October Is the Month of the Rosary [Free Rosary Coloring Page]

In honor of the Rosary, I'm sharing my free Rosary coloring page. Use it to help teach your children to pray the Rosary and to keep track of the prayers.

Or they can color each bead ("rose") as they say a prayer, or they can make copies of the little flowers at the bottom of the page and cut them and paste them onto the bead.



Inspired by my grandmother's Spanish prayers, I also created El Rosario coloring page (a coloring page in Spanish):

My earliest memory of the Rosary is wrapped in the scent of lavender, the whisper of beads passing through wrinkled fingers, the murmured Spanish of my abuelita Blanca.

We shared a room, and the Rosary filled my every evening. For the years that she lived with us, she'd pray the Rosary nightly, the repeated "Dios te salve Maria, llena eres de gracia..." embedded into my sleep.

The set prayers, rather than dulling with repetition, formed a cadence of sweetness, a litany of love. My grandmother often told me that she loved me, and I understood that the rosary was like her repeating to Jesus that she loved him.

One cannot say that enough.

Unfortunately, when I grew older and further from the Lord, I stopped praying the rosary nightly, stopped saying "I love you" to the One Who Loves Us Best.

“Some people are so foolish that they think they can go through life without the help of the Blessed Mother. Love the Madonna and pray the rosary, for her Rosary is the weapon against the evils of the world today. All graces given by God pass through the Blessed Mother.” (St. Padre Pio)

Yet, whenever I was in trouble and needed Him, I turned to the  Rosary. Always. Sometimes, I prayed all the mysteries. Other times, just the set prayers. In great difficulties, I'd just clutch the rosary in my hand as tightly as if I were clutching Mama Mary's hand.

Thanks to the Holy Spirit's intervention, my husband's RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults) program, and the piles upon piles of books I read, I returned to the Catholic Church in 1995 and have remained in the family.

Since then, the Blessed Mother has truly become my mother. And through the Rosary, she teaches us, not to worship her, not to focus on her, but to turn to the main events in the life of Jesus and our relationship with Him.

* * *

I also have the following free Rosary activity ideas:

• Rosary index-card ring (prayer helper)
• Pro-Life Novena activity page
• Roses for Mother Mary

Happy coloring and praying!
Vee

Happy to Return to This Creative Space

A photo posted by Vee Jarski (@paper_dali) on Oct 3, 2015 at 1:54pm PDT

For the past few years, I've been illustrating slideshows and creating sketchnotes for the company where I work. So, by the time my workday was done, I wasn't reaching for my art supplies and sketchpad.

My Paper Dali website became like that room in your house that's packed with old, beloved projects; half-completed ones; and endless bits of scraps and papers with ideas scrawled onto them. Every now and then, I'd peek into this creative space, muse over previous work, and very rarely add another little coloring page to the pile.

But this past year, I've had my job go to 100% editorial work, meaning all I do is edit, coach writers, and write... with only one illustration project all this time.

That shift in my workload has created the exact opposite of what I anticipated. I had thought that no longer drawing for work meant that I'd lose my enthusiasm for drawing, that I'd shove my art supplies in a bin, that I'd resign myself to being that gal who used to draw.

The opposite has happened.

Organizing This Creative Space

With my work being strictly with words, I find myself once again reaching for my markers, pencils, and paper in the evening.

Instead of drawing being something I must do, drawing is something that I want to do. The freedom of choosing what to draw and when to draw has given new life to my drawing... and a renewed desire to blog once more on Paper Dali.

Coming back to Paper Dali is like coming back to a little shop I loved but didn't visit for a long time.

I've been looking through the archives to see what is here (goodness, did I really launch Paper Dali when my daughter was 9? She's 15 now!), to compare drawing styles (my early drawings look so primitive and hesitant compared to the more elaborate patterns I favor now), to look at where my thoughts once were (Annie Oakley, how we loved you)...

Moreover, I noticed cracks in the ceilings and dull paint, so I've repatched some links and brightened this creative space with more pops of orange and blue, even a new header.

In rummaging through Paper Dali, I realized just how very difficult locating my free coloring pages are. And so, you can now find them all in one easy-to-see tab.

I also updated the About Me section because readers and old friends may want to see what I've been up to these last few years. (Or not. But if they do, the info is there!)

 

What I'll Be Sharing

 

As the new header says, Paper Dali will not just be a place for free coloring pages but also a place where I'll share doodles, drawings, ideas, and musings about creativity, art, and the creative process, all from a Catholic worldview.

I plan on blogging regularly once more as well. I've missed writing about these things I love so well and sharing my work with you. I also look forward to seeing what everyone else has been up to and looking at your creative projects and going-ons as well.

Blessings galore,
Vee

A photo posted by Vee Jarski (@paper_dali) on Sep 27, 2015 at 9:51am PDT

Free Saint Francis of Assisi Coloring Page: October 4

Ready for Saint Francis of Assisi's Feast Day? It's Oct. 4.


To celebrate this holy day, let's color...

Note: You can download the free Saint Francis of Assisi coloring page here.

In the spirit of poverty and joy and creativity and love for the Holy Family, he is credited for creating the Christmas creche, which Catholics have adopted into their homes.

May this coloring page inspire you to prepare your heart with the same love and care that St. Francis prepared the creche.

Feast Day of the Guardian Angels [Free Coloring Page]

Today's feast day of the guardian angels is one of my favorites! The idea of being appointed an angel from God to guard us and guide us throughout our lives leaves me awestruck.

"From infancy to death human life is surrounded 

by their (the angels) watchful care and intercession. 

Beside each believer stands an angel as protector and shepherd 

leading him to life. 

Already here on earth

 the Christian life shares by faith in 

the blessed company of angels and men united to God."

 - from the Catechism of the Catholic Church; 336.

Here's a free guardian angel coloring page for you to download for personal (nonprofit) use. The image below is a preview. Click on it to download the PDF.)

Blessed Junipero Serra's Canonization Day [Free Coloring Page]

In just a few short hours, Pope Francis will celebrate the canonization of Blessed Junipero Serra.

To mark this day, I doodled a free Junipero Serra coloring page for you:

You can click or tap on the image to get to the free download page.

Peace be with you,
Vee