Antarctic Postmarks

Exotic postmarks have an allure and charm about them, especially the more well-known and scarce postmarks, such as mail postmarked from the Titanic or the Hindenburg.

When I heard about an opportunity to possibly receive mail postmarked from Antarctica, I prepared four envelopes and sent them off to the first two addresses listed on this government website. I wanted to see if I received anything before sending to all three locations.

There's no guarantee that you'll receive your stamped envelopes back, but I thought it was worth a try and was glad to see two of them show up in my mailbox with their deliciously clear postmarks-  especially on the envelope above with the postage stamps of Arctic explorers.

These both came from the McMurdo station as you can see from the postmarks above.

I've previously posted about postmarks here and here.

Do you collect postmarks? Do you have a favorite or a place you wish you could have one from?

Porcelain Mailbox

This lovely mailbox was created by Kelvin Chen who is known for his collection of enameled porcelains. I found this in a gift shop in San Francisco when I was there this past March for my first ever PlannerCon which I wrote about here.

Don't you love the morning glory vines painted all over? Plus the butterfly, a bee and a tiny bird, a flower and a mailbox flag on top.

The mailbox measures approx 5" tall, 1 1/2" wide, and 2 1/8" deep. It is number 2406 and was made in 1999.

Here are some views from different angles. 

Here's a close-up.

Now the door is open. What's inside?

Sadly, nothing today.

Back view.

I happen to have a teapot with a trio of cats also made by Kelvin Chen.

What's in your porcelain mailbox?

April is National Letter Writing Month

April is National Letter Writing Month. How are you honoring this tradition? My guess is that for those who write letters, it won't matter what month it is (although it's always nice to having something you enjoy be honored or nationally recognized). And for those who don't write letters, it also doesn't matter what month it is - letter writing month or not.

I think the recognition of the Letter Writing Month does a few things. It helps us become more aware of our hobby as a national pastime. And, like many pastimes and hobbies, it's not for everyone. But the ones who identify strongly as letter writers, it helps us feel a connection with others who also classify themselves among this group.

Like any hobby enthusiast, there is also a group of fans who don't actually write letters (for whatever reason) but love the concept of writing letters and want to identify themselves as belonging to the group. Maybe they can be called Latent Letter Writers. I think the same thing exists for all hobbies and passions (tea drinkers, knitters, golfers, calligraphers, people who journal or use day planner. You get the idea).

In addition to appreciating letter writing as a national hobby, Letter Writing Month also promotes the stationery stores and product lines related to the industry by helping them connect letter writing enthusiasts to their product or service. For many of us finding the perfect pen, ink and writing paper is a ritual and highly valued as part of our craft. For others, selecting any pen or pencil, some plain paper and commence writing with no thought or concern for their tools,only the end result of creating a missive to send. Along the entirety of this spectrum is everything else in between the extremes. Where do you fit in?

Finally, I think the Letter Writing Month allows letter writers a way to connect with other self-identified letter writers. Blog posts like this, discussion venues in all types of social media, articles in the mass media all create an opening to allow others to see or join, admire or dismiss this soul-enriching pastime.

Enough blogging. Time to go write a letter. You know- in honor of National Letter Writing Month.

Roatan Post Office

In February of this year we went to Roatan, Honduras for a winter getaway. I had never heard of the island of Roatan before discussing this vacation with our friends.

"Who goes to the Honduras for vacation?" I recall asking. They explained that Roatan is an island off the coast of Honduras that is renowned for its snorkeling and scuba diving. You get a general idea of its location in the map below.

Roatan is in the Caribbean and is placed along the world's second largest coral reef, Mesoamerican Barrier Reef. Here's a view from our beach on West Bay, where we could walk out or swim to the coral reef and enjoy the views of ocean life.

What's a visit to a new place without sending some postcards? The message boards all warned that it most likely wasn't worth the effort as mail (especially postcards) rarely reached their destination out of Roatan. They also warned that it was impossible to buy stamps anywhere except the post office, which was a 30-minute, one way, taxi ride to Coxen Hole from our resort at Infinity Bay.

Here is a photo of the Post Office in Coxen Hole.

 

I did ask at the hotel gift shop as well as a few other local tourist shops near our hotel about purchasing stamps. One woman who owned a t-shirt shop explained that the hotels and shops like hers had to stop selling stamps because it was discovered that employees were stealing stamps and not mailing letters. This is a very poor island and is hardly recognized or supported by the mainland (according to locals) so they rely on tourists for their livelihood.

In hindsight I should have taken a photograph of the sheet of stamps I purchased. I bought 10 postcard stamps and five letter stamps. I did take a picture of two letters I was going to mail from Roatan, but in the end I decided to wait and mail them when I returned home.

I left the Honduran stamp on the envelope, but added a US stamp.

I also mailed a postcard to myself as I always do when we travel so that I can add it to my travel scrapbook. It has been 6 weeks and I haven't seen it yet. Possibly, I never will. But I won't give up hope.

My friend went to Cuba last 4th of July and it took until Thanksgiving for me to receive the postcard she sent.

Ideas for InCoWriMo this February

Are you making plans to participate in this year's International Correspondence Writing Month, more commonly known as InCoWriMo? If you visit the official website, you'll find a list of hundreds of names and addresses from all over the world, as well as ideas on how to make the most of InCoWriMo.

If you're on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, you can search for #InCoWriMo and see who is talking about what they'll be doing for this annual, month-long, self-designed adventure. It's great to get some new ideas and find others just as interested as you in sending and receiving mail.

I came up with a list of 28 ideas of possible recipients for the writing challenge. Of course, the easiest way would be to pick a different name from the address book on the InCoWriMo website. You can state in your card, letter, postcard if you're looking for long-term correspondence, or just a one-time "How do you do".

1.  Movie Star
2. Sport Figure
3. Newscaster
4. Television star
5. Author
6. Politician (local or national)
7. Penpal (current or previous)
8. Someone from incowrimo
9. Someone from sendsomething,net
10. Valentine to someone
11. Someone you admire
12. Family member
13. Old friend or co-worker
14. Musician/band
15. Someone from armed services
16. Someone who lost a spouse/child
17. Someone you've never met
18. Nursing home resident
19. Stationery enthusiast
20. Public figure you admire
21. TV show writer or producer
22. Favorite product/company
23. Local animal shelter or cause
24. Letter to south pole
25. Someone in another country
26. Sympathy card
27. New homeowner
28. Someone pursuing a dream

Of course, you can always write to Yours Truly! I'll be glad to write back.

What are your plans for InCoWriMo? In my next blog post, I'll show how I've begun my special preparations so that I'm ready to roll on February 1.

Mail Contest #1

The Sept/Oct newsletter had a mailbox contest where the entrants were asked to send in a piece of mail with a number selected that was between 1-100. The winner wins this handcrafted pencil box filled with a collection of pens from Nvizio. And the winner is..... (drum roll)

Jennifer from CA! This package will be on its way to you this week! Below is Jennifer's winning entry.

The winning number was #18 and Jennifer guessed #13. There was also a person who guessed #23 and since both of these numbers are 5 away from 18. I put both names in a hat and drew Jennifer's name.

 The pencil box was handcrafted by Harvey Christiansen. Here's a close-up of the inside which is covered in brown felt.

Misty's Mailbox Sketch

Imagine my delight to find this wonderful black & white illustration in my mailbox last week! Signed by the illustrator (and blogger) Miss Misty Davis from Confessions of a Pen Thief, this piece of art measures 8.5 x 11. Here you can read her post where she blogged about her talented mailbox sketch!

How lucky am I to be the recipient of such lovely postal image? I'm on the hunt now for the perfect frame so that I can hang this on my office wall.

I must admit that it's been a joy to find all of the mail in my new PO Box since I did two (that's right- TWO) promotional contests in the Sept/Oct newsletter. One has ended and I'll be announcing that winner this weekend. The Mailbox Contest goes until Nov. 23, 2011. Hurry! There's still time.

Thanks, Misty! You've definitely earned an extra ticket in this drawing. Good Luck!

Random Letter in the Mail

Every once in awhile a letter arrives completely out of the blue from someone I've never met before. I love when this happens! Today I received a letter from Alison which made my day.

As if the decorated envelope wasn't enough, the letter was typed and quite engaging as she talked about things that interest me (books, travel, England) that I had put in the comments with my address on the Call for Correspondents at the Good Mail Day blog.

Thanks, Allison. Now it's my turn to return the favor.

Stamps + Ephemera Winner

We have a winner for the May e-newsletter giveaway! Congratulations, Heather M. from Canada! This giveaway was announced in the monthly e-newsletter for May. Odds of winning were1 in 86.

Below are some photos of the assorted stamps and ephemera that were prepared especially for this giveaway.

I had fun putting all of the items together. Here is a portion of them.

Stamps, ticket stubs, page from a dictionary, stickers, stamped images, library card, front of a used envelope, blank sticker label, pictures from magazines, business cards, airmail twine, postcard, portion of a cut out letter, handmade envelope, scrap paper, plus a few other odds and ends.

I used a see-through vinyl packet to store all of the items as you can see below. The clear folder was the perfect receptacle to house the miscellany. Below is the front. At the bottom of the photo you can see a sticker that says "Expressionery" which is where I got this useful folder when I ordered some note cards recently.

Next is the folder when it is opened so you can see the two inside portions.

This last picture is the backside of the folder.

Putting together this packet of stamps + ephemera showed me just how much of this stuff that I have. Expect to see more of these contests in the future.

Letters & Journals Magazine Update

The launch of the print version of Letters & Journals is scheduled for 2011. It's been a long time in research and planning and the challenge in 2010 has been to build a following of potential subscribers.

To date we have a list of 2,300 names of possible subscribers/buyers. Our goal is to get 5,000 names. Once we have a list of 5,000 names then we will begin approaching advertisers and following up with the ones who have already expressed interest (thank you!).

If you know some people or groups who would be interested, please encourage them to sign up for the website, the e-newsletter or just let me know to add them to my Magazine Updates Only list. None of the lists are being sold or shared and there is no obligation.

Thanks to the many loyal followers who offer their encouragement and share in the excitement of all the things that Letters & Journals represents; pens, paper, ink, pencils, notebooks, diaries, journals, note cards, stationery, mail art, pen pals, postcards, mail, stamps, letters, ephemera, etc.

My New Writing Desk

In my garage sale and flea market travels, I sometimes come across an item that fits just right in my stationery filled world. Such a one is this writing desk that I bought for $15. I wasted no time filling those cubbyholes with recently received letters, set out my ink bottles and a glass pen I had been experimenting with (not successfully).

The drawers I filled with stationery, stamps and other ephemera. Oh the joy of it all! I experimented with adding some blank books and journals in the corner as you can see below. I liked how they looked and decided to keep them there.

The unfortunate part is that I have no room in my office, so the new desk sits in the living room. That will work for now. Maybe at some point I will make changes to my office/craft room and incorporate the writing desk at the expense of something else. And, of course, it will need a special chair. Maybe on my next outing.

Internet Brings Letter Writers Together

People say that email has killed letter writing, but the fact is that people still write letters. Not everybody writes letters, but they didn't before either. When television came into our homes they said it would the end of radio, but it wasn't. To survive each medium must find a new way to invent itself.

I think the internet is helping to bring letter writers together. There are many web sites and blogs that promote letter writing and share the appreciation of the hobby. Here are some of the sites that I enjoy and a little bit about each one.

Missive Maven posts pictures of the mail she sends and receives and she explains what it is and how she got it. It makes you want to send her mail (her address is on the site) to see if she will publish and write about the mail you sent. She has mentioned my blog a couple times and has sent many people to take the quick letter writing and journal writing surveys that I'm conducting to gather feedback for the Letters & Journals magazine. If you have not taken it yet. I would greatly appreciate getting more feedback.

Inky Trail News is a bi-monthly newsletter that you can subscribe to if you're looking for penpals or interested in reading light articles about the hobby of writing letters as well as general interest articles written by some of the subscribers. Wendy is the publisher and she also has a blog and a web site.

Carla, at 365 Letters, is writing a letter a day for 2009. She has some interesting insights and articles that she links to on her blog. Carla's most recent blog has this wonderful note:

“Why are you capable of imagining a world without letters? ... A universe in which all is said dryly, in abbreviated fashion … without art and without grace?” (Pedro Salinas, 1948, quoted in Ivask, 1990.)

And there are many groups at Yahoo, MSN, Google that promote letter writing, friendship books, mail art, postcard swaps and so much more. So don't believe that the love and art of letter writing is dead. It is not.

I Love Mail!

I love getting mail! I love reading about how a letter can make a change in the world. I love sending mail. I love postcards. I love the nostalgic idea of sitting at a desk and writing a letter. I love mail art. I love reading about mail. I love touching other lives through thoughtful gestures. I love stamps- not that I collect them, but I enjoy seeing fun and different ones. Did you know that you can order stamps online from the USPS? They have a great selection and it only costs $1 to ship your order.

I am so excited about my magazine, Letters & Journals, that will cover all of these topics and so much more. There will be articles on

Pens & Stationery
Product Reviews

Letters in the Armed Services
Has email replaced letters? Not yet!

Wax & Seals
Letter Embellishments

Letters in the Attic
The role of letters in your family's history

Exotic Postmarks
The allure of faraway lands

Even as I write this, Kathryn Forss at Daisy Mae Design is working her artful magic in creating the branding logo which is one of the first steps necessary for getting the magazine off the ground. Kathy has a strong background in magazine publishing and I have none, so I think that is a good combination. Don't you?