Saturday, May 26, 2012

Red, White and Blue

We're celebrating Memorial Day Weekend here in the good old USA.  This is the time where we remember those who served in our military to protect our shores, our people and our way of life.  I'm a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution and I'm very patriotic, I love my country and my flag.  I've done many art projects that have our flag as the design feature, such as this beaded pin below, it's small, about 2x3 inches in size.  The 13 star design is called our "Betsy Ross" flag - our first, celebrating the 13 colonies.
I also did this fused glass platter, which is large, approx. 17 inches in diameter.  I designed it, cut the glass, cutting the stars was a challenge, I had to use a glass saw to do those, laid it out, it was fused in a kiln, then placed in a platter form and slumped in a 2nd firing.  The glass is iridescent.  I'm pretty proud of this piece!
This necklace and earrings I called my "9/11 Beads" - as I began crafting them the day after the terrorist attacks on New York City and Washington DC.  It was the only thing that I could do to demonstrate my patriotism to my country, so I worked on them as I worked through being devastated by what happened to the poor people who were killed and affected by the attacks.  I wear these often.
I wear a barrette to keep my hair up, so I beaded this one and I wear it every single day.  
In our family room, we have a remembrance wall.  There is a photo of my husband in his uniform from when he served in the Army during the Vietnam war.  To the right of it is a shadow box with his military medals such as the Distinguished Flying Cross, Air Medal, Purple Heart and others, including his dog tags, etc.  Atop that frame is a photo of him during flight school next to a Huey.  He flew as a Scout with the 1st Air Cav in a small observation helicopter.  He has no photos of his time in Vietnam as he was severely wounded in action while flying his helicopter there and lost all of his belongings when he was medically evacuated to a hospital ship. He was sent on to Japan for more surgery and then on to Madigan Army Hospital near Seattle, Washington where he was in traction for 5 months.  There is an inch and 5/8s missing from his left leg, but he does pretty well with it.

My Father served in the US Marines in WW II in the Pacific. He went in on the first wave at Iwo Jima with his company of over 200, with only 17 were not wounded or killed after the month-long battle.  He was proud of being a Marine and his service and attended several Marine reunions over the years - where he was awarded this plaque.  That's my Dad in the little photo above, I found this in his box of photos, he must have had it done and sent to my Mom.
A close up of the text on his beloved plaque.
Below are my father's medals he was awarded, he was offered a Purple Heart for a small wound, which he refused - he said the ones who REALLY deserved them were dead. 
We think a lot about our military and their dedication to our country this weekend, but as you can see, we think about them all year and appreciate our guys every day.  Tomorrow we're going to the cemetery to clean and shine up my Dad's grave marker, take him some flowers and visit. :-) Then we'll go on to our son Shawn's house for a tri-tip steak dinner.  
I just had to add this photo I took a few weeks ago of the American flag.  I hope you remember your service people where ever you live this weekend.  ((hugs)), Teresa :-) 

22 comments:

  1. Wow Mrs. Teresa, you truly are a woman of many talents! I love the plate you made. I love your memorial wall. Great post!

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  2. I love, love all your projects!

    I loved seeing the photos and war medals, too.

    Blessings always :)

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  3. I love this Memorial Post. Love to you and yours :) xxx

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  4. That plate looks great, Teresa!

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  5. I wish I had the money to hop on a plane, fly to Portland and visit my Dad's (and Mom's)grave at Willamette! It could use some cleaning too!

    Love this post! I need to get my Grandfather's as well as my Dad's medals in a shadow box. I've never done it and I don't know what I'm waiting for! Hugs, Annette

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  6. God Bless your husband and father, Teresa. And all of those who served and/or are serving this great country of ours. Your art work and creations are wonderful! You are a true artist!
    Hugs. kris

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  7. The plate you made is fabulous Teresa. Anne x

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  8. I love all your patriotic art pieces. Beautiful! I so agree with you that our Military members have done much for us and we owe them a lot. Thank you for this special Memorial Day post!

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  9. Well done Teresa, great post.
    Have a wonderful weekend,
    Meredith

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  10. A big thanks to the men in your family and the others who have served our country. Thank you for sharing their stories. Happy Memorial Day!
    ~Lacey

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  11. Thank you for men and women like your family and thank you for sharing the family memories with us. Enjoy your weekend and your dinner with your son.

    ~Chris

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  12. Thank you for investing your life in caring for our country, Dayle. I truly appreciate your service. And Teresa, I appreciate your service to our nation too, as you honor those in your family and others who have invested in our freedom. Thank you for sharing their stories and for all the beauty you create that reminds you and others of the great blessing we have to live as we do. May you and yours have a great day tomorrow<3

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  13. As a few others have said, you certainly have many talents. The plate you made is fabulous and very special. Have a nice Memorial Day. xoxox

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  14. Such an interesting post Teresa. Your crafts are beautiful and, as you may know, my husband is in the forces here in the UK and was injured in Afghanistan so your remembrance wall is of special interest to me. Thank you for sharing it with us.

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  15. I adore all your projects, you put your heart in each of them and made them unique and wonderful. You are really a talented artist! Thank you for sharing those photos with us, I enjoyed them all!
    Have a great Memorial Day!
    Best wishes, LS

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  16. A huge THANK YOU to your husband and anyone else in your family who served. My husband is also a Vietnam vet. I have a scrapbook in the works of all the things he saved from when he was in the service. We have several people in our families who have served in all the different branches of the service, Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines, but no Coast Guard. I also have a lot of love of this country, so much so that I became a naturalized US citizen in my early 30's. I have lived here since I was about 3 years old. My living room is decorated in old Americana and both of my children followed suit and decided they liked it so much they carried the red, white and blue theme into their own homes. You have made some nice patriotic things for yourself and your home. I love the display on the wall.
    Hope you are enjoying your weekend.
    Susanne :)

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  17. I hope you had a wonderful weekend Teresa. You must be very proud of the service men in your family,
    Jane x

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  18. Beautiful post Teresa ♥
    You make such amazing items. And pictures are wonderful.

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  19. A special and thoughtful post, Teresa. I hope you had a wonderful Memorial Day. You must feel so proud of the service men in your family, and how special it is that you honour them. I love the red white and blue beaded makes....they are so beautifully crafted.
    Wishing you a very happy week.
    Helen x

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  20. What an amazing Remembrance Wall! I particularly like the Betsy Ross Pin, beautiful!

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  21. I wanted to thank you for this great read!! I definitely enjoying every little bit of it I have you bookmarked to check out new stuff you post

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  22. Thank you to your family for their service...They make what we have so special. It's very humbling.

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