Happy Canada Day!

Hey gang! I hope that you are all staying healthy in your homes around the world.

I know that today will soon be over but I didn't want to let this day go by without saying…

H A P P Y   C A N A D A   D A Y!

To all my fellow Canadians out there!!!

I managed to create a freebie in honour of the birthday of this amazing country that I am blessed to call home. While one of the papers is specific to Canada only, I decided to also create a copy without the text so that others could use it as well. Check them out…

 

These digital papers will become part of the Oh Canada kit that I am working on. They are 3600 x 3600 pixels, in jpg format and published at 300 dpi. I've used resources from Natali Arkush Art (via Design Bundles) and Marisa Lerin (via Pixel Scrapper). The font used for the 'Happy Canada Day' text is courtesy of Alejandro Inler (via Font Squirrel). Full credits in the file. To grab them, click the download button to be taken to a download location. In the zip folder you will find a copy of the papers, their preview sheet, the full credit information and my terms of use which are standard to all my folders.

Oh and don't worry, I wouldn't forget the celebration coming up on Saturday in honour of my neighbours to the south (oh and north in Alaska and also west in Hawaii); so, be sure to come back then for an Independence Day freebie.

Wherever you may happen to reside, enjoy the remainder of your day everyone!

Until next time,

Happy Canada Day!

I've been away from home for several days and I know that today will soon be over but I didn't want to let this day go by without saying…

H A P P Y   C A N A D A   D A Y!

To all my fellow Canadians out there!!!

In between catching up on everything I've missed this past week, I took the time to create a freebie in honour of the birthday of this amazing country that I am blessed to call home…

This digital paper is one that will become part of the Oh Canada kit that I am working on. It is 3600 x 3600 pixels, in jpg format and published at 300 dpi. I've used resources from Digitalartsi (The Hungry JPEG) and The CoffeeShop Blog. Full credits in the file. To grab it, click the download button to be taken to a download location. In the zip folder you will find a copy of the paper, its preview sheet, the full credit information and my terms of use which are standard to all my folders.

Oh and don't worry, I wouldn't forget the celebration coming up on Thursday in honour of my neighbours to the south (oh and north in Alaska and also west in Hawaii); so, be sure to come back then for an Independence Day freebie.

Wherever you may happen to reside, enjoy the remainder of your day everyone!

Until next time,

Happy 150th Birthday Canada!

To all my fellow Canadians out there.…

H A P P Y   C A N A D A   D A Y!

I'm not the only one celebrating a milestone birthday this year. While I turned a mere 50, Canada has just turned 150!

In the past I have shared some of the myths about Canada and today I'm going to share a couple of weather facts. While many people seem to believe that it snows all year round in Canada, we do in fact have some rather warm weather in the summer as well though I do have to admit, it can get kind of cold in our winters as well.

Point in fact:
The coldest temperature on record took place on February 3, 1947 in the small Yukon hamlet of Snag, where the temperatures dipped to a rather frigid -62.8° C. Now for all of you who use the Imperial System that equates to -81.04° F. Apparently, there was a joke among the meteorologists that they were unable to toast the new record because the alcohol found at the bottom of their thermometers had frozen. Additionally, it was stated that the air was so still that exhaled breaths could be heard making a hissing noise that lasted for several minutes--not just seconds. You also wouldn't want to find yourself outside with any skin exposed either because in those temperatures it froze in less than three minutes. The coldest I've seen in my time in Northern Ontario was -54° C but that was with the wind chill. This leads us to the highest wind chill temperature recorded which occurred on January 28, 1989, in Pelly Bay, N.W.T, where while the temperature was a mere -51° C it felt more like -91° C (-131.8° F). I definitely wouldn't be dipping my toes outside the door in that weather!

On the other spectrum of the scale, our warmest temperature on record occurred July 5, 1937 where the temp soared to 45° C (113° F). I know this is probably a typical day in the Southern States in the summer but for us, it is kinda warm. When it comes to the humidex, while Windsor, Ontario happens to have the honour of being Canada’s most humid city holding the record for the highest humidex values over the course of a number of years, in 2007 in Carman, Manitoba, it reached a rather uncomfortable 53° C (127.4° F). I wouldn't have survived in that kind of weather as anything above the mid 40s and I can't take in any oxygen due to my asthma. Thank goodness for air conditioning!

Love it or hate it, our weather is a fact of life and it is interesting to reflect on the records made during this past 150 years.

Now it is time for the main purpose of today's post--a freebie in honour of this amazing milestone birthday…

Another interesting fact that I found out during these last two weeks is that the actual Canadian Flag is a registered copyright symbol of the Canadian government and cannot be used either commercially or even non-commercially without prior written approval of the government. I had no idea and it was a good thing I found out as I had originally intended on using the flag for this paper. I'm hoping to write the government and receive permission so that I am able to use it in future years. I also found out the nine pointed maple leaf, along with some other symbols, are also copyrighted. However, the leaf may be used commercially as long as one doesn't try to claim it as their own. Apparently the Canadian government has already done that!

This digital paper is one that will become part of the Oh Canada kit that I am working on. It is 3600 x 3600 pixels, in jpg format and published at 300 dpi. I've used resources from Clker-Free-Vector-Images (Pixabay) and HG Designs. Full credits in the file. To grab it, click the download button to be taken to a download location. In the zip folder you will find a copy of the paper, its preview sheet, the full credit information and my terms of use which are standard to all my folders.

Oh and don't worry, I wouldn't forget the celebration coming up on Tuesday in honour of my southern neighbours; so, be sure to come back then for an Independence Day freebie.

Wherever you may happen to reside, enjoy the remainder of your weekend everyone!

Until next time,

Reference
Martins, Daniel. (2017). The 150 facts (that you never knew) about Canada. Available: https://www.theweathernetwork.com/news/articles/150-facts-about-canada-celebration-day-weather/82267/. Last accessed 1st July 2017.

Happy Canada Day!

The day is almost done and I've got about an ounce of steam left in me but as soon as this post is published, I will have managed to at least get ten of eleven posts completed.  And, on that note...

H A P P Y   C A N A D A   D A Y!

...well for the next 5 minutes anyway...

As promised, here is a freebie in honour of this great nation that I live in.  I realize that it isn't as versatile as others I've offered up but it is definitely uniquely Canadian as it feature the Loonie!  For those of you who are unaware, the Loonie coin is part of our Canadian currency and is worth $1.00.

This digital paper is one that will become part of the Oh Canada kit that I am working on.  It is 3600 x 3600 pixels, in jpg format and published at 300 dpi. I've used resources from Pixel Scrapper and PixelSquid.  Full credits in the file. To grab it, click the download button to be taken to a download location.  In the zip folder you will find a copy of the paper, its preview sheet, the full credit information and my terms of use which are standard to all my folders.

Oh and don't worry, I wouldn't forget the celebration coming up this weekend in honour of my southern neighbours; so, be sure to come back on Sunday for an Independence Day freebie.

Okay, so sadly I just wasn't able to get that eleventh and final post published today.  It is a post to let you know my latest sponsorship and of course will also include a freebie.  I'll do my utmost to get it completed and posted when I first get online tomorrow.

Until then, have a great weekend everyone!

Happy Canada Day!

Hello everyone and a very happy Canada Day to all my fellow Canadians!  

As I mentioned last year, the Canadian population among the card making/scrapbooking/blogging community is relatively low in comparison with other countries.  However, those of us out here are very proud of the amazing country that we live in!  From coast to coast Canada offers up beauty, culture, a sense of community, and of course much, much more.  Good times can be had in which ever province you may be located in.

Now last year I busted five popular myths about Canada:

• Myth #1:  It is Always Cold in Canada
• Myth #2:  Toronto is the Capital of Canada
• Myth #3 - All Canadians Speak French
• Myth #4 - Mounties in Red Uniforms Atop Horses Police our Country 
• Myth #5 - All Canadians Say "Eh."

You can find those myths busted HERE.  This year I'm going to tackle five more for those of you in other parts of the world that may not know too much about us...

Myth #6: Canadians Do Not Have Paved Roads

Oh brother.  This one is ridiculous.  I can ensure you that the Northern part of North America does indeed have paved roads.  We walk, ride bikes, drive cars, and use public transit to get around, just like most countries do.  Of course there are some rural areas were there are unpaved roads.  I would think this would hold true for the rural areas of most countries.  However, you can be rest assured that in most areas, the roads are covered by asphalt.

Myth #7: Canada is So Safe, We Don't Lock our Doors

In the documentary, Bowling for Columbine, Michael Moore suggested that Canadians are so unafraid of crime that we don't lock our doors.  Now while I am sure that there are some people out there who still don't bother, I can guarantee you that most of us keep our doors locked.  Yes, Canada is a relatively safe country.  Our violent crime rates (i.e., homicide, aggravated assault, robbery, etc.), are quite a bit lower than our American neighbours to the south.  However, when it comes to some crime categories such as car or property theft (according to Stats Canada), the numbers are actually higher than the U.S.  

The bigger the city, the bigger the chance of crime so if you happen to be up here visiting, always be sure to keep your wallet and keys in a safe place, keep your eyes open and of course lock your doors.  We certainly do.

 

Myth #8: You Will See Moose, Beavers and other Wildlife in Canada

Well, technically, yes.  We do have moose, beavers and other forms of wildlife.  However, if you are visiting one of our bigger cities or towns, you are likely to be disappointed.  In the more populated areas, I'm afraid your wildlife experience will most likely be limited to squirrels, birds, and possibly the odd raccoon as well. 

The animals that generally symbolize Canada, such as beavers, whales, deer, moose, and bear for example, are out there but you generally have to be in more rural areas or in the northern regions like where I live for example (except for the whales of course, then you'd have to be on one of our coasts).  Deer and moose are a serious night hazard on our roads outside of the city.  My husband and I came way too close to losing our lives to a noose that had parked itself in the middle of the road one dark night many years ago.  If we had hit it, I don't know how we'd have survived.  The thing towered over our vehicle.  I was also unfortunate to be in a car accident as a teenager when a deer came running out of nowhere and my mother hit it head on.  We were very lucky to receive no serious injuries.  Sadly the deer was not so lucky.  Bear are also often seen in the region I live in.  Some have been so bold as to come within the city borders.  Thankfully I've never had a close up experience with one.  I hope to God I never do.

 

Myth #9: Canadians Don't Own Guns

Well, actually there are quite a few Canadians who do.  And of course, just like in other countries, there is a segment of the population who own guns illegally.  However, as a whole, the right to bear arms in Canada isn't a big deal. Even so, under the Canada's Firearms Act of 1995, we do now have that right, and according to stats, at least 7 million of us do. Firearms owned by Canadians are mostly used for sporting and recreational purposes.  There are very few licenses issued to people who want to carry a gun for personal protection.

 

Myth #10: Canada is the 51st State

Now this one, is the one that gets our dander up.  Sure we are influenced by American culture, I'm sure there are many countries that are.  However, that influence is generally limited to things such as movies, fashion trends, television shows, etc.  We in Canada have different official languages, our own currency, and of course a completely different political system.  Additionally, we are more of a mosaic rather than a melting pot.  While for the most part, we are pretty peaceable group of people, denying we have our own unique national identity or worse, suggesting we are merely an extension of the United States, is certainly one way to get us riled up.

References:
Author Unknown. (2013). Canadian History/Myths. Available: https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Canadian_History/Myths. Last accessed 1st July 2015.
Blog of Lists. (2013). 5 Canadian myths that just won’t die. Available: http://www.macleans.ca/society/life/5-canadian-myths-that-just-wont-die/. Last accessed 1st July 2015.
Foxman, Stuart. (2011). 5 Myths About Canadians. Available: McLean, Jane. (N.D.). Top 10 Myths & Misconceptions about Canada. Available: http://gocanada.about.com/od/canadatravelplanner/tp/Top-10-Myths-About-Canada.htm. Last accessed 1st July 2015.. Last accessed 1st July 2015.
McLean, Jane. (N.D.). Top 10 Myths & Misconceptions about Canada. Available: http://gocanada.about.com/od/canadatravelplanner/tp/Top-10-Myths-About-Canada.htm. Last accessed 1st July 2015.
Zhu, On. (2010). 10 Myths About Canada 22. Available: http://correresmidestino.com/10-myths-about-canada/. Last accessed 1st July 2015.

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So there you go!  It is possible that you've just learned a bit more about this beautiful country that I am lucky to call home.  Now it is time to give out a freebie to honour Canada Day...

This digital paper is one that will become part of the Oh Canada kit that I am working on.  It is 3600 x 3600 pixels, in jpg format and published at 300 dpi. I've used resources from Pixel Scrapper and Pixabay.  Full credits in the file.  To grab it, click the download button to be taken to a download location.  In the zip folder you will find a copy of the paper, its preview sheet, the full credit information and my terms of use which are standard to all my folders.

Oh and don't worry, I wouldn't forget the celebration coming up this weekend in honour of my southern neighbours; so, be sure to come back on Saturday for an Independence Day freebie.

Stay tuned as I'll soon be posting about the special Christmas in July give-a-way that I'm doing in conjunction with Kris from Imagine That! Digis by Kris.  If I don't get it posted tonight, I hopefully will manage to get it out no later than Friday.

 Until then,

Happy Canada Day!

Good day and happy Canada Day to all my fellow Canadians!  Though we seem to be few among the card making/scrapbooking/blogging community, we are still mighty and very proud of this amazing country!

For those of you in other parts of the world that may not know too much about us, let me bust some of the myths out there....

Myth #1:  It is Always Cold in Canada

I hate to break it to you but if you are thinking of coming to Canada to get away from the heat of the summer months south of the border, don't expect it to be chilly up here.  Okay so the extreme northern parts of Canada may not have high temps and extreme humidity but the lower half of the country certainly does.  Just this past Sunday the temperature was 36° Celsius with the humidity (that would be 96.8° for all you Fahrenheiters) and that was in northern Ontario.  Often we can reach the mid 40's and most of southern Ontario stays in the low to mid 40's (with humidity) for a great deal of the summer.  That is just Ontario alone!  Of course we won't talk about the winter temperatures.  Just know that it doesn't snow across the entire country all year round.

Myth #2:  Toronto is the Capital of Canada

While Toronto happens to be the largest and most populated city in Canada and also the financial centre of our country, it is not in fact the capital of Canada (although it is the capital of the province of Ontario).  The honour of our country's capital is actually Ottawa.  If you thought it was Toronto, don't feel bad.  Unfortunately, there are a number of Canadians who hold the same belief!

Myth #3 - All Canadians Speak French

Bonjour!  Comment ça va?  While my French vocabulary might have a little more in it, it is not extensive.  I certainly can't carry a conversation of more than just a few sentences.  The worst part is that the hubs speaks fluent French.  It is after all, his first language.  While I got A's in French all through school, I just never mastered it.  I'm not alone.  While over 10, 000, 000 Canadians can carry a conversation, that is roughly only about 30% of our country's population (Statistics Canada, 2011).  Most of the French-speaking population lives in Quebec, where French is the official, provincial language.  That is where my good friend Vicky from Crafting Vicky is from. Outside of Quebec you'll find other high concentrations of French speaking people living in New Brunswick and Manitoba.  Northern Ontario has a higher concentration as well but you'll also find quite a few people in the Ottawa and London areas of Ontario who speak French too.  I'm sure there are many other communities across Canada with a portion of dedicated French speakers.  The reality though is that 70% of our country does not parlez-vous Français.

Myth #4 - Mounties in Red Uniforms Atop Horses Police our Country

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police, more commonly known as the Mounties, is the national police force of Canada.  However, you are not apt to find them galloping through our cities and countryside in their red jacket, navy jodhpurs, brown boots and hat.  That particular dress form is usually reserved for official or ceremonial reasons.   Now while the majority of Canadian provinces do contract out their provincial law-enforcement responsibilities to the Mounties, Ontario, Quebec, and Newfoundland and Labrador maintain their own provincial police forces.  Additionally, many First Nation's Reserves have their own police forces established through agreements between the governing Native Band, the province and the federal government.

Myth #5 - All Canadians Say "Eh."

Well Okay.  You have us here.  Yes,  the majority of English speaking Canadians has uttered an eh or two (thousand) in their lifetime.  However, keep in mind, Canada is a very big country with many different people who speak many different languages with different dialects.  Not everyone can be accused of this stereotype, eh?

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So there you go!  It is possible that you've just learned a bit more about this beautiful country that I am lucky to call home.  Of course, I couldn't let today go without giving out a freebie to honour Canada Day.  So check it out...

To grab this paper click HERE or on the preview above to be taken to a download location.  I'm trying something different.  This way, the credit information and terms of use will be kept with the creation itself. As usual, the paper is 3600 x 3600 pixels (i.e. 12 inches) and published at 300 dpi.  

Now even though this paper is in honour of Canada Day, anyone can make use out of it.  While it is just starting out, I'm hoping in the long run to have a whole kit honouring Canada, aptly called, "Oh Canada".  Oh and don't worry, I wouldn't forget the celebration coming up later this week in honour of my southern neighbours; so, be sure to come back on Friday for an Independence Day freebie.

Stay tuned as it is a busy day with double treats.  In just a couple hours I'll be posting my Scribbles Designs midway post and then at noon, I've got...well you'll just have to come back and see what I've got for you.... 

Until then,