Happy St Valentine's Day

Here's envelope 931 sent in an envelope exchange in 2018, featuring one of my favorites from the Love series, the paper cut heart stamp.

Bonus - can anyone guess the store the bag is from?

H is for Hearts

The two versions of the forever hearts stamp issued in 2015. On envelopes 972 and 973.

And on envelope 980, the Quilled Paper Heart (2016), Hearts Blossom (2019) and Cut Paper Heart (2014). All of the stamps today are part of the long-standing USPS Love series.

For more stamps with an H theme, explore the links at Sunday Stamps.

Paper bags

Every now and again I turn a paper bag into an envelope.

This year Eric has a mail art call to recycle paper bags into mail art.

You can see the ones he has sent and received on his blog.

Here are two more that I sent him recently.

And here are two very nice ones from him in return for ones I have previously sent. The one from the Body Shop has a wonderful stamp on it, and the one with the space-themed washi tape has a great personalized stamp Eric designed.

What's the strangest thing you've turned into an envelope?

Do you have paper bags that you think would make good envelopes?

Eric Mondays part 21 - celebrate!

I did send Eric a commercial birthday card as a bonus, and I decided it couldn't go through the mail without a little bit of decoration.

A pretty picture

From a photo of a painting I saw hanging in a local coffee shop...

Hearts

Hearts from MomKat. This envelope is tiny - I am really impressed it was delivered.

And envelope 676.

Tucker is... looking for love

Tucker is...

...pretty in pink.

Marti's Love Stamps

Marti sent me several envelopes using the Garden of Love stamps.

This is what I sent her in return.

St Valentine's day

St Valentine's day is the Sunday Stamps theme (I'm about 6 hours early, although blogger seems to use pacific time, so make that 9 hours early on the timestamp). 

The US has been issuing stamps with the theme love for many years.

Forever love (2015). Video story of the designer's view on forever love (4 minutes). I have these stamps, just haven't used them yet. I prefer the white version - with the small 'forever' and '2014' in silver (scans as grey). I still think it's a bit odd that the heart says forever and there is also forever written below.

Here are some I sent and received.

Cut paper heart (2014). The one from Olathe has a unique digital color St Valentine's day postmark. The story behind the design is here.

Sealed with love (2013)

The 2012 stamp is Love ribbons. Out of print, a sheet of 20 stamps now sells for over three times the current first class price.

This 20c Love stamp is from 1984. Sadly many of the vintage stamps don't always stand up to the modern sorting machines, so this example is a little torn.

Of all the love stamps, I think this one is my favorite set, Garden of Love from 2011, even though I have never received any. A very clever design, with a lot of variety in the set.

Just noticed that USPS Stamps has a feature on Valentine's day mail artists.

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I'm not sure how long La Poste has been doing this, but they have a series of Valentine heart-shaped stamps designed by famous design houses (like Chanel, Hermes etc).

Many of the designs can be seen here. It's an interesting concept to have commercial enterprises design stamps (and have their names on them - great advertising) - I can't see this happening in the US.

The 2015 set is designed by Jean-Charles de Castelbajac.

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Rubber stamped hearts from Katerina N, all the way from Greece. A big chunk of background on the Greek 'European Youth Capital Thessaloniki 2014' stamp is pink, does that count?

Enjoy the rest of Valentine's Day, everyone.

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Last minute update: Eva blogged about Dr Turing's Love Letter Generator. If you've been at a loss for the perfect way to express your feelings, then this is for you - it's not too late!

The one I had Dr Turing's machine send to myself:

"My Dear You,

To me, you are more unfaltering than one million cherries, even more absorbing than the most beautiful summer breeze. Your lips are the most perfect. Your honesty is incandescent and your hand lazily appreciates my brilliance. You are a party, my only happiness, I desire only to bring and cuddle you for all eternity. Mysteriously accept my cheek, I beg of you! Your laugh consumes my compassion and all other cheeks pet in vain. You make each dreamy surprise allow like wit. Even the most impressive bliss could not entangle my eyelash so!

With all my love,

Me"

That last line had me in stitches. Not to mention the image of petting a lot of cheeks in vain before finding the right one.

Envelope exchange 2014: #266 to Alyce

Eastern Kingbirds by Charley Harper.

Accompanied with a paper cut heart stamp.

The back.

29 faces in september part II: envelopes 387, 295 & 357

4/29: # 387 to jan

Accompanied by Ms Piaf and addressed in lower case

Au revoir

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5/29: #295 to Terrie

I have a feeling we'll be seeing a lot of Johnny Cash in this series. 

The back

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6/29: # 357 to Tony

The colors on the envelope reminded me of Lydia Mendoza's stamp as well as the cut paper heart one.

The back.