Honoring our Veterans

Memorial Day is this Monday, May 27th.  It is a US federal holiday which occurs every year on the last Monday of May. Memorial Day is to remember the men and women who died while serving in the United States Armed Forces.  Formerly known as Decoration Day, it originated after the American Civil War to commemorate both the Union and Confederate Soldiers who had died.

A great way to remember those who have given their lives while serving, is to help and honor those still alive who have served. 

Memorial Day 2013: Honor the Fallen by Lifting Up Veterans

by, Christine Pelosi CoFounder, DNC Veterans and Military Families Council

"As the president reminds us, our moment of national reflection should not be just a minute, but a sustained commitment to honor the fallen by lifting up our veterans."

SUPPORT HOMELESS VETERANS, INC.
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs estimates that 131,000 Veterans are homeless on any given night . In addition, approximately twice that many experience homelessness over the course of a year. Conservatively, one out of every three homeless men who is sleeping in a doorway, alley or box in our cities and rural communities has put on a uniform and served this country

According to a study by Cornell University
In the year 2011, an estimated 19.1 percent (plus or minus 0.32 percentage points) of non-institutionalized civilian veterans aged 21 to 64 years reported having a VA service-connected disability in the United States.  Wounded Warrior Project is one of several organizations supporting and helping disabled veterans.  You can donate to their cause online.

We offer Military Garden Flags that can also be personalized to honor both veterans and those who are actively serving any time of year.

Thank you for reading.

Marilee and Josie
Custom Flags and Gifts



Navy Garden Flag





Personalized Air Force Flag

 

Creating Collages for Custom Garden Flags and Photo Gifts

I have always loved collages.  They are perfect for indecisive people like me.  When I have a group of photos and can't decide which ones I like best for a print or photo gift , I just mix them all together a make a collage.  Voila, the problem is solved. 

We would like to offer the same option to our customers who would also like to utilize the versatility of collages to print on our gift products or custom garden flags. I have made some really fun photo plaques for friends and koozies for parties all with collages.  We even have some ideas for some custom garden flags.  The problem sometimes can be actually putting together the collage.  It can be time consuming and not everyone has sophisticated photo editing software.  I knew there was some free software offered online, so I decided to do some research and find out if there w
ere any of them that I would recommend.

Once I began my search I was amazed at just how many free photo editing softwares there were online.  I started with the ones where you download the entire program to your hard drive. A program named Picasa is the only one of those that I would recommend.   Not that the other programs were bad, I actually never got that far, but every one of them had bunches of annoying add ons with them that downloaded with the program,like toolbars and search aids and there was no way to get the software without them.  With one program I even got a nasty bug that took several days to get rid of.

I had used Picasa in the past, but there were a couple small things I did not like about it so I ventured ahead to check out what else was available.  There are photo editing softwares where you upload your photos and do the editing and collage making all online.  This saves space on your hard drive and anytime you don't have to download you are reducing your risk of viruses.  Again there are tons of these, I tried maybe six or seven of them.  Most of them you can download your end product to your computer, some you can only share online.  Some of them would only upload one photo at a time and did so very slowly others would upload whole files of photos very quickly. There are a good variety of templates that vary from program to program depending on what you are wanting to do.  I would recommend you do your own experimenting to see what works best for you.  The one that I liked best was one called Kizoa .It would upload groups of photos that were large files very quickly, it had a great variey of templates and different effects you could use, you could even do animation.  You could crop your collage at the end to fit standard photo sizes and you could download your final product to your computer to print and store. The only drawback for me was that you could not choose a custom size for your collage which is needed for doing the different shaped items we were wanting to do.

My final choice was to stay with Picasa for most my collage making although I might still go back to Kizoa on ocassion. I must say there were a few quirky things about Picasa that drove me nuts, but once my daughter showed me a few basic tricks and I looked at a few tutorials online and basically knew a little better what I was doing, its really a very fun and functional program.  Also I found there is a Picasa forum with some very helpful members if you have some questions you can't find answers for yourself.  So give it a try and have fun.


Thank you for reading

Marilee and Josie
Custom Flags and Gifts


  http://flagsandgifts.com/upload/index.php?route=product/category&path=7

Mother's Day

Mother's Day is next weekend and like all holidays has a reason and an origin that goes beyond just the commercial part of gift giving, so I decided to do some research.  A woman named Anna Jarvis is considered the founder.  Her mother who had  eleven children had often mentioned the desire for a day set aside to honor motherhood.  After her mother died Anna decided to make her wish come true.  She campaigned tirelessly many years until it was officially declared a US holiday in 1914.   Anna's hopes was for children to show there love and respect for their mothers in simple and sincere ways with handwritten notes and handmade gifts.  Ironically, as the holiday became more and more commercialized, Ms Jarvis became very disillusioned with the holiday and spent the latter part of her life trying to get it removed from the calendar.

As gift giving on Mother's Day continues to be a tradition , which as a mom, I see nothing wrong with.  We do need to keep in mind what the holiday is all about and take the time to truly appreciate what Mom's do.  At this point in my life, Mother's Day becomes three layered.  As a mother myself, remembering my own mother and watching my daughter be a wonderful mom to my grandson.  So many grateflul memories and hopes for the future.

Simple gifts that show some effort and thought behind them are often the best, especially ones that are personalized.  Photo gifts are a perfect way to express sentiments and save memories. 

Here are some gift ideas at Custom Flags and Gifts.

Photo plaques

Happy Mother's Day and thanks for reading.
Josie and Marilee
www.FlagsandGifts.com

The Perennial Planting of Biennials and Perennials

The planting season is now in full swing and you can find me in my garden whenever time and/or weather allows.  Its is so fun to watch my yard transform as I remove debris , weed and put out new colorful spring garden flags. 

As I pull away layers of leaves and mulch I blanketed plants with for winter protection I anticipate their reappearance.  Its amazing how much satisfaction it gives me when I do see their little pointed heads poking through the ground.  Its equally amazing how disappointed I am when they don't appear.  But I've also learned to look at it as an opportunity to try out a new Perennial or Biennial and there we have it, what is the difference. 

   By definition a Perennial is a plant that lives 3 or more years.  Although many live much longer, that does explain why after having flowers faithfully return for many years they are no where to be found. When planting perennials from seed, most will not flower until the second year. I watched this happen as last summer I watched bunches of columbine plants grow big and healthy from seeds collected from friends' plants. This spring I have been rewarded for my patience with tons of beautiful flowers. 
   Most perenials die to the ground  in the winter but their roots stay alive. There are a few that are evergreens.  Different varieties are chold hardy to different degrees so plants that are perennials in one area may be annuals in another.
 
    Biennials, by definition, only live for two years.  The first year is put into the growth of the plant and like perennials, flower the second year. The hopes are that after the plants flower and seeds ripen the seeds will drop and grow new plants to start another two year cycle.  There again I have had Foxgloves and Hollyhocks both which are biennials come back strongly for years and then again suddenly one year not show up.  My hollyhocks especially, have been greatly missed.  I have since decided a more full proof method is to collect some seeds to plant myself.

Every year I make it a point to try a couple things I've never grown before.  Some are a great success and some wither away without a trace, but its all part of the fun.  I have the best luck going to dedicated nurseries and not the ones connected with hardware or department stores.  They may be a little more expensive but usually have healthier plants and more unique variety and can give you good advice on the care of the plant.  So spread your wings and have fun.

While beautifying your yard, don't forget some new decorative flags.
Come visit us at www.FlagsandGifts.com

Thanks for reading!  Happy planting.

Marilee and Josie
Custom Flags and Gifts

Backyard Makeover for the Love of a Toddler

Many things in my life have been changed and rearranged since the arrival of my grandson over two years ago.  I've had to ease up on my campaign against clutter as my sunroom and cupboards are cluttered with toys.  Dresser drawers once holding guest linens are full of tiny clothes and it doesn't stop there. The changes have slowly started taking place outside.

My back yard used to be adorned with all sorts of lawn ornaments including of course garden flags.  I had lots of small flower gardens dotting the expanse.  As soon as my grandson started walking it didn't take long to see he was an explorer.  He liked to investigate everything within his reach and needless to say typical yard decorations are not made for a toddler to play with. It also became quickly apparent, a flower bed is no different to him than the grassy areas as he tromps from one side of the yard to the other.  So I've made big changes over the last year or so. I've condensed my flower beds down to just a couple larger ones and tried to give them defined borders that he can learn to respect. Where other beds used to dot the yard we are now constructing a huge fort and swing set. 
I've kept my decorative flags that can be displayed within protected flower beds but other than that most of the yard ornaments have been removed .

I'm looking forward to this spring and summer playing with my grandson in my backyard and giving him a little more freedom to run.  Not having to constantly tell him "no" as he grabs on to things that could hurt him or break.  His "little years" will go by so fast I want to enjoy them.

When your child or grandchild goes in to your yard to play, wouldn't it be exciting for him to see his artwork proudly on display.  At Custom Flags and Gifts you can order a flag with your child's very own artwork on it.  What fun!  It also makes a great keepsake. 


Child's Artwork Cusstom Garden Flag
 

Please visit our website and see what other garden flags and house flags we have to adorn your landscape.

Thanks for reading.
Marilee and Josie
Custom Flags and Gifts

Personalized Rescue Dog Garden Flags

We would like to welcome you to our Custom Flags and Gifts blog and Thank you for reading!

Millions of unwanted animals are killed every year in the US and dogs are at the top of the list. A rescue dog is a dog that is rescued from a possible euthanasia after being found as a stray, saved from an abusive or neglectful home by an animal rescue organization such as the ASPCA or cast aside by a puppy mill because they are too old to breed.  Some simply are no longer wanted or can no longer be cared for by its owner.The reasons owners surrender their dogs vary but some of the most common excuses we hear are:

We have no time for a dog.

We're moving.

A family member is allergic to the dog.

The dog does not get along well with children
 

If you are thinking of getting a pet, consider getting one from one of the many rescue organizations out there.  I don't have pets of my own, but have had several friends rescue dogs and they have never regretted it.  They have become extremely loyal and loving  pets.  As if they know and appreciate what they have done for them. 

Once you rescue your dog or if you already have, encourage others to do so by bragging and showing off  your "best friend" with a Custom Rescue Dog Garden Flag.  Look at what we've got at
 Custom Flags and Gifts

 

http://flagsandgifts.com/upload/index.php?route=product/product&path=3&product_id=146

Make your own Flag Stand

When I was taking a walk in my daughter's neighborhood one day, I saw in someone's yard a decorative house flag hanging from a very inventive flag holder made from PVC poles.  It was a very simple design yet very functional.  Considering the cost of some flag holders especially for larger flags the whole concept of making your own from inexpensive materials seemed like a great option.  I also realized probably lots of people had come up with similar clever ideas, so I decided to do some research and sure enough there they were.

I found one such flag pole with a tutorial on how to make it at www.JustBuildStuff.com  a great little blog with great ideas.



The one I saw on my walk was different than this with a second verticle pole at the opposite end.  I wasn't able to see up close much detail.  But it had more of an upside down "U" shape to it.

Someone mentioned to me a very simple idea for a garden flag stand out of wood.  Just take two small wooden planks maybe 3 or 4 inches wide and drill 3/4 inch holes near the top of each .  Secure the boards in the ground about 14 inches apart use cement if desired .  Cut a 5/8 in dowel about  16 inches long slip the dowel in the first hole slide on your garden flag and then continue to slip the dowel through the hole of the opposite plank. Large rubber washers could be slipped over the ends of the dowels to keep it from slipping out of the holes.

With all the creative minds out there, I am sure there are lots of other ideas and we would love to hear them.  Please post them here or here on our Facebook page. 

Thanks for reading.
Josie and Marilee
Custom Flags and Gifts
www.flagsandgifts.com