The Collected BPS

Big wicker chest filled with the collected postcards of about half of the members of the Benevolent Postcard Society project. Still feeling overwhelmed by it all, but beginning to find my way.

(my photo via instagram)

Beautiful Mailer

Who knew sending letters could be so beautiful? Lovely atmospheric photo by Juergen Teller for Royal Mail in i-D magazine.

(via abundance)

The Language of Stamps

You have to see this lovely and wonderfully illustrated post on the blog Poemas del río Wang on the now-vanished delicate art of stamp placement. Depending on how you placed a stamp on an envelope, it told an informed recipient you sent a kiss, you were thinking of them — or (sadly) that you were not free. Fascinating — and something it would be charming to revive for Valentine's Day, I think.


(untitled painting by Raimundo de Madrazo y Garreta {1841-1920} via poemas del río wang)

Snail Mail My Email

This is an intriguing idea — Snail Mail My Email is a month long, interactive art project transforming people's emails to handwritten letters that are physically mailed, completely free of charge. Find out more here.

Address Your Mail

Love this vintage British poster from 1957, demonstrating how to address your mail correctly. Designed by Leonard Beaumont.


(from the british postal museum & archive on flickr, via els 50)

For BPS Members Only

Just for BPS members — a little advance notice about a rather special giveaway on my automatism blog tomorrow! I'll be giving away a set of six collectable stamps produced by the Royal Mail, celebrating the work of the world renowned design house Morris & Co. For a chance to win one of five presentation packs, stop by automatism tomorrow and leave a comment. They're gorgeous — I know you'll love them!

xo


(photo by me)

Holidays

Like many of you we've been busy getting ready for Christmas, so things will slow down on the BPS blog for the next little while. Here's a sincere wish that all your mail (be it packages or cards) makes it to its destination this holiday season! And — check out this fun idea, using vintage photos for a very personal Christmas tree, from Sweet Paul.


(photo by Hector Sanchez)

Thank You.

I'm continuing to work through the postcard packages as they arrive, but I just wanted to take a moment to say thank you for the lovely cards and notes that many of you have included, too — I can't tell you how much I appreciate them. So thoughtful and so wonderful to discover, tucked in with your postcards! And a very special thanks to Fernanda, for sending me a beautiful illustrated book, simply because, she says, it reminded her of me. It's gestures of kindness like these that make all the hard work on the BPS worthwhile. Thank you.

xo

(photo by Kelli Trontell via creature comforts)

What's New

The postcard packages are still arriving — many thanks to you, BPS members, for taking the time to send them to me! Hopefully we've avoided the worst of the holiday mailing, but don't worry if it takes a little longer to get here than anticipated.

xo


(photo from domino via this is glamorous by way of gingerella)

And Yet More Postcards!

Another great week of postcard packages — thanks so much everyone! Incidentally, distracted BPS members who haven't yet sent theirs in, please note — the official deadline for mailing packages is tomorrow, but if you can get your postcards in the mail by mid next week, that will be fine too. Thanks again!


(photo via apartment therapy)

Brazilian Postcard Exchange!

Calling all BPS members! Would you be interested in becoming a pen pal? Fellow BPS member Hane teaches at an English school in Brazil, and she thought it would be fun for her students to practice their writing skills by having a pen friend who writes in English. If you're interested in exchanging postcards (or cards or letters) with Hane's students, let me know!


(pennant letter kit available from briones+co stationery)

NPR Postal Service Series

Here's something that I thought you BPS members (as lovers of traditional mail) might find interesting. Via the NPR Facebook page: "NPR wants to see your most cherished mail: a postcard, a love letter, a care package. Upload images to Flickr.com, tag them NPRpostal, and tell us its story. If you're a new Flickr user, leave us your link in the comments. We'll feature some on NPR.org as part of an upcoming Postal Service series."


(photo by Max Attenborough for Selina Lake, via Gingerella)

And More Mail!

Another great week for postcard packages! The BPS book is going to be just amazing — and all thanks to you, lovely BPS members. Thanks so much again and happy weekend!


(photo by vee on flickr, via gingerella)

Mail!

This week has been a great one for postcard packages — thanks so much for the ones that have arrived so far!! I'll be emailing each of you to confirm I've received your package, too.

Happy weekend!


(lovely photo from design*sponge via brydiebrown)

The Englishman Who Posted Himself and Other Curious Objects

Deirdre Foley-Mendelssohn of the New Yorker has a fun review of The Englishman Who Posted Himself and Other Curious Objects, the intriguingly titled new book by John Tingey about eccentric Englishman W. Reginald Bray (1879-1939) who, after reading the entire British Post Office Guide, decided to take the rules as challenges. Foley-Mendelssohn writes that " ... Bray tried posting an unimaginable array of things, to see whether the post office would deliver them. Apparently, at the time, the smallest item that could be posted was a bee, and the largest an elephant. Bray seems to have tried most things in between." I definitely have to get this book. Read the rest of the review (and see a little slide show from the book) here.

April Mailing

The addresses for the April mailing are going out tonight — as always, please be sure to check your spam folder if you don't see it in your inbox. Happy mailing!


(photograph by Olga on flickr)

The Strange Case of the Missing British Postcards

With a few months of the BPS now behind us, certain patterns are beginning to emerge regarding mail delivery — and the most striking has been the ongoing issues we're having with postcards going to (or out of) Britain. It's quite extraordinary — nowhere else (and we mail all over the world) has there been such a problem getting postcards to or from one particular destination. As there's nothing we can do about a postal service that appears to be so lackadaisical, the next best thing I can do is let everyone know the situation and be aware that if postcards don't show it's not the senders — it's the mail. Thanks for your understanding!


(photo of silent film actor William Gillette as Sherlock Holmes via Scott Monty)

Pigeon Post

Inspired by legendary stories of eternal love, Keith-yin Sun and Judi Chan of Pigeon Post created a beautiful set of postcards featuring classical lovers from all over the world. The set consists of six cards in the shape of a stamp, a graceful nod towards the tradition of sending love letters through the mail. Shown above is the Greek/Babylonian legend of Pyramus and Thisbe — see the rest of the series here. So lovely — and now I really want to read (or reread) the tales that inspired them! Via grain edit.

Looking Ahead

One of the interesting discoveries that I've made about the BPS project is that, besides being about generosity, it's also about commitment — being able to make time to find or create a postcard and mail it off at a certain date. Not everyone is able to do this, for various reasons — and sometimes it's only when you're involved that you realize it's not for you. We've had a few people drop out of the BPS so far — one due to a serious illness (we're sending our good wishes for a speedy recovery to Edward in Tennessee), many due to moves and needing time to deal with the upheavals a move brings. It's life, and, while I'm sorry to see people go, is understandable.

Lately, though, I've found myself doing a lot of follow up emails for members who are waiting on postcards that were mailed in October and November. And though many were simply mailed late (such as those delayed due to the database issues in November) or went missing in the mail, I fear that some were just forgotten about altogether. With this in mind, please let me know if you feel you can no longer commit yourself to the monthly BPS mailings. I'm totally fine with that — after all, it's supposed to be fun and not a chore! — and you will still be a cherished member whether you contribute to two months or to all twelve. I also have a growing waiting list of people who'd love to become a member, so if you can't continue don't worry — there's someone who's ready and willing to become one in your place!

I hope this doesn't sound too grumpy, but it's disheartening to hear about the lack of postcards for so many members. Here's hoping that we can get this sorted out so that the lack of postcards is minimized. In the meantime, I continue to be amazed at the generosity, creativity and big hearted spirit of the BPS members. You are all so wonderful and it's truly a privilege to know you.

Lori
xo


(photo via perfect bound on flickr)

Monday Update

I'm battling an icky flu bug at the moment, so my apologies if I'm slow responding to your emails for the next day or so. Rest assured that we're still on track for sending out the October mailing addresses to everyone by Wednesday night!

I've also received a few emails from BPS members concerned about not yet receiving their postcards. There are several factors responsible for this:

1. Location. Depending on the distance your postcard has to travel for the September mailing (and some have quite a ways to go), your postcard may still be in transit. In this situation, it's quite possible that your October postcard will arrive before your September one!

2. Postal Strike. There are at least two postal strikes that I know of on at the moment, which will definitely slow things down, if not bring things to a complete halt for a time.

3. Members. For various reasons (out of town, urgent family business) some members weren't able to send their postcards out until a week or two after the mail date. Life happens and will continue to do so!

I wish I had control over the mail system, but alas — it's as unpredictable as the weather. I myself am taking the long term view, hoping to receive most of my postcards but not expecting to get one absolutely every month. That said, I've received postcards from family and friends on holiday months after they've returned home, so you never know!

Thanks so much as always for your wonderful support and for your patience — I really appreciate it.


(beautiful photograph by smallfish on flickr, via we heart it)