Catch Up Time – Part 1

I try… really, I do…. to update this blog the weekend after I receive postcards. Well, the past two weeks have seen an influx of postcards but I’ve not had the time to post about them until now. Last weekend, we had company. This weekend, we don’t. I’ve received quite a few cards in the last two weeks (five in the first week and six this past week); there are too many to blog about in a single post so I’ll put them into two posts.

Today’s post will be the cards that arrived the first week. The following post will be about the cards that arrived this past week. These are in no particular order.

First up, my first card from Argentina, from Gaby in Buenos Aires.

It’s interesting how she personalized the card with a cutout and my name. I love the stamps, too.

The next card is from Yoko, in Japan.

She has such neat printing and I absolutely love the Japanese aesthetic. This is such a peaceful card, isn’t it?

Next up is a card from Donna who is way over on the “other” coast, in the state of New Jersey.

Then, a card from the Netherlands, one that shows the traditional clothing of Scheveningen, an old fishing town.

Anne-Sophie writes, “Hello Evelyn, How nice to send a card to Canada written in Dutch. A card with the traditional costume of Scheveningen. My mother comes from Scheveningen but has never worn the tradional costume.”

As an aside, I was told once that if I could say “Scheveningse schippers school” correctly, I was a true Dutch person; yes, I can say it.

Today’s final card was sent by Paulina in Finland. Not only is Paulina a fellow Postcrosser, she’s also a fellow Raveller (ravelry.com), a fellow knitter.

 

And that’s it for this post. Now, to get some cards mailed out; I seem to be falling behind again.

 

 

 

 

 

Two More In the Door

Over the last week and a bit, the postcards have slowed to a trickle. That’s to be expected as I haven’t been sending out very many in the last month or so. With the busyness of the season, I put Postcrossing on temporary hold. Once the new year arrives, I’ll get back to it.

Two cards did arrive, however, and this morning I’ve had time to scan them. Both cards arrived from Europe. The first to arrive came from the Netherlands. Somehow, without even looking at the back of the card, I knew it was from there; I can’t really explain it but it just looked Dutch somehow. I was right.

The second card came from Linda, who lives near Paris, France. Paris is somewhere I’ve always wanted to visit. This is such a sweet card. There’s something about the simplicity that I just love… maybe it’s because it shows a love for books and reading, two things I have enjoyed from a very early age.

 

 

And Another Week Goes By

I know I didn’t post any cards last week but that doesn’t mean there weren’t any. There were. Time, however, has not been as cooperative as I would have liked. Last weekend was spent in the kitchen, cooking dinners for the coming week. Now, however, it’s time to get back to the postcards… and blogging in general.

In no particular order, here are the cards that found their way to our mailbox in the last two weeks.

First up, a postcard in an envelope from the Netherlands. There’s something special about this one. The card, a painting by Dutch artist Anton Pieck, is mirrored in the stamp! Very cool!

The next card, from Tokyo, Japan, arrived just before Halloween, perfect timing. Andrea is an American, married to a Japanese man and living in Tokyo.

The following card is from my own country, Canada. To be more specific, it came from Mennonite country in Ontario. Sandra refers to a fire at the farmers’ market; here’s a link to the story, as reported by the Globe & Mail.

I love the stamp, too!

The following card is from Germany but isn’t a postcard with German content. Olga comments on the smallness of our world. The card shows a bridge in St. Petersburg and the stamp shows a lovely square in Berlin. Neat!

And a closeup of the stamps…

Here’s another card that’s a bit deceptive. Mechthild is from Germany, on vacation in South America. Because she’s on vacation, she sent me a postcard from where she is/was at that time… Ipanema! Lovely!

From Ipanema, we make our way back up to Europe, Belgium, to be precise. This card shows the training ship, Amerigo Vespucci. I love the tall sailing ships. Years ago, my ex husband and I took our youngest daughter to the Netherlands. While there, we toured the sailing ship, Batavia, still in construction at the time. It was absolutely fascinating to see how sailors of a bygone era lived and worked and to see just how small and cramped their ships actually were.

This next postcard intrigues me. Jade is an animation teacher in Singapore; she sent this card of Gardens by the Bay, a must-see, according to her. I did Google it and, I must say, it looks like a very interesting and beautiful place. I think that, if I ever find myself in Singapore, it WILL be on my list of things to see.

Apparently, according to Google, each of these “trees” is a garden all its own. And this is only one area of the Gardens by the Bay!

From Singapore, we travel to Russia, Chelyabinsk, to be precise. I find this a rather austere picture but an interesting building nonetheless.

Today’s final card also arrived from Russia. Tillion sent this lovely bouquet of flowers with crochet hearts. Very sweet, don’t you think?

Though I’m not a stamp collector anymore, I do find the stamps almost as interesting as the cards. As a matter of fact, in some cases, the stamps are even more interesting than the cards. I love that some people make the effort to use interesting stamps.

 

And Now, The Rest

Continuing from yesterday’s post, here are the remaining cards I’ve not yet posted.

First, a card from Australia

From Bali, this adorable family of monkeys. Just look at those faces!

Then, another card from Australia, this one from Australia’s Gold Coast.

For the next card, we head north, way north! This one comes from the Lapland area of Finland.

From Lapland, we go to Friesland, in the northern part of the Netherlands. It’s a rather odd embrace, don’t you think?

The next card arrived in an envelope, along with a copy of Marja’s profile. I think she’d like to do an exchange but that’s not really something I’m into.

I know you’re probably tired of reading it but I do love the cards that show traditional clothing! On to the next card. This one arrived from Russia; I think this one may have been painted by the sender, Maya, but other than saying she’s an artist and the photographer, she doesn’t indicate that she is the artist of this card. 

And that takes us to the last card for this week. This one is another cultural card, showing both Maori traditional clothing and a traditional greeting. And, of course, seeing as it’s Maori, it was sent from New Zealand.

To end today’s post, I have to add that I love the Hobbit stamp on this card. It is what I’ll leave you with today. All caught up; that feels good!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Update

Because I didn’t have my laptop and because we were away for a few days, I have quite a few cards to post about. Without further ado, here we go.

Warning… there are a lot of photos in this post and nominal text.

From Sabine in Spain:

 

From China:

From Gerda in the Netherlands:

 

From Sofiya in the Ukraine (in an envelope):

 

From Germany, home of the VW bus, one of my husband’s favourite vehicles:

From Anna in Russia:

From Tatyana in the Ukraine:

From Kate in Budapest, Hungary:

(I love the stamps on the card from Hungary!)

A retro card featuring a magazine cover from John in the US:

 

From Rita in Portugal:

From Evelyn (my first from another Evelyn) in Florida. I think Evelyn tops the chart with the most writing on a single postcard!

From Paul in the Netherlands:

Paul also included two sheets of stamps featuring traditional clothing. Awesome!

And finally, from Katie in Hong Kong:

There! All caught up and ready for the next batch.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Two Weeks Worth

One would think that I haven’t received any postcards lately, considering the fact that it’s been two weeks since I last posted. One would be wrong, however. Postcards have been arriving but we had company this past week and blogging was put aside temporarily.

In the past two weeks, eight cards arrived in our mailbox. Without further ado, let’s get started.

The first to arrive was this lovely ad card from Singapore.

Yes, a lovely ad card. I know there are a lot of Postcrossers who specifically say, “no ad cards” but I’m not one of them. I don’t mind getting them at all. It’s even better when you discover there’s a back story to the ad card. As you can see, Geraldine worked as a stewardess for Singapore Airlines for 13 years.

The next card comes from the heart of France, as the map on the card indicates. I really would love to visit France some day.

The next card came from Taiwan. What an exotic looking building!

The next card, from Holland, is the first I’ve received with a die cut. And, of course, all of these things are so familiar to me, being of Dutch extraction. I even had a pair of wooden shoes as a child… and wore them!

For some reason, I really like this next card, from Silvia in Germany. It is a painting of the area around Bonn, Germany.

The following day, another card arrived from Germany, this one from Bavaria, which is also an area I would love to visit one day.

The next card, I must admit, is my favourite out of this batch of cards.

I was a little puzzled at first because it seemed a little strange. Part of the word “THE” was cut off; Saltwater Gamefish Cookbook?? Then I read the back of the card. It’s a handmade card!

Helen takes the covers of paperback cookbooks and turns them into postcards. I love it! It shows thought and ingenuity and I appreciate that! Truly, I do not understand why a lot of Postcrossers state quite emphatically that they do not want handmade cards. I find that I appreciate those cards more than I do the plain old cards you can pick up in any souvenir shop. To each their own, I suppose.

Today’s final card arrived from China. This is one of Nan’s first five Postcrossing cards sent. That makes it somewhat special. The front of the card, though cute, doesn’t really do much for me; in this case, the back of the card is what makes this card fun.

Nan’s taken me to school! Chinese language school!

Xie Xie Nan!

Cards have been going out as well, of course. This week, I was inspired to create a series of postcards based on apple crate labels. A couple of years ago, a friend gave me one of these labels as a birthday gift; in some circles, they’re quite the collector’s item. Apples (and other tree fruits) from the Okanagan valley were shipped all over the country and, indeed, the world. Each apple crate had a label and each producer had their own customized apple crate labels.

I’m sure I’ve mentioned before that I work in a print shop and, as such, I have access to all the equipment I need to create custom postcards for myself. Here’s a sample…

So, if you’re a Postcrosser and I get your name, you may be seeing one of these in your mailbox!

 

Wow!

It has been an absolutely fascinating Postcrossing week! I received six cards this week, four of them in one day! That is the record so far. It was very exciting to walk in through my back door and see four postcards resting on my computer. Among those four was another Inge Look card… with a difference. But I digress. There were some very interesting cards in this week’s bunch.

First up is this card from Belgium, only my second from there. Marie-Jeanne writes that this university is situated in the Flemish speaking part of Belgium. The Flemish language is a Dutch dialect which I’ve heard spoken before. It’s a lovely-sounding language, Dutch but different.

The next card up is from Belgium’s neighbour, the Netherlands. Manfred sent this card from Hilversum, not far from where my ex-husband is from. I’ve been to Hilversum a few times… would love to go back sometime but I doubt that will happen.

These women are wearing the traditional clothing of the city of Spakenburg, not far from Hilversum, according to Manfred.

The translation:

“Hi Evelyn, I’ve just read your blog, neat! You asked for cards with traditional clothing. I live in Hilversum and not far from here lies Spakenburg, mostly known for its tradtional clothing and the many fish mongers and bread and pastry wagons that travel all through Holland from one market to another. I ask myself if you have ever been back (to the Netherlands) to discover your roots. -Manfred”

I have been to Holland a few times, and felt very much at home, but I can’t say that I’ve been BACK to discover my roots because I am Canadian born and raised.

The next card, from Russia, absolutely fascinated me. I’m wondering if there is a story behind the image. If so, I’d love to know what it is.

It’s entitled “Dining Table”. Nataly didn’t give me any information about this doll, unfortunately. I love it! And the back of the card is just as interesting as the front, maybe even more so. Check it out…

Look at all those absolutely gorgeous stamps! Nataly is a woman of few words and many stamps. Love it!

And then there’s the Inge Look card I mentioned at the beginning of this post. Not only is it an Inge Look card, it’s a signed Inge Look card!

You just have to chuckle when you see one of these cards. There’s just so much to look at. I mean, check out her hat! It’s a toilet plunger with men’s ties, for goodness sake! And I love the hobnailed boots they’re wearing. They’re just so cheerful, these cards. What is not to love? This is my fourth Inge Look card and I’m looking forward to seeing more of these in my mailbox.

And the back?

See? Signed by the artist! I think if I’d gotten this card at a gathering, I would have kept it. There’s no way I’d have sent it. Thank you, Anna! I love it!

All of the above cards arrived on the same day. The next day, this card arrived.

I love a card with a story and this one is just that. I wasn’t sure what to make of it at first but once I read the back of the card, I could appreciate what Kat did. Each of the stamps she glued to the front of the postcard tells a little piece of a story, as she explains. (Click on the card to see a full sized image.)

Is that not cool? I also love the actual postage stamps on this card. A Dodge Charger… one of our neighbours (when I was a kid) had one of those.. in that same colour. Love it!

Then, rounding out the week, this lovely card from the Netherlands…

I’m even thinking about using this card as inspiration for a watercolour painting… and I’m just learning how to paint! So simple, so pretty, so peaceful… so spring!

 

It’s All About the Clothes

That’s what it seems to be, at least. I received two postcards this week and both feature clothing. The first, from the Netherlands, features two women in traditional costume, or klederdracht. I love getting cards like this. I love seeing how people used to dress; I don’t think I’d ever want to give up my modern choices in clothing but I do find it fascinating.

My daughter, who was here for two nights this past week, commented that the two women on the card reminded her very much of her Oma.

As a knitter, I was quite excited about this second card. I love making mittens. They’re a small, relatively quick project (as long as you get the second one started as soon as you’ve finished the first one; if you don’t, you may develop something called “second mitten syndrome”, a syndrome in which the second one never gets knitted; I’ve experienced that).

Europe has a very rich tradition when it comes to mittens. Countries all around the North Sea and in Eastern Europe are known for the amazing variety of pattern designs used. This card from Finland shows some fine examples. Pirkko writes that these are provincial mittens from Finland. She, like me, is a grandmother who also knits and crochets.

This is a fairly large card, measuring 8.25 x 5.5″. I love it! I’ve made colourwork mittens similar to some of these and intend to make more. I may even use this card as inspiration. I especially love the pair of mittens in the second column from the left, the one that shows the inside of the mitten with the long threads on the inside.

Thank you, Pirkko!

 

 

 

 

Oh, Such Fun!

When I walked in my back door today, there were two postcards waiting for me. One of them, even without my glasses on, I knew was from the Netherlands. I chuckled as I picked up the card and examined it. I knew instantly that it had come from the Netherlands as there were quite a few items I recognized. I’d grown up either seeing them, or eating them.

It was the King peppermints that truly gave it away for me. As children, every time we went to church (which was twice every Sunday), we were each given two King peppermints. They had to last us for the entire service. They usually didn’t. And that final black diamond… salted licorice is still one of my favourite candies. I don’t eat them often anymore but almost every Dutch person knows and likes salted licorice!

Riky writes that this card was made by her niece and shows a variety of typical Dutch products. She also writes that the designer included a picture of her Oma (grandmother) as a young woman. I love it!  I have to say, this is one of my favourite cards to date. I love the fact that Riky’s niece designed the card and I love seeing some of the things I know as VERY Dutch!

The second card didn’t get me as excited but  that’s not to say I don’t like it. It’s a picture of the Hotel Baltschug Kempinski in Moscow.

The more I see of Moscow, the more I think it would be a fascinating city to visit.

After today’s cards, I think I’m going to change my profile a little bit. I’m starting to get a feel for the cards I really like. Yes, I love the cards that show traditional costumes and anything related to an area’s customs but I’m also finding that I enjoy receiving cards that are self-published. I know there are a lot of Postcrossers who do not want homemade or self-published cards but I am definitely not one of them. I very much appreciate the time and thought that goes into self-made cards.

 

Another Three!

I would have blogged about these three cards sooner, but I was a little incapacitated yesterday and blogging, even though I thought about it, was not to be. The cards in this post all arrived in Wednesday’s post and were, once again, waiting at my computer.

The first card came in an envelope. At first, I was a little disappointed to receive another photograph used as a postcard but it feels different when it arrives in an envelope. I don’t mind as much. Besides that, the subject of the photo is a subject I like… traditional clothing.

In this case, it’s traditional clothing from the Netherlands.

 

And the back…

 

(Translation: “A card from Holland. I live with my family in the large city Den Haag (the Hague), close to Scheveningen. My father was a true Scheveningener. The woman in the center of the photo in the light blue blouse/shawl is wearing the traditional clothing of Scheveningen. I hope you like this card. Greetings, Maryke)

Hmm.. where shall we go next? Let’s stay in Europe for the moment. The next card arrived from Prague, in the Czech Republic.

 

Beautiful, isn’t it?

 

(Pardon the crooked scan; my scanner doesn’t always get it right and I didn’t notice until I opened the file to delete my address.)

The Charles Bridge looks like an amazing bridge, doesn’t it? Stanislav calls it a romantic bridge and I can see why it is known as such. It looks like a wonderful bridge to walk across.

Now, let’s head south… way down south… all the way to Australia.

 

 

I will likely never travel to Australia but Adelaide does look like an interesting place to visit. I must be honest, though, big cities are not really my thing.

Anyway, the thing that really makes this card interesting to me is the stamp. That is a really cute stamp!