Today is a very rainy Sunday, about 12C degrees (54F) and the sun is also beating down. I think I should see a large rainbow soon but nothing in sight yet.

I was reading a post for JamesReadsBooks in October and I came across the one he wrote on 16 October about Art Cards.  He mentioned  International Union of Mail Artists and I looked it up. It is a rather chaotic web page but as I looked through all of the names, links and pages I thought it sounded like a lot of fun.  I have a lot of postcards. I pick them up in boxes in book stores, on trips or in the city when something catches my eye. Then there are the free ones I often find around town with art and advertising on them. I always wanted to do more with them than I do.

I also subscribe to Flow Magazine from the Netherlands. It isn’t cheap but I do devour them and I love the whimsical art work, motivating articles and it makes me feel happy when I read it. It is only published once every two months. I often cut up the old ones and glue the pictures on various journals and cards.  I registered on the site of IUofMA and ‘friended’ a couple of people who looked rather sane and friendly in other countries.

While looking around I also found Postcrossing.com.  That is a much easier site to use and with less chaos. I registered and received a letter confirming my membership and the simple instructions. I might add that no money needs to change hands or registration of credit cards  for either site. Post crossing.com lets one request up to 5 addresses at a time. I requested two. I got one in Russia (Alexandra) and one in Germany (Tanya). Along with the name and address a registration number is assigned for each. Once I receive a card from someone I enter their rego number into the website’s data base and I can keep track of what I receive. I can also post photos of the cards I receive.

Since I am such a stationary freak I began my tasks.

I immediately received two postcards in the mail addressed to Travellin’ Penguin. This was through IUMA. One was from Ontario, Canada and one was from Florida, USA. Their return addresses and notes were on them so I made up a card for Suzanne and Patricia. The cards were fun. One was in an envelope and had their addresses on them.

I thought I would share the pictures of the cards today as it seemed a pleasant Sunday activity. File it under Miscellaneous and Travel.

As far as bookish activities this weekend I began Jerome K. Jerome’s book Three Men and a Boat. It is one of my Penguin books our book club is reading for the end of November. I will write more on that closer to the book club date. Don’t want to post up my feelings before the club meets.

Enjoy the photos. I am not overly artistic, at least I don’t think I am, so instead of creating my own cards, I preferred to get ready made cards and decorate them a bit. It is at least a little bit artistic. I might get braver as I go.

If anyone else out there is interested in exchanging postcards for fun contact me privately through contact email on this blog with your address and I will send you something either book, travel, art or Penguin related.