Sint Maarten Overload

Remember me nagging about being unlucky when it comes to cancellations? Well it was 3rd time lucky with Sint Maarten - beautiful stamps and cancellations all in place, which caused ecstatic grins for days on end hahahh xD (pc-psycho). ThAnK YoU - you know who! You are such a good friend x

Montreal, Canada

Montreal is the largest city in the Canadian province of Quebec, with french as the official language. It has the title of  "Canada's Cultural Capital" and was named a UNESCO City of Design in 2006. Archaeological evidence demonstrates that various nomadic First Nations native people occupied the island of Montreal for at least 2000 years before the arrival of Europeans in the 17th century.

It looks sublime under the snow blanket. Thanks to Ash :) 

Kente Cloth And A Portrait Of A Young Woman, Ivory Coast

A great surprise in my mailbox this week, two splendid cards from Ivory Coast! Not a complete surprise as it is an arranged swap, but I didnt know what kind of cards I'd receive and how long it would take them to arrive - and to be honest, if they'd arrive at all..! Not a reflection on my wonderful swap-partner, mind you; I just have a history of cards never arriving from non-European countries...

Anyways! 1st card shows the weaving of Kente cloth, or nwentoma, a type of silk and cotton fabric made of interwoven cloth strips, native to the Akan People (an ethnic group of West Africa predominantly in Ghana and Ivory Coast). It is a royal and sacred cloth worn only in times of extreme importance and was the cloth of kings; over time, the use of kente became more widespread.

The 2nd card is a portrait of a gorgeous young woman - how can one not like the smile so bright and sincere? Thank you so much Natalia! :)))

Stencil Graffiti By Banksy

Banksy is a pseudonymous England-based (Bristol-born) graffiti artist, political activist, film director, and painter. His satirical street art and subversive epigrams combine dark humour with graffiti done in a distinctive stencilling technique. Such artistic works of political and social commentary have been featured on streets, walls, and bridges of cities throughout the world.

I thought both of these were done by him, but actually the 1st one is done by Melbourne-based street artist Meek, who was exposed to Banksy's art while working in London. The 2nd one was done in London's Clerkenwell area, the words 'Old Skool' additionaly added.It has occured to me once before, that it would be so cool to do a Banksy tour in England. I've been to London so many times and failed to look for it - next time!

Thanks to Amanda from the netherlands and Jacqueline from the UK :)

Many Flavours Of Absolut Vodka

I guess I am progressing ever so slowly with my humble collection of Absolut Vodka cards :) Upon googling I realised just how many great ideas there are for these ads, would love to get more...

Many thanks to Vicky from Russia and J.J. from the US :))

Olives In A Basket

Meine Lieblinge, olive fruits in a basket freshly picked :) Soon we will be on the same mission. We used to use traditional hand-weaved baskets called kartil(ac) alas the weaving tradition had petered out. Less and less people even use hands to pick olives, the machinery is taking over - but as we don't have that many olive trees we are still doing everything the old-fashioned way xD

UNESCO - Historic And Architectural Complex Of The Kazan Kremlin, Russia

This magnificant building is the Kul Sharif or Qolşärif Mosque in Kazan, originally built in the Kazan Kremlin in the 16th century but soon destroyed by Ivan The Terrible in 1552. Since 1996 the mosque has been rebuilt and can accommodate 6000 worshipers. The main minarets are 57 meters high.

Kazan is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Tatarstan in west Russia - its metropolitan area has a population of 1.6 million. This multi-ethnic city is famous for Muslims and Christians living side-by-side in peace. The Kazan Kremlin is its chief historic citadel built on behest of Ivan the Terrible on the ruins of the former castle of Kazan khans.

From an offer tag, thank you Julia :))

Gandalf, LOTR, Czech Republic

Gandalf is a wizard, the leader of the Fellowship of the Ring and the army of the West. One of my favourite characters in The Lord Of The Rings saga. When I swapped for this I had no idea what type of the card I'd get, and it turned out to be the best kind, a wonderful surprise! The stamps show the famous Czech botanist, ethnographer, writer and explorer, who discovered, described and catalogued many species of cactus on his voyages to America. Thank you lots Kate! :)))