From time to time, there is someone who prefers receiving handmade cards and I really enjoy doodling a bit. I had this piece of good quality paper with a sample print of a design from my University years. It's good to relax drawing meaningless abstract flowers... ♪

My teacher used to say he could spot one of my works at first sight because they had elegant mix of colours. Back them, yellow and gray was one of my favourites -- I still think it is.

~ Mailart from Germany ~

~ Bebenhausen Monastery, Tübingen (Baden-Würtemberg) ~

I love German stamp series of flowers. I wish Spanish post service released some nice stamps for a change! And this handmade envelope is absolutely gorgeus. I can assure you it's perfectly cut and made. Leonie is really talented with hand making stuff. Thanks~!

I decorated (and sent) another letter this week. Not in Latin, if you're curious. Plain English this time. A black ink drawing on an airmail classic envelope that I hope my penpal will like. Although I have my fountain pen back and repaired I found out that the standard cartridges are too big for it and I ended using the old school pen again. Will buy an inkwell soon to refill my Waterman 'expensive'  pen because I prefer its smaller flexible nib both for writing and drawing.

Yes, we put the sender's address on the back of the envelope in Spain. Addressee on the front, sender on the back. No place for mistakes. hehe. I was feeling artistic that day.

A letter from my Japanese penpal. She writes lovely letters with the most beautiful handwriting and always uses different letter sets. So far I have received 5 letters and she never repeated! Also the stamps she uses are really cool. This time, two of them are a set featuring a history battle -- my guess as I cannot understand Japanese.

She also decorates letters with the most interesting stuff you could ever imagine. Today the envelope was white with some fade flowers in a corner. Very elegant and feminine. As the back looked very plane, she decorated it with washi tape and a tiny ribbon. Yay!

Letter from: Tahara-city, Aichi, Japan.

Received: November 2011.

Language: English.

Stamps: one ¥10 stamp with a bug and two ¥50 with a history battle (please correct me if I am wrong).

I received a long letter (5 sheets!) from a penpal in Romania. Aside from some gifts, there is nothing special to point out unless you think receiving post in Latin is unusual. :-)

At the back there is my reply. That is my handwriting nowadays -- hoping to improve it soon! Also illustrated some paragraphs as I will be sending some shells and don't know if they will arrive intact.

Letter from: Cluj-Napoca, Romania.

Received: September 2011.

Language: Latin.

Sent it yesterday to my niece who hasn't received a letter in her life. She may think post is something old-fashioned nobody uses nowadays except for sending bills from banks. She is now 17 and has moved to Salamanca (Spain) to study. I hope this decorated envelope surprises her and makes her smile. She must be nostalgic. Drawings by me and washi tape from Japan, of course.

Especially for me :-)

From left to right: lady, samurai, lady

Letter from: Shizuoka, Japan.

Received: July 2011.

Language: English.

Stamps: three ¥50 stamps featuring Sanrio character Hello Kitty dressed in different Japanese traditonal clothes from the Greetings - Summer 2011 series.