Viva Snail Mail!

As I have mentioned, I am using stamps from my Grandpa’s collection as postage. Yesterday I tore off two 29 cent “Wild Animals” stamps from a 1991 booklet, licked the backs and stuck them on an envelope. My son came over and asked if he could have one so I tore off a white bangal tiger stamp for him. He ran over to his desk to make a card but came back a moment later and asked, ”Hey, how do you work this thing?”  I replied, ” You have to lick the back. That gets the glue wet.”

Today the Postal Service is issuing these beautiful Hawaiian rainforest stamps.

They’re self adhesive.

They’re here. And by here I mean the internet, at usps.com. Or at your local post office, if you’re lucky. My friend Hope wrote that she bought the last 3 sheets at her post office in Vermont, where they sold out in 2 days. Artists include Willem De Kooning, Joan Mitchell, Robert Motherwell, and Mark Rothko. And apparently they’re big, which could make for some interesting envelope composition. I am on it.

I used these stamps from Grandpa’s collection on some of the valentines that I sent out this week. Two of these 22 cent stamps worked out perfectly for the current postal rate. Thanks Grandpa. 

Well readers, its been a busy time here at Viva Snail Mail. Please excuse the infrequency of my blog posts- I have a new baby and she is the cutest parasite ever. While she sleeps I want to write about my favorite holiday- Valentine’s Day. I love it because I get to make homemade valentines and mail them to the people that I love. Not just my husband but my grandparents and my friends get homemade love testimonials via the post. But this simple pleasure requires some time so here’s your tip. Start now! Valentine’s Day is a month away. 

Over the years I have hosted valentine making parties at my house. Sometimes we have had combination superbowl/valentine making parties, since I have zero interest in football but love to cut paper hearts. Here’s me with the aftermath of one of these parties, sometime in the mid 1990’s.  Don’t let this photo dissuade you. You can be tidier than this if need be. I like to really spread out the collage materials for optimal sharing with my guests. 

So break out the glue stick and scissors. Start collecting colored paper from the recycling bin. Find your paper hearts. Order some stamps from usps.com. If you scan and email me your homemade valentines I will post them on the blog. Send them to melissa@vivasnailmail.com. Viva Valentines!

A few years ago I saw Ramak Fazal’s show at the Storefront for Art and Architecture in Manhattan. In 2006 Fazel, a photographer of Iranian descent who is a US citizen, set out in a van to photograph state capitols and mail himself handmade postcards along the way. He used his childhood stamp collection as collage material for the postcards, sending them general delivery to the next stop on his route.

I went to the show for the postage stamp related artwork but there was so much more to Fazal’s story and experience of making the work, that the documentary film-maker in me was quite fired up by the levels of visual, cultural, and political content. Stamps! Road Trip! Photography! Being mistaken for a terrorist! Well there IS a film about Fazel’s trip, quite beautifully made from still photographs and voice over, which I hope gets expanded into a larger piece. Watch it here.

Remember how I posted a few months back about the upcoming Triboro Postmark? The one that would replace the individual neighborhood postmarks in Brooklyn, Queens, and Staten Island? Well I have some new information. According to Bob Twombley of the USPS Triboro District’s customer relations office, outgoing mail dropped in blue boxes, started to get phased in with the Triboro postmark on August 24th. The postal service hopes to complete this transition by October 5th.  As of October 5, 2009, any outgoing mail that is placed in a blue collection box within the confines of Brooklyn, Queens, or Staten Island, will get the new “Triboro District” cancellation. However, Mr. Twombley assured me that every local postmark will remain available at the post office. If you want to have a local postmark with the town name and zip code, all you need to do is bring your outgoing mail to the post office of your choice and request it. Now who has time to stand in line for that, I do not know but it somehow takes a bit of the sting out of losing our neighborhood specificity on our outgoing mail. 

For those of you living in Queens, Staten Island, or Brooklyn it looks like we will be losing our postmarks- another cost saving endeavor by the Postal Service due to a decrease in business. Read this article in the New York Times and then let’s figure out a creative way to mark the end of a postal era. 

Triboro, NY? A Postmark May Trample Civic Pride

Postcard postage is 28 cents for a maximum size card of 6 inches long by 4 and 1/4 inches high. For a larger postcard the postage rate is 44 cents. International rates vary so check usps.com for your destination country. I am going to use 2 of these summer bliss stamps from Grandpa’s collection for the next batch of postcards that I send out. In stark visual contrast to this summer scene, you can buy polar bear postcard stamps at usps.com. 

So for those of you who like to cut up your cereal boxes for handmade postcards, buy some stamps and start sending out some of your fabulous collaged creations. For those of you that still have a stash of postcards left over from the good old days, dust ‘em off and send ‘em out. And for those of you that are starting fresh, pick up some corny tourist cards or some lovely black and white photo cards at your local bookstore or cardshop. And get mailing, cross country or crosstown! Imagine how your recipient will feel when they find your handwritten postcard amidst their pile of lousy mail. What a gift. 

When my dad handed me this sheet of stamps from Grandpa Sidney’s collection, I immediately remembered them. They are from 1981 so I must have been 10 years old when they came out. I absolutely remember pouring over each state’s bird and flower and carefully tearing off the stamps on their perforation so as not to mess up the images. Nothing like the taste of that stamp glue on your tongue either. 

What’s up with 7 states claiming the cardinal as their state bird?

Postage stamps are both one of the joys and hindrances of postal mail. They are beautiful but who wants to wait in line at the post office to buy them? May I suggest usps.com to buy stamps? They (usually) have a better selection than your local post office and the stamps conveniently arrive in your mailbox within a few days. 

Now for the caveat- with the postal increase on May 11th, the selection of 44 cent stamps for sale online is pretty lame. Besides stamps featuring the Simpsons, this is the best looking 44 cent stamp that is out right now. 

I will post again when there is a wider selection of stamps available that reflect the new postal rates. Til then, buy some stamps! Send some mail!