At the beginning of 2011 I set myself a challenge: to write a postcard every single day of the year. It was a way of weaning myself off facebook (which had become a little too all-consuming) and attempting a correspondence which, for me, was a little more personal and creative (but, you guessed it, became a little too all-consuming!) My first card was to my husband, a beautiful drawing by Piero Fornasetti, titled Brindisi.
I had such an enormous stash of postcards collected over many years that I simply had to dip into my collection to find a card to sent on its way. There were postcards from favourite cafes, movies, places I've visited, and artwork I admire. It was hard to let some of these old friends go, so I scanned each one into the computer before posting it.
The by-product of me sending out my daily postcards was that I received a huge amount in reply (last count 74). Admittedly I did write in small lettering "happy to receive one back" on each card (not wanting to apply too much pressure), but it was still such a surprise when one popped into my letterbox. On a particular day I received 5 postcards - it was like having a birthday. And I'm still receiving cards (thanks Dad, 12 months later is still good!)
My collection of cards received is stunning with antique cards, cards from places where friends/family live, inspiring artwork, beautiful handmade postcards, and even a card shaped like a koala.
A little skip-hop moment during the year was when I received a card from Buckingham Palace. As I said to my girls, it's not every day you receive mail from a real Princess who lives in a real castle! I had popped a little message in the mail to Kate, just before she married Prince William, to wish her a happy day.
Pretty exciting, eh? So to end, I have a little confession: I didn't quite make the 365 days, and I'm trying hard not to berate myself for this as it was lots of fun and it was always intended to be about fun. But I do berate myself because that's just the kind of girl I am!
All that aside, I have another postcard idea bubbling away which still needs a bit more tweaking. I'll tell you about it soon.
I hope your collections give you lots of joy, and a pretty impressive title!
Trudy
I think I might be a bit of a deltiologist too! I'm so pleased it's got a name, that's wonderful. I have drawers of postcards, and it's wonderful to look through them occasionally, be reminded, and see how my tastes have change through the cards I've collected. Though that has to be quite a prize, a card from a real Princess! Fabulous! Vanessa xxx
ReplyDeleteThat sort of berating is a complete waste of time. My next door neighbour would say so anyway - just the same as she does about Mama Guilt (phew!). Regardless of the 365 bizzo, I am mightily impressed and inspired to come over all deltiological myself...
ReplyDelete