After debuting the new logo for our church, it was time to begin an overhaul of the website. My fellow committee member (and friend) Ann and I have been working hard on this task. We are not done, but we've made enough progress that I wanted to share it here.
As you can see below, the new website uses our brand colors and features our logo prominently. We replaced the 5+ fonts on the previous site with a single, easy-to-read san-serif (Verdana) on the new version. We moved the menu down, and used larger text and yellow buttons to make it easier to read. The buttons are rounded to give it a more warm and welcoming feel.
I'm particularly happy with our new header. We tried a lot of different ways to incorporate the three logos (our own, the ELCA logo, and the Reconciling in Christ logo) and no matter what we did, it looked really crowded. The logos competed with each other until we shrunk down the ELCA logo and put it the address line, then added a line below that stating that we are an ELCA church.
We've made updates to the pages as well, but most are not complete. We plan to add a bunch of photos, then fix the formatting and make some other tweaks. Stay tuned!
Have you heard of the Red List? Created by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, it is the world’s most comprehensive source of information about the health of animal, fungi, and plant species around the globe. Since it was established in 1964, the IUCN has evaluated 169,420 species and placed them into one of nine categories: Not Evaluated, Data Deficient, Least Concern, Near Threatened, Vulnerable, Endangered, Critically Endangered, Extinct in the Wild, and Extinct. The Red List is, obviously, a valuable resource for everyone involved with biodiversity conservation.
A UK group called Heritage Crafts has developed their own version of the Red List. Instead of focusing on endangered animals, they identify traditional crafts that are extinct or at risk of dying out.
I encourage you to read the whole list, as it is very interesting. But I'll call out a few facts that struck me.
There are 165 items on the Red List of Endangered Crafts.
There are 12 crafts that have been newly categorized in the 2025 update as Critically Endangered. These include skills like cut crystal glass making, fabric flower making, quilting in a frame, glove making, and rattan furniture making.
For the first time ever, the Red List has a Resurgent category. Skills like reverse glass sign painting and side saddle making are doing better in recent years.
You can read about each individual craft, like this entry on bow making, which is Critically Endangered. It's fascinating. Or this one on rug tufting, which is a Resurgent craft. I'm not surprised to hear that rug tufting is making a comeback in the UK; there are rug tufting studios that have opened in the US in recent years and quite a few artsy YouTubers have given rug tufting a go recently.
I need to reiterate that, unlike the IUCN's Red List that is worldwide, the Red List of Endangered Crafts only covers the UK. I've never come across a list like this for other countries; if you're aware of one, please send me a link. But even if the UK has the only list, it stands to reason that heritage crafts are endangered in many other parts of the world as it is more difficult for skilled craftspeople to earn a living for their hard work.
Are you familiar with Terrible Maps? Most of the maps are indeed terrible (and thus hilarious) but some of the maps are not terrible at all (and thus very interesting). This is a recent map from the latter category:
As you can see, this map shows the average colo(u)r of US state flags. The idea of an average color is a bit odd, particularly when you think about distinctive flags like those of Arizona and Maryland showing up as shades of brown. But look at the way that Washington and New Mexico pop amongst the sea of blues and violets. The point of a flag is to be distinctive and immediately identifiable.
I thought it would be fun to see how my ranking of the best and worst state flags matches up with their average color. I ranked the flags before Minnesota adopted a much better flag, so on the map below, you'll find it labeled with rest of the Top Contenders (smily hearts) and not with the Bottom of the Pack (frowny faces).
There is definitely a correlation between my favorite state flags and how unique their average color is. Similarly, the numerous states with a state seal on a navy background (and basically the same average color) can never achieve the primary purpose of a flag: to be distinctive and immediately identifiable. The correlation isn't perfect, but it's there.
As promised, here are two more coasters featuring state flags. Today I'm sharing coasters featuring the flags of Minnesota and North Carolina. I'm especially happy to share the Minnesota project, since it is the most recently adopted of the 50 state flags. (Maine, I'm still disappointed.) Affiliate links below.
Arrange seven standard size craft sticks on a piece of painter's tape. Use a ruler and pencil to draw lines to mark the Minnesota-shaped dark blue field. Paint the field navy and the rest of the area light blue. When the paint is dry, remove the sticks from the tape and paint the edges. They will show through in your finished coaster. The back won't show, so painting that is optional. Let the paint dry. Return the sticks to the painter's tape.
I used a white colored pencil to freehand the 8-pointed star, but it would have been infinitely easier to print and cut a template, then trace that. Use a white paint pen to fill in the star.
When the paint is dry, seal the sticks with Outdoor Mod Podge and let that dry completely.
Arrange three mini craft sticks vertically on your work surface and add glue. One by one, transfer the painted craft sticks onto this base.
Steps (North Carolina):
Arrange seven standard size craft sticks on a piece of painter's tape. Paint the left third of the sticks navy blue. Paint the right two-thirds of the top three sticks red and the bottom three sticks white. The middle stick is split, half red and half white. I recommend labeling the sections in pencil to help you.
Remove the sticks from the painter's tape and paint the edges, as these will show. When the paint is dry, return the sticks to the painter's tape.
It took quite a bit of trial and error to figure out the best way to do the details on this flag. I suggested starting with the N☆C, using yellow and white paint pens. Use the yellow paint pen to draw the banners above and below. When the paint is 100% completely dry, add the text using a ballpoint pen.
Seal the sticks with Outdoor Mod Podge and let that dry completely.
Arrange three mini craft sticks vertically on your work surface and add glue. One by one, transfer the painted craft sticks onto this base.
You may have noticed that I didn't make coasters from amongst the Excellent state flags for crafting but instead chose flags from the Acceptable group. They were more challenging than I'd expected, so I'd steer clear of anything in the Terrible group. I have high hopes that at least some of them will update their flags eventually, like Minnesota did.
I'm trying to diversify the set of crafts I have made inspired by each state, so that people who visit each individual state's page have a wider variety of projects to choose from. I decided to make four more craft stick coasters, similar to the United States flag coaster and California's Bear Flag Coaster that I've previously posted. Today I'm sharing coasters featuring the flags of Georgia and Indiana. Affiliate links below.
Arrange seven standard size craft sticks on a piece of painter's tape. Paint the sticks with a blue field and red, white, and red stripes. I recommend using a ruler and pencil to draw the lines and label the sections before painting.
When the paint is dry, remove the sticks from the tape and paint the edges. They will show through in your finished coaster. The back won't show, so painting that is optional. Let the paint dry.
Return the sticks to the painter's tape. Use a white colored pencil to draw where the stars will go and a yellow colored pencil to draw a simplified version of the coat of arms. Trace over each with paint pens.
When the paint is dry, seal the sticks with Outdoor Mod Podge and let that dry completely.
Arrange three mini craft sticks vertically on your work surface and add glue. One by one, transfer the painted craft sticks onto this base.
Steps (Indiana):
Paint seven standard size craft sticks navy blue. Be sure to paint the edges, as these will show. When the paint is dry, line up the sticks on a piece of painter's tape.
Print a copy of the Indiana flag, sized to 4.5" x 3" (the approximate size of the finished coaster. Scribble on the back of the design with a white colored pencil. Place the printed flag, correct side up, on the taped craft sticks. Trace the basic lines of the design and put a dot where each star goes. This will transfer white guide lines to the navy-painted sticks.
Trace over each of the lines with a yellow paint pen, then draw stars over each dot. Use a very sharp yellow colored pencil to write INDIANA near the top.
When the paint is dry, seal the sticks with Outdoor Mod Podge and let that dry completely.
Arrange three mini craft sticks vertically on your work surface and add glue. One by one, transfer the painted craft sticks onto this base.
Tomorrow I'll share the other two coasters I made.
