Good morning and welcome to our Canada 150th birthday celebration! Each hour today we hope you'll join us as we go on a journey together and share some interesting things that make Canada the special and unique place it is. It's all about being together today friends. Scrapbook & Cards Today magazine is based just outside of Toronto, Canada and today is not only about celebrating our grand home but also sharing this home with our readers all around the world. If you're following us from Canada, please jump in and say "hello" and if you're joining us from around the world, please tell us where you're from! At SCT we love to celebrate which means today we have some fun Canadian themed giveaways, an exclusive printable and a little something extra we've created to honour this occasion. At the end of the day, we a fabulous giveaway you won't want to miss. We also want to take a moment to thank our dear friend Alyssa Light for helping us put together a wonderful day for our readers all over the world! So let's get this party started with our name...CANADA!
Internationally, Canada is a place of community and peace, and our name comes from the Huron-Iroquois word, “kanata” meaning “community”. We are a diverse nation that welcomes visitors, refugees, and immigrants from all over the globe. We are a nation that is proud of its reputation for being gentle, kind, and inclusive. Recently, as we welcomed more than 25 000 Syrian refugees, signs started popping up in Ontario that read “No matter where you are from, we’re glad you’re our neighbour”. As we seek to learn more about our international neighbours, we pause in honour of our heritage of community and to thank the Huron-Iroquois People for the beautiful word “kanata.”
We commissioned a wonderful local Canadian designer, Nicki Traikos of Life I Design, (find her on Instagram too @lifeidesign!) to create an exclusive print that you can download and print at home!
Thank you Nicki! The maple leaf on the Canada Flag symbolizes unity, tolerance, and peace and this image represents just that.
Another fun thing Canada is known around the world for is our "loonie" and our "toonie." These coins represent our $1 and $2 currency.
"The Canadian one dollar coin, commonly called the loonie, is a gold-coloured one-dollar coin introduced in 1987. It bears images of a common loon, a bird which is common and well known in Canada, on the reverse, and of Queen Elizabeth II on the obverse."
"The Canadian two-dollar coin, commonly called the toonie, is the most valuable of the frequently used Canadian coins. It was introduced on February 19, 1996, by Public Works minister Diane Marleau. The toonie is a bimetallic coin which on the reverse side bears an image of a polar bear by artist Brent Townsend." (thanks Wikipedia!)
Interesting story, the "loonie" was not originally supposed to have a loon on it. After the dies were created for this special coin, the dies were lost in transit. Rather than take a chance of counterfeit coins being made the Royal Canadian Mint created a new die and on it, the loon! The original dies still have not yet been recovered.
Today we would love to share a loonie and a toonie with lucky readers each hour (along with some other fun prizes along the way!) Be sure to leave a comment below by July 7th and we will randomly select one lucky winner this hour to win them! After leaving your comment here we hope you'll take a moment to visit us on Facebook and Instagram and leave a comment there as well for THREE chances to win! We'll be compiling all the comments each hour.
Next hour, learn what some of our favourite Canadian foods are!
..................................
Fun fact: Canada has more lakes than the rest of the world's lakes combined. In fact, Ontario, Canada, has more than 250,000 lakes. They contain about 1/5 of the world's fresh water.
Happy 150th to Canada!
Posted by: Denise Bryant | July 02, 2017 at 01:09 AM
Happy Canad Day!
I never knew this about our loonie. Thank you for the information.
Posted by: Tara W | July 02, 2017 at 05:24 AM
Happy Canad Day!
I never knew this about our loonie. Thank you for the information.
Posted by: Tara W | July 02, 2017 at 05:24 AM
Happy Canad Day!
I never knew this about our loonie. Thank you for the information.
Posted by: Tara W | July 02, 2017 at 05:24 AM
Happy Canada day :)
I've never been there so it's fun to learn something.
Posted by: Anastasia M. | July 02, 2017 at 06:27 AM
Happy celebrating Canada's Day! Proud to be part of this special 150th celebration. #we r the true north!
Posted by: Jurist Tran | July 02, 2017 at 11:08 AM
Happy 150th Canada!
Posted by: Mary-Anne V. | July 02, 2017 at 11:12 AM
Happy Birthday Canada 🇨🇦🍁
Posted by: Tara Hodge | July 02, 2017 at 11:31 AM
My favourite place to be - the lake!
Posted by: Tara Watts | July 02, 2017 at 12:06 PM
I didn't know that.
Posted by: Anna Ekman | July 02, 2017 at 12:26 PM
Happy Canada Day everyone! Yesterday was family time, chilling and relaxing. Hope everyone enjoyed our country's celebrations from coast to coast to coast.
Thank you Scrapbook and Cards Today for the many giveaways and helpful hints for us to use in our "hobby"
🇨🇦🎉🎂💥🍾🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦
Posted by: Betty Anne Dennis | July 02, 2017 at 01:34 PM
Happy Canada Day SCT! 🇨🇦
Posted by: Sue MacTavish | July 02, 2017 at 01:39 PM
Love this country 🇨🇦
Posted by: Lori Bourne | July 02, 2017 at 01:58 PM
Happy Birthday Canada from Indiana!
Posted by: Christi L Steinbeck | July 02, 2017 at 02:23 PM
Love Maple syrup and SCT! Thanks for the chance to win!🇨🇦
Posted by: Sue MacTavish | July 02, 2017 at 02:32 PM
The coins are beautiful! I love a bicolored coin.
Posted by: Kendra | July 02, 2017 at 04:54 PM
What an interesting tidbit about our loonie-I had no idea! I have been fortunate to travel a bit, there is nothing like discovering new places to gain a greater appreciation for how truly blessed we are in Canada.
Posted by: Lisa Edie | July 02, 2017 at 05:14 PM
Happy Canada Day everyone 🇨🇦!
Posted by: Lynda Bailey | July 02, 2017 at 07:14 PM
Happy Canada day!
Posted by: Vera | July 02, 2017 at 07:48 PM
Happy Canada Day from Fonthill, Ontario!!
Posted by: Sandy Clinton | July 02, 2017 at 09:13 PM
Happy Canada Day we should celebrate each and every day for our bless country.
Posted by: Sherry Stanley | July 02, 2017 at 09:36 PM
We celebrated Canada day with great food including butter tarts and great people. Transplanted to the US, it is funny that my neighbour beside me and behind me are Canadians! Happy Canada Day!
Posted by: Alison C | July 02, 2017 at 09:53 PM
Fun facts! Couldn't follow along yesterday as we were getting ready for a big celebratory bbq but I can't wait to check out all the posts! Happy 150th Canada! 🇨🇦
Posted by: Tammy B | July 02, 2017 at 10:26 PM
Such a special milestone to be celebrating in the history of such a wonderful nation. So proud to be Canadian! Happy 150th Canada!
Posted by: LC | July 03, 2017 at 12:23 AM
Belated Happy Canada Day! Friends of mine have moved there for 2 years and just love it!
Posted by: Manda | July 03, 2017 at 02:32 AM