OFFICIAL Card - Korea

Now that my Postcrossing account seems to have evened out it has been a really nice pace these past few weeks to receive a new card every day or two. Nothing like the dry spell I had leading up to Christmas. That was painful! This card arrived earlier in the week and I found it the most interesting read. I had never heard of King Sejong and really enjoyed reading the back of the card which provided many details on his life. Between my address, stamps, etc I wasn't really able to easily scan that portion. Hyemin chose a great Lunar New Year stamps and used some fun stickers showing Hanbok (traditional clothing).

 

Lottery Win - Finland

Elenna hosted a lottery in October on the Postcrossing Forum. It had a really neat twist to it. She opened the lottery and offered six different cards featuring the Swedish Royal Family. You were to choose which card you liked best and answer the question she posed about Royal Families. The twist was she asked the winner to open a new lottery, kind of paying it forward. I really liked that idea. Lucky for me I was the winner and chose this fantastic card showing Princess Madeleine and her groom. What I didn't know was Elenna took the card to a mini meet-up with a few Postcrossing friends and they all signed it. The icing on the cake is the beautiful foiled wedding stamp. This was the first postcard I received for 2015, a great way to start off the year - thank you Elenna!

OFFICIAL Card - Netherlands

Today's card was sent to me by Brigitt and has a great photo of former Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands and her granddaughters. A beautiful trio of girls that I have showcased in cards before. Super Christmas stamps too!

Random Act of Smiliness - J.J. from USA

J.J. is a big fan of Princess Diana and sent this card to me on the date of her death. The photo on the card dates back to 1985. The postmark is truly unique. The Smithsonian Postal Museum was one we were hoping to get to but just did not have the time to fit in on our recent trip. Thanks J.J.!

Random Act of Smiliness - Genek from Denmark

I know I have said this before - monarchies have some really good looking people in them! Genek was offering cards of the Danish Royal Family. The card shows Frederik, Crown Prince of Denmark, his wife Mary and their four children. I am a sucker for a good romance most days and their story is certainly a good one! Now if I can only get Genek's address to send something to thank him in return.

Random Act of Smiliness - Heather from Australia

It has been awhile since Heather and I have done any swapping. She was offering some fantastic maxi-cards and I jumped at the chance for this one. Love the Queen on a good day but this maxi-card from Australia Post commemorating her birthday is just amazing! Love the Queen in pink! I must say I do find her blush though a little heavy through the eyes lately. Not so much in this picture, but in ones similar to this. Thank you Heather!

OFFICIAL Card - Russia

This stately portrait of Emperor Alexander II of Russia came to me from Nadya. She lives in St. Petersburg with her three kids. Love the stamp she chose for me too!

OFFICIAL Card - England

Happy Victoria Day! Today, also marks the unofficial start of summer here in Canada! If only it were warmer and drier!!! Ginte lives in London and sent this great card of Queen Elizabeth from her Diamond Jubilee. I love this dark purple colour on her.

OFFICIAL Card - Russia

Rita from St. Petersburg sent this portrait of Empress Alexandra Feodorovna and her son Alexis. This photo is dated 1913.

OFFICIAL Card - Netherlands

Once again a great card showing the Dutch Royals arrived in my mail box. This is one of the first photos I've seen where the Princesses are not dressed alike. Jacqueline writes that she really likes this family - I would agree they are such a nice looking bunch!

Direct Swap - Anne from Luxembourg

Continuing with the Royal theme from yesterday....

Anne and I had agreed to a swap and this was the card that I chose. It features the Grand Ducal Family of Luxembourg. She writes that it is a few years old, some are now married and others are expecting. I must admit I do not know much about this family and will need to read up on them a bit more. What I can say though is as a family they are very attractive. Reminds me a bit of the Dutch Royal family for reasons I can't explain. Anne chose a great stamp for me and I honestly had to do a double take at first thinking she sent it from England! Another great swap completed - thank you Anne!

Direct Swap - Xue from Australia

Who doesn't love a cute baby, especially a cute baby who will one day be King! Xue was offering maxi-cards issued by Australian Post and I welcomed the chance to swap with her. This was one of the first cards I had seen celebrating Prince George. I think he looks so much like Prince William. It will be interesting to see him as he grows if he still favours his Dad or not. In return I sent Xue a card from the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Games. We were both happy with our trade.

Random Act of Smiliness - Eileen from England

Eileen sent me an incredible birthday surprise back in October. Yes, I am still catching up on lots of things that are floating around my desk.  She wrapped the package in a museum brochure which was fun and colourful. The stamps she chose - wow, wow and wow!!! These have been floating around for a few years! Inside were lots of neat goodies - postcards (of course), a pencil that says "Postcrossing Rocks!", a 3D magnet and some fruity tea from her recent trip to Bulgaria as well as a Kit Kat bar from Japan. The chocolate bar was very different. No idea what the flavour was supposed to be but it was covered in white chocolate and much whiter inside than the ones you buy here. Very much appreciated and makes turning another year older that much easier. Thank you Eileen!

OFFICIAL Card - Netherlands

Another fun Christmas card that came to me, this time from Corina from The Netherlands. The card is by Dutch artist Rolf Unger and is called "Sinterklaas Automatiek", a typical Dutch vending machine. Very fun indeed. The stamps she chose are fabulous - King Willem Alexander, current day and as a baby Prince with his mom, Queen Beatrix.

OFFICIAL Card - Netherlands

A great card showing the Dutch Royal family sent to me by Ingrid in late October. The family resemblance between King Willem-Alexander and his eldest daughter is amazing! I must say seeing these three lovely girls makes me think lots of different wacky things. The girls are 10, 8 and 6. I wonder how they feel about dressing alike? When they were younger as seen here, maybe, but now??? I know my 10 year old daughter cringes if she wears something to school and then sees it on a child in grade 1 or 2 and instantly deems it as "too baby". I also wonder if they ever misbehave. My kids are wonderful but they are not angels. I wonder if they could go through all the ceremonies, etc that these three have seen. I know they don't know anything different but wonder if they ever fuss that they have to do it again. Do you ever think totally random wacky thoughts from a single picture?

Another lovely Christmas stamp, this one from 2004.

Lottery Win - Sweden from Tiina - Part IV

Tiina wrote "it is never to early for Christmas" and I happen to agree. She found this card in "Old Town" (I am guessing that is an area of Stockholm). The stamps she used too are wonderful. I love seeing different Christmas stamps from around the world.

The big brown building on the right is the Royal Palace. Tiina writes that she {loves} Stockholm. On this card she sent me a souvenir sheet of Sweden's Europa stamp for 2013. You can learn more about these issues here.

A great view of one of Tiina's favourite places - Old Town, Stockholm. Another wonderful stamp celebrating the King of Sweden's 40th year.

The arrival of this card was bittersweet. Like all good things, Tiina's vacation had come to an end. This card shows a typical Kraftskiva or crayfish party. It is an outdoor party held every August. It is so important there is a special stamp issued. Looks like fun!

I cannot thank Tiina enough for sharing her vacation with me. The cards, the stories and her extreme generosity will be treasured for a long time - thank you!!!!

OFFICIAL Card - Russia

After a relatively short (by Russian averages) 34 day travel this card from Nataly arrived in August. She sent this card showing The Czar's Palace, within the Moscow Kremlin in 1890. I don't know what it is about cards from Moscow but they bring back so many fantastic memories, this is a great card!

OFFICIAL Card - Netherlands

How fun is this card! I love it!!! It reminds me of this famous artwork by Andy Warhol. Once again those Dutch Royals seem so vibrant!

OFFICIAL Card - Netherlands

I love postcards of the Dutch Royal family. They always look so young and so fresh. This card from Elsemieke was taken during the coronation of King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima in April of this year.

OFFICIAL Card - Netherlands

Another great card of the Dutch Royal couple - King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima. The photograph was taken in May 2011 to celebrate her 40th birthday. The card was sent by Anne and Sophie a mother, daughter Postcrossing duo.