Memories

JYC Day 6 - Memories

Today's prompt is about recording Christmas Memories. The above layout was made several years ago and shows one on my favourite photographs, and Christmas memories. On a Sunday a few weeks before Christmas in 1995, it actually snowed! The children were three years old. I dressed the girls as angels and Andrew as a shepherd for the Christingle service at out church. They looked very cute in their costumes I made for them. It was probably the first year they were old enough to enjoy taking part in such a service. On the way home we stopped int the church yard for some photographs.

For many years while my children were at the primary school I was involved with a small team of parents making over one hundred Christingles for this annual service. I once wrote a piece for the church magazine explaining what the Christingle was all about, I must see if I can find it, must be on my computer somewhere! The children have always loved this service, even once they had joined the choir and could no longer dress up with the other angels and shepherds.

Found it!

"CHRISTINGLE SERVICE (12th December 1999)
The first Christingle Service took place in a Moravian church in the town of Marienborn in Germany in 1747 (252 years ago). The pastor of the church, John de Watteville, invited local children to take part in a special service in the church. At the end of the service he gave each child a small, lighted candle wrapped in a red ribbon. Pastor John asked the children to take the lighted candles home and place them in their windows so that passers-by would be reminded of the light of Jesus.
These candles and ribbons were the first Christingles and as the people of the Moravian church travelled around the world, they took the custom with them wherever they went.
In Britain the Children’s Society, a charity of the Church of England and the Church of Wales, organises Christingle services each Christmas to help raise funds for children who need the help of the society.
Today, Christingles are made from oranges, which represent the world. Into them are pushed four cocktail sticks with sweets or fruits representing the four seasons of the year and the fruits of the earth. A red ribbon is wrapped around the orange and reminds us of the love of Jesus who died for us, and the lighted candle represents the risen Jesus, the Light of the World.
Each year for the past three years a group of mothers have gathered together in the vestry, on the Friday morning before the Christingle Service. Together with a good chat and a cup of coffee, the three hundred Christingles are soon put together; it usually takes less than two hours".... My words went on to ask for parents to help with that years preparations and giving details of time place etc.

My 2007 page:

What a Load of Rubbish

At a recent card making class we were supplied with individual bins to use at our work spaces. They were made from fabric and hung from the table.

They were counter balanced with a sand bag, really neat and plenty big enough for a crop or class. I thought I would have a go at making one, and as it turned out well, I wanted to make one each for all my crop friends for Christmas, then I made one for all my Debden Retreat friends and a few others too. In the end I have made 18, so far. I gave these out at the crop on Saturday and hopefully the others received theirs in the post to open on the same day. We had a brilliant crop today and I received so many lovely gifts and cards, I will be showing you them all over the next few weeks. Some are very relevant to the JYC project so I will chat about them on the appropriate days. Thanks to all my lovely scrapping friends for making it such a lovely day and for all the cards and gifts. Happy to make some more if anyone wants one.

I played around with sizes and shape an made a paper pattern, once I got it right.

To make a bag you will need: fabric of your choice, a fat quarter is sufficient. Calico for sand bag and contrasting fabric for lining. Matching thread, 40cm boning, 4cm Velcro, sand, paper for pattern.

From main fabric cut one main outer bag, two straps and one outer pouch to hold sandbag. Cut one bag from lining, and a sandbag from calico.

Treat both straps alike. Press under about 0.5 cm down one long side and press the other side in to meet this.

Then fold over and press again, hold in place with one machine stitched seam.

Taking outer pouch fabric, treat both short ends the same.

Press under 0.5cm, then about 2.5cm.

On one short end - tuck both straps under the pressed hem, about 2cm apart.

Fold straps back and pin into place.

Then sew with machine along top and bottom of both hems.

Sew up both sides of pouch.

Turn right side out and place to one side.

Now to prepare the bag itself. With right sides facing sew seams of bad and lining. Clip curves.

Make a hem of about 3cm at the top of the bag, but leave gap of about 2cm in stitching for threading boning through.

Turn outer bag right side out but keep lining inside out.

Thread boning through the top of the bag, this will hold the bag open.

Fold over top of lining by 3cm and press. Place lining inside bag and pin in place. Take the pouch and ensure the free ends of the straps are sandwiched between the lining and the bag. Now sew the lining to the bag very close to the top.

Fold the calico in half and sew round all three open sides, leaving a gap of about 3cm to allow for turning and filling. Clip corners.

Add sand to bag with a funnel, held over a tray.

Stitch the gap in the bag closed by hand.

Add Velcro to the pouch before enclosing the sand bag. This allows for the sand bag to be removed when washing the rubbish bag.
The bag is now finished, here is the one I made for my friend Anita!

Please contact me if you want to make one and need more details, or if you want me to make one for you. Thanks for looking.

Countdown to Christmas

JYC day 5 Countdown...

For 5th December I created a 12x12" layout,using several small photos taken around the house on that day. The papers are all Basic Grey and much of the cutting was done with the Cricut and the Designers Calendar Cartridge. I love this cartridge it is so versatile. The layout shows the preparations in the countdown to Christmas, including the card writing which I finally finished today.

My 2007 page for 5th December:

Christmas Greetings

The prompt to Journal Your Christmas for 3rd December is all about greetings cards.

I have not purchased my cards yet but will get them from the charity I work for. For family and close friends I have made some cards which I have already posted on this blog - here and here.

I have received a few cards through the post already:

I received several hand made cards from my scrapping friends, this beautiful one from Liz:

I really like this fun stamp and the complementary colours and papers.

This fantastic easel card was made by Anita, so much work in this beautiful card. These two pictures show the card open and closed.

I love the colours, papers and embellishments Anita has worked her magic with.

Last Posting Dates For Christmas mail:
(for more information recommended last posting date)
Your last posting dates for Christmas are:
1st Class - 21st December
2nd Class - 18th December
Special Delivery - 23rd December
Standard Parcels - 15th December

This years Christmas postage stamps:
Another busy day and a trip to London to visit the triplets. Our niece Heather, the triplets Mum, has a birthday tomorrow. The babies all had colds, but still happy for a few photos. Then off to a School fete with Linda this evening.

Hannah with me

Heather and OliverLucy
Helping with feeding time certainly brought back memories for us!

Here is my layout from 2007:

Oh The Weather Outside...

Been such a busy week, working very long days Monday and Tuesday, and on call overnight both nights. Then trying really hard to finish on time today so I could get home in time to help Catherine and her friend prepare for tonight's production of Children of Eden. Alan drove us all to the school in time to watch the performance at 7pm. Here are some still photos taken from the video clips. Catherine played the part of Yonah.

Today's prompt is all about weather at Christmas time. It would be wonderful if it snowed at Christmas, but all to often it is mild and dry. Today it is raining heavily here, as it has been most days for the past week, except yesterday when I had to scrape ice from the car, and it was much colder and brighter. We have had snow this year, back in February, and the children really made the most of it, playing in the garden ans in nearby Shenstone Park and Hall Place.

A layout for today will follow after Saturday's crop, the photos are printed and the papers selected, just need to put it all together. I have been playing with the Christmas cartridge for the Cricit and the snowflake image.

Here is my DLO from 2007:

February Snow

2nd December Paer Two:
er is my layout for the 2nd December prompt, on the theme of Weather. As there is rarely snow in December, especially at Christmas, here is a layout to record the snow we had last February.

I used Basic Grey Eskimo Kisses papers and two new Cricut Cartridges. Jill's snowflakes cartridge and my Designer's Calendar cartridge (which I brought at Jill's). I also used some snowflakes cut from the Christmas Cartridge. Lots of pink, white and blue Bazzill and gems for sparkle.

Had another brilliant, Christmasy day at Jill's crop with great friends. Can't believe that's the last crop for 2009, where has the year gone?

Manifesto JYC

JYC Declarations

Welcome to December 2009 - I can't quite believe it's already here!
I have signed up for Shimelle's 'Journal Your Christmas' project again this year.

December and August are the only two months of the year when we are not as busy with the performing Centre, taking up our time after school and at the weekends. Catherine has now had her tap exam. There is still plenty to do, with a busy month ahead, but it's different to the normal routine. We have Catherine's school production this week and today was the first performance for primary schools. We are looking forward to seeing the show tomorrow evening. As I mentioned in a post a couple of days ago I didn't get time to join in the journal last Christmas as Catherine took part in a panto, which kept me busy too. I decided to have a go at joining in again this year via my blog. I intend to build on what I have learnt by keeping a blog since May this year and taking part in the Blogging for Scrapbookers project last month. Starting today I intend to blog daily following the prompts, and where possible use various crafts to illustrate my entries.Some of these will be scrapbook pages, others will be decorations, calendars etc.

On 1st December I always remembered on my grandmother, Winifred May Holder nee Humm as this was her birthday. She was born in 1900, so was always the same age as the century during the 20th century. That means were she still alive, she would be 109 today! Sadly she died when I was 14 and she was 74. This is a photograph of Gran (left), with my grandfather. I took this picture with my first camera and film in 1970. Below is a photo of when Gran was a new mother with her first baby (my Uncle Peter) 1930. I love that hat, she was rarely seen without a hat, indoors or out!

My pages for the first December 2007: