Saturday 18 January 2014

Runny nose, pretty stamps

I've got a cold. That's all. Just a cold. It almost sounds benign and yet for the last couple of days I've been completely at it's mercy. I'm currently all tucked up on the sofa under my sick blankie with a large box of tissues by my side. Every now and then I get up and throw the used tissues on to the fire . There they slowly smoulder and glow in a way that very damp tissues do. Stupid cold. So as I lay here feeling all woebegone and Camille like I thought about what I could share with you. 

How about this?

As I was firkling around the charity shops recently I came across a small bag. No bigger than a pixie's envelope and marked up at £1. Being the curious type I ventured to investigate further. It seemed to contain a few old stamps. Being a fan of Viv Sliwka's envelope artwork over at Hen's Teeth I began to think how I could use them in some way. Realising I  a) was no way as talented as Viv, and b) already had a huge backlog of 'things to do something with' I almost put them back. 

But I didn't. 

So here they are.


A huge range of colours and images from across the globe.

Some familiar and not so familiar faces.


Incredible detail.


Iconic creatures


And landmarks


Franked 


And unfranked


Even Queenie looked glamorous


(which is more than I can say about myself at the moment!)

I wish now I'd taken more photographs in the daylight but the risk of causing a global hurricane with just one sneeze was too great.
I wonder who collected them and when. What tales did they bring?

But back to now. Old dolly is looking at me with - get this - her EYES! (yes she now has two eyes but nothing else as yet - looks odder than ever bless her!) And I'm about to smother the fire with my next lot of tissue. 
Oh snuffles.

Yours sniffily
Jane 
x

24 comments :

  1. Oh dear! I have had a poorly girl but I have escaped and finished my Elise Shawl, take a look - it is a fab pattern. Chin up lassie sending you happy thoughts. Jo x

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  2. I actually believe that it us not until you have another cold you remember how totally ghastly they are. And they are GHASTLY. My mum used to say colds work like this ... 3 days to come,3 days to stat and 3 days to go away. Bless you.

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  3. Oh Jane, so sorry to hear that you are icky! I hope that you improve soon. The stamps are beautiful as you say. I look forward to seeing what you decide to do with them - when you are better! xx

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  4. I hope your cold dries up soon, Jane. The stamps look cool! Can't wait to see what you'll end up doing with them. :o)

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  5. I know they are not life threatening but they are so miserable. Hope you perk up soon.

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  6. They are like miniature works of art. Hope you feel better soon xxx

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  7. I love this! Wow, I would sit and stare at them for hours. I adore foreign postage and postmarks. They fascinate me to no end. I hope you feel better soon. Thanks for sharing these stamps.

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  8. Your stamp find is so interesting Jane. The colours are lovely all together and they are like a mini history lesson.
    Hope you feel better soon.
    Jacquie x

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  9. Fascinating! With me it's buttons. Get well soon. Jacqui x

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  10. This is fantastic - so many different colours and pictures. I took a big bag of old stamps into Nursery before Christmas and the children got really into looking at the details and sorting them into groups. Hope you feel much better soon! There are lots of stinky lingering colds around at the moment - boo! x

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  11. The stamps really are little works of art ... wishing you well again soon ... colds are no fun at all ... Bee xx

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  12. Hope you're feeling better as the day progresses - nothing more *annoying* than a simple cold, you just want to get on with it, really...but hey, what a little art exhibition you've put together! I love those tiny beauties! Some of them look inspiring for an embroidery - the rooster in particular, I'd love to copy the whole stamp design in floss! Chrissie x

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  13. Get better pretty quick i think spring may be on the way...the sun is out today.....love that russian stamp....d x

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  14. Those stamps are wonderful, you wonder what messages they carried. So hope you are feeling better today, rest and take it easy.
    Hugs,
    Meredith

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  15. Jane what fabulous stamps, I love them and as you say such detail and I wonder too who posted these and what was in the letters? So many questions and what a fabulous project you have there, such a lovely medium to work with. Now Jane you look after yourself and keep warm and snug, these winter colds are just horrid. Big warm hugs to you Jane
    Lots of lovee
    Dorothy
    :-)xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

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  16. Hope you feel better soon! I wonder what you're going to do with those lovely stamps... decoupage? xxx

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  17. I love stamps ~ like little miniature works of art!
    Hope your poor sniffer stops snuffling and leaking soon! :))))

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  18. Lem sip and fluids to you! Hope you are getting over the worst and not heading for more in the chastely area - mine always go to my chezza. Oh those stamps take me back to my girlhood - all those foreign kings queens and dictators ! I recognised them all. Now let's see the envelopes - when you are fit, that is. Good health to you!

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  19. At least dolly can't breath in your germs... I feel the urge to say 'decoupaged coasters'...bless you. xx

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  20. So sorry to hear you are not well Jane, but hopefully you are over the worst now. Looking forward to seeing what you do with those stamps xx

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  21. Oh poor you, get well soon. I used to be a big stamp collector and still have two albums worth. I decoupaged a letter rack with stamps in recent times. Xx

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  22. Your close up photos show each stamp to be a miniature work of art; I like the knight on horseback from Portugal and the pretty young queen especially. Be well.

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  23. Sure hope your cold is getting better. I used to be a stamp collector, but gave them all away when I left the States. Now, when an envelope with real stamps comes across my desk at school, I collect them. Have decoupaged them on plain wooden frames before and then displayed travel photos in them. Even sold some at a bazaar once. Take care and have a great rest of the week. Tammy

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  24. What a great collection of stamps, a lovley find.
    And poor you, a cold is miserable, i hope you feel all better soon.
    Pixie x

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