Postcrossing Blog

You might have seen these stamps and postcards around… they’re part of USPS’s GO GREEN program, meant to draw attention to the little things that you can do to make a difference and have a positive impact on the environment:

Out of milk? Walk or bike to the store. Repair that drippy faucet—the noise was driving you crazy, anyway. Switch to energy-efficient light bulbs. Put on a sweater instead of turning up the thermostat. Sun dry your sheets—they’ll smell wonderful!

Each postcard has a mix seeds of wildflowers, so you can plant it and watch it grow!

On this weekend’s giveaway, we’re offering 3 packs of Go Green oversized postcards, which come with matching forever stamps. You could plant them or just send them to your friends with a green message! To win a pack, leave a comment below. We’ll pick 3 random winners by midnight next Sunday, CET time.

These postcard packs were kindly offered by 9teen87. Brenda has a very neat postcard blog that you should visit!

PS – I did plant a couple of postcards, but nothing sprouted… I blame my non-existent green thumb, and I hope you have better luck!

The Singapore Philatelic Museum is once again preparing their annual exhibition dedicated to the Chinese Zodiac, this time featuring… dragons! These magical creatures have inspired legends and stories all around the world – from Saint George and the dragon, to Watatsumi, Tianlong or even… Dragon Ball!

No matter the dragon you know best, the Singapore Philatelic Museum would like you to share it with their visitors! So please send your dragon postcards to:

Singapore Philatelic Museum
23B Coleman Street
Singapore 179807

Mishelle Lim, who works at the museum, tells us that many visitors, young and old stop to admire and read the postcards sent by the postcrossers.
The exhibitions are usually very interactive, and especially attractive to the younger visitors of the museum – so please send a message to the little ones! You can tell them about your favourite dragon, or just say hi! Bonus points if you can find stamps with dragons as well!

As usual, all cards received before the end of the year will receive a reply from the museum – so don’t forget to include your address.

PS – Curious about what these exhibitions look like? Take a look at the previous editions!

Meet Amit Gupta. He’s the founder of Jelly and Photojojo, with whom Postcrossing had a long lasting partnership. Amit found out some weeks ago that he had acute leukemia, a very serious condition. He needs a bone marrow transplant by the end of the month.

The problem is, Amit is South Asian, and this ethnic group is severely under-represented in the bone marrow pool. He has little time left to find a donor.

So, as a personal plea, we wanted to ask you to please join a marrow registry today. It takes 2 minutes to sign up, and the test is really simple: you receive a q-tip, swab your cheek and mail it back. Furthermore, modern marrow donations are painless (like giving blood), and you might be the one to save a life.

If you’re in the USA, you can do it here. In Germany, register here. If you’re in The Netherlands, go here. Elsewhere, please see this post, or leave a comment below with instructions for the people of your country.

If you are already on a bone marrow registry, share this post with your friends and encourage them to register! But please do it fast, because time is running out for Amit, and others out there!

PS – If you need further incentive to join the marrow registry, some friends of Amit are offering a lot of money to the first match to enter the registry and donate his or her marrow to Amit.

Today on the spotlight we feature ddonkey (aka Agata), from Croatia. She’s passionate about travelling, postcards and… donkeys! Check out her interview below:

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

I’ve been in love with postcards ever since I was a kid – who doesn’t love pretty portable pictures? But my first collection were stamps (equally pretty, with even greater portability!)

I first heard of Postcrossing on a Croatian PC magazine, on a section titled 'Try these websites’… which I did! Up until then I had collected blank postcards; but now I am crazy about written & stamped cards – a beautiful union of pictures, stamps, cancellations and personal messages :)

Do you have any other interesting hobbies?

I guess that would depend on what is considered interesting! As many people here on Postcrossing I love travelling and photography, my dream is to make that combination my job one day! I also like watching movies, reading, solving crosswords… nowadays I’m learning to play the guitar, fingers crossed!

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

I work on the bottom-left corner of this picture:

I go home every third week for a few days on average (more now in post-holiday season). This is why I send mail once a week when the company boat does its rounds. I get mail from people who come back from their days off – my mum and many here have been employed as mailmen :)

And this is me, mailing some postcards in Peru:

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

Here is a collage of donkey postcards:

They are randomly chosen, or rather they represent the latest additions to my collection. I love donkeys because they are cute, sullen and under appreciated. I’d love to own a whole farm of donkeys! There are great farms in England and although Dalmatia is supposed to be their homeland, you rarely see them here these days… only in donkey races for the tourists in the summer!

What is your favourite part of the Postcrossing process?

Every true postcrosser enjoys sending as much as receiving. Apart from that, it is very gratifying when you receive a thank-you note – if the person loves your card, it can make you happy for the rest of the day! :)

I discovered these postcards on a random blog some months ago and their simple and sweet illustrations drew me in instantly. They’re made by Tasmanian designer Holly Webber. Holly spends her days doing freelance graphic design, and running the market, a popular seasonal market which gives local artists and designers the opportunity to showcase their wares.

Below are her answers to our interview about her lovely stationery line.

How did you get started doing stationery design?

For as long as I can remember (right from when I was a crafty kid!) I have always created my own cards. I officially started producing them in my second year of University when I began selling my photographic artworks in a local art gallery. As a graphic designer I spend a lot of time on the computer, constantly communicating via email. Email communication seems to have become the norm, but this always feels very impersonal when it’s with friends and loved ones. It’s very quick to send an email, but it’s just as easily gone, and yet it takes literally a few minutes to write a postcard, bring a smile to someone’s face and they can keep as a little piece of art on the fridge or wall. So early this year I started creating my range of illustrated postcards titled Letterbox Love – an easy way to say hello, without the formality of regular greeting card.

Where do you find your inspiration?

Baking! I love to bake and often deliver my baked goods in friend’s letterboxes which we refer to as 'letterbox love’. Cupcakes don’t tend to travel so well in the post, so I thought a whimsical illustration of one would be a good substitute. The heart balloon came about after I decided to actually call the collection letterbox love – I love the idea of post being delivered by a hot air balloon – how fun would that be to have a flying pig dropping a note into your letterbox! …Oh, and that’s my cat Coco peeping out from the basket of one of the balloons. As far as my design aesthetic goes – I love Scandinavian design for it’s clean lines and a good use of white space.

If you could define your style in 3 words, what would they be?

clean / whimsical / fun

Are you a postcard or letter writer yourself?

I had pen pals as a kid and do still write letters to some friends now, and I’ll always send postcards when I’m on holiday.

Can you show us a picture of your studio or workspace?

I thought I’d include a typical view from my desk…my cat Coco draped around my laptop – apparently iphones make good pillows, ha!

You can find Holly’s postcards at hollywebber.bigcartel.com.