Cooking With Cricut Challenge: Memorial Day & Stitching

Happy Wednesday!  Our challenge with week at Cooking With Cricut was to create a project in honor of Memorial Day and that must include stitching -- real or faux.

First a little history lesson:  Did you know that Memorial Day, originally called Decoration Day, is a day of remembrance for those who have died in our nation's service?   Memorial Day was officially proclaimed on 5 May 1868 by General John Logan, national commander of the Grand Army of the Republic and was first observed on 30 May 1868, when flowers were placed on the graves of Union and Confederate soldiers at Arlington National Cemetery.

Traditional observance of Memorial day has diminished over the years. Many Americans have forgotten the meaning and traditions of Memorial Day. Some people think the day is for honoring any and all dead, and not just those fallen in service to our country.   There are a few notable exceptions. Since the late 50's on the Thursday before Memorial Day, the 1,200 soldiers of the 3d U.S. Infantry place small American flags at each of the more than 260,000 gravestones at Arlington National Cemetery. They then patrol 24 hours a day during the weekend to ensure that each flag remains standing. In 1951, the Boy Scouts and Cub Scouts of St. Louis began placing flags on the 150,000 graves at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery as an annual Good Turn, a practice that continues to this day. More recently, beginning in 1998, on the Saturday before the observed day for Memorial Day, the Boys Scouts and Girl Scouts place a candle at each of approximately 15,300 grave sites of soldiers buried at Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park on Marye's Heights. And in 2004, Washington D.C. held its first Memorial Day parade in over 60 years.

To help re-educate and remind Americans of the true meaning of Memorial Day, the "National Moment of Remembrance" resolution was passed on Dec 2000 which asks that at 3 p.m. local time, for all Americans "To voluntarily and informally observe in their own way a Moment of remembrance and respect, pausing from whatever they are doing for a moment of silence or listening to 'Taps."   The Moment of Remembrance is a step in the right direction to returning the meaning back to the day. What is needed is a full return to the original day of observance. Set aside one day out of the year for the nation to get together to remember, reflect and honor those who have given their all in service to their country.

My project is a simple "thank you" card.  My card base is white card stock and measures 5 1/2" square. 

The stitched star mat is a digital paper I downloaded from FreeDigital Scrapbooking.com.  The flag is clip art that I printed out.  All of the other paper is from my scrap stash.  I used the following cartridges:

Paper Doll Dress Up:  Sailor boy cut at 3" tall and the wagon is 2" wide. 

Everyday Paper Doll:  Puppy cut at 1 1/4" tall.

Cindy Loo:  Thank You cut at 4 1/2" wide.

Cupcake Wrappers:  Stars cut at 3/4" wide.

Thanks so much for taking the time to check out my project.  Please hop on over to Cooking With Cricut and check out what the rest of the Design Team has whipped up for you.  And don't forget to link up your special Memorial Day project -- you could be this week's "Top Chef." 

A special "thank you" to each and every soldier and their loved ones -- past, present and future.  I know that we've never met, but I want you to know that I'm praying for you.  I honor you.  I'm waiting for your return.  On this Memorial Day and every day, please know that you are being thought of.  May God bless you and keep you.

~ Jen