Ellsworth Kelly Stamp Release

Today is the anniversary of the release of the first Forever Stamp in 2015. So it seems only fitting to release a stamp on this day, and what could be better than these colorful art stamps? Ellsworth Kelly was a prolific artist mostly known for his abstract style. You can find his art in many places throughout the world including the Empire State Plaza where you can find his sculpture "Yellow and Blue" (seen below).

Will you be buying these stamps? I think I will. I can see them pairing quite nicely with some mail art. 

Mail A Letter Online???

Ok...I feel like this defeats the purpose...but here goes. Did you know you could type out a letter on your computer and pay strangers to mail (and probably read) it for you? Starting at just $1.52 you can have them print the letter, address the envelope and mail it anywhere in the world. I'm not going to lie, I am highly tempted to try it. But that would require paying to mail myself a letter. I just feel like that takes the personal aspect out of doing it. I mean...the whole point to writing letters and sending mail is to connect with people in a way that is unlike our modern times. So I guess you can say I don't understand the need for this service. However, if you would like to try it out please feel free to click this link. 

Am I the only one who finds this service completely absurd?

Informed Delivery?

Have any of you signed up for the Informed Delivery service that is offered by the USPS? I just requested my verification (by mail of course), but this has be curious if anyone else is using this service?

No Postage Necessary...

...if mailed inside the United States. I am sure you all are familiar with this phrase, but in case you are not here is an example of where to find it.

This is a form of Business Reply Mail. Essentially the business asking for an answer will send you the envelope with essentially prepaid postage. When the business gets your reply their local post office calculates the postage that is due for delivering that piece of mail (and all others) for that specific business. 

After noticing this in the corners of my envelope I got to thinking recently about how much money a company has to spend to get replies from consumers. I know a few people think its fun to send these envelopes back empty, just to "stick it" to the company itself. However, did you ever think about putting a stamp on that envelope? Stick with me...what if the envelope is coming from a charity asking for a donation. Even if you agree to donate and send that reply the charity has to pay postage on it. If you attach proper postage you not only donated but also saved the charity a small amount in postage. Every little bit helps. 

Have you ever attached postage to envelopes like this?

Mail Call Monday

Dropped more goodies in the mail a few days ago. Hoping to make more people smile. In the pile was one card in particular that I enjoyed writing above all others. I was asked to help encourage a young girl who doesn't particularly like school by praising her passing the third grade. As well all know positive reinforcement is always a good thing. Needless to say I always enjoy sending mail, but sometimes there is one or two letters/cards that are more meaningful to write.

What did you send this week?

Stamp Sunday: Wild and Scenic Rivers

I am sure many of you probably snagged these stamps when they released on the 21st. I unfortunately forgot they were coming out...which meant I forgot the stamp ceremony. *eyeroll*. The most disappointing thing about this is that the stamp ceremony was in Bend, Oregon. This is just 15-20 minutes drive from here. I wanted to attend, but again...brain fog got the best of me.

Anyway, the Deschutes River is featured in this set (far right, third one down). The Deschutes runs through my town and the neighboring ones. You can float the river in summer time and watch a myriad of water fowl and other animals drinking or swimming in the river. The Deschutes allows us to irrigate the farmland that is all around this area, so without it we would be completely lost.

My local post office did not have the stamps when I asked. I was told they only received 10 sheets upon the release. This further shows I will have to visit Bend for my stamp needs. OR wait for them to arrive from USPS online store.

Are any of these rivers close to you?

Where Did My Week GO??

I honestly had planned on writing posts as soon as I returned from my trip this past week, but I was feeling under the weather and I had some craziness going on at work. I feel like I am allowed to take a bit of time away as I want this blog to be fun. If it becomes work then I probably will not enjoy it as much. Anyway, let me tell you about my trip!

We were stopped at a red light in Salem Oregon and I loved the color combos (and subjects) of this painted wall. I must say I have seen more wonderful murals out in the wild on the west coast as compared to the midwest.

The weather was good for our trip for the most part and even though it did rain a little we were still able to visit a few of my favorite shops while on the coast. We went into a store called Astoria Hardware (that I of course forgot to take pictures of....next time!) that has lots of vintage hardware, books, furniture and more. I didn't purchase anything from there this trip but I know there are a few things that I will pick up if they are there next time.

From there we stopped by the Astoria Post Office and Customs House.

This was as good a picture as I could capture without crossing the street and possibly drawing some odd stares. The outside of the building is what I would consider very typical of post offices I have been to back in Ohio. You could tell the building has been there for quite some time.

The inside was gorgeous. It was clean and friendly and almost a bit regal seeming. One of the big differences from the inside of other post offices I have been to was the marble. It was everywhere in this post office. I wish I had taken a picture of the inside room. *sigh* Add that to my list for next time.

The post office boxes themselves have a very vintage feel to them. I love the numbering on them and in my opinion are much better aesthetically than the gray box that I now get my postal love in. Oh well. We can't all get our mail in beautiful boxes like that.

This post office also had lots of stamp variety. Which is amazing! I am telling you I wish all post offices did! My local post office doesn't carry much variety, even when the stamps are released here (that is for another post though). I picked up another sheet of the intercontinental railroad stamps as well as Scooby and Cactus Flowers stamps. The lady who helped me was warm an inviting and even gave me a glassine envelope so my stamps wouldn't get damaged.

I went to another post office in Seaside proper and they didn't have as much variety for stamps, but I did pick up the Little Mo stamps as well as a copy of USA Philatelic. The lady working the counter was not as friendly (quite honestly she seemed like she hated her job). Overall, I would go to either post office again as the Astoria one is beautiful and the one in Seaside is near other shops I frequent.

Before we arrive and as we are leaving we always stop at a convenience store called Snack Jacks. I think I take a picture of this set of dilapidated po boxes every time we pass them. There is something about the weathered blue and red that I just love.

Do you look for postal items when you travel? I think my new favorite thing is visiting the post offices and seeing what they have to offer. I will be doing that again in a few weeks on a trip to Arizona to see family. :)

More Soon!

Stamp Sunday

CIPEX Souvenir Sheet US #948

Issue Date: May 19, 1947

I am not sure where I found these stamps, though I am pretty sure I didn't pay much for them. ( I am a bargain hunter after all). They were issued at the Centenary International Philatelic Exhibition in commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the first every postage stamps released in the United States. The two stamps featured are actual postage and were valid for mailing (and I suppose still are) though I could understand why no one used them. 

It is interesting to note that the first postage stamp released in the US wasn't actually released until July 1, 1847. So technically these released just shy of the actual 100th anniversary, but who is actually nitpicking?

Have you ever seen these?

Weekend Trip!

Caution this post is not mail related! I am leaving today for a long weekend to the Oregon Coast. We usually go a few times a year and this will be the first trip of the year for us! I am super excited! I haven't looked for postcards or any supplies for mail art there so I will be visiting shops with new eyes! Keep a lookout for a post about the trip. If you are interested in a postcard from Seaside or Astoria please let me know (leave me a comment below) and I will do my best to send some off. :)

Enjoy your weekend! More soon!

(pictured above are some sea lions that take over the piers in Astoria each year)

This Date in Postal History: Airmail

The first official flight of the United States Airmail Service was done 101 years ago today. There were flights before that time, (some by balloon), but they aren't considered part of the official airmail service that was offered by the Post Office Department (precursor to the USPS).

Above is pictured a cover that was carried on that first trip sporting the 24 cent Jenny stamp. This first trip was between Washington D.C., Philadelphia and NY. George L. Boyle, a pilot with the US Army was selected to fly the first northbound leg which did not end as anticipated. After takeoff he got disoriented and ended up flying south. Eventually he landed in Waldorf, Maryland and busted a prop on his plane. The mail from that trip had to be trucked back to Washington. Torrey Webb and James C Edgerton were successful in their flights south and flew Boyle's mail to Philadelphia on May 16th (the next day).

Domestic Airmail service in the United States ran until 1975 when it was officially ended by the Post Office dept. After those first few dodgy flights Airmail hung around for 57 years giving us lots of neat stamps, envelopes and labels that we use on our mail art today.

I suppose this just goes to show that sometimes things don't start off how we would like them, but through perseverance they can be something good.

Tracking Salmonella Using Postmarks

I am sure many of you are aware that you can actually mail some forms of animals, though not like in the picture above. But did you know that they are now piloting a program that helps cut down the amount of time between a salmonella outbreak and finding the origin of the outbreak simply by looking at a postal label? Pretty neat huh?

The problem with the way hatcheries have been mailing chicks in the past is that they drop ship them. Meaning the labels that are typically affixed do not actually contain the right information about where and when that particular set of chicks was shipped off. The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services has been running a new set of procedures. They have been testing the bedding and lining of boxes and taking detailed pictures of the postmarks on each box. The postmarks on the packaging allow them to efficiently trace those boxes back to the hatchery of origin and allow for the MDHHS to find the source of an outbreak quicker. This allows them to contact that hatchery and it gives farmers increased time to take action and therefore mean less people get sick as a result.

Who would have thought that something as simple as a postmark could save lives. If you want to read the original article about this process you can find it here.

Mail Call Monday

So I definitely spaced and did not take a picture of my incoming mail but here is a picture of my outgoing mail! So many wonderful things going out in the post. I like to think they bring smiles to the faces they are heading to.

I still have one more letter to reply to that was not in this pile, but then I am all caught up again. Being on top of the mail is definitely a wonderful feeling (especially with a long weekend planned this weekend). Hope everyone is having a wonderful Monday!

More Soon!

Stamp Sunday: Mother's Day Edition

Happy Mothers Day to all the mothers out there! Did you know that Mothers Day was invented by a lady named Anna Jarvis in 1908 and was made an official holiday in the US in 1914. Anna was not very happy with the commercialized path the holiday took and eventually attempted to get the day removed from the calendar. There is a longer history of the day which you can read about here.

The stamp above was released in 1934 and pictures and famous painting by James A Whistler, "Portrait of My Mother". I was quite disappointed when going through my stamps that I did not have a copy of this one to put on the card I mailed to my mother. Maybe next year.

How are you celebrating the day?

Stamp Release: Transcontinental Railway 150th Anniversary

I should have posted this yesterday, but of course I did not have my ducks in a row. How unlike me... Anyway, I had to work yesterday so I sent Johnny (who had the day off) to try and get me the newest stamp release. He was certain that our post office would have them and was shocked when I told him our closest post office (the only one in my town) is incredibly basic when it comes to the stamps they carry. If you want flags they have you covered! I know Johnny doesn't fully understand my stamp obsession, but he was legitimately upset when he came up empty handed. He was insistent that after I got off work we drive to the next town over (Bend) and find a post office that carried them. (I needed to run to Target anyway so it was in that general direction).

I went into the post office where I was greeted by a very unwelcoming lady who insisted I look at the case first to see if they stamps I wanted were available. So I appeased her and looked at the case then turned around and asked the gentleman at the counter for the Transcontinental stamps, the NY Stamp show stamps and the Marvin Gaye (Jons request) stamps. This postal employee was much nicer and even told me he expects the railroad stamps to sell out.

The stamps are far more beautiful than I thought they would be. I tried to capture the glistening gold on the stamps in that photo and I am sure I utterly failed. Regardless now I am thinking I should have gotten more than one sheet. (thank goodness for the USPS website).

Of all the stamps that have been released in recent times I must say I feel like these are the prettiest. Did you pick up these stamps yet? What did you think?

Highway Post Office First Trip

In yesterday's post I shared my finds from the local flea market. Well today I wanted to show you some more of those covers I had gotten. While putting the covers in order I realized I had a small portion from 1941. It wasn't until after I had sorted everything that I realized what made the ones from 1941 different. The cancellation did not say, "First Day of Issue", rather they said, "First Trip". Now I have read and researched a lot of things regarding the mail, but I had never come across a FDC like this before.

Upon a quick google search I discovered that there was something called the Highway Post Office which was a bus that traveled between two cities and a worker would sort mail enroute. Pretty neat huh?

The First Trip issue was the only mail carried on the HPO during their first trip, which is why the special cancellation. I did some digging and I was able to find a picture of one of those buses as seen below.

Can you imagine seeing one of those babies driving down the road? I love the colors used on the bus and the clear detail on the front designating it for US Mail. The HPO ran from 1941 to 1974 and was originally thought to take the place of the railway mail service. This was not the case, however, as the railway mail service outlasted the HPO by 3 years. 

One last interesting picture I found while searching was this one of FDR dropping mail in the Highway Post Office bus drop slot. 

Wouldn't it be neat if they revived the HPO for just one round trip around the US collecting stamped letters and cards to be sent to others? I would certainly find the time to drop a few pieces of mail in that slot. What about you?

Flea Market Finds!

I have lived in Central Oregon for almost 4 years now and I had never been to the flea market. It is nothing like the large ones I remember going to in the midwest. It is smaller in size (maybe 25 vendors in total), a third of the vendors were selling new items like signs or baked goods and a good portion of the others were selling...junk. And I mean that in the nicest way possible.

I did however find a few great finds that made the drive to the fairgrounds worth it. Above you can see some stamps I purchased for $10 a sheet. I didn't even bother haggling because I knew the Janis Joplin and Elvis stamps were priced below face value (as they are forever stamps and cost $.55 a piece) and the Marilyn stamps were selling above that on eBay. The space stamps were just there for the taking I suppose. I have used those stamps before but I wasn't overly concerned with the value, I just knew they were stamps and I like stamps.

After purchasing the Marilyn stamps (I later returned to that booth to get the rest) I walked around looking at the tables HOPING I would find something worth while. I was looking over a table filled with a random assortment of items when I looked over and saw a stack (131 in fact) of First Day of Issue envelopes. There was a price tag on them of $3. Naturally I assumed (based on some other highly overpriced items) that it would be $3 for each cover at which point I would dig through and pull the best ones. To my astonishment though they were actually priced for the whole lot. The lady selling them must not have realized what she had because when I asked to verify the price she lamented it was for all of them as there were no letters inside. I couldn't pull the three dollars from my pocket quickly enough!!

After going through them at home I realized there were quite a few duplicates, but all of them are from 1940 with an exception of perhaps 20 postmarked from 1941. Even in the shape they are in (which admittedly is not great) they could have easily fetched $.50-$1 a piece. Somewhere the postal gods were smiling on me.

While I do not think I will attend that flea market again I hope to seek out others in the state and perhaps try my luck again sometime. Have you ever found a really good find at a flea market?

USPS Store Finds

Do you ever look at the USPS store? I found myself looking at it recently (after all I have missed a bunch of stamp releases) and came across these charming pouches and bags that are made from actual USPS bags. Quite a neat way to upcycle if you ask me. There are multiple types of bag styles you can find. Pictured above is the small coin pouch, but there are also cosmetic bags and even totes.

While I do like the style of these products I must say the price tag is a bit off-putting. That small coin pouch (roughly the size of a 3x5 notecard) is $14.95, while the larger totes (13x6x16) retail for $59.95.

If you were creative enough I was able to find some cheaper options on eBay that you could certainly turn into your own work of art. There are also some really neat leather options, both on the USPS store and eBay, however they are far pricier than the canvas.

Would you consider purchasing one of these?

Election Mail

One of the many things that changed when I moved to Oregon is that I no longer have to stand in line at a polling place. Oregon does elections by mail, meaning everyone votes this way. It is different than the absentee system I had when I lived in Ohio. All of our ballots are mailed to us and we have the option to mail them back in or there are convenient drop boxes for us to deposit our completed ballot. I must say part of me loves the change. I mean I love sending mail, but I feel like I miss out on the experience of voting in person. I will say getting a ballot in the mail is still better than getting bills so I will take it!

Do any of you get to vote by mail?

Mail Call Monday

My mail call this week included two wonderful postcards (the stamps from yesterdays post were on them), two wonderful letters from Kelly and Angela and my voters information pamphlet. The postcards were fun to look at and I completely enjoyed reading the letters (responses coming soon ladies!), but I must say the voters info was the most boring thing I received this week. 😉

Short post today as I would like to take time to reply to those letters as well as other bits of mail laying around. More soon!

Stamp Sunday

I completely failed at blogging the second half of this past week. Somehow work got in the way of me having the time to blog. So because I did not have the proper amount of time to research stamps that I wanted to share I figured I would show you the stamps that arrived on a postcard sent through Postcrossing. Such a nice variety of stamps (someone must have known I have a stamp obsession). I must say I love that our postage is still usable at face value long after they have been sold. The highest denomination on this letter is 6 cents which was the cost of postage from 1968-1971. So the stamps are actually older than I am!

Do you still use vintage postage? If so, do you have a favorite place to come by that postage?