Postcrossing Blog

… and we have a mission for you, if you wish to accept it! 😉 February 4th is Mail Carrier Appreciation Day and every year, we encourage you to make something nice for your mail carrier on this day. They’re the ones who walk, ride or drive miles and miles every single day, sometimes enduring harsh weather conditions in order to deliver all our mail… without them, this hobby would not be possible. So it’s time to say thank you, and make sure they know we appreciate their hard work.

This year though, we thought we’d give you an extra incentive… how does a $50 voucher from Pipsticks sound like?

All you need to do for a chance to win it is grab a postcard, write a nice message for your mail carrier or postwoman on the back and decorate it. Put your heart into your thank you message, and make use of that stash of crafty things you’ve been collecting for a while now: your rubber stamps, stickers and all those lovely washi tapes. Feel free to use old stamps as decoration too, if you’d like — these cards are meant to be delivered by hand or stuck on your mailbox for them to find on February 4th (or February 3rd, since this year the date falls on a Saturday). Make it sincere and make it stand out!

Once you’re happy with the result, take a photo or scan the postcard you’ve decorated and send the image to thank-a-mailman@postcrossing.com until the end of Feb 2nd (GMT). The best submission will win a $50 voucher from Pipsticks. We’ll announce the winner on Feb. 4th, and also show you the submissions we’ve received until then.

I’ve already started my postcard… but I really want to see yours! 😍 Come on, show us what you’ve got — and let’s make our mail carriers extra happy on their special day!

To say I’m a big fan of stationery would be the understatement of the year. Things like labels, washi tape, rubber stamps, or stickers just make me go all starry-eyed, sighing in delight… I treasure (read: hoard) all the bits and pieces that can turn postcards into mini-works of art.

Sadly, living in a small town does present some challenges, like the lack of nice stationery shops in a radius of 200km… which is why I’ve recently fallen in love with subscription services! They’re a godsend for those of us in rural areas, as the goodies come to us, pre-selected and nicely wrapped. Bliss!

Enter Pipsticks, a monthly sticker subscription club, offering an eclectic mix of sourced and self-designed stickers in two flavours: kids or grown-ups.

The kids pack (above) features animals, monsters, robots and funny puns in all their sparkly and puffy glory, while the grown-up pack (below) is a little less exuberant and more versatile, but just as much fun.

I quite like how their selection has a bit of everything: backgrounds, cartoons, labels, a white postcard, and of course both tiny stickers and bigger pieces, all ready to bring a pop of excitement to any postcard or occasion. Some people might prefer to pick and choose what they buy… but I for one, am quite happy to be surprised and not overwhelmed with choice. Also, it’s nice to have a selection of different things available instead of 3–4 sheets of the same designs.

To help you bring your postcards to the next level, Pipsticks is offering one lucky postcrosser a “Studio Sticker box”, which is a box loaded with washi tape, blank postcards and stickers. Sounds amazing, right?! 😍

For a chance to win all these goodies, leave a comment below letting us know one cool thing you’d like to see pictured in stickers more often! (Me? I’d vote for eggs. 🍳 The world needs more egg-citing stickers!)

Don’t forget to check out their website for more details on their fun subscriptions — or you can have a look at their Instagram for a peek of their previous and future packs.

As always, come back this time next week to find out which lucky postcrosser was chosen by Paulo’s random number generator!

Remember the World’s Smallest Postal Service (and their fantastic DIY activity kit) which we mentioned here on the blog some years ago?

Lea Redmond and her company have been busy creating lovely new things in the meantime, and we’re here to tell you all about one of their more recent ventures — a book of letters which you write to yourself, to read in the future! 😍

The “Letters to My…” are a series of themed books, each containing 12 paper time capsules (which are a set of 12 aerogrammes bound together in a hard cover). There are several themes to choose from, from letters to your “older and wiser” self, to your baby, mom or dad, grandchild, the bride…

On the Letters to My Future Self for instance, each letter features a prompt such as “things you never want to forget” or “promises you made to yourself”. As inspiration strikes, you write down these memories or pieces of advice on a letter, which you then seal with a special sticker and save for when the right time comes. We’ll let Lea show you how it works:

Each aerogramme is beautifully designed and the thoughtful prompts encourage us to sit down with our thoughts and plans for a little while, inviting reflection and appreciation.

We’re truly enamoured with this simple yet genius idea. Wouldn’t they make perfect gifts for snail mail lovers? We think so too, which is why we’re super excited that Lea’s company Leafcutter Designs shared some of these with us — so we can share them with you guys!

We have 2 copies of Letters to My Future Self to give to two lucky postcrossers who answer the following question in the comments: If you could write one short piece of advice to your future self right now, what would you tell yourself?

Good luck everyone — remember to check back on this post around this time next week, to know whether your name was picked by Paulo’s random number generator. And a big thank you to our generous friends at Leafcutter Designs, for sponsoring this giveaway! 😊

It’s been a while since we’ve had a giveaway here on the blog, so we thought it was time to bring them back! Partnering with us this month is Kaartfanaat, a lovely Dutch postcard shop we’ve featured here on the blog some years ago.

They’re still going strong and have since expanded their range to feature not just great postcards, but also boxed sets, books and other gifts. Lots of series will be familiar to postcrossers, from Fotofolio's black and white cards featuring famous people to Inkognito's humourous ones… there’s something for everyone!

On this month’s giveaway, they have generously offered to equip 5 lucky postcrossers with sets of 15 postcards of their choice. As a bonus, one of the winners will also be able to pick one item from the Book & Gifts section of their site! :)

To win one of these fantastic prizes, browse Kaartfanaat's website and leave a comment below, telling us which postcard, series or gift item you have your eye on!

Good luck, everyone! Check back on this post around this time next week for the winners, which will be randomly picked by Paulo's number generator, as usual.

PS – For the duration of this giveaway, Kaartfanaat is also offering a 10% discount on all orders from €10 (excl. shipping). Use the code postcard during checkout!

Is this year going by especially fast? I feel like I blinked and next thing I know it’s already April… whoa! The worst of winter is (hopefully) behind us in the Northern hemisphere and days keep stretching ahead, promising and enticing.

It’s a good thing we shook off our winter slumber now, because April is Write_On month! If you’ve never heard about it, here’s a little video to bring you up to speed:

Doesn’t that sound nice? The Indiegogo campaign they put together earlier this year went really well, and they used the funds to make and send thousands of writing kits (with stationery, pens and a zine) to everyone who signed up for them. Slowly, Write_On has shifted from a personal challenge to a cultural movement that is picking momentum, challenging people to develop better letter-writing habits. We’re all for more reasons to send mail and make people happy, so naturally, this sounds like a wonderful idea!

And because the people behind Write_On want everyone to write more, they offering to equip one lucky postcrosser with a mighty impressive set of stationery supplies, sure to delight the recipients of your correspondence! Have a look at the swag:

There’s postcards from Egg Press, pens from Sakura of America, boxed card sets from Chronicle Books, an assortment of cards from the Write_On sponsors, and a pin as well! 😀

To participate, leave a comment below sharing a reason for writing someone a postcard or letter. It could be something like “Thanking someone for being a great role model” or “Sending someone a list of places you’d like to go with them someday”… anything goes, as long as it’s a good excuse to write!

Good luck everyone, and remember to check back on this post around this time next week, to know whether your name was picked by Paulo’s random number generator. Thank you to the Write_On organisers, for putting together such a neat spread for this giveaway!