I absolutely adore going to the Postcrossing website and simply spending a while perusing peoples' profiles. Yup, I'm one of those curious types - "nosy", for want of a better word - and it's endlessly fascinating to see the different ways people use to describe themselves - and what wonderful self-portraits they often end up being. Something that always makes me lol, however, is when it comes to listing what cards people would like. More specifically, the ones they very much wouldn't like. This usually goes as follows:
- Animals
- Birds
- Children
- Flowers
- Self-made cards
- Ad cards.
Ok, I kinda get it with ad cards. I've had a few myself and of course it's a little disppointing that someone picked up the nearest piece of crap that fell out of a newspaper and sent it to you, all the while in line for someone else's thoughtful card. Major suckage, I know. Then again, I'm never one to look a gift horse in the mouth, so into my organiser it goes, only to be retrieved on a day of self-flagellation.
But come on, chaps - who wouldn't like a kitten on the doormat? Or a puppy? An innocent child, a beautiful flower - or a sweet card that someone lovingly hand-crafted? Why would anyone rudely and pre-emptively reject what is only intended as the kindest of gestures? When you look at it like that, it all starts to seem a bit silly, this snobbery about "cutesy" (their word) cards. Each Postcrossing sent to you is a little moment of friendship so don't be so darned fussy!
People also moan about multi-view cards. This is quite unpleasant because not everyone has a big selection to choose from in their local shop, and anyway, multi-views are nice! They show different aspects of a place so it's always interesting.
I must give the best "Do not send me..." to myself, however. "PLEASE NO NUDITY" was the message I had to hastily add to my profile after several German Postcrossers inexplicibly sent me nakey men. I don't know what the postman must have thought.
Here at Musings of a... I like to think of myself as a friendly little bunny which is why I made this bloggle its very own Facebook page. That way it's easy to click the like button and get all my posts direct to your feed, no messin'. So please feel free to give me the thumbs up on there and I hope you'll enjoy what ye shall receive :))
Good day to you Postcrossing lovers! Are you a Postcrossing widow looking for the perfect present for your obsessed other half? Or maybe it's you who loves PXing and you need a few ideas to add to your wishlist? Well, hopefully my little guide is going to help you. Here's some lovely things any Postcrosser would be delighted to open under the Christmas tree.
First up, a letter rack is perfect for Postcrossing enthusiasts because you can put your newly arrived cards in there to sort later or leave your newly-written outgoing cards there to post. It would look equally good on a hallway table as on a desk. There's tons of designs available but I particularly like this one from Amazon UK for £6.99.
Maybe this is silly but I love the idea! Buy this cardboard greeting card display stand, again from Amazon UK, and fill it with a selection of new postcards - the recipient can have it on their desk and it'll be like having their own postcard store every time they want to do some Postcrossing! How cool would that be?
This is the same kind of thing, but it might be better for people who send hundreds of cards a month, because it would be quite expensive to fill up.
But where to put all those precious recevied cards? I can't think of a better way to store - and pore over - your Postcrossing gems than a stunning leather-bound postcard album like this! But, oh dear, bad news. Though once popular they seem scarce available nowadays. Ebay or a local vintage shop might be the best place to look.
I do like this one, even if it doesn't quite have the same Antiques Roadshow vibe. It holds a whopping 200 postcards and is available on Amazon for £9.
There's also photo boxes like this that work equally well for ye olde postcards!
Without stamps there would be no Postcrossing, but how about a special place to keep them? Little silver stamp envelopes like this can be found in vintage or antique shops, or on eBay at quite reasonable prices. A useful item to really treasure!
Or, turn your postcards into an amazing wall hanging with this!
It can really enhance the Postcrossing experience if you get a map of the world to put on the wall and pin all the places you send cards to. Ooh, educational!
There's loads of really nice postcard albums available from book shops, online stores et al, but I hadn't seen one like this before! It's for sale on NotOnTheHighStreet.com for £4.50 and with it you can create your own ransom-style postcards. Ok, if you're going to use it for Postcrossing, be sure not to freak someone out with a threatening message...do a funny one instead!
This purse in a postcard design would do any Postcrosser proud!
I admit that now I'm getting into the realms of not-strictly-Postcrossing, but as I'm guessing most fanatics are, like me, stationary-heads, I couldn't resist sharing this amazing writing set in the Russian doll design. It's £22 but I'm willing to dip into my overdraft to get it! It's probably too nice to ever actually send to anyone but still ;)
So what is the best pen to write a postcard with? I have to say that I take my handwriting very seriously and I'm quite the pen fanatic. It's a very important point and I'm going to stick my neck out and say you can't beat the Pilot V5 Hi-Techpoint. It's smooth, ultra precise and makes my handwriting look better than ever before, almost like a proper grown-up's. That's unless...
...the postcard has a shiny texture on the back, in which case the Pilot V5 can be a bit wet and take literally hours to dry - and I'm at my most annoyed if I pick it up too early and smudge it to hell. No, the Staedtler Triplus Fineliner is a much better option for those shiny brutes, as the ink is kind of drier and doesn't sit on the surface like the V5. I swear to you that your handwriting will look a hundred times better if you use one of these pens! They are widely available in lot of shops' stationary sections so keep an eye out.
So there you have it! My Postcrossing gift guide is complete and I hope it gave you a few different ideas for Christmas. Or wait till their b'day and make them a cake like this (~_ )
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. (~_^)
