Showing posts with label Western States. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Western States. Show all posts

Wednesday, June 1, 2022

Cactus on a Postcard

Cactus and Succulents on Postcards

Beautiful Cards

I've been searching Zazzle for all the usual suspects, this time regarding the enticing topic of Cactus. I have found so many to share with you. If you look you will find so many more; just click on any of the cactus postcards shown here to get in and begin your search for the perfect personalizable POD cactus postcard. I've chosen one or two funny cactus postcards, cactus postcards with a cat, vintage cactus postcards, surface design cactus and original art cactus, including one night time view. I thought I would even throw in a cactus card you can make yourself from your own photo of a cactus, just in case you have been to the desert recently with a camera!

Botanical Illustration of Cactus on a Postcard

So many kinds of cactus are beautifully depicted on this lovely Kakteen chart postcard. The art is from the Botanik section of the 1839 German Encyclopedia known as Meyers Konversations-Lexicon.


Funny cactus postcard 

This cactus is not feeling too cuddly today. This is just as well as this guy looks a lot like the Saguaro cactus, the towering majestic succulent seen in Arizona and Mexico and parts of southeastern California. They can grow as high as fifty feet tall, keeping themselves well-protected with long and sharp needles. You don't want to be touching those spines; they are are not only sharp, they also leak an irritating sap which will bother the eyes and mouth tissues of any wanna-be cactus hugger. The Saguaro Cactus on this postcard is definitely not a hugger!


The Antidote


Perhaps you just can't resist! Maybe you gotta be hugging a Saguaro Cactus for some reason. After you tangle with that toxic stuff and start to feel slightly miserable,  there may be help nearby. You could head over to the Mojave Desert where some of the largest barrel cacti are found. That healthy barrel cactus pulp full of Vitamins A and C can be used on the skin as an analgesic.

The barrel cactus comes in another genus which grows in the Chihuahua Desert. We see that one here on this postcard showing a lovely white flower blooming on the Echinocactus Hexaedrophorus. This is another vintage illustration, a Walter Fitch lithograph as seen in 1847 in a London publication called Curtis's Botanical Magazine.

The words on the card, by the way,  are in a personalizable field. Click through if you would rather have this postcard printed with your own name or message instead of the scientific name of this beauty.




Put your own cactus on this postcard

Sure, you could personalize the words in the lovely vintage cactus postcard above. For that matter, you could click on the postcard below and look for the Personalize This Template button.  It's over on the right hand side, under the blue edit bar. Once you click there you will see a place to add your own words. Just under that, you can upload your own cactus image or a picture of your garden, or your favorite flower, or anything you like. On this card, the best option will be a square photo. If you make your own cactus card, or your own garden card, I would love to see it!


Nude Woman and a Cactus

This risk-taking lady looks pretty close to the spiny blue cactus seen in this original art cactus postcard. She probably ought to spend more time reading cactus blogs and save herself some trouble and heartache. 



Getting Close to a Cactus 


Maybe it is okay to get so close to a cactus if you're dressed right.  This cute little guy is surely equipped with some protective gear in the form of that striped fur.  He looks like he might be an Antelope Squirrel, and as such would feed on the seeds and the fruits of the Barrel Cactus and also the Prickly Pear. The Antelope Squirrel probably has less to fear from the spines of the Cholla and other cacti,  and is more likely to be harmed by the hawk, the snake, the bobcat, and the coyote.





A Coyote and a Cactus


Speaking of the coyote, the Antelope Squirrel really does need to watch out for those and here's the proof! This pretty blue and black postcard shows a coyote in the desert at night.  You probably never expected to learn so much about natural biodiversity by reading my little postcard blog, but nature is my thing, so that's what I write about. And now you can identify exactly which kind of cactus you are looking at and you can pinpoint his location. He's howling in front of the full moon next to a Saguaro Cactus which means he's in Arizona, or Mexico or California.
 


Red Flower on Cactus Postcard

I'm including this postcard because it's so pretty. While I am  trying to find out where this vintage beauty  comes from  it's not turning up easily. If you know, let me know. I would love to hear from you.

Cactus and Aloe on Surface Pattern 

The first card here shows Aloe and Saguaro, and the second shows Prickly Pear. Both are super pretty as a surface pattern!


Closing up with a Cat on a Cactus Postcard

For my cat-loving readers, here's an adorable green cat who looks just like a cactus! I love the pink flower, which is positioned to look just like a hair bow. Could you get any more cute?

Thanks for joining me on this cactus postcard journey. We've been through a large range of possible cactus postcards, from original art, to priceless historical vintage botanical illustrations, to cute photos, to wildlife. I've learned it's not just a cactus....it's always a certain kind of cactus. There's a story behind each variety of these interesting succulents, a scientific name, a range of which part of the world where it's found. Each variety of cactus has its own list of benefits, its hazards, its habits, it's synchronicities, its own spot on an endangered list, or not. It's a wild world out there. Let's go out and enjoy it! And send some postcards along the way.

If Zazzle should send me a penny or two when someone buys something I have carefully chosen to display on this blog, the price stays the same. The card costs nothing extra. For the reader, my quest to find and post some nice cards in which you might be interested, adds no cost.

Monday, April 4, 2022

Signs on Postcards at Zazzle

Signs on Postcards

As signs are pieces of art, we often find them on postcards

Businesses and government agencies identify themselves with signage. The best signs use thoughtfully created graphics as a companion to important details such as name, amenities, address.  Hopefully the materials used are crafted expertly to last indefinitely, enticing customers and bringing traffic for years. But sun, rain and wind will do their damage, and signs will fall into disrepair. When this happens, the most artistic and imaginative signs may still be appealing. That's why new signs and vintage signs alike make such great subjects for postcards.

Lighted signs are quite the attention getter, which is part of the reason neon signs are so popular. Here's the Spanish word for hello written out in a bold typography and mounted on a brick building. The lights lining the letters probably stay on all day and all night in order to get attention. On a postcard, the colorful lighted ensemble makes a nice cheery way to say hi. By the way, if you are looking for international postcards and birthday cards in many different languages, you can find them easily online. Here's a collection of Spanish gifts and cards you may like. 


French subway signs of another era are still beautiful to us today. This Paris Metro sign has lights which may only be used at night and on rainy days.   Pretty when lit and when dark, this French Metro sign in the Interwar style would make a nice addition to your collection of architecture or transportation postcards.



Collectors are still in love with Historic US Route 66 and all its vast remaining memorabilia. Known as the Will Rogers Highway and sometimes called the Main Street of America, the road designated by this iconic route number was in service for over half a century. Here's a postcard with a collection of vintage Route 66 Road Signs which still look interesting despite heavy wear and tear.  It's a lovely nostalgic piece of art you can send to your Post-crossing friends around the world. 



Some of those Route 66 road signs were on display in Sedona Arizona at an antique craft market a number of years ago, along with railroad signs, gasoline station signs and vintage Coke and Pepsi signs.  A photograph of a sign display at that event makes a cool option for collectors of sign postcards.



From Highway Postcards to Humorous Dogs and Cats on Postcards

How can we segue from the popular postcard topic of transportation, to the always trendy postcard topic of dogs? This card does the trick. An artist known as Painting Maniac of Santa Fe, New Mexico, painted a Bassett Hound. Poor sad looking guy seems to have been left behind in the desert by a fast escaping vintage auto. The driver of that Chevy Nomad will be back soon to pick up this cutie. (Right???) We can see a cactus on a neon sign in the twilight, advertising the Western Motel with its amenities of TV, AC and pet friendly status. Imagine a motel with television and air conditioning. In the heyday of Route 66, this was a rare treat.
 

My readers would not want me to mention dog postcards and leave out the cats of the world. I did not find any business sign postcards featuring cats, but I found this comical imaginative offering.   The rat on the beach  would be okay with the idea of a world without cats. So he holds up a hand drawn sign saying No Cats Beyond This Point!


The world seems different since I was a kid, when many people would have found a neon sign of an unclad lady shocking, risqué and even embarrassing.  Now we can turn on the TV and see bare breasts, bedroom scenes, and women sitting on a toilet pretty much any day of the week. I have no idea why it's always females on the commodes, but that's what TV and movie directors think we want to see, I guess: women sitting on toilets. I never think those scenes are the least bit artistic, but this pink neon lady sign is.

I saw one of these on the highway recently as I crossed the Delaware state line. Each state seems to have a welcome sign at every highway entrance to the state, some very attractive, with catchy color schemes. There are postcard collectors who want postcards from every state. Here's a great one to fill that slot for Maryland. These state sign postcards would also be good for Postcrossing, when you are sending a card to some distant land. Remember, on the POD of Zazzle you can take a photograph of your own state road sign, or your own state seal,  or any landmark from your state, and then upload it. Add some text and you have a great personalized one-of-a-kind postcard you can send to friends and family.

City Landmark Signs on Postcards

Cities and towns will have a few well known signs from businesses or buildings that have been around for years. Here's one from Durham NC. This place was a bread factory, then a car dealership, and now a well known music venue, Motorco Music Hall. As part of the transformation, this attention-getting sign was placed. Any Durham or North Carolina native would be glad to have this vintage looking sign on this postcard. What signs in your town would make a great postcard?

We need more cool sign postcards 

When I started my search for Zazzle postcards for this article, I thought I would find numerous signs on postcards, and would choose from multiple options for color, for line, for design, for nostalgia, for vintage.  But it was surprisingly difficult to find good examples of sign postcards at Zazzle. Signs on Zazzle postcards is one of those neglected niches Zazzle designers are always looking for.  Part of the problem is that most postcards on Zazzle are afterthoughts. They are created from a design that fits well on some other product, and may not look just right on a postcard. An image may have been intended for a t-shirt or a personalized coffee mug or a poster. Then the designer might half-heartedly add the image to  postcard as part of the automated batch quick create function. 

Not all Zazzle uploaders take the time to review each product to be sure the image fits nicely. That's why you will see  many Zazzle postcards which are small images on a white field, and you will see many more in which important elements like pets' paws  or angels' heads or the top of a lighthouse or the Eiffel Tower are cropped off.  No one wants to buy that.  So if you are a Zazzle designer with a camera, provide better options to your customer. Go out and grab a few nice squared up shots of cool local signs. Punch up the photo a little and upload it as a postcard. Take a look at my page about what makes for a good postcard and have fun Zazzling!

Some of the postcards on this blog are designed by me, and others are not. Iff Zazzle should send me a penny or two when someone buys a product I have carefully chosen to display on this blog, the price stays the same. The card costs nothing extra. For the reader, my quest to find and post some nice cards in which you might be interested, adds no expense.



Tuesday, February 15, 2022

National Park Art

White Dunes National Park Postcard

Sand and Sky on New Mexico Postcard 

I am loving this National Park Postcard in colored pencil by artist ShoshannahScribbles of Zazzle. This lovely illustration of beautiful White Sands National Park shows its stunning white gypsum dunes. Those uncommon dunes engulf 275 square miles of desert, creating the world's largest gypsum dunefield. Rising from the heart of the Tularosa Basin is one of the world's great natural wonders - the glistening white sands of New Mexico. White Sands National Park preserves a large part of the dunes, and strives to preserve a permanent habitat home to the plantlife and animals living there.

More OriginalArt western locations on postcards..

Shoshannah is busy scribbling more location postcards all the time, so it's worth taking the time to check her postcard collection here. Send to friends, postcrossers, or collect. I might just frame this one!

If Zazzle should send me a penny or two when someone buys something I have carefully chosen to display on this blog, the price stays the same. The card costs nothing extra. For the reader, my quest to find and post some nice cards in which you might be interested, adds nothing to the cost.

State Birds on Postcards

Red Cardinal, Illinois State Bird Pretty red cardinal by Original Artist WindyDesign against a burlap background, c. 2022. I say circa, beca...