Mailboxes, Part 2

Next in my series of mailboxes posts are these two wonderful miniature coin banks from England.  The older of the two (assuming it was indeed produced during George VI's reign) is made by Chad Valley.  You can read more about that particular toymaker by clicking the hyperlink.  The second is made by Berwick Toys and was obviously produced sometime post 6 Feb 1952.  I have not been able to find any information on the company, searches have only conjured up other items produced by the same.

These two coin banks are interesting.  The Georgian money bank stands just over 7.5 cm tall and the Elizabethan money bank is right at 8 cm.  And most intriguing, how in the world does one reclaim their money???  There are no hatches on the bottom nor doors on the back!  The Elizabethan bank appears as if the top might come off, but it is snug (trust me) and I am in no way eager enough to attempt to force it and risk sustaining damage.  We may never know......

I think they are lovely and hope you do too.  Thanks for reading.

Playmobil Mail Carriers

I know, I know.  Anybody who has ever been on Postcrossing has seen the little mail carriers but now I have a set of my own and they are so cute!!!  Look at all of the German mail they can deliver!

Here are a few pictures for your viewing pleasure.

P.S.  If you are outside of Europe and find you are desperate for a set of your own, I suggest checking out eBay.  I can't make any promises and I do not endorse the company or any seller, but give it a shot if you are interested. :)

I told you they were cute. :)

Mailboxes, Part 1

So I am back once more, this time with an introduction to my wild and crazy collection of mailboxes.....well, miniature mailboxes, and they are almost all piggy banks (coin banks, money boxes, sparkdose - you get the idea).

The first one is a green coin bank, made by All-American.  Don't ask me who they, if they are still in business or what else they ever made, because so far, I haven't found an information on them.  Supposedly this bank is WWII-era, but I think that is based largely on the color.  Green mailboxes were the thing during that time.

The mailbox stands 8.75 inches tall and is 4.25 inches wide.  As you can see in the bottom image, the door pulls down, this is for depositing bills.  You can see the coin slot on the front for tucking away your loose change.  If you open the bottom, you would see the inside is partitioned in the middle, keeping your bills and change separated.

P.S.  I haven't forgotten about the skirt project.....life happens and schedules change, it's too cold outside right now for a skirt anyhow.  Until next time.....

The Skirt Project: Update

Due to very unforeseeable events, I am not going to have my skirt ready in time for this weekend, which was plan.  What a bummer!  Hopefully will have some time in the coming few weeks.

Will post updates when I have something to show. :)

The Skirt Project, part 2

Part 2: The Supplies Are In

(or at least most of them)

So what do we have here??  Oh, where to start??!?!?!

First we have these lovely brass buttons, I mentioned them in part 1.  They are from the Post Office Department, which would become the United States Postal Service in 1971.  They look bigger than they are, you can get a bit of perspective in the first picture.  One of them is missing here, it's little ring on the back is pretty bent and it wouldn't stand up for my shot.

Since we are talking about buttons - here are the French Post Office buttons, I mentioned these before as well.  These ones are a bit bigger than the POD buttons and seem a bit less worn.  Not that either is a bad thing, just an observation.

On to the ribbons!!!  This is some pretty basic ribbon.  Probably made of nylon, the colors fit the idea and it was inexpensive so I bought a couple of yards.

Here is the fancy ribbon.  This one cost a few pennies more (sarcasm, it was a lot more), but it is beautiful.  I got this off an etsy seller based out of the UK.  <3  So perfect for the project.

Last, but certainly not least, are the bias tapes and piping.  When I was searching I found 10 mm wide airmail bias tape a couple of times, but I was looking for something wider, something that would make more of a statement on my hem line, then I found a seller, I think they are in Singapore - they were selling bias tapes in two widths, 10 and 15 mm AAAAAND they had airmail piping!!!  I haven't quite decided what to do with the 10 mm bias tape, but given the cost of shipping, I didn't want to buy the other two and then later on wish I had bought the 10 mm, so I bought all three.  The piping will be the trim around at least one of my pockets, to make it look like an airmail envelope.

Well, that's all I have to share for today, hopefully I will soon have some time to start taking measurements, experimenting with the fabric and generally working towards having this project completed by the end of Sept.  Can I do it??  By golly, I hope so!

Until next time, thank you for reading my blog. :)

The Skirt Project, part 1

So after spending far too much time online, primarily on sites like etsy and ebay (shields face from ridicule), I came up with the wild and crazy idea of making an Airmail Skirt.  Right about now, you may be wondering, what could this wonderful sounding garment be?  Well, I'll tell you - or show you over a series of blog posts - or at least that's idea.  Hoping I don't get too busy to post progress.

The idea is that I want to make a skirt, knee length-ish that shouts (in a friendly, not obnoxious manner) "Airmail - postal history - I love mail!"  I say all of those things anyway, but wouldn't it be great to have a skirt that did all of that for you?

My basic premiss thus far is that the main fabric is a beige muslin, it looks nice and grainy, which is why I chose it (it didn't hurt that it was pretty inexpensive) and I wanted something that reminds me of an envelope or mail bag.  Also, I have bought some blue and red (airmail) striped piping and bias tape to accent the skirt - it hasn't arrived yet, but when it does, I'll post pictures.  I am toying with the idea of pockets, so far I want one that looks like an envelope, this is where the airmail piping comes in, I'll put it around the border to make it look like an airmail envelope - and for a possible second pocket, I am considering making it look like a postcard.  I have a decent size postcard rubber stamp (just need an ink pad for use on fabric) that I am thinking will make a great pocket design.  Other thoughts are to find some stencil and paint "AIRMAIL" and "PAR AVION" strategically along the hem of the skirt - if you haven't fainted yet, it doesn't end there.  I have bought some amazing old, brass buttons, one set if from some La Poste, the French Postal Service's uniform back in the day and the other set are Post Office Department (the predecessor of the US Postal Service) buttons from the 60s or 70s.....sounds too recent to me, but that's what the listing online said, so I'll stick with that for now.  PS It couldn't have really been 70s as the POD went bye-bye in 1971.  So, that where I am thus far.  My deadline is late September, oh, and before I go, I want to share with you a few of my potential accessories to go along with the skirt in question.  (Sorry for the not great pictures and the ugly counter top - I am not patient when I am on a mission, my camera battery is dead and it is dark out - welcome camera phone pictures shot in the kitchen.) :)

These cute airmail earrings were bought on etsy a year or so ago, they came from a seller in Australia, love them, but some times a bit awkward to wear.  Not sure if they'll make the final cut.

This amazing broach is also a great etsy find (is there any other kind of etsy find?).  It is like a lie detector of the postally educated kind, I always know I'm near someone who really knows what they are talking about (when it comes to philately and postal history) when I am wearing this.  Case in point, people who have no idea can't figure out what this is and I have gotten guesses such as alien robot or simply "I don't know."  *shakes head*  Those who share the post adoration recognize it instantly.  If you haven't identified it yet, I am not going to tell you. :P

Oh, the Pony Express necklace.  It's simple, but lovely (and not from etsy this time).  A fantastic friend of mine was traveling about the midwest and came across the old Pony Express Station in Gothenburg, Nebraska and bought this and a postcard for me.   <3

Last but not least is my latest ebay find, which I only bought two days ago so mega impressed it's already sitting in front of me.  I do not work for USPS, but I thought this nice, little lapel pin would be a wonderful accent piece for my outfit.

Hope you have enjoyed reading, stay tuned for further developments on the skirt project. :)

The Dutch Connection by Cardcetera

Hello again,
Sorry for being gone for so long, but you know how life is, you never know what it's going to throw at you, so you just keeping writing postcards and move on......or is that just me?  In any case, I've been a wee bit busy and I was actually planning on blogging something else before this post, but it just wasn't working out for me.  Maybe I'll post it next.  Who knows?!

So, here I am, back again, and this time with Cardcetera's newest line of postcards.  Seem familiar? Well it should, they published their previous line The French Connection not too long ago and they're already back again with another fantastic series of postcards.  If you haven't already noticed from the title of this blog post, it is called The Dutch Connection.  Right about now, especially for more established collectors, you may be thinking "I have lots of Dutch postcards...." and that might be so, but wait until you see these.

I love Dutch postcards, honestly, probably more than post people, it is the largest part of my postcard collection, but this series is different and in a very good way.  These aren't your usual tulips and clogs.  What I like most about this series is that the subjects are all familiar scenes, but this time they seem more natural, more casual, maybe even more realistic.

We have all seen the stacked rounds of cheese postcard, but this time around the cheese is being sampled in a market, I can't be entirely certain, but I think that really happens.

Who are the Dutch without their tulips?  We have seen countless fields of well manicured tulips, haven't we, but here they are simply for sale (and at not a bad price). And a new take on a windmill, love it, not a field but an adorable souvenir and biscuit molds in many common shapes that we know and love.

And we must not forget the bicycles, the cakes, the front doors!  I think what I'm trying to say is this.....I love them, they really are lovely.  They are familiar but they are different.  Oh and I shouldn't forget to add that they have a super cute design printed on the back, they are made of good card stock (they will travel well through the postal sorting machines of the world) and the surface is great for writing on, once again, no need for a special pen.

Lastly, another reason for pushing this post to the front of the line is this, I just realized that this series is on sale this week, so run, skip, jump - aim your web browser towards Cardcetera as this series being 20% off won't last forever.  Ok, sorry to sound so much like an advertisement, but what good would I be if I kept news of a good sale to myself?  I'll answer that: none at all!

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Things on my mind:

• I am busy putting together a marvelous post about the Smithsonian National Postal Museum.
• I am thinking about a raffle/lottery, not sure if I'll have a quiz question or just have a random draw of who enters.......more to come on that.

• Have anything in mind that you would like to see me ramble on about??  Please share!  Questions and comments are always welcome.