Random Act of Smiliness - Alida from Canada

Another fun sheep card and pictorial cancellation from Alida. So glad there is no more snow!

Random Act of Smiliness - Alida from Canada

My dear Alida is sending me more wonderful pictorial cancellations! And more sheep! I have called around to a few post offices within a half hour drive and none of them have anything like these. Thank you my friend!

Random Act of Smiliness - Alida from Canada

A few members of the Canadian Postcrossing group (the cool one that is) I belong to are collecting pictorial stamp cancellations from across Canada. By far, my friend Alida seems to have access to the most. She sent me another super sheep card, the colours are so funky! This time the cancellation celebrates Watermelon Fest - love it!

Random Act of Smiliness - Alida from Canada

Alida is known for surprising me from time to time with sending me a random postcard from one of her fabulous day trips. When this envelope arrived last week, I will admit I was intrigued - we have never done envelopes! She was also driving for the day in a Mustang GT! Not too sure if this is the one but either way fun, fun and more fun! She sent me some super washi tape as she knew I was looking for some with a Valentine's theme. So thoughtful! A wonderful lighthouse picture from Long Point, Ontario. Alida helped me get a card from here last year to help out a fellow swapper. And another super cancellation from Southwestern Ontario! They just seem to have so many. Many thanks Alida!!!

Merry Christmas - Canadian Edition!

I have been very lucky to meet some wonderful people so close to home via Postcrossing Meet-ups. It is nice to be able to share this hobby with others and even nicer when you realize you share things outside the hobby too! I may not see them often however email and Facebook helps to keep us all up to date for the times in between. I was able to exchange some great Christmas cards with a few of them this year.

Lynda sent this sweet card -

Tracey sent this super glittery one. I love when every time you touch a glittered card you can manage to get it all over you, and the table, and, and, and! And it happens every time too! 

Alida found a wonderful wooden card to send me with another sheep. I think she has singlehandedly built most of my sheep collection - thank you! And Alida used another great and new to me cancellation.

Willa and I met in Toronto last year and we have done a few trades. This round card is so cute! Thank you!

Random Act of Smiliness - Alida and Lynda

One thing I must say about the friends I have made through this hobby is they are always there to help me out, regardless of what it might be for. I recently signed up to do another travelling card to feature Christmas stamps, just to realize I really don't have any Christmas stamps from previous years - oops! Lynda and Alida came to the rescue sending me some stamps from their own stash and included these sweet cards in their mailings. Thanks ladies, you saved me big time!!!

Random Act of Smiliness - Alida from Canada

Alida my dear friend has sent me yet another wonderful cancellation. She had noticed on my blog I was "missing a few". I am so lucky that she has access to so many great ones! The card she tells me is one her brother picked up for her on his vacation. Lucky me, love the colours they are so bright! Thank you Alida!!!

Happy Hallowe'en!

Happy Hallowe'en and Happy Birthday to me! My dear friend Alida was the first to send me birthday wishes this year - thank you! A great card with many fun stickers and stamps on the back and of course another fabulous cancellation.

Random Act of Smiliness - Alida from Canada

Alida is seriously one of the most thoughtful people I have ever crossed paths with. After my return from our trip to Washington DC I had a small accident in the house. Nothing serious, however I did end up in the emergency room and was out of commission for the better part of a week. We were emailing each other during this time and then she sent me this cute little sheep card. The text translates from Dutch to be "Always Fun" which was her wish for me and my family. Sweet! And yes, another wonderful cancellation from South-Western Ontario.

Random Act of Smiliness - Ireland from Alida

Another wonderful vintage card sent to me from my dear friend Alida. This time it shows sheep in Ireland. She writes about her garden and the mosquitoes. An irritating nuisance of summer. I thought for sure after our brutal winter they wouldn't have reappeared but in fact they are worse than usual! Thank you Alida!

Random Act of Smiliness - Alida from Canada

Alida scored a lucky find - 50 mint condition cards at a thrift store for $2! This card was one of them. So happy she remembered that I like alphabet cards. Kind of fun too as I was received the "S" and the "W" as cards in the past - neat! The letters are all so different, each time I look I find a new favourite. How about you, have you ever had success at a thrift store?

Random Act of Smiliness - Langton Meet-up

At the end of June a few of the ladies that I know from the Ingersoll Meet-up were getting together for a mini meet and lunch. It was the last week before the kids were home from school for the summer and just a bit further than I could travel that day, so sadly couldn't attend. I was pleasantly surprised when this sweet bird card arrived two days later. I can tell the meet was in Alida's neck of the woods as it has another great unique cancellation. Thank you ladies!!!

Random Act of Smiliness - New Zealand from Alida

Alida will single handily grow my collection of sheep cards. I love her for that, so thoughtful and there to put a smile on my face when I need one. She sent this card in the beginning of May and writes that while she is seeing many lambs and sheep locally but no local postcards. This view card show sheep grazing with Mount Cook, NZ in the background. Thank you Alida!

Random Act of Smiliness - Alida from Canada

Alida is one of the people I have had the pleasure to get to know better outside of our July Postcrossing meetings. At the beginning of September she sent me this sweet illustration by one of her favourite Finnish artists, Raija Nokkala. (For some reason I cannot get my link to appear to refer you to more info on this artist - sorry!) The sheep in this piece are so sweet, you can kind of feel their fluffiness! What really stopped me when I received this card was the postmark. Alida always seems to find the coolest cancellations in the various post offices in Southern Ontario. This particular one is stamped from Port Dover during the week of Friday the 13th. This town is very well known for having literally tens of thousands Harley Davidson enthusiasts descend for the single day, rain or shine, each and every Friday the 13th throughout the year. Not bad for what is normally a town of less than 10,000. You can read more about the bike rally here and see images here.

Random Act of Smiliness - Alida from Canada

Happy first day of Summer!!!!

This is the perfect card to celebrate the longest day of the year! I met Alida at the Ingersoll Postcrossing Meet-up last July. We have exchanged cards and messages a few times over the year. It was such a wonderful surprise to receive this card from her a few weeks ago. She had gone to Port Stanley and picked up this card for me. I have cousins who live there and while less than 2 hours from my place I have never been. It has a real beach culture, or as much as you can get given that you are in Ontario! A great Olympic stamp from the 2010 Vancouver Games and a cancellation from Courtland, Ontario. Alida - I too can't wait to we all meet up again in a few weeks time!

Random Act of Smiliness - Alida from Canada

Alida is one of the ladies I met at the Postcrossing meet-up in July. She sent me this sweet postcard wishing me a Merry Christmas, which I received last week. Love the card and love the postmark! Thank you Alida  - hope your holiday was great too!

Random Act of Smiliness - Alida From Canada

My mailbox this past week has seen many great cards from some of the ladies I met at the Postcrossing  meet-up in July. So nice to know someone is thinking of me! This card comes to me from Alida who lives in Delhi. The views shows the Bell Homestead in Brantford, Ontario. This is where Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone. Alida wrote telling me Brantford was a place she visited often growing up. I've been to visit this place too! Sweetheart that she is she also remembered that it was my birthday - thank you!

I just love the new Christmas issue of stamps! Now that Hallowe'en is over I can start to use them - yummy!

Postcrossing Meet-up

Another aspect of this hobby is connecting with others who share it. From time to time members arrange to meet one another in person to chat about all things Postcrossing. In July I had the opportunity to meet up with nine of my fellow South Western Ontarians in the town of Ingersoll for one such event organized by Lynda. In hindsight (which is always perfect!), it was a bit far to drive - almost 2 hours one way. Once I was there I was glad that I made the trip. It was nice to see others collections, hear some of their stories and just generally chat with people who enjoy the hobby as much as I do. Lynda designed a great card which we as a group signed and sent to 12 Postcrossers who responded to a post in the forum. I also purchased some to send out and the response from those who have received them has been fantastic. Great job Lynda!

Some of the participants brought cards for everyone as a remembrance of the afternoon and signed them before handing them out. I wasn't quite so organized but did follow-up with a few of the ladies down at my end of the table who I was able to exchange addresses with before the day was over.

Overall, a fun day and one I would certainly do again - hopefully next time a bit closer to home.

First the meet-up card designed by LyndaC-

Woodstock Museum and Museum Square from alidam2

Downtown Tillsonburg from unicorn11

Colourful Snail Mail from lisadora

Two fabulous vintage John Deere views from Corinnacr

And a super fun "Love is..." from muddslide

And finally a slightly blurry picture of all of us who attended that day - that's me second one in on the left in purple.