My 2nd Wooden Postcard

Sent out my second wooden postcard on January 28th to a friend in the Fall River area. He's not expecting any mail, which always makes it more fun. He had moved, so I didn't have his new address but then he sent me a Christmas card.

I only have one wooden postcard left, who will be the lucky recipient?!

Touchnote App

Hi Everyone! Have you heard of this app? I didn't realize they had more than an app until I tried to find a link or information to post, but they have a real website, too. Website is here.

I can't take credit for finding it, boyfriend found it and used it while he was on vacation to send some postcards. You use your own photos, from your cell phone or your computer, upload them along with a note or an address and then voila, a postcard arrives to the recipient.

If you've not received one, or seen one that you've sent, the are nice, heavy duty cards. They come laminated and are very sturdy. It costs $1.99 to send a postcard, which is all I've ever sent. I buy a package of 6 credits for $9.95 which brings the price per card down to $1.66.

Front of a card I received, I didn't realize the border was optional (see below).

This is what the back of a card looks like. When you send it directly from your phone, it adds in a location and date stamp, which I love.

Home screen of the app. I actually sent a postcard with my face on it. 

This is what is looks like when you start a postcard. You can pick from some pre-fab things, they list those first. You can scroll down for your most recent photos or use the arrow to head to your phone albums.

Once you pick an image you can change the layout or add a caption to the front of the card.

This is where I learned that the white border is optional. These are all of the designs. I love that you can make a collage.

This is where you add the message and the address. You can make an address book in the app so you can just tap a name.

Then it keeps a log of all of the cards you've sent. When you tap on a card it will flip over so you can see the back. You can also re-send any postcard you've ever made, which is awesome. You can update the message and send the same card you designed to more than one person.

Latest Postcrossing Outgoing & NO MAIL DAY

Hi Everyone! These are the cards I've sent out recently.  I still have one out there traveling 21 days now... not sure what the delay is. Basically as one outgoing is registered I send out another.  Slow going! Is that what you all do? I'm wondering if I should wait until more get registered and then I can feel like I'm sending a chunk. I'm currently capped at 8 outgoing. 4 more cards registered and I'll be up to 9.

My little melodrama about what kind of postcards was resolved courtesy of Tara aka Taradactyl. She can be found here and here (her whole website is awesome). She used to live in Rhode Island, which makes her extra awesome.

Anyway, she said I was overthinking it. Then she offered to send me all of her Rhode Island leftover postcards. Um, yes! So my new PostCrossing motto is "you get what you get and you don't get upset". Like a 1950's kitchen.

Finally, we had a blizzard today, starting last night, and mail was canceled for today! My brother said they would have been fine, but I think it was nice for the men & women of the postal service to get to stay home if they could.

Latest Postcrossing Cards & A New Place to Shop

I don't know if y'all are aware, but it is pretty difficult to find Rhode Island postcards outside of Newport, especially the Stephanie Izzo ones that I like. I used to be able to get a big selection of them at my local Borders Books, but that is obviously gone now. Then I was finding them at a souvenir shop near me but the hours are terrible and if the business owner has a slow day, they shut the store down prior to the posted closing. But they have a pretty good selection. I found some cartoon-y postcards at another shop that sells all kinds of RI miniatures. Fortunately a new, larger and nicer souvenir shop has opened up not two minutes past the other shop.  I had a nice chat with the owner and I'm hoping they will bring in some more variety of post cards (they only had six out. SIX!). You know, for me and my Postcrossing friends :-)

My 1st Wooden Postcard

In September Boyfriend went to the Night Sky Festival at Acadia National Park.  We were supposed to go together but canine and work circumstances canceled my vacation plans.

Anyway, I do love this place, and I especially love the popovers at Jordan Pond House.  I enjoyed them several times at our camping trip to Acadia in the summer of 2013.  Since then, Jordan Pond House has changed hands with a lot of controversy.  I don't know if they will be the same or not, but I'm glad I got to enjoy them as the originals they were.

Some of the souvenirs that Boyfriend brought me were a trio of these wooden postcards.  I didn't think I'd send them but then I realized I shouldn't be so precious about my mail.  Mail is meant to be sent. Stationery not stationary, as the saying goes.  So Jessica said she liked to get mail (I sent her a card a week or so ago that I did not photograph with some vintage postage courtesy of Missive Maven and her Etsy Shop). So I thought Jessica would be the perfect 1st recipient of a Wooden Postcard, the 1st I've ever sent. Birch Postcards need a 1st Class Mail Stamp.

Let's Talk Postcards, Shall We?

I have way too many postcards.  I have The Art of Toy Story (box of 100), The Art of Pixar (box of 100) and last but not least I have the Pantone postcards (box of 100).

The only set I've really put a dent in is the Pantone box, I'm maybe 1/3 of the way through it.

For Postcrossing, I always try to send "local" cards (sent gallery here). I don't have a varied enough collection to meet what people on Postcrossing ask for and honestly I feel bad sending children's postcards to adults.

Lastly, I just bought these stunning beauties.  The Secret Garden book of 20 Postcards by Johanna Basford. 

I don't know what y'all do in your non-mailing time, but apparently "coloring for adults" is a thing. A friend of mine, whom I met taking a photography class, started posting photos of something she was coloring on Facebook.  I asked her what the heck it was and it was this book: Secret Garden: An Inky Treasure Hunt and Coloring Book. Well, then I was off and running. I drove to Barnes & Noble.  They were all out.  I checked Amazon, they were all out. I researched and then purchased "artist grade" coloring pencils. And when I was buying the colored pencils and I saw this lady made postcards, I bought them, obviously.

Specifically I thought my Aunt would love them because she is such a fan of gardening. I don't know that I would send them to strangers after coloring them, and I don't know if they would count as "home made postcards" on Postcrossing.

How do you all decide what to send to whom? Am I just over-thinking it?

And who wants to color with me?

Saturday Special: Blizzard Post Card Party

Saturday, February 9th, 2013, after spending the majority of the day shoveling out my house, I collapsed into bed and felt guilty.  I could do more laundry, I could clean my room, or I could work on some more mail.  I decided to get to the post cards I had been meaning to mail and put everything else off, since the mail didn't require me to be vertical.

This card went to my virtual friend Sara, of Box of Joy fame.  I bought all of the wolf post cards at the Colorado Wolf & Wildlife Center during my visit to Auntie Pat in September.

This awesome card is going to my cousin Sam, who lives in Hawaii.  I got this at the Letter Writing Social I went to and I have been saving it specifically for her.  This is from HI: 30 Postcards from Chronicle Books.

This post card is going to Hailey and is one of two Grand Canyon cars that Boyfriend brought back from his trip to California.

Two of these went out, one for Hailey and one for Preston.  I bought this on my trip to Acadia National Park.  Saw those Porcupine Islands myself.

Sent Hailey and Preston each one of these as well.

This one went to Hailey.

Preston got the second Grand Canyon card.

This is another post card I scored at the Letter Writing Social.  I sent this to my Auntie Pat, who lives there.  I thought she would be amused.

This one went to Kathy.

This went to Preston.

Another card from the Social, I sent this to my Aunt Michelle.

I sent this to my friend Nick.

And below are some photos of the postage I used for the cards.

Post Muse Mail: Incoming & Outgoing

I have received a few items from the prolific Post Muse since signing up for her amazing Orphaned Postcard Project.

These two post cards came in just the other day.

This came in back in August or September.  Shame on me.  Anyway, I love it.  I decided I love pretty much anything that arrives in a red envelope.  My photo does not do it justice, but the colors and texture on this is beautifully crisp.

I sent her back this super cute fold-n-mail that I had scored at the Letter Writing Social I went to.

Naturally, I ran out of room, so I folded up these extra pieces and put them inside.

I used my very first dinosaur stamp on this envelope.  Fortunately, when I was editing this photo I realized I was short postage, so I added some more.

Don't you just love these colors?

And the footprints?

This weekend in Post Cards

This weekend I went to the Cape and stayed at Boyfriend's house.  I packed up all of my mail swag so that I could devote the entire weekend to mail.  I even left my babies at home {sniff sniff}.  I'll be spacing the posts out so as not to dump it all on you at once, but everything I did this weekend will go out in the mail tomorrow and will be postmarked from the Cape.

I picked these cards up about two weeks ago from a shop in Mashpee Commons.  I love the texture of them  They are identical to the post card I received from my friend Jackie about Boston, only 4x6 instead of the larger {and preferable} 5x7.  The card above is heading to Melissa of Viva Snail Mail in reply to the post card she sent me below.

This was a reply to a letter I had sent to her in late summer.

I sent this to my friend Kathy, who loves sunsets and photographs and receiving mail.  I thought she would enjoy the oranges and reds.

I sent this to Post Muse, in addition to a letter, because she loves the Cape and I thought she would enjoy it.  Her letter will be shown in a later post.