Creative Church Crafting

There are many opportunities to be creative at church, especially since we were crafted by a creative God in his image! ☝👨👩 We sang a song at church last Sunday that mentions all the different colors of the world - 

"Jesus loves the little children, 

all the children of the world - 

red and yellow, black and white, 

they are precious in his sight,

 Jesus loves the little children of the world." 

I was delighted to see the children's faces - they were surprised that we of the mature set knew that song too! 👴👵

I wanted to compile a post like my best tips post and include an index to other longer church craft posts I've created in the past. Enjoy! 

* Advent Article & Crafts
~~ <> @ <> ~~

 

* Banks
~~ <> @ <> ~~

 

* Bargains Galore
~~ <> @ <> ~~ 

* Bulletin Boards
~~ <> @ <> ~~

 

* The Bethlehem Project
~~ <> @ <> ~~

Date: December 21, 2011-Christmas Stockings

I was rooting around in our church’s Sunday School teachers Resource Room and found two boxes stuffed full of pieces of old felt leftover from some other project, so I decided to make Christmas stockings for my Sunday School kids.

~~ <> @ <> ~~

* A Bookmark
~~ <> @ <> ~~

* Christian Acronym ATC's
~~ <> @ <> ~~

* Christmas Card Exchange
~~ <> @ <> ~~
Date: December 21, 2011- Church mouse Cookie

Making a list and checking it twice. Okay, I just finished sewing up the felt cookie with the bite out of it for our children’s church mice Christmas drama. It has white felt “icing” and bugle beads for sprinkles sewn on. The rather flat “pillow” is stuffed with plastic grocery bags. They mold a little flatter and stiffer than pillow stuffing will. Some of the children were to hold candy canes and they came from the dollar store. Now to find “nests” of blankets/towels for all the “mice” and wrap the HUGE “gift” with wrapping paper and a large bow (hot water tank box) for the stage. 

~~ <> @ <> ~~

Date: Jan to Dec 2020: Weekly Coloring Sheets I'm doodling weekly coloring sheets to share with my church family. There are adults as well as children who like to color! I like to use Twistable coloring pencils by Crayola to color with myself. For instance, our associate pastor takes a coloring book with him to medical appointments and colors in the waiting room. He said it is very relaxing and better to keep his hands and mind active while waiting to see the doctor than to watch a pot to boil, so to speak. 😇 The printable coloring sheets are FREE and available linked into our church website . The image is paired with scripture. IMHO, nothing is better to meditate on than God's word. 

'~~ <> @ <> ~~

Date: April 23, 2011- Easter Baskets

I made fifteen of these Easter baskets for the kids in my Sunday School class out of the small nut cans. They are like the banks I made earlier. The only thing I did differently was to add two punched holes on the sides of the can and thread in tinsel pipe-cleaners for the handles. I found tiny goodies to put inside. On most of the medallions, I hot-glued a stamped duck (Stampin' Up) to the front. The duck's bow was colored to match the scrapbook paper.





~~ <> @ <> ~~

* God Richly Provides!
~~ <> @ <> ~~

 

* Golden Rule ATC 

~~ <> @ <> ~~

* Hand-Crafted vs. Store-Bought Toys
~~ <> @ <> ~~

 

* Mission Project (July/Aug 2019) = this is our ladies current mission project - crocheting scarves for young people in another country. To date, we have 60 of the projected 80 scarves. My first scarf and hat (blue & gray) is at the very top of this mission scarf tree.

~~ <> @ <> ~~

* More ATC Ideas!

~~ <> @ <> ~~

Date: Tuesday, April 10, 2012 - Mr. Egghead

Here’s what I made for my Sunday School Kids this year. I made a template pattern of a large egg from heavy  white cardstock a printer gave me and cut it out with a handle so they could carry it easily. I kept it black & white so they could color it if they so desired. After watching Rack, Shack, & Benny (a Veggie-Tale movie) a few weeks ago, one little girl in my class said she wanted a chocolate bunny for Easter, so each egg had a chocolate bunny taped to the front. I also found a magnetic refrigerator Creation Bible story toy at a surplus store for 50 cents apiece which I taped to the back.

~~ <> @ <> ~~

* No Glue Playdough Slime Recipe  Note: This is NOT a gluten-free recipe. 
~~ <> @ <> ~~

 

* Pillowcase Aprons
~~ <> @ <> ~~

 

Date: March 28, 2012 - The Last Supper

I come from a long line of crafty women and one of the photos I found while digging in a box of photos is of my grandmother’s “Last Supper." She loved dolls and wanted to make a realistic representation of DaVinci’s painting.

To find enough male doll figures (I believe they were GI Joes) Grandma came to town for a visit with a shopping list in hand. She and mom went thrift shopping to purchase the figures,  to buy material for the Biblical costumes she sewed for them and the tablecloth for the table. Also, they purchased tiny dishes and clay for the miniature loaves of bread. Some even got wigs of hair glued on and tiny sandals. My Uncle made the long wooden table and benches for the “disciples” and “Jesus” to sit at. Grandma displayed her creation for many years on her sideboard at Easter and after she passed away, my mother displayed it on top of her restored upright piano. It might have graced the communion table a time or two at our home church during the holidays too. 

I bet my preschoolers in Sunday School would love this hands-on representation of the Last Supper. I just may have to do as Grandma did and make one too. 

~~ <> @ <> ~~

* Tissue Box Notebooks

~~ <> @ <> ~~

* Veggie Tale ATC's
~~ <> @ <> ~~ 

* Veggie Tales

Crafty Christmas Gifts

2018 = This year's selection for a crafty Christmas gift for all the ladies in our family (his and her sides) was a pincushion and I found the idea at YouTube on a video titled "Easy Pincushions with Jenny, Misty, and Cindy" by Missouri Star Quilt Company. I really enjoyed shopping at thrift stores for the containers and bought the Lizard Litter and some pillow filler fluff. Just a warning - the smallest bag Petco carries of Lizard Litter is a ten-pound sack of crushed walnut shells! 😁

Many of the pots were still dirty from their last use, so almost as soon as I got home with them, they got scrubbed in a warm, sudsy bath. I looked them over carefully at the store for cracks and chips and a couple of them didn't transfer home so well, so I had to touch up a couple with matching paint. All in all though, they were so cute when I finished making them. 

If you decide you have to make some too, here's what I suggest: several of the containers were deep and I stuffed the bottoms of them with plastic grocery sacks and foam packing before adding the glue around the top edges and then stuffing the pincushion bubble in and adding more glue where needed. To make the pincushion bubble,  I put the center of the fabric upside down into the top of a little cardboard tea package lid that was about 1 1/2 inch deep (you could use a custard cup or other small container), spooned in about 3 scoops of lizard litter, then drew it up into a "bubble" and stuffed pillow fluff into the opening (which will be the bottom of the pincushion), while twisting some strong crochet thread around the "neck" to tie it closed (secret: tie a slip knot first with a 3 inch tail and pull tight, then wrap the thread around the neck two or three times and tie off) and cut off the excess fabric. I used a thumbnail and a Chinese bamboo chopstick to push the pincushion pillow into the opening of several of the containers and tried to smooth them out until tight. Then I stretched a couple of large rubber-bands around the top of pincushion and the bottom of the containers to hold the pincushions in until the glue dried and set overnight. Added a couple of straight pins and a safety pin on top to finish them off. Made 25 in all and the gals had fun picking out their favorite one to take home!

If you want to see details, click on the photo to enlarge! 

Poetry. By Dolores J. Rush

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~  

Mrs. Harryman, my 6th grade teacher and one of my all-time favorite schoolteachers, read examples of all sorts of poetry to us. They were sometimes funny, like Edward Lear's limericks and assigned a 4 line verse composition for English class. I don't know what she saw in me, but she encouraged me to continue writing, so I grabbed a blank book and began to fill it with quotes, poetry I liked, and my scribbles.  Another favorite teacher, Mrs. Bundy, invited me to join a creative writing club where we compiled and published a school literary magazine. I enjoyed it so much in high school, that I also joined the campus literary club in college.   

I've decided to collect some of the poetry I've shared in different posts on this blog, plus a few new ones and place them together. And, if you wish to add any of these poems to your own collection, please  credit me with writing them. It's a great compliment when you do. Thank you!  

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~  

All Poems By Dolores J. (O'Neal) Rush.

the earth
in 
suspenseful 
waiting - 
patiently -

BURSTING
from 
its
nesting place
the sun
pushes aside
the 
shadows

BLAZING
in ALL
its 
majestic glory

driving
the born
before 
itself - 

beginnings -

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

Glorious morn
How beautiful thou art
Praising the Lord with all thy beauty
Singing to the heavens
Thy perfume is the sweetest upon this earth. . .

O Glorious morn
Thou art the one that awakens the sleeping world
Stirs the light
That brushes away the stale night. . .

Glorious morn
Thou have made me drunk with all thy glorious beauty
My God gave thee power,
Power to captivate thy audience!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

flowers
delicate, lovely
sight to behold
delights the senses with
heaven

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

A Description Riddle 

toe-level S

grass waves

whip smooth

yellow, black

Y tongue taster

springssssings

mouse, watch out!

What am I?

 ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

Note: Just so you know, the poem below does not come from experience. As a married woman, I lost a much wanted child through miscarriage before our son was born and I experienced an entirely different emotion from the one I had imagined as a teenager in this poem. My favorite hobby has always been reading and as a young person, I often imagined and experimented with scenarios I gathered along the way to compose in poetry form whether as free verse, such as the one below, or in rhyme. 

A Babe is Born

By Dolores J. O'Neal-Rush.

A babe is born

In a cabin of the wilderness.

A midwife is bustling about

The fire under the mantle is crackling

The babe is in the mother's arms.

Babe's pang of hunger cries,

Mother whispers hush!

Babe's against thy mother's breast,

Pain is lessened next.

Babe's ill,

Coughing and choking,

They do all they can.

He took his last breath,

His suffering is over.

Thy mother is weeping softly

The tears of joy,

She is glad for him

Babe is in a better place

Far above.

Babe was dressed in the finest calico they had,

They laid him under the willow tree by

a softly, spoken stream.

They erected a simple, wooden cross,

For they could not afford a stone.

There he sleeps.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

A Music Jam-O! 

 ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

A Rubber Stamp Cinquain

rubber

stamped characters

impressions on paper

colored lines and shapes

artist inked, pressed, lifted, cleaned

red

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

Note: I wrote the prayer poem below sometime ago and decided to add it to my son's photo scrapbook. I also designed the baby shoe template "card" to add to the page with 2 layers so that I can journal a personal note inside to my son. 

Bless My Little Baby Son

By Dolores J. Rush.

Dear Lord, I love my baby son

And thank you for his life,

I ask thee to bless my little one,

Bless his little life.

Bless his wee little head

And his curly locks

As you shine upon his bed

Over his room, toys and blocks.

Remind him as he grows

Of your great loving care,

Precious is he to you, I know,

From his sweet baby toes to his fuzzy hair.

This baby dear, so sweet and fine

I pray will grow strong and true

Into a gentleman, like Christ divine

Honorable through and through.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

Our Church Family Quilt

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

A Post-It-Note Poem

How dry I am, How wet I'll be

If I don't find a note from thee.

I'll cry a lot and wail from here

Oh, Oh! I shed a tear!

I shed a tear, my heart is broke,

Make that two, my face is soaked.

My eyes are red and I am sad

Write a note and make me glad!

your friend, ___________________

(insert your name here)

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

Bulletin Boards

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

Indigestion

commercials

TV

stuff your face

funnelinginnonstop

Try it, you'll like it

scrumpdilious

it's the real thing

You deserve a break today

so get up and get away

to McDonald's

World's Famous Restaurant

the Uncola

the most original soft drink ever in the whole wide world

two all beef patties, special sauce, lettuce

cheese, pickles, onion on a sesame seed bun,

I don't believe I ate the whole thing!

Plop, plop, fizz, fizz, oh what a relief it is!

What a Relief!

 ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

A Mother's Prayer was published in our homeschool newsletter. 

By Mrs. Dolores J. Rush

Yea, I am the mother of an ADD child

Daily, I practice tough love

I shall not want to

Strangle that stubborn little neck,

But guide him towards paths of

Righteousness. To you, Lord.

Even though I walk through

The shadow of the Valley of

Weary Resignation

(Am I getting through to him??)

I will fear no hopeless situations

For you are with us;

Your presence and your arms comfort me.

And even though I walk through

The valley of the shadow of

Governmental “social reformers”

I will fear no evil

For you art with us.

You prepare a table of Joy

In the presence of my enemies

You anoint my head with wisdom.

My cup overflows.

Surely your goodness and love follow me

As I try to follow you all the days of my life.

(Oh, for your stamina to live through today. . .)

and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

Thank you, Lord, for your provision of grace. Amen!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

Family Picnic

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

The Breeze

The breeze blew softly through the open window
It's deliciously cool fingers
Soothed my fevered face 
And stroked my arms and legs.
As the breeze blew over me,
In its breath, I could smell
The freshly mown odor of summer's grass,
The faintly sweet perfume of flowers,
The clean smell of new rain.
The breeze whispered in my ear
Of things it had seen that day,
Of a gorgeous jeweled dawn,
Of a happy mother seeing her baby's first steps,
And of a wooden cross bathed in a stream of light. 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

A Suburban Summer’s Evening

By Dolores J. Rush

Air conditioner’s humming

Bugs biting. . . slap!

Birds chirping

Breeze blowing

Crickets creaking

Dogs barking

Eyes waving goodbye.

Fireflies blinking

Gas lamps glowing

Heat dancing

Highway singing

Ice melting

June bugs buzzing

Kids crying

Lawnmowers grazing

Leaves blowing kisses goodnight.

Mosquitoes whining

Night graying

Opossums creeping

People laughing

Raccoons raiding

Streetlamps shining

Shadows playing

Sun blushing

Trains whistling sweet dreams . . .

Underarms stretching

Uvula’s peeping

Venetian blinds whooshing

Wet dirt scenting

Windchimes tinkling

X’s smooching

You fading

And Z’s sleeping!

 ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

😴