Changes

This year will see some changes for me - mostly work wise.
Firstly, I have now started (just) the new pattern of leading worship on a Sunday which means most Sundays taking a 9:30 and then an 11:15 service. I actually wrote 9:15 and 11:30 down first. Must make sure I get them right... Last Sunday was straightforward as it was the two Churches I am already Minister of - familiar territory and I could use the same material with a few tweaks. This Sunday it is Parade services at 2 of the other Churches and I am having to do different things at both for various reasons. All age services are never that easy to gauge for me - plus there are all sorts of little things that happen that you take for granted when you know how but can throw you when you don't - e.g. is there a sung amen at the end? What happens to the offertory?
So I am a tad nervous...
There is also the issue of getting out of one and over to the other - these two are the furthest apart. Not far in terms of mileage but if the Sunday shoppers are already out then it can take for-ev-ver.

Now Phil and I need to sit down and see how this new way of being Ministers in the Churches is taking shape. Exciting new challenge but daunting and scary.

And then there is the MA. My Dissertation paperwork is in, just need to wait for the OK in terms of subject and then ethical clearance and off I go. Up until now my work has been marked by seminars and tutor guidance. Although I have a fab supervisor now it is really all down to me.Ulp! My Christmas present was a digital recorder so that I can transcribe interviews which makes it all very serious like. Still I hope that what I look into will be helpful for the Church - I want to focus on how we get team ministries to function when in the United Reformed Church there is no leadership hierarchy. In our team that is just as well as Phil and I would not like one to be the boss of t'other. But you do need to have systems in place to make it work.

What I hope won't be changing is my crafting time. I do need some creative outlets. Being an introverted type I need time on my own to make sense of the world and crafting helps me do that! So here is this weeks card for the Daring Cardmakers. This year we are going for flowers of the month starting with Snowdrops or Carnations as January gets two! I adore snowdrops so it was no contest choosing really. But then how to do it? I did some googling and found this lovely digi stamp at Doodle Pantry (the shop isn't working today - perhaps I broke it! so the link is to the blog)
I painted the image (badly) with Peeled Paint and Antique Linen distress ink and coloured the petals with Glamour Dust. I used the same inks to distress and colour the card stock. The background paper is the fabulous Pink Paisless Parisian Anthology (Fancy Filligree) which you can buy here. Its kind of like the old magic painting whereby you add some colour - ink or spray or paint and the resist is revealed. The sentiment is also from Doodle Pantry - it comes with the snowdrop. I used several different nesties incluing that new Circle border one so expect more circular images to appear on my cards. The ribbon is from stash.
Here is a close up of the lovely image and my terrible colouring. I need to find a reeeeeeeelllly fine brush and a steadier hand. It doesn't look so bad from far away.

If you are one of the people expecting presents from me, look away now.
Have you gone?
I give people from my churches parts of animals for Christmas. Or parts of toilets. Or teachers. I buy gifts through Oxfam and then make a token crafty present for them as well. Only I ran out of time this year and so have promised they will receive something before Easter. I have just about done the first batch of 4 (another 4 to go)
They are (about) 6x6" canvases. I used lots of different paints and distress inks and sprays, plus some vintage book paper. Then I added stamped text and flourishes to the canvas. Some thin chipboard or mountboard (depending on the scraps I had) was painted with white paint and given a grain effect and then distressed with Antique Linen and vairous blue and green inks. The house was made from papers by Crate Paper; MME and Glitz Design. The knob is a bead from Hobbycraft and the heart is Ten Second Studio metal, cut using a Sizzlet heart, embossed, painted and sanded.