Saving the United States Postal Service
Key background: This is not the start of the USPS’ troubles. Although the Postal Service is allowed to act as a monopoly, it does not receive tax dollars and is self-funded through postage. It has substantial debt resulting from the requirement that it pre-fund retiree health benefits. Still, coronavirus is a fresh new challenge that could reduce delivery volume by 60%. 

Fearing that the Postal Service’s demise would make voting more difficult and destroy the livelihood of its workers, supporters of the agency got hashtags including #SaveTheUSPS and #BuyStamps were trending over the weekend.

I would certainly prefer to vote by mail, especially during this pandemic--which will still be dangerous for months to come.  I love writing letters to friends and family, but have been refraining for about 5 weeks now.  Although I already buy a lot of stamps, I find it difficult to resist the new ones and have pre-ordered two sets of stamps and one set that I can receive right away.

So...I'm am writing postcards and letters again.  I love getting real mail and am willing to apply some Lysol and keep mail in quarantine for a while.  As I continue to practice precautions, I appreciate the mail that does arrive.  #SaveTheUSPS

There are still groups requesting letters for seniors like From the Heart and nursing homes are also requesting letters.  My guess is that they give incoming mail a spray of Lysol and put mail in isolation for at least 3 days.  Some teachers are using letter writing to connect with students--I love this idea.  

I have received a few letters (the personal kind) lately and will be answering them after their quarantine in the garage ends.  A letter to my daughter went out yesterday and some postcards will join today's mail.

Books, Mail Art, Stamps

Intasar Khanani is one of my favorite

YA fantasy authors.

She is giving away five sets of

 Thorn (a retelling of the Goose Girl) and Sunbolt

 --two YA fantasies that I loved.

I reviewed them on my book blog

here and here.

If you are a high school librarian,

check out Intasar's Library Love Give Away 

and maybe 

you will win one of the five sets for your students.  :)

In the Studio

Folded a tag to make a pocket.

I'm not sure where I saw this idea,

but pockets are always fun!

I ordered some tiny new rubber stamps 

from Carolyn's Stamps

and tried them out on scrap paper,

brown paper, and on tissue from an

old pattern that I've been using in collage.

The tiny card with the bones was 

 in my Halloween stash.
(I cut it from some packaging that I saved--
sometimes the packaging is as wonderful as the contents.)

It was a tight squeeze, 
but the card and stamps fit right in the pocket.

 Bits of painted water color paper--

I made several of these a while back

and should make some more

because all of these tiny things are fun!

I'm adding tea bags to tags, post cards, and envelopes. 
--tea bag house--

I ended up liking this side better 

I placed a feather in a tea bag,

then added it to a grungy tag

I'm busy making more tags and some 
Halloween mail arty stuff.
Because it's fun.  :)

  

Outgoing Mail

to Cheryl in NYC

to Mila--another tea bag added to a postcard

 to Max

 to Bryce Eleanor

The cat images on B.E.s card above are from TomCattCreations,

 and I'm having fun with them.

Stamped on some dictionary pages

and glued them to the card.

Included with my stamps was a cool Halloween tag and 

a paper bag with stamped images that I will cut up and use for collage!

I LOVE lagniappe.

For Love of Postage

I'm having a love affair with stamps and have ordered some new ones from the USPS.  My local post office does not keep a great variety of stamps.  

The USPS issues some wonderful stamps, but I find that certain other countries seem to have as much or more creative fun with postage.   WOPA Stamps have an amazing variety of stamps from countries all over the world.  I get lost looking at them.

The Guernsey Isles have an affaire de cour with stamps.

  Here are a few (a very few)

 of some of their offerings over the last few years.

Maybe you have read  the wonderful

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society.

If you have not, put it on your TBR list.

 Below is a first day cover for the stamps honoring the novel

 about the occupation of the Guernsey Isles during WWII. 

I love first day covers, and

 I loved this book!

first day cover for the novel

And what about these stamps titled

Stories of the First World War!