Free Easter Paper Dolls

Happy Easter Paper dolls blog

Happy Easter!

This afternoon, my next door neighbors came outside with some brand new ducks, just a few weeks old, and ooooooohhh....let me just tell you how much fun we had! I'm really regretting that I didn't have a camera, because it was just so darling so see my kids playing with baby ducks while filling up a play pool full of water. Cold water too. Have you ever seen a baby duck shiver? CUTEST THING EVER.

So, being inspired...here's a sweet little Easter Present for you. In case you need some extra play this weekend, you can DOWNLOAD IT HERE.

Free ninety free.

And be creative! These dolls could make a really cute stage play using THIS.

And if you want more dolls, and more clothes, you can go HERE.

I hope you have a wonderful weekend. I will be conducting the children at church on Easter Sunday while they sing, and I am honestly just really looking forward to it. I love Easter. And singing with the children. Is there a better combo?

xo

sarah

Peter and the Wolf Puppet Theater

This weekend was snowy (Bleh!). Friday was 72 degrees, and we were enjoying every second of it. Then a good 5 inches of snow dropped on us, and we've been bundled up in the house all weekend.

Spring, and I tend to forget this every year, is like that. You never know when those 'inside' days are going to hit. And I wanted to have some fun.

So, I made a puppet theater for the kids. And it was so much fun to make, I've decided to post it here so you can play too!

Peter and the Wolf is a long time favorite in our house. I grew up listening to the record and my husband, who is 1/4 Russian himself, grew up the same way. Our children were listening to this story before they could even talk! It's just such a classic. You know the music, right?

In case you are unfamiliar, Serge Prokofiev wrote Peter and the Wolf (the first symphony for children by the way) in 1936. It's a narrative symphony about a boy (Peter) and his animals as they encounter a wolf from the nearby woods. Here's a fantastic 1941 recording for you.

Peter and the Wolf Recording with Basil Rathbone (22 minutes)

The story goes like this:

One day, Peter opens his gate to play out in the meadow beyond his house. He meets a bird, and soon his duck and cat come to join in the play.

He comes back inside and his Grandfather scolds him for leaving because beyond the meadow are woods filled with wolves (just like a Russian Grandfather would).

Grandfather locks the gate and tells him to never go out there again. But, Peter paid no attention. "Boys like Peter are not afraid of Wolves."

Peter is inside the gate, but his friends, the bird, cat and duck are still out by the pond. The wolf swallows up the duck in one big gulp and goes after the cat and the bird who are up in a tree.

Peter gets a rope and climbs over the gate and into the tree where he ties up the wolf and catches him.

A hunter comes and sees the wolf and is about to shoot when Peter cries out that he has caught the wolf. They tie up the wolf and take him to the nearby zoo.

In the story, the duck is still alive inside the wolf's belly as they parade heroically to the zoo....and our version, we like to say that the wolf spits up the duck and they all parade together.

And that's the story! But the music is what makes it. I can't get it out of my head. And it's so good for children!

Last Christmas, my husband's parents made us an incredible hand carved collection with all the characters and the book and CD in a hand painted wooden box. We have spent the past year acting out this story at least once a month. The children listen to it over and over again, using the characters to follow the musically narrated story. It's been such amazing play for the kids, I've wanted to do something similar for YOU! But I've not been able to come up with how to do that. I nearly came up with a paper doll version, but it didn't seem to be as fun.

But with paper puppets, the body parts move....and can be played with even outside the stage. Hours of fun.

So here's what you need:

A Paper Stage:

This is a FREE download in hopes that you can use it for more than just Peter and the Wolf. You can cut it out and fit it to any kind of box, but a cereal box works great. The stage is very close to a full size sheet of USA standard paper (8.5 x 11 inches). So find a cereal box that works with that size. The crown of the proscenium is easy to tape on, or even better, fasten on with brads so you can change it out and replace it with others that title the performance.

Download the Stage HERE.

Peter and the Wolf Characters:

I debated on this one....I wanted to make it completely cost free, but since it is rather elaborate, I'm charging just a small fee: $5.50 for the entire set. I plan on making more stories, some of which will be more simple will be a free download.

You can purchase the full PETER AND THE WOLF set HERE.

Other Household Supplies:

Cereal box

Scissors

Tape

String

Small brads (these are used for scrapbooking and are smaller than normal brads used for school or office. You'll find them in any craft store that sells scrapbook materials).

Safety pin (to pre-poke holes before fastening with brads)

Sticks for puppeting These are found at any craft store, wooden skewers used for barbequeing work as well. Popscicle sticks are going to be too wide, so don't try.

MUSIC:

The Disney animated classic can be viewed on You Tube HERE.

Another favorite version is here, but there are lots more.

But feel free to LISTEN OFF THE BLOG for free whenever you want. (It's not the best recording out there, but it is the best FREE recording out there. But the voice of Basil Rathbone? Fantastic!)

So there you go! I really hope you like it....in fact, I'd LOVE your feed back on this one. Please comment and tell me your thoughts....I have been wanting to add this kind of thing to my shop/blog for a long time.

Is this something you'd like to see more of?

Can you think of other favorite (copyright free) stories that you'd like to have characters of?

Would you prefer a PDF download, or a KIT with all supplies included that you can purchase and have mailed to you?

I can see this as a collection you can keep adding too....some with just black and white print outs that children can color themselves, some more elaborate and entertaining.

I'd love to know what you think! I can't think of anything out there quite like this....so spread the word and we'll see if I can't get more little "performances" put together. It's the perfect creative play, and I can promise you it's going to be a big hit at your house. Tell me how it goes!

Friday Thoughts.

Is it bad to repost old posts? I don't care. There's no blog police hanging around, right?

I just wanted to repost this, since it is a saying that keeps coming back to me.

Have you ever had one of those weeks where you notice how uptight people can get over the little things? I have. And I have to say, it's easy to let the little things get to you. Like when Ian poured an entire gallon of orange juice all over the kitchen counter, the open (clean) dishwasher and the floor this morning. But you know what? We just ended up laughing. It was a disastrous mess (especially because we have a very, very old kitchen with a lot of cracks and places for things to seep in where they shouldn't) but you know? He was aiming for his cup so confidently. And it was rather sweet, really. It took me literally all day to clean (between getting ready for school, errands and normal life with kids) but who's checking the clock. Ian is trying so hard to be a man, and it's really staring to show:)

So, here's a good thought for you this weekend. You can download it for free here.

And while I am on that, I've thought about illustrating more of my favorite sayings and putting them in the shop. Would you be interested in more?

Happy weekend!

xo

sarah

Rocket Ship Diorama

January is the month of Birthdays: Both Addie and Ian turn one year older just 12 days apart from each other. Not only that, but the birthday festivities start right after the holidays. I feel rushed every year!

This year, Addie went for a Dress-up/Princess theme (of course!) and Ian for Rockets. It was simple, and no-fuss. I had grand ideas like I always do, but then toned it down by keeping it about the fun and not the presentation.

We had lots of activities, but the one I wanted to share was from Ian's party.  I planned on having the boys build rockets out of materials I was going to collect through the month. But....since I never collected anything, I came up with this idea at the last second.

Rocket Ship Diorama

Do you remember making dioramas in school? Yes I know. Very retro now, I'm sure. But I am here to bring them back. They are rather awesome, if I do say.

Here's what we did :

Materials:

PDF download of rocket figures

Shoebox

Styrofoam ball

Toothpicks

Thread or fishwire

Scissors

Glue or scotch tape

Sky or Space colored paper

Directions:

1) Cut out the paper figures. Girl and boy rocket people are a must.

2) Attach a toothpick to the back for mounting.

3)Wrap the inside of the shoebox with paper that will look like outerspace: dark blue works best, and it's fun to add glitter, stars, or whatever you want so that it looks super space-y.

4) Cut a styrofoam ball in the shape you need to make the top of a planet or moon

5) use fish wire to attach the firing rocket and planets to the ceiling of the  shoebox.

6) Be creative and add whatever you want to make it your own!

We were rather no-fuss about this, and let the little boys make them by themselves really. They loved positioning the rockets on their own. Even with paper they try to make things collide and explode:)

So, simple? Yes. Entertaining for a 5 year old? Yes and yes. Ian sleeps with this next to his bed so he can look into it before he drifts off to dreamland. Dreaming about green aliens and conquering the cosmos for sure.

Click here for the PDF download you can print yourself.

I'd love to see what you come up with!

Cyber Monday & Tuesday!

Yes! We are joining in on the throngs of sales going on this week! Buy 2 Get 1 FREE this Monday and Tuesday....so have fun & spread a little holiday cheer!

You know the drill:

*Purchase 2 items in the shop

*Mention the 3rd item (of equal or lesser value) in the Message to Seller Box

*Don't purchase the 3rd item!

*And we'll send you all three for the price of 2!

Enjoy...and Happy Holidays!!!

xo

sarah

Making an Art Gallery in Chicago.

Do you remember this post from way back when? Gosh, it was like two years ago...so Addie and Ian were only 2 and 3 years old. I had all this art that my babies had made (finger painting art to be exact) and I didn't know what to do with it. I'd read blog post after blog post on how to store your kids art, digitize it, etc. But I wanted to USE their art, but didn't know how. SO I came up with this ART GALLERY idea. I drew up stencils and traced them onto their finger painting art, and cut them out. Then we framed them, hung them on the wall, and had an instant art gallery of my kids work. Every time people came to visit, they always commented on our Gallery wall. It was so fun to look at! And since then, it's become the most downloaded post on my blog (maybe cause I don't have that much to download....working on that!)

But, I bring this up, because Chicago's local news station did a demo of how to make your own ART GALLERY with your children's art, and they used my blog post and templates for the demo! (Sorry folks...I couldn't figure out how to embed the video, but you can watch the clip if you click here. The demo is the second half of the program at the 2:31 mark).

It was kinda surreal to watch someone half way across the country share with local Chicago viewers, something that I came up with with on a whim while two toddlers crawled all over me on a normal wednesday morning....and I just thought, "Hey, this would be fun to blog about." It just made me realize that the normal things that we do each day can help inspire someone else to find more enjoyment in their daily living. That's what I love about blogging. To me, cutting out animals onto finger-painted paper was just another thing to do on a quiet wednesday morning. And it was! Not that spectacular. But to someone else, that's an idea that they might not have ever had if they didn't go read about it. And so I guess it makes me happy to think that somewhere in Chicago there's another mother cutting out finger-painted paper, while her toddlers climb lovingly all over her, to create a little art gallery from her own children's precious fingers. It really made me think about how far reaching the little things we do each day can be.  I love how this world turns. And I love sharing in the turning.

To find the templates to make your own, click here.

Happy Monday friends!

Got Joy?

Happy Monday!

We're back from  another vacation visiting family. This time to my back East home right outside of DC as well as to the beach. A perfect getaway right before summer's end! So we are getting (slowly) back into the swing of things, but all the while missing all the extra hugs and kisses and wonderful company of parents and siblings.

Taking a time-out to be with family always gives me a chance to reflect on how happy I am. I adore my husband, my children, my home, my church....my life!  And yesterday, as I was teaching Sunday School to our group of 13 year old's somewhere along the topic of "It's All About Your Attitude" and "You Can Choose to be Happy" we watched this clip and this clip which always get me in that grateful mood. There is so  much to be grateful for!

And I made these little bumper sticker reminders, which I have had on my fridge for years. Sometimes you need a good reminder when you're grabbing that glass of milk.

But, if you have a baby Ella, you get the reminder every day. I guess I just keep the sticker up for when I can't see her charming face...which actually is this sunshin-y every day. Man, I love her!

Oh, and feel free to download the sticker and print it for your own personal use.

Well....happy Monday! Hope you are having a joyful day!

Birthday SALE and some news!

Hello!

This is a special week here in the studio. Coupla things going on:

First, my stationary and prints were featured on our local news station. If you are visiting from KSL, Hello! Nice to have you visit!

It's a great segment on the lost art of letter writing, and Sarah Jane Studios was featured as a great place to get stationery that makes you want to write to your loved ones more! Thanks so much Studio 5!Also featured were the lovely Sycamore Street Press, (who, coincidentally, is run by the wonderful Eva who was a freshman dorm mate of mine!) and another favorite of mine: Isabella's umbrella. She is a fantastic illustrator and you can see more of her work here.

You can watch the segment below...my stuff is about 1/2 way through, but it's a great feature so watch all!

And, also on the calendar this week:

A birthday. My birthday. I know...another year older. But frankly, I am excited. I really love birthdays...especially the breakfast in bed, favorite meal, and hand made cards it brings.

I even made myself a card. I am just in love with mermaids lately! I really can't stop. This card is already in the shop here. Do you like it as a print too? Let me know...

SO: in honor of news worthy events,

We are having a SALE!

This week only, it's another buy 2 get one FREE!!!

What you need to do:

• Go and visit the ETSY shop here.
• Order 2 items and place them in your ETSY cart
• MENTION the 3rd item you would like for free in the "Message to seller" box.
• Make sure that the 3rd free item is less than or equal to the least expensive item in your cart.
• Place your order, and we'll ship it to you with a sweet note saying "thanks, we love you, you're great..." You get the idea.
• SALE ends Friday July 16th.

OK! That's a wrap up. I'm off to go finish the book. I am scheduled to finish this week! Wish me luck! It then goes to print and will be out next year. I simply can't wait to show you more!