Veteran’s Day has always held a lot of meaning in my family. My dad is a Korean War Veteran. His brother, Abraham, died fighting in WWII, when my dad was only 10. In my childhood, my dad served in the Air Force and we moved with him from Texas to Wisconsin to Nebraska. My brother attended West Point and served his time in the Army. His wife also served in the Army, although they did not meet until they were private citizens again later in life. All these details color how I feel about the heroes who serve our country everyday and it’s why I think Operation Write Home is such a great organization.
I’m participating in the OWH Blog Hop today and sharing a couple cards I created for the occasion. Some of my most treasured possessions are the letters my dad wrote to my 9-year-old self when he was stationed overseas in Turkey. He’s not the most emotional man, but those letters are special because they showed me a side of him I might never have experienced. Making a card for a soldier to write home to his family might give some child, missing his mom or dad, a treasure.
My card creations are digital — I’m a completely digital gal when it comes to creating cards. I put handmade touches once they’re printed with punches and lining the envelopes. Here’s the AnyHero card I’ll be sending and it features a photo I took of Scout the Dog. I think there must be many heroes missing their pets. I know I would.
And here’s my simple valentine…
If you’ve stuck with me this far, I’m giving away these custom holiday tags (seen below) from my store today! The tags can be customized to say anything you’d like for holiday gift giving: Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Joy Joy!, really anything. And your family name or your own name can be printed on them, as well. To enter, you just need to sign up for the RiverDog Prints Newsletter by clicking here and leaving a comment below that you signed up. Each month, the newsletter offers free PDF printables, special offers for cynthomas.com and highlights the causes and charities I support, like OWH!
Your next stop in the Hop is Wendy’s Wee Bit of Whimsy. Not only does she make some very cute and inventive cards, her stamping buddies are none other than her dogs, Biscuit and Lucy. That’s a girl after my own heart. Let me send you on your way over to Wendy’s Wee Bit of Whimsy and thanks for stopping by!
Awww I love Scout the dog!! Thanks so much for sharing about your family’s service…such a heritage. Have you ever posted any of the letters your dad wrote you?
Thanks for joining in the hop!!
Sandy
I haven’t posted the letters, but what a great idea! I’ll definitely do that in an upcoming post. Thanks Sandy!
Great digital cards & a great story!
I absolutely love your digital prints. So wonderful to meet a fellow dog lover.
Wendy
Love your cards! Well done. The dog card touches my heart!
great card, love that photo!
Beautiful cards!
great digital cards!
Thanks your family for all of their service! Terrific photo. I’d miss my pets too!
Cute little tags and neat story, I bet those letters are so precious.
Fantastic digital cards! LOVE the sentiment on the dog card! Thanks for sharing!
Lovely items.. Thanks for participating in the hop and making it a success. Hugs, Peggy
This is such a heartening venture. Here in Canada, the painting guild I belong to also creates and sends cards for our troops. They range from painted, thru to stamped and embossed cards in every style imaginable and are received with great appreciation. It’s such a little thing we can do for our heroes!
~ Shelley
What a great card! Love all these neat new blogs I’ve found on this hop 🙂
Thanks everybody for stopping by! I’m still hopping on and off, in between being a mom. See you all on your blogs!
Love your cards! Especially the one with Scout. Thanks for sharing your awesome work!
Super great card! Thanks for supporting OWH!
I love your cards. That dog one is cute. TFS.
Love this! I signed up to get the newsletter. Thanks so much for sharing with us in the bloghop.
Awesome cards! What a wonderful crafty and supportive thing we can do for our troops! God bless them, and you!
carlagade [at] gmail [dot] com
Gorgeous cards I especially like the first one
thanks for hoppin!
Your cards are fantastic!
Just became a Subscriber to your newsletter.
Great cards.
{hugs}
M.E.
Hi, Cyn,
First of all, I’d like to thank to your Dad’s serving in Korea as I am a Korean.
Your cards are beautiful. Thanks for sharing.
Signed up for the newslatter.. love your digital art!
I subscribed this hop and love your work. Thanks for supporting OWH. Hugs, Loni
Great Valentine…love the heart circle…
I love that you included Scout in your cards. So many of our heros have left pets behind and I think these cards will really resonate with many of them.
What neat things for card lovers 🙂 Thanks for sharing!
Haw thoughtful, to remember our heroes’ pets–and what a handsome card with Scout! Can’t wait to see more inspiration from your newsletter. . . .
How fun to make digi cards and finish them off after printing – they look great. The photo of the dog is awesome! Cute tag too. 🙂
Great digi cards. Nice to hear the story of your dad’s letters. Thank you for supporting OWH
Great digi cards! I am proud to be one of your neighbors on the OWH blog hop! Have an awesome day! ~Michelle 🙂