While browsing Flickr for inspiration, we found this charming set of Easter cards, uploaded by the National Library of Norway. They’re all really sweet, so we thought we’d share some of them with you!
Eggs, chicks, bunnies and children! Glædelig Paaske — Happy Easter! :)
Museums are great, but if you’re anything like us, halfway through an exhibition you’re already wondering what goodies they’ll have on the museum shop… right? :)
How many times have you been in a foreign city, walking around and being a tourist, secretly wishing you could just skip the monuments and go straight to the stationery shops instead… but had no idea where the good ones were?
Well, fret no more! Tessa Sowry from All Things Stationery is solving this problem by compiling a map of the best stationery shops around the world… and she wants your input too!
Head over to her site to get your stationery fix – and if you know of any really good stationery shops in your area, let her know. I’m sure we’ll all appreciate it when we visit that place!
And now, it’s time to plan the next stationery shop crawl… have a nice weekend! :)
Remember last year, when we wrote about Keri Smith’s new postcard book?
The promotional video Keri did highlighted one postcard in particular: a postcard that was made to be sent back and forth between friends! It sounded like a great idea, and I was itching to give it a try… And just then, PostMuse tweeted this serendipitous message:
Author of this postcard book suggests mailing same postcard back & forth. Can that really work? http://t.co/ErfHujhyou
— PostMuse (@PostMuse) October 22, 2013I suggested we give it a go, to see if it worked, and she accepted. YAY! I promptly mailed her my card:
Over the course of several months, we sent the same postcard between Berlin and Pittsburgh. With time, it became a sort of tiny journal, telling its story not only on the messages we wrote, but also in its stamps, postal markings, nicks and scratches. It even visited Ex Postal Facto and Postcrossing’s stamp launch in Guernsey!
And now, almost a year later, we’ve finally ran out of space. Here’s how it looks:
So, yes, it worked, and it turned out to be a pretty cool postal experiment too — one I can definitely recommend! :)
A looong time ago, we shared some tips about postcard sets that were available online. They’re cheap, great quality and quite handy when you need a bit of variety… or for when your local bookshop has run out of nice postcards! :)
Lately, we’ve seen a lot of new and exciting editions on the market, which means it’s time for a fresh roundup! The choice is rather overwhelming, so to narrow it down, we decided to focus on reasonably priced boxes of 100 postcards. Here are some of our current favorites that we thought you might like:
(our absolute favorite!)
Typography goodness, photos, magazine covers, illustration, children and grown-up themes… there’s something for everyone, and they’re a steal! :)
Got any favorites of your own? Do share your tips in the comments!
I must confess that I’m a bit of a fountain pen newbie. I love stationery, but I always found fountain pens slightly intimidating… as if reserved for professionals or seasoned writers – or perhaps presidents, signing important treaties!
But some months ago I discovered cheap disposable fountain pens and thought… I can try that! Turns out, I ended up falling in love with the way the ink pooled and dried on the paper, giving it shading and character. These days, a fountain pen is never far.
So when Postcrossing advertiser Kaweco offered to send us a couple of pens from their stationery line some months ago, I jumped at the opportunity to upgrade my little collection!
Kaweco was founded in 1883 in Heidelberg, Germany and comes from a long tradition of writing instruments. The brand is well known and loved all around the world, and their motto, License to write, is just enticing – as are their timeless designs.
Take the Kaweco Sport, for instance (top one in the photo above). After some research, I found out that the iconic design behind the Sport series has its roots in the Bauhaus movement from the early 1900s. The straight and sharp lines don’t let the pen roll on the table, conveying a practical feeling – form and function united. Mine is made of slick aluminium and feels solid yet surprisingly light. It’s already gaining a bit of a wear and tear from travelling around on my bag, giving it a bit of a softer, polished look.
The other fountain pen I received was the Kaweco Liliput. How can one resist such tiny little thing, I ask you? It’s less than 10cm long when closed! However, when the cap is posted, the pen is long enough to write comfortably.
The nibs are beautifully ornate and include the Kaweco logo (as do the caps), giving them a luxurious finishing. And how is the writing you ask? Smooth, effortlessly and… pretty, for a lack of a better adjective. If you’re planning to write postcards with it, please use a water-resistant ink!
But Kaweco is not just fountain pens! The company also uses some of their designs to make ballpoint pens and mechanical pencils, which look just as sleek. All of their pens and pencils are available on most specialized online pen shops – or through one of their physical retailers.
What about you? Do you have any special pens or writing instruments that you prefer? Do share your tips and advice – I’m still learning, and I’d love to know more! :)