Special St. Pat's Postmark

It’s not always that things go to plan, but they did this month, at least for me. Last month when I mailed out St. Valentine’s Day cards well in advance, a woman who lives four houses down from me didn’t get hers until a month later. I made sure, when I mailed out my St. Patrick’s Day cards, that I also included a greeting for a Happy Easter in case there was a duplicate of that scenario. 

 
I decided to mail the St. Patrick’s Day cards on the first of the month, doing so via Saint Patrick, Missouri in order to get their special postmark as I mentioned in this post. I was so pleased to see mine arrive on the 17th. I said that I would share what the postmark for this year looked like, and here it is. This is a nice service that they offer, free of charge, and it adds so much to the envelope.

I did learn that there is an Easter, South Dakota, but it’s a small town and they don’t have a post office. Unfortunately. ;-)

 

St. Patrick's Day Cards

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 I just put this year’s St. Patrick’s Day cards into the mail, via Saint Patrick, Missouri, in order to obtain their special postmark, available for the entire month of March. This has become somewhat of a tradition with me. I don’t go crazy embellishing the envelopes, because their lovely postmark and accompanying cachet (in green ink, no less) is nice enough on its own. If you would like to do the same, address your envelopes, stamp them, package them up, and mail to:

 Postmaster (Special Postmark Request)
Saint Patrick Post Office
Two Erin Circle
Saint Patrick, MO 63466

 

 It is probably too late to get cards for this year, but you can get some lovely cards from Amazon here, here, and here. So, plan ahead for next year. It is really great fun! This one is a real wowzer.

I’ll post a picture of what the postmark looks like when my card is received. Yes, I always send one to myself as well.

 

Happy Valentine's Day!

 I generally don’t post on weekends, but I thought I would share this picture of the Valentine cards that I put into the mail this year, as well as the lovingly collaged envelopes.

Consider this my virtual Valentine card to you. Have a lovely and romantic day, and if you live anywhere near the Mississippi Valley, as I do, stay warm!

 

Happy Valentine's Day!

My 2020 Christmas Card

 

In addition to this blog, I also have an  Etsy shop where I sell mystery and literary jewelry. Someone asked me once what made me decide to make mystery jewelry. My answer was simple, because no one else did. I have been an avid mystery fan for as long as I can remember, and was always keenly interested in wearing jewelry that reflected this lifelong interest. Unfortunately, there was none to be found. That’s when I bought a book, some tools, beads and charms, and set out to make myself a bracelet. The rest is history.

It is for the same reason that I started designing my own Christmas cards. Christmas is a special time of the year. A time for us to reflect on what we have, and what we may have lost during the past year. I have shared a number of those cards with you here and here.

This year’s card is one that I have been formulating for some time. I have been a Sherlock Holmes fan for decades and, as such, it has long been an interest of mine to create my own unique Sherlock Holmes card. I came up with the text first, and then the graphic. 

Unfortunately, Shutterfly enlarged the picture making it too big for the cover of the card. Because I procrastinated (as I am wont to do) there was no time for a do over. Here, for your amusement, is my 2020 holiday card. The fact that it didn’t turn out the way that I wanted it to pretty much sums up the entire year, doesn’t it?

 

Merry Christmas to you and yours. Now on to 2021!

 Pattie

 

 

Sending Deliciousness Through the Mail

I am in a whimsical, letter-writing mood, and am sending recipe postcards to a pot load of people today. These postcards feature recipes from the Jack Daniels The Spirit of Tennessee Cookbook. All of them look pretty tasty; I plan on trying the Plastered (does anyone use the term “plastered” anymore?) Hot Fudge Sauce, Premium Onion Soup, Uncle Jack’s Red Dogs, and Corn Chowder myself. I cannot imagine a recipe that wouldn’t be greatly improved by the addition of whiskey. I’ll report!

What offbeat culinary things do you collect?

This post is linked to:

Cooking & Crafting with J&J

Reader Tip Tuesday

Wonderful Wednesday

Whimsical Wednesdays

O My Heartsie Girls Wonderful Wednesday
Happiness is Homemade Sunday

Dishing It & Digging It

Thursday Favorite Things
 Funtastic Friday
Pink Saturday
Snickerdoodle Create Bake & Create

Best of the Weekend

Grace at Home

Friday at the Fire Station
Create, Bake, Grow and Gather

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St. Patrick's Day Postmarks

Photo by Kristin Krause. 

In the same way that I encouraged you to romanticize your Valentines with special cancellations in this post, the same can be done for your St. Patrick's Day cards.  Don't send cards?  Well, now is the time to start!  Inexpensive packages of cards are available at grocery stores, drugstores, department stores, or, of course, you could make your own.  No time to make your own?  St. Patrick, MO will sign your name, address them, and send them out for you all with a special postmark and cachet!

Pictured above is the card I sent out in 2009, complete with enclosure, decorated envelope, and the St. Patrick, MO postmark. Below is the postmark they offered in 2010, and the one that will be on envelopes this year.

From the St. Patrick, MO website:

The Shrine of Saint Patrick will sell a specially designed envelope with a greeting card inside. The commemorative envelope has a Celtic cross. The greeting card has a photo of St. Patrick and an Irish verse. The envelope sells for $1.00 which includes the envelope, first class postage, pictorial cancellation, a St Patrick's Day greeting card and the shamrock cachet (designed Fr Francis O'Duignan in 1936). 

Church volunteers will address the envelope, write the sender's return address, sign the card with the sender's name, and mail on the day in March you specify, if you request it. The envelope can be mailed only on the day listed on the postmark unless it is mailed under separate cover. St Patrick's greetings sent out on his anniversary from his name city changes an ordinary envelope into a collector's item.

Please make all checks or money orders payable to the Shrine of St Patrick as all proceeds go to the Shrine. A different envelope, card and postmark are offered every year.

The Shrine of St Patrick has 7 postcards:

St Patrick stained glass window

St Patrick Statue (outside)

St Patrick Statue (inside)

Shrine of St. Patrick in summer

Shrine of St. Patrick in Winter

Greetings from St Patrick

Shrine of St. Patrick 

The Shrine postcards may be addressed, stamped and mailed for you by Shrine volunteers for $.50 cents each. An unstamped postcard sells for $.25 cents. Please choose by name.

A pictorial cancellation will be available at the St Patrick, Missouri Post Office March 1 - 30, 2011. The date changes daily. A heart with Celtic design and "Happy St Patrick's Day Station March 1 - 30, 2011, St. Patrick, MO" will be on the cancellation. There is no charge for the cancellation. Stamped, self-addressed envelopes requesting the special pictorial cancellation may be sent to: Postmaster, St. Patrick, Missouri 63466 USA.

Any day between March 1 and March 30 can be placed on your pictorial cancellation and your envelope mailed that day. Please specify your mailing date. Customers who want their envelope returned under protected cover should include a large, stamped, self-addressed envelope. If you want the shamrock cachet on your envelope, please mail to; Shrine of St Patrick, Attn: Pictorial Cancellation, Box 34, St Patrick, Missouri 63466 USA.

Would you like your St Patrick's Day cards to be mailed from St Patrick, Missouri?

If you prefer to send your own cards for the pictorial cancellation from the St Patrick, Missouri Post Office,  it is available March 1 - 30, 2011. The date changes daily. A heart with Celtic design and "Happy St Patrick's Day Station March 1 - 30, 2011, St. Patrick, MO" will be on the cancellation. There is no charge for the cancellation. Stamped, self-addressed envelopes requesting the special pictorial cancellation may be sent to: Postmaster, St. Patrick, Missouri 63466 USA. 

Other post offices also take part in St. Pat's cancellations (I try to get a different one every year).  Package up your sealed, addressed, and stamped cards and mail them to: Postmaster at the city of your choice from the list below.

Clover, SC 29710

Clover, VA 24534

Erin, NY 14838

Erin, TN 37061

Green, KS 67447

Green, OH 44232

Ireland, IN 47545

Ireland, WV 26376

Limerick, ME 04048

Saint Patrick, MO 63466

Shamrock, OK 74068

Shamrock, TX 79079

I've been doing this for years and it's a lot of fun to see what will come back stamped on your envelope.  The postmarks are generally, without fail, in green, and sometimes the additional stampingsare rather lavish and can be found on both the front and back of the envelope.  This is a great project for kids who can mail a card to themselves, and wait with great anticipation to see what they get back, and for Girl and Boy Scouts  (I wish I'd have known about it when I was a Den Mother!) as it teaches them a bit about the history of the holiday, a bit of geography of the US, and the pure joy in getting something personal in the mail.

An Old Irish Blessing
May love and laughter light your days,
and warm your heart and home.
May good and faithful friends be yours,
wherever you may roam.
May peace and plenty bless your world
with joy that long endures.
May all life's passing seasons
bring the best to you and yours!

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