Stamps Forever - Have You Voted Yet?

I really like postage stamps. There's something so neat about the fact that you can't send mail without affixing a tiny work of art to the upper right corner. While I love seeing all the new releases, I miss some of the many fabulous designs that are no longer available (at least not at face value.) So I was really excited to see that the United States Postal Service is hosting a contest to bring back one of their most popular stamps. This post contains affiliate links. 

There are 25 options to choose from. Some of my all-time favorites are on the ballot, including Peanuts, Send a Hello, Frozen Treats (the first-ever scratch and sniff postage stamps), Disney Villains, Mail a Smile, The Art of Disney: Magic, and Charles M. Schulz. 

 

It's so hard to pick just one, but fortunately you don't have to! You can vote manually for as many of the images as you want, as often as you want. I put in votes for all of my favorites. If I HAD to pick just one, it would probably be Charles M. Schulz, with Frozen Treats a close second. I love how many different designs each set has, but Frozen Treats aren't as versatile for year-round use. 

Voting in the Stamps Forever contest lasts until September 30. Head over now to the cast your vote(s)!

The 50 States on Stamps

As you know, I love postage stamps. They're inexpensive, tiny works of art that serve a purpose beyond aesthetic. I don't collect stamps now the way I did when I was a kid, but I still enjoy them and look forward to seeing each year's newest issues. I regularly give framed stamps as gifts. 

The first postage stamps in the United States went on sale in 1847 and featured Benjamin Franklin and George Washington. The idea for commemorative stamps began in 1893 with a stamp about Columbus' voyages to the New World. Since then, there have been thousands of commemorative stamps. Some of my favorites are the commemorative stamps that honor our 50 states. All 50 states have appeared on postage stamps. In fact, every state appears on a stamp every 50 years from statehood. 

My home state, California, joined the union in 1850. This stamp celebrates the 100th anniversary of  California statehood. Affiliate links here and below. 

This stamp is from 2000, the 150th anniversary of California. It cost 30 cents more than the stamp from 50 years earlier. 

California's next statehood stamp will be issued in 2050. It will be interesting to see its value. Stamps are already more expensive by 40 cents than they were in 2000. Who knows how much they'll cost after another 26 years. 

Statehood anniversaries aren't the only time states are featured on postage stamps. California has a 1969 stamp recognizing 200 years of (non-indigenous) settlement...  

... and a stamp marking the 100th and the 150th anniversary of the Gold Rush. 

Each state also appears in sets, like the 1976 Bicentennial State Flags, the 1982 State Birds and Flowers, and the 2002 Greetings From America set. These are some of my all-time favorite stamps. I love seeing the complete sets of 50 states together. 

Colorado celebrates 150 years of statehood in 2026, so that is most likely the next regularly-scheduled state stamp we'll see. I'm looking forward to it. 

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I will be taking another blog break while we travel to Europe to celebrate Trevor's high school graduation. I begin radiation for breast cancer immediately when we return, so I'm not sure when I'll resume blogging. Fortunately, there are almost 3400 posts already on my blog, so poke around a bit!

Greetings From California Postage Stamp and Coloring Page

Welcome to Day 2 of California Week!

I've always loved postage stamps and eagerly check each month to see what new stamps are being released by the United States Postal Service. My favorite stamps are colorful, eye-catching, and issued in a pane with multiple designs. The more designs the better, which is why one of my all-time favorite stamp sets is the 50-stamp Greetings from America, issued in 2002 (affiliate link here and below). Even better, you can buy it as a jigsaw puzzle!

Obviously, my favorite stamp from the set is the California one. Although as a Northern Californian, I wish those trees were redwoods and not palm trees. 

Source

In addition to the cool design, this stamp has something unique about it. When 'Greetings from America' was first released on April 4, 2002, the postal rate was 34 cents. On June 30, 2002 the USPS raised the rate from 34 cents to 37 cents. They reissued this stamp set on October 25, 2002 at 37 cents. So you can find this exact same stamp marked as 34 cents and as 37 cents. 

This article has a fascinating chart showing postal rate changes. When my parents were born in 1948, sending a letter cost 3 cents. That rate had been in place since 1932 and stayed 3 cents until it was raised by a penny in 1958. By the time I was born in 1972, the rate was 8 cents. When Steve was born in 1976, the rate was 13 cents and it would be raised to 15 cents within two years. By the time Trevor was born in 2006, a stamp cost 39 cents. Now it's 63 cents. 

There has only been one time in history that the cost of a postage stamp has decreased. Congress raised the price from 2 cents to 3 cents during World War I, then bumped it back down to 2 cents in 1919. 

Back to the 'Greetings from California' stamp. When I was looking for images of it to include in this post, I came across a site that had made this stamp design into a coloring page. I printed it on my beloved Bristol Vellum and colored it with my Ohuhu Honolulus. Then I added the lights along the bridge using my white metallic Gelly Roll pen. Finally, I cut it out and backed it with black cardstock. 

Be sure to come back tomorrow for Day 3 of California Week!

Rabbit Postage Stamps (Bunny Week 2021, Day 2)

It's Day 2 of Bunny Week!

You already know that I'm obsessed with postage stamps, so it should come as no surprise that I particularly love rabbit postage stamps. In January, the United States Postal Service issued a stamp honoring the brush rabbit. It is exciting simply because it is a rabbit, but even more so because brush rabbits are native to our area. You can read more about the stamp and its design here. 

I was pleasantly surprised to see a rabbit on a postage stamp so soon after the previous appearance. In October 2020, the USPS released Winter Scenes, which includes an adorable rabbit as one of the ten designs.

The next most recent US stamp featuring a rabbit was issued in 2016. It's part of the Pets series, one of my all-time favorites. 

I had to go way back to 1987 to find the next USPS rabbit. Who else remembers the days of 22 cent postage? That's how you know you're old!

I wasn't able to find any other rabbit stamps issued by the United States, other than a rabbit in a hat as part of the 2018 Art of Magic set, a stylized Year of the Rabbit stamp from 1999 (the 2011 Year of the Rabbit stamp features kumquats), and this 1997 tribute to Bugs Bunny (affiliate links). If you know of any other realistic rabbit-themed US postage stamps, please tell me in the comments. 

Interestingly, all four of the realistic rabbits featured on our stamps are brown. I get that wild rabbits are typically brown, so that makes sense for three of the stamps, but I'm surprised they didn't choose a different color for the pet rabbit. I'm partial to grey, but house rabbits come in many beautiful shades. 

Speaking of house rabbits, I would love to see a postage stamp honoring House Rabbit Society, which does so much to help rabbits and educate their caregivers. I looked up the stamp selection criteria and found that, while HRS does technically qualify, criteria #10 indicates that "it would be difficult" but that a commemorative postmark is a possibility.

Sesame Street Characters Ranked (and a Cardboard Tube Guy Smiley)

Today is the 51st anniversary of Sesame Street. I grew up watching it and introduced it to Trevor when he was young, but he was never very interested. He didn't start enjoying TV until well past the age where he'd watch Sesame Street. 

Recently, The Wrap posted their list of the Sesame Street characters ranked from Worst to Best. I completely disagree with their rankings and thus am compelled to present my own. Since I haven't watched Sesame Street regularly since 1975 when I was three, I'm not familiar enough with some of the newer characters to include them. Telly was introduced when I was seven and Elmo when I was eight, so while I know the characters somewhat, I have no childhood attachment to them. I've never seen an episode with Julia, Abby Cadabby, Zoe, Rosita, or Karli. 

I do, however, have many fond memories of Sherlock Hemlock and another character not on their list, Guy Smiley. Affiliate links below. 

Cardboard Tube Guy Smiley

Materials:

• cardboard tube
• Folk Art paint (Medium Yellow and Terra Cotta)
• microtip scissors
• felt (black, white, blue, red, yellow)
• googly eyes
• craft glue

Steps: 

Mix approximately 3 parts Medium Yellow with 1 part Terra Cotta to make a mustard color. Paint the cardboard tube and let it dry completely. 

Cut eyebrows and a mouth from black felt. Then, make the hair. I recommend two pieces so that there is a visible part line. I cut the smaller portion, but tore the larger portion in order to make it look a bit more than hair. The cheaper the felt, the easier it is to tear. Use the scissors to snip a tiny bit, then put hard. Feel free to cut both pieces, particularly if you have higher quality felt that doesn't want to tear. 

Cut two ears and a nose from yellow. Then cut four tiny circles for the buttons on Guy's blazer. This is where microtip scissors really make a difference. 

Cut a scoop neck into a rectangle of white felt. Cut a gumdrop-shaped piece of red felt for his tie, then two large triangles of blue for his blazer. 

When all the pieces are cut, you're ready to glue them into place. Start with the mouth; it goes in the center of the tube. Then add the nose, just above the mouth. The eyes go on either side of the nose, with the eyebrows above them. The ears are even with the nose. Glue the smaller piece of hair down first, then layer the larger piece over it. Next, glue the shirt and tie in place. Then layer the two blue triangles so that the blazer covers the shirt. Finally, add the buttons to the blazer. 

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Back to my rankings. I am going to include the characters who appeared on the 2019 postage stamps honoring the 50th anniversary of Sesame Street, minus the ones created after my early childhood. That leaves 10, a very good number for a countdown.  

10) Herry Monster

Herry's personality was basically that he was strong, which is not even really a personality trait. There aren't any skits that stand out to me as my favorite starring Herry Monster. 

9) Snuffleupagus

Even at three, I was annoyed that Snuffy couldn't do Big Bird a favor and JUST ONCE stay around for someone else to see him. I have vague memories of skits with Snuffy's parents, but ultimately he's just Big Bird's (alleged) imaginary friend and doesn't stand alone, any more than Oscar's pet worm. 

8) Guy Smiley

Guy Smiley cracks me up. I love how he comes out of nowhere to host a game show and that the prizes are completely ridiculous. I linked one of my favorites above, but here's a whole Guy Smiley playlist. 

7) Grover

Grover is awesome. My favorite Grover skits are him as a waiter. And I strongly believe every child should grow up with The Monster at the End of This Book. 

6) The Count

The Count (real name: Count Von Count) is a one-trick pony, but I still love him. This is classic Count, with bonus Kermit. 

5) Big Bird

There's something wrong with you if you don't like Big Bird. It turns out that ranking Sesame Street characters is HARD, because they're all so good. I agonized about this, but Big Bird comes in at #5.

4) Cookie Monster

I love cookies and I love Cookie Monster. Always have, always will. I chose Cookie Monster as the theme for Trevor's 2nd birthday. Even though Trevor wasn't really into Sesame Street, he was (and is) really into cookies. 

3) Oscar the Grouch

My favorite thing about Oscar is that he lives in a trashcan. He says what's on his mind unapologetically. Rather than share a classic clip, here's one that's very timely. I can SO relate to Oscar!

2) Ernie

Ernie is hilarious. Ernie annoying Bert is even more hilarious. I love his laugh. The Bert and Ernie skits were my favorites when I was a kid. I still laugh about Ernie's beard. 

1) Bert

Bert is the straight man for Ernie's jokes, but his boring personality is hilarious on his own. And his laugh! I love Bert. Pigeon jokes are incredible. 

USA Philatelic

I've loved postage stamps since I was very young. My mom got me started with a stamp collection when I was five or six and I joined a stamp collecting club around 3rd grade. I loved everything about stamps. I found it fascinating to see what various countries would feature on their stamps. Some countries had a mostly monochromatic collection of their rulers' faces in profile. I didn't like those at all. I was drawn to stamps that were colorful and told a story about what that country valued or revered (besides their ruler). Some of my favorite stamps were from Hungary (Magyar), Grenada, and of course, the United States. 

I haven't actively collected stamps since I was in high school, but I still love them. (Remember how excited I was to visit the World's Largest Stamp Ball?) I follow the new releases of US stamps fairly closely, mostly through USA Philatelic. 

While technically a catalog, I think of it as a magazine. I absolutely love the articles about how the stamps are designed, or what inspired the artist, or why a particular topic was chosen to commemorate. 

The latest issue of Philatelic features the most recent Chinese New Year stamp. This is the Year of the Rat (woo hoo- it's my year!). I was completely fascinated to learn that this is not a digital design, but rather a photograph of a dimensional mask! Amazing!

Here are some of the other new releases:

I find the artwork so inspiring. Don't be surprised to see projects of mine in the future inspired by these stamps!

Someday, I hope to attend the release of a US stamp. I came THIS CLOSE to the chance in January 2018, when the Love Stamp was unveiled during a First-Day-of-Issue ceremony at Creativation.

 

(affiliate link)

Unfortunately, I didn't find out about the ceremony until after my flight had been booked and I wasn't able to change it. My plane was nearing Phoenix when the ceremony took place on that Thursday morning. So close. Someday.

There have been some really interesting stamps released lately, including the pressure-sensitive Total Eclipse of the Sun stamp, the scratch-and-sniff Frozen Treats, Bioluminescent Life, and the first US holographic Space Achievement stamps. And for your further reading pleasure, I highly recommend this fascinating article about the most controversial US stamps in history. Enjoy!

Thoughts on Stamps

Postage stamps, that is.

When I was a kid, I collected stamps. My grandparents traveled a lot and would bring me stamps from around the world, plus they had a travel agent friend who would save me all her canceled stamps. My parents got me a subscription to receive the First Day of Issue stamps from the US Postal Service. I checked out books from the library to learn more about my stamps and the countries they came from. I was even in a kids' stamp collecting club for awhile. 

I loved getting new stamps and I loved carefully soaking and drying canceled stamps. I loved checking maps to see how far my stamps had traveled and I loved seeing the way other countries spelled their names on their stamps. I loved putting the stamps in my album and I loved going back and looking at the ones I had. 

But more than anything, I loved seeing the different colors, designs, and images on stamps. Every stamp was a work of art. Lots of countries featured beautiful flowers, landscapes, animals, and things like that. Many had featured a country's ruler or leader. I was especially fascinated by the countries who would honor American entertainers or athletes or even cartoon characters on their stamps. It seemed so strange that a country on the other side of the planet would randomly issue a Donald Duck stamp, for example. I learned a lot from my stamps. Did you know that the Rubik's Cube was invented by a Hungarian man or that the first Rubik's Cube World Championship was in Hungary in 1982? 

Image Credit

My stamp collection is at my parents' house. I haven't looked at it in years. But I've been thinking about it the past few weeks. It only occurred to me recently that by saving and organizing stamps, I was actually collecting art on a scale that was small enough and affordable enough for a kid. My stamp album was my own personal art gallery, where I could sort and rearrange and organize tiny works of art.

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As usual, I bought holiday stamps to put on my Christmas cards this year. Usually, there is at least one secular set that I love, plus a religious set based on famous paintings. This year, I liked the Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer set and the Winter Fun set, so I bought them both. 

It wasn't until I started putting stamps on envelopes that I saw a design flaw of sorts that I'd never noticed on a stamp before. Look at the Rudolph stamps. They're really cute as a group of four, but that's not the way they appear on an envelope. The Hermey and Bumble stamps are fine, but both Rudolph and Santa are facing strongly to the right. When they're on their own on an envelope in the upper right-hand corner, they lead the eye right off the side rather than to the address. That's a big no-no in graphic design. The Winter Fun stamps all face left, except for the couple who are headed right off the edge of the envelope.

I realize that stamps are primarily functional and that it doesn't especially matter if a stamp leads the eye off the side. But considering how much effort is put into creating beautiful stamps many times a year, I'm a bit surprised that this wouldn't be a consideration. I'm dying to look back through my huge stamp collection and see how often stamp subjects face left, right or center.