Where Have all the Flowers Gone?

Welcome to this stop on the Cards for Heroes Blog Hop! If you are new here, welcome, friend. If you've been here before, well, hello friend.

**This post will remain at the top of my blog until Monday - scroll down for newer posts**

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Hard to express the depth of gratitude that we all have to our brave defenders, past present and future. I will ask you to do one thing and then I will give you something and show you some art.

I ask you to remember this weekend that each one of your rights is simply a derivative of our right to freedom. This most sacred treasure is in the hands of the beloved, the missed, the brave defenders in whose veins runs unimaginable courage and a passionate devotion to your right to do whatever you're doing this weekend. And every other weekend.

I give you flowers, in song and ink. Poppies, which normally mark Armistice Day (Our Veteran's Day, and also Remembrance Day) are symbolic around the world of the fallen heroes immortalized in this poem - In Flander's Fields - which I cannot read, even for the thousandth time, without completely losing it.

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved, and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

So for my first card, I give you poppies.
This card is made with the Stampin' Up! Botanicals set and colored with reinkers.

Next, I give you red white and blue daisies from Inspired by Nature. I stamped them in bleach on black and then colored them with pencils, ink and a white gel pen. I'll put a tutorial underneath this post later today so that you can get on about the hop! But come on back for a step by step.

Speaking of the hop - I am AMAZED at the new talent I've discovered in this group. The next blog belongs to an amazing mom - Windy Robinson - of two teenies - a four year old and a one year old - about whom there are great stories on her blog. My fave is the one about the coin toss, so be sure and check out the rest of her blog while you're there. Her crisp and modern, clean style will WOW you.

I'm very grateful to have the opportunity to say thank you to our brave men and women in uniform by being a part of this incredible event this weekend. The website behind all this patriotic and artistic magic is here - please be sure and visit after the hop. These women are doing amazing things. I hope you have a safe and happy weekend.

To go to the next blog - Card and Page by the amazing Windy - click here

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