Victoria Kirdiy, Russia

Ok, here comes a rather longish post...due to the number of cards...and I consider including this one in the Postcard Friendship Friday cos it kinda feels convenient...

Now, Im sure at least some of you have heard or have come across these postcards designed by the Russian artist Victoria Kirdiy. They are really nice, but I really don't know why I kinda started liking them...added some in my favourites, and before I knew, that's what i ended up getting in the favourites tag on the forum :) I do not collect these (like for example I collect those by Mucha or Escher)...I really cannot explain my actual feelings towards these...probably it is the warmth of the images that attracted me most...and then I realized these cards come with quotes on the back (in Russian, but the sometimes the senders provided translation for me).
There are some like regular characters appearing on the cards...and often the quotes coincide with the image on the card.

So with time, I have acquired a number of these...and I know you may not be a fan of Kirdiy (I do not call myself a fan either), but I believe it is worth to take a look at this post cos of the bunch of Russian stamps...and Russian stamps are among my favourites out there!!


I think this is the first Kirdiy card I received back in 2013

well, the quote on the first one here came without translation....

and here we have a bunch of lovely stamps!! Six in total! Starting from the left, first we have a great colourful bumblebee stamp issued in 2005 in a set of 5. Next to it are two small defintiives from 2008, from a set of 15. Next is a lovely rose stamp, issued in 2007 in a set of four flower stamps. Below the rose is a pear, issued in 2003 in a set of five stamps under the name "Gifts of Nature". And at the very right, another splendid stamp with a breathtaking image, issued in 2007 for the International Polar Year (I seem to come across this term frequently lately :P). the issue consists of a sheet of three stamps that together form like one image...on this one here you can see the glacial covers.
Thanks a lot to Ksenia for the fantastic choice of stamps!!

Dear Katya sent me this one as a lovely surprise!!

and she used three awesome stamps! (there is also a special cancellation lurking for the Winter Olympic Games).
On the left we have a fantastic train stamp! It was issued in 2007 in a set of 6 stamps representing Russian Regions (this one represents Irkutsk). The one in the middle was issued in 2007 as well, commemorating the year of the Russian Language. The one on the right was issued in 2006, a joint issue btw Russia and Armenia, commemorating the Year of Armenia in the Russian Federation.

a card I received from Olga...I love the fox represented as a pet here, instead just another women fashion detail.

two awesome horse stamps! (that at the very top is not a stamp, just part of the sheet :))
Issued in 2007 in a set of four stamps with Domestic Horses...I am not a horse specialist, so all I can say is that here we have the breeds of Orlovskaya and Donskaya.
At the left there is also a small stamp issued in 2009 in a set of two, representing symbols of Moscow and St. Petersburg.

oh yeah, a translated quote at last! :)
"The trick is in what one emphasizes. We either make ourselves miserable, or we make ourselves happy. The amount of work is the same" - Carlos Castaneda

This one arrived thanks to Masha!

she used two of the 2008 definitives.

Another one from Masha, with a quote by Pam Brown.
"One small dog changes coming home to an empty house, to coming home"
Boy, this is just so true (I wouldnt underestimate cats here too...)

here we also have two of the 2008 defintiives. And also, in the middle we have a stamp issued in 2004 - it is a set of four stamps showcasing Russian Silverware, with this one showing a vase from 1880s - 1890s. At the right we have a stamp issued in 2006 in a set of two stamps, commemorating the 150th Birth Anniversary of M. A. Vrubel - a Russian painter. This stamp represents one of his works under the title - Tsarevna - Swan.

"I wish you happiness! Fragrant as a ripe cherry, and hot as a morning coffee"!

From Masha again :)

Four definitives from 2008.

This one has a quote by Robert Anson Heinlein - "Women and cats will do as they please. And men and dogs should relax and get used to the idea".

Hhahahahhahahaa! Oh well :D

another of the bumblebee stamps here. And also one from the four New Year stamps issued in 2013, also bearing symbols from the Olympic games in Sochi.
Thanks to Anna for this one!

a very cute winterish scene!!

a nice special cancellation for the Sochi Olympics from the town of Voronezh. And another stamp from the New Year one mentioned above. As well as one from the 2009 definitives representing the Russian Kremlins. (here is the Rostov Kremlin)

one more from Masha! :) And a quote by Anne Lamott.
"Lighthouses don't go running all over an island looking for boats to save; they just stand there shining."

And to complement that quote, Masha used two awesome lighthouse stamps! The middle one is from the set of 3 issued in 2005 (this stamp shows the Mudyugsky lighthouse. The other lighthouse stamp is from the set of 3 issued in 2006 (this one shows the Lighthouse on peninsula Rybachiy, 1966).
and also there is one definitive from the 2008 set.

And just one more of these Kirdiy cards...I received this one like last week or so...but there is no quote on the back...and in fact, the whole backside of the card differs from the ones previously shown....my guess, it is printed somewhere else..
The thank you goes to Olga for this one!

Olga used one of the Kremlin definitives - the one in Ryazan. She also used a definitive from the set of 11 issued in 1998 - this one shows a radio mast. And we have a New Year stamp from 2005. That bear is actually a sticker, not a stamp :)


Hope you are not sick and tired of Kirdiy now :)

Opening the doors towards the world...and Happy PFF! :)

Well, as many of you already know, Friday is PFF reserved, and im usually trying my best to squeeze in as well and dedicate a post to it...so after some time, here comes another Friday on this blog, dedicated to doors this time (not the band, sorry :P), coz  i think that hey have a pretty symbolic meaning.

Just as the sender of this card (Ana) wrote on the back, i wholeheartedly agree...sending and receiving letters and postcards has opened so many doors to the rest of the world. Each person you get to know, shows you the path to a different door, behind which there is a whole new world to explore, a whole lot of new things to learn about...not just about culture, history, religion, but to get to know a whole new person as well, since each human being is a world, different from the rest of the 6+ billion people inhabiting this planet.
There are ALL sorts of doors that you can open...big ones, small ones, some are very modest, some look very fashionable, some are easily opened and let you inside their world with no problems, some are more stubborn and take their time before they decide to give you the key to their world, some are determined to remain unopened forever, and some unfortunately have lost their key and seem to be lost and forgotten by everyone else...though if you blow the dust from them, im pretty sure you'll find another fascinating world to get into.
Im really thankful to all those people out there for giving me the chance to have a peek behind their door and take a look inside their unique worlds....with each world i get to learn about, i feel richer as a person, and honestly, happier.

Happy PFF and Happy Belated Birthday to Postcrossing as well! It surely has opened way too many doors for me, from all sizes, shapes, kinds....and after blowing the candles and having a slice of cake, go to Marie's for the other interesting PFF entries :)

A Moment Of Inner Freedom....for PFF

It's been a while since i had participated and i feel sort of guilty about it...but i wont bother you with excuses and explanations...i just wanted to say a word or two about Inner Freedom

I think that inner freedom is something that i always have but unfortunately more than often gets captivated due to a whole lot number of things, important or trivial...but they just perfectly manage to 'imprison' it...It used to be different and i actually was convinced that ive been doomed to lack of inner freedom, but with time ive learned how to achieve that, and to actually recognize it in the first place and not to just live with the fact 'since i dont always feel it, means it doesnt exist'. Ive actually realized how to appreciate it and how to manage to get to it instead just let the flow of bad thoughts/moments carry me along. Its not easy, but once you learn how to do it and once you realize what gives you the inner freedom, you feel much better on the overall.
What gives ME inner-freedom? Hmmm...well, on the top of the list, is the well-being of my family...that calms me down a real real lot....then, stillness of heart and emotional tranquility...really, its a feeling one of a kind and an extremely glorious one...its amazing....then...friends or people who show they care...funny (and also sad) thing is, in this category mainly fall people ive never met for real but i consider them much much closer and much more trustworthy and much more caring than people i know for real... yeah, this is a hint actually to all my realistic friends and acquaintances...and last, but not least, a secure income is what brings me peace of mind...im not materialistic, but in today's world, you often really have to struggle to survive and that brings a lots of worries and fears, and thats how that 'moment of inner freedom' just cant come to the surface.
I never have all of these conditions fulfilled...im actually happy if one of them is fulfilled, but im just trying to balance among them all and feel good about it :)
Now, my question is, whats YOUR moment if Inner Freedom and how do you manage to achieve that and to maintain it. Thank you in advance for all the responses :)

A HUGE thanks to Chris for sending me this card...this card was an inspiration for today's post :)

And go over to Marie's to see what others wanted to share with you this Friday!

HAPPY POSTCARD FRIENDSHIP FRIDAY!

Let's have some Cappuccino.....

There is no better way for me to start the day with a nice, warm, delicious cup of coffee...well, in general, it makes my waking up early more bearable....and for me, any time of day when i need to wake up is early, and without some coffee, i just feel flabby...AFTER some coffee, i feel more lively and in a better mood...

I dont know how it is exactly in all the rest parts of the world, but here, when you want to see a friend, you actually say 'hey, do you want to go for some coffee'? or 'do you want to come over for a cup of coffee'?
But its just like a phrase which sort of feels like an excuse of asking a friend to meet...as if its trivial to say 'i want to see you' direct...as if it leaves no room for anything else but see that person, doing nothing else...as if the 'coffee' makes the meeting more fun and easier to go through it...as if its actually a burden to meet a friend...
I know it sounds all wrong, but i guess the coffee meetings associate some sort of closeness with the person and as if what you're gonna do, wont be just empty talk, but you'll have some coffee as well!
The funny thing is that after you arrange the coffee meeting and all, you end up drinking something totally else, or you order something to eat...and the coffee is...well...left somewhere hanging....totally forgotten...and when you actually sit at the table, you have this 'oh, i drink coffee every day at home...give me something else' thought....
yeah, meeting for some coffee (here) is a real phenomenon....i just wanted to know the significance of coffee meetings in other parts of the world as well...and if its something that brings you closer to people....

anyone wants to have a cup of coffee with me now? :)) Or we can all have one over at Marie's at her PFF cafe :)

When cats and dogs get together...on a Postcard Friendship Friday

Its always fun to hear how some people claim that certain kinds of friendship just CAN'T exist...probably often based on some sort of prejudices or just personal experience. But I always want to prove such theories wrong...friendship can exist in any kind of a form, shape, relation, devotion....it just takes a desire and a good heart and the ability to escape from narrow-mindedness...and observe the world and things around you with no rejection and be open to all new and old experiences.....and give things a chance...at least once...or twice...or if you think they deserve it, endless number of times...
The cat and dog friendship is something which has often been analyzed and narrated and pointed out as something which doesnt really exist since dogs always chase cats, cats fear dogs (esp. when they bark) and they just simply cant stand each other....but a look on a cat and dog together makes my heart melt...I had seen real such examples, and here is a card which i love from the bottom of my heart, which gives such a warm and kind atmosphere....

When i found this card in my mailbox, i had one of my 'tears got into my eyes' reactins...but i think that my mum reacted even 'worse'! She said she wanted to have this card zoomed, framed and put in the living room! Yeah, you read it right...and those words came out from my mum's mouth, not mine...
The main reason why we both so much love this card is coz the cats are as the same breed as mine...while the dog is of the same breed as the one  i used to have....so this is some sort of heavenly combination...and apart from being cute, it has a much deeper emotional value to me.
And then again...just take a look at how that kitty is sniffing the dog, or maybe giving him a friendly kiss...i dont know...but that scene is just overwhelming me. And for the millionth time makes me wanna get a Collie and try to befriend it with my cat....my cat has had his times when he was sitting next to a dog...most probably coz he thought that if he tries to run away the dog will go after him and eat him alive...but you could feel that he was all unnerved and as if lying on needles...

and now shoo shoo shooo....go over to Marie's at her PFF and see whats going on there.....unless its from there how you had come here :P