Vintage Seed Packet Stamps

Perhaps it is the fact that we planted an apricot tree in our yard over the weekend (just in time to beat the snow we are getting today), but these new stamps from the U.S. Postal Service totally fit my "It is spring and time to plant things in the garden" mentality.  The stamp art features photographs of antique seed packets printed between 1910 and 1920.

Holiday Postage

My inbox has been flooded this week with paper companies advertising holiday cards, and the U.S. Postal Service has released its new holiday stamps, too.  Holiday cards are a highlight of the holiday season for me and we hang all of our cards.  The U.S.P.S. has two new holiday stamps this year that are pictured below (view all of the holiday stamps here).  Maybe if we order stamps now, our cards will miraculously get mailed ontime? 

 

Disney•Pixar Stamps

Who doesn't want to receive a letter in the mail with a Nemo stamp affixed to the front? The USPS has released the latest stamps featuring Disney•Pixar characters from A Bug's Life, the Incredibles, Finding Nemo, Toy Story 2 and Monsters, Inc. The stamps are already available for purchase here and you can read more about their creation here.

All images credit to the U.S. Postal Service.

Cherry Blossom Centennial Stamps

Just in time for spring, the U.S. Postal Service is celebrating the 100th anniversary of the city of Japan giving 3,020 cherry trees to the city of Washington, D.C. as a sign of friendship.  The cherry trees were planted along the Tidal Basin by First Lady Helen Taft and Viscountess Chinda, wife of the Japanese ambassador, in 1912 and the release of the stamp on March 24th coincides with the National Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington, D.C.  Artist Paul Rogers created the lovely stamp below to commemorate the occasion.  

Image credit to the U.S. Postal Service and Paul Rogers

Digital Postage

As a devoted letter-writer and someone who greatly appreciates beautiful postage stamps, the thought of letter-writing becoming a lost art really saddens me.  I've posted before about how I love to find vintage stamps to use on letters and I am always curious about the forthcoming USPS stamp designs (in 2011, I am looking forward to the April release of the "Go Green" stamps, the May release of the "Garden of Love" stamps and the August release of the Pixar stamps). 

Pixar stamps available on August 19th

However, I will admit that I read about a cool replacement for postage stamps today that still encourages the sending of "snail mail" but makes it more convenient.  On Friday, people in Denmark will be able to text the word "PORTO" to 1900 and will receive a confirmation text with a string of numbers and letters that can be written on a letter as a form of payment.  This service is presently only available for domestic mail and will not replace postage stamps entirely, but it certainly will make it easier to spontaneously send someone a note or mail a bill.  Apparently Germany already offers this service and Sweden may soon follow suit.

Speaking of "snail mail", I LOVE this personalized stationery from minted and I just ordered these random postcards that I think are hilarious.  I don't actually have anyone to blackmail, but I couldn't resist.  Now I just need to come up with something witty to say!

Danish Postage Stamps (image courtesy of Springwise)