Postcrossing Blog

Valerie from Paris (but currently in New Zealand) learned about Postcrossing from a penpal site. She is 24 and enjoys riding horses and photography.

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

I had been penpalling for a long time and heard about postcrossing on a penpal site. I was moving out of my parents’ place in only a couple of weeks and I thought it was a good idea to get some nice mail in my own new private mailbox. Since then, thousands of postcards and many good friends later, I’m totally addicted. :D

Do you have any other interesting hobbies?

Travelling, taking pictures, horse riding (all 3 at the same time is the best)!

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

My mailbox is old and ugly; that’s why I need colorful and nice postcards to fill it! My postoffice is not really any better, but I get to post my mail in the bright yellow boxes! I’ve never seen my post(wo)men, so sorry no pictures. I’m not home during the time the mail is delivered. I keep all of my regular size postcards in albums and all oversizes in a big box not counting the ones that are on my walls. I have no idea how many I have.

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

It’s hard to choose one card and usually what makes me like a card is more the message on the back than the picture in front! But I do have one that I find special—one of my first official received from Finland. I’ve said in my profile that I like handmade cards and this girl (14 y/o at the time) sent me a lovely watercolor card she did from the “fox lake” that is near her place. All cards received from my forum friends are so special to me too!

Heidrun, 49 y.o., coming from icy Iceland. She’s a warm person that enjoys planting trees as a hobby, doing deco books and of course, sending cards! Her 9 y.o. son is already a devoted Postcrosser too.

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

I found a link that was in the homepage of the Icelandic Mail Service. I believe it is not there anymore. I had collected postcards for years (written and stamped) so this was just what I wanted. A wish come true!

Do you have any other interesting hobbies?

My other hobby is planting trees, we have some land where we can plant and grow them. Trees grows slowly here – but we don´t give up. And I also do decos (small books where you put a picture and it travels between people. Everyone does one page and finally it goes back home.That’s in Yahoo Groups (for example: Old_decos_and_homers). It is related to scrapping.

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

Hedrunhlin’s shy mailman and one of the mailboxes:

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

My very first Postcrossing postcard was a special one. Sent from France by a Finnish Postcrosser, from a place where I had been years before. But every card I get is a special one and I feel the kindness when people choose something I will like. My son is also a Postcrosser (Hemmi) and people have sent him such nice cards too. Happiness is getting a postcard from a stranger wishing you all the very best.

(On our way to plant trees)

Raymond “Skip” Empey or Papa Skip is 69 y.o. and lives in Massachusetts, U.S.A.. His passion for lighthouse postcards led him to Google “postcards”. Check what happened next…

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

I have collected lighthouse postcards for years, I actually have thousands of them from 1900 through today. Always looking for a new source I Googled “postcards”. Needless to say Postcrossing was one of the items that came up. “Well this looks interesting”, I think that’s what a mouse says before he sticks his head in the trap. I remember starting with 5 cards and I very quickly got addicted. I have met many wonderful people. Some like a card and say thank you others write a comment or more. Some make an effort to find a card that you have mentioned in your profile and or put special postage stamps on the card. Everyone is different but by in large I have found 99.9% of the members are really very nice. I always write a small paragraph when I register a card and ask for a address so I can send a thank you card. It’s something I can afford to do but not something I expect anyone else to feel they have to.

Do you have any other interesting hobbies?

My biggest hobby is lighthouses, along with postcards, I also collect stamps, postmarks, books and photographs on the subject. My wife and I have visited all the accessible Lighthouses in North America and many hundreds around the world. During the Summer months I am a volunteer at Boston Light (1716) for the National Park Service and the U.S. Coast Guard. I also narrate harbor cruises for a Boston Cruise Company where I tell the history of the city, harbor and islands. I also narrate lighthouse cruises along the Massachusetts coast, four north of Boston and two south of Boston each Summer.

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

Picking up my mail.

Entering new cards into my computer.

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

I have because of Postcrossing hundreds of favorite postcards. When someone lives away from the sea and makes an effort to find a card picturing a lighthouse that’s a favorite. When someone includes some interesting comments that’s a favorite. Each day when I go to my mailbox and there is a card or cards they become my favorite. I have lived a very blessed life with a wonderful family and friends but because of Postcrossing the blessings continue to come as I am constantly gaining and developing new friendships.

Jocelyn, 39, Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA. For her, Postcrossing is a full time job. It must be, she receives an average of 5 to 20 cards a day. Learn more about Joce and her activities in Postcrossing.

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

Over three years ago, I was a big part of Flickr's The Biggest Group thread. We had a sub-thread called TBG-Traveling Postcards. I immediately loved the idea of sending and receiving postcards within the USA and throughout the world! I found Postcrossing through a flickr friend in The Netherlands (who is not on Postcrossing anymore) and I was immediately hooked – sending and receiving officials and participating in the forum. Wow! What a concept! I was amazed at how friendly everyone was! I would have never thought that so many people could be just as addicted as I am! I currently host the two largest round robins: Color RR and Photo RR.
I have met so many people through Postcrossing. It’s amazing how many friendships have developed over the past few years. I am very grateful to be a member of this wonderful site.

Do you have any other interesting hobbies?

Aside from postcard collecting, I love to cruise! I have been on over 26 cruises that have sailed all throughout the Caribbean. What an excuse to cruise too – oops, I am out of postcards, I must cruise again to replenish my stock so I can trade! I live in the desert so I can’t get enough of the ocean. Photography is also a great love of mine. It’s interesting capturing unique photos of people, places and things. Postcrossing is a full time job (but a fun one!) so I don’t want to have any other hobbies!

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 where I run home to check everyday (except Sunday). Sometimes the box is full – I receive, on average, 5 to 20 postcards per day! I used to have a wonderful system to store my postcards (in photo boxes, alphabetically by country) but since I started scanning them and uploading to flickr, my system turned into a mess. A neat mess though! I have many bins of postcards that have been scanned, bins that are ready to scan and bins of cards available to trade. No matter how they are stored at the moment, I love each and every postcard I receive!

And here is a part of my postcard collection:

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

I absolutely love this postcard. It’s a simple wish for my birthday when I turned 39 in November 2008. The little girl on the card is blonde and just so beautiful. The girl reminds me of me, when I was young; so sweet, innocent and happy! The colors on the postcard are vibrant and bright and every time I look at the postcard it makes me smile. It was written and stamped from Thaddee Calisson, Paris, France.

Américo is 58 y.o. and lives in Santiago do Cacém, Portugal. He joined short after Postcrossing was born and is now amongst the Top 50 with more than 1400 cards sent. He has favorite cards but above all, he distinguishes the people who send them.

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

I have read about Postcrossing in an online portuguese newspaper just a few days after the project begun and decided to visit it. Just for curiosity…!!! I got hooked by the possibility to receive cards from different people all over the world. From that moment on I became a compulsive postcard collector!

Do you have any other interesting hobbies?

I love reading, listening to music, swimming, walking on the beach and surfing the net.

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

This is the mailbox where I post my cards. It’s the only one existing in the very small village of Vale de Água.

The stairs are used to help some people to reach the box because it’s too high (just kidding !!!)

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

Obviously I have my favorites among all cards I have received. However I think I prefer to distinguish those Postcrossers who have tremendous difficulties to get a simple postcard (for a lot of reasons) and send it everytime they get an address.