FCD Gets Patriotic!

Hi everyone, welcome to another FireCracker Designs by Pamela blog hop! This month we are making patriotic cards featuring the gorgeous So Far Away set. I loved this set the first time I saw it - it was released just as my nephew was heading out to Iraq, so it really hit home.

Here's some good news - during this hop Pamela is offering this set at 20% off! Woohoo!!

My first thought was to make my card red, white & blue, but then I found this My Mind's Eye DP and fell in love with it, and thought it would be perfect with this set. I paired it with Stampin' Up's Chocolate Chip and Sage Shadow papers. The soldier is stamped in brown on the sage paper and cut out, then popped up.

This month we're doing a circular blog hop, where the only beginning is wherever you start!! If you started here, you will know you are at the end of the hop when you make it back to my blog! Somewhere along the line there is a "mystery blog hostess" - we don't even know who it will be until the hop is over... so make sure and leave a comment on EVERY blog along the hop so you don't miss out!!

**To find out if you’ve won… you will be contacted by Pamela via e-mail (so be sure to leave it with your comment) - you can also find out on Pamela’s blog after the blog hop ends on Wed, June 3 at 8:00 PM (EST).**

Now, continue the circle by hopping on over to Julie's fabulous blog - I have no doubt whatever she made will be GORGEOUS! Thanks so much for hopping with us today!! Happy Stamping!

Memorial Day - remembering a hero

If you're looking for my Cards for Heroes blog hop post, please scroll down or click the link.

On Memorial Day in the US, I wanted to take a moment and remember one of the heroes in my own family, my great uncle Milner. I never met Uncle Milner, my Gramma's brother, because he was killed in action on Iwo Jima during World War II, several years before my mom was even born. When I look at this photo I am struck by how young he was, and how eager to defend our country. He was killed by sniper fire on March 11, 1945. The Battle of Iwo Jima ended March 26.This is where he lays, in the Fourth Marine Division Cemetery on Iwo Jima.My dad served in the Vietnam War, and when I was a kid he was active in the local VFW. I remember going with him to cemeteries in the morning on Memorial Day, with other members of the VFW, to fire rifles in a salute to fallen soldiers. I didn't really understand what I was watching, I just liked the loud noise the guns would make. I sometimes stop and think that it's a little odd that the tradition in this country is to spend Memorial Day, a day dedicated to remembering the brave men and women who have lost their lives defending our country, hanging out by the pool, grilling, generally having fun. But then I think it makes perfect sense. Thanks to them we enjoy this freedom - it's a perfect way to celebrate all they have done for us. As long as we pause for at least a moment to remember what this day truly means.

But don't worry, my blog hasn't turned somber and serious - I will be back soon with a silly, light-hearted card for you to enjoy! :-) Hope you all are enjoying your weekend!

Cards for Heroes Blog Hop

Hello my blogging friends - I'm here today to tell you that even hippie liberals like myself care deeply about our troops!! :-) I was so honored when I got an email from Cards for Heroes, asking if I'd like to participate in their blog hop this weekend. I was not familiar with this organization - but wow, what a great group of people!! CFH's mission is to support our nation's armed forces by sending blank greeting cards to write home on, as well as cards of gratitude to encourage them. How many of us create card after card, many of which end up just sitting in a box somewhere in our craft room?? I encourage you to take some time this weekend and look through your stash, put a few together and get them sent off to CFH! Or, spend your stamping time today creating some new hand-stamped happiness to send! Check their website, there are some guidelines - for example, the cards cannot contain glitter, as it can be a safety hazard! You also should not send potentially offensive cards. And I do realize the card I'm sharing today has the potential to offend, so I will not be sending this particular one to CFH. But it will go to a soldier in Iraq! Last night as I was banging my head on the desk, trying to decide what to create for this hop, a chat window on Facebook popped up with a message from my friend Gary. Gary and I have different political views, but we are able to laugh about it - and he was actually teasing me about something I had posted. Gary also served in Iraq, so I mentioned what I was working on. He told me that when he was in Iraq he received cards like this and really appreciated it - so that of course warmed my heart, to hear that feedback. Then I told him, jokingly, that I was going to make a hippie card to show that even liberals like me care about this - and he told me he knew a fellow hippie liberal currently serving in Iraq who would love the card!! So then I had to make it!! So this particular card will be going to an Air Force officer stationed in Iraq, who was thrilled when he got to meet President Obama and Rahm Emanuel during their recent visit to Baghdad. I don't know this man, but I am so completely thankful for what he is doing for our country, and I plan to tell him so. I'll write a note to him on a separate sheet of paper, so he can in turn use this card to send to one of his own hippie liberal friends back home who will appreciate it. And then I'm going to go through my card stash and find another stack of cards to send off to Cards for Heroes. I can't think of a better way to spend my Memorial Day weekend!! If you'd like to send a note of gratitude to a soldier, visit the AnyHero page at the CFH website. And now I'm sure you are anxious to keep hopping, and I'm thrilled to be able to link to one of my absolute stamping idols, Leigh at Sunflower Studio!! I'm sure you're in for a treat, her work is always fantastic!! And if you just happened upon my blog here in mid-hop, I encourage you to go back and start at the beginning, at Cards for Heroes. Thanks for stopping by today!!

• Stamps: Hippie from Stampola, Feeling Groovy from Verve Stamps
• Paper: Kraft, GP white, blue DP from Kaiser, red DP from Making Memories
• Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black & Rich Cocoa, SU Creamy Caramel & Chocolate Chip, Copics for coloring
• Accessories: Janome Sew Mini