Remember I wrote about Postcrossing recently?
Well, I dug around in their Forum and found out there are such things as PC Meet-Ups in various countries all over the world!
Well, I was worried that there wasn't one in Jyv�skyl� - despite having a pretty awesome shop that sells great post cards and other stationary items (Harjun Paperi) near the downtown/University area.
I was wrong.
I discovered they actually host their meetings at Harjun Paperi and was giddy with excitement!! Since my weaving course has ended back in November, it would be nice to have some sort of regular meeting again! And with my newest hobby of post cards - to know that I'm not alone in Jyv�skyl�...well, I just HAD to go!
Unfortunately - hubby was in Istanbul during their December meeting...BUT! There was one being held yesterday - on January 2nd.
So I emailed the person who wrote about it in the Forum and found out the details like what time and where...then I emailed her again...asking a simple yet stupid-sounding-to-me question:
"What do you DO at a Postcrossing meeting??"
Her answer was simple. We meet each other, show each other post cards we have received or are sending and sometimes we have snacks if people wish to bring some.
Ohh okay! I advised her I would be there and was looking forward to meeting her.
I was expecting about 5 other people - I really had no idea how many to expect! It just so happened to be one of the biggest gatherings that night (totally by chance!) and there were a total of 15 people (approximately)!!
WOW!
Immediately everyone was whipping out notebooks and passing them to everyone and I was in the cross fire of books being handed to me from both directions...I had no idea what to do.
The lady beside me explained that everyone has note books so we can write them a note, leave our Postcrossing User name or address in them...and if we like - we can exchange post cards with that person.
Ooooh I get it. So here I am scribbling away and hoping my ink dries fast enough that my wrist won't smudge the previous line (I'm right-handed - I know lefties have it harder!)...and suddenly there are post cards being passed around.
"What do I do now?!" was my immediate thought and quickly my neighbour advised me that some people send group post cards to their random Postcrosser. So I looked at one I was signing and yes indeed, the message was in English wishing that person a Happy New Year and that this was being signed by the JKL Meet-up!
Cool. We also had snacks and did a round of introductions too.
I ended up buying a beautiful notebook and joining in on the fun and got most of their addresses and PC user names so I can send them a card of thanks soon.
I even found out that some people sent cards on behalf of stuffed animals!
Well, I decided to make an account for my dogs...and I even stamp the back of the card with a dog-stamp.
I know - super geek - but I cannot help it!
This group of people were fantastic, so welcoming and friendly and I no longer felt like a "weirdo" for drooling over post cards and stamps...or for taking photos of things when travelling (i.e. I have to take photos of: mailboxes, food, all 3 emergency type of vehicles and Stop signs or similar signs)...
So thank you very much ladies (and 1 gentleman) for welcoming me to your group with open arms!!
I've been tweaking my profile here and there whenever I get an idea (usually off of someone else's profile) like what kinds of post cards I would like to receive (really not picky honestly) but then some of the ladies were showing off the stamps on their post cards...and what happened?
I had a flash back to the 90's.
I remember being a child (7-10-ish) and getting mail - REAL mail and looking at the stamps on the envelopes (most were the Canadian flag and 40-45 cents each back then or of HRH Queen Elizabeth II) and if there was one that was NOT Canadian - I got excited.
My Mom showed me how to soak the bits of envelope in water and once the glue dissolved and the stamps were dry - then I could save them. I had tonnes of them from relatives who received mail from Asia and other countries...sadly, they're in storage (I think).
So I decided to start a new collection!!
I think this weekend will be spent cleaning, hanging out with a friend and digging for stamps on envelopes! I don't want to ruin a post card and I would like to be able to connect the post card with the stamp it came with - so I won't remove them from post cards. It was a hard decision but I'm sure I'll come across many stamps from all over the world via envelopes. :)
So, what do YOU do in a Postcrossing meeting??
Well, I dug around in their Forum and found out there are such things as PC Meet-Ups in various countries all over the world!
Well, I was worried that there wasn't one in Jyv�skyl� - despite having a pretty awesome shop that sells great post cards and other stationary items (Harjun Paperi) near the downtown/University area.
I was wrong.
I discovered they actually host their meetings at Harjun Paperi and was giddy with excitement!! Since my weaving course has ended back in November, it would be nice to have some sort of regular meeting again! And with my newest hobby of post cards - to know that I'm not alone in Jyv�skyl�...well, I just HAD to go!
Unfortunately - hubby was in Istanbul during their December meeting...BUT! There was one being held yesterday - on January 2nd.
So I emailed the person who wrote about it in the Forum and found out the details like what time and where...then I emailed her again...asking a simple yet stupid-sounding-to-me question:
"What do you DO at a Postcrossing meeting??"
Her answer was simple. We meet each other, show each other post cards we have received or are sending and sometimes we have snacks if people wish to bring some.
Ohh okay! I advised her I would be there and was looking forward to meeting her.
I was expecting about 5 other people - I really had no idea how many to expect! It just so happened to be one of the biggest gatherings that night (totally by chance!) and there were a total of 15 people (approximately)!!
WOW!
Immediately everyone was whipping out notebooks and passing them to everyone and I was in the cross fire of books being handed to me from both directions...I had no idea what to do.
The lady beside me explained that everyone has note books so we can write them a note, leave our Postcrossing User name or address in them...and if we like - we can exchange post cards with that person.
Ooooh I get it. So here I am scribbling away and hoping my ink dries fast enough that my wrist won't smudge the previous line (I'm right-handed - I know lefties have it harder!)...and suddenly there are post cards being passed around.
"What do I do now?!" was my immediate thought and quickly my neighbour advised me that some people send group post cards to their random Postcrosser. So I looked at one I was signing and yes indeed, the message was in English wishing that person a Happy New Year and that this was being signed by the JKL Meet-up!
Cool. We also had snacks and did a round of introductions too.
I ended up buying a beautiful notebook and joining in on the fun and got most of their addresses and PC user names so I can send them a card of thanks soon.
I even found out that some people sent cards on behalf of stuffed animals!
Well, I decided to make an account for my dogs...and I even stamp the back of the card with a dog-stamp.
I know - super geek - but I cannot help it!
This group of people were fantastic, so welcoming and friendly and I no longer felt like a "weirdo" for drooling over post cards and stamps...or for taking photos of things when travelling (i.e. I have to take photos of: mailboxes, food, all 3 emergency type of vehicles and Stop signs or similar signs)...
So thank you very much ladies (and 1 gentleman) for welcoming me to your group with open arms!!
I've been tweaking my profile here and there whenever I get an idea (usually off of someone else's profile) like what kinds of post cards I would like to receive (really not picky honestly) but then some of the ladies were showing off the stamps on their post cards...and what happened?
I had a flash back to the 90's.
I remember being a child (7-10-ish) and getting mail - REAL mail and looking at the stamps on the envelopes (most were the Canadian flag and 40-45 cents each back then or of HRH Queen Elizabeth II) and if there was one that was NOT Canadian - I got excited.
My Mom showed me how to soak the bits of envelope in water and once the glue dissolved and the stamps were dry - then I could save them. I had tonnes of them from relatives who received mail from Asia and other countries...sadly, they're in storage (I think).
So I decided to start a new collection!!
I think this weekend will be spent cleaning, hanging out with a friend and digging for stamps on envelopes! I don't want to ruin a post card and I would like to be able to connect the post card with the stamp it came with - so I won't remove them from post cards. It was a hard decision but I'm sure I'll come across many stamps from all over the world via envelopes. :)
So, what do YOU do in a Postcrossing meeting??
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