FinnBadger (15)

I love this Polar Bear, drawn by FinnBadger. While I always draw too many details, this illustration shows that 'less is more'.
The Polar Bear traveled from the USA to, yes, to where? To obtain a great and matching United Nations stamp.

And inside the envelope a matching card, which in real is shining bright:



Thank you very much, FinnBadger!

FinnBadger (14)

A Puffin? Yes, FinnBadger has seen it well: I love, love, love these birds! (and all birds, animals :-) )

In the envelope a pretty piece of blue - gold - brown art:


Thank you very much, FinnBadger!

FinnBadger (13)

From Canada, via the USA, this great map envelope arrived. Created by FinnBadger.

Inside a restaurant's paper, and the ones who know me, immediately will see which words made FinnBadger think of me (thus add it to his mail) :-)



Also inside the envelope a regular postcard. Usually I don't post official postcards on this blog, but it is a nice and matching illustration, and the Bear increases my alibi to post FinnBadger's mail art here :-)



Thank you very much, FinnBadger!

FinnBadger (12)

Usually, if I post regular cards, I do so on an other location.
But these Dragons came in such an amazing mail art envelope, that I decided to use them as an alibi to post the envelope here on the Real Weird Animals blog.



And notice the stamps! Issued in honour of 150 years of Canada, the complete serie contains ten different stamps, depicting ten unforgettable moments from the past 50 years.

Created by FinnBadger from the USA, who managed to send it via Canada! That amazing journey is worth noting, too!

Thank you very much, FinnBadger!

FinnBadger (10,11)

Almost three months ago already, on the 1st of May, I received a wonderful Smurf envelope, followed by a Dragon envelope on the 3rd of May.
I think FinnBadger knows well how to cause a broad smile on my face. Together with Platypus and Echidna, and Birds, both Smurfs and Dragons make my day when they arrive via mail art at my place.

I was even more amazed when I saw the Smurf stamp. First I thought it an artistamp, but looking close it turns out to be a real (read: officially issued) stamp, issued by the United Nations Postal Administration.

The Dragon is a favourite of mine, too, having been born in the Year of the Dragon.
This one pictured is a funny one, friendly as almost all dragons are, funny because she or he's fond of tacos. Surprisingly not liking the spicy salsa...
Great matching stamps, too, which make me remember the months I spent in Central America, some decades ago (tamales.. qué sabrosos!)



Inside one of the envelopes this great collage. I happened to have seen and heard the talented Gorilla in the week preceding receiving this collage!



Also this wonderful collage arrived. Amazing how two faces can make one new face.



The back side of the Dragon envelope:



FinnBadger added some leaflets of the artists Dino Nemec and Patrick Wayner, showing more animals:




Check Dino Nemec's website for more beautiful animal art; more information about Patrick Wayner and his art you can find here and here.

Thank you very much, FinnBadger!

FinnBadger (9)

Great colourful envelope and matching stamps arrived from FinnBadger from the USA.

Inside there were these Bird Blot artistamps:



(for the one horizontal stamp, hereby the same stamps from an other point of view: )



And a pretty postcard showing the Scarlet Tanager, a songbird I never had heard of until now. The funny thing, I learned from Wikipedia, is that this cousin of the Cardinal bird in Dutch isn't named (literally translated) 'Scarlet Tanager', but 'Black-winged Tanager' instead.
Food for thought: the question 'Is the bird red or black?' reminds me of an other issue: ' Is the glass half empty or half full?' :-)



Thank you very much, FinnBadger!

FinnBadger (6)

The year 2017 just has begun. And within a few days the Year of the Rooster will begin.

FinnBadger created this wonderful and cute design which combines the two years: the number 2017 and the young Bird, dreaming of, and/or becoming a Rooster.



More great Birds, and Year of the Rooster stamps, on the envelope.

Thank you very much, FinnBadger, and Happy New Years to you, too!

FinnBadger (4)

At first sight FinnBadger startled me by sending this 'envelope'. Well, first I didn't know who the sender was, which is not that frightening, but the thing that scared me was the idea that a bad odour of rotten Scandinavian fish would come out, into my nose, as soon as I would open this plastic bag envelope. So after hesitating for some time I had a try. Fortunately my worries had been in vain. A sweet smell proofed that these Scandinavian swimmers must have been born in a candy factory instead of a Swedish lake or Norwegian river.



Luckily for me there were no candies inside (I am not that fond of candies) but something far more beautiful: a nice letter and a great two-sided piece of colour test print (aka color bar) art.
The green side shows (sweet smelling) underwater life: a Jellyfish, Mermaids, Sea Horses, Molluscs (among them a Sea Snail) and various sea weeds. A clever piece of recycling art, and FinnBadger even recycled received stickers.



The back side (also sweet smelling) shows this intriguing colour test print (or: color bar) flower:



Thank you very much, FinnBadger (and indirectly Eva for the Mermaids and Molluscs :-) )!

FinnBadger (2)

This Cow I once drew after the Cow someone else dear has been drawing. I sent it to Eva, who blogged the Cow here. Then FinnBadger drew one to send to Eva, too.
And then, recently, I suddenly was pleasantly surprised by FinnBadger's version of this Cow. Great work, I love it!

The artistamp came in a cool envelop, showing musicians, a singer. And a hole (the white spot on both the front and back side of the envelope). FinnBadger reminded me of the Dutch expression I once wrote him: 'to jump a hole into the air' (= to be extremely happy by some occasion).
Well, be sure that I am doing this again, now, too!



Thank you very much, FinnBadger!

FinnBadger

Having been born in the Year of the Dragon, I always love to see Dragon mail. Receiving such mail makes my day complete!
FinnBadger created this beautiful one. In real it's even more beautiful, because the lines are shining silver and gold, and of course I love this cobalt blue background.

Gold is also on the postage stamps, issued by the USA post for the Lunar / Chinese New Years.
The scanned images don't show it that clear, but if you look close to the left upper corners of these stamps, maybe you see them: the Rat, the Snake and the Goat.



FinnBadger has some interesting and awesome websites, be sure to take a look at:
- his poems:
Poems found in Morrow
- mail art:
Envelope 100
- alphabets / letters:
A Letter a Week 2014
A Letter a Week 2013

Thank you very much, FinnBadger!