St. Patrick's Day fun!

Let me just start off by saying I am not Irish...or at least I don't think there is an Irishman in my past :)  I'm adopted and just recently found French Canadian blood in my veins. This fact allows me to cheer almost as hard for the Canadian Olympians as I do for our beloved Americans...as in U-S-A!  U-S-A!  U-S-A!

Oh wait....let me get back on track here :)  I was talking about the Irish! Here in Kansas City the Irish are a hearty group of souls and I'm here to tell you...they know how to celebrate!  We have one of the largest parades in the nation on THE day...March 17th...Saint Patrick's Day!  In fact, we have more than one parade as I discovered last year when I volunteered to participate in the parade handing out flyers and keeping little Leprechan's out of harms way.  Wow!  I was amazed at the crowd and then I discovered the parade I was in...well, it was just the "baby" parade. The BIG parade had yet to come....the costumes and floats were amazing!  I don't know how many pair of green socks or how many glittering green hats were sold but someone made a bundle of money. 

However, not everyone wants to go off to work dressed as a Leprechan.  So how does one, who is NOT so inclined show proper Irish loyalty without wearing green tights and hats? Simple....you wear ANYTHING with a touch of "the Green".

Of course loyalty is only one of the reasons we Americans take this so seriously. The other reason is FEAR! I'm not sure what traditions are held in other countries but here in the USA if you're NOT wearing green you are in danger of being "Leprechan Pinched" by anyone wearing green, Irish American or not! And it hurts! OUCH!

A few years ago I found a great tutorial by Alice Korach  for a beaded wire "Sparkling Shamrock Pin".  It was so well written I just had to make one.  I loved it and planned to wear it on St. Paddy's Day!  Then my husband pointed out the obvious...it was NOT a Shamrock.  To be truly lucky and Irish it had to be a Shamrock.  So....using my new found skills and the great tips I'd learned I designed a new brooch in the shape of a proper Shamrock.  The first one seemed a little large for my taste but I wore it anyway.  Suddenly I had people asking where I'd found this brooch. Some liked the large size, others asked if it could be a bit more petite.  I of course, assured everyone I could make more and in TWO sizes!  (Sometimes I wish I could keep my big mouth shut.)

So, here it is...the Lucky Shamrock Brooch in both large AND small sizes. I have just one of each available and listed them in my ArtFire Studio earlier today.  If you would like to have one....I wish you the Luck O' the Irish in getting there first!