Hi kiddos!

This is Sarah, the Atlas’ self-appointed resident Postmistress, writing to you from a Motel 6 in Rapid City, South Dakota!  Hold the applause… that’s not what I’m here to tell you about. 

Buffalo buffalo buffalo Yellowstone National Park postcard

Before beginning the spate of cross-country roadtrips that have taken up much of the past month, I was pointed in the direction of an iPhone app for making custom, digital postcards: LifeCards.

Ordinarily, I’m not all about the technology,* but in this case my passion for design and all things mailed overrides my lingering neo-luddite tendencies.  This app makes it easy to create personalized cards (sincere, sure… OR you can make versions as weird as your heart desires!) then post the final product directly to Flickr/Facebook, or email them to your grandma and BFF. 

This one won over none other than Dylan Thuras himself:

Salem Sue Postcard New Salem North Dakota

 

The customizable details are endless! Hundreds of templates let users insert/edit pictures from their phones, while writing text that can be tweaked down to font/color/size/orientation, including whether it belongs in a comic-style thought bubble, exploding star, or simply (some say “tastefully”) running along the margins…  The geekery could continue, but all the nitty gritty can be found here. 

 

Best $2.99 I’ve ever spent. 

So, once all of you have rushed out to purchase this delightful app, send your creations to me at [email protected], and I’ll toss them up on the blog as part of a NEW ongoing feature I like to call Mail Bag (until I come up with a better name)! 

Stay tuned for more Mail Bag details in my forthcoming blog entry, The Atlas Obscura Post [Intro Pt. Two].

 

*Yes, I realize it’s a lot to ask that you, faithful readers, believe such a statement made by a blogger for an online knowledge compendium… humor me.