Dear contestants, sorting your post cards for two days had given me some serious wanderlust! From 425 entries, the top fifty (50) have qualified to move into the next round of the competition. I chose the cards that made me feel longing, nostalgia and wanderlust most intensely. I also judged them on a sense of aesthetic, presentation and meaning. The rest of you who didn't move into the next round, you have my sincere thanks for participating and for making an effort. You guys surprise and inspire me!
In no particular order (yet) are the 50 contenders for the grand prize of Enchanted Resin Doll!
I love these because...I always wanted to go to the ancient city of Petra in Jordan, and ride a camel. One day I will. Thank you, Paula. (USA)
This one makes me want to walk through that dark door at the top of the stairs. Thank you, Kait. (USA)
This one is very exotic and alluring. I love Alphonse Mucha and I can feel the sun and the glam of a Monte-Carlo beach at the turn of the century when I look at it. It captures the vintage post card spirit and the beginning of the jet-setting era. Thank you!
This post card is different, but I really like the way it's rendered. The pen strokes are lovely, expressionist and the landscape is surreal and chaotic, like our imagination. Original artwork. Thank you, Aleks. (England)
That's what I call traveling in style. Makes me want to cross a desert like this. Print of original artwork. Excellent presentation of a hand-made card. Thank you, Karla. (USA)
I've always wanted to visit the castle of the legendary count Dracula. I hear that Romania is a land of fairy tales and horror stories, and really wonderful people. One day, I will visit and get to know some of them. Thank you, Mihai. (Romania)
Love this vintage card from the old USSR and what it means to the person who sent it. I'm amazed that you would give me something so precious and dear to you. Thank you, Anastasia. (Russia)
This card messes with my mind. Looking at it, I feel like I'm on planet Pandora. I doubt it's real, but I want to go there anyway. Thank you, Maia. (Sweden)
Another beautiful card that calls me to visit and gets me all dreamy. Thank you, Maria (Bulgaria)
Holographic cards don't scan well, but I feel like I'm almost there, launching a lantern into the dark sky myself and feeling its warm glow on my face as it slowly lifts away from my outstretched fingers. Thank you, Joy. (Taiwan)
At first glance, the image on this card is unremarkable. It's what's written on the back that makes it profound. This is a family home left behind in pursuit of other dreams, to be visited only as an occasional guest. The furtive and awkward angle of the photo, taken over some shrubbery, suggests a secret glimpse of a longed-for place that's been forever consigned to the past. Just out of reach. Very moving. It makes me think of the places and people I left behind in the course of my life. Thank you, Anya. (Russia)
I'm not much of a beach vacationer as I don't really like relaxing very much, but this looks just so wonderfully relaxing, that I can't help myself but feel relaxed all over. I can practically feel the soft sand dig compress under my feet as I walk into the water. Thank you, Aya. (Philipines)
This Original Artwork card is fantastic. Another trifecta of presentation, detail and narrative. I love the woman traveler in her elegant adventure-suit. I identify with her. The vintage, slightly Seampunkish look is very well captured. The back is pretty impressive too. Thank you, Irena. (England)
This card is porcelain! The back is also quite remarkable, so much so, that I can't say which side I like more. Original artwork. Love the effort and the result. Thank you, Virgine (France)
This awesome card folds out into an old parchment map of the Azores Islands! I feel like a pirate sent this to me from a deserted island with all his treasure. Original Artwork. Creative presentation. Thank you, Maria (Portugal)
Oh the romantic vision of Africa, the land of adventure-seekers and explorers. This card paints it well in a warm, nostalgic, promising light. Thank you, Ronel. (USA)
This delightful, embroidered card captures the spirit of vintage travel cards perfectly. Back of it is cool too. Both creative and excellent presentation of a hand-made card.
Thank you, Rebecca. (Canada)
This one, is very atmospheric. It makes me want to put a pack on my back and walk all the way to the top. Singapore, Thank you, Joyce.
This one gives me a glint of the colonial past of Hong Kong, before the glass towers began gutting out from the lush cliffs. I feel like a time traveler. Hong Kong. Thank you, Bertha.
I love Thomas Kinkade's idyllic, magical landscapes. I can feel the cozy warmth radiating from that little cottage. I can smell the sweet wood smoke wafting through the cold air from the chimney. I swear, that if only I manage to get close enough to peek through the lattice window, I will see a steaming apple pie cooling down in a warm, rustic kitchen, and hear the muffled sound of indistinct voices coming coming from somewhere in the house. I long to walk through the little green door, but no one can ever cross that bridge. It's but a fragile dream of paradise and we're standing on the other side, wanting to come home...Thank you, Zainab. (USA)
This is how they imagined Moscow of the 23rd century in 1914. It's a picture from the past of the future, but I think that ultimately, it describes the past more that it does the future. And yet it already looks kind of like that, minus the blimps. Soon though...Thank you, Yulia. (Russia)
This one is so Nostalgic. Colonial era Vietnam. I can feel the heavy Saigon heat in the morning. What is it about Westerners that makes mementos of colonial South East Asia so alluring to our imaginations? Thank you, Michael. (USA)
This one makes me want to go on a 'round the world voyage. There is so much of the planet to explore! Thank you, Robin (USA)
This card is just so awesome...This simple and whimsical illustration captures the great Northern beauty of wild forests and rolling hills, and the spirit of adventure and comradery. The distance is rendered so compellingly, that I feel like I can walk into that landscape and keep going beyond the horizon. Thank you, Malin (Sweden)
At first glance I can't tell if this is an ice castle in the arctic, or a cool dwelling in some hot country, but I want to walk up that stairwell and find out. Thank you, Francis (Canada)
Beautiful card. Reminds me of the grandeur of St. Petersburg and makes me want to see it again. Thank you. (Russia)
Simply a beautiful card. Thank you, Julie (USA)
Although this is not a picture of a place on the planet, this card does make my imagination soar. It inspires me. Thank you, Martin. (London)
My scanner didn't do this holographic card any justice either, but when I look at it, it looks magical there. One day I will visit this place. Thank you, Beatrice. (Taiwan)
Love this vintage card of the Neuschwanstein Castle. It's classic gorgeous and it pushes my emotional buttons. Thank you, Fayann. (USA)
Venice is already a magical place, but this card is making it seem otherworldly. I don't know if this is a print of the sender's original artwork (let me know in comments), but I want to step into that square and dance all night long. Thank you , Gabrielle. (USA)
This card is simple, lovely and well laid out and presented. The artwork is original. I like the raised, textural relief on it, that makes the painting pop off the surface of the paper. Thank you, Laura (Portugal)
This is another embroidered card that I had to include. I love the raised relief and the color gradation on this one. But most importantly, it makes me want to go there. Thank you, Lotte (Netherlands?)
This card makes me think of my favorite quote by Paul Bowles from "The Sheltering Sky" novel. It's a little sad, but it makes me appreciate every single sunrise. Thank you, Sophie. (USA)
"Because we don't know when we will die, we get to think of life as an inexhaustible well. Yet everything happens a certain number of times, and a very small number, really. How many more times will you remember a certain afternoon of your childhood, some afternoon that's so deeply a part of your being that you can't even conceive of your life without it? Perhaps four or five times more. Perhaps not even that. How many times will you watch the full moon rise? Perhaps twenty. And yet it all seems limitless."-Paul Bowles.
This one is mystical and mysterious because the bottom of the valley is hidden. Makes me want to cross that sea of fog and emerge on the castle island. Makes me want to go there. Thank you, Anna. (Russia)
I want to go swimming there! I can practically feel the heat of the sun and the coolness of the water when I look at it. Italy. Thanks, Salvatore.
This one brings up memories of road-tripping in Italy. Our car got literally stuck in one of those narrow streets once. Thank you, Lucia. (Italy)
And this is my neighborhood a hundred years ago. It's very trippy looking at it like this. Today the docks are gone, the Maples lining the street are old and huge and my building presently sits at the very end of the row of houses in the conifers. On my lunch breaks, I cross the street to sit on the beach. The rest is the same. Thank you, Marci (Canada)
Always wanted to go to this place. Looks incredible. Thank you, (other) Yulia. (USA)
Wish I had an atrium full of plants like that. Thank you, Chiara. (Italy)
Mystical place. Beautiful Card. Makes me want to go to the Amazon. Thank you, Amy. (USA)
I love severe Northern beauty. I long to stand at the end of the world like you did, and stare out into the Bering Straight. We flew over Chukotka and the Bering Straight on our way to Beijing, and all I saw down there, was hundreds of miles of desolation. I couldn't look at it enough. Thank you, Olya. (Russia)
Northern lights are a part of that severe Northern beauty I love so much. They literally take my breath away. I had the privilege of observing them once not far from Vancouver, which is pretty rare this far down south, and I never thought I'd see them here. The sheer scale of them was awe-striking and frightening. Ethereal sheets moved gently above our heads and jutted vertically into the invisible thickness of the atmosphere, marking its height with green glow. I couldn't sleep until the sun came up. It was one of the happiest nights of my life. Thank you for reminding me, Linda. (USA)
They say that a picture is worth a thousand words, but it's an interesting travel post card idea to paint a picture and create an atmosphere by describing it. I like it. The description of this place gives me the chills. Thank you, Carolyn. (Canada)
My eyes want to eat this card and I feel a surge of endorphins just looking at all the colors. Thank you, Anda, for this feel-good card. (Thailand)
Love the original (and creepy) take on the travel card idea and the inverted light-on-dark color scheme. The story on the back makes it complete. We're all drawn ghost stories and haunted places. Nicely done. Thank you, Irina. (Estonia)
This card is blast from my past. This image is has a symbolic power to any Russian of mine and my parent's generations and it represents the cheer of New Year's celebrations. I can practically smell the fresh pine and my mom's holiday baking. Thank you, Anton, for this precious reminder of the bright moments from the country of my childhood. ??????? ??????? ?? "?????? ??????"...(Russia)
I love the presentation of this card (parchment envelope with calligraphy and a wax seal), the attention to detail (hand painted stamps and postage water marks), and the narrative of this card (Around the world in 80 days). This is a trifecta of solid art work. Original art. Thank you, Kate. (USA)
You nailed it. I think it's always winter time in the Land of Enchanted Dolls. Print of original artwork. Love your presentation. Thank you, Christine. (Canada)
The ornate doors of this card beckon one to open them and walk through. Great combination of photo and original artwork with interactive elements. Thank you, Mai. (USA)
And there you have it, folks, these are the top 50 candidates. Thirty of these will move forward into the next round tomorrow. Thank you all for participating. Your cards have given me a wonderful opportunity to reflect and contemplate. Congratulations to those still in running and good luck.