My collection is of USED world stamps, so everyone who has ever sent me a stamp, they go into my collection! I appreciate it so much. I have recieved some neat ones from Malaysia...thanks to Yoon See... (not shown in this post)...I am trying to re-organize my stuff...I have so many that need to be placed in the book (thousands, sadly)...
I did take a few pics of some of my mushroom stamps...they are so neat. Below are from Burkina Faso:
Some from Russia:
And a few from Mongolia:
And of course the one for my state!!!
I do have some dirty little secrets regarding my stamp collecting. One is really aweful, if you talk to anyone in the stamp world. Do I dare tell you? OK, I will because I don't care what anyone says. Well, unless anyone tells me I am going to prison for doing this!!! LOL.
1. I don't use traditional methods for placing the stamps in the stamp book...I glue them in using a glue stick! They can always be steamed off the paper, and I figure this is MY collection anyway...you see, I had a World collection growing up, and I gave it away in my early 20's. I hated those little hanger things to put the stamps in with...they are loose and discolor and just a pain to deal with. Nowadays, they have plastic sheets you can stick the stamps down in...acid free, etc., but the different sizes call for different sheets, and quite frankly, I am wayyyyy to cheap for that!!! So...I love my method, and short of prison, I won't give it up...so hate me if you must!
2. I love it if I find a stamp that matches up to the black and white pre-stamped areas of my book. You find one, and paste it over top to fill in your collection. Well, dirty secret # 2 is that if I have more stamps for that country and NOT the ones in the black and white areas, I cover over them with the ones I have! I figure if I ever get those ones underneath, I can put them on another page...who cares???
3. My last dirty little secret is that if I recieve any stamps on letters or donations from friends or family...that is absolutely WONDERFUL, and I am so grateful...because I do like collecting the older stamps too...they are all unique and amazing to me....but...lately in the past few years or so, I have gone to collecting TOPICAL stamps, which are beautiful stamps depicting animals, plants, people, etc. So, I have collections of dogs, cats, mushrooms, and some flowers, birds, Harry Potter, cloudscapes, artworks, etc. I started to figure out with this collecting business, that I should go ahead and get what I LIKE!!! They are so beautiful to look at...so I am concentrating on these.
So now the world knows my stamp collecting dirty secrets. Try to go easy on me...I'm not ready for prison yet!!! Now on to my new plants...
Mom and I were walking through Walmart and found these little wise-ancient looking tomatos plants...called Bush Tomatoes. They make large fruit on compact plants...perfect for growing on a patio or balcony it says! I did a Google search, and it says they can grow from 2 ft-4 ft, and even though a tomato cage isn't necessary to support the plant, you may need one to support the weight of the fruits! Sounds so impressive!
I brought them home, watered them with Miracle Gro houseplant liquid food, sat the little flat up on two paintbrushes for aereation below, and put them in my kitchen window until I decide what to do with them. My problems are I know they need sun, but probably can't take the full summer sun here (it is too late), and if I put them in my screenroom, I fear I will forget to water them, and my front porch doesn't get sun so much anyway...I wish I could grow them inside in a sunny window, but my grandkids would not allow that. Does anyone have any good ideas? I did think about adding them to my existing garden, and putting up shade cloth to only allow sun for the morning hours only...that is probably the best bet...but I would be interested in any ideas anyone might have. I really want these cuties to make it...I am so curious about the fruit!!!
Hope everyone has a wonderful Friday and weekend!!!
xoxo- Julie
heehee, I'm glad you like my stamp!
ReplyDeleteDo you know that I write a lot of cards and letters and the stamps have to match the envelope! I draw and rubber stamp and sticker it and then pick a postage stamp to match!
Okay, that's MY dirty little secret ;)
Hi Julie, Your more then likely need to put them in the yard and cover them with some garden screen for filtered light, due to what you are saying about your hot summers there. maybe just put one out in the direct sun and see how it does, they are sun lovers. This is trial and error for us gardeners. I have pepper plant that love the sun but we have them in an area that is are test area. We have never had luck with them but hope in this new area they may to okay. Good luck with them and hope you get a lot of beautiful tomatoes. You will need to stake them because once they start to fruit they will need a lot of support. I grew Romas one year and i did not use any support and the vines were breaking due to the weight of the tomatoes. There is nothing better then home grown tomatoes. : )
ReplyDeleteHave a great Friday and weekend. Oh, before I forget, HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY to you. Hope you have a wonderful day on Sunday. : )
Great post stamps and tomatoes. Interesting combination. I used to be hooked on mushrooms. I had mushroom everything I think. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteBurkina Faso??? I had to look that one up!
ReplyDeleteI somehow missed that you were a stamp collector. I say organize 'em any way you want!
You are such a funny girl. Of course you can do anything you want with your stamps. I hate it when people try to tell me what and how to do something. Just do what you want. Have fun. Life is short. Have a great weekend too.
ReplyDeleteI love your Chihuahua page and what a cute stamp by Lolo! I love those toadstool/mushy ones too! Julie, I didn't realise that you collect stamps and it makes me wish I continued with the collection I started many, many years ago. Sadly, I loss interest. Anyways, in future, I will be sure to ask for stamps at the post office instead of letting them use those stick-on, stamped paper labels they tend to use nowadays on packages.
ReplyDeleteI can't really offer too much advice re. the tomatoes. I have grown tomatoes in our hot Aussie sun before although they did tend to get some shade in the afternoons.
You sure have a wonderful stamp collection Julie. It sure helps having friends all over the world. I still have the two books of stamps I collected as a kid--hmm, maybe I am rich and don't know it.
ReplyDeleteYou sounds better, sure hope you are getting healthier everyday!
I guess you could put the tomatoes out in the garden, in full sun, and then tent over the tomatoe cage for shade... by the time they got to the top of the cage, the tent would more or less have started to disintegrate and the tomatoes would have adapted to higher light. Maybe. I don't grow things down there you know. I know that here, tomatoes are tougher than you'd think...
ReplyDeleteAnd collect any danged stamps you want... how come every time I start to enjoy something, somebody comes along with a whole set of rules of how I should be doing it correctly? Scru em'
the mushroom stamps are real cute
ReplyDeleteI had a stamp book as a kid, the page had places to put the stamp in like a folder, maybe 5 "folders" to a page. The book was maybe 5x7. I just had stamps i thought were pretty.
ReplyDeleteI love the idea of those tomatoes! We have frost/freeze warning tonite here in Iowa so not much in the garden yet.
Are you still making ATC's?
carla
Carla- yes, i do still make ATC's...not as often, and many times forget to post in my ATC blog before sending to someone!! I am getting lazy! I do try to tho.
ReplyDeleteYes as Serena says. Here tomatoes are grown in full sun, and its hot hot hot here!
ReplyDeleteLove the freedom you have with your collection. Helps me to remember its ok to break all the rules