Operation Write Home Memorial Day Weekend Blog Hop

Welcome!  This is the third blog hop that I've had the honor to be involved with this wonderful organization.  You will notice that lots of others have also been involved with this organization for an extended amount of time for many reasons, but the most important reason is to SUPPORT OUR TROOPS! 

For those that would like to keep up on Operation Write Home when you're on facebook, go on over to the OWH facebook page and "like them" (become a fan) so you can keep up on all of the different blogs, pick up some occasional freebies, see what the new challenges are or even hear some stories or see some pictures from the soldiers or families that receive some of our cards! 

You are at blog #42 in this hop.  If you got here from Tammy's blog, My Craft Central, then you are in the right place!  If not, you can start at the beginning of the hop at the Stars and Stamps blog.  If you find a broken link, you can also go back to the Stars and Stamps blog to find your next blog.  You can also  continue from my blog since there are over 140 blogs involved in the hop this weekend.

The reason I got involved with Operation Write Home was that I used to make cards for my daughter's unit, the 220th Colorado Army National Guard MP Unit, while they were in Iraq. The soldiers were so appreciative of all the cards I made them to send home to their families. When I heard about this organization from my daughter, I knew I could continue making cards for the troops even though I didn't have a particular soldier to send them to anymore. We used to be able to send boxes or letters to Any Soldier, but since the events of September 11th, this is considered too much of a security issue.

"There is a myth about the origin of Taps that is circulating about the Internet. The true story is that in July 1862, after the Seven Days battles at Harrison's Landing (near Richmond), Virginia, the wounded Commander of the 3rd Brigade, 1st Division, V Army Corps, Army of the Potomac, General Daniel Butterfield reworked, with his bugler Oliver Wilcox Norton, another bugle call, "Scott Tattoo," to create Taps. He thought that the regular call for Lights Out was too formal. Taps was adopted throughout the Army of the Potomac and finally confirmed by orders. Soon other Union units began using Taps, and even a few Confederate units began using it as well. After the war, Taps became an official bugle call. Col. James A. Moss, in his Officer's Manual first published in 1911, gives an account of the initial use of Taps at a military funeral:

"During the Peninsular Campaign in 1862, a soldier of Tidball's Battery A of the 2nd Artillery was buried at a time when the battery occupied an advanced position concealed in the woods. It was unsafe to fire the customary three volleys over the grave, on account of the proximity of the enemy, and it occurred to Capt. Tidball that the sounding of Taps would be the most appropriate ceremony that could be substituted."
Words to Taps
(Note: there are no "official" words to Taps. The words below are the most popular.)

Day is done, Gone the sun,
From the hills, From the lake, From the skies.
All is well, Safely rest,
God is nigh.

Go to sleep, Peaceful sleep,
May the soldier or sailor, God keep.
On the land or the deep,
Safe in sleep.

Love, good night, Must thou go,
When the day, And the night, Need thee so?
All is well, Speedeth all
To their rest.

Fades the light; And afar
Goeth day, And the stars, Shineth bright,
Fare thee well; Day has gone,
Night is on.

Thanks and praise, For our days,
'Neath the sun, 'Neath the stars, 'Neath the sky,
As we go, This we know,
God is nigh.

http://www.usmemorialday.org/taps.html

The first card I made for today uses stamps by Firecracker Designs by Pamela.  I actually won this stamp set from another OWH blogger, Shelley Schmidt.  Ironically, she is also using this stamp set today and is also offering this set as BLOG CANDY!!!!  All of the papers I used are from my stash and the ribbon is May Arts.  I stamped the image with Memories Midnight Blue ink and colored it with colored pencils and blended the colors with blending stumps and OMS.  Kaisercraft made those awesome pearls and I got the little soldier in an assortment at Hobby Lobby.  The edges are cut with Fiskars decorative scissors.

The next card uses a retired Stampin' Up! wolf stamp that is stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black Ink.  The other stamp is by D.O.T.S. and is embossed with embossing ink and Stamp-n Stuff EP.  The embossed star paper is from Hobby Lobby and the card stock by The Paper Studio.  The blue ribbon is May Arts and the other is from my stash.  Silver Peel-Off Stickers are by The Paper Studio.  I used a American Crafts silver metallic marker to fill in the heart and words.  No glitter is allowed on these cards, but we can always use our trusty bling like this from K&Company.

I love to make cards for the kids!  This adorable digital stamp is created by Sassy Cheryl's.  I just adore her images, and she is actually having a sale this weekend, and she has some adorable patriotic images, too.  I printed this image from my printer and immediately heat embossed it with clear EP.  This image is also  colored with colored pencils and baby oil.  As you can probably tell, I was able to use up a bunch of my paper scraps. :o)  The oval is a Bazill piece, the red stars by The Paper Studio, the checked pieces by Creative Memories and the rest of the pieces are from my stashes.  The mulberry star has also been in my stash forever.  The rub-ons are by Mini-Marks by American Crafts, and the saying is by Sassy Studio.  I love getting bargains, so I snagged up several different colors of leis at the Dollar Store, and used some of flowers from them on this card.  The princess brads are another eBay find. 

What's a blog hop without BLOG CANDY?????  One lucky commenter will have a choice between an Art Warehouse clear acrylic stamp set OR a $10 gift Certificate for digital stamps from Michelle Perkett Studio!!!  The winner will be chosen on Monday June 1st.  Of course, I'd love for you to be a follower, but it's not necessary to win.  I hope you're enjoying the hop so far.  There's much more to see, so keep on hopping!

Your next stop on the hop is at the multi-talented Jan Hunnicut's blog, she's gone stamping.  You may also know Jan from the Stars and Stamps blog, so make sure and give her some love for all of her work there too!

For those of you that don't already know, my daughter, Sgt. Chelsey Burgess, is finally pregnant after trying for over five years!!!!!  She's due on December 31st, so she won't be deployed again this year.

~~  Lee  ~~