorates its 75th anniversary.

Go to Sunday Stamps to see more Aviation stamps.

USPS Postcrossing Stamps

On 26th May the USPS Postcrossing stamps were out in the world. Three weeks later I got this maxicard from Bryon (the USA), which bears not one but two stamps, along with the First Day Cancelation.

There are four different designs that make difficult to choose a favourite. You can read more about this issue, including an interview with Jackson Gibbs, the illustrator, on the Postcrossing blog.

I got another one on the back of a postcard:

Year of the Fire Horse [VII]

Postcard sent by Bryon (UN).

Thursday Postcard Hunt | Big Catholic Churches

Basílica i Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Família

(Under construcion)

Barcelona, PC

Cathedral of Our Lady of the Holy Assumption
Valladolid, Spain

Cathedral-Basilica of Our Lady of the Pillar
Zaragoza, Spain

Cathedral of the Assumption of Our Lady
Guadalajara, Mexico

Postcards sent by Imma (PC), Bruno (Spain) and Bryon (United Nations).

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Thursday Postcard Hunt
July theme: ARCHITECTURE

• Week 1 - Churches
• Week 2 - Houses
• Week 3 - Palaces
• Week 4 - Stations
• Week 5 - Shelters

Everyone is welcome to share their postcards!