Happy Canada Day

When you say July Long weekend, I believe that most people automatically think  red white and blue, stars and stripes, July 4th (a very important day).  But if you ask someone just above the 49th parallel what July Long is (we omit the weekend part) you'll find a country full of proud people-polite proud people, but still proud.  We're not overt in our pride, it would be rare to find one of us wearing a maple leaf shirt, or earrings, or windbreaker but we do celebrate our day in our way.  Canada Day is July 1st.  Today I'm flying from my new adoptive home of Vancouver, over the majestic Rocky Mountains to my childhood home of Saskatchewan   A province so flat, so treeless it's almost unimaginable that BC and Saskatchewan can be a part of the same country!

I'm proud to be Canadian-fiercely proud.  I love my country and while we have our issues and struggles, (and sometimes I feel like running away to Europe) I love Canada.  I'm proud of who we are, and who we are perceived to be.  Yes, I will apologize if someone accidentally bumps into me, and I say "zed" instead of "zee" and I like it that way!  Honour is spelled with a 'u', and yes I have a plaid shirt, I like poutine and if need be I can get through a conversation in BOTH official languages!

So, where did all this Canadiana come from?  Well in my peruse through blogland this week I saw MANY  July 4th themed projects and I wanted to make a Canada Day Project!  This particular project has a special sentimental meaning to me!  Last February Ty & I attended the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics!  At the Opening Ceremonies I was a complete mess-crying, singing, smiling, clapping, it was an amazing experience.  And even though I have an official program of the games and 2 limited edition souvenir books we got as part of our ticket I can't bear to cut them up.  Also I've been hoarding my Olympic quarters, not wanting to spend them. 
So I created a Framed Canada Souvenir (and I know I'm the only one who has one!) 
 

I used a wonderful poem called "We Are More" by Canadian Slam Poet Shane Koyczan, who performed this poem during the 2010 Opening Ceremonies.  To see him perfrom a snipet check out this link.  And to read the full poem click here.  If you're not Canadian, you'll want to be after reading that poem!  Unfortunately I had to edit the poem down to fit on a 8.5x11 piece of paper for framing, but I think I kept the best parts! I also like that as I re-arranged the poem it ended up looking a bit like a inukshuk. Then I printed it on  white cardstock.  I then placed the poem on a black mat the size of the frame.  On the black mat I attached the Olympic coins, symmetrically around the white paper.  Then I popped the whole thing in the frame! TA DA!