Embroidered and Lenticular stamps, AUSTRIA

Last week, I received another set of great postcards from my dear correspondence friend, Sarah. The postcards were sent from Austria. Sarah has been living in several countries throughout my acquaintance with her but now she's settling down in Austria.

Some of the postcards were from Germany, Ireland, and Spain. None from Austria though, only the stamps were. But those stamps were my most favorite part of all since Sarah used very LOVELY stamps for sending her mail, as usual.

The fist unique stamp is an EMBROIDERED stamp, showing a blue flower of Clusius gentian. Released on 19 September 2008, it is the second embroidered stamp released by Austrian Post. The first one, showing Edelweiss flower, was released in 2005. However, the very first embroidered stamp ever in the world was released by Swiss Post on 21 June 2000 showing St. Gallen embroidery.

The second unique stamp is a LENTICULAR stamp, picturing an advanced car in front of Technische Museum Wien in Austria. Using lenticular printing technique, the stamp allows us to see movement on the drawing as we view it on different angles. Wow….I thought this kind of thing only exist in colorful stickers or in my elementary school plastic ruler.

I guess both stamps are pretty unique since not all post offices have produced those kinds of stamps. I know Indonesia has not either. So, I feel so extremely lucky to receive them STAMPED on an envelope :)

Many thanks Sarah for this gorgeous stamps (and postcards too) !!!

Tango en la noche by Sigfredo Pastor, ARGENTINA

Hola, I proudly present my very first card from ARGENTINA!!! I received this artistic postcard yesterday. It shows a lovely drawing called “Tango en la noche” or “Tango at night” by Sigfredo Pastor.

Sigfredo Pastor is an Argentinean painter who dedicated himself to draw a pictorial theme of deep tango root. There are plenty of his works that show people dancing tango complete with its unique elements.

Tango is a traditional dance forms that originated from Buenos Aires, Argentina and Montevideo, Uruguay. In September 2009, UNESCO has granted both countries’ wishes to list Tango as part of the world's Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. There are many variety styles of tango that developed in different regions. However, Tango is essentially walking with a partner and the music. That’s why people always say “It takes two to tango” :)

Thanks Melina for this gorgeous card!

Similar but not the same!!! Palazzo Vecchio and Palazzo dei Vicari, ITALY

Guys, do you remember my previous post about receiving the same cards???

I just realized today that i've made a mistake for these cards....i thought both are showing the same object but when i took a closer look, they are NOT!!!

The first card is showing Palazzo Vecchio in Firenze, while the other one is Palazzo dei Vicari in Scarperia. Both located in the same country, Italy, and have some kind of similar architecture but with slightly different details.

Palazzo Vecchio was originally built as the seat of the Priors at 13th-14th centuries. Now, it is a town hall of Florence, with most of the part serve as a museum. Meanwhile, Palazzo dei Vicari was built around the 16th century, when it was restructured to become the base of the Vicariate's judicial administration. Both are having a cubical structure with a tower and a clock attached on the tower. No wonder i thought they both are the same objects, right??? (excuses :P)

So, the moral of the story is please take a close look on every single postcard that you received, so that you wouldn't make the same mistake as i did Thank you Franca and Martine for these palaces cards!

Castle of Lucens, SWITZERLAND

Yesterday, I received this beautiful postcard of Chateau de Lucens in Switzerland. It is a castle in the sender's home village. According to this site, the castle was rebuilt in the 12th century and sits on the hill right above the town. Owned by the Canton of Vaud until 1801, it was sold to private owners.

The most famous recent owner is Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s son, Adrian. He lived there until his death in 1970. It is now owned by the Kohler family and they retain the castle for personal use. In 1965 Adrian Conan Doyle decided to create a museum to his father and his father’s greatest work, Sherlock Holmes. Originally set up in the castle, Sherlock Holmes Museum was moved in 2001 to the Maison Rouge Museum just below the Castle Lucens.

For more info of Lucens you can visit this official site. Thanks Sandro for this lovely card!

Amir Temur Museum, UZBEKISTAN

Last Friday, I just received my very first postcard written and stamped from Uzbekistan. It's a thank you card from one of my sent postcrossing postcards.

The postcard shows Amir Temur Museum, located in Toshkent, the capital city. According to this site, this museum was opened on 18 October, 1996 for the 660-year anniversary of Amir Temur. Inside there are exhibits showing Central Asia cultures especially in the Middle Ages such as jewelery, weaponry, military attire and regalia, musical instruments, manuscripts, and personal effects of Amir Temur.

Amir Temur himself was one of prominent figures in Uzbekistan. A great ruler of Samarkand, built a great army and expanded his empire that stretched from the Volga River and the Caucasian ridges in the west to India in the Southwest.

Thanks Vitaly for the great card!

Have you ever received the same cards?

Hello all!!
WOW, it feels like ages since the last time i wrote on this BLOG...really2 sorry about that :) Well, enough said. I promise i will write more often from now on *fingers crossed*

Okay, let's start with today's topic. Have you ever received the same postcard over and over again?

In my case, the event is quite rare but yesterday i just received 2 official postcrossing cards and both cards are already in my received collection. Well, not exactly...i admit that i'm exaggerating a bit. The truth is i only received one identical card (Beautiful Maiko Girls), and the other one is only showing similar object but not identical.

I believe that once we start seeing our collection grow, there will be higher possibility to receive similar cards along the way. But, personally i have NO problem with that, why? here's the thing:

1) If we received one of the cards unwritten (in an envelope) we can always send the extra card for someone else or even exchange it with others.

2) If we received both cards written and/or even stamped, it doesn't really matter since the one that important is the personal message at the back. I personally view that what makes my collection special is the personal history attached to the every single postcards that i received. That's why i always prefer to have my postcards written and stamped :)

How about you guys?

My unique collection: Wooden Postcard from Taiwan

Taiwan-map-(wood-postcard), originally uploaded by naya_hachi.

Have you ever seen a wooden postcard before?

Well, now you have =)

This card is one of my favorites since:
1) It's a map postcard (my favorite theme)
2) It's very rare and quite expensive
3) and.....It will not bend easily

Thanks so much Chia-sitine in Taiwan for this one of a kind postcard!!!

Things I learned from postcard: ERITREA is a country….

Asmara,-Eritrea, originally uploaded by naya_hachi.

D’oh….maybe that’s the first word you said after reading my headline. Well, I don’t blame you. But I suppose, you must have an excellent knowledge of world geography. Definitely not like me…LOL. Yeah, it’s kinda embarrassing really for me to admit that I didn’t know this simple fact. And even my hubby is still teasing me about it (you know you have to cut it out dear)

Anyway, this is one good reason why I like this hobby. You will simply learn new things. My first contact with Eritrea is through postcrossing of course. I got in touch with one of Eritrean users and we agreed to exchange postcards to one another.

In July last year, finally I received my first card from Africa…Yipppeee. I was so thrilled. My dear friend Mansour sent me 3 cards from Eritrea. All the cards were awesome, but my most favorite card was the one showing its capital city. Eritrea capital city is Asmara. Yup, it’s Asmara. Hmm…I wonder if you…yes you who said D’oh before, do you know this fact? I bet you’re not :)

The country’s touristy official website stated that “Asmara is possibly the safest African capital for travelers. It is one of the cleanest cities in Africa. The streets are elegantly lined with palms and a string of boutiques, coffee-shops and restaurants reminiscent of southern Italy.” So for me, it is really interesting to have a glimpse of this city through a postcard without even have to travel there myself (since of course i can’t afford to…at least not yet).

As an additional twist, asmara is actually a very meaningful word in Indonesian language. Asmara means love (as a noun). So, I felt extremely lucky to have a postcard sent to me from the “city of love”. As written in the postcard...I'm glad to see Asmara.

5 easy steps to start your own postcard collection

I'm aware that starting something new is not easy. As a beginner myself, I found it's kinda hard to start my own blog. However, in regards to postcard collecting experience, I believe that I can share you some easiest steps to start your own. These steps are mainly based on my own experience. Nevertheless, I hope that they will be useful and applicable to any of you guys.

1. Grab any postcards that are available--- As a beginner, you need to initiate your intention. Smaller steps can be a perfect way to start. Once I started to have an interest in this hobby, I searched any postcard look-a-like items from every corner in my house. I pretty much found plenty of things such as: a number of old postcards from my high school pen pals, some free postcards from my movie magazines collection, various free postcards that I took from the malls, etc. Grab them as they are your first treasure. No need to be picky, your main goal is to have as many postcards as you can.
   
2. Inform others about your ‘new’ hobby--- The fastest way to build up your collection is to use other people’s help as much as possible. Family, friends, and relatives are usually the best candidates to do that. Since I start this ‘thing’, I end up with plenty of postcards from my friends’ last trip abroad, my colleague’s business trip, and even a greeting postcard from my facebook friend. So, be nice to the ones you loved as they are your closest ally.
3. Join a postcard forum or community--- I believe that this is one of the best things about living in this connected world. You can expand your collection with the help of other people all over the world in just a simple click away. My favorite website is www.postcrossing.com. In fact, this is the main cause I started this whole thing of so-called obsession. This website will facilitate you to exchange postcards with random people all around the world. You can also join various mailing lists that facilitate postcards exchange. These communities are usually built based on trust. Thus, it is very important to maintain your integrity and commitment in order to be well accepted.
4. Build up your interest, be passionate--- Once you have some exposure on this exciting experience, you will start to have more interest in certain (more specific) kind of postcard. That is called your preference. Now, you can shift your focus more to your favorite themes. For example: postcards showing maps (my favorite ones), lighthouses, religious buildings, beautiful castles, landscapes, and plenty of other things. Be passionate about your collection as this will represent your interest and who you are as a collector.
5. Store it well, and share it with your loved ones--- Your collection is your treasure. Based on my experience, the easiest way to store your cards is in a plastic box or in a photo album. However, if you are willing to ensure that your cards will be fully protected, you have to use archival-quality plastic holders for storing postcards that are acid free and contain no PVC. This material will prevent the forming of acidic oils that can destroy the appearance of your postcards. Direct sunlight is also a big NO NO as it can fade the color. Preserving your collection is an essential thing to a collector. Store it well and you can enjoy your collection longer. Who knows you might be able to share them later to your loved ones.

Why post-aholic?

On the verge of doing something new, i have an idea to start my own blog. Hmmm...then i wonder what things i can write about? Well, i remember a saying that writing can be fun if your writing on topics about which you are either knowledgeable or passionate. Passion sells.

I'm a passionate person for sure. I have a lot of interests in my life. My friends even called me a person who has many hobbies, well too many maybe . I find that quite hillarious, but yet they are probably (or absolutely) right.

After having a deep thought about it, i believe that my number one passion (at the moment) is my obsession on any post related items, especially postcard and stamps. Since this blog will be a direct way to express my enthusiasm toward my main interest, that's why i called this blog post-aholic.

I wish that my blog can inspire someone to start considering this very interesting hobby. Act on it and find more excitement in life.