The Tuesday Post: The Vatican Postmark

Did you know that you can send mail from the Vatican?  It does not go through Poste italiane. Poste Vaticane has it's own stamps and postmarks.  As far as I can tell, there is only one Vatican City Post Office.  It is on the south side of St. Peter's Square, just as you exit the Basilica.  When I was there in April 2013, there was also what appeared to be an "annex" in the shape of a motor home, a little east of the actual post office, also in the square.  I do not know if you can actually purchase stamps at the "annex".

Max & Co Post: Ladies of the Past

As you may know, I am a Girl Scout troop leader.  I also just watched The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel.  You ask yourself, what do these two have in common?  One thing - empowering women.

My mission as a Girl Scout leader is to empower my girls to forever move forward without fear.  It is tough growing up, especially in a man's world.  Although the 21st century is far less of a man's world than the 20th century was, it's still not a cake walk.  My job is to give the girls the confidence to be who they want to be, whether it is a neurosurgeon, video game programmer, or stay-at-home mom.

For those of you who haven't seen The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, it is the story of seven senior adults who are strangers and for varying reasons move to Jaipur, India to live in the "newly renovated" Exotic Marigold Hotel (yes, it does star Maggie Smith).  The story is a little shallow and quite predictable.  The cinematography is beautiful, not because of artistic talent but because of nature of the location.  What sticks with me though, is the story of three of the women.  All three women were in their golden years and were single.  They all had confidence that life was not ending and were open to adventure.  None of them had been to India previously.  Those are the girls that I want to say that I had in my Girl Scout troop.  I want to die knowing that every one of my Girl Scouts is confident, capable and independent all through her life.

I believe all of the ladies in this postcard set are just that.  They all have an attitude that a timid soul would not possess.  The set of 5 is available in the MaxAndCoPost etsy store for $3.99.

Deltiology 101: Is Social Media Killing the Postcard

I recently read an article from Australia pointing out that social media is killing the postcard.  It's a sad concept to think that people are replacing handwritten notes with short 140-word virtual blip, or maybe a broadcasted instant photo taken from a smart phone.

There are 3 reasons to send & save postcards:

• to share happiness
• to inspire to dream
• to document

TO SHARE HAPPINESS:
I started collecting postcards as a way to connect with my only living grandparent who lived on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean in an era where long-distance calls were expensive and the price of airline tickets was insane.  I saved every card he sent me (they had cute illustrations on them like Hummels) and my parents (view cards from where he lived and travelled).  My grandfather died in Germany when I was 19.  I only got to see him 3 times in my life.  But I did know him, and I felt like he knew me.  We wrote a lot on those postcards.  I still have them all.

Fast forward to 2013.  I recently met my 90-year old Great Uncle. I make a point of sending him  postcards, so he has something to hold in his hands and show to friends.  He is tech savvy and could easily be on Facebook.  But unless he gathered his cronies around his computer, how would he share stories about me?

TO INSPIRE TO DREAM:
My daughter is a story teller and a historian.  She loves hearing stories about the "old days" and is constantly poring over photo albums.  Every now and then I let her flip through my old postcard albums.  She asks questions about where or what is that, who wrote that, "Ew", "Ah", and the occasional "Oh".  On our recent trip to Paris & Rome she even picked out sculptures that she had seen on postcards.

I am a nomad.  I love to travel and explore.  I grew up studying National Geographic and dreaming about being an explorer in the jungle.  I also grew up piecing together the world through postcards.  Yes, I could've seen travel pictures from friends on Facebook.  But let's face it, Facebook travel albums are like the vacation slide shows from the 1970's.  They are blips (sometimes too many blips), that are easily forgotten because they go away as quickly as they came.  And they have no personal statement attached.  A postcard can be viewed for centuries and has the bonus note on the back to personalize it - even if it was not written to you, it was still written by someone.

TO DOCUMENT:
The best postcards that I am currently receiving?  Postcards written by kids - my daughter, my nephew & niece, and my daughter's friends.  It's fun watching their handwriting change and their ideas mature.  I think one day I will put them all together in a book and return them to the sender.  It will be a nice mini-autobiography.

Facebook and Twitter may be killing the postcard and the Christmas card - but it is also killing personal histories and REAL social connections.  Make your mark in history, and send out handwritten notes!

The Tuesday Post - Eiffel Tower Special Postmark

You don't have to stand in line for hours, buy tickets and go to the top of the Eiffel Tower to get the special postmark. The post box (and stamp machine, although it prints metered strips so bring your own stamps) is located in the south pillar.

The Eiffel Tower Post Office in the South Pillar (leg)

NPCW 2013 (aka National Postcard Week)

National Postcard Week was started 30 years ago to celebrate deltiology. Individuals and clubs participate, each creating their own unique postcard. **Soon there will be a website with images of the 3000+ postcards that have been collected over the years. There is a gallery of past postcards here at Barr's Postcard News, but it appears to be for subscribers only.

It's time to start making your cards and get signed up for National Postcard Week. I pasted her instructions below. There are two ways to join - either email Demaris (address below) or you can sign up though Swap Bot (http://www.swap-bot.com/swap/show/141926) - skip past the break to see instructions ↓

I signed up and have 100 cards printed and ready to send. Want to trade? Leave me a comment below that you are interested and make sure Demaris adds your address to the database.

If you are looking for an online printer to print your cards, I recommend Overnight Prints (http://www.overnightprints.com/) or you can find more links and info here: http://maxandcopost.blogspot.com/2013/01/deltiology-101-postcard-self-print.html

Where to Buy: Paris Postcard Shopping Tour

                                  
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What to Wear Wednesdays: Camera Case

Made of faux suede, this looks like the perfect case for any deltiologists camera or cosmetics!  So cute!  You can find it at postcardworld.eu

What to Wear Wednesdays: Stamp Shoes