One of the many traditions that occur at this time of year are the sending of Christmas cards to family and friends both near and far.  Growing up in my house the Christmas card was as important as the baking of the ‘fruit cake’.  My Mother took her Christmas cards quite serious.  A lot of thought went into the purchasing of the cards, what was written on the inside of each card and the correct time of mailing the cards.  Cards addressed to overseas homes had to be mailed much earlier thus creating even more stress whereas local addresses had a few weeks grace.  But heaven forbid if any of those Christmas cards were received after Christmas!  My duty regarding the Christmas cards was to lick each stamp and affix to the dozens of envelopes.  I loved to see the different themed stamps that came out each year by Canada Post.  Recently I came across a new type of stamp –  the Royal Mail Stamp Rug.  The U.K. company Rug Maker www.stamprugs.com has been officially granted a licence to manufacture the Stamp Rug Collection which features the iconic design of Machin’s Royal Mail Stamps.  Each rug displays the sculpted profile of the Queen’s head, a denomination and a sculpted edge to mimic the U.K. mail postage stamp.  The rugs are hand-woven from 100% New Zealand wool in the Kathmandu Valley, Nepal and take approximately 12 weeks to weave.  Ranging from  3ft x 4ft to 8ft x 10ft, the rug collection is compromised of 6 stamp proportioned sizes in a wide palette of colours that can be used as a unique floor covering or as a wall hanging.  Each handmade Royal Stamp Rug is truly a work of art and takes ‘stamp collecting’ to a whole new level!