Greetings from Bulgaria - Direct Swap with Donka

Slowly but surely the swaps I have arranged for the Greetings From cards are arriving. This one featuring Bulgaria came from a swap I arranged with Donka - thank you!

Greetings from Hungary - Direct Swap with Edit

When the latest new additions to the Greetings From cards were announced I thought Hungary would be a hard country for me to swap with. I was pleasantly surprised that it was a bit easier than I originally thought. Russia and Barbados have proven a bigger challenge - one I thought for sure the other - who knew?!? Edit and I connected on Facebook and I am glad we did. I think I prefer the cards that are set on dark or night views the best - makes it easier to read for one!

Greeting from Thailand - Direct Swap with Jindarat

Another beautiful addition to my "Greetings from" collection. This card features Thailand thanks to a connection I made with Jindarat on the Postcrossing Forum. Love the sunset and reflection in the water. She chose some pretty amazing stamps too!

Direct Swap - Oleg from Israel

This card took almost long two months to arrive and was so worth the wait! Oleg had offered this colourful and foiled card showing the Hebrew Alphabet. I was happy that I had something he liked and wanted to swap. The design on each of the letter is like a little piece of art. Once again my scanner does not do it justice!

Greetings from Austria - Direct Swap with Rosmarie

How does the saying go - two steps forward, one step back - that is how I am feeling with my Greetings from collection. No sooner do I get connected with people to swap and then new countries are issued. It seems each issue they are getting harder and harder too! This card from Rosmarie shows Austria. Lots of new info for me, I love learning little bits of trivia like this.

Direct Swap - Alexander from Canada

Alexander and I connected on a great Canadian Facebook group for swapping. Actually, it is kind of a funny story in a round about way. There are several different Canadian groups and I was a member in a few. The "main" group as I would have called it had more members (right around the 200 mark) and the other groups anywhere from 20-60 depending on the day and the momentum it was gaining. Alexander posted in the "main" group that he was starting a collection of Ontario cities and towns and I offered up Orangeville. For some reason the admin of the group was completely anti-swapping. I mean who just wants to talk about postcards and show them but not actually share or swap them? Or worse, get snapped at publicly if you do? Even though the majority of the members wanted to, she shut down any thread that even mentioned it. Odd, huh? Needless to say the very narrow mindedness and somewhat less than friendly comments had myself and several others leave that group. Why tolerate such a bully?!?! So, Alexander and I connected on one of the other much more laid back, anything goes if it a postcard groups and had this very successful swap. I am not too sure what I would receive in return as I just said "surprise me" and this card showing a great street view of Queen Street West in Toronto was just perfect. This was one of my hangouts in high school, college and beyond. Too many great days shopping and lunching, and nights dining and going to clubs. A great trip down memory lane, thanks Alexander!

Direct Swap - Myanmar from Brigitte

Brigitte was travelling to Myanmar and was offering to send cards from her trip. She requested Moomins and lucky for me I had one that she didn't. The card she chose for me is great. It shows the Pindaya Caves and her message spoke to her visit to the caves and the rituals performed there. The stamp is huge - 3.5 inches! Great swap and another new country in my collection.

Direct Swap - Angie from Canada

I {love} our library. I am honestly there every week at least once, sometimes twice. Some weeks as many as four times. Both my kids and I are readers, plus all the DVD's and kids programming they attend. If they issued a loyalty card I would be near the top of the list for sure! The Vancouver Public Library has fascinated me for a long time. Such an interesting design. I had been looking for this card for awhile and luckily Angie went on a trip there and was able to pick one up for me. Another great swap with her - thank you Angie!

Greetings from Luxembourg - Direct Swap with Anne

Another great addition to my "Greetings from" collection. Anne and I have swapped several times in the past and she was happy when PostalLove issued these cards. My understanding is she was involved with their production, Icould be wrong but thought I read that somewhere. Many new and interesting things I learnt here. The one that stuck out to me was the soup, Bouneschlupp, Anne tells me she doesn't care for it much. I think anything with bacon sounds dreamy! Thanks Anne for a great swap!

Direct Swap - Olga from Russia

Many countries have issued stamps and/or cancellations through their postal service to celebrate Postcrossing. Russia was the latest and I was quite happy to connect with Olga to arrange a swap via the Postcrossing Forum. She lives is Novosibirsk and attended several of the launching ceremonies. The card shows a view of her hometown's business center. I must say of all the issues this one is my favourite. Do you have one you prefer over another?

Greetings from South Korea - Direct Swap with Irina

Another fabulous "Greetings from" card this time from Irina who I connected with on Facebook. I found two facts on this card really interesting. I mean I find them all interesting but these were especially so. First was the babies age. I had never heard that ever and personally think that is a bit different - at my age I don't want to be any older than I have to be! The other was the fact the Rose of Sharon is the national flower. I had the biggest, loveliest Rose of Sharon bush when I lived in Toronto. People literally stopped when walking or driving by to look at it. Sadly, they don't do as well where I am now. Another great swap and a few more bits of info if I ever make it to Jeopardy.

Greetings from Taiwan - Direct Swap with Sonya

No sooner am I able to sit back and enjoy the completion of my PostalLove collection and it seems they issue new cards just to celebrate with me! This last round saw five new countries introduced. I have connected with a few people to swap and have three other cards travelling to me. Right now the elusive one is Thailand. Wish me luck with that! Sonya and I connected on Facebook as she was offering the card from Taiwan. She shared with me her traditions for the Lunar New Year, they sound fun!

Direct Swap - Anu from England

It seems many others are now starting to collect the "Greetings from" series of cards too. I still have a few Canadian cards and am happy to help out when people ask. Anu was just starting her collection and had several cards to offer in return. I chose this fun one which on the back is titled "Pullover Farm". It is by a photographer names Senka Causevic. While I can find various eBay listing for other works I cannot find out much about her. I love the colours, really put a smile on my face. Anu used a Year of the Sheep stamp and chose a Water Sheep, that is my daughter's sign. I am Fire. I also love the circus stamp too!

Direct Swap - Oleg from Israel

Oleg and I connected on Facebook when he posted this card to swap. He was looking for "Greetings from" cards and still needed Canada in his collection. The card shows a map of The Holy Land at the time of Jesus. Oleg was able to use stamps from 1992 showing  The Sea of Galilee. My card has arrived too - great swap, thanks Oleg!

Direct Swap - Lynn from Canada

 As I mentioned the other day there is a great Canadian swapping group on Facebook. Lynne and I connected in that group when I posted looking for this card. When I think of Canadian stadiums this is as iconic as it gets. The Montreal Olympics brings back so many memories for me for so many different reasons. I have never been to Olympic Stadium itself but have seen it many times when driving through Montreal. Was happy Lynne had a card and surprised how quickly it got to me - three days, including a weekend! Great to connect with you Lynne and thank you again!

Direct Swap - Angie from Canada

Angie and I belong to two Canadian Postcrossing Facebook groups together. Yes, there are two - one with tight, strict rules and one that just goes with the flow! She had recently purchased the Mr. Men Postcard set and was offering to swap. I {love} Mr. Men and Little Miss! I was super happy that she had a Mr Tickle (my son's favourite!) and liked what I had to offer. As she lives in Prince George, BC she was able to get their special cancellation stamp celebrating Prince George's birth.

Greetings from China - Direct Swap with YiMan

Drumroll please.......My PostalLove "Greetings from" collection is complete - again! YiMan and I connected through Facebook at the beginning of November and their card arrived just before Christmas. They joke that one of famous Chinese listed, Cai Lun, might be a relative as they share the same family name. You never know!

Thank you to everyone who helped me build my collection of cards!

Christmas Swap - Facebook

Every once in awhile I have what I think is a great idea. Shortly after, I wish I had never suggested it. In 2013, I participated in a Christmas card exchange within a Facebook group I belong to. I thought it would be a fun thing to co-ordinate within the Canadian Postcrossing group. In my head, yes, in reality not so much. I never would have guessed that something I had perceived to be straightforward and fun would give me such grief. Christmas postcard to me is just that, not a greeting card cut in half, not a greeting card you received from someone else cut in half, etc, etc. Yes, they may be pretty but not what I set out to exchange. After the initial feather ruffling it seemed to be OK. Until, my partner sent me what I strongly believe is a greeting card cut in half. Not even a Christmas stamp. I know it sounds whiny but that and all of the little kinks left me feeling a little flat. Next year, I have it diarized not to suggest it. A bit more of the Festivus coming out in me I guess! Ho! Ho! Noooo!

Have you ever been disappointed in a swap? Received something different that what was agreed upon?

Direct Swap - Mexico from Emilia

Back in September or so I swapped some map cards that I had with Emilia. They helped to fill some gaps she had in her collection and I know how important that is, especially when it comes to maps. We left her part of the swap open and when she went on vacation in November she sent me this great card from Mexico. Having been to Cancun I can say the water is this beautiful and blue! Thank you Emilia for sharing your vacation with me.

Direct Swap - Krista from Canada

Krista also belongs to the Canadian Postcrossing group I wrote about yesterday. One day we were chatting about a Christmas card exchange and she suggested that we do a random swap based on our profiles. Sounded good to me. A week or so later this card showing the Western Red Lily arrived. I did not know this was the provincial flower of Saskatchewan. Krista really did an amazing job on the reverse with a great message about herself and stickers, tape and more! Great swap - thanks Krista!