Bread of heaven, bread of heaven

Have I mentioned chuckling at Michael Macintyre on tv when he went on stage at the Swansea Gran and sang those lines and lifted up his arms and the whole audience sang the rest? in harmony too. Still makes me smile! I have just taken a wonderful funeral service. So many are sad for so many different reasons but this one was amazing. It was for a Welsh retired teacher. Now in Essex in the 40's and 50's they sent coaches to South Wales which came back full of newly qualifed teachers. I kid you not. Some schools only had one English born teacher.
So the crematorium was filled with good Welsh voices. The lady who died was related to Clive Rowlands the rugby player who rather outshone me in the address - but in a good way! ALthough the death was a great shock the greatest emotions there - and we were all very emotional (Welsh, see) were love and laughter. What a tribute. And "bread of heaven" was amazing.

I just about managed a Welsh blessing with a bit of coaching from my Da. the hardest bit was yng ngwybodaeth
yng sounds like the "ung" of "rung" and the words run together to make ung-wee-bod-eye-th (soft th) which means "in the knowledge"
I won't even try and tell you how to say "hollalluog"which means Almighty...

It is Twisted Sketch day today and I am Guest Designer. I know! How cool is that!

Here is Anam's great sketch. The twist is use at least one Stamp - it can be any sort of Stamp in any way, shape or form.
and this is what I did.
The papers are October Afternoon Night Light. I hav just about finished scrapping our birthday now which is good as that stripy shirt kind of takes over the colour choices! I knew from the swirl shape on the sketch that I would have to get out my ENORMOUS Fancy Pants swirl. It meant I had to move the title though. I cut the top photo into two so you can see the details of lil C's face and the cake. I also used another Fancy Pants stamp to make the border and my beloved Tall Timbers stamps for the "cake". Oooh and I nearly forgot the Heidi Swapp crown - 4 stamps! that one had glitter pen over the top for extra bling. Some sassafrass chipboard and adornit letters and that is that.
It was blummin' hard to photograph though as the camera doesn't know what to focus on.
Here is a close up of the title
and even then it is hard to read "13 is not too old for cake"
neither is 44...

Hello my name is Elton

that is what Phil calls me whenever I get a lot of packages at once through the post. Its from the old Royal Mail ad with Elton John from a few years back. Incidentally did you see Top Gear on Sunday night? I may moan about the price of a stamp going up but 39p got a letter from the Scilly Isles to Orkney overnight faster than they could drive a letter there. It went on palnes and everything.
Incidentally 2, we are often out walking the dog on her bedtime visit at midnight (yes, I know) and a Royal Mail truck passes us about the same time every night. It kind of makes me feel that all is right in Britain...

Anyway. I had two parcels yesterday. Which was nice. And one was a prize. Which was even nicer! I won the card challenge on UKScrappers last month and the prize was a Crafty Templates card kit. I got down to using it straight away.
It first appeared on a layout.
This layout is for Twisted Sketch 5. I love these sketches. I think it is because they are simple enough for you to add your own details too but there is plenty to get you started too. I think I am quite a linear scrapper. (oooh hark at her!)
this is the sketch
and the twist was to use fabric of some sort.
The starting point for this was the dotty see through stuff on the left of the photo which is fabric paper that I have had for eons. I found it went well with Scenic Route Brighton papers. Then my eyes fell on the fabric rosette in my parcel. Score! I took the gingham ribbon off the bottom and stuck it in the corner with a cute cherry brad from the kit and added a flower centre. It helped solve the problem of lettering as I didn't have the letters for Happy Birthday in the blue stickers (another ancient bit of stuff used) but found some red doodlebug ones instead. The heart is from there too.
Obligatory close up of the lovely rosette. It is not supposed to look like a clock at 10 to 4 thanks PHil.
Next I wanted to make a thank you card to say thank you for the parcel. I need a thank you card for someone else so they will get it. It is a symbolic thanks to Leo at Crafty Templates
I used a 2Sketches4U sketch which I haven't done for aaaaages. And this card took aaaaaages too. It started off as the green card! But I prefer the white background as it is sharper
the fabric scallop, the cherry paper and green card are from the kit. The red card is American Crafts and the letters are Doodlebug. Having used my cherry brad on the layout - I remembered I had a cherry die cut in my October Afternoon stash

My other parcel was a Gotta Craft kit. Now these always launch of an evening and I am usually out and by the time I remember they are sold out. But I got lucky this time! It is a Kraft based kit. Which, seeing as I love scrapping on Kraft, I had to have. (thinks back to those days 18 months ago when she went into artbase asking for Kraft bazzill and the man looked at her like she was mad and offered a paper bag...)
This took no time at all
I used a technique tuesday circle template to cut into the burgundy bazzill and a range of circle punches for the patterned paper. Lots of inking and white pen. The chipboard numbers are Sassafrass and the letters and numbers Jenni Bowlin. These came from the Studio Calico kit I won (I'm on a lucky streak!). Those Jenni Bowlin stickers are well worth having as there are sooooo many. As you can tell if you look back through my layouts. They are well used but still loads left.

I have actually done some other crafting as well but can't show you that yet. I've had a weekend where I have had time to play. Sadly that is over and it will be a while now so I ahve made the most of it!

Ooooh my life already

Where does the time go?
How many times have I said that on my blog?
I HATE it when I only update once a week.
But time is not always my friend and I am supposed to be working full time
(that is a joke, church people. I am working full time honest)

Since I last updated I have
been to camp
it was sunnyit was rainy
I slept (a little) in the little blue tent. I didn't have to make a night time walk. Result!
I played rounders (and that counts as work to me. I have no hand eye co-ordination. Sadly at one point my team had one brilliant player still in and two others including me which meant a lot of humiliation at the crease, or whatever it is called in rounders, and a LOT of running.)
I made a button bracelet - sadly it was for 5 year old Adam and not 44 year old Lythan so can't show you mine...
It was sunny again
I got to play a celtic harp - haven't played one since I was 8. People took photos. I haven't seen them yet but I could feel the double chin growing as they did so.

made cards for an Imagine That class
which is a big thing as Emma, Emma and Judy make the most bestest and beautiful cards ever and I don't rate mine as much! I didn't photograph them but you can see them on the class details here. What I do like is that I came up with the design of the card on the right all by myself. OK it is not unique but when it is shut the slider part is completely hidden. All using the fab WRMK nonsense range

had meetings and meetings and wrote minutes of meetings and prayed some
that is basically what a Minister does. And prepares worship. And puts that off by writing a blog post.

Did my Salt layout of the week
OK fortnight but the Harry Hill tune popped into my head as I wrote that. Never heard it? Click here
The Salt challenge was a great one by Mona about Prayer

In the last few weeks I have been studying Hagar and Sarah. Genesis 16:11 struck a cord in my heart - "God has heard your cry of distress." I was also touched by Psalm 56:8 (The Message).

"You've kept track of every toss and turn through the sleepless nights. Each tear you've entered into your ledger, each ache has been written into your book."

These verses touched my heart because every affliction, every thought, every worry are heard and remembered by the Father. He loves and cares about every single thing that happens in our lives every day, no matter how big or small. There have been times when I think that my problems are too big or small to share with God, but my 11 year old autistic child showed me that you can pray about anything.

I knew that I wanted a photo of one of my children crying. (!) I don't know whether I am sad or pleased that it was hard to track one down. Maybe I did spend more time comforting them than documenting their distress. Maybe they just didn't cry very much! I remembered a photo from when we went to Carnac in 1995. Emrys had been crawling around and it was time to go home. For some reason he had loved crawling among big stones and was not happy at being back in the buggy. Oh I remember those heartfelt sobs. It turned out to be a great photo to reflect the words in the Bible

When I dropped off the cards at Imagine That on Monday I accidentally bought the new pack of Basic Grey June Bug papers. Which is what I have used for this layout
Everything including the grungy background paper is June Bug. I just added a chatterbox bird, three flowers and gems from elsewhere. Here is my journalling close up (pen started to run out grrrr)
And finally
its Daring day!
Rein made us work this week with her rather lovely theme

Russian

as our Russian girl Irina is here staying with us again my dare is put a matryoshka or another typical Russian element like dress, architecture, or... ..... on your card.

I partly bought the Junebug papers as I thought they had a russian vibe to them. I was wondering what to do wih this dare and remembered that google is my friend. I found a template on the Papercraft Inspirations site. When I printed it out it was A4 size! So I just used it as a guide to hand cut my own card one using a folded A6 card.
Again all the papers are June Bug apart from her face which is Urban Prairie. The eyes are blue stickers and the leaves were cut with a QK die.

Right time to get some work done - it is our choir concert tonight so I must get worship preparation done and dusted by then!

Buttons anyone?

I've just spent a happy half hour in a garage full of buttons!
They are from the house of an old man who used to run a haberdashery. Sadly I can't keep them all but some will live with me and some will come with me to camp in order to make button bracelets and necklaces.
Drool.

I still haven't managed to photograph any birthday cards this week - all been rather manic work wise but I hope to have time next Monday. Such is my life from time to time. I have had a few runs of meetings on Tues/Wed/Thurs evenings and when that happens I get quite overwhelmed. I actually don't have one next Tuesday - woot! I'll probably waste it though...
This is the card that I made Carys for her birthday. I entered it into the Papercrafts Idol comp. I didn't get through but my Daring Card Teamie Jo Kill did. She is also top 5 in the 4Sketches4U comp - final is this week. She is an outstanding card maker and deserves international recognition so GO GO JO!!!!!
My card was made using WRMK Tiffany range and I inked and glittered a chipboard scroll. The ribbon is Doodlebug and I used two colours of liquid pearls. The label was cut using a craft robo.

Last weeks Daring card is this one...
for the postpals dare. Another of those labels! The round chipboard is Scenic Route; Making Memories and Doodlebug letters; a Bazzill edger and a Martha Stewart punch were used. Everythign else is October Afternoon. I added extra glitter to the cherries with Copic glitter pens found here - thanks Enfys who enabled via her blog.

And this weeks Daring card
I love this theme!

Blue and Green...Should Never Be Seen
– they must be the predominant colours, and as the old saying goes...they should never be seen together!! But we all know how they can work beautifully together – so show us what you can do!!

I love blue and green together and think they should always be that way. It is such a restful combination!
I made this card for Em to take to the library today as a thank you for his work experience. He looked at it and said "but that is horrible" with real anguish in his voice. Maybe his colour blindness made the colours funny for him...
What has he done? Has he enjoyed it? have no idea as he will not tell us anything about it. I did find out that the long haired guy is not in charge of computers. He just has very long hair.

onto the card...
It is A5 size - gasp!
I printed out the central section on cream card stock. The bit sticking off the side is supposed to be a library tab which I added a random Dewey decimal number to.
Yes more October Afternoon. And yes, a different border punch. I have suddenly realised that I have bought 7 since last September. It has to stop here! (but they are so luverly....). Two were birthday presents (chosen by me as I have the best craft taste). Some of the elusive Martha Stewart punches are available at Imagine That but are flying off the shelves (well hanging unit really). the apple was cut out of one of the papers and glittered using glue pen and loose glitter. On reflection the pens would have been better...

Right back to playing with buttons and getting ready for a "fun" Church camp...

best card ever

Its been a long hot lovely day.
a bit frustrating in parts.
mostly due to the fact that my hard drive died again last week and I have to reload everything.
Which is why I haven't blogged my card yet from Friday
the nice part is that it is mine and Carys' birthday.
I had loads of lovely handmade, heartfelt cards this morning which I will show and tell. Thanks to all those who sent them to me
But for now I just want to show you my special card from Phil that had me laughing until I cried...

And I will drive 100 miles...

as the Proclaimers didn't sing
Actually it was more like 140 yesterday and today. Why?
to stay in a travelodge in Derby.
Why?
Cos I meet up twice a year with two colleagues to talk over work issues. Two of us live reasonably close to each other but the other is in Cumbria so Derby is kind of in the middle. We have met at the same place three times now. There is a pub next to the travelodge so we meet work, eat and then relax at the pub. In the morning we stroll down the hill to the excellent Sainsbury's cafe for breakfast and more work before coming home again. And as we do it over 24 hours you can still fit in work on the morning of day 1 and the evening of day 2. Result!

It did mean I wasn't around for the Salt launch this week but I had actually got my layout done. Which may well be the last one in my first Salt scrapbook. It is an American Crafts lever arch one but I think it is getting to the point where it won't close!
the Salt challenge this week follows on in a pattern from the two before

The Fruits of the Spirit

Hi everyone! It's my (Melita's) turn to host the challenge this week! This challenge will also be along the lines of our last two challenges. Continuing along the same vein as Lythan and Kim, our focus this week is on the work on the Holy Spirit in us and how it is manifested in the community of believers, namely, through the fruits of the Holy Spirit in our lives which are so clearly laid out in Galatians 5:22-23. "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law."

I love this verse at times and at others, I honestly have to say that I do get disheartened by it because I don't think I will ever possess any of these qualities in the way that God intends. Of course, I know that this is the evil one's way of getting me to forget about trying to apply any of them to my life. It is overwhelming to think about them all at once, but when I look at them separately, I know that God is working in my life and helping me to find measures of each to share with those around me. So that is my challenge to you. Look at each of these and share how God is working in that area in your life.

I had decided that I wanted to focus on USING the fruits of the spirit early on so after selecting an apple coloured top I got Phil to photograph me eating an apple which I then photographed close up and then ate. Yum. There is no Bible reading (gasp!) as I just couldn't fit it all on the page. I might write it out for the back of the layout. I know the passage well but not everyone who reads the scrapbook when I am gone may do!
The papers are straight in real life, it is the crop that is squiffy now I notice honest! I have used my new best friend, October Afternoon papers again - the Cherry Hill ones. The layout is a simple version of this weeks Pencil Lines sketch which was good for layering. The apple and label are OA; the butterfly is KandCO
The buttons are from my stash which I have now put in colour coded bags; lettering is adornit and American Crafts. And for those that need a close up

Right off to do a short worship service with the Brownies and Rainbows and then part 2 of a bereavement course; followed by a relax and catch up with Phil while we watch Big Bang Theory. So fab!

In a celebrating mood!

Lots of good news to share today!
1: Lil C is coming home in an hour or so. She had a great weekend away - we know because she phoned with updates every three hours! Looking forward to snuggling up and watching Casualty together.
2: I had my MA essay mark - the pass is 40 and a distinction is 70. I got 64 which I am over the moon about as I didn't do well last year and was really despondent.
3: I found out today that my church has won a Multicultural story award from the United Reformed Church. Back in May I posted the Bind it all book that I made as part of our contribution! We will receive the award in December at an event in Birmingham
4: I didn't get on to the Twisted Sketches design team (sob) but have been asked to be a GD in the future (yay!)
5: I have finally finished cards to show off the new Funky Hand I do work book
What I like is that the patterns are neutral and can work for a cream/white or any colour wedding with a bit of tweaking. I had a commission without any colour so ended up with a bit of a cream/white/bronze feel. Jenni and Alan are getting married in Italy - hence the initials
I stuck the J onto a different letter's paper in order to get the right colour combo and glittered the outline."Wedding day" is also from the download and takes glitter beautifully. The card is a little shorter than it started out being due to a few Bind it all accidents!!!!
I used my new Martha Stewart punch; some Distressed Stickles; a lot of distress ink and a few ribbons from my stash
Here is the inside
and a card made from the leftovers which happily fits the UKS June card challenge
I layered the border with thin foam pads and also raised the teeny alpha letters. The velvet ricrac is from Imagine That and the crochet flower was a pressie ages ago. Jenni's brother Graham, who commissioned the card and is my church secretary is a dab hand at crochet and he is going to make me some more! I added a button and some bakers twine.

I have also made a layout to go with this weeks twisted sketch. The twist is to use at least one die cutThese are photos of the place we stayed in over May half term. Isn't it pretty!
Sadly the sky was only this blue for the last 2 days...
the papers are all October Afternoon apart from the Bazzill layer and the brown paper which is Costco. This was going to be the base layer until I stuck the next part down too far to the right. I quite like it now... the brackets and the journalling spot are die cuts. They are from the Cherry Hill set but match the County Fair papers too. Clever!
Here is a close up of the journalling
Off to work on my Salt layout this week - which may well feature OA papers too and also start preparing my next Doodling class for Imagine That. Oh and pick up Carys and do a Youth Praise service at church. Not sure how much will get done...

What, Friday again?

Say it ain't so!
I know I am getting old when it only seems like yesterday was last Friday. Ooooh me aching bones.
It does mean it is nearly my birthday (tiddly pom!). And my pressies (chosen by meeeeee!) have arrived. There are two problems however, due to the fact that my best birthday present ever was my daughter born almost 13 years ago.

1: we normally open our cards and presents in the morning. She insists (bless!) that we do this alternately. This can take a long time. Number 1 son has to be out of the house by 7:45 in the morning. Do I really want to get up at 6:30 to do the present thing? No. But if not, I can't play with my new toys (which are possibly craft related but I don't know as they are a surprise. Well I pretend they are) until after school. Oh the agony!

2: She wants to do something with her friends for her birthday. Fairy snuff. I don't want to have to organise it. Must drop better hints to husband...

One day she will find sharing her birthday with her mum annoying. So I must cherish it while she doesn't and make the most of it. I'm just hoping she doesn't do a Kevin ...
She has gone away on a school trip this weekend. Its a science/activity weekend. 9 girls and 20 boys. Interesting.

Which gave me the inspiration for this weeks Daring Cardmakers challenge

Miss you

Make a card that shares your love with someone - it could be missing you, thinking of you, across the miles - just let you imagination take flight.

I have popped the card in her suitcase as the postal workers in London may be going on strike this weekend.
It is a cream square card that uses layers of kraft cardstock and Scenic Route Sonoma papers and some faux stitching.
I added bakers twine around the centre panel which also has a Martha Stewart doily punch border and is raised on foam pads.
The cork and die cut accents are all from Chatterbox. I bought this huge pack of Chatterbox embellishments from Studio Calico - they are cork; card; chipboard and acrylic. There are birds; butterflies; stars; random shapes and some cute deer!
The big letters are American Crafts felt thickers and the little ones are Adormit. To make the felt stand out I drew around them and then added some tiny pearls.
There is a lot of dimension going on (another reason for not posting it!) as you can see from the close up
I also made a quick card for my friend Sue to give to someone. She wanted a funny card. This is more cute really but I couldn't resist the die cut bird to match the October Afternoon papers
the papers are all from the Cherry Hill collection. I just added some Making Memories tiny alphas.

Finally a quick layout which all came together when I found the Scenic Route chipboard piece that says "Lucky" on it.
The title came from this book which was one of Carys' favourites when she was little. Kraft cardstock (how glad am I we can get this easily in the UK now!); Scenic Route and Cosmo Cricket papers; another Chatterbox embellishment; a button; some twine and some gigham ribbon and bob's your layout. I love these leaves and trees that I cut and layered up from some Mr Campy paper.


Anice has launched a new wedding themed wordbook download today at Funky Hand and it is fab, fab, fab. To my shame I haven't created anything yet but the other Design Team members have been really inspired. I am going to pull my finger out and get going over the weekend, so must get my service prep done now...

A trip down memory lane

Over Friday and Saturday I spent some time with my good friend Anna. We don't get to connect very often but she is such a wonderful amazing person. She lives in a gorgeous little cottage in Barnes, just back from the Thames. On Friday we pottered round Barnes and ate and talked and drank some wine (mine watered down as Anna bears the scars of my night of shame from University. And no I am not going to write it down on my blog!). On Saturday morning we did a 4 mile walk to Kew and back along the towpath (how virtuous was that!) then went to Richmond for more pottering round shops helping Anna find the right dress for a posh occasion soon (I love clothes shopping for other people) followed by a late lunch watching the cricket on Richmond Green. It was like a normal persons weekend! Only of course I was back to leading worship on Sunday. I'm NOT COMPLAINING . But one of the sacrifices of my job is that my time off is not when working people have time off and it can make it difficult to get together.

I decided that I needed to scrap a page about how long we have known each other and that we are in denial about it. I took the small camera with me and we did an arms length photo. I came home and delved into my photo album from Uni. Do you know I have one album for three years? And most of the photos are from party nights ... fortunately from the beginning and not the end! there aren't many photos of me and Anna to chose from but here are some to give you a giggle.
This will appear on a layout below but note the close up of my lovely room. This was a double room as I made the mistake of saying that I didn't mind sharing. That means you share. But you do get a room three times as big as a single. Note my beloved Kermit the frog mask. And the black and white etching of a man about to be burnt at the stake. A friend was a talented artist and I asked him to draw me something. He chose this theme "because I know you are religious" Nice. I really wish I'd kept it now. I do have the "Lythan the sheep" one he did in 3rd year. The stake burning man was put in the one place in the room my room mate Debbie and I couldn't really see it without actually trying. Sorry Andy. What you miss from this angle is all the lovely rainbows I decorated the "sperm walls" with (so called because of the shape of the paint splatters). Groovy.

Here is us in second yearwith Haggis, still a close friend of Anna's and Jill (I think) at Haggis' 20th birthday party. HIs real name is Paul but we never call him that! The black was creeping in and by year 3 I was more "alternative" looking. I used to spend ages getting my hair to look this bad
but it was 1985 by then. I have no idea of the name of the girl in between us - and we were all on the Executive together! that is just awful. We were having a Furness College Executive do in the ultimate eaterie in Lancaster - the Kebab and Steak house. Veg kebab and chips - just the best! (And posher than it sounds!) I was Welfare Officer for the year. I was rubbish at it really.

And finally in the memory lane stakes a photo that gives me a real pang. I've scrapped it below but again it is good to see a close up as the camera doesn't like taking photos of scanned photos
This was taken around the same time as the last one in the room of the lad at the front whose name may have been Stuart but I can't remember. Then we have cool guy who was doing an MA; Paul Talman; me; Mark; Russell (who wasn't a student but was the brother of Paul Cannon who was my best mate for the first term and I wish I was in touch with now and was probably taking the photograph); Andy (the artist); Scott (another great mate) and Jonathan Harper Hill in front of me.

The pang I explain with the scrapping. Its an application for the Twisted Sketch design team. I had to use a sketch and ribbon in some way. Here it is
see what I mean about the photo? I used Dream Street Birdie Bits as background paper and then some large pieces of 7 Gypsies and Scenic Route Sonoma. The flowers used SR Grafton and two Crafts House Allsorts papers. The big journalling block is by Theresa Russell. I used my big scallop scissors (again) and did some daisy chain embroidery along the scallop. Then I added some fabby velvet ribbon from Imagine That, scrunched up using staples. You can see the colour of the ribbon better here.The letters are Basic Grey White Chocolate Chip coloured with an aqua marine chalk ink pad. And I crowned myself with a Prima Say it in crystals swirl. And here is the scrapping as therapy slightly easier to see. I used to think I was so fat and ugly and unloveable. It makes me sad for me then. Mind you if I had a steady boyfriend I don't think I would have got a 2:1 :)
And here is the layout which kicked off all this brooding over my past (and laughing at my daft get ups!)
Papers are Pink Paislee (as are the rub ons) and Sassafrass (as is the chipboard) The cork is Chatterbox. I tried to get a studenty effect with the cork and the layered photos
the only other addition wre some papermania stick on stones and Anitas ribbon given a ruffle effect. Here is the journalling
I've also made Carys' birthday card today which I am going to submit to the Papercrafts Idol. I think the competition is rather too strong for me but I needed a special card anyway. Its still drying so I'll photograph it later! Now it is time for an evening off en famille with Pizza, cider and Oceans 13. And more preparing Hywel for his time at Uni which is coming round all too soon!

Just a quick one

Do you know how hard it is for me to write that and not make it something rude?

Anyway I really have no minutes to blog but I am going to any way!

I am off soon to spend time with my mate from Uni who I have known for (cough 25years cough). The rest of the family will be home so I feel safe to blog this unlike the couple who twittered about being away and were burgled...

I still haven't shared much of my hols or my day out to Secret London with Phil on Monday. Ah well... So Daring Card today. Theme Sizzling Hot. Lythan did not read the word "only" so her card has more colours in.

Sizzling Hot!

Hi it's Keryn here this week and in New Zealand we're in the middle of winter. Not snow like some of you get but we think it's cold all the same. I want to see card creations using only sizzling hot yellow based colours like red, orange and yellow to send some heat out to us through the web.
And I had my eyes tested yesterday with no change so no excuse there!

I used an old 2Sketches4U sketch for my card. The papers are all WRMK Nonsense range. I did a bit of border punching, adding some tiny yellow jewels; a die cut number; hand written sentiment and a mahoosive felt star from a German craft shop which I hand stitched. There is also a wee bit of doodling. It turned out quite complicated and I think Katya's parents will wonder why so much effort went into her card!

I also did a quckie layout on Wednesday. I love clean and simple but can't really do it. This is close though.
The sunshine effect is from photographing it. Carys and I are shopping in Rye in the photos. On the close up we are in front of a craft shop which I was allowed to enter (gasp!) and did not buy anything (double gasp!). It had been raining which brings a depth to the colours I think. The papers, journalling card and scallop are OCtober Afternoon; I added Jenni Bowlin letter stickers; American Crafts felt rick rack; Making Memories epoxy star thing; chatterbox die cut butterfly; Scenic Route "love"; a pin, a button and two of my Papermania tags. I lvoe them now which is good as there are about another 3 million to use up. The "two" card came with the Studio Calico kit but I think it must be OA as it matches so well!
blrub close up for those who DO need their eyes testing!

Byeeeeeeeee

The Community of Faith

I was sitting here trying to work out what to call this post and when my mouse hovered over the title bit, the title for todays Salt post popped up so I decided to use that rather than use another 5 minutes on something different.

I am feeling relieved today. My brother went for a major op yesterday but has come through fine. I now think that it was major in that if it went wrong, it could be serious (as they worked on his neck) but if it went right then recovery is quick. I'm still a bit shocked that he is being discharged today! But just thankful that he came through all right and they are pleased with him. we have an odd relationship in that we haven't seen each other for many, many years and hardly communicate by phone or card. (Complex reasons that I'm not going to share here!) but I am longing to see him now. I was going to dash to Preston on Monday while he was in hospital but can't do Blackpool there and back in a day so Phil and I will head up for a dirty midweek when the kids are with my parents in July! (for an international readers Blackpool is like a very, very poor person's Las Vegas and was famed as the destination for illicit affairs hence the phrase "dirty weekend")

It was my turn to choose the Salt challenge this time. I wanted something that would follow on from the last theme so took my inspiration from the end of the second chapter in Acts where the doings of the first church are described. Wow what a gang! Read about them here. Eating together, worshipping together, sharing everything together, supporting each other. See, some of that I could do, but having done something like it in my youth - where I met Phil - I know that it is by no means easy. But sharing everything? What, even my new October Afternoon papers?
I'll have to get back to you on that...

So what does it mean to be a community of faith?
Here is my take on it...

The photo I used was not taken by me. I wasn't even there! It is the end of the worship on Easter Day at my tiny church - Heaton Way. I was at the other one but someone sent me the photo on their Blackberry! We are a Church who are only just there. there is always a question mark over the existence of such a small church. But it is a truly special place with a really diverse congregation that is both vulnerable and exceptional.

The blue paper is MME and the rest is Daisy Bucket. The big tree was a lot bigger and just too dominant so I had to do a lot of pruning! But it did mean that I could add some dimensional leaves. The large scallop was traced from a Technique Tuesday tile and the small journalling one was done on the Craft Robo. I added Adornit letter stickers and Basic Grey chipbaord letters and LOTS of distress stickles.

Here is a close up of the journalling

Off to make a Get Well Soon card...