197TH & 198TH CARD ~ CANADA

The Manitou Motel North Bay, Ontario, Canada


"I've never been there but they tell me it's still around. Somehow, I doubt that it's still modern anymore. The lake is still here but quite cold this time in November." 



These are two lovely cards I received from my friend John back in November. He sent them out of the blue and they were a sweet surprise. I am really annoyed with myself that I didn't post them on here in the proper order. I hope he doesn't think that the forgetfullness on my part in an way reflects my love for these cards.

I am not sure were the first card is originally from- but my guess is that it is German. It such a beautiful hand coloured print. I am in love with it.

The second one is delightful. If it was sometime in the 1960's and I stayed at this motel- I would want to remember it too!

Thanks John.

196TH CARD~ NICARAGUA

PRIVATE CARD

Brought home by my friend and co-worker Michelle from her trip to Nicaragua!

Michelle is a brilliant artist you should check her out at
http://www.michellesaintonge.com/Michelle_SaintOnge/Home_.html


A beautiful card from a beautiful lady! Michelle was sweet enough to bring me home this card to add to my collection. Michelle spent a week in Nicaragua organizing a studio for her newest handbag collection. She is working on establishing a completely fair trade studio in Nicaragua to produce her beautiful bags! Visit her web sit (above) to learn more!

This is my very first card from Nicaragua! As you can imagine I'm pretty excited about it! I love getting a card from a country I don't have any cards from yet. Just fantastic! 

195TH CARD ~ AUSTRALIA

PRIVATE CARD

Sent by Barbara (a Ravelry friend!)  from Australia

Photo of: Art card by Miss Luin  (check her out @  http://missluin.blogspot.com)

Such a pretty card! I love the colour and I love the design.
You should totally check out the artist blog- she has some really interesting photography going on there.

194th CARD ~ CANADA

PRIVATE CARD

Sent by:  Ginna and Mike (my wonderful sister and brother in-law)
From: CFB Borden, Ontario, Canada

Camp Borden was officially opened in July 1916 by Sir Sam Hughes, who was the the Minister of Militia.


Much to my disappointment Ginna and Mike were posted to Ontario this fall, taking them EVEN farther away from us. We did however, get to see them at Christmas,  which was fantastic!
I suppose I did end up getting this postcard out of the whole thing...and it is a pretty unique postcard (defiantly my first and only card from a Canadian Military base)....though I wouldn't exactly call it a fair trade.  

As always, Bill and I miss you!  And we cant wait to meet our new niece or nephew!xxoo

Another Year

Happy 2011!
Sorry I'm a little late.
Bill and I were away for Christmas and then we went on Vacation to Runaway Bay, Jamaica. We just got home last night. As you can imagine, it has been a hectic (though spectacular) month and a half.

I have made a few resolutions for 2011. One of them is trying to stay a little more on top of my blog.
I have a modest pile of cards to add since November-hopefully between laundry and cleaning the house I will get them posted today.

If there is anyone out there reading this blog- I would love to get some feedback! If you find this interesting at all- if there is something you would like to see-something I could be better at. I honestly would just love to hear from you!

Wishing everyone the very best in 2011 and a special thanks to all the wonderful people who have sent and continue to send me all these lovely cards! 

193RD CARD ~ UNITED STATES

RECEIVED FROM POSTCROSSING

Sent by Nova  from Alabama, USA 
Traveled 2,343 km
Photo of:  "The Oaks" Home of  Booker T. Washington


"Located adjacent to Tuskegee institute, this Queen Anne style home was built in 1899. The house designed by Robert Robertson Taylor, and built by the Institute students and faculty with Institute produced materials, is an example of Washington's philosophy of learning to work with the hands. Washington died here on November 14, 1915. Restored by National Park Service, 1981"

192ND CARD~ MALAYSIA

RECEIVED FROM POSTCROSSING

Sent by HanHan from Malaysia
Traveled 14,562 km
Photo of:  Winner of the "Dare to Dream" photography competition 2006 (Aileen Murphy) 


My very first card form Malaysia!

191ST CARD ~ THE NETHERLANDS

 RECEIVED FROM POSTCROSSING

Sent by John from Utrecht, The Netherlands.
Traveled 4,960 km
Photo of:  A Cat- Illustration by Dick Bruna (1995)

This is an art card done by the same Dutch artist who created the Miffy characters!
I had NO idea that Miffy was created in 1955! 

190TH CARD ~ SWITZERLAND

RECEIVED FROM POSTCROSSING

Sent by Verena from Switzerland
Traveled 5,386 km
Photo of:  A Cow!


"Eat More Vegetables!"

 Too funny! What a great card!
 I love the "Swiss" style hat that is photo shopped in the foreground for no reason!
Fantastic!

189TH CARD ~ CANADA

Private Card

Hand delivered by my dear friend Derrick on return from his trip to Toronto (Ontario, Canada)

Photo of: "Young Country Girl Dancing" painted by Francois Boucher around 1750/70
Hangs in the Art Gallery of Ontario (Toronto)

I love this card! It is going on my fridge!

You should check out Derricks work (fashion and design) at
http://www.facebook.com/#!/group.php?gid=288410356569

He is a fantastic artist!

xxoo Thanks for thinking of me on your trip!

188TH CARD ~ FRANCE

RECEIVED FROM POSTCROSSING

Sent by Aurelie from Nimes, France
Traveled 5,262 km
Photo of:  Le Pont du Gard

What a beautiful and significant bridge!
I was very excited when I saw this card in my mail box! 
The Le Pont du Gard is a World Heritage Site and has been inhabited since pre-historic times. This aqua duct was built by the Romans and remains in stunning condition!
You should totally check out the link (above) to learn more about the aqua duct and Nimes in general, it is a fascinating place!

187TH CARD ~ PORTUGAL

RECEIVED FROM POSTCROSSING

Sent by Luís from Portugal
Traveled 4,495 km
Photo of:  Arcos de Valdevez (Portugal)

Arcos de Valdevez is a small city in the North of Portugal, and as you can see from this card it looks just lovely!

185TH & 186TH CARD ~ CANADA

PRIVATE CARD

Sent by:  Ginna and Mike (my wonderful sister and brother in-law)
From: Grand Manan Island, New Brunswick (Canada)

Photo of (from top to bottom):
1. "Nor'easter" on Grand Manan Island, NB
2. The M.V. Grand Manan V (ferry)

Ginna and Mike went camping on Grand Manan Island this summer and sent me these two post cards. One card is of the ferry they took to get to the island (LOVE post cards of ships!) and the other is close to where they camped!
I love you guys and miss you so much! xxoo

184TH CARD ~ CANADA

Private Card 


from~
my Friend Gilles!!!
sent while on vacation in Calgary, Alberta, Canada


Photo of: Tiger from the Calgary Zoo (Alberta, Canada)

"The Calgary Zoo's tiger habitat is home to four Siberian (Amur) Tigers: Kita, Katja, Vitali and Baikal.  The Amur tiger is the largest in the world. They are an endangered species, with only an estimated 450 left in the world"



This was actually the very first piece of mail I got at my new apartment (we moved in September).

At that time Gilles was away on a trip to Calgary- though, I think he went just to get out of helping us move! 
Lucky Gilles got to go to  Calgary Zoo  and while he was there he bought me this fantastic card! Unfortunately he didn't actually get to see the tigers as they were not out when he was there. 


I was so happy he thought of me and I was thrilled to get mail so soon at my new home! 

Thanks Gilles!

182ND & 183RD CARD ~ ENGLAND

PRIVATE CARD

Two lovely cards from  my friend Sarah!
Sent from England

 Photo of (from top to bottom):
Mr. Tummus (the kitty) from the Battersea Dogs & Cats Home

Stack Rocks in South Pembrokeshire

Another TWO fantastic cards from Sarah!
I must say, I love getting cards from all over the world- but it is always especially nice to get cards from friends! Sarah keeps my mail box jumping!

181ST CARD ~ CANADA

 Private Card 


Sent by~
My Mom!!
While on vacation in Little Sands , Prince Edward Island (Canada) 


This card shows a collection of different scenes from P.E.I (Prince Edward Island). My mom, dad and younger brother went there for a short vacation over the summer. 
I have been here many times as it is a very short drive from Nova Scotia. 
I have always loved PEI - it is a beautiful place to visit  and a great place just to 'unwind' for a few days. It has some lovely beaches. 
I was really pleased to get this card simply because it is from my Mom, and it is the only card I have from her (so far)!
This card is a really sweet reminder of family vacations long ago!

180TH CARD ~ BRUNEI

PRIVATE CARD

Sent by:  Melanie 
From: Brunei 

Photo of:  Omar Ali Saifuddien Mosque - Brunei Darussalam
"Panoramic view of Bandar Seri Begawan, regally guarded by the exquisite Omar Ali Saifuddien Mosque"

Is this my first card from Brunei? Is that how you know your starting to amas way to many post cards? Can one HAVE too many postcards. I don't think so. I also think that this is in fact my very first card from Brunei!
Hurrah! for a new country!
What a magnificent mosque! It is really stunning. These are the types of places I would love to see in person.
For now, I guess I will have to be satisfied with "traveling through the photographs". I'm fine with that!

I really want to thank Melanie for swapping cards with me, this card truly is such a treat!

179TH CARD ~ GERMANY

PRIVATE CARD

Sent by the lovely Kirstin from Hannover, Germany

Photo of: Hiddensee Island, Germany

A beautiful map card sent by Kirstin while on holiday with her son.
I love the little images of the lighthouses and ships on this card.
One day I will have my own study/library/craft room and I will be able to frame all of my favorite post cards- maybe I will cover a whole wall in them! I think that would actually look quite neat! If that ever happens I will defiantly frame this one!

I always feel a little (well very) ignorant whenever I get a post card from a place I am not entirely sure where it is. That's what happened with this one. I honestly had to look it up. Now I know all about Hiddensee Island! A willingness to learn is the best cure for ignorance. Being from Nova Scotia I know what its like to have some people have no idea where you are from. I think because of that I have kind of made it my silent mission to try and know as much as I can about the world around me.

Thanks Kirstin for teaching me about Hiddensee Island and thanks again for another wonderful card




This looks like such an interesting place to visit. 

178TH CARD ~ ENGLAND

PRIVATE CARD

Another lovely card from  my friend Sarah!
From England


Photo of: Vintage Ad- Schweppes Pin-Up Series (A)
From an original in the Robert Opie Collection at the Museum of Advertising & Packaging, Gloucester.

 We come back from my longer then intended hiatus with this fantastic card from the lovely Sarah (my lovely pen pal in England)! This card is nothing short of spectacular. I love every thing about it. The colour, the beautiful woman, and especially the print!

" A Schweppicure is a kind of epicure who expects the presence of Schewppervescence"

Wonderful!

Check out this link the Schweppes website- http://www.schweppes.com.au/pages/pin-up-girls
It features a lot of the original "Schweppes Pin-Up Girl" art work!
I am in love! 

Thanks Sarah- you always send me some of the most interesting cards!

Will be back up and running soon!

What a crazy summer/early fall this has been!
I have been busy with a brand new job as well as moving and setting up our new apartment- so pretty much every one of my hobbies has suffered. I was really surprised how much a move can disrupt your routine! August was a write off because I not only started a brand new job but had to spend pretty much all my spare time planning and organizing to move in September. Then when we finally did move last month all my time was spent trying to organize and unpack.
Well, now it's October and I have no more excuses!
I'm pretty much back on track now (life wise) and I hope to have my new cards up and posted within the week.
I hope someone out there is still interested!  :)

177TH CARD ~ ENGLAND

PRIVATE CARD

Another lovely card from  my friend Sarah!
From England


Photo of: Petworth, England

What a pretty little town! It seems like it would be a lovely place to visit.
Sarah says this was close by were she was camping (her 1st camping trip ever!)

~Thank you so much!

176TH CARD ~ CANADA

Sent by Erin (my beautiful friend) from the other side of town! (Halifax, NS)

Photo of:  Agricola Street, Halifax, Nova Scotia

The Halifax Explosion of December 6, 1927 leveled many houses in the north end of the city. And yer, despite this incredible devastation, the smiles on the faces of these children tell us that life went on. 

Another lovely card from Erin.
This photo was taken not far from my new apartment.
The Halifax Explosion was one of the biggest (accidental) man made explosions in history.
2000 peopl lost there lives and countless more were ruined.

Happy 143rd Birthday Canada!

                 Happy Canada Day!

175TH CARD ~ ENGLAND

PRIVATE CARD

Another lovely card from  my new friend Sarah! 
From England


Photo of: Girl on Swing


Isn't this a wonderful card? I think it is beyond adorable!
I really do love every thing about it.
I would really like to have those boots!

~Thanks so much Sarah! xxoo

174TH CARD ~ CANADA

PRIVATE CARD

sent by Robin in Vanderhoof, British Columbia, Canada


Photo of:
Fort St. James, British Columbia


A lovely and thoughtful card!
~Thank you~