Personal Challenge 2018 - Week 12

These States  of the Union cards/posts are some of my favorites. I love traveling - virtually - to one of our United States and learning some things in the journey. Then, I think of a way to be inspired to make a card in some way based on one of the things I discovered.

I've been doing these in the order the states attained statehood. This is the twelfth week of the year and the twelfth state to attain statehood was...

North Carolina

Date of Statehood: November 21, 1789

Here are some of the things I unearthed about North Carolina...

North Carolina’s most common nickname is the “Tar Heel State.” Historians don’t quite know how it got the moniker, but they think it might stem from the state’s legacy as a leading producer of tar, pitch, rosin, and turpentine.

The Wright Brothers tested various prototypes for a flying machine in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, because the remote location provided them with privacy, soft grounds, and steady winds. In 1903, the siblings finally achieved their dream of building a heavier-than-air flying machine with their Wright Flyer. Today, North Carolina license plates boast that their state was “First In Flight”—a claim that rankles Ohio residents, who argue that the Wright Brothers mostly lived and worked in their state.

Asheville is home to America's largest mansion, the Biltmore Estate, which ws built by wealthy railroad scion George Washington Vanderbilt II in the late 19th century. It attracts tourists from around the world to see enjoy its winery, lush grades, and French chateau-inspired architecture.

In 1954, a Fayetteville, North Carolina resident named Don Clayton created Putt-Putt golf as a no-frills alternative to windmill-filled, obstacle-ridden mini-golf courses.

In 1983, one of the worlds most famous soft drinks was born in New Bern, North Carolina. A drugstore clerk named Caleb Bradham invented Pepsi, which he originally called “Brad’s Drink.” The former doctor-in-training believed his syrupy concoction aided digestion, and re-named the drink “Pepsi-Cola ” in 1898 after the word “dyspepsia.”

Tanglewood Park's annual Festival of Lights alone is enough to make a North Carolina trip worthwhile. Their truly elaborate Christmas  lights are nothing short of magical.

Thanks to its rich land and mild climate, North Carolina produces more sweet potatoes than any other state. There has even been a petition to make the sweet potato the official state vegetable. 

In 1937, a man named Vernon Rudolph established the Small, Winston-Salem based business that  would eventually balloon into one of the world's biggest pastry behemoths: Krispy Kreme doughnuts. 

Babe Ruth hit his first home run in Fayetteville on March 7th 1914.

Cape Hatteras is the largest lighthouse to ever be moved due to erosion.

Cabarrus County, North Carolina, is the site of America’s original gold rush.

The University of North Carolina was the first US public university to graduate a class.

If you're not eating a biscuit with every meal, you're not doing it right, at least by North Carolina standards. No one does biscuits better than they do. It's the perfect breakfast with jam, the perfect lunch with ham and cheese, and the perfect side for dinner.

And what about these strange North Carolina laws...

... It's against the law to sing off-key. (I'm in BIG trouble!)

... It is a felony to steal more than $1000 of grease.

... Elephants may not be used to plow cotton fields.

... All couples staying overnight in a hotel must have a room with double beds that are at least two feet apart.

... Organizations may not hold their meetings while the members present are in costume and/or wearing masks.

... In Charlotte, women must have their bodies covered with at least 16 yards of fabric at all times.

... It's against the law to borrow your neighbor's dog.

... Riding a bicycle while not holding onto both handlebars is against the law.

Now, for this week's card. 

I've decided to go with this bit of North Carolina information for my card's inspiration...The state produces between 15 - 20% of the nation's real Christmas trees, including the popular North Carolina Fraser Fir.

Thanks for stopping by my blog today!

Supplies Used

Stamps: Unity Old Traditions (truck) and Unity Love Bug Christmas (sentiment) stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black Ink and colored with Copic Markers

Papers: Recollections White and SU Cucumber Crush and Real Red CS and DP from my scrap file

Embellishments: Gina Marie Enamel Dots and Ribbon Boutique Ribbon