X is for Xmas in July

I'm not normally a fan of abbreviating Christmas to Xmas, however it allows me to have a bonus post for the current Sunday Stamps A-Z.

I bring you a tale of two Xmas cards that decided to have an adventure.

The first is from Fabienne. The polar bear stamp is wonderful, and the stained glass one is part of a set titled Structure and Light issued in 2016 by La Poste. They make a perfect pair for Xmas postage.

Posted December 18, it didn't arrive until January 29, with no signs as to why it took so long (usually mail from France arrives in 5-10 days). There were Xs inside, too.

The second late arrival had an adventure that is easier to figure out. Eric sent this on December 13. For some reason it ended up gaining a Macon, Georgia postmark December 23. I'm not quite sure why it went there, since it is clearly addressed.

It must have done the rounds in Macon, because it gained another postmark January 20, and it finally arrived here January 23. You can see that the IMB has been blacked out, so I assume at some point this poor envelope gained the incorrect barcode, which sent it around Macon a few times before finally being corrected and successfully being delivered more than a month late.

The stamp is actually a print at home Xmas label featuring a penguin, wishing me a Joyeux Noel.

Included with the card was this wonderful ATC oil similar colors. A very nice piece of work, Eric, I love that it has a nice feel to it - is it collaged? 

Eric and I seem to have had trouble with our holiday mail the last few years :) Maybe 2018 will be better.

This has been a bonus post for the letter X of Sunday Stamps.

X is for Xed out

I really wish the post office wouldn't do this...

This is a domestic postcard-rate stamp (currently 35c), and has a link to this whole A-Z series in that it depicts a seashell called an alphabet cone, Latin name Conus spurious. The common name results from the fact that the markings often look like letters, and may seem to spell out short words. Take care when handling a live one: they have a modified tooth that functions as a poisonous harpoon!

The only time I thought an Xed out stamp worked, was on this zombie envelope (not for the squeamish).

To see more postage with an X theme, head over to the links at Sunday Stamps.

W is for Whale, White and Water

Five great shark stamps were issued last year by the USPS.

One of them is a whale shark (my favorite of the stamps), and if you're looking for a couple more W links, there's a great white, and all the sharks are depicted swimming in water.

I sent them on this piece of mail art to Katerina.

For more links to postage with a W theme, head over to Sunday Stamps.

V is for Vanishing Trades

I have received two of these amazing Vanishing Trades stamps form Singapore. 

I showed the front of this postcard for a Sunday Stamps entry back in 2016. Here is the back.

There are 14 in total, some issued in 2013, the rest in 2014. Here is a link to the SingPost website for better images, you'll have to scroll down the page.

2013

2014

For links to more  postage with a V theme, head over to Sunday Stamps.

U is for United Nations

Going with the same U as last time, here's a 70c stamp from the UN issued in 2003 that features a holographic portion. It is impossible to scan, and to really appreciate on a flat screen, so here are two photos from slightly different angles.

For more postage with a U theme head over to Sunday Stamps.

S and T are for STEM

Combining two letters in the current Sunday Stamps trip through the alphabet to feature four stamps issued by USPS this year to promote the STEM disciplines - Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. I think the designs are intriguing, and make me think of some stamps issued in the 1970s.

These envelopes were sent as part of Jean's Pushing the Envelopes envelope exchange for April (I think).

For more links to S- and T-themed postage, head over to the links at Sunday Stamps.