|
Post by katiel on Feb 12, 2023 12:35:57 GMT
I’ve lost track of what some of my stamps are worth. I thought the postcard stamps were also ‘forever’ stamps! I found out my seashell ones are only 44 cents and I don’t think they make a 4 cent stamp. I wonder if the USPS site tells what unmarked stamps are worth 🤔 I have a bunch of Robert Panera two ounce stamps and patriotic additional ounce stamps… I was just ordering stamps on the USPS website and saw this: store.usps.com/store/product/buy-stamps/coral-reefs-postcard-stamps-S_745104So it looks like they are definitely worth 48 cents now. 🙂 I think your postal clerk was just confused.
|
|
|
Post by katiel on Feb 12, 2023 7:02:55 GMT
www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-64554857The profile was designed by Martin Jennings for use on coins, and has been digitally adapted for stamps. I guess these stamps will be known as the Jennings definitives! The stamps will be available from 4th April 2023. I have to admit, I was really surprised when I looked at this image. With the crown being such a prominent feature on the queen’s stamp, I expected there to definitely be one on the king’s! (And I know my opinion doesn’t really count, as an outsider, but I kind of wish he did have a crown in it) Also, you may laugh, but it somehow never occurred to me, until I read this post, that the Queen Elizabeth stamps would be switching to King Charles. Seems obvious, but I’d never really thought about it before… Seeing the Machin stamps on British mail was just so standard…and soon to be a thing of the past?
|
|
|
Post by katiel on Jan 10, 2023 18:24:53 GMT
Decided to be smart, and stamp and address most of my postcards *before* I left on my trip to save time. I had a great time choosing postcards for everyone, and putting the stamps on. I used up a bunch of partial sheets of stamps, too!
I used up 2 sheets of Mariachi stamps (so bright and cheerful), a sheet of Buzz Lightyear stamps (perfect for Disney), a sheet of Pony Car stamps, a sheet of Snowy Beauty stamps, and 2 partial sheets of Brush Rabbit stamps.
My stamp bag is *slightly* skinnier now! (But maybe still rather fat)
|
|
|
Post by katiel on Dec 31, 2022 1:56:00 GMT
I just tried Clairefontaine Triomphe for the first time and I am in love. I didn't know paper could feel like this! And my fountain pen is writing beautifully on it. I had planned to try out a few different types of paper that have been mentioned here, but I'm not sure I even want to now. I just want to stick with this!😂 Clairefontaine is one of my favorites! It’s so smooth and the inks look so good on it.
|
|
|
Post by katiel on Dec 19, 2022 18:24:51 GMT
Yay! With this last Christmas card I mailed today, I zeroed out my original reply pile! I had so much fun writing all those Christmassy letters!
However… This last week has been great, and 6 letters (some with pretty cards!) have also come in! So my reply pile is up to 6 again, but I think I’ll work on replying to these at a more leisurely pace. It’ll be a chance to try out some of the pretty new stationery I’ve been getting for Christmas!
But yay for getting (briefly) sort of caught up!
|
|
|
Post by katiel on Dec 14, 2022 6:23:09 GMT
I think I've become an unintentional stamp collector. Same. I go through a lot of stamps, but I don’t even want to count how many extra I have right now. The most I’ll admit is that my stamp bag is very fat right now. 🤣
|
|
|
Post by katiel on Dec 14, 2022 6:18:25 GMT
You know, the Tomie dePaola one might be worth picking up a set. Do I pick up a coil (100 stamps) of additional-ounce brush rabbits? School buses aren't exactly exciting. Could pair them with the foxes or use two for postcard stamps in a pinch. Yeah, I’m thinking of stocking up on brush rabbits too, since I use them (and will still use them after the price hike, I think) to pair with two forever stamps to mail international letters. The brush rabbits are cute and match everything. The school busses…they’re maybe sort of cool, and novel, but I don’t know if I want a bright yellow bus stuck on every pretty envelope. On the flip side, maybe my international friends would enjoy such an iconic piece of everyday American life? So I’m not sure. I should probably stock up…
|
|
|
Post by katiel on Dec 13, 2022 22:41:29 GMT
|
|
|
Post by katiel on Dec 12, 2022 16:29:49 GMT
Thanks to katiel 's instagram posts, I have now purchased a kit to make seals. Have not used it yet Yay! I think you’re going to love it! It’s really fun. Can’t wait to see what you make!
|
|
|
Post by katiel on Dec 8, 2022 21:10:43 GMT
You may find it's a bit of an addiction, not unlike fountain pens. Welcome to the club! The main reason I haven't ventured into typewriters is that, unlike fountain pens, they require comparatively massive amounts of space to store, and maybe even just to use. I suppose I could fit _one_, but that way lies madness. This! This is my fear! So I haven’t let myself even look at them…
|
|
|
Post by katiel on Dec 4, 2022 22:24:40 GMT
My reply pile is now in single digits! I’ve been having so much fun writing letters on Christmassy paper and tucking them in Christmas (or holiday) cards!🙂 Most of you should be seeing something in your mailbox from me, soon!
|
|
|
Post by katiel on Dec 4, 2022 22:15:54 GMT
I used up all my Christmas Elf stamps, and was sad because my post office is sold out. But then I found a half sheet of elf stamps mixed in with my paper! YAY! More elves for everyone!
|
|
|
Post by katiel on Nov 26, 2022 12:33:14 GMT
I just finished a box of pretty “snowy pine tree” Christmas cards, that I’ve been slowly using for 3 years. My last one is going to christyotwisty. I’m actually kind of sad to see these ones finished, because I loved these cards. I also finished a box of “deer in the snowy forest” Christmas cards. But I’m not sad about this, because I have a second box of these adorable cards! Yay!
|
|
|
Post by katiel on Nov 21, 2022 21:24:05 GMT
I noticed a lot of us commenting on our reply piles lately, and I thought it might be nice to have a place to celebrate our successes of catching up, or lament our falling behind, or just a place to do some writing accountability.
I’ll start. 🙂
I had a glorious summer of happy mail! I heard from nearly all my penpals (even the ones that I only hear from once every 2 or 3 years - all of them!). I loved every letter, but with all the traveling and summer activities, I barely had time to write. So by the end of September I had an overflowing reply pile of 27-ish letters to respond to (I’d taken so long to reply, that several penpals had written to me TWICE). Now that life is more back to normal, I’ve been writing up a storm lately. I’m very proud to report that as of today, my reply pile is down to 18! (including a couple new ones that arrived this week!) YAY!
My goal is to catch up, by sending replies in Christmas cards. Can I do it? We’ll see! I’d probably stand a better chance at success, if I wrote shorter letters, but apparently I’m a jabberbox. Haha! Either way, I’m having a great time getting back into writing after a few months of barely replying to letters at all. I’ve missed these “slow conversations!”
So how does your reply pile look right now?
|
|
|
Post by katiel on Nov 21, 2022 20:45:45 GMT
I just addressed and stamped a bunch of Christmas card envelopes this afternoon - I used up a whole bunch of stuff! I finished 3 books of Elf stamps (one was almost empty already, though), and four different sheets of address labels that I’ve been using for the last 4 years (I love picking out return address labels to match the cards or envelopes).
Did I buy enough Christmas stamps though? I might be cutting it close…I guess I can always use the snowy flower ones if I run out. Oh! Or do I still have some otter stamps? I might…
It’s somehow very satisfying to finish up so many sheets though. 🙂
|
|