Mark's Finest Papers February Blog Hop- Day 1

 

February Blog Hop! 

This month's New Stamp Set Releases are

Lots of Luck Featured February 19
Hum Along Featured February 20
Rain Clouds Featured February 21
All Postal Featured February 22

Please hop along with us! You have a chance 
 to win one of the above stamp sets! Just comment on the following blogs (don't forget this one), each day for more chances to win! (You do NOT have to comment on all the blogs each day! The names are drawn randomly!) All four winners will be announced on February 23,2013 on the Mark's Finest Papers blog. You can go back and comment if you missed a day. (HINT: The more you comment, the more chances you have to win and comments on the MFP blog count twice!) The deadline for commenting is 11PM EST on Friday February 22,2013.

 The special stamp set we have for you this month is:

"Love Script"

 

The mini stamp set we have for you this month is

"Big Cupcake"

 

Patty P.

Lois

Vicky

Jane C 

Debbie 

Pam 

Pat G 

Thrifty Stamper 

MariLynn    THIS IS ME

Karen K 

Bonnie 

Kathy B 

Angela B 

Cathy C 

Toni 

Sue W 

Janine B 

Tammylee 

An'jenic 

Kate Z 
Shirley Q 

Marks Finest Papers, a Heinrich Co 

I am a person who doesn't really believe in luck. What I believe in are God's blessings and provisions. What an awesome God I serve who takes care of my needs so I don't have to rely on luck. 

For this set I choose to make 2 tri-fold cards to celebrate St. Patrick's Day. Whether this is truth or part myth, I love the story of St. Patrick using the shamrock to teach about the trinity. He took what was available to him and taught about God.

I took a 8 1/2" x 11" piece of cardstock and took a ruler and drew a slanted line with a pencil.( I started my line 3 inches up and the line ended up at 6 inches. I then scored it at 3 1/2" and 7". I then stamped sets of 2 clover next to eachother, then flipped it and stamped 2 more, then flipped it back and stamped the last 2. (Putting 2 clover in each"section" of the line.)  I cut out around the tops of the clovers so that it had a "decorative" edge. I erased the pencil line and I watercolored the clover then I ink spray smashed greens to the card. On my second card I thought maybe it would look good with a little gold embossing powder. I masked the clovers, and  I stamped the cracked background from Mark's Finest Papers set called Cracked Hello. I used versamark ink and gold ep. (It used a lot of gold ep.) After I was done with all the embossing, I thought I might have gone a little overboard. 

 

 

Which one do you like better?

One of the neat things about living in rural USA are the little town festivals. Less than 25 miles from where I live is the little town of St. Patrick MO. (Don't blink as you are driving through town or you might miss it.) Every year for St. Patrick's day, they have a wonderful festival, with awesome food and mass in a really unique chapel. People come from many miles around to participate in the activities. 

My kids and I have enjoyed going there for many years. Our favorite activity is to take cards and letters to be mailed at the little St. Patrick's MO post office. Every year they have a new cancellation stamp. My kid's loved sending themselves mail, and we have kept the letters and envelopes as memory makers. My oldest daughter, last year when she heard that a lot of little rural post offices were going to close, was worried about this one. She mailed letters to her future children so that they could have an envelope with a St. Patrick's cancellation, just in case this one ever closed.
  

Here is a link to a local news station's report about last year's festivities. 
St. Patrick, MO

If you want to have an envelope with the cancellation stamp, you don't have to go in person,  you can follow these directions:
 
 To send mail by St. Patrick’s commemorative cancellation, send stamped, self-addressed envelopes requesting the special cancellation to Postmaster, St. Patrick, Mo., 63466.

I love Irish folk music, and this song always gives me chills when I hear it.