Advent 2018: Activities and Coloring Book

Advent always seems a little further than it is to me ... and suddenly, I flip the calendar and there it is! A new Advent season in preparation for Christmas. Fortunately, Advent is also my favorite liturgical season, so I've drawn, written, and thought about it throughout the whole year.

My Etsy shop is well-stocked for the 2018 Advent season, which begins on Sunday, December 2, with favorites, such as Jesse Tree ornaments (in different sizes and shapes), and the digital coloring books that launched my shop, Christmas in Sweden and Las Posadas Christmas.

I've also updated my Advent Activities & Coloring book with some new drawings for you as well as hand-picked other favorites from previous publications.

Here's a peek at some of the included pages:

The Immaculate Conception Coloring Page

Saint Lucia Coloring Page

Make Your Own Advent Wreath Coloring Page & Activity

* * *
To get this digital Advent coloring and activity book for just $10, visit my Etsy shop, purchase, and download it all superfast! (And if you're a religious instructor, DRE, or small-group leader, I've also the same digital book available with licensing permission for all your students for just $17.

Have a color-book-filled Advent!
Vee

Epiphany of the Lord Coloring Page: Free Printable

"When Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea,
in the days of King Herod,
behold, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying,
"Where is the newborn king of the Jews?
We saw his star at its rising
and have come to do him homage..."

Download entire coloring page here!

For the past two years, I volunteered at the Liturgy of the Word for Children at one of our Masses.

To help keep the children engaged, I always drew the Sunday Gospel reading on the enormous dry-erase board in our meeting place.

Recently, I've been thinking how much fun it'd be to have an actual printable to accompany the Sunday Gospel. And so, I drew up one for this Sunday: an Epiphany of Our Lord Jesus Christ Coloring Page.

Feel free to download the complete printable (the above image is only part of it), and use* it as a:

• Conversation starter after Mass to discuss the Gospel with your kids
• A Mass journaling page 
• A printable for your Faith Formation class or homeschool study 
• And more!

I hope you enjoy it! (And if you're on Instagram, be sure to tag me at @paper_dali so I can see your coloring work. : ) )

* All rights reserved. You may use my Epiphany coloring page for your family, homeschool group, and Faith Formation program but not for your company, work, or financial gain of any sort. Questions? Email me at mypaperdali@gmail.com.

Free Saint Nicholas Day Bookmarks [Printable]

Saint Nicholas's feast day is almost here! Much mystery and myth surround this kind-hearted fourth-century bishop of Myra. But we do know that fact and also that many miracles were attributed to him.

Because of his upcoming feast day, he's on my mind...

St. Nick freebie bookmarks coming to my blog super-soon!🎅 (Watching a movie + sketchpad on my lap = a coloring page 😋) #catholic #catholicfamilies #saints #saintnick #saintnicholas #advent2016 #advent

A photo posted by Vee (@paper_dali) on Nov 30, 2016 at 5:37pm PST

Want to make him be part of your Advent celebration, too?

Then enjoy these free St. Nicholas bookmarks! Just download the coloring page from this link (or click on the picture) and print them out. Make sure you print them in landscape mode and you may have to shrink them to the printable area (or not---it depends on how big you want your bookmarks).
I've colored one of the bookmarks in case you just want to print them out and use them as a surprise gift on the feast day of St. Nicholas or tuck them into whatever book you're reading this Advent season. But I'm also including a black-and-white version, so that you can use the bookmark-making as a craft activity.

If you do use the bookmarks, feel free to tag me on Instagram (I love the 'gram!) and let me see your fine coloring work.

May you have a blessed St. Nicholas Day and a holy, hope-filled Advent.
xo
Vee

Advent Coloring and Activity Book 2016 [Printable]

Advent begins on Nov. 27 this year, and my heart has already begun the journey of expectation and hope. As I illustrated and created my new Advent coloring book, I found my mind reflecting on the beauty of the upcoming liturgical season.

In drawing wise men, I was reminded of how they sought him, how they saw the brilliant heavenly sign beaming from on high, and how they left all that they knew to go and encounter Christ.

A photo posted by Vee (@paper_dali) on Nov 14, 2016 at 1:44pm PST

In drawing St. Nicholas, I thought of how closely he followed Christ and sought to live a holy life, despite persecution. He thought of others, risked so much for the lives of people he didn't even know because his life was a testimony to Christ.

A photo posted by Vee (@paper_dali) on Nov 5, 2016 at 8:16am PDT

And as always, in drawing Mama Mary, I asked her to pray for all of us. She loves us so much, and she wants us to know how much the Lord loves us. Like a good mother, she prays for us and checks in on us. So, I thoroughly enjoyed drawing a brand-new Our Lady of Guadalupe for my coloring book.

A photo posted by Vee (@paper_dali) on Nov 11, 2016 at 7:02am PST

All those Instagram pictures are a behind-the-scenes look at my creating the Advent Coloring and Activity Book 2016.

The 31-page PDF features all new illustrations and almost all-new activities. You can find out more about it by visiting my Etsy shop.

May this upcoming liturgical season fill you with hope, peace, love, and joy.

xo
Vee

Catholic Liturgical Calendar to Color: Advent 2016 to November 2017 [Printable]

The question seemed simple enough: "Can anyone recommend a Catholic liturgical calendar for kids?"

And the creative wheels in my head started turning swiftly... A Catholic liturgical calendar! I should draw one! Yes, it's a huge project. But it'll be so much fun to draw. I must tackle this project!

So, I did. (My Paperdali Instagram feed some photos from the process and a sneak peek collage of its contents.)

The published 26-page PDF covers Nov. 27 (the first Sunday of Advent 2016) through November 2017.

Each month features one full-size illustration to color and then a month-at-a-glance with miniature drawings of some favorite Catholic saints, special Sundays, and feast days.

A bonus page at the end includes small "stickers" of everyday meetings, events, and special appointments to print out, cut out, and paste or glue to whatever box you fancy.

You can print out all 26 pages and assemble it yourself as needed, either every month or all at one. (The calendar is black and white, so you don't need any special color ink for it.)

You can give the calendar a look (and grab yourself one) in my Paperdali Etsy shop.

The hardest part of putting together the calendar was limiting which saints to include in it! I wanted to write down all the names of every saint for every day and draw allllll the saints.

But I also wanted the calendar to be simple and not overwhelming for children (and adults).

So, every month features about 7-10 mini drawings of saints. The good variety can keep your child (and you!) attuned to the liturgical cycle but without anyone feeling overwhelmed by having to color every single day of the year. Coloring is to be a fun, relaxing, and gentle experience.

May this liturgical calendar be so for you and your family!

xo
Vee

Free Catholic Feast Day Planning Worksheet [Downloadable PDF]

Some of my favorite feast days are on the liturgical horizon. (St. Elizabeth of Hungary! Blessed Miguel Pro! Juan Diego! Our Lady of Guadalupe! Etc.! Etc.!) Because of the sheer amount of favorite feast days ahead, I decided to keep my planning stress-free and simple this year.

And that's where my free liturgical feast day planning worksheet comes in:



I'll be printing out a few copies of this Catholic feast day planning sheet and filling them out to make sure I don't miss some of the big feast days.

However, I may not fill in each spot for each feast day. Or I may. That depends on the feast day, how much is out there, and, honestly, my energy level.

That's the biggest thing to keep in mind when planning your celebration for a Catholic feast day: Keep your feast day simple, keep it stress-free, keep it centered on Christ.

The main idea is to do something special on this day to mark it as standing out for us Catholics. Whether you bake a cake as a special treat after dinner or do a movie, books, crafts, and websites, the main focus is that we enjoy as a family learning more about the feast day and growing closer to Christ.

So, enjoy this free downloadable Catholic feast day planning sheet. Make your planning be joyful!

(If you'd like to show me what you've planned or how you've colored or used the planner, make sure to tag me on Instagram with #paperdali.)


Vee

The Lenten Coloring and Activity Book--Available Now!

Ready for Lent? My Lenten Coloring and Activity Book is now available at my Etsy Shop for just $8.

The 35-page PDF is packed with 28 coloring pages and activities, all in ONE place, to help you during the Lenten journey.

The Lent Coloring Book features...

Coloring Pages for every Sunday in Lent:

• 1st Sunday of Lent
• 2nd Sunday of Lent
• 3rd Sunday of Lent
• 4th Sunday of Lent
• 5th Sunday of Lent
• Palm Sunday
• Good Friday
• Easter Sunday

Activities:

• Bookmarks
• Crown of Thorns Coloring Activity
• Flowers for the Crown of Thorns Activity
• Journal Page Cover
• Journal Page Cross
• Journal Page Candle
• Prayer Jar Label
• Prayer Jar Strips

12 Stations of the Cross

Just visit the Paper Dali shop on Etsy to purchase this digital file. Once you do, you can download it immediately. (Who doesn't love easy-peasy purchases?)

Advent 2014: Coloring Pages and Activities

Looking for some new coloring pages to help you celebrate Advent? Me, too! My children were ready for new pages to color and use, so I revamped the activity book by drawing 19 new coloring pages, swapping out some activities for others, and including a handful of classic drawings.

Here's a peek at what's inside the Advent 2014: 24 Coloring Pages and Activities PDF:

The Advent 2014 Coloring Pages and Activity Book includes:

•  First Sunday of Advent
•  Second Sunday of Advent
•  Third Sunday of Advent
•  Fourth Sunday of Advent
•  Advent Playset Countdown
•  St. Nicholas
•  Favorite Carols
•  Good Deeds Manger
•  Immaculate Conception
•  Juan Diego
•  Juan Diego's Tilma
•  Advent Wreath
•  Our Lady of Guadalupe
•  Who Are You Helping This Season?
•  St. Lucia
•  Notecards From Secret Santa
•  Shepherd Coloring Page
•  Sheep Coloring Page
•  Melchior the Wise Man Coloring Page
•  Balthazar the Wise Man Coloring Page
•  Gaspar the Wise Man Coloring Page
•  Angel Coloring Page
•  St. Joseph Coloring Page
•  Mary Coloring Page

 To find out more or to purchase the Advent 2014: Coloring Pages and Activities PDF, check out The Paper Dali Shop on Etsy.