Sunday Stamps # 103

In which we are noting the passing of the old year, and anticipating the new.

Theme this week:
Anything you wish, and a challenge: can you find a stamp commemorating the end of something? It is the end of the year after all.

I thought at the time I would have nothing, but there it was, on the US Postal Service website.

This stamp will be issued in January 2013.  "With the 2013 Emancipation Proclamation (Forever®) stamp, the U.S. Postal Service commemorates the 150th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation, which President Abraham Lincoln signed on January 1, 1863."  The proclamation did not end slavery in the US forever but it was an amazing start.

From Wikipedia:  "The Emancipation Proclamation is an order issued to all segments of the Executive branch (including the Army and Navy) of the United States by President Abraham Lincoln on January 1, 1863, during the American Civil War. It was based on the president's constitutional authority as commander in chief of the armed forces; it was not a law passed by Congress. It proclaimed all those enslaved in Confederate territory to be forever free, and ordered the Army (and all segments of the Executive branch) to treat as free all those enslaved in ten states that were still in rebellion, thus applying to 3.1 million of the 4 million slaves in the U.S. The Proclamation could not be enforced in areas still under rebellion, but as the army took control of Confederate regions, the slaves in those regions were emancipated rather than returned to their masters. From 20,000 to 50,000 former slaves in regions where rebellion had already been subdued were immediately emancipated, and over 3 million more were emancipated as the Union army advanced. "


The 13th Amendment to the US Constitution ended slavery legally.

Wow.  Looking forward to what you have found this week.  Remember, feel free to post any stamp you wish if you cannot follow this theme.

I am readying this post at an internet cafe, as I am at my parents on vacation (they have no internet).  It will be published automatically.  It may be a day or two before I am able to visit your blogs however.

Viridian

Theme next week: Black stamps, or black items on stamps.

Postcard Friendship Friday Dec. 28

I am joining up with Beth at the Best Hearts are Crunchy this week with a  Holiday card.

 

I have some idea of what the words say, but not exactly, as it's in Russian!

Hope you are having a wonderful holiday week!

 

Viridian

Sunday Stamps # 102

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays everyone! It is time for Sunday Stamps #102.

I am a little late today because I have been at a family get together: 3 generations together, dinner and supper and opening presents in between.  It ran rather late!  It was very fun for all involved however.

Our theme this week is more holiday or Christmas stamps.  Last week some people shared more than one stamp - I hope you have a few different kinds left!  I have two from the US Postal Service, and I am using their scans, still too lazy to scan my own.

The Holy Family, leaving Bethlehem or traveling to Egypt, one assumes, and

A stamp celebrating the Festival of Lights, Hanukah.  Though the double K on the stamp seems a bit strange, doesn't it.

So the world did not end on Dec. 21, as some silly people in the USA thought it might.  Therefore we have Sunday Stamps this week, and for next week:

Next week's theme:  Anything you wish, and a challenge: can you find a stamp commemorating the end of something?  It is the end of the year after all.

Viridian

Remember: I am on Facebook, (Viridian61) where I announce when these posts are available - find it out first there!

Sunday Stamps #101

Welcome to Sunday Stamps.

It's week 101 and time, now that it is December, for some Christmas or Holiday stamps. I am sharing the secular stamps issued this year by the US Postal Service (they also issue religious stamps).

I have these stamps for my Christmas cards, but I am too lazy to scan them - so this is the USPS scan.  Santa and his sleigh and reindeer cruise over housetops on a snowy night.  I don't think there is much snow forecast for the USA - this December has been warmer than usual.

It's been a busy yet sad Saturday at chez Viridian.  I have the normal household things to do, but over everything hangs the sadness of the shootings at Newtown CT.  When will the gun violence and our obsession with guns end?  I worry for my own 3 children. Oh well, enough opining for now.

Viridian

Theme next week:  More Christmas/Holiday stamps!  I bet you have a few.

Tuesday Postcard

I am joining up with Beth for Postcard Friendship Friday, very late indeed.

This is a Christmas postcard I recently received from a Postcrosser in Belarus.  What you can't see is the card is embossed with silver (does not scan well) and the stamp on the reverse has silver on it too.

Here in the midwest USA it is quite a bit warmer than usual.  It's hard to expect snow when the temperature rarely drops below freezing.

Viridian

Sunday Stamps #100!

Hurrah!  We have made it this far!  It's the December 9 2012 edition of Sunday Stamps and I made this far with just a week or two off and a few bumps along the way.

I had thought of having a giveaway in honor of this auspicious event.  But what?  I thought of specialty US postage, but with my international audience, who could use it except me and Postcardy, and maybe a few lurkers?  So I am sorry to say there is nothing special on offer, but I hope you will enjoy my contributions today.

First, a stamp and surrounding printed material from a Postcrosser in Russia.

This is a stamp of Catherine I.  Wow!  It filled up most of the postcard!  Thank you Lili for sending this from St. Petersburg.

The next item came from China.  It is postage preprinted on a very large envelope, and a Postcrossing postcard was inside.  I scanned just the stamp, not the whole envelope, which was decorated with a mountain landscape.

What special stamps have you to share this week?  Please feel free to join in, even if it's your first time, or your first time in a while.

Viridian

Theme next week: Christmas/holiday stamps.

Sunday Stamps #99

Hello, Sunday Stampers!

Holy Cow, we are almost there!  Almost to week 100.  I cannot believe I have been doing this so long, and with only a hiccup or two.

Anyway, this week's theme:   stamps with a message. For example, in the USA what we would call a PSA or Public Service Announcement, such as "Stop Smoking", etc. What are they called in your country?

 There has been a series in the USA of "Go Green" stamps.  However, what made me think of this theme is the stamp below.

I believe this stamp is saying not to make a game out of your life? Not to take a chance with your life? Can you correct me?  It's definitely asking people to obey the speed limit.  I like the design of the speedometer morphing into a gaming wheel.

Next week:  It's week #100!  Hurrah!  Let's share some totally awesome, amazing stamps or stamp sets, mini-sheets, anything you wish.  I've got to go through my collection and find something special!
For week 101, we'll do Christmas/holiday stamps.

Viridian

Sunday Stamps # 98

Welcome to Sunday Stamps #98!

This week our theme is commemorations.  This can be an anniversary of an important event.  Stamps with commemorations are rather common, as I looked around more and more.  My first choice for this week, you see, was not a good example, so I looked at some recent Postcrossing postcards that have arrived at my house.

And look what I have found:

A stamp commemorating 200 years of the publishing of Grimm's stories or fairytales.  You might recognize the Bremen town musicians in the middle.

And...

A stamp celebrating the 100 years of the Mittenwaldbahn.  In 2012, one of the most spectacular Alpine railway lines – the Mittenwaldbahn, which leads from Innsbruck to Garmisch-Partenkirchen via Seefeld and Mittenwald – looks back on 100 years of proud service.  Here is the link to the German Wikipedia webpage, and the English Wikipedia page. 

Please join in with me, add your link below.

Next week:  If I can find an appropriate stamp, I will follow one of your suggestions. I am still looking for stamps of explorers, industrial heritage, or black stamps.
In the meantime, for next week: stamps with a message.  For example, in the USA what we would call a PSA or Public Service Announcement, such as "Stop Smoking", etc.

Viridian

Tuesday Postcard Nov. 20

It's been awhile since I shared a Tuesday postcard!  Too long, I think.

 

 

This came to my mailbox from a Postcrosser in Germany.  The title in the back is only in German, but I can tell this place (or the nearby town) is called Ahrweiler, and that it is or was an Ursuline cloister and a Monastery.  The year 1634 also figures into this.

 

Thank you Laura for your postcard.

 

Viridian

 

I am on Facebook, follow me at Viridian61.  I post notices of what I put on this blog and very little else.

Sunday Stamps #97

Sunday Stamps # 97! Closing in on 100!!!

It's a warm and quiet Saturday afternoon and dinner is in the oven.  I however am sick with a cold,and I am in the stage where it is getting worse rather than better.  Maybe tonight or tomorrow I will turn the corner.

However, it's time for a stamp on geology, or the earth.

Showing the element fire, this stamp pictures an active volcano.

What geology or earth stamps do you have in your collection?  Share them below.

Theme next week (by suggestion): Commemorations.

Viridian

Sunday Stamps #96

Hello and happy weekend Sunday Stampers!

I did not mean to scare anyone last week - just rushing off to my conference.  I live in a part of the Midwest only slightly affected by Sandy.  It's amazing to me how a category 1 hurricane could cause so much damage.  Granted it was very large and wind and rain extended out very far.

Here are the stamps I would have shown last week:

for the theme of water.

Our theme this week is anything you wish.  I have a sweet flower stamp from Finland to share.

Join me this week with any stamp you like, that you would like to share.  If you have suggestions for future themes (even an old theme to revisit), please leave theme in the comments.  Thanks!

Theme next week: Geology and the Earth.

Viridian

Sunday Stamps # 95

My apologies for my lateness, Sunday Stampers!  I rushed from work on Friday directly to the airport, and I am now in North Carolina at a professional meeting.  I did not have time to get the web post ready, and here I am, very late on a Sunday.

I am without access to my computer with my scan of two stamps, one with ice, and one with a stream.  You will have to use your imagination.

I am asking those of you who have blog posts up to please link in below.  I will leave this linky up until Monday Night at Midnight.

Thank you for your patience!

Theme for next week: anything you wish.

Viridian

Sunday Stamps #94

A Saturday dinner spent with family, and after that, time for Sunday Stamps.

This week's theme: stamps depicting hobbies.

Here is a stamp that I interpreted as celebrating bird watching and butterfly watching, and it can be that.  Actually it is a stamp issued for the 100th anniversary of the KNNV, the Royal Dutch Society for Natural History.  In their words:  "The KNNV is a society which aims at active participation in and with nature: through the enjoyment of nature, through natural history studies and through nature conservation. In other words the KNNV is a society for field biology."

I am interested in seeing what other people may have dug up for this theme.  Stamp collecting is an obvious choice, but we've had that theme before.What hobbies do you have to share?  join me with your link below.

Theme next week:  Water.

Viridian

Sunday Stamps #93

Another nice day here in the Midwest USA, though with more of a chill in the air.

Time for Sunday Stamps.

 

Our theme this week:  Ships of all sorts.

The stamp for today features one of the most famous ships in early American history, the USS Constitution.

Let's let the US Postal Service describe the history and the stamp:

"The War of 1812: USS Constitution (Forever®) issuance by the U.S. Postal Service in 2012 commemorates the bicentennial of the War of 1812, a two-and-a-half year conflict with Great Britain that many Americans viewed as the nation's “Second War of Independence.” The War of 1812, sometimes called “the forgotten conflict,” was a two-and-a-half year confrontation with Great Britain that brought the United States to the verge of bankruptcy and disunion. With this stamp, the Postal Service commemorates the bicentennial of a war that ultimately helped forge our national identity and gave us our national anthem, “The Star-Spangled Banner.”

The United States declared war on Great Britain on June 18, 1812. In his war message to Congress, Madison charged the British with violating the nation's sovereignty by restricting American trade with Europe and by removing seamen from American merchant ships and making them serve in the Royal Navy.

The War of 1812 was also fueled by a desire among frontier settlers to force the British out of Canada and end their support of Indians in the Old Northwest. Many Americans, including expansionist “War Hawks” in Congress, alleged that the British supplied arms to Indians and incited them to raid settlements on the frontier.

For the design of the first stamp in the series, the Postal Service selected the oldest known painting of the famed USS Constitution by Michele Felice Cornè, circa 1803. Constitution acquired the nickname “Old Ironsides” during a victorious battle with HMS Guerriere in August 1812, two months into the war. It scored another victory in December over HMS Java. Such stunning successes against the world's mightiest navy helped sustain American morale during a time the U.S. Army was suffering major setbacks.

Art director Greg Breeding evokes the times by using the color and texture of a contemporary map of the war for the stamp pane's background."

(With apologies to my British readers - this was 200 years ago.)

I live in a part of the Midwest that did experience Indian raids during this time.  Although it's not clear whether these were 'incited' by the British.  The Constitution lives now in Charlestown MA and takes one cruise a year, on July 4.  See the Ship's web page for information on the ship and on future events.

Theme next week (by suggestion): stamps depicting hobbies.  I finally have one I can use.

Please join me, and add your link below.

Viridian

Sunday Stamps #92

It's Saturday afternoon here in the Midwest of the USA.  Leaves are in good color, and falling fast.  I just wish it were sunny - love Fall days like that.  Today it is bright but a gray sky.

So, it must be time to set up my post for Sunday Stamps.

This week's theme: The folkways of various cultures. folktales, food, costume, pottery, you name it.  We have had this theme before but it is always interesting to see what people contribute.

What I have is 2 stamps from Romania, sent by Danut (bardamu1964) in a private swap.

On the left is some pottery from the Maramures (Marmatia) area of Romania.  On the right, pottery from Valcea area.  ( I am sorry, I cannot reproduce the actual letters of the Romanian alphabet).

Enjoy your weekend, enjoy your Fall (or Spring, in the Antipodes), and join me for Sunday Stamps.

Theme next week: Ships of all sorts.

Viridian

Sunday Stamps #91

Oh boy it's been a busy week and I'm feeling a bit tired. That won't slow me down, not yet. Time for Sunday Stamps.

This week's theme: Civic or public architecture, especially bridges and other public works.  I had a stamp from China in mind when I proposed this theme.

I wish I knew where this bridge is, and its name.  There appears to be a large building in the distance.  Somehow I think in real life the bridge carries many more cars than are shown here!!!

Edited to add: This is the Hangzhou Bay Cross-Sea Bridge.  Thank you Postcardy for that information.
Below, a marine landscape with a mountain in the distance.

Join me this week with your own stamps of public architecture, interpreted broadly.

I have a page for this blog and my other blog on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Viridian61/347674418583948?ref=hl Like that page to have quick notice of when posts are up (and very little else).

Theme next week:  The folkways of various cultures.  folktales, food, costume, pottery, you name it.

Viridian

Sunday Stamps #90

Hello and welcome to Sunday Stamps #90! We are closing in on #100. Must think of something special to do....

Theme this week:  Open, anything you wish.

This week:  I am sharing a lovely patriotic flag stamp ( and surrounding image) from Ukraine.  And the Ukraine has released some great flag stamps.

I always appreciate it when Postcrossers include this extra material - it really adds something to the postcard. 

Please join me this week with any stamp you wish to feature.

Theme next week: Civic or public architecture, especially bridges and other public works.

I have a page for this blog and my other blog on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Viridian61/347674418583948?ref=hl Like that page to have quick notice of when posts are up (and very little else).

Viridian

Postcard Friendship Friday Sept. 28

Back again after an absence!

This is the courtyard of the Palace of the Uffizi, now a museum.  It houses some of the most amazing pieces of Renaissance art.  The postcard was sent to me by a Postcrosser who has been there recently on holiday.

I am linking up with Beth At Postcard Friendship Friday today!  See who else is linking up.

Viridian

Sunday Stamps #89

Hurrah for Sunday, and Sunday Stamps!

Theme for this week, by suggestion: music, literature, and books.

I am going to stretch the theme a bit and post a stamp that I think is illustrating a folk tale:

And, I don't even know the details of the fairy or folk tale, only that the woman reminds me of Rapunzel.  Here she is not in a tower but perched on a rock by a pretty stream.  If someone could help me with this interpretation I would appreciate it.

Theme next week:  Open, anything you wish.

Join us this week by adding your link below.
I have a page for this blog and my other blog on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Viridian61/347674418583948?ref=hl  Like that page to have quick notice of when posts are up (and very little else).

Viridian

Sunday Stamps #88

It's Saturday evening again, so time to compose my weekly Sunday Stamps post.

Theme this week: the Post, post boxes, postal vans, stamps on stamps, or similar images.

These stamps arrived recently from Russia, and celebrate the Russian postal service.  I believe there are even postcards pictured here!  Thank you so much to the Russian postcrosser who included both stamps for me.  And, good to know that their post boxes are red, in case I ever get to Russia, one of these days. 

I know there are other stamps out there with images of the postal service on them.  Why not share one, even if you have shown it before?  Join us below.  The linky is open until Midnight Sunday USA Eastern time.

Theme next week: by suggestion: music, literature, and books.

Viridian

Sunday Stamps # 87

It's time again for Sunday Stamps.

Today's theme: Cats, dogs, and other pets.  I wish I could have a cat as a pet, but alas, I have allergies.  And to dogs too, though not as bad.  But I can enjoy some great stamps featuring dogs:

The top stamp is from Hong Kong and shows a working dog, an English Springer spaniel.  This breed is used as sniffer dogs, for explosives and other items, and I think that is what is being shown in this stamp.  

 The bottom stamp is a unique stamp made by a Postcrosser, showing herself and her pet dog (looks like a German Shepherd to me).  This breed of dog is noted for its loyalty and intelligence, among other  traits.  It is also used as a sniffer dog, and for police work.

Viridian

Theme next week: My themes are picked based on your suggestions, or by what stamps I happen to have on hand or receive in the mail. Suggestions welcome!  Next week:  the Post, post boxes, postal vans, stamps on stamps, or similar images.

Sunday Stamps #86

It's a holiday weekend here in the USA (Labor Day) and I will be away on a 3 day family outing. So I am preparing this week's Sunday Stamps ahead of time, and I hope to visit all of your blogs by late Monday or Tuesday.

The theme this week (suggested by one of you) is art, music, or dance.

OK, the top stamp is for a science theme, I agree, but look at the bottom stamp.  It is of a landscape painting from 1848, on a stamp from the Ukraine.  I am a little short on USA art reproduction stamps at the moment.  I do hope someone has a dance stamp - that would be cool.

So, I hope you have been looking through your stamp collection, and are ready to join me.  Add your link below.

Theme next week: Cats, dogs, and other pets.

Viridian

Sunday Stamps #85

It has gotten hot here again in the USA Midwest. Summer is reminding us that no, she is not gone.

For me, my University has started up again and what a change!  I am working harder and and I am more tired than before.

Our theme for this week is useful or practical items, to interpret however you wish.  I am very interested in how people will approach this theme.  My interpretation:

 

Here we have a selection of the lowly, but very useful species of the pepper family, from red bell peppers used in salads to the spicy chili peppers. All these peppers are in the genus Capsicum.  Chili (or chile) peppers (indeed all peppers) are a New World species, and seem to have been cultivated for thousands of years in South and Central America.

 

Theme next week (by suggestion): Art, music, and dance.

 

Join us by adding your link below!

 

Viridian

 

 

Sunday Stamps # 84

You know you have been involved in postcards, stamps, and Postcrossing for too long, when you start dreaming you are in a store, and are excited about their postcard selection!  Yes this was my dream last night, a very detailed dream.  I was of course in the USA but they had so many interesting European viewcards of castles, and mountains.  I could not decide what to get.

It's a quiet August day, and I think many people are on vacation.  So let's take it easy this week.

This week our theme is open - anything you wish.

These dinosaurs arrived in my mail recently. Er, I mean dinosaur stamps, from Turkey.  Two classic dinosaur species, beloved of children everywhere.  What would you like to share with the group this week?

Theme next week:  Useful or practical things.  Interpret that however you will!

Please add your link below.  Thanks!

Viridian

MOO postcards: results of giveaway

Well the contest closed yesterday, and I am here to report the results! In case you’ve not come across MOO before, they are Postcard printing specialists, and also print business cards, greeting cards, stickers, greeting cards, labels and much, much more.

There were 16 entries and three winners.  I used random.org to randomize the list of commenters.



The Winners are:
1. Willa at Postcard Perfect
2. Unknown, aka Sawyer.luv
3. Laurie Matherne

Congratulations to the winners!  An email from MOO with information on an order code will be coming your way.

Viridian

Sunday Stamps #83

The theme this week is animals, any animals.  I have a few stamps that arrived recently on Postcrossing postcards.
On the left, the european bison (related to but not the same as the American bison) and on the right the beautiful snow leopard (Uncia uncia).

(both from Russia) and then:

A cute and chubby hedgehog from Belarus.  But not just any hedgehog - this is the southern white-breasted hedgehog (Erinaceus concolor), sometimes referred to as east European hedgehog, white-bellied hedgehog or white-chested hedgehog, according to Wikipedia.

Please join me this week with some cute (or serious) animal stamps of your own.  Add your link below.


Theme next week: we have been busy with various themes - let's take a break next week, and share stamps of anything you wish.

My contest post is up! You could win a chance at some free MOO postcards! See this post and leave a comment for a chance. This is available to anyone worldwide. The contest closes August 14.

Viridian

Tuesday Postcard Aug. 7

I am joining in with Postcard Perfect and their Postcard meme.

One of my new favorites - showing some great geology in the vicinity of Hong Kong.

My contest post is up! You could win a chance at some free MOO postcards! See this post and leave a comment for a chance. This is available to anyone worldwide. The contest closes August 14.

Viridian

Sunday Stamps # 82

Sunday Stamps # 82: In which our theme is: stamps that leave you wondering: what is this stamp trying to show? What does it commemorate? Or, who is this person on this stamp anyway?  This theme was actually suggested by one of you when I asked, sometime back, for some help with themes.

In my first stamp I am hampered by a lack of understanding of Cyrillic letters.

This Ukraine stamp is honoring a rocket scientist.  One of my readers from Eastern Europe will laugh and say, "of course, that is _________!"  If you can, please help me out by leaving a comment.

This next stamp is from Lithuania.  Is it a marble, a bead?  A landscape reflection seen in a spherical mirror?  I am not sure, but it is interesting.

 Feel free to join in with stamps that make you go  "Hmmm...." or with any stamp you choose.  Add your link below.

Theme next week: stamps that feature animals, any animals (again by suggestion.)

My contest post is up!  You could win a chance at some free MOO postcards!  See this post and leave a comment for a chance.  This is available to anyone worldwide.  The contest closes August 14.

Viridian

Sunday Stamps # 81

Welcome to Sunday Stamps!Our theme this week is "anything you wish."
I have a stamp - well more than a stamp - that arrived recently on a Postcrossing postcard from South Africa.  It is so amazing.

(I covered my address (on the right) for the scan.)  Not only the stamp but the surrounding paper material is here in the center of the postcard!  Is there a special name for the surrounding material?  You can tell I am not a stamp collector.  I just appreciate them very much.

So what do you have this week?  Share anything you wish, esp. a stamp you like that may not fit into a theme.  This is your chance.

Next week: On August 1 I will be starting a contest where you could win some FREE STUFF - so come back and check that out.  It's hush hush until then.

Theme next week (by suggestion):  stamps that leave you wondering: what is this stamp trying to show?  What does it commemorate? Or, who is this person on this stamp anyway?

Viridian

Tuesday Postcard July 24

I am joining in with Postcard Perfect and their Postcard meme.

A card from the Dubai in the United Arab Emirates! Not the kind of card you normally get in the mailbox.
 This is the Burj Al Arab.  Here is a link to the official website.  A bit out of my price range!

Viridian

Sunday Stamps #80

Goodness we are up to week #80! Not too soon to be thinking about week # 100....

Our theme this week:  stamps for the Olympics (this year or previous years), or featuring a sporting activity. The Games are almost upon us!  Olympic stamps, showing the 5 rings, are harder to find that I initially thought, so please feel free to share a sports stamp.  I was saved by a recent card from a Russian Postcrosser.

I cannot read the Cyrillic characters, but I'll guess that this stamp commemorates 100 years of the Russian Olympic Committee.  I could be wrong I guess.  It does show the 5 rings of the Olympics.

Join me this Sunday in some sporting activity - or at least anticipating the opening ceremonies.  I hear London will be busier and more crowded than usual.  If that is possible.

Edited to add: theme for next week: Anything you wish.

Viridian

Tuesday Postcard

I am joining in with Postcard Perfect and their Postcard meme.

This card is from China and is of a style that reminds me of posters from 1960's China.  I am not sure who chose the English on the chalk board but they need to do some more "good study."

Viridian

Sunday Stamps #79

Theme this week:
Isaid: "It's Canada Day, US Independence Day, Bastille Day, and probably other national holidays. Let's share Flag stamps or patriotic stamps, from your country or another country."  I looked for a not so boring stamp showing the USA flag.

And found this one, on a stamp from Japan.  This arrived recently via a Postcrosser.

I do like the cherry blossoms trailing in front of the USA flag.  It reminds me  of the recent set of two stamps issued by the USA showing the cherry blossoms in bloom in Washington DC.  And of course I wanted to include in the scan the stamp that came with it, showing hearts and doves.

Please share your flag stamps and feel free to visit some other interesting blogs this week.

Viridian
Theme next week:  stamps for the Olympics (this year or previous years), or featuring a sporting activity.  The Games are almost upon us!