Monday, March 21, 2016

Its the most busiest time of the year....

Yup, people think Ministers have a lot on at Christmas time but it is nothing to Lent, Holy Week and Easter. The latter is more straightforward in that there is more work but less having to run around and get presents and food etc at the same time. I even made sure all the churches had enough palm crosses this year (that's a first for a while without having to have last minute deliveries!)

Its all good - but doesn't leave a lot of crafting time
I have finished another crochet project which I will carefully photograph so you can't see the mistakes in it. If I ever make another bag I know what to do now - but couldn't bring myself to take it right back again, again. Most of my crochet projects have to be rewound at least once. But they always end up better and stronger for doing so. (And I will always look at my bag and wish I had gone back and started again). There is something profound and theological in the need to go back and start afresh and how that is the best thing. I'll ahve to work on my theological reflections on crochet a bit more. Feel free to ask about the theology of dieting, I can rant about articulate my beliefs on that score more easily!

I have had some time to craft today - I made myself take a real day off, even though it means working like a mad thing the rest of the week. Because that rest is needed to get me through. And it has given me a chance to photograph things I finished in an actual spare moment over the last few weeks.
Two weeks ago the Daring challenge was Speedy

...and of all the die cuts in all the world, Nat and I chose the same one. What are the chances? Pop over to the Daring blog to see how different our cards look. I used papers from the same collection (I am) to create a kind of scene for the bike to rest on. Not my best effort but I tried...

This week I was very late to the party with this card. We were challenged to use Kraft on our cards. I decided to use it to colour on and this was the result
I stamped the Winnie and Walter Addie's garden flowers with white ink and then coloured them in using Prismacolour pencils. I did try to watercolour first - can you spot the poorly leaf? The pencils were awesome though. After colouring them I added Wink of Stella glitter pen and then went back round the images with a white gel pen. The Paper Smooches stamp was embossed onto thick vellum and I die cut the matching word three times - the top layer is glittery - to give it dimension. I added the Prima sparkles because I couldn't get the vellum to lay down flat!

I've also been making layouts for Quirky Kits recently - here are the latest two

 using the same set of papers and embellishments! It shows just how clever and creative these kits are

 

Monday, March 07, 2016

All change

Yesterday I had the difficult task of giving notice. Being a Minister, you don't do it by letter or a quick chat to your boss (although I suppose prayer is involved...) but by telling a whole congregation all at once. And in fact, as I have two congregations a letter was involved so ignore most of the above!

Anyway, what I told them was that I am moving to a new post, as Minister of Cranbrook. A town on the edge of Exeter which hasn't been finished yet to be Minister of Cranbrook, a church with no building. So, a very different and challenging job with lots of exciting, creative possibilities.  Leaving is hard though and I have not been in Torbay that long so it was really quite a shock. I won't be replaced immediately, which has its pros and cons but does mean people will have to take on some of my responsibilities and that is tough too. But as my Moderator (bit like a bishop) who is a wise and lovely person has said, if God has called me to Cranbrook, then God will look after my churches too.

In crafty news... I finished my crochet blanket JUST in time to send to my mammy.

It is the Spice of Life CAL pattern for those who understand such things. I am disappointed with my edging. I have the same pick up issues that I do with knitting - where I end up with holes. I just hope mum thinks it is part of the design!

It went with this card
 which was also handily, my Daring Cardmakers submission this week. As it is the beginning of March, our challenge was an Elemental Inspiration one.
Here is the picture we had as a jump off point
 Hurray, I thought, I can use my new Clearly Besotted tulips set! So I did. I was also inspired by the yellow painty splodge, the ric rac, the colours and the woodgrain. What woodgrain I hear you ask? Why the enamel dot above the "i". It has a subtle, but honestly there, woodgrain!

The paper is really, really old Websters Papers - but that is not as old as the Doodlebug paper frill ricrac which I have had forever!
Life is going to get even more complex in the next few weeks but hopefully I will still find a little time to craft and possibly even blog