Sunday Stamps - (A) Art from Finland

for the letter A - Art

2015 - Finland - Art Post

Designer: Tiia Vanhatapio ja Miika Saksi

The miniature sheet was issued on 11 September 2015. I received all 4 designs on 3 different occasions from a letter or a postcard, sent by my Finnish pen pal - Tuija.

The sheet features "dreamlike images that rise from the depths of the imagination to create the set and setting for events."

for more stamps with the letter "A", visit See it on a Postcard

Postcards for the weekend 80: Anything you wish

FI-1918321, Sent from Jyvaskala
Traveled 8,847 km in 9 days

Our theme this weekend is anything you wish. I'm pleased that it's a free and easy theme and I can select postcards that fit my mood at the moment. It's an end at least for now for a series of overseas trips. I yearn to just stay put; to be at home and see familiar pieces and parts of the same place for every waking hour and coming back at the end of the day.

Souvenir postcard from my trip to Sampaguita Gardens, Aklan, Philippines

What are your favorite pieces, parts, or sections of your home? What do you love to do the most when you're at home? Tomorrow I'm flying back to Singapore, my second home. I am impatient to lounge on the soft brown sofa while binge-watching Netflix series. 

Happy weekend everyone,

~maria

Postcards for the weekend 69: Aerial Views

In as much as I love looking close into details, I also enjoy looking at the "big picture". For views of a "big picture" this weekend, I have for you:

Sent from Helsinki on 28 Dec 2016, Traveled 9,323 km

Suomenlinna - an inhabited sea fortress built on 6 islands. My Finnish penpal, Tuija went and mentioned that if not because of the cold, she would have wanted to spend the whole day there. I totally missed the chance to see the place myself when I visited Finland back in April last year. And you guessed it right, the culprit was also the cold weather.

Sent from Dubrovnik on 6 Aug 2013, Traveled 9,925 km

Dubrovnik - another filming location for one of my favorite TV series, Game of Thrones. I've been to Valletta, Malta, one of the first filming locations. If I look into this Dubrovnik aerial view sans the name of the city, could have easily mistaken it for Valletta. This postcard was also sent by Tuija, 5 years ago when I was still living in Manila.

Sent from Frankfurt on 12 March 2017, Traveled 10,252 km

Frankfurt - an aerial view of the city that I received a month prior to my layover there, while on my way to Malta. I remember challenging myself whether I would actually be able to spot this view during the descent and ascent of my incoming and outgoing flights. I didn't! Now I'm strongly leaning on wanting to see the city in person and getting to these buildings and for real. I've never been to any German city and my feet are itching for adventures there. 

Which of these places have you been to? Which place/city (not necessarily any of these 3), would you like to see for your next adventure?

Happy weekend, 

~maria

Postcards for the weekend 66: New year 2018

FI-3139697, Sent from Jamsa, Finland
Traveled 9,288 km in 10 days

So the Christmas festivities are almost over as we are ushering in 2018. I've been wrapping up 2017 with some cleaning. This makes me wonder ... what happens with all the Christmas decorations? It must be a lot of money, that could just end up in the bin. Modesty aside, my Christmas decorations are recycled. So my mini Christmas tree and other Christmas ornaments are to be kept in the storeroom. I'm proud to have used these items for the 3rd year this time! How about yours?

RU-5286150, Sent from Barnaul, Russia
Traveled 6,078 km in 32 days

In addition to physical cleaning of my living space, I've also been reflecting on the past years. As cliche as it is, I'm also one who makes New Year resolutions. I've been deeper and deeper into my thoughts; finding meaning in my 30 years of existence. Perhaps this time around, I'll pen down 12 items that I'd like to work on or improve in 2018! One item to represent and work on for each month of the new year ...

I'm sure that most of us are engaged in several happenings during this time of the year. Hence, I'm keeping our linky open until mid-week! I hope that compensates for my tardiness this weekend :)

Happy new year everyone,

~maria

Postcards for the weekend 65: December holidays

FI-3122027, Sent from Lahti, Finland
Traveled 9,247 km in 12 days

This is the very first Christmas-themed postcard I received this year. I'm very pleased with the bright and glossy finish of this postcard. I reckon there's no heater inside Santa's workshop ... Santa and his helpers' cheeks are all extremely red!

Friendship Gift Postcard, Sent from Singapore
Traveled 2,391 km

A card that I've received 4 years ago from Singapore when I was still living in Manila. The sender of this postcard loves to draw. This postcard featured a festive illustration of the Singapore's icon, Merlion at the back:

If you noticed, the message was written for Krissa. I'm Krissa to family and friends. It wasn't until I entered university that I was called using my real name, Maria Kristina. In the Philippines, children are usually given official long names and shorter nicknames.

Speaking of family & friends, I won't be spending this upcoming holidays with loved ones. For those of you who are, I truly wish that you make memorable moments with your family & friends.

We will not have any linky for next weekend ... So please allow me to greet all of you a Merry Christmas in advance!

~maria

Postcards for the weekend 56: Children

October 6 is recognized as Children's Day in many places around the world. Hence, our theme for this weekend: children.

Friendship Gift Postcard, Sent from Sherwood, Arkansas
Sent 10 September 2016, Traveled 15,650 km

This book cover postcard is entitled "A Necklace of Raindrops and Other Stories". It was illustrated in 1975. I like the silhouettes in the foreground, with the little girl who seems to be marveling at the sight of something in the sky.

TW-505373, Sent from Kaohsiung
Sent 22 Mar 2012, Traveled 890 km in 8 days 

This photograph is from an exhibition, according to the sender. It seems that the little girl's name is Miyako.

FI-1999405, Sent from Nokia
Sent 29 Jan 2014, Traveled 8,982 km in 17 days

This one was sent for my birthday 3 years ago. I love the jolly faces and the merry-making on this postcard!

Have a great weekend everyone,

~maria

Postcards for the weekend 49: Retro or Vintage

To be totally honest, I'm no good at discerning whether a piece is retro or vintage (despite reading on the meaning of each word). So here we are, with the retro OR vintage theme for this weekend.

ES-439649, Sent from Spain,
Sent 15 Nov 2016, Traveled 11,265 km in 14 days

Chrysanthemum carinatum is a tri-colored daisy. I was intrigued by the scientific name on the postcard as chrysanthemums for what I know are usually multi-layer and more full bodied blooms as compared with the flowers in this postcard.

I think this postcard is a reproduction as the paper at the back isn't yellowed as it appears in front.

FI-2800936, Sent from Oulu, Finland
Sent 2 Sep 2016, Traveled 9,334 km

I hope I'm correct to categorize this postcard's design as retro, if not vintage.

Direct Swap, sent from Stockbridge, GA
Sent 31 Aug 2015, Traveled 16,034 km

This card is labeled Atlanta, Georgia - Retro Skyline at the back of the postcard. It's nice to see three layers of ascending graphics on this postcard.

Friendship Gift Postcard

I received this ad card from a friend who traveled to Europe. I think there were 4 or 5 of them linked with each other but with easy-to-tear perforation in between. This is my favorite from the set.

I'm posting from Charles de Gaulle Airport at the moment, waiting for my flight back to Singapore. I hope we're all looking forward to a relaxing weekend!

~maria 

Postcards for the weekend 46: Places of worship

Friendship Gift Postcard, Sent from Helsinki
Sent 28 December 2016, Traveled 5,757 km

I had my first ever hail storm experience on my way to this cathedral back in April. My friend Tuija who sent me this postcard and who was with on that same day of the hail storm, wrote: This stunningly beautiful church is Helsinki Cathedral and most probably the most beautiful in Finland. I was only able to look at it in awe both outside and inside!

Friendship Gift Postcard, Sent from Bulacan, Metro Manila
Sent 21 June 2012, Traveled 35 km

This is probably one of my postcards that took the shortest distance to reach me (see caption). It's a Postcrossing Meet-up Postcard featuring the Basilica of St. Martin de Tours. It is considered the largest church in the Philippines and in Asia.

Postcard sent for swap

In my opinion, this is the best building in Kampong Glam, a historic Malay area in Singapore. I always love sitting at a cafe at night and just marveling at the beauty of this mosque. The website YourSingapore describes this mosque as the focal point of Islamic faith in the country.

Postcard sent for swap

Will you believe that this Hindu temple is located in Chinatown? It is indeed! Sri Mariamman is the oldest Hindu temple in Singapore. The number of sculptures & figurines at its entrance is just awe-inspiring. More so, is the social role this temple plays in the life of South Indian Tamil Hindus. I read that this temple provides them shelter until they find work and a more permanent accommodation in Singapore.

Postcard sent to self, Sent from Ho Chi Minh
Sent 23 Oct 2016, Traveled 2,679 km

This card is from my solo weekend trip to Ho Chi Minh last year. It was such a traumatic trip though and I vowed that I will never go back to Vietnam on my own again. I am sad to give this bad impression of Ho Chi Minh but my experience was pretty terrible. Oddly enough, I'm writing this blog post while here in Vietnam at the moment. Only at a different city though, Hanoi.

I'm sorry for disappointing my blogging friends for my tortoise-ness with the linky. It's been really insane at work. I've just finished organizing and hosting a regional distributors sales meeting. I went back to Singapore for one night and back on the road again today. I'm away for another 2 more weeks for this series of business trips. I hope the rest of you are able to enjoy less demanding days.

~maria 

Postcards for the weekend 44: City views (day time)

For this weekend's theme, I'm featuring city views at day time from Europe:

Friendship Gift Postcard, Sent from Helsinki
Sent 28 Dec 2016, Traveled 9,259 km

The old buildings in Helsinki City Centre gave me peace and calm. I truly wish I had more than just a 2-day weekend to discover this European capital city. If I'm not mistaken, the tall building in the background is St. John's Church. It stands out tall compared to the rest as it's resting on a hill.

Friendship Gift Postcard, Sent from The Hague
Traveled 10,530 km

Some of you may know that I have a Dutch mom (my biological mother is Filipino but I have a second mom). She sent me this postcard from the city where she works. I will visit Amsterdam this August and I'm figuring out if it's worth it to visit The Hague as well. I like this postcard for showing a contrast of old and new buildings.

Friendship Gift Postcard from Madrid
Traveled 11,374 km

Madrid ranks high on my list of cities I want to explore in depth in Europe. Here's Metropolis Building, an architectural wonder at the corner of Calle Alcala and Gran Via. The building features 4 statues representing Mining, Agriculture, Industry, and Commerce. Its round tower is covered by 30,000 leaves of 24-k gold.

Direct Swap, Sender: Anna
Traveled 10,059 km

Of all these five postcards, this is my favorite. I reckon this picture is taken close to the golden hour. I probably wouldn't have known about Ljubljana if not for this postcard. I don't know how to pronounce this city's name either so I need to ask Google for help. 

Friendship Gift Postcard, Sender: Dr. Arnold
Sent 12 March 2017, Traveled 10,252 km

This postcard steals my attention from that of Ljubljana. The buildings are way so much taller at one part of this city. Excellent vantage point for this postcard!

~ maria

You spoke, and I listened :D Starting this weekend, the time span of the linky is extended to 12 hours more, to accommodate different time zones.

Sunday Stamps: Gardens or Forests

Left to right --

50th Anniversary of the Jardim Botanico Madeira

Issued in 2010 (Portugal)

Eero Järnefelt 150 Years Commemorative Stamp, Forest Landscape 

Issued in 2013 (Finland)

Nuuksio National Park

Issued in 2013 (Finland)

Singapore, my second home is a garden city. One of the most admirable features of this garden city is the lush greeneries lining the roadsides. Left to right --

Saga, Adenanthera pavonina

Issued in 2010 (Singapore)

Angsana, Pterocarpus indicus

Issued in 2010 (Singapore)

Rain tree, Samanea saman

Issued in 2010 (Singapore)

For Sunday Stamps: gardens or forests

~maria

Postcards for the weekend 41: Flags, with a flag(s)

FI-1422572, Sent from Vihti, Finland
Sent: 10 May 2012, Traveled 8,964 km in 25 days

Finland is the latest addition to the list of countries I've visited so far. I went there during the third weekend of April to meet my pen friend from Kuopio. It was a lovely meeting and I learned that Finland is celebrating its 100 Years of Independence this year. This card arrived with a matching stamp for the flag on the postcard. 

Friendship Gift Postcard, Sent from Boras, Sweden
Sent: 5 March 2017, Traveled 9,926 km

The trip to Finland was a side trip that I made as a part of my business trip to Gothenburg, Sweden. Less than a month prior to my trip, I received this card from Monica of Beyond the Lone Islands. Thanks to Monica's message at the back, I was able to properly select the clothes needed for the cold & wet northern European weather. It was so much colder in Gothenburg as compared to the April weather I remember from my first visit in 2015. And oh, my side visit to Helsinki gave me my first ever hail storm and wet snow fall experience! I finally saw snow! Some of you might remember that I was ranting about it in one of my posts after missing it from my Japan trip back in November 2016.

Thanks to these two cards, I learned that all Nordic countries except Greenland have adopted the Nordic Cross flag. 

Postcrossing Private Swap, Sent from Victoria, Australia, 
Sent on 13 September 2011, Traveled 6,185 km in 9 days

This postcard has appeared here in my blog 5 years ago. I noticed it in my scanned postcards folder while looking for postcards for our theme and decided to narrow down my search to flags with cross/crosses on it. There's a long article in wiki about this flag and it's quite an interesting read for those who are interested in their national and political history. 

Friendship Gift Postcard, Sent from Oxfordshire, UK
Sent: 13 Nov 2013, Traveled 10,777 km

As I'm sure most or all of us know, the Union Jack emblem exist on the National Flag of Australia, the country being a member of the Commonwealth. On the London, the capital of England and the United Kingdom card above, we have the widespread Union Jack, the flag of UK as a bright and beautiful backdrop. The Union Jack is a union of three historical crosses: Saint Andrew's, Saint Patrick's, and Saint George's.

The similarities of the Nordic country flags to that of the Union Jack has made me very curious. My research has landed me into a well-written article in Quora. Apparently, the Nordic cross gave rise to the flags of the British Isles, among which are the historical crosses that currently comprise the Union Jack. 

I learned so much while researching about the postcards I've chosen for the theme this weekend! Yay!

~maria

Postcards for the weekend 32: Whimsical and/or magical

I've been up to my neck with work and I almost forgot it's Friday!

For this weekend's theme I've picked three postcards to share:

Friendship Gift Postcard, from Finland
Sent 7 June 2014, traveled 9,171 km

I'm very happy to come across this postcard from my collection again and read the message at the back from my Finnish pen friend, Tuija. She translated the text, "Sometimes it's good to catch one's breath and enjoy the day enjoying one's self, leaving everyday worries behind, take it easy and be happy about the good things in life."

RU-537449, from Russia,
Sent 21 Aug 2011, traveled 8,260 km in 25 days

It looks so magical with the planets and stars in the background. I can't figure out the pink wall that the cats are leaning on though, is it supposed to be a wall?

DE-6024930, from the north of Germany
Sent 1 March 2017, traveled 10,102 km in 13 days

This is one of my most recently received postcards. Because of the black hood and veil of this woman, I always think of Bellatrix Lestrange (from the famous Harry Potter series) every time I look at the postcard.

Have a relaxing weekend folks!

~maria

Sunday Stamps: Eastern Hemisphere

Received in three different occasions, I'm happy to discover that I have all four stamps from the miniature sheet called Art Post 20--15. It was released by the Finland Posti on 11 September 2015. The four designs are by the creative agency Vanhatapio and Saksi. The theme for the designs are "cinematic and literary references that allow the imagination to create the set and setting for events".

Click on See it on a Postcard to discover what other participants shared for the theme, eastern hemisphere.

~maria

Postcards for the weekend 17: December holidays

As mentioned last weekend, I'm going to share illustrated December holidays postcards for this weekend. I have three cards for this second set. I love this first card with the Santa Claus and the heart-shaped cookie. I think more than Valentine's Day, Christmas is a season of expressing love to people dear to us. It's always the best time of the year to gather and celebrate with family and friends. Time is such a hot commodity nowadays and for someone to put an effort to give time; it could only mean one thing -- love! I might be putting more perspective into it than necessary but living on a separate country away from my immediate family and on a long distance relationship with my partner, it means so much to me to travel or conversely, for them to travel so we can be together.

NL-2157975, Sent from southern Netherlands
on 31 Oct 2013, Traveled 10,398 km in 52 days

My partner was here in Singapore last weekend. This weekend, my whole family flew in from the Philippines. It makes my heart melt with joy, knowing that their journey by bus - ship - bus - taxi - airplane - train has finally brought them to me. If you dare ask, the whole trip took them two days!

Friendship Gift Postcard, Sent from Kuopio, Finland
Received 1 Dec 2016, Traveled 8,726 km

I think this Susan Wheeler illustrated postcard well represents the joy we have, gathering as a family for Christmas time. We don't have an infant on a pram and snowfall, though. My parents, born and raised Catholic -- asked me over the phone two weeks ago while discussing the trip, "Can we attend a church service there on Christmas day?"

"Well, of course mother!", I replied.

FI-1923136, Sent from Kuopio, Finland
on 11 Nov 2013, Traveled 8, 749 km

I'm happy to find another illustrated postcard to share this family tradition of attending a church service on Christmas. If you notice on the Susan Wheeler card, she had her initials on the lower right portion of the artwork. On this one, Stina Broome, the artist has her name neatly penned on the similar spot (only lower).

I hope we're all having a splendid experience with people we love at this time of the year! Merry Christmas everyone!

~maria

PS. Thanks so much in advance to my blogging friends who will find time to link up this weekend. I'm keeping the linky open for 3 days instead of 2 this weekend to give chance for more of us to link up. For some of you who cannot, please don't feel bad nor apologetic about it. As mentioned before, our linky party is a fun activity; we shouldn't feel tied down by it. ;-)

2016 Finland Christmas stamp

This stamp came with the most recent letter I received from my pen friend Tuija. Inside the envelope came a strip of paper with the information about the stamp:

In response to public demand, Itella Posti Oy published Santa Claus' very own special stamp.

The Joulun Taika (the Magic of Christmas) stamp is based on  Antti Kurola's impressive photograph. In the magical picture, Santa Claus is throwing snow into the air with both hand. Behind the snow-covered spruce tree forest is the city of Rovaniemi. This is considered as the Christmas city in Finland.

For more Christmas stamp shared for today, please check the page See It On A Postcard.

~maria

Postcards for the weekend 16: December holidays

As a Christian, one of the most awaited holiday for me during the year is Christmas. It's when the weather is cooler and the environment is merry almost everywhere.

For these two weekends with the December holidays theme, I will split my postcards between real-life photos postcards and illustrated postcards. For the first set:

Friendship Gift Postcard, Sender: Dr. Arnold
Sent: 5 June 2016 from Greenland, Traveled 11,538 km

This postcard makes me miss hearing children's choir during the mass. The youngest choir I had the pleasure to listen to recently are teenagers. There's just that mesmerizing sweetness and innocence in the voice of children that I long to hear live again.

Friendship Gift Postcard, Sender: Terry
Sent: 9 July 2015, Traveled 16,656 km

This postcard is from a set from Garvan Woodland Gardens at the University of Arkansas. Annually, around 1.7 million sparkling lights are arranged throughout the gardens for the holiday feature. By the look of the postcard, it must be enchanting when the lights shine bright against the dark.

US-4376395, Sender: Nancy
Sent: 1 Dec 2016, Traveled 15,145 km in 14 days

This card is among the most recent Christmas cards that I've received. It came this week. According to the postcard, each year, hundreds of thousands of visitors flock to the Country Club Plaza for the spectacular Christmas lights. The installations last from Thanksgiving night until the end of the holiday season. The fireworks on this postcard makes it look like even more radiant!

Friendship Gift Postcard, Sender: Tuija
Sent: Dec 2013, Traveled 8,726 km

This last card for this weekend is half real life and half illustration postcard. The dog on this postcard is Vilma, pet and companion of my penfriend Tuija, Vilma is a litter reject Mittelspitz but my sweet friend took her and they've been with each other for many years now. I always love reading news about Vilma on each and every letter Tuija sends to me. 

Until next weekend for more Christmas postcards!

~maria