^ Great photos by Buckaroo Kid.



Did I tell you that I live three doors up from the Launceston mail processing centre? When I walk past the gates on the weekend or in the evening I can see all of Launceston's post trucks sleeping in there! And I can hear postie bikes riding up our street all day. I must be employed at this place! I want to process mail!


^ Sam was my partner for the Mix Share Swap and received two mixes from me. She kindly sent me one back and it was grand. This lady has great taste in music.


^ Rusty in Oklahoma sent me a very sweet note in a very sweet purple, perfectly sealed envelope. This is my first time receiving a wax-sealed envelope and I love it! I am going to have to hunt down a seal and some wax for myself.


^ A lovely card from Kiyasu - her Flickr contains the loveliest sent and received mail photos.


^ This perfect parcel arrived earlier in the week from a lovely Queensland lady we'll call Lillabilly. I was browsing Etsy mail holders earlier in the week and the one she sent me surpasses anything I was going to purchase - and she knitted me little covers for the I's. She included such beautiful things and I felt so good all day after opening it up. Thank you again lady! That mail holder will never leave my (equally red) desk. Can't wait to send something back.


^ A B for Brilliant postcard from Linsey.


^ A very interesting letter and some great papery things from a Californian gal named Dixie. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Don't you love the contrasting badges?


^ Mail from Blanca is to die for, such a sweet girl! Thank you miss!


^ This fabulously stamped envelope came from a girl called Arjen in Belgium.


^ A lady named Angela responded to my recent post wherein I said that I'd love to collect name plates from every US state and she sent me one from her home state of Maryland. I stickered my name on it a little messily and quickly attached it to my bike. Now I have three! :D Thank you kindly miss!


^ Milly sent me a very special little package including a cute teacup necklace (I'm wearing it as we speak). I couldn't photograph it well, but around the edge of the cup it says "I♡tea". So lovely.


^ I have mentioned talented Newcastle artist Trevor Dickinson's work on this blog a few times and out of the blue he kindly sent me a copy of his latest zine about mail boxes. This zine is part one in his series wherein he draws 100 mailboxes from around Newcastle that contain the numbers 1-100. It is a fantastic little zine and I can't wait to see what he creates next!


^ Often while I'm sending and receiving mail from lovely 'strangers' I don't prioritise sending mail family members or friends - which I definitely should. I sent a postcard to my step-sister Jaime who lives in New South Wales and she sent this wonderfully decorated envelope and a drawing in return.


^ A simply divine letter from Cari. I didn't photograph it well but she included her mail tag requests in a little folded up zine (on the right) which I can't wait to fill in.


^ A well-dressed lady cut-out from a UK miss named Lauren. Hmm, what to send back? :D


^ I owe Shelita an overdue letter, so she sent me some 'incentive' to fast track a letter to her. Ha. She sent such sweet stuff and included an American dollar note! I'd never seen one before! Money notes here are a kind of almost indestructible plastic-y material - I feel like I want to fold that dollar into origami! She also included some excellent pens - she must secretly know my very specific taste in pens! I promise to send you one mail-arty envelope and a newsy letter ASAP Shelita!




^ I made this postcard for Andy of 'My Real Wall' as he's doing a little call out on his blog. It's made from old stamps, the security pattern inside an envelope, black pen, white-out and tape. Much fun to make. You should send him something too!


^ Something a bit sparkly to grace Melody's new(ish) mailbox. There's something about writing to M that I just love.


^ For miss Tejal.


^ A postcard for Sylvia and one for Sam.


^ Something very overdue for Amy.


^ A vintage children's book envelope for sweet Argentinean miss, Jaza.


^ A packed-full envelope for Jane.

Next week I don't have anything notable on, so I'm going to attempt to write at least 5 letters a day for 5 days. 10 a day would mean I'd cut down my mail pile more significantly, but I'd hate to write generic, churned-out letters, so I'll take it easy. I can usually only manage a couple a day, but I need to get my act together. This mail pile containing 50+ letters is making me feel like a bad correspondent!

Thank you to the lovely folk who have filled in and emailed me a copy of the survey from my last post - your answers were wonderful and insightful and interesting!

Hope you find something sweet in your mailbox tomorrow.

^ A gorgeous collage by Katey Nicosia.

I've been a bit absent from the blogging-internetting world these past few days/weeks as I'm waiting for the interwebz to be connected at my new abode . I've been using semi-reliable, mobile internet for a week or so and I don't have enough bandwidth to post pictures or the like, but all should be solved in the next week or so. At the very least, the internet shortage is offering more Madmen-watching, letter writing opportunities.

Onto more pressing matters. I was wondering if some of you lovely folk might like to do me a small favour... I have compiled a very short survey about letter writing. If you'd be so kind as to fill it out and email it back to me I would be very grateful.

I am thinking of reposting the survey answers received on this blog in some form and also including a handful of them in a zine I'm (very slowly) putting together. If you'd like to fill in your answers and send them to me, but don't want me to publish your answers, that's fine too, just let me know in the email.

Interpret the questions however you like. Give sentence, paragraph or one-word answers. Be as serious or non-serious as you please. Even if you don't write letters often. If you don't have an answer for a question, leave it blank (or write a new question).

The survey
Name:
Location: (town, state, country)
A letter a day keeps the _________________.
I write letters because _________________.
The last letter I wrote was ______________.
The last letter I received was ____________.
When I write a letter I feel ______________.
People should write letters because ________.

Email to: biancajagoe[at]gmail[dot]com

If you're at all confused as to how to answer, here are my answers (you don't need to write as much as I did!);

Name: Bianca
Location: Launceston, Tasmania, Australia
A letter a day keeps the bills away (not really, it just makes it feel like there's less of them).
I write letters because it makes me feel good. I think they're little packages of good vibes and the feeling after reading (or writing) a good letter is blissful. Writing letters makes you slow down and observe your surroundings. Writing letters makes you connect with people on a different, meaningful level. I write letters because the thought of empty mailboxes makes me sad. I write letters because the sharing of mail with people from all over the globe expands my knowledge of the world. I write letters to feel more connected with people.
The last letter I wrote was nine pages long(!) and sealed in a glittery pink envelope.
The last letter I received was in three envelopes and included an American dollar note!
When I write letters I feel connected.
People should write letters because it feels good.

Thank you kindly!

1. Recycled Security Envelope Buttons/Badges 2. US Mail Airmail Slot 3. Red Postal Airmail Stamp Sewing Buttons 4. Red Cardboard Letter Holder Box 5. Airmail Envelope Camera Pouch 6. Crochet Airmail


7. Airmail Letters Quilting Fabric 8. Don't Shoot The Messenger Earrings 9. Vintage Mail Ephemera Postcards 10. Lolas Room Set of 4 Sweet Things Postcards 11. Vintage Owl Napkin/Letter Holder 12. I Wrote You A Letter Sticker Set


13. Vintage Upcycled Mail Box Desk Organiser 14. Mushroom and Birds Fold-It Notes 15. Wedding Postmark Custom Rubber Stamp 16. Hand Carved Mailbox Rubber Stamp 17. Mailbox and Mail Bag Crotchet Pattern 18. US Postage Cufflinks


19. Zip Code Necklace 20. Vintage Postage Ornament Blocks 21. Mail Stamp Silverplated Ring 22. Vintage Postman Barrette 23. Postman Vinyl Decal 24. British Postal Box Vinyl Wall Decal

(My 'Favourite Etsy Mail Finds #1' is here)

Today C and I paid a visit to our (undeniably phallic looking) vintage post box pal outside of City Park and C kindly took some photos of my outfit. It was a very windy day and although I can't recall the specific dialogue, I told C that he had to be on "flying skirt duty" to make sure it didn't fly up and reveal my behind to the general public, to which he replied, "So I get to spend the whole day looking at your butt?". How lovely.

We are still in the throes of unpacking and are slowly discovering things we like and don't like so much about the new house, e.g. - likes; warm, sunny, proximity to all shops, well-sized. Dislikes; our washing machine blocks most of the bathroom door (only thin people can visit us or they won't be able to use the bathroom), industrial-grade school-like carpet, one cracked window, etc. But at the moment, just having an abode and making home is good enough for me. All things aside, it is a happy house to be in.

We're currently making do without a fridge, any wardrobes and many other furniture items, so finding clothes is often troublesome as they are in an assortment of huge travel bags. I was glad to find this coat and skirt after burying it several months ago in a bag for moving. Also, it has only recently occurred to me that I have extremely pale skin, like copy paper, #FFFFFF white. I think I need to pursue some vitamin D.