Viva Cristo Rey: Celebrating Blessed Miguel Pro's Life

It's the feast day of one of my favorite saints, Blessed Miguel Pro! I wrote and drew up an activity book about this brave, brilliant and creative saint ... and asked him to pretty please look after Paper Dali and everyone who comes to visit here. (He loved to draw with colored pencils, too.)

To get to know Blessed Miguel Pro a bit better, check out this supershort kid-friendly video about his life:



If you'd like to learn more about him, just visit the links on my Blessed Miguel Pro page. But before you go peruse, here are some printables. 

Have a Sweet Day! Card
Want to wish someone a sweet day? Here's a Bl. Miguel Pro invitation/card for you:

(Don't click on the pic. It's much too small to use! Download the Miguel Pro card here.)

Blessed Miguel loved Mexican chocolate ... or any sweets for that matter. Use the card above to invite someone to your Bl. Miguel Pro party or just as a cute gift for his feast day.

Here's how to use it: Click on the above link and download the PDF. Then color it up. Then cut it out. Then put glue all around the smaller piece (but NOT the top border. Then press it to the larger piece. Wait for it to dry. After it is dry, then just slip in a packet of hot chocolate into the mug. Any hot chocolate packet will do ... but it'd be fun to use Mexican hot chocolate packets if you can. 
 
Blessed Miguel Triptych

You can download the Miguel Pro triptych here. (A fancy-pants, lovely explanation of what a triptych is and how to make one with children can be found on this eHow page.)


Blessed Miguel Pro Paper Doll and Outfits

Download black and white PDF of Blessed Miguel Pro.
Download his rarely worn cassock. (He wore it only a few times due to the persecution in Mexico.)
Download his "dandy" outfit. (It is a sketch of one of the many disguises he wore during his underground work.)
Download his mechanic outfit. (It's another of his disguises.)


Have some fun ideas of your own? Please post your link in the combox to share with other Paper Dali friends!)
xoxo
Vee

Happy Saint Elizabeth of Hungary Day

from the archives

November 17 is the feast day of a favorite saint, Elizabeth of Hungary. She speaks to me because, unlike many saints, she actually was in love with her husband and strove to be a loving wife and mother. She was known for her kindness and charity in her kingdom. You can read more about her here.


Download a black and white paper doll/coloring page of her.
Download her tertiary outfit.

Mini Interview and Contest: Children's Illustrator Mikela Prevost

work by Mikela Prevost

Need some fresh drawings and a peek into the creative mind? Amazingly talented children's illustrator, Juana interviews fellow children's illustrator,the fab Mikela Prevost, about her work for A November of Mini-Interviews and Giveaways.

Here are four quick reasons to go read the blog post:

1. The giveaway. Don't even pretend you didn't notice the word in the paragraph above. Who doesn't love a giveaway? And original art? Beautiful, whimsical original art, even.
2. Juana. Her work is so beautiful that just gazing at her work will make the world seem prettier, brighter, friendlier. (And I'm not saying that just because I'm a soccer freak and she has a soccer illustration. Viva fútbol!)
3. Mikela. Mikela Prevost's drawings are bright, interesting, and story-filled. They make me stare and them and think about the people within them.
4. My recommendation. Friends steer each other towards beautiful new books, music, art, movies, recipes, etc. Imagine my having tea with you and saying, "Oh, friend, you must look at these lovely pieces of art!"

Do swing by and say hello ...

xoxo

Vee

Why Doodling Matters

A writing instructor, my sister Angela recently told her high school students how doodling is important to their education. Write in your books! Draw along the margin! Mark them up! Underline, highlight, scribble! 

I gave her a fist bump when she told me that. I'm a huge proponent of doodling. (Yep, I even signed the Doodle Manifesto.) The importance of doodling cannot be underestimated in the process of learning.

If you only have about five minutes, here's a quick fun TED talk about the history and importance of doodling from Sunni Brown, a leader in the Doodle Revolution: (If you'd rather look at images instead, you can see her slide deck from another talk, which hits the same important points.)



If you have some time, I highly recommend checking out the fantastic Doodle Revolution site. You'll get a glimpse of how people use doodles to process huge amounts of information, plan ideas, and make sense of the world around them. (You might spot a familiar name in the Showcase, too.)

What Van Gogh's Bedroom Needed

The painting in our art book is Vincent van Gogh's Bedroom in Arles:

My children, however, saw the painting in the art book as a set for the Winter Set paper dolls.

Violet is very pleased with her bedroom. Maybe she should be called Violet van Gogh.

Paper Dali in Loyola Press's New Book

A year ago, Becca Gay of Loyola Press contacted me to ask about using my Jesse tree ornaments for a Finding God series book coming out in late 2011. Being a big fan of Loyola Press, I said yes, of course (and did a little fist bump in the air). This morning, she sent me a look at the new edition.

The ornaments on the tree look familiar. Yay!

This page appears in the Grade 6 children's book and also on the back of one page of the accompanying Grade 6 Art Print Easel. (This is a neat new product for Loyola Press, a large easel per grade, 18 x 22 in., each containing 25 beautiful reproductions of fine art masterpieces, illustrations, sculptures, etc. to "Explore Faith through Art" for each lesson in the book.) 

The back of each print contains teaching material and the BLM activity associated with the art.

It's the sweetest treat to have my little Jesse tree ornaments on a Loyola Press tree. And I love the idea of being part of children's learning about the faith.

Be sure to check out these lovely new books. And thanks, Becca, for the opportunity. 

Blessings,

Vee