First International Stationery Giveaway

Just a reminder for all folks outside the USA, I am currently taking entries for the First International Stationery Giveaway.  Just pick a number between 1 and 100 and put it in a letter or postcard and send!  You can see the link for more details.  All entries will get a postcard back!

some lovely items you can request if you win

I hope this posts finds you all happily mailing!
-becky

Stationery with a Mission

By now, I think we all know that if the stationery is cute and a good value, it stands a chance of going home with me. But on occasion I will buy full price.  These occasions are rare and usually involve special situations.
One of the times I buy full price is when its cute and for a good cause! 

I love these cards, they support folks from Nepal and are made from lokta paper, which is taughted as more environmentally friendly as the plant grows quicker than the trees we use in the USA to make paper.

These were really cute!  They say "You're the cat's Meow" and a portion of the sales is supposed to go to rescue.  They had dog ones too, but not nearly as cute.

These are Unicef.  I like to buy the Unicef cards as they tend to be beautifully made and have a variety of international themes.  Always a favorite of mine!

And finally, this is what my cat Sloopy thought of the royal wedding.  Congrats Katherine and William!  But don't expect Sloopy to send you anything, I'm pretty sure he's immune to the hoopla!
Have a great day!
-b

It's something

It's been a very slow mail week thus far.  I hope that means people are out enjoying better weather and folks are safe from the severe weather that is wreaking havoc in the Midwest USA.

It's nice to have cards with corresponding envelopes that are already decorated to the hilt so if you are not up for doing anyting- it's already done!
Anyway, I hope this finds you all happy, safe, and well!
-b

My Travels: Hotel Bethlehem

Hello all,
I was very fortunate this Easter holiday and asked to go to brunch with a coworker and her family!  It's always nice to be adopted for a holiday when you are far from home.  While I was at the Hotel I took an opportunity to go to the gift shop, and luckily they were open!  So I picked up some postcards and notecards from downtown Bethlehem which has quite a history.

Apparently Benjamin Franklin came here once to help train the Moravians who started this town become better trained in the military arts.  The Moravians were like the Quakers and did not believe in violence.  But the Moravians were under attack by the local Native American tribes that cohabitated the area.  So the father of the US Postal Service came by to help!  Way cool!

Hotel Bethlehem is the big building.  Historic Bethlehem is to the left.

Some photos of downtown!

From the Hotel Bethlehem parking garage.

Way cool!  A hospital during the Revolutionary War.

I hope this finds you all traveling safely and mailing happily!
-b

The Incoming This Week

Hello folks!
It's finally sunny here- for this second!  It's one of those mostly cloudy days, but one can remain hopefully that it will be mostly sunny instead.  And for those who celebrate, Happy Easter!
The board was very colorful this week.  A few family and old friends sent me Easter cards!  It was nice to get mail from folks that I don't normally get mail from.
And as usual- if it's on the board, you have a letter on the way!

One postcard to point out is the Pottery card.  It's actually an ad card from a pottery I used to love and occasionally bought from in my beloved Goshen, IN.  Call it nostalgia for home, but when I got it, I knew I had to put it up. 
Also I got a nice package from Pamela-  LOVE the GOODIES!  Thanks Pamela!

And finally a word to everybody about stamps.  I know most folks know this but new people find their way into the mailer community everyday, so this is for them.  The price of the postcard and letters to Canada have increased.  Postcards went up 1 cent and Canada is up 2 cents. The new stamps are below

No clue what Canada is supposed to be, but love the flowers for postcards.

Plus here are some new releases from the post office.  I knew about the green stamps and the annual wedding stamps, but I didn't know about the Civil War stamp. 

And the Civil War stamps bring up a cause I heard about last night.  Apparently our Civil War heritage sites are in jeopardy (according to TV ad from the history channel).  So the history channel is doing a give $1.50 drive.  For anybody interested in learning more, check out http://www.history.com/give150 and donate. 
Hope this finds you all happy and sending lots of mail!
-b

Some envies

Hello all,
It's a gloomy, rainy day here- yuck!  So I thought I'd post something bright and beautiful.  I am not a fantastic mail artist.  But I like to think I have a knack for picking out good ads to make envies from!

And sometimes found objects "as they are" work really well too.  Especially if they say it all by themselves!  So recycle those bank envelopes!

I thought I'd post a little something this A.M. to tide folks over till the board pic goes up tonight or tomorrow, which is always a crowd pleaser!
By the way- Happy Easter to the Christian readers and Happy Spring to everybody! 
Hope this finds you all happy and well,
-Becky

A little overboard?

Hello folks,
Well I am taking suggestions on what to do with a few purchases that I have acquired.  Sometimes I see potential in items, and have grand ambitions on what I will do with them.  But intentions and doing are 2 different actions! And now I'm left wondering should I buy paper just because it's cheap? 
My local discount chain had amazing deals on reams of paper and not just ordinary plain white.  So I spent less than $15 total, but now I have massive quantities of 8x11. 

A ream of newspaper style and a ream of pink!

Same ream of newsprint and a larger than 1 ream stack of manila

2 packs of 8x10 stamp themed printer paper!

I know one sheet of paper will make an envelope and splinting these in half makes a nice size for regular writing paper, but what else???  Ideas are welcomed! 
I hope this finds you all doing more then making plans!
-b

I Love a Bargain!

Hello All,
I've been saving these amazing finds for a cloudy day!  Actually the time stamp will tell you I found these the same weekend I found the Pomegranate sale.  I chose not to post the pics then because I didn't want you all to think I had a problem ! )

First I found this really cute box of stationery.  The paper was still encased in plastic.

That's right $2.97! Second I found a few bags of stationery for cheap.

Also in the bag- a card made from the German tradition of papercutting

And I whipped a deal on Goodwill for a mess of random cards that they let go for $0.49.  No joke! 

And finally I stopped by a going out of business sale and found these cards.  But hold on- I only paid $0.70 for both not each!  It was 50% off the lowest marked price.

Hope this finds you all well and happy!  And internationals don't forget my first International Stationery Give Away!
My Best,
-b

This Week's Board

Hello!
I got a lot of mail to respond to this last week.  Of course it doesn't help that the weather is beautiful and all I want to do is roam!  But we'll get back to that.  Here's what's on the board, and if you see it, it's been responded too.

One I'd like to point out is Jackie's Letter and Journals PC.  I'm hoping she'll have good news soon!
In my travels, I found an antique shop in Bucks County.

There I found this wonderful vintage PC that says it all!

And finally, since I'm writing a bit less these days, I thought I'd let you all see my latest travels. 

This is Fonthill Mansion a wonderful, whimsical structure that houses a wealth of pottery and tile treasures.  It's located in Bucks County, PA.  It's a bute- stop by if you're in this neck of the woods! 
Hope this finds you all sending and receiving lots of mail,
-Becky

On the Outs!

Hello all,
I seem to have accumulated a lot of outgoing mail pics, so I figure I'll post them.  Most should have been received by now.

Sorry they aren't terribly exciting.  The spring weather has me skimping on decoration time to add to outdoor time! 
Hope this finds you all well and sending lots!
-b

Pomegranate Stationery - Another Love!

Hello all,
It's been awhile since I posted on a specific stationery maker.  I recently ran into a sale on Pomegranate stationery.  I already had a few pieces in my collection, but I forgot how much I loved these last few purchases.

Look at these prices!

Pomegranate was started in the 1960's in San Francisco during the psychedic movement.  Their claim to fame is the high quality reproductions of museum artwork.
Here's their main site.

Here are these up close

Pomegranate website has a 50% off section too so you can get your own!

Hope this finds you all appreciating the arts!
-b

This Mail was Blog-tastic!

Sorry it took me so long to post my board photo for this weekend, but it was too beautiful to stay in and I didn't get to stick to my rule of "if its up, it's responded to" The upper half of the board is responded to, but the lower half is not.  I will however give several shout-outs this weekend to some nice people I recently met in the mail!



Click to enlarge!

The ABC envelope was from the Pen Thief (in the blog roll).  The Nancy Drew is from Wolfey at No Post On Sunday. Airmail is from Pamela at Cappuchino and Art (blog roll).    Malyss sent me the green card at the bottom (her blog).  The central flower card is from the Postmuse (blog roll). Wanda, Kestrel, and K.C. are new friends from sendsomething. The card and butterfly envie are from Tara at Hello Life, another lovely mail blog. The beautiful music note card is from Nancy at the Stamp Tramps who is also a local friend and crafter.  I loaned her some stamps and she sent me this blank card!  What a wonderful exchange, as she is incredibly talented!

And finally 2 special mentions.  One is from S2 and the other was from postcrossing.  Franziska is from Switzerland and likes to design postcards and stationery.  She has a beautiful blog over at www.swissmountainview.ch where she showcases her images and asks people to sign her guestbook!

The package of stationery and pc's!

I also got a lovely package from a USA ex-patriot who is living abroad in Australia!  She sent me my first ever zine.  She just started making zines and is looking to trade with others.  Her blog, (everybody seems to have one ; ) ), is at http://seagreenzine.wordpress.com

Love the Aboriginal themed stationery! 

I also had a little outing to beautiful Bucks County, PA this weekend and found several cheap mail items.  There was a consignment shop that I found on my travels in Pipersville, PA where I snatched up all these gorgeous cards of Philadelphia for 50 cents each.

I can't wait to use these for postcrossing!

And a mystery box of stationery.  Literally taped shut, buy at your own risk!

Jackpot- A stash of Ansel Adams PC's, a mess of Colonial Williamsburg Cards- I love these for postcrossing too, and Miscellaneous holiday cards.  None of them had envies- but luckily I know somebody who can make her own!

Holy jackpot, batman!

If anybody is in Bucks County, PA, don't forget to stop in at the Moravian Tile Factory.  It's a really neat place especially for folks into the Arts and Crafts movement of the early 1900's America!

I bought several PC's here, but forgot a photo of them.

Hope this finds you all well and enjoying my mail and travels!
-Becky

The First International Stationery Give Away

Hello All!
Recently I did a give away for USA and Canadians only.  I have been toying with the idea of doing one for the rest of the world and I finally decided on what to give away.
From what I am told, stationery is cheap and widely available in the USA compared to many European countries.  Stationery and finding a good deal are 2 of my favorite things and because I seem to excel at both, I thought I'd share the wealth! I would like to send out a small package of stationery and stickers to somebody who would truly love it and may have difficulty acquiring it themselves.  I am going to make this contest similar to the CSN give away but it's for anybody outside of the US - Yes Canada, I'll let you guys enter this one too!

One of the many amazing deals I have found!  These are from Ireland originally.

So here's the plan:
Entry will be by mail!  I have a P.O. Box so let's use it! 
Please send me a postcard or letter with a number between 1 and 100 and your email*.  I will have a pen pal send me a number in the mail and the closest number to the selected number without going over, will be the winner. 
In the face of a tie, (2 folks with the same number), the person following this blog will win.  If there two that qualify-(well honestly I'd probably send you both a package : ) ), but I draw the limit at 3 and would then put your names in a hat and draw a winner. 
Entries must be recieved by July 4th- a major US holiday celebrating our Declaration of Independence.  Why?- because holidays are easier for me to remember.  This should give a few months for entries to be received.  And if you include a return address, I will send you a postcard back just for entering!
I have no fixed set of stationery to give out.  This is also where email will be helpful, as I can get a better idea of what the person likes.  It could be a sampler pack of what I have in my collection to something more tailored to the individual- (within reason).  But it will be a small package of something lovely!
*The reason I want your email address is so I can inform you of winning and get a direct address.  I had a winner last year, and I could never get a hold of them via email and sent the package on blind faith that it would arrive, but I still don't know if it did.  So the email is to let you know its coming, confirm the address, and make sure it has arrived.  I'd hate for you to win and not get your reward.

Cards by Lang- I really like the theme is carried inside the card!

Let the mailing begin!  I hope I can send out some good postcards and packages!   Entries need to be in by 7-4-11! This should give people plenty of time to mail from all corners of the world.  All entrants will appear on my weekly board posts so you can check if they have arrived that way.
Best of Luck,
Becky