Postcrossing Blog

Vicki (aka Mundoo), a very valued member of the Postcrossing team, has been involved in Postcrossing for over four and half years. She is a self-professed computer geek and enjoys Geocaching and Pathtags.

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

I saw Paulo promote it on bookcrossing.com and wondered what it was about. I was the third Australian to join and loved the international aspect of it. I got hooked when I received my first postcard. It was such a good thing to find in my letterbox instead of a bill. So bright and colourful, so full of good wishes and friendship.

Do you have any other interesting hobbies?

I am a computer geek. Before Internet, (yes there was a time before Internet) I used to operate a BBS (Bulletin Board Service) from my kitchen. In 1988 I was the second female in Australia to be a sysop of a BBS. It was called Computer Connection.

I enjoy geocaching from geocaching.com as it challenges me to find hidden treasure in my surroundings with my GPS and takes me to places of interest and out of my computer chair. I have a collection of pathtags that I collect via pathtags.com, they appeal to me because they are similar to postcards in that they tell a story with just a picture.

I love to do cross-stitch and since getting a digital camera also take heaps of photos of the everyday world around me. I take a lot of sunrise photos which show where I live which is about 20 feet from the water’s edge in the estuary of the longest river in Australia – the Murray River. My house is surrounded by a national park – Coorong National Park – which is a RAMSAR world environment site and I am very interested in the environment and my surroundings. I am an active board member of a govt. environment group and a member of my local Hindmarsh Island Landcare group. I like planting trees. I am also the Postcrossing Forum Administrator and part of the Postcrossing Team.

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

Hindmarsh Island has no mail delivery so I rent a post office box in the nearest town of Goolwa (15km away). The Goolwa post office was the longest active post office in Australia still in its original premises since 1857 but has recently moved to new premises. My PO box is very nondescript and surrounded by equally nondescript boxes.

The new premises are in the local shopping mall.

There is a small staff who are always cheerful and used to me always buying postcards and international stamps. The lone male postie was camera shy but the ladies insisted and as you can see he ducked behind them at the last second.

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

So hard to choose my favourite. I actually have 2 that I always smile about a bit more often.

Beautiful handmade postcard that I have framed and put on my bedside table. I love waking up in the morning and seeing the friendship in this postcard sent by flyers.

The other is a delightful postcard. It comprised of the shaggy dog who was holding the tiny envelope in its mouth. The envelope contained the little card.

As you can see I appreciate the work that goes into handmade postcards.

Every year, Postcrossing collaborates with the Singapore Philatelic Museum with one very special exhibition. But it’s not just every year, it’s every Chinese new year! The exhibit celebrates the Chinese Zodiac animals: Year of the Rat, Year of the Ox and, the current one, the Year of the Tiger.

A few month ago, we have requested Postcrossers from all over the world to send them postcards with tigers that they used to display in their exhibition: Crouching Tiger, Hidden Danger. And, as always, Postcrossers have excelled in their contribution and offered a shower of postcards.

Mishelle at the Musueum shared some photos that we now share with you all:

Happy Year of the Tiger! :)

Next on their tour around the world, our little mail carriers stopped in the Bahamas! We’re extremely jealous, and living vicariously through them :) Enjoy the sunny report that islander61 sent us:

Ana and Paulo’s next visit was to Nassau, Bahamas, home to islander61 and dancingkittycupcake. Nearby Yamacraw Beach was their first stop to build sandcastles and relax on a towel on the soft, white sand (watch out for that crab!) The little boats were the perfect size for a ride; who got the red one?

Later, Ana spotted the lighthouse that has guided ships into Nassau’s blue water harbour since 1816. They climbed over a cannon and Paulo was amazed at the size of the visiting cruise ships. They explored the sculpture of Woodes Rodgers, Royal Governor who expelled pirates in 1718, found a red mail-box and tasted paella at a seafood festival. Montagu Beach was the place for a seaside treat of spicy conch fritters and cool, sweet Goombay Punch.

Another day, a drive across the Paradise Island Bridge for a wedding anniversary lunch at The Cove, Atlantis (they really liked the wine!) and a quick peek at the aquarium.

A ride home from school in dancingkittycupcake's uniform pocket and a chance to investigate the backyard seagrape, mango and coconut trees. Coconut water was so refreshing on a hot, hectic day that Paulo needed a nap!

Finally, we baked cookies for our guests. Look, the egg even had two yolks! A special egg for two special visitors, Ana and Paulo.

Thank you islander61, and dancingkittycupcake for hosting the little mail carriers! And now, on to new adventures! :)

Welcome to the second installment of our monthly contest!

This month, we challenge you to embrace your inner copywriter and come up with witty captions for some handpicked postcards.

Here they are:

#1:

#2:

#3:

So, use your imagination and submit a comment with a funny/quirky caption for one (or all) of these cards. Enter as many as you like! We’ll gather them all in the end of the month and select the best one for each.

And what’s in it for you, you ask? Well… we happen to have packs of MOO postcards for the winners of the best caption for each image! That means if you win, you get a pack of professionally printed postcards with neat ready-made designs or your own pictures!

What are you waiting for? Go go go! :)

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 :)