Thrift Store Finds

How about a look at some of the neat things I found yesterday while thrifting?

Who could pass this up?? I used to have one when I was younger..though I am sure mine was all wooden. This one has a plastic top.

Random greetings cards are always good to have, and Postmark Paris is a really cute book!

Can we say mail art supplies??

A whole box of Crayola colored pencils..for 50 cents!! Yes please!

How about a Noel mail box? Who knows this may make a nice gift to someone around Christmas. =)

This Rural Mail Carrier cup was too cool! I still haven't taken the price tag off..but it was only $3.99.

This froggy valentine deliverer was too cute! I am not much on ceramics, but I couldnt pass this up.

And then my mother had to trump me by finding this among the niknaks. Uh. She always finds the coolest stuff. But then again..I am her favorite daughter. (I am also the only one..but thats besides the point).

So tell me..have you gone thrifting lately? If so, have you found any mail related objects?

Coming Soon to US Postage Stamps

Living people! The US Postal service removed that rule that stipulated people must be deceased to be featured on postage. Which now brings the question of who would you like to see on the postage stamps. I came across this article in which someone said they would like to see a Lady Gaga stamp. Well...I am sorry..but that would be one of the only stamps I would boycott using. I cannot stand her!!

Anyway, who would you like to see on our postage? (And feel free to argue the Lady Gaga point with me..though don't be shocked if you don't change my mind. haha)

Letter Net

I am always on the look out for new ways to connect with people across the globe. Recently I came across a german site called Letter Net. It is run by the postal service in Germany and is like almost any other penpal site around. With one big exception. To be listed you must first wait for a letter to come from Letternet through the mail with an address code on it. That way they verify your address. Neat, huh?

I signed up and had my address confirmation in a week. The profile is a little odd because you pick pictures to represent certain things.

See what I mean? So we will see how this goes. Two people requested my address today. So hopefully they will write and I will get to see how this all works. Its not like I needed more people to write to..but hey..why not put your name out there?

Have You Seen This??

I just watched it today..and let me tell you. It made me laugh. Now that said, I am sad that videos like this even have to be made. I love the postal service, so please don't think otherwise. But how can you not laugh at that girl when she says, "Its like email you can touch!" ?

Pen Log

Yesterday I bought a package of Papermate Profile pens. I really like them because they seem to fit in my hand perfectly. Plus when writing on lined paper (which I prefer) they write very smoothly with very little (in my opinion) drag on the paper.

But as I sat at my computer last night, I found myself wondering how long it takes me to completely use a pen. There are a few that I really like, that I tend to use up rather quickly though I do not think I USE them that often. This got me thinking that if I kept a register then I would know.

But then how would I remember which black Papermate Profile was bought when? I remedied that by putting the date of purchase directly on the pen bodies, being careful not to cover up any of the identifying marks (such as the brand or type).

Pretty simple..now will I be able to stick to it? We shall see, but if nothing else I will be able to see how long a pen has been in my possession which will still be pretty neat to know. =)

Do you have a favorite pen? And if so, tell me about it?

Halloween Goodness...

Ok, I know that it is a little early to start thinking about Halloween..but lets be real. It is my favorite holiday! I am lucky that I work in the library where we are encouraged to dress up! We host a Trick or Treat twice the week before Halloween (on Tuesday and Wednesday). I participated last year and had so much fun that I decided to dress up again this year. Only this year I will be dressing up as a letter carrier.

I haven't bought the bulk of the costume yet, but I wanted to show you what I decided to make for the kids. =)

They are called Pillow boxes. They are pretty neat and fairly easy to make once you find a template.

Here are some of the tools I used to make it. The stamps are all actual US postage. I found a lot of 100 online for around $4 including the shipping. They have all been postally used, but the cancel is very light. =)

I have cut out 48 of the 100 I plan to make. Still have a bit to make..not to mention putting them together and adding the candy into the mix. But hey, I want to be as accurate as possible.

What are your Halloween plans??

3 Posts in One Day!!

Guess who is feeling better...

One of my major goals for next year (I know its early..but it will be here before I know it!) is to take a photo of my incoming mail everyday. So I am going to try my best to do that starting now, and hopefully it will be a full-fledged habit by January!

The top row from the left is a Postcrossing card from Jeneyka from Ukraine. Her whole family worked on this card. How beautiful is that?? Then there is a beautiful envelope made from a paper bag from Emilie . She has a postcard project where she asks people to adopt the Penguin Book covers. I myself adopted Scootering. I wrote about the history of scootering and then mailed it back to her. You should check it out!

The bottom row is a postcard that I sent to a soldier that was returned. In this case it is a good sign! It means he is home already and therefore his military address is incorrect. =) Then we have a postcard that I sent off for a special postmark.

The final envelope on the bottom is a letter from Donovan Beeson, who's Intangible blog is amazing! You should definitely check it out. Oh and she is also the co-founder of the Letter Writer's Alliance. If you haven't already, you should join!!

Snail Mail Social + Call for Correspondence

Annie over at Curbside Treasure has teamed up with Carolee (of Good Mail Day fame) to host a letter writing social in San Francisco on October 8th from 1pm-4pm. So if you are in that part of the country you should definitely stop by and write a letter.

Now...if you are like me and NOT in that part of the country you can email or leave a comment for Annie and she will add you to a list of people that are willing to be pen pals for the lucky people who come to the social. Lets face it...I am sure there are lots of people interested in letter writing..who have no one who will write them back. (And I am sure we have all felt that way at one time or another).

So if you are interested click that link above and send off a comment. =)

** On a similar note, Lou of Lou La La would like more pen pals. She is a crafty lady from the UK, and definitely worth writing to. So anyone interested should check out her blog at the link above and leave her a message! **

Stationery Update

That my friends is the stationery that I mentioned in a blog post about a week ago. All of that was purchase from Marshalls for around 4 dollars a box. Each box has at least 12 cards and envelopes in it..which is an amazing deal! And some even have multiple designs (like the doggie one).

So if you are in the states click that link above and see if there is a Marshalls near you! I promise if there is it is worth your trip. =)

Ps..some of you will be seeing this stationery in your mailboxes soon!!

Random Mail Update

I just realized in my cold medicine haze that I haven't posted any of the cool things I have gotten in the mail recently. And by that I mean that I haven't posted anything like that since..oh...before my birthday! So here is goes:

Outgoing mail to one of my lovely followers. =)

Some lovely things from Ashley and Chris. The Pez contraption actually arrived around my birthday. The giant eraser was a response to a football I mailed to Chris. Little do they know something fun is headed their way... =)

A little b-day container from Kelly P.!

Look at all those goodies!!! I am so loved!

That my friends is 3lbs of mail...

And this is also roughly 3 lbs. They are the mail that I have gotten recently that has been responded to. A smaller pile is still waiting for me to write a response.

All in all I have some wonderful pen friends. I thank you all for your lovely words.

Guernsey Giveaway Results!!

For those of you who did not read the last blog post I came across a second copy of the book to giveaway. So there were actually TWO winners!!!

Drum Roll please.... And the winners are...Jill and Hawwa!! YAY

I will be emailing you ladies for your addresses (though I think I have yours in my address book Jill). I plan on sending out the books on my next trip to the post office..which may not be until the end of the week. I am feeling a tad under the weather today.

For those of you who did not win..I will be keeping my eyes open for spare copies and if I come across any..I will pick them up and hold another giveaway using the names that were entered for this one. =)

Be on the lookout for more giveaways as the holiday seasons approach!

Guernsey Review By Random House

"January 1946 - London is emerging from the shadow of the Second World War, and writer Juliet Ashton is looking for her next book subject. Who could imagine that she would find it in a letter from a man she's never met, a native of the island of Guernsey, who has come across her name written inside a book by Charles Lamb. Juliet and her new correspondent exchange letters, Juliet is drawn into the world of this man and his friends - and what a wonderfully eccentric world it is.' The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society' - born as a spur-of-the-moment alibi when its members were discovered breaking curfew by the Germans occupying their island - boasts a charming, funny, deeply human cast of characters, from pig farmers to phrenologists, literature lovers all. Juliet begins a remarkable correspondence with the society's members, learning about their island, their taste in books, and the impact the recent German occupation has had on their lives. Captivated by their stories, she sets sail for Guernsey, and what she finds will change her forever." - Random House

Now if that doesn't draw you in I am not sure what will. =)

The original giveaway of this book ends tonight at 7pm (eastern). However, I was lucky enough to stumble upon a second copy to giveaway! You've gotta love booksales!

So..if you are already entered in the original, no need to leave a comment here unless you want to. You will automatically be entered to win this copy too. If you haven't entered, then please feel free to leave me comment and I will put your name in. =)

Quick simple and easy!

Non Mail Related Adventure

Yesterday Brad and I were supposed to go to a wine and beer tasting. Well upon talking to a coworker who attended one that was similar, there was a whole lot of wine and very little beer (neither Brad nor I are very big wine drinkers). So we decided it might be (as we call it) a fail. We had discussed this the night before so yesterday morning I went off with my mother to do some thrifting. (Sadly no mail related things were found..) While thrifting Brad called to see if I wanted to tag along to purchase an iPad 2. He also mentioned the magic words...Cheesecake Factory.

So needless to say, I cut the thrifting short to get home to change for our adventure. We started at the apple store..which was crowded beyond belief. I have never been in that store when there weren't a bunch of people shopping or browsing. Needless to say, I didn't take any photos there.

After leaving the Apple Store, we walked around this outdoor mall

Picture borrowed from the website..our trees still have leaves on them right now. =)

We decided to walk into this store called Restoration Hardware. Talk about nice stuff!! Though also expensive. Here..take a look at these and try not to fall in love..I dare you!

I cannot tell you how much I wanted that desk!!! I tried to convince Brad that he should buy it for me as a gift..no dice. Oh well..a girl can dream can't she?

After drooling all over their awesome furniture and me telling Brad that once he buys a house he should let me decorate. To which he responded "I would just hand you my credit card huh?" I answered in the affirmative. Haha. Then we walked our way back to the car to put the Baby (iPad 2) in the trunk before eating at the Cheesecake Factory. Mmmm. Now let me share with you our meals. =)

I had the Chicken and Shrimp Gumbo with oven roasted tomato and andouille sausage paired with white rice. It was delicious!!

Brad had the Pecan Crusted Catfish with Garlic Mashed Potatoes and Corn Succotash. The fish was interesting, but he loved the potatoes!

Then of course what would eating there be without their famous cheesecake??

That is what Tiramisu heaven looks like. Yup..delicious. Though I must admit..I didn't finish it. I was too full from all the gumbo..which I didnt finish either. Haha

Brad had this one which is called Crazy Craig! It is basically an odd combination of Carrot Cake and Cheesecake. It was odd, but tasty. (He didn't finish all his either..but he ate his whole meal.)

We finished off the evening with playing around on the iPad where it was discovered that a screen protector will be needed before I play around on it too much. fingernails + iPad = no good.

Something Every American Should Sign

Save America's Postal Service is a website dedicated to just that! There will be rallys held on September 27th in multiple congressional districts. There are some petitions you can print out and have people sign..OR..you can do what I did..sign the online petition.

To do so, click the link here and then fill out your information. You can also read about the proposal on the site as well.

If something so small could save the Postal Service wouldn't you do it?

Send a Ball

So..last week sometime (I think it was last week...time seems to slip together...) I decided to mail a nerf-esque football to Ms. Ashley's (if she had a blog..I would link to her..*cough* HINT HINT *cough*) better half. While placing the stamps on the ball I decided to do a quick internet search to see if anyone else had tried this before. Look what I found!

This whole site is dedicated to sending balls through the mail!! How cool is that?

Ok. Now the slightly crazy part..they charge around $20 per ball. For those of you who do not regularly send balls (or other odd objects through the mail) $20 is a bit steep. There is $16 for the ball and $4 for the shipping.

Now..you can mail a package (the ball would be considered one) that weighs 13 oz for around $3.42. Now that is a little over the weight of a can of soda (which is 12 oz). OH and if you take a look at their picture...they only put three $1 stamps on the ball!

So how about $16 for a ball? I routinely see them in the stores for under $4. So the total cost to send them should be under $10. But I guess that is how the company makes their money right?

So now let me ask you. Would you pay $20 to send a ball to someone or would you just mail one yourself? (In case you are wondering..I would mail it myself..and I may have to soon. So keep an eye on you mailbox..I may surprise you!)

Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

Hey everyone, just a quick message to say that I am giving away a used paperback copy of The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. Just leave me a comment letting me know you'd like to enter and tell me one book that you enjoy. This is open to international folks as well as those in the US.

Again, I said the copy is used so expect some mild wear. It was a book I pulled out of some donations that has been on my shelf for a while. I just recently got a nicer hardback copy which is why I am not in need of this one anymore. =)

The contest will run until Sunday at 7pm Eastern. I will put the names in a hat and randomly select one. Good luck!!

Special Cancellations

There are a few special cancellations that would like to mention to everyone. The first two are in commemoration of the 9/11 attacks specifically for the Flight 93 crew and passengers.

The cancellations would look something like the ones above. Here is the address you would need to send your self addressed-stamped envelopes/postcards to:

Pictorial Cancellation
C/O Postmaster
Po Box 9998
Shanksville, PA 15560

The second cancellation is from Racine, Wisconsin. They issued one to commemorate 9/11 heros. (there is no picture of this one, but I will post one when I get my postcard back).The address for this postmark is:

Special Cancellation
Police Tribute Station
West Racine Branch
1300 Perry Ave
Racine, WI 53406

Personally, I always send a postcard to get my cancels. I address it to myself (obviously) and stamp it. Then I simply write above the area on the left side (where you usually write a message) "Please cancel here too". They usually do which gives you a nicer one than on the stamps. =)

Cleveland Garlic Festival

Today Brad and I decided to make the trek up to Cleveland for the annual Garlic Festival. We missed it last year, and it has been on our calendar ever since. We pair our $7 admission and were welcomed by the sight of a giant garlic!

Then I tried the Garlic ice cream because Limner told me I had to. =) Luckily I was able to get a sample. This was the Garlic and roasted peppercorn variety. (the only one with garlic available). I was sooo not a fan. Haha. Brad didn't seem to mind it too much though.

There was some lovely sidewalk art nearby.

Then I stopped and got some garlic fries. They were pretty ok. I wasn't crazy about them..but they weren't terrible either.

We walked around a bit more, but eventually we just decided to leave. There were lots of places to buy garlic at the festival (duh) but there wasn't a whole lot to really do or look at. So we left and went into Tremont to visit a pub called the Treehouse. They serve a Chocolate Guinness shake.

It was ok...though definitely not something I would want to get again. (It wouldn't be worth the price tag at $6. They had neat tables in the Treehouse though.

We sat at one that looked just like that. We got some tater tots to munch on while we drank our drinks..but apparently my picture didn't come out.

After we left we ran to Staples so I could buy stamps..I had a postcard I wanted to mail out. Then I saw there was a Marshalls...so guess who spent lots of money on stationery?? (Pics coming in a future post). We finished off with a Best Buy run to look at tablets. Then came on home.

Overall it was a relaxing day. Though I didn't get any letters written. I guess I will need to do that tonight while geeking out watching some more M*A*S*H.

Hope everyone had a very nice Sunday!

Thrift Store Finds

How about a few thrift store finds from yesterday??

How about some old (mostly) used stamps? I got all these lovelies for 8 bucks. Totally worth it..and I got doubles of some..so they are destined to be earrings!!

How could I pass up that box?? Sure it says Oklahoma, but still...it is pretty neat! And it is the perfect size to keep stamps (shocking I know).

And this beauty was too neat to pass up. The total cost of this and the box was 4 bucks. =)

I hope everyone has a safe and wonderful day tomorrow. I will be posting pics from the Garlic Festival tomorrow evening.

Last Lake Adventure of Summer

So Tuesday I was off from work. ( I get paid for the holiday because I am considered a state employee..so I had to take another day off to offset that because I don't usually work Mondays.) And because I was off I wanted to take a short walk/hike because there was something I needed to retrieve near the lake for an art project.

Well my normal path to the lake is grown up..so I had to take an alternate path...

And so I walked through a corn field. (Now I do not recommend this for anyone who is not familiar with it. One it is pretty easy to get turned around in the field and not realize it. And two, where there is corn fields..there are usually snakes. Haha)

After getting through the cornfield I walked a ways and stopped to snap this picture.

Then I stopped to gather what I needed..and took this picture.

And yes...that is a tattoo on the top of my foot you are seeing there. My other foot has one too, but it is more obscured because I stirred up the silt on the bottom.

Finally I was headed home..because Carter would be getting back off the bus on his first day. I nearly tripped upon this:

Interesting the things you can find if you are paying attention. I find 4 leafed clovers all the time. I don't even bother picking them anymore.

** I was going to post this the night I had my migraine. I hope to be back to mail posts tomorrow. After all I have a few things to show you from a recent trip to a thrift store. =) **

Blah

Guess who has a headache. Guess who ate dinner and is now going to lay in bed and watch a movie...

YUP!! This girl!

I will be sure to post something awesome tomorrow. =)

Someone's First Day...

Carter had his first day of school today! Isn't that just darling...the backpack is almost as big as he is. =P