Send a postcard, help save a post office

We've all heard about countless post office closures across the country... thanks to the fabulous PostMuse (and her excellent tweets) I've just discovered a way to help save one little post office from possible closure! It doesn't hurt that said post office, above, is quite tiny and adorable.

Do read the full saga of the post office in Rupert, VT. All the details are there. The skinny, though, is that this post office has had its hours cut and may face closure soon. There are two things that can help: revenue, which can only be generated on site at the post office, and VOLUME. So Jave Davies, the woman behind this postcard idea, decided that she'd increase the volume by sending out a plea for postcards to her P.O. box there -- AND she'l send 200 original art postcards in response to the first 200 postcards she receives.

Here's the info, from her blog post:

YOU send her an art postcard. It can be original handmade, or a photocopy of something you've made. Print your name and address clearly on the card.

Mail to: Jane Davies, PO Box 45, Rupert, VT 05768

She will send YOU a postcard, handmade. "I don't promise it will be something you want to frame, but it will be original." She will send postcards to the first 200 respondents.

She will post ALL the postcards she receives on her blog. On each card she will indicate the name of its creator and the place from whence it came. If the volume is overwhelming, she'll open a separate blog just for the cards. "If nobody sends me a card, I will be sad and our post mistress will be out of a good time, and eventually a job."

Here's my little postcard offering, heading out in tomorrow's mail. I had fun edging it with gold washi tape.

I don't post every mail art call that comes my way, but I think the idea of saving a post office through a flood of postcards is a pretty exciting one, and I hope that you'll consider sending one. Also, if you've ever wanted to see your postcard on a blog, she's promised to post them all, so that's pretty cool, too!

And how cool is it to know that you're helping to save a post office, one postcard at a time?

Lovely response from a postal worker

I received the loveliest email in response to my last post, Postcrossing to the #1 USA Postcrosser. The woman who emailed, who shall remain nameless, is one of my blog readers, AND happens to work at the post office where motherbrando sends and receives her mail. Motherbrando was the recipient of the last postcard I blogged about, and the woman who is currently the #1 Postcrosser in the USA.

I was so touched by what this post office blog reader wrote that I asked her permission to share it with you, and she graciously agreed:

What a hoot! Your post caused my on-line life and my off-line life to collide. I work at the post office that she [motherbrando] sends and receives all those wonderful postcards. In fact, she was how I found out about postcrossing. Love the card you are sending her...books are what you might call one of my weaknesses. lol

I wanted to let you know, as an employee of the USPS, how much I appreciate you and your fellow bloggers supporting and encouraging the art of letter writing. By the way, good mail is not only fun to send and to receive it is also fun to deliver! =)

So there you have it, folks, proof that our mail is brightening the days of not only its recipients, but perhaps of many of the fine people who handle our mail along its journey.

I ♥ U.S. Postal Workers!

I was inspired by the Send the Love campaign to draw a little something special on a recent outgoing order from my etsy shop. Nothing fancy, just a little something that I hope showed some appreciation to all the mail handlers on the way.



Soda often helps me package up orders, and this one was no exception. Since she was posing so nicely, I had to grab a shot of her with the little package, too. Hooray for the Feline Postal Brigade!

Orange printed "Save the Postal Service" postcard

So this is one of those awesome free printable "Save America's Postal Service" postcards that I blogged about a couple of days ago. The savvy designer recommends cream card stock, but I don't have cream card stock. I do have glaring bright orange card stock! So, I printed on that, jazzed it up with some washi tape, and taped it to some paperboard, as my card stock felt a bit flimsy for the mail processing machines. It makes me smile to think of any postal worker than handles this, and notices it.



I made this little doodle of appreciation on the back.

Free printable postcards: Save America's Postal Service

Somewhere jumping around in the Twitter vortex, I discovered these incredibly adorable free printable postcards: Save America's Postal Service. Really fun design. I don't have a color printer, but I think I'm going to have to try out a couple of these in grayscale. I love the adorable artwork of drowning mailboxes! Check out the link, where you can download this design + two more.

Official White House petition to for the U.S. Post Office

I guess Twitter is good for some things. I just learned about this official petition from the U.S. White House to save the postal service. Yes, you have to create an account in order to "sign" the petition, but I see the validity in that. This probably does not have the power of a personal contact to your legislators, and it definitely doesn't have the power of a handwritten letter to your government officials, but it seems like a good idea to make our voices of support for the U.S. Postal Service heard in myriad forms. As of my signing it, it had 63 signatures, with 4937 needed by October 26.

For my international readers, thanks for your patience with all my posts that concern only the U.S. Postal Service.

Send the love: show support for postal workers

Thanks to a comment on my last post about saying no to a bad postal bill, I learned from The Creative Beast about another wonderful little campaign called Send the Love. This one is more about good energy than politics, but gratitude is a powerful thing, and letting our postal workers know we appreciate them has to brighten their day. So this idea is all about "sending messages of support and gratitude for our postal workers during this time of crisis."

My favorite option is the "make a mark" suggestion:

Next time you put something in the mail, on the back of the envelope, make a mark of support to show postal workers that you value what they do. Just draw a simple heart with a P.O. inside. If you’re more creative, make a drawing or write a note. The postal workers who handle the mail, from the person who takes it out of the blue collection box to the people who do the sorting and processing to the person who puts it in your box — they will all get the message. So many postal workers make sure your mail gets where it’s going. Send them some thanks.

Post office politics: say no to a bad bill, and yes to 6-day delivery

I recently blogged about the current woes of the U.S. Postal Service in my post, Is the postal service really in trouble?.

While I normally keep politics off of this blog (though on a personal level, I'm a pretty political kinda gal), this is a very important political issue for supporters of the U.S. Postal Service, postal workers, and 6-day delivery, so I'm going to stand on my soapbox for a minute.

I just read this excellent and informative post from the Letter Writers Alliance about a nasty new bill that's reared its ugly head in the senate called the Issa-Ross bill. The LWA quoted one of their members, post worker Carol C., who said it so well that I'm going to quote her again right here:

"I need to put out an all points bulletin! Perhaps you are already aware of a very mean-spirited bit of legislation which is aimed to dismantle the USPS. It passed in the House and John McCain introduced it into the Senate this past Friday. It is called the Issa-Ross bill which will eliminate Saturday delivery, cut jobs, services, close more offices than previously anticipated and ruin the unions. And it is completely unnecessary. They are using a scare tactic by saying the USPS will need a taxpayers bailout- this is completely false...However, it is gathering them support. The fact is there are sufficient funds in other postal accounts to cover the under funded one. Congress needs to authorize the transfer of money. HR1351 would do just that and keep our Saturday deliveries. But common sense is overshadowed. Time is of the essence- please spread the word to have everyone contact their Senators ASAP and vote NO to the Issa-Ross bill. Ask that they preserve Saturday delivery and support HR1351 instead! Sorry, to be so political, but it is crucial. They are trying to push this through before Friday. Yikes!!!

Thank you! Visit writealetter.org for more info."

The links above should point you in the right direction to take some action and contact your legislators. I like this one, too: Ask your representative to co-sponsor HR1351. It's pretty egregious that they're trying to push this through on such last-minute notice, but I admit that I don't entirely understand how these political games work.

I DO vote, though, and I voice my opinions to the lawmakers: I urge you to do the same! Stand up for our mail!

Post office tour patch

Have you done a post office tour? I wish I had! At least you can pretend with this fabulous patch. Perhaps it was a girl scouts merit badge? Perhaps it just the best sort of bonus for a mad mail enthusiast.

Just listed in my etsy shop.

Montpelier, VT post office

Here's the post office in Montpelier, Vermont. I recently sent PostMuse a postcard from here, for her Orphaned Postcard Project.

It's kind of a boring photo, I know, but I find post offices a little thrilling, so I wanted to share.



Here's a closer view, where maybe you can even read the writing on the wall.