Personal Challenge 2018 - Week 5

This is the fifth Friday of 2018 so this is the fifth week of my 2018 50-week personal States of the Union Challenge. Each week I research one of the 50 states (in the order they attained statehood) and share some facts about that state, including one that I use as the inspiration for a card.

This week's state is...

Connecticut

Date of Statehood: January 9, 1788

Here are some things I've learned about Connecticut...

Connecticut never ratified the 18th amendment (prohibition).

It's illegal to walk on your hands in Hartford, Connecticut, and it's also against the law for a man to kiss his wife in public there on a Sunday. 

It is against the law to walk backwards on city sidewalks after sunset in Devon, Connecticut.

Perhaps in an effort to prevent tacky decorations from popping up, Guilford, Connecticut made it illegal to use any color of Christmas lights except for white.

Orange, Connecticut, is the home of the delicious PEZ candy museum, manufacturer, and the world’s tallest PEZ dispenser. (I've been there... it's very impressive!)

Almost 2 billion cans and bottles are redeemed for cash in Connecticut every year. That pays out roughly $100,000,000 on a 5 cent reward.

Can openers were invented in Connecticut. We can thank Ezra Warner, a Waterbury native, for his invention of the first U.S. can opener in 1858. After its invention, many grocery stores carried can openers so store clerks could open cans for customers to take home, as most people didn’t have can openers at home.

The Connecticut State Insect is the praying mantis, which is unusual as it isn’t even native to North America. In fact, the praying mantis is native to Africa and Europe.

In 1809, Mary Kies of South Killingly, Connecticut was the first woman to receive a patent in the U.S. Her patent was for a unique method of weaving straw with silk to create beautiful hats. 

You might be be surprised to hear that Mark Twain (the famous author who lived in Hartford) created and patented a scrapbook that had adhesive pre-applied to its pages. To affix your photographs and memories, all you needed to do was moisten the page.

Connecticut is home to the first Polaroid camera, color television, and helicopter.

Hamburgers were invented by Louis Lassen in 1900 at Louis’ Lunch. The original hamburger consisted of grilled ground steak formed into a paddy and sandwiched between two slices of toast. You can still eat the original hamburger in the original building (although the building was moved to a new location) at Louis’ Lunch in New Haven.

In 1901, Connecticut passed the first ever automobile law. The speed limit was set at 12 miles per hour.

I've decided to go with this bit of Connecticut information for my card's inspiration... in order for a pickle to be considered a pickle in Connecticut, it must bounce.

Here's a close-up of the jar of pickles:

Here's the inside of my card:

Thanks for stopping by my blog today!

Supplies Used

Stamps/Dies: Our Daily Bread Garden Mini and Pickles and Stampin' UP! Jar of Love

Ink: Memento Cottage Ivy, London Fog, and Tuxedo Black

Papers: Recollections Black, Grey, and White and SU Wild Wasabi CS and DP from my scrap file

Embellishment: SU Linen Thread