Postcrossing Blog

On the recent post about airmail fashion, postcrosser Suzan (aka Silencio, from Denmark) wrote a comment to let us know about her airmail labels collection and blog.

Suzan has been collecting these often overlooked labels and stickers for over 2 years, assembling a very respectable and intriguing assortment! Here are some of our favorites:

Her impressive collection includes some vintage gems like these old Swiss labels and these Dutch ones, which are irresistible! Thank you for sharing your collection with us, Suzan!

Got an interesting mail-related collection? Tell us about it in the comments! :)

You know the expression “an image is worth a thousand words”? Postcards do tell a lot about themselves just from the pictures, but what if they could tell you more by listening to them? That’s right, what if you could listen to a postcard? Impossible? We thought so too… until now.

They are known as Polish sound postcards (or Polish Flexi-Disc Postcards) and they existed in the 1960's in Poland initially as a way to give access to western pop music.

But how’s that possible you may be thinking? The trick is that those were not regular postcards but slightly bigger and squared. On the front, there was a photo as any other postcard, but on the back, it had an engraved recording that you could play in a traditional record player. You could even record your own personal message at the beginning of it. Neat, uh?!

To lean more about them, check this video of Mat Schulz, an Australian currently living in Poland that collects these sound postcards.

Unfortunately, they don’t seem to be produced anymore (and almost no one has a record player these days) but it seems it’s still possible to find some in Poland in flea markets or in collectors shops.

Do you know any place that sells them? Then let us know in the comments!

Present&Correct is our kind of stationery shop: filled with tastefully handpicked goods from all over the world, ready to brighten up any desk. Updated weekly with sophisticated items & retro finds, you’ll find that every single notecard, rubber stamp or set of masking tapes is a temptation.

Going through a bit of nostalgia? They have original telegram envelopes, old-fashioned library stamps, or kitschy postcard sets in funky popcorn bags.

Or perhaps you’d fancy something a bit more modern? Try this Stamp Sheet Wall Planner, the Stencil greetings card or the unexpected Chalk Clipboard.

To write this review, I spent hours going through the selection and trying to narrow my wishlist to just a couple of items to order. The checkout was quick & efficient, and the goods arrived within the same week (they’re based in the UK, but ship worldwide).

First, let me show you the Giant Button card, which is a cute letterpress card on the shape of a button, in a white envelope. The reverse of the card simply says “You’re as cute as a button”. How cute is that? Perfect to cheer someone up – instant smile guaranteed!

Then, we have the Russian doll card. This is a very clever card, where the successively smaller matryoshkas are folded into the larger ones. Even the envelope is pretty neat! :)

Two weeks ago, Paulo & I took a little roadtrip to Amsterdam. After much vla, stroopwafles and hagelslag, we ventured into the obligatory visit to postcard shops to stock our collections. And what better place to do this in Amsterdam, than 'Friends of Art’, in Keizergracht 510?

'Friends of Art’ is a postcard & poster shop in Amsterdam that is well-known amongst local postcrossers – and for a good reason! Their collection is so vast that they have it neatly organized by themes and artists. No matter how peculiar your subject of interest is, you can find a postcard of it here! Sacha Siebels, who runs the 'Friends of Art’, tells us that postcrossers often come to the shop with lists of requests, trying to find that special postcard that will make the receiver happy :)

A big part of the postcards sold in 'Friends of Art’ are printed by Art Unlimited, a Dutch company founded in 1981 by Jos Smit, who we’ve met during this visit. Being in the business of printing postcards for almost 30 years, Mr. Smit has a lot of stories to tell – he can pick a postcard almost at random and tell us something interesting about the work of art or the artist who did it. He describes Art Unlimited's moto as “a passion for pictures”, shadowing away from touristic viewcards and prefering to focus on postcards with paintings, illustrations or artistic photography. His approach to which ones get printed is rather simple: “If I like it, there are bound to be others who like it as well!”, he explains. If the sales of over 300 million postcards in 35 countries are any indication, he seems to have excellent taste! :)

Last Saturday, a large group of Dutch postcrossers visited the Art Unlimited warehouse & shop in Alkmaar, and reported back with lots of photos – and postcards! Check out Jetske's lovely photos from the event.

Can’t visit Amsterdam? Don’t worry! Art Unlimited's postcards are available in museums and stationery shops all around the world, or through their online shop.

Ever heard of PostCardens? They’re tiny gardens that grow up in postcards! Intrigued? Yvi-1 tried them out and is here to tell you all about it! :)

Ever since I visited the PostCarden site, I knew that I would one day have to own one. Initially, these flowering greeting cards were only available in some of the countries of Europe. I waited patiently for their arrival in the US. Around the beginning of April 2010, B5+10 (Brooklyn 5 and 10), a US online retailer, began selling them. I ordered immediately.

PostCarden produces three styles which are all available at B5+10. I ordered all three – Botanical Garden, Green City, and Backyard Garden. At a cost of $12.95 USD (plus shipping), they are expensive as just a greeting card but inexpensive when one considers that it serves as both a gift and card. The best part is that these can be mailed! The Carden comes in a cute cardboard box that has space for an address and stamp and message on one side and an artistic image on the other.

I chose the Backyard Garden for my growing experience. Once I opened the outer carboard box, I found a second box which revealed a seed packet and what looked like a pop-out book. I followed the instructions and set up my Carden. The seeds provided are of cress. When the seeds grow the plant can be eaten. I set the Carden outside in my lanai. Each day I watered the PostCarden with about four tablespoons of water and then set it in direct sunlight for a few hours. Within 24 hours my seeds sprouted!

Visitors enjoyed looking at my PostCarden and it was definitely a point of conversation. Once watered, the seeds take on the strong earthy smell of a garden. My PostCarden cardboard warped a bit due to my messy watering practices and the fact that local humidity is currently between 70–90%. My Carden lasted almost two weeks.

I will leave it as a surprise to you what a fully grown PostCarden looks like. Unfortunately, my PostCarden did not grow as high as the sample pictures on the official site but I attribute that to high temperatures and not enough water. I did not choose to eat the cress but was happy to find that the PostCarden is fully recyclable or mostly compostable (there is a thin plastic tray to prevent leaks). I have two PostCardens left and will be sending them as gifts soon!
Note that mailing seeds may be restricted by country, region, or state.

PS – Postcardens are sold on the PostCarden site, or through one of their worldwide retailers. And they have just released a fresh new batch of them, perfect for the World Cup! Check them out! :)