Thursday, April 16, 2020






April 2020 Stampin Friends Blog Hop
Welcome to this month's blog!  I am hoping that you are well and surviving the quarantine.  Better days are coming!
 I hope you have come from Jo's blog.  There is a list of the other Stampin Friends at the end of my blog.  I hope you will take the time to visit them all and see their beautiful projects.  We love it when you make comments!


Our theme this month is All About Flowers and Moms.
I created two cards and a mini banner this month.
Many of my fellow bloggers have beautifully highlighted Stampin' Up!'s Peaceful Poppies Suite. I saved it for this month's blog because red poppies have a special place in my heart.  Both my mother and mother-in-law loved flowers and especially red poppies!  They are both gone now, but I created a card and mini banner in their honor.  The second card is in honor of my husband's maternal grandfather, Julius Beccari, an Italian immigrant who was a U.S. soldier during WWI.


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The red poppy is often associated with World War I because of a poem written by brigade surgeon John McRae.   I have included the first verse:
 “In Flanders Field”

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.



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The wearing of Remembrance Day poppies became popular after WWI.  The artificial flower was sold by veterans’ groups to raise money for servicemen and servicewomen.  The American Legion brought the tradition to the United States and asked Congress to set aside the Friday before Memorial Day as Poppy Day.

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My husband’s maternal grandfather was an Italian immigrant who came to America with some cousins when he was a very young man.  He didn’t return to his little mountain village, Cervarezza, until he was 70!  Red poppies were one of his favorite flowers.  They must have reminded him of home, because when we visited his village in 2006, we saw fields  alive with them!  He served in the U.S. Army in WWI and was active in the American Legion.

  
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My mother grew up during the Great Depression and WWII.  She was a patriotic, civil minded woman who also belonged to the American Legion.  One of their activities was to “sell” red poppies for people to wear in remembrance of fallen soldiers on Poppy Day.  I can still see her with her bouquet of “artificial” red poppies as she started out on her mission.  She loved to visit with folks on the street and always sold out her batch of red poppies. 
My dear mother-in-law served as registered nurse in the U.S. Army during WWII.

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 Here are the links for my blogging friends:
Jean Bolen Beaulieu (You are here.)
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For the cards and banner I used these Stampin' Up! products.
Card 1 and Mini Banner:
Peaceful Poppies Sequins  (151325)
Poppy Parade, Old Olive, Whisper White, Calypso Coral, Mossy Meadow, and Basic Black Card Stock
Peaceful Poppies Designer Series Paper  (151324)
Peaceful Moments Bundle--stamp set and dies(153824) 
Painted Poppies Bundle--stamp set and dies (153827)
Hand-lettered Prose Dies (149550)
Black Memento Ink (132708)
Hillside Scene Card:
Waterfront Stamp Set (146386)
Sponges (141337)
Painted Poppies Stamp Set

 If you see some Stampin' Up! products that you can't live without, I am here to help!  Need a hardcopy catalog?  I can get one for you!  Want to order online?  Shop my "store" 24/7.
Here's my link:  http://danantmom.stampinup.net/
My April Host Code is 7TUXESFB.
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