I may never visit the Post Office again...

Ok so we know that the title is totally not true. I enjoy visiting the PO too much not to go. But I must say I am totally impressed with the online stamp store! So impressed that I have...well...placed a second order. But to be fair...I needed some overseas stamps. (I know, I know...excuses excuses..haha)

First let me say that I was way too excited with the way these were shipped to take pics of them in the wrapping. I promise to do that for this second order I have placed! Each pane of stamps came sealed in plastic with a piece of cardboard. This ensured that my stamps didn't get mushed in transit.



As you can see from the picture...I ordered just a few. So they were all sent in a waterproof mailing bag. That was honestly a nice touch, but they are SOO tough to get open! I bought all of the various denomination postage, you never know when you may need it. And really..its nice sometimes to send a letter/postcard with more than one stamp. =)

In the upper left portion of the first photo you can see that black square that says something about Beyond the Perf well that is actually a poster that came with the commemorative pane of Lunar New Year stamps.



It is filled with some neat information about how the artist came to pick that design. Very informative...and you can actually find most of that information on the website above.



But one of the coolest things about this poster is that it has a place for you to affix a stamp to it. I am seriously thinking about framing it..(or does that make me a dork?)

Regardless, today I went back online and purchased some more stamps along with some FDC (first day covers). This year I am going to collect the FDC of each stamp that is released this year. Which means I will theoretically have two different FDCs because there is a digital one as well as a standard. They are relatively cheap which makes them extremely collectible. But for me..it will be much easier than trying to keep stamps in my collection.

Also, if you havent already, and are a stamp enthusiast, there is a wonderful magazine (USA Philatelic) produced that outlines the stamps that are out and going to be released. Most post offices have them and they are free. OR...if you are like me and go the digital route, you can sign up for emails by visiting that link above. Personally I signed up for both the email and the magazine to be sent in the mail.

The issue right now...



..has an awesome poster in it that outlines all the stamps that will be released this year. I couldn't locate a picture on the web of it..and well..my camera batteries are charging or I would have included one in this post. Maybe next time.

Anyone else out there using the online store to buy stamps? I wanna hear your stories.

A Good Mail Day

Today has been a very Good Mail Day (with exception to a few bills that came..)!

Usually walking to the mailbox can be a rather dreary task this time of year. I mean after all winters in Ohio can be very bitterly cold. Today we had a pretty steady wind with HUGE snowflakes! I was headed to the car so I thought I would make that trek out to the box and I am soo glad that I did! I pulled out all the wondrous mail and found that there were only two bills!!

The first was this wonderful envelope from my new pen-pal Amy.



She made the envelope out of a colorful paper bag and sealed it with those wonderful circular stickers that keep your punched holes from ripping! How ingenious an idea! Inside I found a short letter saying she wanted to be pen-pals which is great! You can never have too many of them in my opinion. She also included two postcards, a vintage envelope and a postcard booklet. How awesome was that?!? I will have to work on something to send in return.

Amy and I found each other (sounds sooooo cheesy!) from the Call for Correspondents post on the Good Mail Day blog. Whether you are a budding or full blown mail artist, I highly recommend joining the fun.

Next I found a group of postcards from Postcrossing. I am not nearly as active on there as I have been in the past. I really need to change that. Regardless, I got three wonderful cards in one day!



The first one in the top left of the winter scene is actually from China. Nommy writes that she is 18 and from Shanghai, China. Then she wrote some Chinese for "hello", "Thank you", and "Bye". Very neat! The second on of the ocean scene is from Hamburg, Germany. Victoria told me that she had a huge party with lots of good food the day before she sent this card! And finally the card on the right of the cats is from Cheng Hui Zhou from Taiwan. Cheng is a student studying Russian! Quite an awesome bunch of people sending such nice cards!

And even though I didnt get this last set in the mail..they will be going in the mail soon.



I found these cute vintage looking Valentine's Day cards at the local Barnes & Noble store. I couldn't believe what a deal I got on them!! 7$ for 24 cards and envelopes! And they are all different too. So who wants an awesome Valentine??

When was the last time you had a great mail day?

Online Stamp Store

You ever get too busy to go buy stamps? Well, I have! Haha. Between being sick and trying to work..I simply havent had the time to make it to the Post Office. Luckily they can be ordered online and delivered right to my house!! Totally cool. Now I dont have to deal with the looks that the postal employees give me at the quantity that I am buying. (Typically I will purchase at bare minimum 20 first class 44cent stamps, 20 postcard stamps, and 20 overseas or 98cent stamps. I have however been known to purchase more than that.) Oh and I forgot to mention that was round about every two weeks or so.

Needless to say I pre-ordered two different stamps that will be coming out soon. The Kansas state stamp which I have written about before and a Ronald Reagan stamp (see future blog entry) as well. I bought all the odd postage (1 and 2 cent stamps), mainly because I think they will look nice on a letter when I choose not to use one stamp only.

I am also going to seek out some unused vintage stamps online as well. We shall see how the hunt goes!

So now I ask...have you ever purchased stamps online? If so, how did it go?

**On a more serious note, I promise to get back to "real" blogging after I get over this head cold..which needs to be soon. Its wiping me out! **

Libraries on Twitter

So the library system I work for just recently joined Facebook. I guess I understand that..virtually everyone on the planet has a Facebook (including me). But what exactly is the purpose?

On that same note, one day after we created a Facebook page, we joined Twitter. Ok..now..seriously. I know that larger library systems have a lot of information that may make having a Twitter account worth while...however, my library system is a smaller in size and well..that means we have less to put out there.

I guess I understand that we need to keep up with the larger libraries. But honestly, how long will it be before we stop updating either of those two accounts?


On a final note, if you'd like to be my friend on Facebook you can find me pretty easily by searching for Misty Davis or by searching for my email address. Just remember to shoot a message saying that you read the blog and want to be friends. I make a habit out of not friending random people.

CSN Stores

So today while I was bored I did some online shopping! Haha. What better way to kill some time while waiting on laundry? I did my shopping with CSN Stores mainly because they are a group of over 200 online retailers. Which means you can find literally anything you want!! Seriously, if you are looking for cookware, awesome throw rugs or even wall art and decor you are sure to be able to find something you'll love here.




Couldn't you see that holding your magazines or newspapers? I know I could!! I could even see it holding my outgoing mail art. So many uses for a unique piece of decor.

Winter Weather Blues!

So I have only been at this blog for around a week now and I already missed a day of posting. My apologies to my readers. I have been feeling under the weather, so much so..that I havent had time to work on any mailings of any kind. I didn't even venture to the mailbox for the second day in a row. I am sure the MailLady will be wondering where I am. ( I am usually very prompt about removing my mail from the box before the next delivery).

That said..I did find some time to order a book I have been dying to read.



The Englishman who Posted Himself and Other Curious Objects by John Tingley. It is about an Englishman who..well...posted himself and other curious things! Hah. He basically took a copy of the Postal Handbook and then tested to see what items he would be able to send while remaining inside the postal guidelines. I think it will be an interesting read and I am sure I will post a full review once it is read. Then I will most likely donate the book to my local library..as we didnt have a copy in the State of Ohio systems that I checked.

Here is a link to the book for more information about it. Perhaps it will spark your interest. What types of books do you like to read?

Lunar New Year 2011: Year of the Rabbit

I wanna start off by just announcing that the first in a line of "all- forever" stamps was released today. The Lunar New Year: Year of the Rabbit stamp was released today. And while I didn't manage to go snag any of these awesome stamps today... I promise I will be getting some as soon as I make it to the post office!



This stamp is actually the fourth in a series of 12 stamps designed by the U.S. Postal Service to celebrate the Lunar New Year. The series debuted in 2008 with the Year of the Rat. Oh and if you were curious...the Year of the Rabbit officially starts on February 3, 2011 and ends on January 22, 2012.

Another interesting tidbit for you the United Staes isn't the only country to celebrate the Lunar New Year with stamps. I found this interesting stamp site where they listed the different countries and pictures of each stamp. Some of which are really neat looking.

Did you go buy the new Lunar New Year stamps? If not, are you planning to?