Tuesday, January 26, 2010

New pic, unblogged cards, Valentines Day Postal Cancellation Information

Hi everyone,
nothing "NEW" to share with you today,
just a bunch of random things and thoughts
smooshed into one post rather than spread out
throughout my usual waffling.

Firstly, I was tinkering with my profile
and replaced the photo of my cat Batman
with a picture of myself...
Well, I am not very keen to electronics,
I thought that I could swap out one pic
and the other one of my "sister" Rita, the chihuahua
would still be there, but she is gone!!
No more doggie in your followers block ladies,
it is now ME!!!! AHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Secondly, wouldn't you LOVE to have your
Valentine's Day cards be delivered with a
wonderful Valentine's Day themed postal cancellation???
Here are a list of loving cities
who participate in Valentines Remailings!!



Bliss, NY 14024 -- Postmaster Rosemary Phillippi (585-322-7740) who runs this one-person office says that last year she applied a special pictorial cancellation for Valentine's Day on more than 2,000 envelopes. Her average daily cancellations are 200. This year she will personally apply the unique postmark depicting a cloud bearing the inscription, "Love on a Cloud." The postmark also depicts a shooting heart with stars along the top and bottom. This postmark is available from February 14 through March 14, 2004, only. The media contact is Maureen Marion (315.452.3582).

Heart Butte, MT 59448 -- Acting Postmaster Donel Hall (406-338-2399) is offering a pictorial heart in red ink with a ribbon postmark of Heart Butte during the entire month of February. The Heart Butte Post Office receives several hundred Valentine postmark requests per year.

Juliette, GA 31046 - Postmaster Delores Molton (478-994-6611) says customers can receive a pictorial postmark illustrating Romeo and Juliet with the Juliette, GA, cancellation. Cards must be submitted by February 10 for delivery by Valentine's Day. For additional information, contact Jean Wilkes at (478- 752-8743).

Loveland, CO 80538 -- Loveland Information Clerk Bob Tholl (970-663-3010) says customers can receive a Cupid cachet, love verse and pictorial heart-shaped Loveland postmark. Loveland normally receives an average of 35,000 cancellation requests per day throughout Valentine season, making it the world's largest Valentine remailing program. Loveland receives more than 200,000 Valentines annually from all 50 states and more than 100 countries. Senior citizen volunteers do the hand-stamping of the Cupid cachet and love verse.

Loveville, MD 20656 - Postmaster Eva Hall (301-475-5243), who operates the one-person Post Office in rural Southern Maryland, says her daily volume of 1,200 cancellations increases six-fold to 7,200 daily a week prior to Valentine's Day. During this time Hall brings in a clerk whose sole job is to hand-cancel Valentine cards with a unique postmark that depicts Cupid shooting an arrow through a heart. The Cupid postmark is available February 1-14 each year.

Loving, NM 88256 - Postmaster Charlotte Brewer (505-745-3611) says that Loving's special pictorial postmark, available February 1-14, consists of lovebirds sitting on top of a heart over the inscription "Valentine's Day Station." Loving is a small community with a population of 1,400 located near Carlsbad Caverns. Postmarks increase from 500 on an average day to 4,000 before Valentine's Day.

Romance, AR 72136 -- Postmaster Nancy Schnebelen (501-556-5911) reports that two of approximately ten weddings held in the lobby last year were on Valentine's Day. Schnebelen says mail volume increases dramatically during the spring months of April through June as a result of couples wanting the "Romance" cancellation on their wedding invitations. The Romance Post Office postmarks about 400 letters on a given day. Two weeks prior to Valentine's Day that increases three-fold to about 1,300 daily. When necessary, Schnebelen schedules her postmaster relief to assist her in hand-canceling each special piece of "romantic" mail. This year's cancellation portrays a dove trailing a ribbon from its beak, with the ribbon's inscription: "Love is in the Air."

Romeo, MI 48065 - Postmaster Alex Stubbs III (586-752-3823) says customers can receive a pictorial postmark illustrating Romeo and Juliet with the Romeo, MI, cancellation.

Sugar City, CO 81076 - Postmaster Patty McGee (719-267-3333) says the request for the pictorial postmark bearing the description "Sugar City - The sweetest town around," generates several hundred Valentine postmark requests a year.

Valentine, NE 69201 - Postmaster Rick Bordeaux (402-376-1540). A special postmark featuring the words "With Love on Valentine's Day" is available February 1-15. He reports that Valentine's daily average of 3,500 postmarks each day increases to 20,000 daily two weeks prior to Valentine's Day.

Valentine, TX 79854 -- Postmaster Maria E. Carrasco (432-467-2912) operates the Love Station of Texas. Since 1993, students from grades 7 through 12 compete to see whose artwork will be used on that year's special cancellation stamp, and each year the cancellations has been different. Carrasco, with the help of her postmaster replacement, will hand- stamp cards and letters February 1-14. In 1994, a record 39,000 pieces from all over the world received the Valentine postmark. On an average day Carrasco postmarks approximately 100 cards and letters. Two weeks prior to Valentine's Day, that number increases to 1,000 to 2,000 daily.

Valentines, VA 23887 -- Postmaster Denise Evans (434-577-2456), who runs the one-person Post Office, says her daily average of 100 cancellations jumps about 400 times to 40,000 two weeks prior to Valentine's Day. During this time, Evans brings in her postmaster relief for the sole purpose of hand canceling Valentine cards with a unique postmark depicting a red heart with several flowers around the heart. The red heart postmark is only available mid-January through Feb. 14 each year.


So here is what you need to know:
Make sure to affix correct postage to your cards,
Use a larger envelope to enclose your cards,
I suggest USPS Priority Flat Rate Envelopes ($4.95),
and mail to:

POSTMASTER
c/o Valentine Remailing
City, State, Zip

Remember to mail early so you don't miss the "cut-off,"
international mail, be extra cautious of time constraints,
if it takes 3 weeks for your mail to arrive,
then sending it to Loveland a week before
Valentines Day isn't going to work out, lol.

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This is a card I made for Tracey, my MDUC teamie, that I did not have the chance to blog. It was meant to go into about 7 challenges, but each passing day saw another challenge deadline missed and before I knew it, I just never blogged it!! My Christmas schedule was insane!! Nevertheless, think back to the "nontraditional Christmas colours" challenges a few months back, this is when I created the card. Basic Grey papers, Magnolia stamps from Kellies shop, as is that brilliant wire heart, the tulle and velvet rickrack are from my stash, she's coloured in distress inks and dosed with a fair amount of gold stickles. The pressies were pieced with BG papers and hemp was added around the boxes. I wonder what's inside!!?


This little gift bag was made as a last minute gift for my favorite postal clerk, thus the envelope!! I was going to enter it in the slew of last minute present challenges and a colour challenge, but the same story, not enough hours in the day to create, work, blog, work, work, eat, maybe even some sleep... The papers are Basic Grey, the stamps came from Kellie's shop, the DP is Basic Grey, the doiley was the beginning of a very long phase in my crafting, they are hard to resist, everythings cut out and popped up on foam dots, coloured in distress inks and coated in Stickles. Hemp, lace and ribbon are from my stash, the charm is from Blue Moon Beads.


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I actually have more to blog,
but I think I will give this a break
and save some for Thursday or Friday!!
Tomorrow I have a card to share for the
new Creative Inspirations challenge,
and hopefully I can get some awards passed out
in that posting too :)

Take Care,
Stephanne

8 comments:

Aunty Sue said...

stunning and know what you mean about missing deadlines.

Fran said...

hmmm, I just checked and I still have a cheerful little pup as a follower, not a lovely Stephanne! It is a fabulous photo you little stunner :)
Love the card and gift bag, Tilda is coloured in my favourite shade of green!
Can't wait to see what other goodies you have been keeping from us.

Debbie Pamment said...

Beautiful work from someone who I now know is just as gorgeous!!! Glad to put a face to the name - and such a pretty face - even though Rita was pretty darn gorgeous too - LOL
xXx

♥ Kristy Woods ♥ said...

Check you out your hot miss thang!! Love the cards & projects.
Kristy x

Jodie from Oz said...

Stephanne, It's about time we got to see your gorgeous face, you are a stunner and I agree with Debbie, it is so nice to put a face to a name. Love your fabulous Christmas projects and look forward to the reveal at the end of the week. Have a good one, hugs Jodie from Oz

Anonymous said...

I love the card and gift bag--glad you posted them--better late than never! Both Tildas are gorgeous, and you are too!
Hugs,
April

Sue said...

Love the new picture. Always knew you were beautiful, inside and out!!!

Great card and project. I wish I had hidden things I hadn't blogged yet!

Bliss NY is one of the listing above. About an hour and a half drive from me and just a really small rural town. I can picture this woman doing that all by herself!!! God bless her.

Sue

having a {me} day said...

WOW Stephanne, I love your Christmas creations! I love the non-traditional card - just fabulous with the papers you've used and that gorgeously coloured Tilda. Your little gift bag is just awesome!! I can see doilies are 'in' at the moment, I may have to dig mine out! I love the colours on Tilda and that adorable envelope! I have both these stamps, but haven't got round to using them yet. Maybe next Christmas!! Have a lovely weekend, keeleyxx