No First Day of Issue Ceremony for Lancaster County Postage Stamp?

I am hard at work to remedy that situation!

Thank you to Donovan of LWA and Deb at my local post office for all your encouragement!

Do you know any mail-lovers in Lancaster PA? Send them my way! I can use all the help I can get!

Letter to the Editors:

I have read with interest and concern the Lancaster Newspapers stories concerning the demise of the Postal Service, the swift death of letter writing, and the few editorials that followed.

As an avid letter-writer (16sparrows.com/LWA), Postcrosser (www.postcrossing.com), and mail artist (iuoma-network.ning.com), I was thrilled to see that a photograph of Lancaster Country would be featured on the new international rate postage stamp to be released on
Friday, January 20th. After speaking on several occasions with Debra at the Rohrerstown Post Office Branch, I was frustrated to learn that the Central PA District Office passed on the chance to have a First Day of Issue ceremony.

Lancaster County has been my home for all of my 35 years, and I am proud of its history and heritage. I am also a firm believer in Real Mail, sending letters, postcards, art, and interesting parcels every chance I get.

I am awaiting a reply from the Director of Education & Public Programs at LancasterHistory.org because Debra suggested they may be able to offer a space on Friday the 20th the celebrate the release of this beautiful stamp. I believe the local Post office missed out on an opportunity for much-needed good press, but perhaps you can help me support our local postal workers and commemorate a postage stamp that will send an image of Lancaster County all around the world.

I am willing and able to organize and lead a small celebration and to provide letter-writing supplies to attendees. I realize this is a last-minute request, but I am grateful for any assistance or advice you can offer.

Thank you kindly for your consideration.

And THANK YOU for sending Real Mail!

Bright Birthday MOJO 223

My littlest flower turns two today. I am amazed.

I was just going to pull a card from my stash and personalize it a bit, but them I got inspired by the Mojo Monday card sketch and glitter chipboard flowers. My Sweetie Pie carried that bag of heart buttons (flower centers) for me at Goodwill, such a good helper. I'm curious to see if she remembers. She's such a sponge right now, soaking up new words and ideas every day.


I think my older girls were impressed I used a texting-type message on the inside. Tonight, cupcakes with sprinkles and presents wrapped in Sunday comics. She does love parties!

Special Edition

Hooray! The United States Postal Service 2012 Stamp Issue dates are finally available at Beyond the Perf, the USA Philatelic website. January 20th is a BIG release date. Oh my, I can hardly contain myself. That's the day the Lancaster County international rate stamp will be available!

I talked to the friendly clerks at my local branch, and they think there won't be any big fanfare here because management is too busy trying to close the local processing facility. I might just throw my own little party if they are agreeable. They've gotten to know me, you know! A bunch more new postage stamps will be released the 23rd of January, including the Chinese New Year stamp, so I better get working on some dragon mail.

They are little bits of art that help get my mail where it's meant to go. **sigh** So lovely! Send more Real Mail!

Beauty Received in Error

A few days ago I found two postcards from China in my mailbox. I was in a hurry as I leafed through the mail and assumed they were both Postcrossing. I put them aside with the Good Mail to register later that evening. When I finally had a chance to enjoy my mail, I realized this Chinese New Year card wasn't meant for me. It was from China but was intended for a woman in New York.

I put it back in my mailbox the following day, but I had to scan the beautiful image and postage stamps before letting them go back into the world. I hope by now they have arrived to the addressee. I wonder if any of my cards have ever been misdelivered, and what became of them? I wish I could let the sender of this card know that it brightened my day before continuing its journey.

HAPPY: Mojo Monday 222

The first time I saw the beautifully coordinated papers and embellishments from The Girls' Paperie, I was smitten. Unfortunately, by the time I discovered them, they had already ceased production. I am slowly collecting all the goodies I can find, many of them on clearance. I do love paper, especially on sale!


I created this card bases on the Mojo Monday 222 sketch, using papers from The Girls' Paperie "Kitch" collection. I discovered these on Etsy at Discount Paper Crafts, a classy shop with a polite, helpful owner. The embellishments are from my collection of collections: brads, stick pins, ribbon flower, button, and vintage ric rac. I distressed and inked the edges of the papers and added some machine stitching. I like to have some non-holiday-specific cards on hand, and this is such a cheerful card!

Hope you have bits of HAPPY in your day too!

Fly Away with Me CPS 249

For some reason, I thought I might keep working on winter holiday cards; you know, get a head start for next year while I still have all the supplies at hand. My, do I have a lot of supplies for Christmas cards. When I cleaned it all up, I needed one of my old suitcases in order to store everything together (and I haven't tried to close it yet.)

Front of card, CPS 249

But alas, I remembered I had one more new Tim Holtz Sizzix die to try, the winged heart. I was saving it for Valentine cards. So, I've let go of Christmas (though I'll listen to the music a few more days) and I made a few Valentines. I used a simple sketch from Card Positioning Systems (#249) and went wild with glitter, vintage lace, buttons (French glass) and postage stamps. The paper is 7gypsies "Lille" and Papertrey cardstock on a PaperSource Luxe card. So many lovely bits collected and brought together on this card!

Interior of above card

I did some machine sewing around the edges, a straight stitch with zigzag accents. I had a few comments on a previous post where I mentioned machine stitching, and I am embarrassed to say I have yet to answer the questions, so I'll do that now!

I have a sturdy old Singer machine, Model 401A, that I use for all my sewing (fabric or paper.) I use a ball point needle when sewing on paper to avoid dulling sharps. (Ball points are normally used for sewing knit fabric, something my machine refuses to do.) Sometimes thread tension can be a problem, so I recommend sewing on a scrap of paper and then adjusting before sewing the final project. Longer stitch length will make fewer holes and therefore create less chance of tearing the paper. You can use an unthreaded machine to create perforations, if that's what you're trying to achieve. I have mailed postcards with machine stitching naked (without an envelope) and they seem to travel well. If I add buttons, the cards always go into envelopes. Better for the cards, better for the postal machines!

Happy crafting!

Last Cards of 2011

I began cleaning up from Christmas crafting this past week and created a few more cards with bits and pieces I collected from my desk. Finding just the right mix of new and vintage supplies to create a pleasing design really makes me happy.

These are the last few cards I have to send in 2011. I wouldn't say I'm caught up answering mail (especially mail art,) but for the holiday season, I'm feeling pretty good about things. One more letter to finish before this last card can travel through the post.

I hope everyone enjoyed a safe, happy New Year's Eve.
We toasted to many good mail days in 2012!