Marianna7 (aka Marianne), is from Germany but moved to the UK in 2001. In this Spotlight interview, she tells us about her life-long passion for letter-writing... and bread-baking! :)

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

I've lived since 2001 abroad (not in Germany) and my favorite weekly newspaper is "Die Zeit". I try to get it, either from an airport or when friends/family bring it on a visit, but very irregularly.

On one of those I found an article about Willi, the German postcrosser who has sent the most postcards from Germany. At the same time I found life pretty stressful, being self-employed and I wanted a positive change in my mailbox (something else than advertisement, junkmail and invoices).

The other reason why I joined is this one: a good German friend of mine and I have been penfriends and friends for 11 years. Our friendship started more with letters, because I met her just before I left Germany. But we developed it over the years and last year, at our 10 years anniversary, we arranged an exhibition with our best envelopes (handmade), statements from letters of these last 10 years and our own arts (I do photography, Daniela does painting). This meant, we both read through the letters of 10 years again, we discussed which statements to use and which not over mail and phone and letters (obviously) and exhibited in Hamburg, Germany. It was a very interesting experience to go public with parts of our private thoughts, doubts, fears, happiness etc... anyhow, the exhibition exhausted us a bit and we are writing now less than before - so I missed the input of written words in my life.

Do you have any other interesting hobbies?

I bake my own bread (buns, scones, croissants, bagels, ciabattas - you name it!). I call it a hobby, because it is a very satisfying work. It is so essential, so basic, but it fills a house with a beautiful smell and everyone comes running and wants some warm bread. I like walking with my sons and my partner most. Photography. Reading. I love languages. Arts!

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

This picture is the picture of my main postoffice in the village - but I go for miles all over the North East to send my mail.

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

RU-884413 a letter, very unexpected and mindblowingly beautiful

NL-1056976 one of the very first cards I received with great words

US-1652878 a handmade card on rice paper

I've also received mind-blowing letters and postcards with just a few words, which made me stumble. All words, I receive are precious to me. The fact that a complete stranger writes a few sentences out of his/her soul, is absolutely amazing to me.

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

Yes, my son :-) He is only 8, but a fanatic reader and writer (is true) and he collects stamps. So one day I told him I wouldn't give him my stamps anymore, because I didn't want to ruin my precious cards/words. That's when he joined Postcrossing! The only thing I help him, is a)to get the address of recipient right, b) to send cards on time and c) to help him match the recipient's preferences.

I'm trying to get my mother on it - she is very old and would have to learn to use the pc, but I am sure it would change her life for the better.

What is it your favorite part of the Postcrossing process?

Requesting a postcard. What type of person will it go to? What cards do they like?

I also like the process of finding the right card, though sometimes it takes me days to find one (it's very rural here and i have to travel far for a card).

And lastly, I also like to receive a card. Who is the sender? After registering, I find it extremely exciting to read the sender's profile.

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

No, not by the places... But very often I'm surprised by the messages on the cards; the sentences in unexpected letters. I am surprised by the wonderful things other postcrossers are sending. By the passionate words of postcrossers. By the openness of peoples minds towards a complete stranger. I have greatest respect to every cards/letter I receive.

Today's Spotlight interview comes from North Wales. FairyFoot, or Mia is a mother and a gardener, and has interesting hobbies such as Geogaching or hosting Toy Voyagers. Here is what she had to say to our interview questions:

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

I was looking for penpals via various websites when I saw Postcrossing mentioned in many profiles I read. I decided to have a look at what Postcrossing was all about and joined immediately. I like the idea of having nice post come through my letterbox and postcards kept my mailbox happy while I was waiting for penpal letters.

Do you have any other interesting hobbies?

I like coastal and forest walks, photographing nature.. I am a penpaller and have made many new penfriends via Postcrossing. I also discovered Geocaching, the GPS treasure hunt, but I haven't placed any caches of my own out there. I also came across Travelling Toys/ToyVoyagers too and host many soft toy visitors here.

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

Being a ToyVoyager host, I take the toys down to town and take that opportunity to send postcards on their way. This is Frankie Blue:

Below on the left is the letterbox I have in the front door. My nice postman suggested to cover the bottom window in the door to prevent people from seeing mail that may build up if we are away.

Above, on the right, is the little post office I visit out of town to buy the special issue stamps from the nice sub-postmaster. I store my postcards in boxes, and only recently organised by country after seeing toucans in a television interview:

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

I am not a serious postcard collector. One of my favourite postcards has to be JP-171165 The words say it all.

Another favourite is IS-8935 the Imagine Peace Tower memorial to John Lennon, in Iceland, the base has "imagine peace" carved in 25 different languages.

What is it your favorite part of the Postcrossing process?

I think perhaps my favourite part of the Postcrossing process is the sending. I usually have a decent range of postcards to choose from at home (and am always on the look out for postcards I think will make someone happy).

Is there anything that you are passionate about?

I love growing my own vegetables and fruit down the allotment or in the garden. Anyone got any recipes for pumpkins, marrows, beetroot, redcurrants, whitecurrants...?! I try to grow organically and have stopped buying composts containing peat.

Meet Serena, aka AllSerene from England! She's both an avid postcrosser and a birdwatcher, an interest she shares with her cat Lucy :)

Here is what she had to say to our interview questions:

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

Two online friends (Enitharmon and Niles) blogged about it, within a few days of one another. I thought it sounded interesting, visited the site and was hooked! This was about three and a half years ago, not long before Postcrossing reached the first million postcards sent.

I'm almost entirely housebound, due to serious health problems, and I loved the idea both of being able to make contact with people around the world and of seeing places I would never be able to visit in person. Postcrossing has added considerably to the variety and fun in my life!

Do you have any other interesting hobbies?

Being fascinated by wildlife, I've taken part in the British Trust for Ornithology's Garden Birdwatch for several years, recording the varieties of birds who visit my garden each week. This means that, as well as enjoying watching the birds outside my window, I'm able to contribute, in a small way, to environmentalists knowledge of the changing bird populations.

I also have a much loved cat, who shares my interest in bird watching (and who's old enough not to be a danger to the birds).

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

My cards get put through the letterbox on my front door, to arrive on my doormat. My lovely posties collect any mail I leave out for them, on my windowsill.

This normally works extremely well. On one occasion though, a card, GB-37113, took the scenic route to the US, via Germany, having remained wrapped in a plastic bag (to protect them from the rain) with another card, GB-37117, destined for a German postcrosser. Luckily, maju30, having told me what had happened, very kindly forwarded it on to it's proper destination. I must admit to being relieved that it was a postcard which took such a detour, rather than a letter to my bank or something of that kind!

I have a display of recent, and favourite cards on display in my kitchen and, when cards are taken down from there, they are stored in boxes, sorted by country. I also scan all my cards and have the screensaver on my computer set to show a slideshow of my pictures. These always provoke a lot of comment from visitors and often mesmerise them, so that discussions will be broken off when a friend's attention has been grabbed by one of my cards!

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

I found it impossible to choose just one or two cards out of all the ones I've received. The pictures above show some of the cards currently on display, which are a mixture of cards I've recently received and favourites which refuse to be dislodged.

What is it your favorite part of the Postcrossing process?

I love requesting addresses, wondering who, and where, I will be sending a card to this time. Having received an address, I love trying to work out which of my cards that person would particularly enjoy and trying to get a feel for the person I'll be writing to, so that I can try to make the card as interesting as possible for that person. That said, later on, I'll be keeping a close watch for the postman, wanting to see what cards he's bringing me that day, as I always very much enjoy receiving a new group of cards, looking to see what the pictures are and reading the messages on the back.

Today our spotlight features lucymonty (aka Lucy). She's a big animal lover and a keen crafter who runs her own small jewellery business. Here is what she had to say:

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

I read about Postcrossing in a newspaper in 2009. I’ve always thought there’s something romantic and ‘olde worlde’ about writing letters. I imagine the characters in Jane Austen novels sending love letters!

Although I travelled quite a lot with my family when I was younger I’ve not been able to go abroad in recent years so Postcrossing is my window to the wider world. I can also get ideas for trips I’d like to take in the future…

Like so many Postcrossers I was instantly hooked- I love seeing what cards have arrived when the post comes!

Do you have any other interesting hobbies?

I’m a non-stop crafter- I make jewellery, cushions, trinket boxes and more and *try to* sell them through my Etsy shop. I also love photography, particularly local nature and animals (often my pets!) and I have some printed to send as postcards. This one shows the local beach at sunset:

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

Outside the local shop that also has a little Post Office at the back.

Inside, at the Post Office desk, there is often a queue!

I store all my received postcards in these two boxes, and arrange them by country or region. I’m a bit of a geek when it comes to organising things! I have a feeling I may need to move some into a third box pretty soon…

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

Even though I limited myself to choosing only from ‘official’ Postcrossing cards and not direct swaps, I couldn’t pick just one favourite card! Here are five that stand out:

Clockwise from top left:

• A beautiful flying squirrel card from Marja in Finland- it’s such an unusual animal!
• The ‘I Love My Planet’ card from Keijo in Finland- it’s just so ‘me’!
• The black and white dog card from Renate in Austria- the image is great but it’s the lovely message on the back that makes it extra special.
• The cats illustration card from Anna in Russia- this was ‘the beginning of a beautiful friendship’ to quote Humphrey Bogart, we’ve been exchanging cards ever since.
• The sunset card from Debby in Taiwan- I just love this stunning sky!

What is it your favorite part of the Postcrossing process?

Of course I love receiving postcards but my favourite part is when I get a new address to send to and I do my best to find something from that person’s wish list or something that would mean something to them. I really want all the cards I send to become one of the recipient’s favourites! I also enjoy looking up the place I’ve sent to/received from in our atlas.

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

I was very lucky to be one of the people who received a card from Tuvalu to mark Earth Day in 2010!

Is there anything that you are passionate about?

I’m passionate about animal rights and conservation. As a result I’m vegetarian and have something of a menagerie at home- a cat called Monty, 3 tortoises called Puffy, Diddy and Clemmy and 2 chickens (rescued ex-battery hens) called Jack and Tony!

Kayla (or Mickaela) lives in London and she studies politics. She likes to learn foreign languages and is now trying to learn her a 4th one! Here's what she has to share with us.

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

I first heard about Postcrossing from a friend and because I always liked receiving mail, I decided to try it myself. At first I thought I'd just send a postcard every now and then, but before I knew it, I became an addict! What really got me hooked was the random aspect of Postcrossing and how every card we receive and send is a new little surprise and completely unique :).

Do you have any other interesting hobbies?

At the moment, I am quite busy with my studies, but I'm still dreaming to become a writer one day... I've been trying to write a book for a while now!

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

My mailbox.

My postoffice.

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

This is a card I received from Sarah in the US and it's a picture of people dancing at the Brighton Beach in New York. I love it because everyone in the photo looks so happy - it makes me smile every time I see it! And I also love old things and this postcard fits into this just about perfectly!

What is it your favorite part of the Postcrossing process?

I like drawing a new address and the anticipation of it - what country is it going to be? What kind of person? Can I send them something special? Do they speak another language I could write to them in? I really enjoy getting the cards ready for the mailbox and writing as much as I can on them.