Desert postalette

Behold the lovely desert postalette, feeding my meta-mailbox cravings. It is a touch close to the "cutesy" side for me, but the mailbox part of it really did it for me. I wish that these items, which the eBay seller said didn't smell like smoke to them (and they said they weren't a smoker - have they no NOSE??), didn't reek of old cigarette smoke. Blech. They are getting a treatment in a closet covered with scented soaps, which I hope will help a bit.

But check out the internal story. Above, she's pulling the letter out of her mailbox by the cactus...



...and on the back, she's riding away reading her letter. The gold stickers for sealing these postalettes (like a fold and mail, but don't actually close up on the sides) came with the set.

Now, does anyone know if that's a donkey or a mule? I'm betting mule but I don't really know.

I also don't really know how old these are, but based on the style of the artwork, they classify as "vintage," I think. I'm betting 60s or 70s, any other guesses?

The Plug's Desperate Penpal Experiment, Vol. III

You remember all the fun I've had with The Plug. If not, click that there link.

Okay, now that you're all up to date on the story, here's more from that witty Jay.

He enveloped his letter in a lovely, stiff manila documents folder. And, apparently, I am now incorporated. Good gravy - I surely have my patent around here somewhere...



Documents enclosed: a letter, nothing more.

EXCEPT --- (ta da da DUM):



...there was a secret message! And it's uber-meta. *shiver* My cup runneth over.



So he got some Wallace & Gromit goodness in return, with some juicy old stamps.

Pod Post!

I am just in love with this postcard, sent to me by the intrepid PostMuse. I have seen PodPost and its wares touted on the Letter Writers Alliance site, but alas, I cannot find this postcard available in their shop. In fact, they're out of almost all of their letter-writing supplies. *sigh* They're a small business, whaddyagonnado?

Still, I wax dreamy on the meta-old-fashioned vibe of this postcard.

UN report on Women quote card

Just sent this via Postcrossing. A commenter on Flickr noted that this was from 1980 and so therefore out of date, but still food for thought.

Soda contemplates the Cheetahs

Remember that Cheetah postcard that I sent home to my husband?

Soda likes.

A Penny Dreadful poem

My creative cousin gave me a doodle and an impromptu poem on the back of her new Penny Dreadful stationery. Tres cute!

Happy Independence Day, my fellow Americans! Enjoy your 4th.

A Pantry Ballet (for Jacques Offenbach)

Joseph Cornell, American, 1903-1972
A Pantry Ballet (for Jacques Offenbach), 1942

From my foray to the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City came a few fine postcards, and this one is my favorite. I've been haunting the Nelson since I was a wee lassie, and this piece has always been one of my very favorite works in the museum since I was but a tiny thing. What kid wouldn't love it??

More info on the artwork here.

Superfun, view large

I sent it from Kansas City to a dear correspondent who always sends me wonderful postcards (and letters, too!). (And, because she is more up to date with her blog, she managed to blog about it before I did!)

And, even though it doesn't have much to do with letter-writing (though one could say that art inspires letters, and I certainly got some great postcards there), I leave you with a photo of the lovely Nelson, just because I love it so, and I'm kinda proud of this photo I took.

Homemade airmail envelope

This creative envelope-decorator put her own twist on the red-and-blue old-fashioned airmail envelope - she made her own! Yep, that's marker along the edges. What an excellent match it is with the red and blue star stamp!



I'd never seen the V-mail stamp before - didn't even realize there WAS a V-mail stamp. So awesome! On the inside, she wrote on printed downloads of mock-V-Mails available from The Letter Writers Alliance. If you want to have a look at those, check the LWA site post for V-mail free download. It's super-special, since it's not even a members-only goodie, so you too can share the love even if you're not an LWA member. (Though I do highly recommend membership, they are a fine, fine organization and I've gotten some of my best pen pals there.)