Postcrossing Blog

Meet Lynda (aka LyndaC) from Canada! She’s a stained glass enthusiast, volunteers with Habitat for Humanity and has been organizing the Ingersoll Postcrossing meeting for the past few years! :)

Here is what she had to say:

How did you come across Postcrossing? What got you hooked?

I saw the name on the Bookcrossing site and then I was on a forum of people talking about Geocaching and someone mentioned it. I clicked on a link and started reading. I found it fascinating. I have always loved mail. This seemed so interesting. You write a nice message that goes to someone and before you know it someone else sends you a nice message. And it comes with pictures. I was hooked immediately!

Show and tell us about your favorite received postcard to date, and what makes it special.

I love all my cards and have many that I call favourite. Inge Look old ladies, Paris, roosters, Royals are all nice to receive. I also like cards of people that make you smile or laugh.

But there are two that are very special to me. I recently received a postcard of the Canadian War Cemetery at Holten, Netherlands. Four young men from Ingersoll are buried there. Around the same time I received a card from Taiwan that I had been looking forward to. A missionary dentist from the town next to mine went to Taiwan back in the 1860's and built a hospital there. Today there is a modern hospital with his name on it but the original still stands and I received a postcard of it. I love that these two cards are a symbol of my town touching somewhere else around the world.

Have you inspired anyone else to join Postcrossing or start collections of their own?

This month, I gave a presentation about Postcrossing at the local seniors center and I hope that some interest may build from there. I have also hung up signs around town talking about Postcrossing (which Ana and I designed). The little pull off tabs are disappearing so someone must be interested!

What is it your favorite part of the Postcrossing process?

Picking the right card for the person I draw when I ask for an address. I keep buying cards – even though you can see from the picture that I have a lot of cards. When I get a name, I look over their profile and try to choose a card that I believe they will really like. It might be a tourist card or an art card or a Garfield – but I want them to like it.

Have you been surprised by any place that you have received a postcard from or sent a postcard to?

I sent a postcard to Norfolk Island and had to look it up just to make sure I was thinking of the same place. It is situated in the Pacific between Australia and New Zealand. There are only 2300 people on the island and there was only one postcrosser when I sent the card.

I was surprised when I got a card of the Bremen town musicians from Bremen, Germany. I didn’t know the statue existed outside of fairy tales.

Show us your mailbox, your mailman/mailwoman, your postoffice or the place where you post or keep your postcards!

This is a picture of my postlady Carla. She delivers mail to me and picks up my outgoing letters from my superbox.

Is there anything that you are passionate about?

I volunteer with Habitat for Humanity. They build house for families. The houses have interest free mortgages and the people earn their down payment by helping build their house and someone else’s. I also lend money to entrepreneurs around the world through KIVA. I belong to the Postcrossing lending team.

Do you have any other interesting hobbies?

I make stained glass windows and decorations. Lately I have been doing it with a ladies group and we donate the proceeds of sales to a shelter for women in transition.

I also collect roosters. Rooster statues, teapots, dishes, salt and pepper, boxes, eyeglass holders, candy dishes, banks, lamps, art, stickers, postcards and even t-shirts. Lately I have concentrated on miniature items. The shelf unit shows the smallest and some of the prettiest items I have collected.

Jeffrey loves to create wacky mail-art and send it all over the world through Postcrossing. He lives in Canada.

How did you come across Postcrossing? What got you hooked?

I was looking for folks to send my handmade mail-art postcards to. The huge membership of Postcrossing is perfect for getting my wacky art all over the globe. Not everyone likes self-made cards, so I send those people “real” postcards from my extensive collection.

Do you have any other interesting hobbies?

I’ve collected 600 different Polyester Disco shirts from the 1970s. They feature some of the most amazing graphics ever printed on fabric.

Show us your mailbox, your mailman/mailwoman, your postoffice or the place where you post or keep your postcards!

Here is a photo of my mailbox with an ironic magnet I designed. My mailman says I’m his best customer.

Show and tell us about your favorite received postcard to date, and what makes it special.

Many Postcrossers have sent me special cards. Over 200 of my favorite unusual designs are uploaded on my postcards wall. I couldn’t pick just one :)

Tamara, a nurse from British Columbia, Canada, collects many things including postcards. She sees Postcrossing as an extension of her caring personality.

How did you come across Postcrossing? What got you hooked?

I had been active on other postcard sites prior to the genesis of Postcrossing. It was on the xpostcardx site that Megan Herring told me of Postcrossing. I found Postcrossing to be exactly what I needed to satisfy my postcard hobby.

I got hooked once I joined the forum, where there is a plethora of opportunity to exchange both ideas and postcards. Being in a caring profession (nurse) I am a “giver” by nature and Postcrossing has become my outlet for sharing. The ongoing round-robins and tags help nourish my Postcrossing relationships through the personalized touch of snail mail. I often flavor an envelope with a surprise from someone’s “favorites”. For me, participating in Postcrossing is just an extension of my job: it involves my reaching out to others and extending friendship. It gives me satisfaction. Postcrossing has become my favorite pastime.

Do you have any other interesting hobbies?

Aside from wilderness hiking and beachcombing, I am a union steward and mentor for nursing students. These activities have me travelling out of town where I scan the hotels and shops for postcards. I love gourmet cooking and collecting. I am a natural collector. My kitchen has hundreds of advertising tins and I also collect political pinback buttons, dolls, and ornamental eggs. Postcrossing is great for us collectors.

The dolls are one of my hobbies (collecting).

Show us your mailbox, your mailman/mailwoman, your postoffice or the place where you post or keep your postcards!

CABLECAR is the name of the neighborhood I live in. This is the kiosk where I pickup my snail mail.

The building with the emblem is Kitimat’s Canada Post outlet, where I purchase stamps and get my parcels sent from.

The van is the vehicle that delivers the mail.

The album on the fireplace mantel shows my European map cards collection.

The wire wreath hangs in the window of my dining room. This is how I display my seasonal postcards (ie Halloween).

Show and tell us about your favorite received postcard to date, and what makes it special.

This is the postcard that made my soul sing! I received it early on when I first joned the forum. It depicts gingerbread figures. My first glance stirred long forgotten memories. Since I love to cook, it was the perfect card for me. I had it professionally framed and matted so I could afford it a permanent and central spot in my kitchen. Thanks to the dear Finnish postcrosser who chose this one for me.

The gingerbread postcard is my extra special one, and has a place of honor in my kitchen.