Today we’re chatting with Teresa (aka Triplightly) from Utah, USA! Her postcard journey started with letters to friends when she was a child, and has grown into a whole postcard room, meetups, friends around the world, and even postcard-writing lessons for elementary school students. She also hosts fairy tea parties, which might be one of the most magical hobbies we’ve ever heard of!
- How did you get started sending postcards? What is your earliest memory of them?
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Growing up, I moved almost every year due to my father’s employment. Back “in the old days”, it was expensive to make a phone call to keep in touch, so I started writing letters to friends when I was 9 years old.
When I saw that postcards also included interesting and pretty pictures, I started writing those as well. It was exciting to send and receive mail and that feeling has continued to today.
- How did you come across Postcrossing? What got you hooked?
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While searching for new postcards on Amazon, I kept seeing the comment “these are great for Postcrossing”. It got me curious, so I researched it and joined that day!
- What is your favorite part of the Postcrossing process?
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I do get a thrill when I open my mailbox and see a card waiting for me, but my favorite part is connecting with people around the world — getting to learn about what matters to them and having a human connection. I now have many awesome pen friends around the world because of Postcrossing.
- Show us your mailbox, your mailman/mailwoman, your post office or the place where you post or keep your postcards!
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Once I started Postcrossing, my postcard numbers went from around two boxes of 100 to more than I can count. I store them in a big cupboard and file them either by category in containers or just store them all jumbled together.
When my son got a place of his own, we turned his room into “the postcard room”. 😂 It is always a bit of a mess because when I write I like to have everything in reach. Writing is no longer just pen and postcard. It is now stacks of postcards, stickers, pens of all shades, washi tape, etc., etc., etc.
- Show and tell us about your favorite received postcard to date, and what makes it special.
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Like most people, this is a tricky question to answer because I have “favorites” for different reasons. The day I received a Gotochi card was incredible! They are expensive to send and rare to receive, even more rare now that they are no longer produced, so I was elated to receive it. Postcrossers are very generous.
- Do you have any other interesting hobbies or collections?
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I like hosting and attending tea parties. Every summer for years, I would host a tea party in my garden for friends and family. Then I started caring for my disabled mother and no longer had the time to put such a grand event together. Thankfully, my friend Merida started hosting fairy tea parties at the summer solstice and she lets me help.
There is always a theme and wings are required — it is fantastic! My avatar photo is when I dressed as Cruella de Vil for the Disney Villain themed party last year.
My favorite though was when we had the party up in the forest in a mountain near my home. We hung lights from the trees and sat until dusk chatting, listening to the fairytale Merida writes for each party and feeling the magic around us. It was delightful when hikers would pass our little alcove and enter the lighted path and gaze in awe at a hidden fairy world. Everyone needs some magic in their lives and it doesn’t take much to create it.
- Have you inspired anyone else to join Postcrossing or start collections of their own?
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My 11 year old niece has enjoyed receiving postcards so much that she has decided that she wants to be a “postcard designer” when she grows up. 😀 That tickles me!
Also, as an elementary librarian, each National Postcard Day, I give every student a postcard, teach them how to write an address and write a short note. I give the older students a stamp so they can mail it to a family member or to themselves. I encourage them to say positive things about themselves and then send the card to themselves.
I always send a postcard to myself when I am on vacation and give myself a pep talk or pat on the back. It feels fabulous and I want the students to feel that too. It is a delight to watch them get anxious about when the card will arrive and then get excited when they receive it. The students now look forward to the activity.
- Have you been surprised by any place that you have received a postcard from or sent a postcard to?
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When I received a card from Cuba, I was over the moon because I know that is rare. It made me feel special, or as I like to say, la-de-dah.
- Have you met any other members in real life?
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I’ve been lucky to meet several people in our amazing postcard community. Each year we have a meetup in Utah, so it is great to meet local members.
One of my favorite meetups was when a Postcrossing friend of mine from Germany came to visit me and she met with us and we shared stories and experiences. She and I then spent a week together touring the incredible national parks here in Utah. It was an amazing adventure.
Last year I was able to go to the Netherlands and meet another Postcrossing friend, Neeltje. We feel close through correspondence, but it is even better to meet in real life — it solidifies the friendship. We toured Rotterdam, had tea in a windmill in Delft, laughed and talked — so wonderful.
I like the postcards, but I adore the people who write them.
- Is there anything else that you are passionate about?
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I truly care about the mental and physical health of children. Hobbies, activities and even home life have changed, and many children are not as active as in years past and overall health is declining.
Each January I teach a “Take a SELFIE” lesson that was developed by a licensed psychologist and I have tweaked it a little for children. I make a special bookmark for each student and encourage them to share the information with their families. They are things that we can all benefit from:
- Sleep (we could all get more sleep)
- Engaging activity (non-digital creativity like drawing, building with Legos, baking, writing postcards)
- Light (physically and mentally we need sunlight)
- Fitness (get up and move)
- Interact (talking face-to-face rather than through a screen)
- Eat healthy (whole foods, and plenty of water)
Every time I teach this lesson, I am reminded that I could do better to take care of myself. I am especially excited when a child tells me that they rode their bike that day or that they made sure they drank extra water during the week. Even small changes help us be healthier and happier.
- What’s one way that postcards have changed your life for the better?
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It has helped me broaden my view of the world, to care about people in every place, near and far. Like The Postcardist (the host of my favorite podcast) says, “Postcards connect people”, and that is not only true, but more important than ever.
We need to see our similarities, learn from and value our differences, and be united. We all live on the same planet and need to take care of each other.
51 comments so far
"Postcards connect people" is true, and more important than ever! When stereotypes and generalizations are the glasses through which we see the people of the world, each individual postcard teaches us that there are good people everywhere! Every little connection counts, and people far away become more than that general group.
What a beautiful read. Thanks for sharing your story!
Postcrossing has (significantly) positively impacted my life also. I have made best friends and pen pals through something as simple as a postcard. Here's to sending more postcards!
This little interview radiates such a positive energy! I think I just got inspired to host my own thematic tea party. Thanks so much for sharing :)
Lovely story
What a lovely person! Really nice to read that ❤️✨🌿💌 Thank you!
One of my favorite aspects of Postcrossing is "meeting" new people through postcards. . .the Blog is a great place for doing this in between exchanges. Thank you for the Spotlight on Triplightly -- she's an epitome of the Postcrosser Connection.
Such good vibes! Thanks !♥️
I love that you have the students write to themselves. What a great way to boost positivity and self-esteem! I live in Salt Lake City and would love to come to the next meet-up, if newcomers are allowed. I loved reading your post!
I love that you send postcards to yourself! I think I will start doing that when I travel.
I send some pep talk postcards to myself as well, sometimes I imagine a character and then write to myself from that character’s perspective. It is mostly some kind of mentor.
“Take a SELFIE” - That is a very good idea.
Children are looking at some kind of screen—whether at home, at school, or even at their grandma's home! I'm happy to have discovered new ideas about child-rearing at Postcrossing.
What a wonderful interview! Very uplifting! Helping children write (not type) something with their own hands is important, indeed.
I love postcrossing!
Absolutely wonderful!
Oh I absolutely adore the tea parties and how joyful your response is! Happy Postcrossing! :)
I really enjoyed reading about Triplightly. Connecting with people from all over the world is what makes Postcrossing so rewarding!
This was such a delightful interview, and Teresa/Triplightly is indeed a marvelous ambassador for Postcrossing. Here fairy tea parties sounded magical!
I also love the idea of sending yourself postcards. I've written in my newsletter about sending yourself notes and letters and there are lots of wonderful reasons to do it.
What a lovely uplift — thank you so much!
My life has also been greatly influenced by collecting in a positive way, and now that I've discovered Postcrossing, it's even more interesting. I've made deep friendships in circles where we exchange ideas about our interests and found pen pals thanks to something as simple as a postcard or a letter. Knowledge is amplified through the stamps issued by each country, you learn details from the people you write to, you share knowledge and information, furthermore, it's also useful for the new generations; writing is never banal. Congratulations on this great life experience, which has been useful to many people.
Wonderful, thank you!
Thank you for another great story!
The fairy tea parties drew me in! I also send postcards to myself from holidays. Meeting Postcrossing friends that you've corresponded with is so amazing and I totally agree that it cements the friendship. We are so fortunate to be a part of this wonderful 'snail mail' family.
This gives me an idea💡During an event in our library I’ll provide postcards, have attendees put name and address on paper in a bucket and before they leave have them draw a name from the bucket. This person they’ll send their postcards to maybe sharing their experience and thoughts of the event.
I’m so excited to approach my librarian with this idea. Thank you for the inspiration, Triplightly. I wish I had discovered postcrossing sooner in my life so I could have reached more children.
Ohhhh, the tea parties- Such a fantasy!.
SO encouraged to read this! Thanks for sharing your journey with postcards. Truly is a joy to connect with the world, and understand people better. I love my pen pals, too, and hope to meet many more!
Postcrossing definitely brought me happiness and friendship. And meeting the Postcrosser from this blog was so special. Postcrossing always remembers me that although there are so many bad situations going on in our world, there are always people who care about others. A friendly wor(l)d is just a postcard away!
You are so inspiring! Thank you for teaching children to write postcards!
What a delightful interview!
Your story is inspiring. I live in Salt Lake City but, I’m new to Postcrossing.
I feel so honored to be featured and I sincerely appreciate all the kind words. We belong to a wonderful community! Thank you to all and I wish you a full and happy mailbox.📬🌟💗
Very interesting! Thanks for the great story.
I am new to Postcrossing and would like to thank you for sharing your inspiring story! I found Postcrossing while looking for pen pals and am so happy that I have chanced upon such a wonderful community. I think that is such a great idea to send yourself postcards and awesome that you have made and met your Postcrossing friends in person.
thanks for sharing ! Love postcrossing
I love the fairy tea parties idea. I wish I didn't live so far away from you and could attend, as you sound like my kind of lady and I like your fashion sense! 🇦🇺
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Since I’m still relatively new here, I rarely check the blog and have only sent and received postcards so far. I first heard about Postcrossing through a radio program in Germany and signed up immediately. Having enjoyed writing letters all my life, this isn't a new experience for me—it’s something I really enjoy. I especially love receiving postcards that reflect my hobbies, and I try to do the same when I send cards myself. Since there isn't usually much room for text on a card if I want to describe something in detail, I print my message in a small font on my PC and glue it onto the card. I find this more personal than just writing a few lines by hand, because I want to actually share something with the recipient rather than *just* sending a card.
I also really like the photos in this thread showing how other Postcrossers store their cards. I’d love to make a collage with my favorite cards someday—we’ll see if I can pull it off. Warm regards to everyone here, Brigitte.
What a great Spotlight you shine! Thank you for the wonderful pictures and links.
I love Teresa, she is such a magnanimous person!
I couldn't agree more with everything said. Such a wonderful and uplifting read. Thank you.
Since 2013 I'm a happy Postcrosser and I love to be like that years to come...
Thank you for the Story.
Great post, thank you.
nice read - fairy parties sound fun🧚
Your students are lucky to have you :) ♥️
I really enjoyed reading about your journey, Happy Postcrossing!
What an amazing and inspiring story! I so enjoy seeing the positive ripples from our creative Postcrossing community. Onwards!
What a lovely read, today I just sent my 7th postcard on postcrossing, and I look forward to meeting friends here in real life one day!
Super interview! He each have so much to share and it makes the world a friendlier place. That’s something sorely needed these days. And in the end, it brings everyone participating joy. Win-win!
Beautiful spotlight✨️... wonderful to know my tribe IS out there!!...i asked for signs before I opened my eyes this morn, and then, in shuffling my phone, 'accidentally' opened this post!!!!🩷🥹🙌🏽...although I know Postcrossing overflows with magical souls. I'm in the process of creating my own 'mailroom' in my tiny apartment, and this gave me encouragement. Keep making magic, Teresa... the world needs more of this!!! 💞🐌
I once told Teresa she internalises the motto of "share joy through postcard". I am extremely happy to see her getting all the love here. Keep up the good work :)
"Postcards connect people", so, so true!
Love #Postcrossing
xoxo
Great interview, Teresa! Oh, how I miss the Postcardist podcast. But I recently read Frank Roche's new book "The Year at La Esquina" on Substack and it was absolutely worth the read.
Teresa is one of the best and I am lucky enough to have met her in person a few times!
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