Patriot Day

http://september11.archive.org/ 

http://www.national911memorial.org/

as posted at:
http://usgovinfo.about.com/library/weekly/blpatriotsday.htm

In memory of the victims and heroes of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks against the United States, President Bush has proclaimed that Sept. 11, 2002 be observed as "Patriot Day." The following is the text of the Patriot Day Proclamation.



Patriot Day, 2002

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation



On this first observance of Patriot Day, we remember and honor those who perished in the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. We will not forget the events of that terrible morning nor will we forget how Americans responded in New York City, at the Pentagon, and in the skies over Pennsylvania -- with heroism and selflessness; with compassion and courage; and with prayer and hope. We will always remember our collective obligation to ensure that justice is done, that freedom prevails, and that the principles upon which our Nation was founded endure.



Inspired by the heroic sacrifices of our firefighters, rescue and law enforcement personnel, military service members, and other citizens, our Nation found unity, focus, and strength. We found healing in the national outpouring of compassion for those lost, as tens of millions of Americans participated in moments of silence, candlelight vigils, and religious services. From the tragedy of September 11 emerged a stronger Nation, renewed by a spirit of national pride and a true love of country.



We are a people dedicated to the triumph of freedom and democracy over evil and tyranny. The heroic stories of the first responders who gave their all to save others strengthened our resolve. And our Armed Forces have pursued the war against terrorism in Afghanistan and else-where with valor and skill. Together with our coalition partners, they have achieved success.



Americans also have fought back against terror by choosing to overcome evil with good. By loving their neighbors as they would like to be loved, countless citizens have answered the call to help others. They have contributed to relief efforts, improved homeland security in their communities, and volunteered their time to aid those in need. This spirit of service continues to grow as thousands have joined the newly established USA Freedom Corps, committing themselves to changing America one heart at a time through the momentum of millions of acts of decency and kindness.



Those whom we lost last September 11 will forever hold a cherished place in our hearts and in the history of our Nation. As we mark the first anniversary of that tragic day, we remember their sacrifice; and we commit ourselves to honoring their memory by pursuing peace and justice in the world and security at home. By a joint resolution approved December 18, 2001 (Public Law 107-89), the Congress has authorized and requested the President to designate September 11 of each year as "Patriot Day."



NOW, THEREFORE, I, GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim September 11, 2002, as Patriot Day. I call upon the people of the United States to observe this day with appropriate ceremonies and activities, including remembrance services and candlelight vigils. I also call upon the Governors of the United States and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, as well as appropriate officials of all units of government, to direct that the flag be flown at half-staff on Patriot Day. Further, I encourage all Americans to display the flag at half-staff from their homes on that day and to observe a moment of silence beginning at 8:46 a.m. eastern daylight time, or another appropriate commemorative time, to honor the innocent victims who lost their lives as a result of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.



IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this fourth day of September, in the year of our Lord two thousand two, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and twenty-seventh.



GEORGE W. BUSH

Ringo's Memory Box - Summer

Ringo liked to hide out in the flower beds sometimes, keeping an eye out for critters to catch I assume.

The background piece is made by gluing several scraps leftover from my Honor Flight Card Project . I knew I'd find a use for them, now I have only 93 more pieces to use! They are embossed and die cut borders trimmed from the bottom of note cards (Martha Stewart Crafts).

Die cut leaves with die from Stampin' Up! out of Gable Green and Green Galore card stock. Add watercolor accents with ink and an aquapainter. Glue together.

Lightly paint white acrylic craft paint in the center of Prima flowers. Adhere Basic Pearls. Glue to the leaves.

Cover the photo with scrapbook page protector cut to fit.

Cut Gable Green and Green Galore card stock to mount the photo to. Distress edges of Gable Green piece. 

Glue the leaves and flowers to the top of the matted photo.

Attach to the box by three sides, leaving the fourth side open to slide in a tag for journaling. 

Ribbon scrap and clear flower brad , unknown manufacturers. 

Thanks for looking =)

See another photo memory project of my pets

that I entered into a contest here -

all votes are much appreciated !

My second entry is a framed piece

Grandparent's Day

cover of tin 

front of booklet inside

needs photos and embellishments added

Happy Grandparents Day for those of you that are !

I am not a Grandparent, nor do I have any living Grandparents, but I do have kids so I made this project to give to my parents today. I also plan on taking supper and dessert to them - or maybe out to eat if they feel up to it.

This little tin came with a circular "book" already cut out of a Coral color as well as two scalloped circles on the front and back. I bought it at a yard sale a couple of years ago and never did anything with it since it was sort of an odd color (maybe that's why it was unused at the yard sale). Knowing Grandparent's Day was coming up, I decided to dig it out and try to make something of it. Seeing the new color challenge at Color Me Beautiful the other day was perfect for this project ! I had to change it up a tiny bit since I don't have all of the exact challenge colors, but they are pretty close (and look so pretty together!).


This project is also submitted to the new Anything But A Card Challenge blog. Take a peek at the inspiring Design Team projects - and the over 100 submissions to the first challenge , WOW !

Most of the items I used to make it are from Stampin' Up!; noted otherwise if not.



Card Stock and ink:
Very Vanilla
Cameo Coral
Purely Pomegranate
Always Artichoke
More Mustard

Stamp Sets:
DD Cottage Rose
Happy Everything
Wonderful Words
Hand Painted Petites (this is the first time I used the stamp set I rescued from a yard sale earlier this year)
Snap Stamps by Karen Foster- Small Formal

Stripes embossing folder
Crystal Effects (clear liquid dimensional glue)
Ruby Art Accents Microfine Glitter from ProvoCraft
Yellow Rhinestones
green grosgrain ribbon (manufacturer unknown)
Scalloped Circle die
Circle Cutter
Scissors
Dimensionals
Tombow glue
Stampin' Sponge
Paper Piercer
printer - for sentiment

Tin - no idea who manufactured it, no markings on it


Thanks for looking =)

No, I am not a grandparent nor do I have any grandparents, but here are some links (I especially like the quotes on the last) for those of you that may be. 

http://www.grandparents.com

http://www.grandparents-day.com/

http://grandparentsday.org/

http://www.grandparents.com/grandkids/grandparents-day/grandparents-day-quotes   - this is the site where I found the quote I printed out

Ringo's Memory Box - Spring

This photo was taken shortly after Ringo kitten was found by my son. He was one lone kitten out in the big yard, no others around , no mommy to be seen. We never did see any others and don't know where he came from or how he got out in the middle of the large yard all alone. He was being a curious kitten and crawled up into a CD storage box underneath the computer desk. He was soooo tiny.

All supplies used from Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted.

Cut a portion of a circle from Basic Gray card stock. Stamp with Stripes background stamp. Glue to box.

Cut a strip of going Gray card stock. Tear the bottom edge and distress the top. Stamp with the foot print from the Meow Meow stamp set.

Wrap a piece of Basic Black 5/8" grosgrain ribbon around the light gray piece, attach with a Jumbo decorative eyelet and tie a knot bow. Glue to the box.

Crop photo and mount to Whisper White and Basic black card stock. TIP: I covered my photos with pieces of scrapbook page protectors before adhering to the card stock mats. Simply lay the photo down, lightly score around the edges, allow at least a 1/2" to tape down to the back and cut out with scissors.

Attach matted photo to box with dimensionals.

Wrap striped ribbon (unknown manufacturer) around the top of the box. Adhere with double stick tape. 

Attach metal letters (unknown manufacturer) with brads. I plan on moving the lid around to each side that I will have on display during the seasons. I'll be moving it to the Fall side before long !

Thanks for looking =) 

See another photo memory project of my pets

that I entered into a contest here -

all votes are much appreciated !

My second entry is a framed piece.

Memory Box - construction

Instructions for the box I shared yesterday.

SUPPLIES:

*it is best to start with a pre-made paper mache` box if available*

3 pieces of 12 x 12 card stock 

chipboard

double stick tape

ruler and stylus (or scoring board)

paper cutter 

hobby knife and straight edge

It is MUCH easier and far less time consuming to use a pre-made craft box as your base. If you don't have one, you can make your own such as I did. The two previous Memory Boxes I made from paper mache boxes, but I didn't have any more "in stock" and there are no craft supply stores nearby so I improvised.

I started with scratch paper, 12 x 12 in size, so I could figure out the dimensions and how I wanted to construct the box. It required three pieces of 12 x 12 card stock as well as chipboard to cut to fit inside to make it sturdier. My original idea was to construct the box out of mat board then cover it with card stock, but after thinking about it a bit more, I decided the lid would be tricky . So this is what I came up with (adjust dimensions as you'd like):

Cut two of the sides and base out of one piece of 12x 12 card stock.

Cut the other two sides out of a second piece of 12 x 12 card stock.

Cut the lid out of the third piece of card stock.

Apply super sticky double stick tape to the tabs that will adhere the sides and bottom together.

Carefully attach the pieces. Start with the bottom, two sides piece then wrap the other two sides piece around. It can be a bit tricky, especially if your tape is very sticky (only expose one piece of tape at a time to help avoid the wrong parts sticking to the wrong pieces of tape).

I recommend lining the card stock box with chipboard to make it a bit more sturdy, especially if you are adding a lot of embellishments to the sides. You don't want it to get warped or saggy looking over time. Cut chipboard to fit snugly inside the box. A couple of pieces may need to be trimmed a tiny bit smaller to fit properly. Adhere with double sided sticky tape. Insert the base piece first. To attach the sides, you'll want to slide it in away from the card stock. Tilt the top away while you scoot the bottom of the chipboard towards the bottom fold of the box. This will help you line it up square as you are pressing the sides up to the top of the box because once your tape is stuck to the card stock, it is very difficult to remove if it is not properly lined up, square.

Glue a piece inside the lid and around the inside edges if you'd like. Make sure the lid is loose enough to allow the chipboard to fit. I made the mistake of not allowing enough space when I made my box so there is no chipboard around the inside edges (mine was cut and scored to make a 5 7/8" square top, not quite enough room). I adjusted the pattern shared here to make a 6" square lid, more than enough room to line the edges with chipboard.

Your box is complete and ready to decorate !

For a different version of a box, not as sturdy more room for many more photos, look here. 

Anything But A Card Challenge #1

There is a new challenge blog that debuted this past week - Anything But A Card ! This is one blog /challenge I had been looking forward to since hearing  about it (I don't normally participate in challenges). Funny thing is, when I typed in what I thought was the URL (because I didn't have it saved...), I came across another : Let's Create Anything But A Card ! TWO new anything but a card challenge sites debuting in one week, awesome. Oh so many creative projects to look at on each, wow. 



I have always been "crafty", making all sorts of 3D items. In fact, I ran the school holiday bazaar for several years, personally working on handcrafted projects year round for it. I do miss those days of creating all year long for others.

I have so many things I want to craft still, boxes of supplies and projects to make and shelves of idea books. I don't need more holiday decorations and such so I haven't gotten around to completing them. Maybe these challenge blogs will give me more incentive to get busy working on those projects, whether I think I don't need them or not!

I'm submitting a memory box to this first Anything Goes challenge at ABACC as well as Challenge #1 at Let's Create Anything But A Card. I finally completed it for my cat Ringo that disappeared earlier this year. I didn't want to make one for him just yet, holding onto hope he would return home. Despite signs and ads , searching the property as well as our old barn even looking into animal shelters, there was no sign of him. It has now been 8 months, past time for his box to be made and displayed on the bookcase aside the two others I've made for Cassie and Mulligan. 

I will be writing additional posts with details about each side as well as how I constructed the box. If you like this idea, be sure to see the Memory Box Urn I made for my dog Cassie and the Memory Box I made for my cat Mulligan. You should be able to see them if you click on their names in the label section to the left. 

Lastly, if you have seen my recent posts regarding the Fiskars contest I entered, I am back in the running (if they are indeed able to fix the problems). If you would take the time to vote for my projects I'd really appreciate it. Take a look at the gallery, there are nearly 250 inspiring ideas to choose from, you may find others you'd like to cast votes for since you are allowed 5 votes per day ! Voting has been extended until September 25th due to the many technical issues they've been having (I think they should erase all votes, have everyone start over at zero because some people were beating the system and have thousands of votes in two days time!) 

Click the links below to be taken directly to my projects. THANK YOU !

TREE OF LOVE  

https://www.facebook.com/fiskars/app_416658965052303?view_entry=2710209&app_data=view_entry:::2710209

Butterfly Thoughts Frame

https://www.facebook.com/fiskars/app_416658965052303?view_entry=2696738&app_data=view_entry:::2696738

Thanks for looking  =) 

Color Challenge Card #2

This was the first card I made for a new challenge site, Color Me Beautiful. The colors are from Stampin' Up!'s color palette: Basic Gray, Rich Razzleberry, Perfect Plum, Wisteria Wonder and Lucky Limeade - that's a lot to work with !

It was created with My Digital Studio from Stampin' Up! since I don't have all of the colors in actual supplies. Although I was pretty pleased with it,  I decided to make another card that used less white and more of the challenge colors. It was posted yesterday along with the TIP I shared on how to make Wisteria Wonder basic designer digital papers out of colors that are already in the program palette.

This is a 3.5" x 5" tri fold landscape card. If you were to print it, it would fold up so you only saw the large flower on the outside, then it would "grow" when it was opened with stem portion only in the middle, grass and words on the last portion.

I wanted to make a blue sky with designer papers or overlay stamps reduced in opacity , but it would not work properly since I needed to cover the tails of the ribbon bow with paper filled punches. They could not be reduced in opacity to match the background otherwise the tails would show. Of course I could have used Bashful Blue at full opacity for the background,  which I did try but didn't really like. 

My Digital Studio software and items in the program used to make the card:

Stem, Leaves, Grass = Lucky Limeade Grosgrain Ribbon and Bow. Cover the tails of the bows with square punches filled with Whisper White.

Fun Flowers punches filled with Designer Papers - Perfect Plum small polka dot, Rich Razzleberry grid and "Wisteria Wonder" soft flowers. I had no Wisteria Wonder basic designer paper so I made my own. I filled a punch with Almost Amethyst then copied and pasted in place, filled with Perfect Plum paper in the same design and reduced the opacity to 40%. Copy and paste once more, filling with Bashful Blue at 25% opacity. 

Jumbo Pewter Eyelet from the Hodge Podge hardware embellishments set.

Center green brad from Everyday Enchantment embellishments set.

Text box, Basic Gray text for the sentiment, rotated 90 degrees.

Basic Black stitching embellishment around the edges.

Thanks for looking =) 

Color Me Beautiful Challenge #1

There's a new color challenge blog, Color Me Beautiful, that I found out about from an internet blogging friend who made the design team ( congratulations, Margaret !). They posted their very fist challenge this week:

The colors are from Stampin' Up!'s color palette: Basic Gray, Rich Razzleberry, Perfect Plum, Wisteria Wonder and Lucky Limeade - that's a lot to work with ! 

Originally I made a different card, a trifold card with My Digital Studio, but felt it had too much white so I made this one concentrating on using all of the colors. I'll share the other one tomorrow. 

So here is how I made my digital card and a tip for My Digital Studio users.

Basic Gray textured card stock background with Basic Black stitching around the edges for the base.

Three flag punches elongated and filled with small polka dot designer papers: Rich Razzleberry, Perfect Plum, "Wisteria Wonder". Notice that I added quotes around the Wisteria Wonder name? I did that because there is not a digital designer small polka dot paper in Wisteria Wonder, I had to try to create one on my own. 

It will take a little bit of patience as you are trying to line up designs on the papers as well as trying to figure out the color combination, opacity. This process will work well enough to get some colors close enough to those that are not available in the basic digital designer papers if you need to. However,  I've read that MDS2 has a recolor feature that will make it much simpler to recolor items, especially embellishments. I've not seen it first hand though. I'm patiently waiting for the new program to come out on disc (and hopefully go on sale, fingers crossed!!). 

Enough rambling,  here is my TIP, how I made Wisteria Wonder small polka dot designer paper: 

I used a base flag punch of Almost Amethyst small polka dot paper, 100% opacity.

Copy and paste in place, fill with Perfect Plum small polka dot paper at 40% opacity.

Copy and paste in place again, this time fill with Bashful Blue small polka dot paper at 25% opacity. This combination of colors and opacity levels made a fairly close match to a digital  punch I had filled with Wisteria Wonder sitting on top of the project for comparison. I did need to play around with lining up the polka dots a bit (and if you were to look really closely at the image full size you'd see they are not in perfect alignment). I imagine you could do this with any of the basic designer papers that use one color and white to make the digital designer paper, obviously those with more intricate designs would take more work to line up.

Leaves = 5 petal flower punch color filled with Lucky Limeade and enlarged.

Paper Daisies = once I have MDS2 on disc, I will have the capabilities to change colors of embellishments (the digital download trial version took 90 minutes and then didn't work for me)! I did try to add some color to the daisies by adding large drop shadows. Pixel offset is X:0 and Y:0, opacity is 100%, blur is full and I changed the colors to the three purples from the challenge. Drop shadow on the middle flower is Rich Razzleberry. Drop shadow on the top flower is Perfect Plum. Drop Shadow on the center circle punch is Wisteria Wonder. Also, I copied and pasted in place each of the flowers and center circle punch to make the color a bit more intense.

Center circle punch filled with Wisteria Wonder. Add one more circle punch, slightly smaller, filled with white and reduced opacity to 50%. Top off with a stamp image from Punch Bunch in Basic Black.

Thanks for looking =) 

Note: I know that some of the items from My Digital Studio can be recolored in Photoshop Elements, but it will be so much easier to do within the same program as I am working on a project in My Digital Studio once I get MDS2.

"Show Us The Possibilities" Contest Voting Begins Today

EDITED 6PM CST:

The links that were sent to the entrants did not work this morning, but they've since figured out why and told us how to fix them. I have them posted under each photo below. It is really easy, I just cast 5 votes myself ;) Simply click on the word VOTE by the picture of the project on the fiskars facebook page, that is all there is to it ! Then again, I am already registered with them and "like" them so , maybe that is why it was so quick and easy for me ? You can click it 5 times (or go to the gallery to find more to vote for) then it will give you a message to come back to vote again tomorrow. Thank you!

Tree Of Love

VOTE HERE

 Butterfly Thoughts

VOTE HERE

Be sure to stop by the Fiskars page on facebook, "like" it then check out the gallery of ideas submitted to their contest. You can vote up to five times per day now through 11:59 p.m. CT 09/16/2012. 

I've submitted the two projects above, Tree Of Love and Butterfly Thoughts. You can see more about them on my blog by clicking the titles. 

I checked the gallery at 8 AM Monday morning (9/3/2012) and my projects were on pages 6 (last entry on the page)  and 7 (fifth entry down).  There are almost 250 inspiring entries to look at. Up to the top 20 projects that receive the most votes will be considered finalists. The judges are going to have a difficult time choosing the top winners !

"Entries will be featured for online viewing through the Fiskars Facebook tab. Click Contest tab and follow instructions to vote. Voting begins at 09/03/2012. Voting closes at 11:59 p.m. CT 09/16/2012. Only five votes per person/email address/authorized email account per day. Up to 20 entries receiving the most votes will be designated as Finalists, subject to verification and validation. Vote totals will be displayed on the voting site. The Finalists' entries will then be judged by a panel of Fiskars Brands judges, who will rate the entries according to the following scale:

1. Creative use of the element - 10 points
2. Execution of the project - 10 points (Attention to detail - 4 points; Craftsmanship - 4 points; Clarity/quality of image - 2 points)

The five top Finalists will be declared Grand Prize winners, and up to five additional Finalists will be First Prize winners."

Many Thanks for the votes
should you decide to cast 
any for my projects =)

Round Easel Card

Stands up for display

Folds flat to mail

This is a round easel card. Basic instructions for an easel card can be found here.

All supplies used are from Stampin' Up!, unless otherwise noted.

Round scalloped edge note cards and envelope, Baja Breeze

Sweet Sentiments stamp set, inside

Happy Everything stamp set, outside

Build A Blossom stamp set and coordinating punch

Scalloped edge border punch

Corduroy Button

Embossing folder

Stampin' Pastels

Whisper White card stock

So Saffron card stock and ink

Certainly Celery card stock and ink

Chocolate Chip card stock and ink

Ribbon, bought at a craft store

Cropodile hole punch

I originally wanted to add little stick on pearls along the scalloped edge, but I did not have enough. I decided the punched holes along the edge would work well. I used a Cropodile hole punch so I could set the depth gauge on it, hoping to make the hole punches more uniform. Slide the scalloped edge in until it hits the depth gauge, eyeball the center and punch with the smaller of the two hole punches.

Cut out a circle of Whisper White card stock for the front and the folded piece for the inside. Cut out a circle of Chocolate Chip card stock slightly larger than the Whisper White piece for the front. 

Fold the top piece of the inside portion in half once more to make the "easel". Glue the entire bottom of the folded white card to the bottom Baja Breeze scalloped edge card. Glue the top only of the folded top piece to the inside of the top scalloped edge Baja Breeze card. You want to leave the bottom half of the top folded part (the part that is between the two folds) free, not glued down to anything so you can fold the card up into the easel position. Once again, a tutorial can be found here

Run the upper portion of the front piece of white through the Big Shot with an embossing folder. Lightly brush on Stampin' Pastels to the raised portions. Glue to the circle of Chocolate Chip card stock.

Cut two pieces of Chocolate Chip card stock the length of the Whisper White pieces and 3" wide. Punch the bottom edges of each with the scallop edge punch and tear along the top edge, lightly distress. Adhere a strip of ribbon along each.

Glue the decorative strips to the front and the inside of the card.

Stamp underneath each strip with Chocolate Chip ink.

Stamp and punch out the flower petals and leaves. Sponge ink along the edges of the leaves. Glue all of them down onto a small circle scrap of card stock. Punch a hole in the center, insert the button brad.

Attach to the front of the card.

This card will require extra postage.

Thanks for looking =)