Postcard from Kiev

Here is my latest postcard from the sweet Irina. That magical architecture gets me every time!

A visual demonstration of the Postcrossing effect!

This video is actually three years old but I can't remember if I've seen it before or not. If I have, I need to slap myself hard for forgetting because I love it! It was made by Mrs Postcrossing herself, Ana. Hope you enjoy it and maybe leave a comment if you feel like it. (~_^)

Incoming

Ciao postcard heads; these are the three cards I've had in the last few days. It's incredibly bitter cold and wintry here in the UK at the moment, so it was lovely to find some friendly missives on the doormat as I made my way to huddle over a cup of cocoa by the fire. 

 

First up is this tranquil scene from Ontario - I love harbours so I'll be sure to treasure this. The sender tells me it's cold in Canada already too, so that made me feel a little bit better. If it was Barbados, I'd have been so jel!

This buffet platter of pretty pics hails from German parts - the sender is a biiig Sopranos fan just like me! Woop-de-woop-de-woo. "Ya douchebag."

Ah, Finland. Fanatical about suicide, fanatical about Postcrossing. Pardon my troll, this is actually a beaut of a card and the sender sounds like my secret BFF, knitting and kittens being her raison d'être. Brills <3

Cool things to write on a postcard

Oh hello, www! Guten tag and welcome to my brand spanking new blawg. After a few years of Postcrossing, I certainly know my way round a postcard, having sent a few hundred of the things. But what can you write that is different, exciting and will leave a bit of an impression on the receiving end? I put my old decaying grey matter to the grindstone and came up with a few ideas! 

• A poem or haiku. This would definitely be different - and hilarious if you manage to come up with some genious rhyming couplet involving your hometown! I haven't ever got one of these myself but I would be sure to instantly love whoever wrote it for me. 
• A small drawing or painting. I love it when Postcrossers - mostly from the Far East - draw a little face or cat (which I list as my favourite animal) on their postcard for me. It's so cute and they can be very clever. But you could even try no words at all (other than the registration deets obviously), and do a watercolour or portrait on the writing section of the postcard. Even if your art skills aren't up to much it would be so special and probably leave a lasting impression.
• Live Postcross your day! Ok, it might sound silly, but writing all the little things you've been doing on the day you write the postcard can be fascinating from a different cultural perspective, and will make the postcard personal and heartfelt.
• Tell them your favourite internet destinations. Listing all the sites you like to visit will be interesting as most Postcrossers are pretty tech-savvy, not to mention curious! It's a great way to share cool things to do and see online.
• Tell them a secret. It doesn't have to be anything major - this isn't PostSecret! But a little thing you've never told anyone else can be told to a friendly Postcrosser without the harsh judgment of someone you know intimately. It might be quite theraputic.
• One of my favourite ever postcards came from an American Postcrosser who said something like: "I love 80s films - they're all awesome." It was memorable and really made me laugh! He didn't have to go into any more detail about himself - it was a perfect insight. Try one little piece of info that says it all.
• If you are into calligraphy, give someone a thrill by fine-writing them a message.
• Say what the best thing and the worst thing about your country - we're all here to learn more!
• Name your favourite song, film and book of the moment.
• What's your favourite YouTube video?
• What did you think of their country or continent when you were a child?
• Describe your perfect day.
• What was your best ever birthday present?
• What are your neighbours like? Describing what sort of people you share your landscape with could be interesting, maybe even surprising to someone in a different country. 

Well, folks, that's all the ideas this old noggin could churn out for today. I hope it inspires you to be more creative with the back of your postcards - and if you have your own tips, please leave them for me in the comment section! I'd really like to know. (~_^)