Simply Stated Gratitude (late post)

Every Veterans Day, I'm reminded just how thankful I am for the brave men and women who have served this wonderful country. And I try to take a moment to say so.

Here's the card I gave my coworker and his wife this year (both Air Force vets), with some homemade chocolate chip cookies and a gift card to a local restaurant. It's shamefully insufficient, but it's how I express my gratitude.

 

To make this, I used scraps of Creative Imaginations paper (one for the strip, and one to punch out with my 1" circle punch), my Cuttlebug A2 Stars embossing folder, and a stamp from Verve's American Hero set.

Have a blessed day!

Thank You, Veterans!

Hi all!

Well, still working on my promised fall card & snapshot of my Autumn cross-stitch project... :/ But one thing I have tried to be diligent about in the last few years is expressing my gratitude for the service of the veterans in my life. My Dad served 8 years in the Navy, and my coworker and his wife both served in the Air Force. I'll be back later with what I did for my dad..ya know, once I finish it :( But here's the other card I made. ETA: Please scroll on down to see what I whipped up for my dear dad. (And yes, he got it on the day...just in the PM hours. I know, I know...)

I fell back on my stash for the pattern papers by Creative Imaginations, and excitedly cracked into this striped grosgrain that I snagged on clearance from SU! 10 yards for $1.99. Say what?!? LOVE IT! (I picked up a few other non-clearance colors, too, and I'm sure you'll be seeing a lot of it soon.) Anywho, I was going for a CAS look and this fit the bill. (I'm doing mostly CAS lately due to time/energy constraints, and really enjoying it.) The chipboard star is a years-old clearance find. It started out glossy white with irridescent glitter, and I just went over the whole thing with a gold paint marker. I like how the glitter underneath gives it a little antique-ish texture.

I'm not usually one to jazz up the inside of my cards, but I ran into a little bit of a "Doh!" moment and had to improvise. In my haste, I stamped the sentiment directly onto the base, only to realize that I had the card upside down! So, what's a girl to do but layer over. And then I just added a plain sheet of white CS to the other side for writing a note and to balance the weight, both visually and physically. The sentiment is from an old Hero Mail set by Amuse, and I punched it out with my old school SU! punch that I always think looks like a dog tag (the people kind, not the canine kind).

I hope you'll remember to say "Thanks!" to the veterans in your life, and let them know their service & sacrifice is not forgotten. Happy Veterans Day!

ETA: Here's what I made Dad. My dad has always been supportive of my creativity, but I thought maybe instead of a card, which -let's face it- isn't the most practical/useful thing, I'd make him something he'll use & see every day (or at least for a while). He's always been an avid reader, and is known to stay up into the wee hours to finish a book. And so, I made him a Veterans Day bookmark, with my sentiments on the back.

I just love this little charm (and bought multiples of it). To me it says it all: I love my Dad and I love our country. And I thank God for both.

Remembering the Real Meaning of Memorial Day

Well, if you've been by here before, you may be thinking that I'm some kind of Scrooge, campaigning against holidays. It's not my intention to get all Grinchy on our celebrations. I hope anyone who knows me knows that I love God and I love my country. I strive to be both faithful and patriotic. But I am concerned about our American way of life. Our traditional values seem to be slipping away, and it is sad. We are so blessed, but take it for granted. So much so, that our holidays have lost their meaning. When traditions become hollow, behavior becomes shallow.

This Monday I want to observe the true Memorial Day. It's not about auto racing. It's not about shopping and sales. It's not a celebration of summer. It's not just another day off work or school. Memorial Day is a day for remembering those who gave their lives in defense of both our country and its values (or what our values used to be and IMO should be).

Photographer: Vincent Brown (http://vincentbrown.com/blog)

When I was 9 years old, my family took an amazing trip to the Hawaiian Islands. The most significant part of the trip was a tour of Pearl Harbor and visiting the USS Arizona Memorial. 26 years later, it is the best way I can think of to illustrate the true meaning of Memorial Day.

This Memorial Day, I will remember those who have served and died for this country. Yes, I will have a cookout with my family. I'll probably even share a hot dog with Charlie & Cyrus. And I will make red strawberry cupcakes with white buttercream frosting and blue sprinkles, and adorn them with decorative flag toothpicks. But at the height of my merriment, I will take a moment (or several) to remember that I wouldn't be enjoying any of it without the sacrifice of the brave men and women who answered the call to duty.

God bless all who have served and sacrified. God Bless the United States of America.

Operation Write Home: Be My Valentine

As the daughter of a veteran (Navy), the brave men and women serving our beloved country are near & dear to my heart. Politics and policy may change, but their courage and dedication are constant, and so is my gratitude. Operation Write Home is kicking off their Valentine's Day card drive, and I couldn't think of a better way to express my heartfelt appreciation than to participate in this hop (and of course, donate some cards). So, without further ado:

Welcome to:
OPERATION WRITE HOME'S
"BE MY VALENTINE" HOP!

I'm sure many of you are scratching your heads. It's one thing to be in mid-November, before Thanksgiving, and posting Christmas cards, but Valentine's?!?!? That's months away, right? Well, yes. But the deadline for donating your handcrafter Christmas cards to Operation Write Home has passed. And the deadline for Valentine's Day is January 7th, which will be here before we know it, especially with all of the Christmas and New Year's activities and excitement.

If I'm your first stop, please get started at OWH Stars and Stamps and you'll be on the right trail. If you are arriving from Lisa at Land of EnCRAFTment, then you are right on track! (And let me say a great big THANK YOU! for staying with us - I know the hop is big and quite a long journey!)

For my card I used the adorable Wild Sprout Stella from The Greeting Farm. She was so much fun to color, I can't wait to make more. I paired her with some fab Valentine papers that were given to me as a gift (sorry, I don't know the manufacturer), a crocheted heart (A Million Memories), a heart charm (LSS), some twine, and paper flowers. I used my oval classic & scallop nesties for her mat and Labels Four for the sentiment mat. The sentiment was created with Making Memories Boho Alphabet Stickers. The touches of distress inking are done in Tim Holtz Spun Sugar Distress Ink. The layout is today's Saturday Sketch at Club Anya, and was designed by the lovely Jen Shults.

As a special THANK YOU for joining us today (and as a reward for your stamina), I've got some blog candy to give away: For a chance to win, please leave a comment on this post, and be sure I have a way to contact you (either through your blog link or by leaving your email address). I will draw & announce a winner on Monday, Nov. 15th, when I will also be posting my Blog-A-Versary Blog Candy, which you will not want to miss!

Thank you. May God bless you & keep you. May God bless our heroes, and God Bless America!

Your next stop is Carole at Ramblings of a FibreJunky.

And don't forget, Valentine's Day cards are needed by January 7th. Visit Operation Write Home for more information. Happy crafting!

Thank you, Veterans!

I don't have a card to share today, but I do want to say THANK YOU and HAPPY VETERANS' DAY to all those who have served our country and defended democracy the world over!



I also wanted to remind you that whatever the political pronouncements and speculation, we have men and women actively defending our freedom all around the world. Let's show them our appreciation by helping them send a little love back home! The Operation Write Home "Be My Valentine" Hop begins this Saturday!!! I'm very proud to be one of the stops, and hope you will hop to show your support, and that the creations featured will inspire you to get crafty for our heroes!



Until then, please let a veteran know you care and appreciate the freedom they've provided. Hug a veteran today!

Operation Write Home Blog Hop

Thanks for visiting today! If you've just joined us, we're hop, hop, hopping with Operation Write Home (fka Cards For Heroes) in honor of Veterans Day. To start at beginning of the hop, please go to the Operation Write Home Blog. **If you are following the SNR Friends of Faith Blog Hop, please scroll down to the next post.**

My card features the Lolita image from Busy Beauties. BB creator Carolyn suggested that Lolita could be made into a female version of Uncle Sam: Aunt Sammi. Isn't that the cutest? After hearing that, I couldn't resist coloring her up in Red, White & Blue. I made two of these and they will be going in care packages for Carolyn's brother and Janis's son, both currently deployed in the Middle East.

I'll be working on another card (and hopefully posting it Monday) that will be donated to Operation Write Home. They are currently collecting Valentine's Day cards, and this will be one the OWH sends to a Hero so that he/she can send it to a special loved one back home. Cards are always needed, so please stop by the Operation Write Home website for more information on how you can help.

I hope you'll continue hopping for our Heroes - the Brave Men & Women serving our Great Nation and keeping all of us safe and free! God Bless All of Our Heroes and God Bless America!

Your next stop on the hop is Anna.

But before you go, please leave a comment. If you do, your name will go into a special Hero Hoppers drawing, where one winner will be selected at random. The prize is your choice of Two Free Images from Busy Beauties Boutique! (Special thanks & love to Carolyn for her generous donation of this fabulous prize.) Comments posted by 11:59 p.m. EDT on Sunday, Nov. 15 are eligible. I'll select & announce a winner on Monday, Nov. 16, 2009.

Thanks for hopping!


Image: "Lolita" by Busy Beauties
Pattern Papers: Basic Grey and Creative Imaginations
Cardstock: local source
Embellishments: Bazzill paper flowers, DCWV ribbon, K&Co "USA" metal button, Making Memories brads
Colored with Copics
Layout: Splitcoast SC254

Happy Veterans Day

Have you hugged a Veteran today? Or at least said "Thank You!" for all they have done for you?
I just gave my Dad this card. I was so happy and so proud of myself for remembering this year. And then God did a funny thing. He knocked me back down to size. I had to fight back tears as my Dad said, "Wow. Thanks. No one's ever given me a Veterans Day card before." While I can't go back and change all the years that I forgot to recognize his service (and really, how hard is it? I was born on a Navy base!), I can make sure that starting this year, my Dad knows just how proud I am of him and how grateful I am for his service to this magnificent country of ours. Red, white & blue cupcakes help, too. :D

Please come back for a visit on Saturday for more on recognizing our Heroes!

TFL and Happy Veterans Day!


Image and sentiment: Amuse
Pattern Papers: Creative Imaginations
White Cardstock: Perfect Panels from My Favorite Things
Metal Buttons: K&Co
Inks: Memento Tuxedo Black and VersaMagic Ocean Depth; Copics

A Break from Xmas to say Thanks

Awhile ago (too long ago to want to admit!) I ordered the Hero Mail set from A-Muse. It is so cute! A swapping friend's husband is deployed in Iraq, and I finally got around to breaking in the stamps for a card to go in a care package (mostly homemade Chex Mix and chocolate chip cookies). Since it won't get there before the holidays, I went with a simple patriotic theme.

It might be a bit early to start with the resolutions, but at the top of my list is definitely going to be to get more of these cards made!

4th of July

Happy 4th!

This card was for a swap I did with some of my SBS2 Sisters. Our theme was summer, and we left it open beyond that. I chose Independence Day - what could be better than fireworks, cooking out, a day off work, and celebrating the birth of our great nation? Yeah, I couldn't think of anything either :)