Summer Prayer Before Meals {FREE} Printable

Click Here for Printable

Today I decided to try my hand at graphic arts! I don't have a sophisticated program and have absolutely NO training but I thought it would be fun to make a printable Prayer Before Meals to go in my dining room as a reminder to pray before we eat.

I used a clear acrylic frame from the Dollar Store. Mine is 5x7 but you can use any size as long as you set you printer to the correct size paper.

To keep it interesting, I made this one Summer themed. I am planning to make at least one for each season. I also plan to share them all with you!

Please leave a comment below and let me know what you think! Also, if you are on Pinterest, please leave your info for me so I can follow you! I have over 5,000 pins and am always looking for more inspiration!


Thanks for stopping by! Alicia
Head over to Catholicmom.com tomorrow to see my debut Crafty Catholic Mom post!


Sometimes I link up at: Catholic Icing, Skip to My Lou, Tatertots and Jello, Raising Arrows, Women Living Well, Titus 2sdays, The Mommy Club, Catholic Bloggers Network

BSS: St. George the Dragon Slayer and {FREE PRINTABLE}

I was planning to post "Jonah and the Whale" this weekend but it has been overcast (yes, in Georgia, in the summer!! unbelievable!) and I was planning to make it a pool game for my boys so maybe I'll post it next weekend. Anywho, today I am posting an idea that has been ruminating in my head for a few years.

I based this activity loosely on an idea I found in Pack O Fun magazine in October 2006. It was a finger puppet craft but mine is a popsicle stick craft. I created the patterns on my own and did not "borrow" them from the magazine.
 Here's a photo of my inspiration:

Who was Saint George?
Saint George is a Catholic Saint but his story is appropriate for all Christians. He is also the Patron of England! Saint George is a saint because he was a Roman soldier and was killed for protesting the torture od Christians. The legend of Saint George says that a dragon was bothering a maiden and Saint George battled the dragon to save the maiden. All George had was the sign of the cross to protect him.

St. George the Dragon Slayer Craft Tutorial

What you need:

FREE PRINTABLE! (just save as a picture and print it full page. Please link to my blog if you'd like to share this pattern. Thanks!)

popsicle sticks (I used colored ones from Dollar Tree)

glue

wiggly eyes
assorted craft items to decorate with (including papers)

To create "castle":
red ink

craft foam pieces

acrylic block
clean, empty tin can

1. First, create the castle starting with your tin can and a piece of grey cardstock. Cut the card stock to about 3-3/4 inches by 9-1/2 inches. Wrap around your can to make sure it fits good.

2. Lay cardstock piece out. Cut fun foam pieces (i used scraps) into 1x2 inch rectangles. Using temporary adhesive, attach the fun foam pieces to your acrylic block (or another sturdy item). Make your first row then place the next rectangles in an off-set pattern above. You can stop at two rows.

3. Using your red ink pad, rub ink onto your new brick stamp. Turn stamp over and stamp onto lower left hand corner of your cardstock. Rub ink across again and stamp to the right of the first impression. Continue until the first row is done. Then you will repeat the process up the piece of cardstock until it is covered with your brick impressions. Adhere paper to your can and you are done! (unless you want to add more details, etc)

YOU CAN SKIP STEPS 1-3 AND DRAW BRICKS OR NOT CREATE "CASTLE"

4. To create your playset, print the {FREE PRINTABLE} at the top of this post by right clicking it. Click on "save picture as.." and save it. Then you can print it from your computer as a full page photo.

5. Decide what pieces you want to paper piece and which ones you will just color with markers or crayons. You can choose to paper piece all, color all, or a combination. I used a combination.

6. Cut out the pieces you want to paper piece. Color the ones that you want to color- then cut them out too. There are color suggestions on the printable. "skin tone" refers to whatever color you would like to use as a skin tone. This can be brown, tan, pink, etc. I suggest you cut and assemble one character at a time.

7. Using the following samples, assemble your characters. I then added some wiggly eyes, a golden rod to George, some yellow acrylic beads to the  dragon, and I made bangs for my queen and gave her a pipe cleaner crown instead of the one on the pattern.

DRAGON

PRINCESS / MAIDEN

ST GEORGE

Want to know the story of Saint George? Check out the links below for more info and more printables!
St. George Story FREE downloads
St George's Day activities
Knight Theme Printables and Learning Activities



Thanks for stopping by!
Alicia

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Piggy Giggles - Crafts for Kids

Bible Story Summer! David and Goliath Craft {FREE PRINTABLE}

I looked back at all my posts for this month and realized that I need to get to work crafting and posting! I decided I need to finish my David and Goliath craft so that I can participate in Catholic Icing's First Friday link up! I love linky parties and I love Catholic Icing so I try hard to have at least one craft to post each month!

This craft is part of my "Bible Story Summer" activities that I created to teach my sons about the stories of the Bible.

I simply printed out my {FREE} David and Goliath pattern, colored it with Sharpie markers, cut them out and used packing tape to attach Goliath to a 2 liter soda bottle and david to a medicine bottle. I foudn some unsharpened pencils with no erasers (useless!) and used the packing tape to attach them to the sides of the medicine bottle. We used rocks from our yard (5- like David) and used the David sling shot to shoot them at Goliath.

Just print this pattern as a full page photo. Also, if you would like to share it, please share the link to this post, not my picture. Thanks!

My 7 year old had a lot of fun trying to figure out the sling shot!

he finally got it!

watch out Goliath!

Yes, 5 year olds can do it too!

missed...

Yay! Knock down!

It's even fun for preteens! See that tongue? He wants to be like Michael Jordan so I guess it's appropriate!

Davey and Goliath
"You're big... I'm little... little kids can do big things too!" (Veggie Tales song!)

I am linking up at the following:




God Bless!
Thanks for stopping by!
Alicia

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Summer Reading Incentives!! {FREE PRINTABLE}

I LOVE to read. I think my middle son has started to love reading now that he can read on his own. My other two boys couldn't care less about whether they read or not. I really want to make summer reading a priority. I came up with this cute incentive chart idea that I hope you will like!

I started with some scraps of cardstock in coordinating colors. I used one piece for my base. It is about 4 inches by 10 inches. Using my Cuttle Kids, I cut out some little critters to decorate the chart. I also cut the words "I TO READ" and then cut my son's pictures in the shape of a heart. I assembled it so it says I {heart} TO READ and then added the critters to the bottom.

Flip the chart over and decorate. I used a piece of Stampin Up border sticker and a scalloped circle decorated with another critter piece. I then matted my "incentive Chart" and glued it on.

Now, to laminate the chart.... I used PACKING TAPE! Yes, on small projects, instead of spending the time to go to the local school resource center for laminating, I use packing tape.

I added a hole to the top and threaded some ribbon through to create an oversized bookmark. The boys will stick a sticker on one of the squares each time they read a book. Every so often, there is a very simple and inexpensive incentive to earn. Our library also has a Summer Reading Program so that is where "Library Prize" comes in.

I hope you enjoy this idea and give it a try with our children. It can also be modified for other things such as Bible reading.

HERE is the FREE Printable Incentive chart!


Thanks for stopping by!
Alicia

FREE Printable Mary Cupcake Toppers!

Hello again!! In celebration of Mother's Day, I decided to make my own crude version of cupcake toppers using our Mother, Mary. I hope you enjoy them. Just print them out on cardstock, punch with a 2.35" scalloped punch, and tape them to toothpicks!
Mary Cupcake Toppers

Thanks for stopping by! Alicia
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Pope John Paul II Beatification Cupcake Toppers!

Yes, I am down to the wire posting this one! Yes, I have actually been doing crafts again lately!

I am excited about the beatification of Pope John  Paul II on Sunday, May1. He was a face I knew way before I became a Catholic. He was an extraordinary man. I want to celebrate his beatification on Sunday, along with the Divine Mercy Sunday Dedication. The two celebrations go hand-in-hand because John Paul II beatified St Faustina and, essentially, started the devotion of Divine Mercy Sunday.

I am not a cupcake topper maker by trade and I am having trouble with Word, which is the only way I know to add the frills to my clip art. Instead, these are simple circles I created that you can cut out and create your own toppers. Here is how:

Pope John Paul II Cupcake Toppers Tutorial

What you need:

printable JPII pictures
1 3/4 circle punch or scissors
scalloped circle punch or decorative scissors
cardstock in coordinating colors
adhesive or glue stick
toothpicks

How to do it:

This is another simple tutorial. All you have to do is print off the printable pictures of JPII or even find your own favorites in Google Images.

Then you want to carefully cut out each picture using a circle punch or scissors

Using coordinating colored cardstock, punch out scalloped circles (2 for each topper). If you do not have a punch, glue your picture to the cardstock, back it with another piece of cardstock, and use decorative scissors to cut a thin border around each. This should create your backing pice too.

Next you want to glue your picture if you used a punch

Lastly, you add the toothpick to create the topper. All you need to do is sandwich the toothpick between the front scalloped circle (with picture) and back scalloped circle (blank one)

I hope you enjoy this modest freebie! Thanks for stopping by!
Alicia

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