Category Archives: God Bless America

Happy Flag Day Greetings

Carta Bella God Bless America Greeting Card by Kathy Clement Photo 01

Happy Flag Day Greetings with Carta Bella God Bless America

Hello, Friends!  Happy Flag Day to all my American followers.  This is the day when Americans celebrate the Stars & Stripes.  I was thinking about this yesterday morning, and decided to pop in the studio to make a quick card to share with all of you today.

Flag Day and My Childhood

Growing up in the 50’s and 60’s in rural Vermont, Flag Day was a true holiday. Everyone flew the flag in one way or another.

Since our elementary school didn’t start summer recess until the last week of June, we were still in class.  If Flag Day fell on a week day, we observed it with some lovely traditions.

Preparations were made well in advance of the day.  We made American Flags from red, white and blue construction paper. We learned about Betsy Ross, and knew that we celebrated Flag Day because the Stars and Stripes became our official national flag on June 14, 1777.  The meaning behind the colors was always reviewed (red for courage, blue for vigilance and justice, and white for purity.) 

We practiced “bringing in the colors” with small American flags on sticks.  Some lucky child was picked to lead the rest of the class in the Pledge of Allegiance.  And we always sang our favorite patriotic songs like the chorus to  You’re a Grand Old Flag, This is My Country, There Are Many Flags of Many Lands, God Bless America, and My Country ‘Tis of Thee,   The grand finale was always The Star Spangled Banner.  We knew all the verses, and we sang them all, too!

The portraits of George Washington and Abraham Lincoln smiled down on our enthusiastic renditions of these tunes, our little hearts swelled with pride in our nation, and we all felt like one big happy family.

I miss those days.  How about you?  Every nation should have a day that celebrates their country’s colors and history in such a meaningful way.

About the Card

This is a simple layered 5 1/2″ square top fold card.  Here’s how it came together:

  • Begin with a 5 1/2″ x 11″ panel of navy cardstock. Score it in half at 5 1/2″ to make a to fold card base.
  • Next, center a 5 1/4″ square panel of white cardstock over the navy blue and adhere.
  • Now mat a 4 7/8″ square of the blue floral paper on a slighlty larger square of navy blue.
  • Then mat this on a 5 1/8″ square of red cardstock.
  • Now mat a 2 1/2″ x 4 3/4″ panel of the plaid paper on navy blue cardstock and adhere on the left hand side of the card.
  • Next, mat the 3″ x 4″ image on slightly larger pieces of navy blue and red cardstock.  Center and adhere as seen in the photo.
  • Next, adhere banner flags from the ephemera pack under a pinwheel and attach to the image.
  • Finally add a bow and flowers in the corner.  Tuck glitter stars in between the flowers to finish.
A Peek Inside

Here’s a peek at the inside.  I almost printed out the words to the Pledge of Allegiance and added them on the top.  But then I thought a sentiment panel was a better idea.

Thanks for letting me share my childhood memories of Flag Day with you today.  I’d love to hear about yours in the comment section below.

Happy Flag Day, my friends!

Cheerio,

kathy

SUPPLY LIST

Button Farm Club Patriotic Celebration Kit Reveal

Carta Bella God Bless America Patriotic Celebration Kit by Kathy Clement Photo 01

Button Farm Club Patriotic Celebration Kit Reveal with Carta Bella God Bless America

Hello, Friends!  Memorial Day seems like the perfect date to share this Button Farm Club Patriotic Celebration Kit Reveal.  Happy Memorial Day, my friends!  How thankful I am for all the selfless men and women who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom.  We owe them a debt of gratitude that can never be repaid.  Today we pause to remember them all, and then we enjoy the liberty they fought for as we gather with our friends, neighbors and families to celebrate the Red, White and Blue!

God Bless America!

I’ve been planning this kit since the end of December 2020!  The minute I saw Carta Bella’s God Bless America collection, I  knew I wanted to use it to help usher in Memorial Day, Flag Day and the 4th of July.  If you love the Red, White and Blue…as I do…and you are a fan of Vintage Americana, then I think you are going to love this kit.  It’s one of the best I’ve created thus far for Button Farm Club.  It’s got a little bit of everything in it: Mini Album, Home Decor, Memory Keeping and even a couple of cards and tags.

The anchor of this kit is this vibrant 6″ x 9″ mini album.  It’s not just a great place to keep all those wonderful family photos from summer fun; it doubles as home décor!  The dimensional cover features this fabulous vintage fire engine, handmade rosettes and handmade mini pinwheels.  And of course, the tutorial shows you how easy it is to make those handmade embellishments.

But just like a great fireworks display, this album has some unexpected delights.

Red, White and Blue Banner

I thought to myself…”How fun would it be to build a box pocket mini album with a red, white and blue banner tucked inside?”  So I did it!  And I ‘m so glad I did!

The mini album also has loads of room for photos and journaling thanks to a flip page/pocket/waterfall feature.

The Exploding Box

Every great 4th of July celebration includes fireworks.  So I build an exploding box mini album into this kit.

Thanks to all the flips and flaps inside this clever little box, you’ll find even more room to add photos of your family celebrations.

Patriotic Cards

Even after creating all these wonderful kit elements, I found enough paper to create a couple of beautiful patriotic cards.  So I added a special bonus tutorial showing you how to make them along with a set of sweet little red, white and blue tags.

When you put this whole ensemble on display together , it makes a real visual impact.  I have it on display in my studio right now, and I just love it!

What Comes in the Kit

Everything you need to make the items seen here comes in your kit.  Just add basic crafting supplies like adhesives and tools like scissors, paper trimmers, and scoreboard.  (If you decide to make the bonus cards, you will need to add 2 sheets of 8 ½” x 11” cream cardstock to the kit supplies. )

Kit supplies:

  • Carta Bella God Bless America 12×12 Collection Kit (comes with stickers) 12 sheets of double-sided textured cardstock
  • 2 additional sheets of God Bless America cardstock
  • God Bless America Solids: 6 sheets of color-matched textured cardstock
  • Frames and Tags Ephemera Pack
  • God Bless America Ephemera Pack
  • Enameled Patriotic Charms (2 per kit)
  • 2 yards Red Lipstick Ribbon
  • 1 yard each red, white and blue burlap string
  • 12×12 chipboard sheet for making the album base
  • Little Birdie Flowers
  • Basic Written Guide
  • Private Links to Video Tutorials that you can watch over and over again
How to Order

The price for the kit is only $49.49!  I can’t even believe that!  You can order your kit today at The Button Farm Club.

If you’d like to see this kit in action, please enjoy this 10 minute video tour.

Ok, my friends!  That’s it for me!  I hope you all have a wonderful Memorial Day, and take a moment to give thanks for the fact that we live in the Home of the Free because of the Brave!

God Bless America!

Cheerio,

kathy