{"id":20616,"date":"2017-08-15T08:42:27","date_gmt":"2017-08-15T13:42:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/postalemployeenetwork.com\/news\/?p=20616"},"modified":"2017-08-15T08:42:27","modified_gmt":"2017-08-15T13:42:27","slug":"usps-celebrates-the-beauty-of-flowers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/postalemployeenetwork.com\/news\/2017\/08\/15\/usps-celebrates-the-beauty-of-flowers\/","title":{"rendered":"USPS celebrates the beauty of flowers"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Bloom<\/p>\n

SIOUX FALLS, SD \u2014 The U.S. Postal Service celebrates the beauty of flowers from American gardens by issuing the\u00a0Flowers from the Garden Forever stamps<\/em><\/a>\u00a0tomorrow. The four stamps feature bountiful floral bouquet still lifes by\u00a0Elizabeth Brandon<\/em><\/a>\u00a0of Franklin, TN.\u00a0Please share the news on social media using the hashtag\u00a0#FlowerStamps.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Available nationwide tomorrow, the stamps will be dedicated at 4 p.m. CDT at the\u00a0Mary Jo Wegner Arboretum & East Sioux Falls Historic Site<\/em><\/a>\u00a0in Sioux Falls, SD. Followers of the U.S. Postal Service\u2019s Facebook page can view the first-day-of-issue ceremony live at facebook.com\/USPS. The event is free and open to the public.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Postal Service has a long tradition of showcasing flowers and floral artwork on stamps.\u00a0 Flowers have been a perennial favorite, with hundreds of floral stamps released over the years,\u201d said U.S. Postal Service Employee Resource Management Vice President Simon Storey. \u201cEach of these stamps is a small masterpiece, or as we say in the Postal Service, miniature works of art.\u00a0 And since they are Forever stamps, they will always be equal in value to the current First-Class Mail one-ounce price. These stamps will always be perfect for your birthday cards, thank-you notes, party invitations, wedding RSVPs and other important announcements.\u201d<\/p>\n

Scheduled to join Storey in dedicating the stamps are South Dakota Governor\u00a0Dennis Daugaard<\/em><\/a>; Sioux Falls City Council member\u00a0Michelle Erpenbach<\/em><\/a>; Plant Scientist Sarah Stowers; and stamp artist Elizabeth Brandon.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s very fitting that we will be dedicating the Garden Forever stamps at the Mary Jo Wegner Arboretum. Mary Jo and her husband Karl were friends of mine and they were great South Dakotans,\u201d said Governor Daugaard. \u201cI\u2019m glad to be able to attend this ceremony at the serene location that the Wegner family established in Mary Jo\u2019s honor.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat an honor and privilege it is for me to have my artwork of florals selected for a grouping of United States Forever Stamps,\u201d said Brandon. \u201cI feel a real pride in the fact that so many people can enjoy the traditional and colorful flowers adorning their mail. Art is for everyone, and we all need beauty wherever that may appear. Placing a small stamp of art on our envelopes is one of the small joys of life.\u201d<\/p>\n

Brandon\u2019s paintings were inspired by floral still lifes created by Dutch and Flemish artists of the 17th and 18th centuries.\u00a0Each stamp features one of four of Brandon\u2019s paintings of flowers from the garden artfully arranged in a container.<\/p>\n

The floral paintings of Dutch and Flemish artists feature exuberant, massed floral arrangements, which give the impression of wild abandon and impromptu creativity. However, the arrangements were in reality carefully thought out and many times purely imaginary \u2014 and frequently botanically impossible. Though the flowers looked as if they had just been plucked from the garden, the bouquets might include flowers that did not bloom during the same season or even grow in the same country.<\/p>\n

One stamp features red camellias and yellow forsythia in a yellow pitcher; another stamp features white peonies and pink tree peonies in a clear vase. An arrangement of white hydrangeas, white and pink roses, green hypericum berries and purple lisianthus in a white vase graces a third stamp; and a fourth stamp shows blue hydrangeas in a blue pot.<\/p>\n

The Flowers from the Garden stamps are being issued as Forever stamps in booklets of 20 and coils of 3,000 and 10,000. Forever stamps are always equal in value to the current First-Class Mail one-ounce price. Art director Derry Noyes of Washington, DC, designed the stamps.\u00a0When reproducing the stamp images for media use only the credit line \u201cDigital Images and Paintings \u00a9 Elizabeth Brandon\u201d is required.<\/p>\n

You may view many of this year\u2019s other stamps on Facebook at\u00a0facebook.com\/USPSStamps<\/em><\/a>\u00a0or via Twitter\u00a0@USPSstamps<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n

Ordering First-Day-of-Issue Postmarks<\/strong>
\nCustomers have 60 days to obtain first-day-of-issue postmarks by mail. They may purchase new stamps at United States Post Office locations, at the Postal Store\u00a0usps.com\/shop<\/em><\/a>or by calling 800-782-6724. They should affix the stamps to envelopes of their choice, address the envelopes to themselves or others and place them in larger envelopes addressed to:<\/p>\n

FDOI \u2013 Flowers from the Garden Stamps
\nUSPS Stamp Fulfillment Services
\n8300 NE Underground Drive, Suite 300
\nKansas City, MO\u00a0 64144-9900<\/p>\n

After applying the first-day-of-issue postmark, the Postal Service will return the envelopes through the mail. There is no charge for postmarks up to a quantity of 50. Customers must pay 5 cents for each additional postmark. All orders must be postmarked by Oct. 16, 2017.<\/p>\n

Ordering First-Day Covers<\/strong>
\nThe Postal Service also offers first-day covers for new stamps and stationery items postmarked with the official first-day-of-issue cancellation. Each item has an individual catalog number and is offered in the quarterly\u00a0USA Philatelic<\/em>\u00a0catalog, online at\u00a0usps.com\/shop<\/em><\/a>\u00a0or by calling 800-782-6724. Customers may request a free catalog by calling 800-782-6724 or writing to:<\/p>\n

U.S. Postal Service
\nCatalog Request
\nPO Box 219014
\nKansas City, MO\u00a0 64121-9014<\/p>\n

Philatelic Products<\/strong>
\n<\/a>Philatelic products for this stamp issue are as follows:<\/p>\n

<\/a>Booklet of 20<\/strong><\/p>\n