Finding the Way

-Are you sure that this is the right way to Lilli's place?

-Well, maybe "sure" isn't the right word...

Collage sent to Lilli (Canada).

Collage made of cardboard from a cookies box, a reused shop bag, press cutting, washi tape and stickers.

Pets on Stamps

The theme for Sunday Stamps this week is Pets. I have been looking among my received stamps and I have realised I don't have a lot of stamps featuring pets. Unless I consider tigers, frogs or teddy bears as pets... Having no pets myself, maybe I lack of this kind of imagination. So I will show you the most traditional pets: dogs and cats.

From Taiwan

From the USA

I find these stamps from Taiwan and the USA are quite similar in design. The following ones from the Netherlands are a completely different concept. By the way, three of my favourite stamps by Dutch illustrators Dick Bruna, Fiep Westendorp and Charles Burki.

By the way, have you checked this new website called Petpals? It can be interesting for mail & pets lovers...

Post-related II

Postcard sent by Heleen (the Netherlands).

Postkontor i Sonderborg, Als, Danmark (2011)

Also sent by Heleen (the Netherlands). Postcard made by pictures she took in Denmark. The kind of pictures I like to take when I travel, by the way. The postcard also fits in my flags album.

Postcard sent by John (the UK).
Man posting a letter holding a cauliflower, 1949, photographer unknown. Yes, the question: Why is he holding a cauliflower?!?

Post-related I

Sent by Heleen (the Netherlands). 

Long time since I wanted to post this postcard which always makes me smile. Do you know this funny character? 

As a bonus, some post-related stamps which would match perfectly with the postcard above:

From Germany

There are at least three letters in this wonderful stamp, including a message in a bottle. Or there are more and I cannot see them?

From the Netherlands

I think this boy is selling Christmas cards, isn't he? children stamps.

From Philippines

This series of stamps shows the Manila Central Post Office. More information here. Wonderful motto: You Sent We Deliver.

From Spain

This stamp was launched by Correos (the Spanish Postal Service) on 16th October, 2012. It belongs to the series Infraestructuras Postales en la Época Colonial (Post Infrastructures in Colonial Era). It shows the "Casucha the Paramillos", a hovel built in the 18th Century in the Andes, to give shelter to the travellers and royal postmen who crossed these mountains in the winter.

From the UK

Summer Fruits

Sent by Heleen (the Netherlands).

I received this postcard in the beginning of the autumn. I love the design, because of the illustrator (Fiep Westendorp is an always favourite!) and because of the subject: a lot of strawberries! I agree with the sender that we never would let all these strawberries fall in the ground (at least, the dog and the cat can enjoy them as well as Jip and Janneke!).

This postcard reminded me that I have received a lot of red fruits postcard so far. I thought it could be nice to recall them now that we are longing for the summer...

From Kilmeny (Canada).

From Martina (Germany).

And all these sent by Finnish postcrossers:

Yellow Boat

Sent to Raphael'L (the USA).

3D letter sent as thank you to Raphael'L's contributions to the VQR Postal Project. The envelope (another little yellow boat on the back!) was made of a magazine for children. You can see here that the little boat is really able to sail.

I added a little origami kit:

JL Baguette in Vienna

Beautiful city, pas mal library.
But, mon Dieu, what strange baguettes!

Sent to Dani (Austria).

Altered postcard with stickers and food packaging showing Jean-Luc Baguette in Vienna.

Postcards about Shakespeare's Plays

Postcard made of a programme of the representations of Shakespeare's play The Taming of the Shrew.

Painting by William Holman Hunt about the Shakespeare's play The Two Gentlemen of Verona. The title of the painting is Valentine Rescuing Sylvia From Proteus. The back of the postcard offers a lot of information about it (what I love!):

The subject is taken from Shakespeare's Two Gentlemen of Verona, Act V, Scene IV. From left to right: Julia disguised as a page, Sylvia, the appeasing Valentine and a repentent Proteus who is in love with Julia. Sylvia's father, the Duke of Milain, with a group of followers can be seen in the right background. Hunt began to paint this landscape in Knole Park, Sevenoaks, after which he began to work on the figures in his studio. Sylvia was modelled by Elizabeth Siddal, Proteus by James Aspinal a lawyer and friend of Hunt, Valentine by James Lennox Hannay, a young barrister. The related oil sketch is in the Makins Collection.

Both postcards sent by Laura (the UK). Great additions to my humble collection!

Three

Three postcards (or letters?) sent to Keith (the USA), Richard (France) and Servane (Belgium). They were sent inside hand-made envelopes.

Valentine Re-Mailing Program

Did you know there is a city in Colorado (the USA) named Loveland? In fact, there are a lot of places wearing the same name in the States. But Loveland in Colorado is famous for its Valentine Re-Mailing Program, started 68 years ago. This program re-mails more than 160,000 cards each year from all 50 states and more than 110 countries.

If you want your Valentine's be sent through the Sweetheart City, you just need to follow these instructions. Be sure to respect the deadlines!!

Loveland's Valentine Re-Mailing Program began in January 1947. Ted Thompson received about thirty valentines from people requesting to have the cards postmarked from Loveland for "a romantic extra touch". He and the postmaster Elmer Ivers thought it could be an opportunity to advertise Loveland, and the Loveland Chamber of Commerce agreed to collaborate. Thompson designed a cachet who was used twice. Then he started the tradition of changing it every year. Since then, one different cachet with a verse has been used every year. For 2014 it will be:

You can read all the details of the program here.

Where Do You Put the Stamps?

Sometimes I get worried about putting the stamps in the right place. But, you know, the mail arrives anyway!

Postcard from Chi (Taiwan).

Letter from Eric (France).

Back of an envelope sent by Mercé (Pakistan).

A Year To Remember

Sent to Laura (the UK).

This little task (tarea) was sent as part of a special New Year envelope as my contribution to the Challenge #11 of Mail a Smile. The theme was A day to remember, but I changed it a little: A year to remember. I dared to draw (again) Little Red Riding Hood, and added some little items, as these New Year Chinese envelope (without money!):

The theme for the currently challenge is Birds. You have until January, 31 to participate!

By the way... haven't you checked yet the new Dani & Micu's project, You Made My Day? 

More Cows

Some of the latest contributions toThe VQR Postal Project:

Picture taken by John in Chester (the UK), turned into a postcard and sent with two cowstamps.

One more cowstamp by John:

Sent by Lilli (Canada).

Picture taken by Ângela in Lagos (Portugal) and turned into a postcard.

Sent by Kate (the USA).