Easter is coming

Yes, busy season is approaching!
But to me it is something somehow more special than Christmas. Maybe because it is all about grown up faith. Who doesn't love a baby. but Easter when Jesus faces death for us, that is something a bit different. Steve Turner put it well in his poem Christmas is really for the Children

So I love all the services and rituals and ceremonies. The sharing of bread and wine on Maundy Thursday. the quiet introspection and public procession of Good Friday, the joy and awe and celebration on Easter Sunday. (I always join the Salvation Army on a small hill at 7:30 on Easter Sunday. I have just read that back in Hartlepool this years service is at 6am facing the north sea. Now that is a real Easter sunrise service for you! Still I won't mind at 7 this Easter which is when I will get out of bed...)

But how do you put all of that in one layout? that is where being on a team is so great because, looking at the theme of Easter, everyone on Salt has taken it a little differently which builds up the complexity and the wonder of this holy time.

Our theme is

'The real meaning of Easter'

how easy it is to get caught up in the commercial side of Easter, without reflecting on why as Christians we celebrate it. God sent his one and only Son Jesus to die on the cross to take away our sin and the punishment we so deserve. He died, and yet even death had no power over him, Christ rose victorious and is alive for ever more! If you put your trust in God and believe that he died to take away your sin you also may experience new life in Christ

and here is my take on it.
The Easter cross in the photo is actually from Phil's church. Due to not saving hard drives all the ones of mine are lost or hiding right now. Which is a shame. Phil's church has strict colour code and clever layering of oasis to make this thing of beauty. My churches we bring all sorts of different flowers and ram them in chicken wire to make a joyful, colourful statement that is slightly less elegant. However on reflection it was easier to colour match this one!
The colouring of the layout is slightly off it is more "true" in the close ups.

I used Scenic Route Belleville and Brighton paper. I started out with papers from all sorts of ranges but ended up using only two papers all together. The yellow is Scenic Route too but from a different collection which is no longer available (and I am not walking all the way to the conservatory to find out either). the stamps are Fancy Pants big ones. I also used
Bazzill scallop cardstock
Basic Grey rubons
a little Hambly overlay
a flash card (from an old Self Addressed kit can't remember where from)
Doodlebug letter stickers
lace ribbon from Crafty Templates
green leaf ribbon from Imagine That (May Arts I think)
poundland nail sparkles

Here is the journalling so you don't get wrinkles screwing up your eyes to read it
and here you can see the sparkles sparkle!
oh yes and I used my new punch again too :)

Have a look at the amazing creativity at Salt and I had better get on with my Palm Sunday services!