maps for cynthia

I have a new obsession...and it's called Swap-bot. You've probably noticed I really like sending and receiving packages, and although I'd heard of this website I never got around to signing up. Well, I finally did it last week and I'm having so much fun, I'm sorry I didn't do it sooner.

I've already gotten several great recipes to try, and I've mailed out a couple of parcels as well. One of them is pictured here, my package to Cynthia in Virginia. This isn't really an official rated swap, just something for fun--a sort of "wish list" type thing, whereby I'm granting a wish for maps for someone in a thread, and the next person grants my wish.

Even though I was only supposed to send maps, in this case some vintage ones I had, I had some other things I was dying to send:

*Since this is all about long-distance correspondence, I included some stationery from Griffin and Sabine, one of the most mysterious and romantic letter-writing stories out there. Years later, I still remember how much I liked opening all the envelopes in the books and unfolding the letters to read. I had some G & S stationery (really nice illustrated envelopes and notepaper and stamps) and postcards, as well as some Catolan ones, so into the package they went.

*A few months ago I bought a vintage folio of Cathay Pacific Airways stationery, and I included a few of the airmail envelopes. I love how the thin paper feels with their cheery striped edges, and it's so nice that each envelope has a thin waxy sheet slipped under each flap, presumably to keep the gum from sticking.

*The last few things I decided to put in after reading Cynthia's profile. She likes pages from books, so I sent her vintage pages of one of my favorite chapters from The Middle Moffat--the one where Janey gets caught up into an unexpected basketball game.

*Cynthia also likes young adult novels, so I also put in a copy of one of my favorite YA books, Lois Duncan's Down a Dark Hall, which is dark and spooky and the perfect for scaring yourself with, and well-written on top of it. Cynthia also talked about the 6-year-old girl she nannies, so I thought it would be fun to include a copy of  Ramona the Pest.

I bound the little parcels with striped baker's twine and a vintage Crackerjack suitcase charm on the airmail envelopes, then wrapped the mailing envelope in vintage maps--with California on the front, of course. I hope Cynthia enjoys her package...it was great fun to put together!