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St. Francis Xavier is patron saint of foreign missions. He is a co-founder of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits). He preached in Africa for a short time, but spent the later part of his life preaching in India, Japan, and the Philippines. His feast day is Dec. 3rd (new and traditional). Read more about him HERE and HERE . Because St. Francis is the patron saint for missions we created a world. It shows the areas which St. Francis preached. We also added a torch which symbolizes his spreading the light of the Catholic faith.  To create this you will need: gray felt light blue felt yellow/orange felt dark brown felt green sharpie marker blue sharpie marker scissors  (these  kind work well) glue (hot glue,  felt glue ,  or tacky glue – like  this  or  this ) thread and needle for the looped hanger First cut out the shapes like those above. We used the green marker to draw a simple out-line of Africa, Asia, Australia and the area of the Philippines.  Glue the earth onto the gray background. Add the handle of the torch and the flame. Then add the top of the torch handle. Cut out around the earth and torch to remove any extra gray background. Add a threaded loop hanger to the top. That’s it! St. Francis Xavier, Pray for us. ~JenMarie and Elizabeth

St. John of Damascuc (Damascene) has a long and interesting story, but I’ll keep it short: He was taught by a monk and became very knowledgeable on the faith. He often wrote about many various topics of the faith. In particular, he wrote 3 publications on holy images and the respect that they should be given. He also wrote music. Some of his songs are used in the Mass today. His feast day is Dec. 4th (new) and March 27th (traditional). Read more about him HERE and HERE . We have included three symbols on St. John’s ornament. A music note, a scroll, and a ”holy image”. These are all symbols of his writings. To create this you will need: light blue felt dark brown felt off-white felt black felt a variety of different colored markers to draw the image  OR cut out a religious image to add to this ornament instead of drawing one. black sharpie marker scissors ( these kind work well) glue (hot glue, felt glue ,  or tacky glue – like this or this ) thread and needle for the looped hanger Cut out the parts like those above. We used a black marker to add dots to the sheet/scroll – to make it look like writing. Draw your saint/Blessed Mother image on a rectangle piece of off-white felt. If you don’t want to draw an image just find a small, suitable, image to use and glue it onto the light blue background. You can add clear Mod-Podge over top to make it more protected.   After gluing down the image, add the 4 brown felt pieces to form a frame. Then, add the music note and written sheet/scroll. We curled ours on the end to look more like a scroll, but that’s not necessary to do.  After every thing is glued onto the light blue background, cut off the extra background around the three symbols. Add the threaded loop to the top to hang it up. That’s it! St. John of Damascus, pray for us. ~JenMarie and Elizabeth

The feast of the Immaculate Conception is on Dec. 8th – nine months before Our Lady’s Birthday (Sept 8th). This is a celebration of the day God created Mary’s Immaculate Soul! Our Lady of Lourdes introduced herself to Bernadette as ”The Immaculate Conception”, but what does ”The Immaculate Conception” mean? It means that Mary NEVER had a sin on her soul. It means that when St. Anne conceived Mary, she was created without the stain of original sin on her soul. God prepared Mary’s soul to be worthy of being the Mother of God. Mary, the Immaculate Conception, is often called the ”New Eve”, because she was created without sin just as Eve was. But unlike Eve, Mary was willing to follow and trust God throughout her life. Sadly, Eve choose to sin later in life. Because Mary chose to never sin, Jesus was able to be born and later died to save us from our sins! Because ”The Immaculate Conception” chose to remain sinless and because she said ”Yes” to God, we are all able to enter heaven! Here is a liturgical ornament for the feast of the Immaculate Conception. It depicts St. Anne pregnant with Mary. Mary is symbolized through her Immaculate Heart. To make this you will need: pink felt light blue felt black felt red felt yellow felt white felt tan or peach felt gray felt orange fine-point permanent marker yellow fine-point permanent marker scissors  (these  kind work well) glue (hot glue,  felt glue ,  or tacky glue – like  this  or  this ) thread and needle for the looped hanger First, cut out the parts like those above. You can add the orange marker outline to the halo now if you wish. Note: St. Anne’s hands are missing from the above picture. Glue down St. Anne’s body. Don’t glue the top part of her body till you have added her arms in the proper spot. Glue down the arms and then finish gluing the upper part of her body. Add her hands to the arms. Now add her halo and then her head.  Next add her gray hair. Now, add her belly and veil.  Now, add the Immaculate Heart of Mary to her belly.  If you haven’t already added the marked parts, do that now. Add orange to the halo. We also added a few yellow dots to the flowers on the Immaculate Heart. These are hard to see in the picture, and this step is not necessary.  Finally, cut off the extra background and add the threaded loop to the top so it can be hung up.  There you have it! 🙂 Our Lady Immaculate, pray for us. May God bless you all with His joy. ~JenMarie and Elizabeth

St. Ambrose is called the ”Honey-Tongued Doctor”. He had a way with words that calmed many angry situations. He is a doctor of the church and because of both of these facts, we created an ornament which depicts a honey bee. The bee is a symbol of wisdom and they make honey!  St. Ambrose is also the patron saint of candle makers (workers of wax), Ya, we have lots of those these days! 😉 Anyway, he’s also the patron saint of students, bee keepers and learning.  His feast day is Dec. 7th (new and traditional). Read his story HERE . You will need: light blue yellow felt white felt black sharpie marker orange sharpie marker brown sharpie marker blue sharpie marker scissors ( these  kind work well) glue (hot glue,  felt glue ,  or tacky glue – like  this  or  this ) thread and needle for the looped hanger Cut out the parts as shown above.  Use black marker to add the strips and a black head to the bee. Use the brown marker to out-line the candle. Use the orange marker to add detail to the flame, and use a blue marker to out-line the bee’s wings.  Glue down the candle and the flame. Then add the bee’s body. Finally add the bee’s wings. After everything is glued down, cut off the extra blue background. Use a blue marker to add an edge to the background.  Add a threaded loop to the top so it can be hung up.  That’s it! St. Ambrose, pray for us! ~JenMarie and Elizabeth!

Here is a fun and simple craft I made with my kids on a snowy day. We discussed the Holy Trinity and we also talked about the Sign of the Cross. We used the snowman as a symbol of the Trinity. The snowman is three part in one person, like the Blessed Trinity. I also tried to add a little bit of symbolism to the snowman: Top ball: crown – symbol for God the father Middle ball: red scarf – Red for Jesus blood Bottom ball: pure white – symbol of a white dove (Holy Spirit) Download printable Instructions below. To make this craft you will need: 3 white styrofoam balls – we used:1.9 inch (48mm)1.4 inch (35mm)0.9 inch (22mm) 4 inch strip of red felt 2 inch strip of yellow felt 2 round toothpicks orange marker black sharpie marker scissors white glue — if needed or desired Download the Snowman Printable Instructions Here: Cut your red felt strip so it looks like a scarf. We added fringes to the ends. We cut the yellow felt to make a crown. My kids thought the crown was cute! 🙂 Flatten the bottom of the largest ball. No need to cut it, just press on it to flatten it. You can push it onto a table top to help flatten it, too. This will allow the snowman to stand. Using a toothpick connect the balls together. We used half a toothpick between each of the balls. If the child makes the hole to big (often because of wiggling it or because of multiple attempts) You can add a bit of white glue to the hole to help keep it together. After all the parts are together, sit him on a table and press down on his head and stomach so all the parts are better pressed together and feel more stable. Use an orange marker to add color to the tip of a toothpick. Break off the tip and use it to make the snowman’s nose. Use a black sharpie maker to make the eyes and mouth. This may need to be done by an adult, depending on the age of the child. While holding down the head of the snowman – so it doesn’t fall off – wrap the scarf around his neck. If you desire you can glue the scarf down, but the styrofoam often just holds it anyway.  Then, add the crown, you may still need to hold down his head while adding the crown. We displayed our snowmen on our table for a few days! Aren’t they cute! The kids also ate some white/vanilla cotton candy for a fun snowman treat! 🙂 It was some great crafting and learning fun! May God (all 3 in 1) bless you with joy! ~Jen-Marie

Sts. Perpetua and Felicity’s feast day is March 7th. These two saints were unlikely friends, one wealthy and the other a slave, but both were strong in their faith! They were martyred together around the year 203. St. Perpetua wrote a diary of their stay in prison and so we have a fair amount to information on them. Read about them HERE . There is also a wonderful video available called: “Catholic Heroes of the Faith: The Story of Saint Perpetua”. This cartoon video is a fairly true story of these amazing women, so some parents might consider it to be a bit graphic – for a cartoon. But all in all it’s a great video! In honor of this special day my oldest daughter Rachel, has created a coloring page, which she wanted to share with all of you. The above picture is her drawing and she used watercolor paints to add all the beautiful colors to the drawing. Download This Coloring Page Here: Enjoy! Have a blessed day! ~Jen-Marie

I know I said I wasn’t going to post any Easter activities, but I forgot that I had already promised my 10 year old that I would post a coloring page which she created. A promise is a promise, so I’m posting Elizabeth’s wonderful Easter coloring page! And she is very excited to share it with you today! 🙂 Elizabeth modeled her Jesus figure after Playmobil and Lego people. The tomb behind him, was made to look like Legos. Download This Coloring Page Here: I hope you like her cute coloring page!  Personally, I think she did an awesome job! – But I’m her mother! Have a blessed Holy Week! ~JenMarie (and Elizabeth)

I received some very good feedback on “test” post for the Liturgical Ornament patterns, so I’m going to move forward and offer this St. Nicholas and St. Lucy set. This set includes: St. Nicholas Felt Ornament Pattern St. Nicholas Felt Ornament Instructions St. Nicholas Felt Ornament (Advanced Style) St. Nicholas Felt Ornament Instructions (Advanced Style) St. Nicholas Paper Ornament – Colored St. Nicholas Paper Ornament – Black and White St. Nicholas Coloring Page St. Lucy Felt Ornament Pattern St. Lucy Felt Ornament Instructions St. Lucy Paper Ornament – Colored St. Lucy Paper Ornament – Black and White St. Lucy Coloring Page This pattern set includes a smaller St. Nicholas ornament and a St. Lucy ornament pattern, as well as, a larger St. Nicholas ornament pattern! The larger St. Nicholas ornament would be great for those who would like a little more of a challenge! These would make GREAT homemade gifts for Christmas!! The set also includes the 4 printable paper ornaments. These are for those who don’t want to mess with the felt, or they are nice for younger kids who would like a simple craft to create. I also threw in a few of these simple coloring pages. There are lots of fun pages in this download! This file is for purchase in our shop. Click Here to visit our shop and purchase it! It’s only $1.99. Visit our download shop! Feel free to print out as many as you need for a single class or family.

Introducing the newest set of Liturgical Ornaments! These are a little late to be released due to a beautiful Christmas season, as well as, a family emergency(see below), but better late than never! This January Liturgical Ornament Set 1 is even better than the previous sets! It includes a step-by-step picture tutorial which shows how to create the felt ornaments! This makes it easier for you to create them! Plus, this is a huge advantage to have if you should decide to make them with a large group or class! The file includes: Mary Mother of God -Picture Instructions-Felt/Paper Pattern-Printable Coloring Ornament-Printable Colored Ornament Jesus Holy Name -Picture Instructions-Felt/Paper Pattern-Printable Coloring Ornament-Printable Colored Ornament Wiseman 1 Balthasar -Picture Instructions-Felt/Paper Pattern-Printable Coloring Ornament-Printable Colored Ornament-2 Cut and Paste Ornaments (Color and B&W) Wiseman 2 Melchior -Picture Instructions-Felt/Paper Pattern-Printable Coloring Ornament-Printable Colored Ornament-2 Cut and Paste Ornaments (Color and B&W) Wiseman 3 Caspar  -Picture Instructions-Felt/Paper Pattern-Printable Coloring Ornament-Printable Colored Ornament-2 Cut and Paste Ornaments (Color and B&W) Jesus Baptism -Picture Instructions-Felt/Paper Pattern-Printable Coloring Ornament-Printable Colored Ornament Short-cut Felt Ornament Craft -Instructions-Images for Craft This set includes patterns and instructions to make beautiful felt ornaments! They are perfect to give as gifts! They will last for years to come! Decorate your home or classroom with the ornaments on the feast day or during the month of the feast day! The patterns help you to create the perfect ornament! They can be used for cutting paper and are ideal for felt! Straight pins help keep the pattern in place while you cut the felt. Once the pieces are cut the ornament can be created! Use the picture tutorial to help you! Add fabric paint to decorate it! Looking for an EASY solution for creating long lasting felt ornaments? The ornament patterns can be difficult or intimidating for some people. Or maybe you are in a rush?! Or maybe you want something easier for a group of children. Whatever the case, if you decide you don’t want to attempt to create the felt pattern ornament, but you still want an ornament that will last longer than just the cut paper ornament, you may like this Short-Cut Felt Ornament Craft!  This craft uses the colored images from the ornament set. Simply cut out the image, glue it onto felt and decoupage over top! It’s super easy, but you can also get fancy by using fabric paint! The file includes a detailed explanation and instructions! Something for the young! The set includes a simple coloring activity the younger children in your life! These are cute coloring ornaments – simple and faith-filled! This file is for purchase in our shop. Click Here to visit our shop and purchase it! The file is available in our Download Shop! Hope you enjoy it!! On a personal note: Please say a prayer for our 9-year-old daughter, Hannah. She had an unexplained seizure Tuesday morning. Although she has had a number of tests done, we still do not have an answer as to what is going on. She’s a trooper and puts up with all the blood test and CAT scans, etc. Mom, on the other hand, is not getting much sleep.  Thank you for any prayers for her! God Bless you with joyful zeal! ~Jen-Marie

Start a new Advent tradition! Honor the major saints who have feast days during Advent! On their feast day, hang their ornament on your Christmas tree! Last year my oldest daughter, Rachel, helped me to create Advent Saint Ornaments to sell in our Etsy shop. This year is a much busier year and she now has a job. So instead of us creating them, I thought some of you would like to make them for yourselves! Here is a file that contains the images we used to make those ornaments. It’s now for sale on our download shop – Click Here. This PDF includes beautiful images that depict the 8 major Advent Saints who are celebrated during December. Each ornament image also has the name and feast day clearly written below the image. These images are about 3 by 2 inches in size. The saints include: St. Francis Xavier (Dec. 3th) St. John of Damascus (Dec. 4th) St. Nicholas (Dec. 6th) St. Ambrose (Dec. 7th) Immaculate Conception (Dec. 8th) Our Lady of Guadalupe (Dec 12th) St. Lucia (Lucy) (Dec. 13th) St. John of the Cross (Dec. 14th) How to create your own… This PDF also includes complete instructions to teach you how to create your own set of Advent Saint Ornaments! After printing this PDF, you will need 2 sheets of felt, Mod-Podge, and fabric paint. DON’T LIKE TO CRAFT? The images can be printed onto heavy paper. Then, add a hook and just use them with no extra work! Super easy! How to use them… In the evening, before the saint’s feast day, we read a short story or children’s book about the saint. Then one of our kids hung the saint’s ornament on our Advent Tree . This allows the children to see the ornament all day on this saint’s feast day! Our children thoroughly enjoyed this and are looking forward to this activity again this Advent!! Care to join us in this activity, too? This file is for purchase in our shop. Click Here to visit our shop and purchase it! ●▬▬▬▬▬▬●✿●▬▬▬▬▬▬● COPYRIGHT INFORMATION:  Purchasing this download allows you to make paper copies of this activity for a single class or family. This is not meant to be used for profit and should not be distributed outside of a single family or class. Please, contact us if you have any questions about the use of this activity or if you would like to ask permission to use it beyond the copyright rules. Your purchase enables us to continue making more activities for you to enjoy! Thank you and God bless!

Start a new Advent tradition or expand the Advent Saint Set from last year! Last year we sold a download which included instructions and images for you to create Advent Saint Ornaments . This year we wanted to expand our set! This new set is a great way to honor some of the other saints who have feast days during Advent as well as celebrate some of the Feast days of the Christmas Season! This PDF includes beautiful images that depict 13 Advent/Christmas Season Saints or other Feast days which are celebrated during the Advent and Christmas season. Each ornament image has the name and feast day clearly written below the image. These images are about 3 by 2 inches in size. The images for these ornaments: — St. Andrew – Nov 30 — Juan Diego – Dec 9 — Pope Gregory III – Dec 10 — St. Damasus I – Dec 11 — Solemnity of the Nativity – Dec 25 — St. Stephen- Dec 26 — St. John the Apostle – Dec 27 — Feast of the Holy Innocents – Dec. 28 — Feast of Holy Family – Sunday after Christmas — Mary Mother of God – Jan 1 — The Epiphany – Jan 6 — St. Francis and St. Clare with Baby Jesus — First Nativity Recreation How to create your own… This PDF also includes complete instructions to teach you how to create your own set of ornaments! After printing this PDF, you will need 4 -5 sheets of felt, Mod-Podge, and fabric paint. DON’T LIKE TO CRAFT? The images can be printed onto heavy paper. Cut them out. Then, add a hook and just use them with no extra work! Super easy! How to use them… In the evening, before the saint’s feast day, we read a short story or children’s book about the saint. Then one of our kids hangs the saint’s ornament on our Advent Tree . This allows the children to see the ornament all day on this saint’s feast day! Our children thoroughly enjoyed this and are looking forward to this newly expanded activity again this Advent!!  Care to join us in this activity, too? This file is for purchase in our shop. Click Here to visit our shop and purchase it! ●▬▬▬▬▬▬●✿●▬▬▬▬▬▬● COPYRIGHT INFORMATION:  Purchasing this download allows you to make paper copies of this activity for a single class or family. This is not meant to be used for profit and should not be distributed outside of a single family or class. Please, contact us if you have any questions about the use of this activity or if you would like to ask permission to use it beyond the copyright rules. Your purchase enables us to continue making more activities for you to enjoy! Thank you and God bless!

The feast day of Our Lady of Lourdes is on Feb. 11th. Our Lady of  Lourdes is very popular among Catholics, but how much do you really know about her and St. Bernadette, whom Our Lady appeared to? This new ebook is meant to help teachers and parents teach the basics about this apparition to children. (grade level 2 and up) This download includes an 18-page reading booklet with a short story about St. Bernadette and Our Lady. It also has some optional mapping pages (France) and an “About the Time Period” timeline so you can share with the class some of the things that were happening around the world during the time of Bernadette’s life. The download also includes paper patterns and instructions to make a table-top Lourdes Grotto-Shrine!! Just print, color, cut, and glue it together! (12×9 inch sheet of black construction paper is also required. Regular white paper will work.) All of these pages can be printed in color or grayscale! This file is for purchase in our shop. Click Here to visit our shop and purchase it! After payment is made, you will instantly receive a link to a PDF file.  Feel free to print out as many as you need for a single class or family.