Beautiful Rose Craft for Feast of St. Therese

We are always looking for new ways to celebrate our faith and feast days. With October fast approaching the feast of St. Therese is on my mind. I wanted to share this easy and beautiful paper rose craft to make for the feast of St Therese, Marisn feast or a get well gift for a loved one! It’s pretty simple, turns out beautifully and you can make it in a rainbow of colours. It can be done at almost any age with just some additional assistance from a parent. Add a tea party and you can have a lovely celebration!

The full instructions can be viewed at craft project ideas

Happy crafting!

For another lovely rose craft idea you can print visit my older post: St. Therese 3D Rose Craft

For more great ideas on ways to celebrate the feast o St. Therese please see my previous post: Happy Feast of St Therese

saint-therese-printable-craft

Crafts, Faith Building Resources, Home-School Ideas, Saints, Scripture Memorization

Inspiring Quote Canvas Craft!

Art and beautiful both sooth and inspire the soul. As we love crafts I wanted to share this Inspiring Quote Canvas we made. With the start of the new school year and it being the first year I would be homeschooling my daughter; I wanted to come up with a nice way to start the school year. A way that would both help inspire her and create a nice work space and that could also be easily changed as the year progresses. Thus the Inspiring Quote Canvas Project was born. Being an artist and a child whom loves to create this was a great project to start the year.

We began by visiting a few websites. After a quick google search I selected three different pages to share with here on quotes: inspiring quotes for kids, inspiring christian quotes and lovely scriptural quotes. After visiting the sites my daughter picked the quote that she felt most drawn to – that inspired her. She then typed the quote out in word, adjusted the font and size to something she liked and printed it. She painted her canvas, once it was dry she glued on her quote and then finished the project by decorating with stickers.

This project is both inexpensive and versatile: all the supplies were already in our home or came from the dollar store (including the canvas and stand). The best part is that as the liturgical year changes, feast days come up or she needs new inspiration – the canvas is removable. We can just use a new 5×7 canvas and create a brand new beautiful masterpiece – which we can display on her work area to inspire her daily or move to our dinner table to inspire us all at a tea party or family meal together!

Inspiring Quote Sites:

For some printable Mother Teresa Quotes to help get you start you can view my previous free printable Mother Teresa Quote Posting or you could visit my previous Inspiring Quotes and Scripture Post to help you find some inspiration to make your own Inspiring Canvas!

Other Ways to use this Project:

This great project could also be used to help learn some new scripture (Hide it in their hearts is a posting all about teaching kids more scripture and contains great free resources and sites for inspiring scripture for kids)
As a gift (maybe classroom exchange prayer partner or gift exchange, or a sick loved one)
Any feast day to help celebrate a favourite saint. As you create more you can create a collection to reuse each year again and again and your feast day celebrations:)
First Communion Craft – I am the bread of Life or some similar quote

The ideas are endless. Please feel free to comment with any creative ideas you come up with. Have fun and get inspired!

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Blog, Faith Building Resources, Saints

Printable Mother Teresa Inspiring Quotes!

I will be attending a Advent Ladies Potluck this week, besides bringing a dish to share, we were each asked to bring a gift with an inspiring quote to exchange. At first I thought I would make a nice tea mug with quote but after not being able to find the right markers to make the mug, I came up with a new idea. Instead I created a sheet of quotes by Mother Teresa. The sheet has 10 inspiring quotes by Mother Teresa and prints out on either business card paper or regular paper. I have included this Mother Teresa quotes page here for you to print as you like. I placed these quotes in the mug as well as a picture of Mother Teresa with one of my favorite quotes. I hope you can enjoy these quotes too!

Some of the quotes included are:
I have found the paradox, that if you love until it hurts, there can be no more hurt, only more love. Mother Teresa

Joy is a net of love by which you can catch souls. – Mother Teresa

Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow has not yet come. We have only today. Let us begin. – Mother Teresa

Spread the love of God through your life but only use words when necessary. – Mother Teresa

A joyful heart is the normal result of a heart burning with love. She gives most who gives with joy. – Mother Teresa

I selected Mother Teresa as I was working on a different project the same day. Last Christmas Day we found out that we lost our baby, I was 10 weeks pregnant and it was very sad news. I was hosting Christmas that day. On that day my mother presented me with a beautiful gift, it was a hand drawn picture of Mother Teresa that my mother had commissioned an artist to draw for me. As soon as I saw the image two quotes came to mind:

I slept and dreamt that Life was Joy. I awoke and saw that
Life was Service. I acted and behold, Service was Joy! – R. Tagore

Give, but give until it hurts. -Mother Teresa

I decided in that moment that I would choose to live my life in service to others during these dark days in my life. I would look for each blessing I had and I would find my Joy in the Lord. It was very fitting as we named our baby Joy Faustina and in the very difficult days that followed (I miscarried for over two months with many emergency room trips). I learnt that true Joy comes from the Lord – no matter what is happening you can always find Joy if you pray, trust, and rest in the Lord.

The second important thing I learnt was that I had never given enough of myself to my community – to my friends in need – sure I might have offered help or brought a meal, but was that really all I could offer someone in a time of need. I learnt that to really love our neighbours you need to give, give till it hurts. Every small act of love or kindness some one did for my family during this time was such a blessing and it helped me carry on. But now that I know better when a friend is in need I will do all that I can – even if I am busy, tired, short on money or stressed – it matters not because their needs exceed my needs in that moment. As the body of Christ we are many parts and if we all work together in service to others and we help carry each others burdens with love – even the darkest times can be made lighter. Love in contagious, service shows our love, service truly brings joy and since God is love!

Here is the image that now hangs on my wall as a reminder of our beautiful Joy and that is we really want to love we must give, give our ourselves, our resources, our time, our prayer – but GIVE and keep giving till it hurts in service and love on a daily basis!

Blog, Faith Building Resources, Saints

Inspiring Quotes & Scripture

I just wanted to share some inspiring scriptures and quotes that have really helped to encourage me and inspire me during difficult times! These can be found mostly on pinterest!

“oh God, I thank You, ’cause You bring me to my knees
Back on my knees” – Lyrics from my favourite song Without you by For King and Country

What are some of your favourite scriptures or quotes ? Please share them in the comments below:)

Crafts, Feasts, Saints, Scripture Memorization

Saint Valentines Day Scripture Verse Count Down!

Valentines Day is fast approaching. I enjoy celebrating this feast with my kids as it is a nice bridge between Christmas Season and Lent.We always enjoy celebrating our faith and the lives of the saints.

One of the best activities/crafts that I have found over the years to celebrate is this wonderful Free St. Valentines Day Scripture Count Down from Catholic Icing. It is a wonderful chain craft – you just make the chains and attach to the bottom of the heart. Starting on February 1st – each day you open one of the chains and read the scripture verse with your children. We then stick the verses to the side of the fridge and once St. Valentines Day has come, we read a verse from the fridge each day and then re-make the chain. This is perfect as it takes us through the month of February:)

The kids love making this craft and using it daily. My son liked it so much he made an extra Scripture count down craft to give as a gift to a friend this year!

For more St. Valentines activities see my previous post.

Blog, Divine Mercy, Saints

St Faustina – Free Daily Email Reflections from her Diary.

This year I signed up for a great free email service the Divine Mercy Daily reflections from St. Faustina’s Diary. Many Catholic’s own the wonderful diary by St. Faustina. But upon speaking with people about the book I soon discovered that most people have not actually read the book from start to finish. I know a handful of people whom have actually read the whole book. I personally have tried a few times but have not yet accomplished this goal. So when a friend told me about theses daily emails I signed up for them. I am eager to finally read the entire diary in a year!

Each day I receive a nice short excerpt, as well as a prayer response. It is really a lovely addition to my daily routine.

If you have ever wanted to read St Faustina’s diary – I highly recommend that you sign up for this lovely free service from Flocknote!

Here is a sample of what you receive:

Day 57: Do Nothing on Your Own

Meditation:

Entrust everything to Me and do nothing on your own, and you will always have great freedom of spirit. No circumstances or events will ever be able to upset you. Set little store on what people say. Let everyone judge you as they like. Do not make excuses for yourself, it will do you no harm (Diary, 1685) .

My Prayer Response:

Lord Jesus, help me to entrust every thing to You and do nothing on my own, so I will always have great freedom of spirit.

*Diary passages with bolded words are Jesus speaking

Please visit Flocknotes to sign up for these inspiring daily emails at https://howdy.flocknote.com/divinemercydaily. Blesssings <

Blog, Crafts, Feasts, Saints

Happy Feast of St Therese!

Today is just such a beautiful and special day. It is a day to celebrate an incredible women and soul. One who inspires me continuously to strive to do everything with more love, more joy and more smiles. St. Therese may have lived for 24 years but her example and love will live on forever.

Feast days are always such a fun way to bring joy and love into your home. Whom doesn’t love to celebrate – especially children? So today after school we will pull out our fancy fine china tea cups, our beautiful teapot from my sister and a delicious baked good (still need to make this lol). We will gather around talk about St Therese beautiful life, her example and how we can show love more in all that we do. Then after enjoying our goodies we will make some new crafts that I found for us.

Celery Rose Painting

Who doesn’t love pinterest – at the click of a few buttons you find so much inspiration. I found this adorable simple and fun painting to make – you simply need white paper, green & paint for the roses (red, purple, pink, yellow, and/or blue) paint, celery, scissors, and your imagination. You could even use coloured construction paper and use white paint instead for white roses. We will have a lot of fun making different variations with this idea. It is also a great craft from preschoolers to adulthood.

Here are some of the paintings we made at our tea party today after school!

St Therese Greeting and Prayer Cards

I found wonderful website this week that I just have to share its called Shining Light Dolls. This wonderful website offers lots of free cute and colourful Catholic Saint and Mary printable. These images will come in handy throughout the year – with all saints day coming up, birthdays, feasts. My head is just whirling with ideas to use these cute images with.

In past years 0ne craft that the kids and I have enjoyed making on the feast of St Therese is greeting cards which we mail out to grandparents, great grandparents, godparents and some aunts. After finding this lovely image of St Therese I know we will have to send this beautiful image out without greeting cards to family members with a special love of St Therese. We will print the image, print out beautiful quotes by St Therese and then glue them on coloured paper and personalize the cards.

One of my favourite quotes is: Without love, deeds, even the most brilliant, count as nothing. Story of a Soul, Chapter VIII

If you looking for a cute or special gift for a baptism or birthday Shining Light Dolls have adorable little dolls, charms and prayers cards too!

Lovely St Therese Paper Doll

Another craft ideas is this adorable free St Therese paper doll. Paper Dali offers this free, cute printable, she even has a page of accessories with roses, a cross and the holy face of Jesus. I would recommend printing this on card stock if possible if not, I would colour the doll, then glue it to construction paper, let it dry and then cut out the doll so that it is stronger and lasts longer for your little girl!

St Therese Good Deed/Sacrifice Beads

A fun and wonderful activity to make for the feast of St. Therese, advent, lent, preparing for 1st Holy Communion, as a baptism gift or a catechism group activity is the St. Therese Good Deed/Sacrifice Beads. You can find instructions on how to Make the Good Deed/Sacrifice Beads here. What better way to teach the children how to offer up little acts of love throughout the day then by following little St. Therese own example as she did as a child. To the right is a picture of the beads used by St Therese when she was little. She used her beads faithfully each day as she prepared for her holy communion. What I love about St. Therese is that she offered Jesus the good too – ie she would eat her dinner and she would tell Jesus that the dessert was for him, she offered up her joy, not only her suffering. I think that this is an important step towards making your entire day and act of prayer and love as she strived to do daily.

Here is a link to an older post when we made a beautiful 3D Rose craft to celebrate the feast of St Therese.

If you have other craft ideas please share them in the comments below!

Whatever you do today, wherever you go, may you spread love and joy!

Crafts, Saints

Happy Saints

Looking for cute, fun, catholic illustrations of saints or the stations of the Cross – then Happy Saints is the answer. This company offers adorable illustrations that can be printed as holy cards, birthday/Christmas cards, used as trading cards, to decorate cupcakes, for homeschooling, catechism, lent, coloring pages – well your imagination is the only limit!

Happy Saints offers a wide variety of products from e-books of Saints, cute adult and child catholic clothing, soft covered books of Christmas, Stations of the Cross, Eucharistic Miracle Stories and so much more!

We love using these to decorate our cupcakes for All Saints Day and Feast Day Celebrations. We plan to use them to with our daughter to help her create her 1st Communion Keepsake Lesson Scrapbook!

Crafts, Feasts, Saints

Fun St. Kateri Paper Doll and Coloring Page!

: We printed the St. Kateri doll at 66% so that it fit nicely into the canoe! We glued the paper dolls to toilet rolls so they could stand up!

Here is a simple and cute paper doll of St. Kateri, Lily of the Mohawks I made for kids to celebrate her beatified on Oct 21st or to use for her feast day.

Step1: Print out this St Kateri Paper Doll PDF it works best on card stock paper

Step2: Colour in the picture

Step 3: Cut out doll

Step 4: Enjoy! Either play with your new St. Kateri doll or use it to make a nice table centre piece or laminate it and decorate a cake to celebrate her feast day!

For even more fun print out this FreePaper Canoe for St. Kateri, Lily of the Mohawks to travel in!

Coloring Page

Here is a simple St Kateri coloring page that I made with the paper doll image too!

Learn more about St. Kateri and see other crafts to do to celebrate her on my previous post St. Kateri, Lily of the Mohawks!

Here is a wonderful link with a complete lesson plan and story to teach children of all ages about St. Kateri! You just need to end with Today she becomes a Saint or on Oct21st, 2012 she became a saint!

Below: We printed the St. Kateri Paper doll at 66% (using advanced printed settings) so she would fit into the canoe nicely and glued the paper dolls to empty toilet roll holders so they could stand up (bending her feet outwards at the bottom)!

Blog, Feasts, Saints

Saint Kateri – Lily of the Mohawks!

On October 21st, 2012 a blessed becomes a Saint! The beautiful young women who lived from 1656-1680 whom we have known as blessed will now be Saint Kateri. Beatified by Blessed John Paul II in 1980, Kateri will be proclaimed the first Native woman saint by Pope Benedict XVI on October 21.

Tekakwitha’s baptismal name was Catherine, which in the Iroquois languages is Kateri. She lived a life of faith and hope! Kateri died at the young age of 24. Her last words are said to be, “Jesus, I love You!”. She is the patron saint of the environment and ecology.

Kateri’s Feast day: is April 17th (in Canada) and July 14 (in USA)
Here is a link to some beautiful original paintings of St. Kateri: Lily of the Mohawks 1 and 2 by Dorothy Speiser

“I am no longer my own. I have given myself entirely to Jesus Christ.”~ St. Kateri

With so much excitement building around this special canonization I thought I needed to get in on spreading the joy too! Here are links to some beautiful colouring pages and crafts to help celebrate the special day with your children:

Cute St. Kateri Paper Doll

Catholic Icing has some lovely craft ideas to help celebrate St. Kateri

Free printable craft sheet for creating Christian native headband from Catholicinspired.com

Blessed Kateri Colouring Page from Florida Centre for Peace

Holy Heros is offering a Free 6 page colouring book on St. Kateri

Holy Heros is also offering a great deal spend over $15 and get a free Glory Stories CD of St. Kateri’s and St. Cecilia’s life and a free holy card too!

We enjoyed celebrating her feast on April 17th this year!