Where would you like to be today? Imagine yourself picking out a postcard to send to family or friends. What would you be writing about your adventures? How much can you fit on the back of a postcard?
Postcrossing - A project that allows anyone to receive postcards (real ones, not electronic) from random places in the world.
The problem with postcards is to know what to do with them afterwards.
I've been collecting postcards for years. They more than fill a shoebox. I don't have them out on display anywhere because there are just too many of them.
I should sort mine out and choose some to keep. Then add those to a frame with a nice backing of some kind.
Then I should get rid of the rest of them. Some ideas I've had are:
Another Option for Reusing Your Digital Photographs
I've got a lot of photographs taken over several years since I bought my first digital camera in 2006. Some are photos taken of abandoned houses (my hobby is urban/ rural exploration). But many of the photos are flowers and plants in my Mother's garden, photos she just had to have, but she doesn't do anything with them.
Other photos are family, my sister's children, my own brother and sisters, etc. They take up space. This isn't a bad thing, because they do have value, but no one sees the photos when they are just stored on my hard drive and whatever DVD I burn them to.
What if you pulled out those family photos and turned them into postcards you can mail out to your family?
How I Began as a Postcard Collector
I began collecting postcards as a kid. My Dad would go on a business trip. My Grandmother would take a trip back to the UK to visit family. My family would wander off around Ontario in the summer months. Later I began writing to penpals and was soon trading postcards with them. We would send a pack of them all fresh and tidy in an envelope rather than directly through the mail. I wasn't thinking about keeping them clean or collectible, it was just easier to send them in a bunch than paying for them all one at a time.
I'm writing a post about postcards on HubPages. I found a couple of links where someone had written about writing postcards. A nice idea. So here are a collection of tips for writing postcards.
Write about how you got there, the journey so far. Are you going by bus, driving yourself or did you fly in?
What was the first thing you did when you got into town (the city, etc.)?
Did you find a great place for coffee, a burger, breakfast..?
What are you doing right now. Literally, right at this moment?
Write about something that really stood out. A really funny, bad, silly, delicious, spontaneous event along your travels.
If you don't want to write at all, draw something. Illustrate your adventures. Use stick figures, draw cartoon characters, or an all out great masterpiece.
Finish off with the traditional "Wish you were here" or something far more stylish and personal.
From Slouching Somewhere:
- First, pick a postcard. Pick one that's unexpected--from the shape to the image.
- When you write about the place, write beyond what's on the photo.
- Write about the food you ate.
- Throw a little bit of humor in it if you can.
- Write about a place the postcard recipient knows little of. Add details.
Watching replays of Corner Gas this morning. I think the Comedy Channel is running them 24 hours a day over the New Year.
The one on right now is where Brent goes on vacation, a staycation. He is sitting right at the gas station, wearing a Hawaiian shirt, but ignoring everyone. He even sends postcards from Dog River as if he was sending them from exotic locations.
If you were taking a vacation like Brent how would you make sure no one knew you were actually home? Could you hide in plain sight? Write yourself into the ultimate staycation.
From Wikipdeia: Ephemera is transitory written and printed matter not intended to be retained or preserved. The word derives from the Greek, meaning things lasting no more than a day. Some collectible ephemera are advertising trade cards, airsickness bags, bookmarks, catalogues, greeting cards, letters, pamphlets, postcards, posters, prospectuses, stock certificates, tickets and zines.
If I try to think of specific things not meant to last more than a day the mind draws a blank. It's so far from my own experience and view of the world. But I think of insects, even though they are not printed matter, some only live a day or a week.
What others things only last a day (or really short time) and why is that idea kind of romanticized?
Ning: The Ephemera Network