Fun with Forwarding: Sent to California

I’ve got a friend in San Francisco who really likes images of mushrooms.  This week, Postcrossing brought me two pieces of mail with mushroom images (as shown in my previous post).  So, once logging them, I sent them on to their (perhaps) “forever home!”

As you may be able to tell, I fashioned the envelope from an old to-go menu.  Since the envelopes I’ve previously made & saved were not big enough for the postcard I was sending along, I found an envelope that WAS the right size.  It was part of a stationary kit sent to me by a charity that has received some of my money, & wants more.  I carefully took apart that envelope, opening it so it was one continuous piece of paper–and my new stencil.  I laid that over the menu, and then traced, cut, and finally folded & glued together my own envelope.  Great for mailing resumes, too, yeah?

Here’s the mushroom filling:

Do you ever make your own envelopes, or forward bits from Postcrossing/swap-bot that you know may thrill someone you know?  I’m that one guy.  I wish my own friends subscribed to the same silliness; it would make my mail more fun & unpredictable!

Dude! That’s Not Even a Postcard! Received from Czech Republic, Lithuania, & Slovenia

So, when an envelope from Lithuania appeared in the mail, I assumed it was via Postcrossing, from a sender who (sigh) thinks postcards should be mailed in envelopes.  I was only half right.

The envelope is from Šiauliai, Lithuania, and it contains no postcard at all, but rather a handwritten letter (I approve) and the gift tag you see at the bottom of the image I posted.  Inside the little card was written, “Best wishes from LITHUANIA to United States of America!”  Now, the letter was from a 16-year-old, and he has been Postcrossing for less than a month, so perhaps he will soon pick up on the “postcard” part of Postcrossing.  It’s funny to me that at the end of his letter, he wrote, “P.S. Postcard ID: LT-49….” As for the content of the friendly letter, it’s very apparent he would like to study–and stay–here in the U.S., and wants some tips.  Unfortunately, I really don’t have any, but advised a cross between asking his college counselors & doing copious internet research.  He’s also interested in pen pals, even giving his email as well as physical address.  Sometimes I wonder how safe these sites are for young people, you know?  I limited my communication to answering some of his questions within the Postcrossing thank-you message field.

Going back up to the top of my image, that puppet card is from Kladno, Czech Republic, from where the sender tells me that these are “puppet characters Grandma and very famous Hurvinek.”  I looked up Hurvi, and see he hails back to 1926, making him older than Mickey Mouse!

The card with the crocs comes from Bovec, Slovenia, and is from a real postal carrier!  He says:

“I have such a great job.  🙂  Happy mail (except bills) bring smiles on peoples’ faces.  Wish you a lot of interesting mail and enjoy what you like to do.”

Stamps, stickers, postmarks, & stuff:

Even at magnified size, I have no idea what that sticker above the priority label is supposed to be.  Can you help?

The Dog is Only Pretending to Ignore that Sausage: Received from Germany, Indonesia, & Romania

The pup was sent to me by my postcard pal in Bekasi Utara, Indonesia.  She had the card printed from one of her own photos, and this is her dog.

The Nuremberg sausages the dog is trying so studiously to pretend to ignore were sent to me via Postcrossing from Berlin, Germany.  The sender tells me it’s “typical German food,” and he also writes…

“There are a lot of different sausages, but for me the Nuernberger is one of the best.  BTW: Nuernberg is a very beautiful Bavarian city!  I like books too and my favorite authors are: Jonathan Frazen & John Irving!”

Finally, thanks to a swap-bot “I’ve Been Here” trade, comes this card from Ilfov, Romania.  Apparently, the sender has been to Bucharest, and she tells me:

“Bucharest is one of the most beautiful capitol of Europe!  If you can come visit us, let me know also.  :)”

Oh!

I really like those Indonesian stamps.  I am grateful for my scanner, because without the enlarged scans, I cannot make out any of what is going on  in the stamps!  Speaking of which, do you see what is hiding in the center of the German flower? 

“Trials, Gingerbread, Sausage:” Received from Germany, Russia, & Ukraine

This trio of Postcrossing cards in, from a trio of my most-received-from countries:

I really like that seated child image.  It reminds me of the art of Banksy, but this is actually by a German artist known as ALIAS.  The card was sent by a Postcrosser in Nuremberg, Germany (the card taking a journey of 5,777 miles over 10 days), who tells me:

“Card shows graffiti from Berlin.  I live in Nuremberg: trials, gingerbread, sausage… Just retired from managing an IT company.  More time for… will find out!” 

The Venetian Cat (entitled “Venetian Cat”) came to me from Odessa, Ukraine, and it took a full 5 months to travel the 6,390 miles to my door!  Whoa!  The sender writes:

“I live near the Black Sea.  I love the sea.  On summer weekend I often go to swim early in the morning.  But my skin does not like bright sun, so I leave before 10 a.m.  No, I’m not a vampire.  I love warm sunny days in October but I dislike the savage summer sun.”

That bottom card is not a picture print by Currier & Ives: it’s a piece by Boris Kustodiev, and it took 57 days to travel the 5,879 miles to me from Moscow, Russia.

Stamps & postmarks:

I really like the leaves, especially the two on the right!

Resendables: Received from Minnesota

I’ve received 7 postcards in an envelope, thanks to a swap-bot trade in which we were to send another user 7 postcards in an envelope.

Ooh, I recognize one in there from the DisappointAssortment.

The sender (who lives in Faribault, Minnesota), did a fun little job decorating the envelope:

Today’s Catch: Received from California & Georgia

Two in, both thanks to a swap-bot “sender’s choice” postcard trade:

The sand dollar card comes from Stone Mountain, Georgia.  I appreciate how it seems that the sender might’ve read my profile & attempted to match a card to something I said I like (sea life/beaches).  Scroll down, & you can read the Oscar Wilde quote she wrote on the back.

The other card came to me from a swapper in Sacramento, California.  Look below & check out the cool date/weather ink stamp she uses!

Stamps & stuff:

LOL, I blacked out the word “swapping.”  I must have gotten distracted mid-edit!

A Full, Homemade Envelope: Sent to Pennsylvania, U.S.A.

I’m not really into sending postcards in envelopes, but this time it’s different.

This is for a swap-bot trade in which we were to send another user 7 postcards in an envelope.  My partner is in Reading, Pennsylvania, and I sent her 10!  And though it was marked as “not profile based,” I did read her profile, and was sure to send a few that seemed to match some things she mentioned.  To that end, there is a Disney card in here, a cat card, some old-timey stuff, and a “Christmas motif.”  And then, I took some gift wrap & washi tape, & fashioned an envelope:

And yes, now I do have those “swap-bot nerves.”  I’d better go take a pill now!

 

What are the Odds?!? Sent to Canada, China, & Taiwan

The Disney Paradise Pier card is going out to Newmarket, Ontario, Canada, thanks to a Postcrossing Forum tag trade in which participants were to list what Disney-related postcards they might like to receive.  The person I tagged wanted real Disney parks or hotels.  This is a card that I was given as a guest customer of the Disney Paradise Pier Hotel.  It’s my favorite of Disneyland’s three hotels!  I like being out of the scrum.  Of course, if you like basic hotel amenities–more of them, and without needless additional charges–the right choice is just about any of the off-site, non-Disney hotels.

The other two cards are regular Postcrossing draws.  I  pulled TWO users in Asia!  Those odds are practically impossible–especially as I don’t currently have any cards traveling to Netherlands or Belarus!

The bridge card goes to someone in Beijing, China, who said he would like to receive bridge postcards, and the tiger is going to a cat lover in Taoyuan, Taiwan.

Stamps, stickers, washi tape, & stuff:

Fun, To-Go: Sent to Canada

I’ve got those swap-bot nerves again!  I usually only use the site for an occasional postcard, but this week I sent out a little packet-o-goods!  Well, a little packet-o-goods that ended up costing more than $15 in (international) postage!

 

It sure looks nice, though!  Tubby seems excited to be crossing the border.

This is all for a swap-bot “full envelope” trade, and I was assigned a recipient in Auburndale, Nova Scotia, Canada.  The envelope was to include at least three items–weighing in at no less than 100 grams– from a list of possibilites that included stickers, stationery, things from our partner’s profile, and things we would like to receive.

My assigned partner’s list of likes includes reading, Dr. Who, Star Wars, comics, and all things postal-related.  With all that in mind, I set out shopping!  Here is what I ended up with:

185 grams.  I weighed it.

The “drama queen,” “bee happy,” etc., are little note cards with envelopes.  We’ve also got a set of Dr. Who cards, cute Star Wars stickers, a book mark, a small notebook printed with comic panels, and–from my goodie stash–a pair of trading cards: Roger Rabbit, and Wacky Packages.

I commenced to wrapping it all, nesting-doll style: the stickers got a cardboard backing & then some tissue paper; that went with the next gift in more tissue paper; that & the next gift into a layer of gift wrap, et cetera, until we were left with this:

If I had known I was going to get shanked on postage, I would have never gotten so delightfully fancy.

The comics envelop all the other layers.  THAT went into the Cookie Monster bag, which went into the mailing envelope, along with my tiny Kliban cat note card bearing a greeting & swap i.d.  I took that to the post office, hoping to get off easy in the mailing department, but, nope, the thing was too big to avoid a customs form, and though I planned on slapping stamps on it, it was too small for all the stamps I would have needed.

I have a friend overseas to whom I frequently send fun parcels, and that often runs around $50, and that is, as they say, what it is. This, though, makes me really nervous.  I went shopping with the partner’s likes in mind (in a swap that didn’t require it); I exceeded the parameters of the swap; and I tried in every other way, too, to make it “extra special,” as the “this was an extra special package. Give a heart!” line from the swap rating page states it.  All that aside, though, you just never know what you will see when that rating comes in.  I ALWAYS make an effort to make my swap-bot sends extra special, but many of the swap partners do not bother to click that heart.  When I rate, I choose to start from a point of generosity, but… yeah.  I would hate to have spent this time, effort, and money, to have this be not appreciated.

The fact is, I have fun assembling little (and big) packets of fun & goofiness to send to friends, and choosing to participate in this swap was precisely because I like doing it.  I shouldn’t be getting ahead of myself on the nerves.  The swap-bot nerves.

Snoopy Snoopy Dog Dog: Received from Finland & Japan

Two Snoopy postcards received in two days!

That beautiful, character-loaded card on the left comes from Tokyo, Japan, thanks to the Snoopy/Peanuts tag thread on Postcrossing Forums. The sender tells me that she was “surprised that Peanuts postcards aren’t generally available (in the U.S.).  I never thought!”  Yeah, it makes absolutely no sense to me.  Are Snoopy/Peanuts postcards sold where YOU live?  Here in the U.S., it’s Peanuts greeting cards absolutely everywhere, Peanuts stickers just about everyplace, and no Peanuts postcards at all, unless you visit the Peanuts Mecca.  Speaking of the Peanuts Mecca, the card’s sender also tells me, “I have not been to the Charles M. Schulz Museum.  I wanna go there!!”

The Joe Cool card came to me through regular Postcrossing, from a sender in Vantaa, Finland.  She shared a quote with me:

“If you’re offered a seat on a rocket ship, don’t ask what seat! Just get on.”
― Sheryl Sandberg

Stamps & stuff: I love bot of those Japanese stamps!