Postcrossing Blog

Remember Art Unlimited, the Dutch postcard publisher with a passion for pictures?

They’re still going strong and their collection keeps getting better and better. Whether you’re into Dutch classics like Dick Bruna or Fiep Westendorp… or grand masters like Monet or Rembrandt… or perhaps you just really like umbrellas, alphabets or parrots? No matter how specific your taste, if it’s art, they probably have it! :)

They know postcrossers love their postcards, so they’ve decided to generously sponsor this weekend’s giveaway with 4 packs of 10 postcards each (from the sets below)!

To win one of these sets, visit Art Unlimited’s website and leave a comment below, telling us which postcard (or series) you liked the best! You can use the search box on the sidebar to browse their huge collection by keyword or artist. :)

Check back on this post around this time next week for the winners (randomly picked by Paulo’s number generator).

We’ve had the pleasure of meeting LadyP1964 (aka Penelope) on several Postcrossing meetups. She has a bubbly personality and a contagious laughter that cheers everyone up! :)

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

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

I used to play “Human Pets” (a Facebook game) and auctioned off postcards to get points to feed my pets (something you will only understand if you were a pet yourself). Someone there told me about Postcrossing – I have to admit though, that I don’t remember who.

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

This is my postman Michael:

And here’s one of my postcard walls:

And you can see my meetup photos on this gallery.

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

I have just looked through my complete collection (which is here btw) and I really cannot decide which is my most favourite card. I think I often have a favourite card received this week but of all time? Impossible! There are only few cards which I don’t like. Most of those can be found in my “others” album but that doesn’t mean that all cards in my “others” album are not liked. Sometimes people send me cards that don’t fit into any of my normal collection categories but I still think they are great. They are the cards that end up landing on my postcard walls. I have postcard walls in my kitchen and in my ironing room (I’m sure many men will joke and say that’s where we women spend most of our time – in my case its true, but mainly because that’s where my postcards are!)

Do you have any other interesting hobbies?

Job, partner, teenager, dog, cat and I organise a travelling envelope group on the Postcrossing forums – doesn’t actually leave much time for other hobbies.

I do like to visit new places and I have discovered that Postcrossing helps me there too. I like to go to meetups in various towns. That way I get to see new towns, meet postcrossers and buy postcards to swap with others.

I love playing various board games too and a whole group of friends get together every 6 weeks at each others houses to have a games evening.

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

Yes, a friend of a friend asked about my collection and after browsing through it, she signed up to Postcrossing and also joined me at the meeting in Würzburg last year. Her username is barfusstramperin.

My son got slightly addicted too. His Postcrossing name is Pixelpups. He sometimes joins me at meetups and that’s when he pulls his addresses to send. His cards are all stuck to his wardrobe:

Have you met any other members in real life?

I have met several postcrossers before as I have attended meetups in Würzburg, Nürnberg, Köln, Frankfurt and Bielefeld. I have had mini-meetings in Mainz, Berlin, Luxembourg, Salzburg, Bad Schwartau and Wiesbaden. In fact, once I had a mini-meeting somewhere on the motorway near Kassel. I stopped off on my journey for a cup of coffee and posted “I’m here” on Facebook. Another postcrosser replied within minutes that she worked up the road from where I was and would be with me in 5 minutes.

A looong time ago, we shared some tips about postcard sets that were available online. They’re cheap, great quality and quite handy when you need a bit of variety… or for when your local bookshop has run out of nice postcards! :)

Lately, we’ve seen a lot of new and exciting editions on the market, which means it’s time for a fresh roundup! The choice is rather overwhelming, so to narrow it down, we decided to focus on reasonably priced boxes of 100 postcards. Here are some of our current favorites that we thought you might like:

• House Industries 100 Postcards
• The Art of Pixar, Volume II: 100 Collectible Postcards
• The Impossible Project Spectrum Collection: 100 Instant-Film Postcards
• Live the Life You Love Postcard Box: 100 Hand-Lettered Postcards

• Sibley Backyard Birding Postcards: 100 Postcards
• Postcards From Puffin: 100 Book Covers in One Box
• Postcards from The New Yorker: One Hundred Covers from Ten Decades
• Paris versus New York Postcard Box: A Tally of Two Cities in 100 Postcards

• From the Desk of Jane Austen: 100 Postcards
• Doctor Who Postcards from Time and Space (our absolute favorite!)
• One Hundred Writers in One Box: Postcards from Penguin Modern Classics
• The Art of Classic Comics: 100 Postcards fom the Fabulous 1950s

Typography goodness, photos, magazine covers, illustration, children and grown-up themes… there’s something for everyone, and they’re a steal! :)

Got any favorites of your own? Do share your tips in the comments!

Hurray! The Belarusian Postcrossing stamp was officially launched and is now out and about! While we haven’t set our eyes on a real specimen yet, postcrossers of all ages met at Minsk’s post office yesterday to use the first stamps and maxicards. Victor sent us some photos of the event:

Brilliant! Victor tells us hundreds of cards were signed and sent, and lots of mailboxes all around the world will be happy soon! :)

Happy Postcrossing!

PS – If you’re curious, you can see many more photos here.

Good news, everyone! On January 2nd, Belpochta (the Postal Operator of Belarus), will launch a new Postcrossing stamp! Talk about starting the New Year with a bang! :)

Here’s what it will look like:

Isn’t it bright and cheerful? Each individual stamp measures 28×30mm and was designed by Inga Turlo.

The Belarusian Postcrossing community will be hosting a meetup on the launch day, which will take place in Minsk’s main post office. Stamps will be bought, and lots of cards will be signed and stamped with the special first day of issue cancellation mark… so if you’re in the area, do join them! :)

We’ve said a couple of times before, but it bears repeating: it’s an incredible distinction for Postcrossing to be featured on a postage stamp. Our heartfelt thank you to Belpochta for deeming the project worthy of such an honor – and of course, to all the postcrossers in Belarus. This stamp wouldn’t be possible without your enthusiasm! :)

Happy holidays everyone… and happy Postcrossing!